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| My Mother's Wedgewood Pattern. |
Growing up, one of the main reasons we looked forward to holiday meals was because it meant that the 'good china' would be used. Food always tasted better when served on these beautiful dishes. My mother picked out this pattern, along with her sterling silver flatware pattern and crystal glassware, as was the custom of brides in the 40s. My parents painstakingly added bits and pieces as they had the extra money, and today there is a service for 8, along with some lovely serving pieces. As time went on, the dishes were used less and less - they had to be washed by hand, no dishwasher please! There were grandchildren, grandpets and all other potential causes for mishaps. I am now the very, very lucky recipient of this set of china. I don't have the grandchildren, but I do have the granddogs/cats, so every piece is safely ensconced in my hutch. I like to use them whenever I can - although I don't use them for just me. I recently served a very simple supper of soup, salad and crusty bread for my friend, Sylvie, and me. I served it on the Wedgewood. It was fabulous. I wonder - do women have good china now? Do they just use it for the odd family holiday? My everyday dishes are a varied mish-mash of Bennington Potter seconds (read: wavy), and some pieces of lovely French china I picked up at a Goodwill for $2. What do you serve your special meals on?
9 comments:
Paper plates. (What a smart mouth I am today. That was uncalled for. Bad, Mama Pea, bad!)) I started to write a comment explaining my feelings on everyday dishes and "good" dishes but then realized it was such a story that I'll have to do a whole blog on it.
P.S. Your mother's good china is lovely.
Mama Pea - you are such a smarty-pants! I am really interested - I would never have purchased these myself, as I tend to think we agree on the everyday/good thing (jumping to conclusions, as I do), but I do treasure these because they are my mother's and because of the memories.
That is a beautiful pattern! Every once in a while, I'll break out the "good" crystal glassware or "good" plates just for the heak of it. Makes that boring old glass of water seem so much more fancy....and heak, if we're never going to use it, no sense in keeping it around, right?
My MIL set a wonderful example; she used her "good" dishes for dinner after church every week. It definitely added to the sense of specialness for our weekly date with God. I'm not nearly as good about using mine as she was, but then again we usually stay for potluck to enjoy visiting with friends - and I don't have a love of the "finer things" like she does (and she doesn't have my love of animals!). Still, sometimes we'll use the good dishes "just because;" my son likes "pretty dishes," which I find adorable.
We have my husband's china (grocery store promo set that his grandmother collected for him), a set a Filipino wood dishes my missionary aunt and uncle got us for our wedding, and my grandmother's Franciscan Rose dishes (my favorite).
I am the end of the line in the family. So the way I figure is I better use it, even for pizza night, because some day it will all end up in an estate sale when I go. I might as well wear it out first.
They really are lovely dishes. I had a set of china from my Mom but I didn't like the pattern and also the fact you cannot put in dishwasher, so I gave them to my brother. I use white IKEA dinner plates and supplement with attractive salad/dessert plates that I find.
I use my "everyday" dishes, they really are for every day LOL... if it's a backyard thing I have a big set of the heavy duty plastic dishes left over from wedding/backyard reception that are still in circulation. That being said... I AM from Red Wing, MN - home to the famous Red Wing pottery and my grandma/now mom have a huge set, probably service for 16 that I'm sure I'll get someday, and my dad worked for Red Wing Pottery during his high school days and got to bring home lots of odds and ends and crocks!
I love those dishes. So beautiful!! We use my great grandmothers china for our everyday dishes. :) They are pink. The boys think they are great. ;)
Wow, those are just gorgeous! I have a dish-fetish, so we have many! I don't even care if they match ;)
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