Among Other Things

I've been reading about people who collect china.  For years  I bought sets of pretty dishes and never used them.  My cabinets were filled to overflowing and I had to do something so I gave the china to family, sold it on ebay, sent some to Salvation Army and kept only my Mother's beautiful Haviland and my own Christmas Spode.

I'm afraid to use the Florentine Haviland, not because it can't be replaced, but because the replacements are not my Mom's.  The replacement dishes are not the ones she used everyday--not like the plate she smashed over the edge of a counter when she found out that I went to a concert with a boy but told her I was at a girlfriend's house.  Not the same at all!!  I sometimes have a cup of tea in one of her cups and I can feel her hand on my shoulder.  I think she is telling me to "Wash that cup and saucer by hand and put them away carefully!"  Due to the visionary talk I don't use her crystal either.

 

That leaves the Christmas Spode.  Yup, that's what we eat on every day.  Every day is Christmas around our house.  Our sweet son-in-law says he hadn't lived until he ate pizza served on Christmas Spode in August.  He says it's nice, in a "My mother-in-law is wacky" kind of way.  I get that a lot when I pull out the Spode!

Then there are our wine glasses--no stems!  They are little round tubby balls of crystal that friends roll their eyes over when I serve wine.  I will not go into the wine glasses right now except to say that the people who think stemless wine glasses are a new thing should think again, because I brought these babies from Germany with me 35 years ago.

I have to admit that I love seeing my friends' and family's china--what they buy, what they use, what sits in their cabinets and is never used.  I believe that nothing is more telling about personality than china, crystal and silver choices.  I hope you will share yours with me and tell me how you came to purchase/inherit them. 

    

Speaking of silver, our was a wedding gift.  I hate polishing it so it sits in the silver chest and is never used.  It doesn't go with the Christmas Spode anyway.

Knitting is coming along:

Lace Edged Sweater finished

 

2 Kaths Hat through Fair Isle and headed toward long back and tassel

One Of Those Weeks

I have only finished one knitting project, and that is the Snow on Ice hat.  Big Bear wanted to model it for us so I let him.  He doesn't get to do much because if he comes out of his hidey-hole two dogs would jump on him, mistaking him for a dog toy.  Big Bear can visit Comfort Zone only under controlled conditions.

He will have another hat to model in a few days as I am well underway in the knitting of Kathyb's The Two Kaths Hat.  I'm doing mine in turquoise and cream Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.  Starting the Fair Isle section today.

 

With working, family, knitting, gardening, and being old enough to want to rest in the evenings after work, nothing much gets done.  I mean to say nothing much like writing posts and blogging, and some weeks the nothing much includes knitting.  It has been one of those weeks!

Although I always carry at least three methods of internet communication with me in the form of iPad, Kindle Fire, and iPhone, I never seem to have time to write blog posts on the run.  I do knit between clients/projects in the office, but I try not to load Word or log-in to Blogger and write a post because everyone would be doing it.  Come to think of it, then we could close the business and I would have plenty of time to do whatever I want.  I may be on to something!!

More stress comes from the fact that GD#3 is again having health issues.  Good thoughts and prayers are needed.  My beautiful granddaughter is so brave and strong, and I admire her determination to beat this thing.  She carries her pain and affliction like a sword into battle.  She will win!!  But, good thoughts and prayers always help.

My Mom always said that she could tell when I'd had a hard week because I would climb in a hole and sigh deeply all weekend.  What do you do when stresses are overwhelming and one more thing would be too much to handle?  What do you do to heal?  Please share.