Dish Of The Day

Working my way through the alphabet in this month's A-Z blog challenge...

 Day 4-D is for Dishes 

If a pretty dish enters my home you should know it's probably not coming out. I mean if it's yours I'll return it, but if I've bought it myself or it's been handed down to me I'm keeping it possibly forever. 

Doesn't everyone need an asparagus plate? 

I live on a lake and everything is super casual here. We use melamine and plastic tumblers for the outdoor spaces, but I  think a beautifully set table in the dining room is one of life's little pleasures and I want more of it. 

I feel like people push back when you want to make something a little bit 'fancy'. Guests don't want you going to any trouble, but I say going to a little bit of trouble is part of what makes a dinner gathering special. 

I know everyone is fine with paper plates and easy clean up, but I love the aesthetic of real dishes and I don't even mind hand washing my china whenever we pull it out. Which isn't often, but when we do it feels so civilized. Hubs and I always enjoy having a debrief too, as we wash up dishes after a party. It puts a bookend on the evening.  

I have a lot of dishes, but right now I have room for them and I use them. I have my everyday dishes. I have a very full set of china chosen when I married that I still love a lot.

I have a set of Christmas dishes. I have many many serving pieces I purchased on trips to Italy and the potteries in Stoke-on Trent in the UK. 

Memorable days and memorable trips made with women who became friends as we bonded over pottery and living far from 'home'.  

I have some lovely little glass sherbet style dishes that belonged to my grandmother that I've only used a couple of times but am determined to use again. Plus they were my grandmas. Doesn't the law say you can't give away your grandmas dishes? 

My daughter1 has my grandmother's china and it made my mom so happy when she moved out of her house knowing these dishes went to a granddaughter. 

I'm a believer in using the good dishes. In the end they're just dishes and if one breaks it breaks. What's the point of having nice things if they're always tucked away in a drawer or cabinet? 

When I was visiting my daughter2 a couple of weeks ago we went into a beautiful home store and my eyes instantly landed on a set of gorgeous bar glasses that would be so much fun for summer. I hemmed and hawed and thought about how I might justify the purchase (they were awfully pricey), and when I asked myself aloud where would I put them my daughter said, and I quote, 'just buy them mom, you'll figure it out when you get home.' 

I love her. 

But I didn't purchase because they were somewhat girly and the bar area is kind of hubs domain so he might not appreciate these. Or he might be happy if they make me happy? I can always go back, right?