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November 23, 2010

I Get To Play With My Dishes-Day #14 of Thanksgiving

It's one of my favorite homemaking tasks:
Playing with my dishes in preparation for a holiday meal.

Does that sound weird?

I don't get to use them very often, 
at least, not all at once.
Nearly all of them have memories for me.
Like the silver chest above.
We bought that service for 12 with money my parents gave us
for Christmas one year.


And the napkins pictured below.
20 years ago, when experiencing the beauty of fall 
was still new to me
-we had moved from San Diego-
I went in my yard and picked up 3 different kinds of leaves,
traced their shapes onto calico 
and sewed the shapes onto napkins.
That was the year we had the DH's great aunt 
and 6 new friends for Thanksgiving.
It was only the 2nd Thanksgiving I'd ever spent apart from my parents and brother.
Our dining room table, pictured here and only 5 years old then, 
accommodated all 12 of us wonderfully well.
I bought this bowl and pan at a beach community the year
-the only year in 32 years-
my Dear Husband forgot our anniversary.
Notice the mountain peaks in this bowl?
It came from Redstone, Colorado, a tiny community in the Rockies,
elevation 6000 feet.
This was my first piece of crystal.  Got it the year my son was born, 1983.
Don't ask me why I thought I needed a divided crystal vegetable bowl.
I must have been sleep-deprived, 
having just had my 3rd baby in 37 months.
This pretty Chantal deep-dish pie pan
is really too big for our needs 
except at holidays.
Oh, and all those post-it notes?  
I label the dishes so I know I have enough dishes 
and so anyone helping in the kitchen
will know what food goes in which dish.


Again, dear reader, I ask,
does that seem weird?

Putting the serving spoons in them ensures that each dish will have
the proper tool once it gets on the table.  
Saves time and confusion those last few minutes
when we're trying to get the meal on the table 
in a timely manner.


I learned to get my serving tools and dishes out 
a few days before a holiday, and to label them
from Emily Barnes about 25 years ago.
Anybody remember Emily Barnes?
What a precious spiritual and practical mentor 
she was to me!


This year I'm going to use these as bread plates.
Aren't they pretty?
This piece, also from Redstone, will be our water pitcher.
We got this the year DH and I rode horses with our friend, 
who lives there, up into the Rockies to 9000 feet.
Our guide cooked for us. 
After dinner we made s'mores by the camp fire.
There was a full moon that night.
It hailed marbles the next morning at 5 a.m.
When it comes time to serve pie, we will use these.
One Thanksgiving, I remember being secretly shocked
that my dear girlfriend wanted to use paper plates to serve the pie!
I thought, "On Thanksgiving?!"
I wish she was coming on Thursday,
but that's not possible.
She died of breast cancer at 42.

So there you have it, folks.
Playing with my dishes is a walk down memory lane for me.
As I lovingly lay them out,
I get to remember holidays 
and special dinners spent with
loved ones.


And for that, I am truly grateful.


Now, don't you dare forget that 
God rejoices over you and me!
Love, Karen


WHOOPEE!  
I found a whole crowd of like-minded bloggers who love to play with their dishes
so I'm linking up with 
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays 




Take a peak at some of the beautiful tables these girls set!

9 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

It's always fun to play with dishes and I love how you have a history behind each and every piece! I love the napkins you made...they must bring back SO many great memories each time you use them.

I picked up 2 great tips from you...labeling the serving dishes and setting out your spoons, etc., that you will be using. I am always fumbling around for that stuff at the last minute!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Karen. And thanks for stopping by!

XO,
Jane

bj said...

O, darlin' girl...Blogland is FULL of us that LOVE playing with our dishes.
You are wonderfully organized..post it notes and all...you are cute as can be.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday..
and I am your newest follower.:)

PJ said...

Hey Karen! I first will comment on this post. I love your dishes, but I must say I'm with your friend on the paper plates! LOL! Mainly because I don't have family around that will help clean up, and the only dishwasher I have are my 2 little hands. LOL! Now as for your Little Bro-day 3 of Thanksgiving. It must be awesome to have a brother that is close to you like that. I have two sisters, one I never see, and the other only once in a blue moon, and really not even then (we are suppose to be having a blue moon this month) and I won't be seeing her. Anyway, your brother sounds really sweet. You have truly been blessed. God Bless and a Belated Happy Thanksgiving!
PJ

PJ said...

Hey Karen! It's me again! LOLL! I forgot to tell you, I'm not some crazy ladey who picked your blog out random, I promise! LOL! Thank you for stopping by my blog a few days ago. I'm a bit slow as of late getting around to reciprocating visits.

God Bless!
PJ

laughwithusblog said...

How fun! I love dishes. I confess though that I am not that organized!

Sonia said...

Oh how I love to play with dishes....mixing and matching..isn't it fun...well to us it is! LOL Love how you put post it notes in the dish to let helpers know what goes where! Great idea! You have some very pretty pieces...love that you have memories of different pieces with family members at the holidays.. That's the best part!

Miss Bloomers

It's me said...

Hi Karen....nice of you to visit my blog and leave a comment.......your blog is lovely.....i come back here soon !!...lovely day///enjoy ....love Ria.....

The Tablescaper said...

I'm so sorry to be visiting so late, but life is just beyond busy these days.

You had a truly beautiful Thanksgiving table. Thanks so much for being a part of Seasonal Sundays.

- The Tablescaper

Anonymous said...

What a nice post. I really love reading these types or articles. I can?t wait to see what others have to say.

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