Gold trimmed set of china

 If you've been paying attention, you know that I love sets of china.  As of today, I have 5 sets of china and I am working on #6 LOL  I cannot help myself.  I have always loved nice dishes.  I think that this is one of the reasons that the dining room is my favorite room in any house.  I love to see a table set whether it's formal or casual.  In the end, the dishes are only there to accent the people around the table.  That's what it's truly about.  But I digress.  I love china.  Period. 

This particular set is a set of gold trimmed china by a Polish company, Wawel.  The pattern is called WAV19.  Not a very spectacular name for a beautiful set of dishes but oh well.  I inherited this set from Grandmother.  Of course, it was supposed to go to Mom but since she had passed by that time, it came to me and I couldn't have been more delighted despite the circumstances.  

Grandmother inherited this set from a cousin on the Laney side, Isabel Wolfe.  Isabel was a very interesting person who, unfortunately, got taken in by several people who took advantage of her late in life. That's a story for another time, but I will say that karma's a bitch.  Anyway, she told Grandmother once that she was going to leave her a set of china.  She had several but didn't tell her which one. It ended up being this set.  It's a service for 12 and she had most of the pieces.  Dinner plates, salad plates, bread plates, fruit bowls, cereal bowls, cups & saucers, teapot, coffee pot, etc.  A lot of pieces. Grandmother used it on special occasions and holidays.

I am much the same way.  This set always comes out at Christmas.  But I do enjoy it throughout the year. I have even taken it to work to use for special occasions there.  That's where these pictures came from.  And, after doing research, I know that there are other pieces out there that I do not have yet.  Hmmmmm.  Something for me to hunt down!  The beauty of having these dishes is that they not only bring back wonderful memories from years ago but they have also helped me to create beautiful memories as an adult.  I hope one day to pass them on to someone who will love them as much as I do.  And someone who will use them!!

Better portion control

 

One of the things that I am working on with healthier eating habits is portion control.  That has always been a huge thing for me.  Going back for seconds and sometimes thirds has been a part of my eating routine my entire life.  I am going to blame the church covered dishes for that one!  I mean, how can you not go back for more?  And I will rationalize multiple trips to a buffet by telling myself that I am paying for this so I might as well get my money's worth out of it. Even when I cook at home, I would normally have two plates of whatever it is that I cooked.  I need to make sure that it gets eaten in a timely manner so that it does not go bad and I am not wasting food.  These are all relatively true excuses, but they are just that.  Excuses. 

There are two ways that I am working on conquering this overeating in my daily life.  The first one is healthy snacking.  I have discovered that if I spread some snacks out throughout my day then when I go to have lunch or dinner, I am more likely just to have one serving per meal.  I have been going through what I have in my pantry and my fridge (my new fridge YAY!!!) and finding things that not only can I snack on but that are pretty good for me.  Lots of fruits and raw veggies and nuts.  And just small portions throughout the day end up doing a good job at keeping me full during the day.

The other thing that I am working on with this is, once again, listening to my body.  When I go to eat dinner and I am actually paying attention to what I am doing, I will stop after I finish a plate of food and ask myself if I am full.  Do I really need, not want, another plate.  9 times out of 10, my body tells me that I am full and that I do not need more food.  I still have plenty stored in my body that I need to burn off anyway.  Also, I need to wait to eat dinner, especially, when I feel hungry.  If I feel hungry and then eat, I won't eat as much.  Many times, if I just eat for the sake of eating, I will eat more.  It's hard to explain but believe me, that's what happens. 

When I make my dinner, I make the conscious effort to not fill my plate to the brim with food. I put decent sized portions on there, not oversized ones which I can easily do.  And I listen to my body while I am eating.  I take my time and actually chew my food and not swallow it whole LOL It's making a difference in how I eat.  And not only that, it is cutting down on my food costs because dishes that I make last longer.  I am still able to eat the entire dish in a timely manner so that I do not have to throw it out without overeating.  That's a good feeling. 

One Drawer at a Time - I haven't had to throw much out this week

 

Oddly enough, I have not had to get rid of much with the last few kitchen cabinets that I have gone through.  They are a little better organized now, but overall, they were in decent shape. What I am really starting to see with this process is that it is working for me.  Not having to discard unused things much because I am keeping up with what is in there.  That is a good feeling.

I have found very little duplicates over the past week.  One cabinet has all of my oils and vinegars in it. The opened ones, at least.  And they were all different. I used to be really bad about opening up several different bottles of the same thing because I was not checking first.  Now, I make a concerted effort to look before I leap.  Granted, sometimes things do slip through the cracks but oh well.  I can live with that.  I did make the discovery that I have a multitude of sandwich bags, both ones that seal and ones that don't.  I'm not sure why I do and they've probably been up there for years.  I do not feel like I can part with them just yet though because they my come in handy with some kind of repurposing.  We shall see.

The food cabinets are up next and I am not particularly looking forward to that.  I hope I can get it organized better than its current state. I am pretty sure there are outdated things that need to be tossed. I cleaned out my pantry this weekend and that was just sad how much I'd let go past the expiration date.  Oops LOL  Anyway, I will update you on that fun later on!

Supporting local theatre

 I want to have more theatre in my life.  I have discussed this before, I know, but it still rings true.  In this day and age, with everything going on in the world, I am truly seeing the importance of the arts, and I know that they need to be supported as much as possible because they are a vital part of our existence.  Theatre can be a transformative experience both for those onstage and for those in the audience.  The reason I am thinking about this today is because the arts in Greensboro need to be supported more in order for them to thrive.  

The first ten years or so that I lived here, I feel like the arts scene was growing at a rapid pace.  There always seemed to be something to go see.  As a theatre lover, that was awesome.  You could find plays at all of the local colleges and universities.  We had CTG, Livestock Players, The Barn Dinner Theatre, and Triad Stage. Livestock and Triad Stage are no longer here.  CTG is still around but on a smaller scale than it used to be.  The Barn Dinner Theatre is still active, but I don't know how many shows they do a year.  And, of course, the schools are still putting on programs.

I think my problem is finding when these things are happening.  Back in the day before social media, there were few outlets for places to advertise their shows, so it was a lot easier to find out when shows were.  Nowadays, I feel like I really need to track down what's going on and it makes it harder to find out when shows are being performed.  Now, I am not including Tanger Center in this.  They do an awesome job at advertising their shows.  They're just too expensive to go to on a regular basis for me.  But I am very pleased that they are being supported for the most part.  One tour did cancel because of lack of ticket sales, but I think there were many reasons for that one.  Still, it's becoming a great place to see shows when you can. 

So, I am going to start compiling a list of shows in the area.  You know how much I love lists LOL But this will be more of a calendar I think. I want to get out and see shows more and support local artists.  If I don't know when they are, I won't know when to go.  Winston has a thriving arts community and there are always shows going on.  We can do that here in Greensboro, I believe.  It just needs more recognition.  Not that my making calendar will bring people in droves to the shows, but at least it will help to get me there!  It's a start!

Dad's surgery, dinner out and an estate sale

 Despite having a crazy work schedule over the past week and a half, I have managed to do some fun things for myself.  I was off this past Monday because I worked 2nd shift over the weekend.  That worked out perfectly because Dad had his 2nd cataract surgery scheduled for that day and wanted me to take him.  It was quite a long day because I got up early and was on the road to Angier by 7.  Then Dad and I drove to Rex Hospital in Raleigh for his procedure.  This time, thankfully, the drive was not nearly as crazy.  Driving in Raleigh is definitely not my idea of fun but it was completely manageable this time.  His surgery went well and I ended up spending the night because we were all exhausted.  Even under the circumstances, it was a nice visit.  June and I started watching the American Idol finale. I don't follow it but June loves the show.  Neither of us made it to the end LOL But we had a good time.

Yesterday, after getting some things done around the house, I went to an estate sale.  It was put on by Happy Camper Estate Sales which is one of my favorite estate sale companies. I shouldn't go because I don't need more stuff but it's quite addictive LOL  It was a house in my neighborhood so that was very convenient.  I ended up not getting anything.  On the estate sale website, I had seen a stereopticon that interested me but it was gone by the time I got there. Actually, it may not have been gone but there was so much stuff and lots of people it was overwhelming.  I may go back over this afternoon to look around since it's half priced day.  We shall see.  Later on, I met up with Alex and Lenny for dinner at Elizabeth's Pizza.  It's always good to get out of the house and I had not been to this particular Elizabeth's before on Bridford Parkway.  There are several of them all throughout Greensboro and the Triad, but this was my first time at this one.  I had smoked chicken ravioli, and it was delicious!  I will definitely be going back there.  

After I got home fro

m dinner and chilled out for a while, I began to rearrange my kitchen.  Why not since I have some new appliances.  I'm not near finished but I am really liking how things are shaping up.  I have more counter space now that I am moving things around the clearing things away. Today, I have prepped a new casserole for lunch.  I follow Meme's Recipes on YouTube and I just love her.  She does my kind of cooking.  She has at least two cookbooks out which I hope to get one day.  Hint, hint at those buying me a Christmas present LOL Today's recipe is Meme's Mazetti which is her take on the classic Johnny Marzetti Casserole.  It looked divine so I am excited to see how it turns out. 

So that has been my week along with my work.  It's been a good week and I am looking forward to doing more things next week.  Cheers!

Things I want in my dream home

 

I posted recently about different pieces of vintage furniture that I would love to own one day.  Today, I'm going to talk a little about things I would love to have in my house.  After all, if I acquire these items, I will need a place to put them.  I think a lot about the houses I frequented growing up and the houses that I have lived in for this list.  I have taken most things from these houses and made a dream house list. Maybe if I win the lottery, I will find a home that has all of these. Or at least I could have one built, possibly. Either way, it's always fun to dream!

1. Front hall

I love a house that has a front hall/foyer.  I think that it sets the tone of the house, and it is important as it will be the first things guests see in your house.  

2. Butler's pantry

Now, this is not something that any of the houses I have experienced had but nevertheless I would love to have one.  It would be so convenient for the many dishes that I have LOL

3. Screened in porch

The house on Sherwood Street that I lived in years ago had a screened porch in the front and I absolutely loved it.  Grandmother's house had a screened porch on the side which was also very nice.  It was not used much as I remember but I did enjoy going out there on warm days to read and do homework.  I have no preference where the porch would be located as long as it fit in with the style of the house.

4. Colored walls

I love color in a home.  Beit paint or wallpaper.  Not that there is anything wrong with white walls.  My current house is all white walls and that is fine.  But I would love some color.  We had the 70s wallpaper in our hall at home:  avocado green, orange and yellow.  It was very 70s but I loved it.  It got painted over white later on and I missed seeing it.  But, the choice was not mine to be made LOL The house on Sherwood Street had a different color in every room and I thought it was beautiful!  

5. Built in shelves

I have never lived in a house with built in shelves.  Both Grandmother's and Aunt Billie's house had built in shelves in their dens.  They were great for books, obviously, but also for displaying collectibles.  You know I do not lack in those!  I would love to have a den with built ins or maybe even a library with built ins all the way around the room. 

6. Dining Room

This one is non-negotiable.  That is, of course, unless someone gifted me a house and it didn't have a dining room.  Then I would make do LOL  But I want a separate space for dining, not just a dining area.  It does not have to be completely closed off, necessarily, but I want it to be its own space. Dining rooms have always been my favorite room in a home and I must have one.

7. French doors

I love the look of French doors.  I like the idea of being able to close off a room and yet still see inside of it.  Again, this is not something that I have had in a house before.  The house in Wingate and Grandmother's house had French doors at some point.  Grandmother's had two sets:  going into the dining room and going into the den.  She said she always regretted having them taken out and I don't blame her.  They're fantastic. 

8. Knotty Pine

I'm one of the few people I know that likes knotty pine paneling.  To me, there is something very cozy about it.  And very retro. To me, it adds a certain warmth to a room.  When Aunt Billie added a den to her house in the late 50's it was all knotty pine.  It also had a huge picture window in it.  I loved sitting in that room and spent many house in there.

9. Glass cabinets

I love being able to easily find things in glass cabinets and they are aesthetically pleasing.  The house on Sherwood Street had them in the kitchen and Grandmother's breakfast room had them.  It's also a great way to organize and display my wares. 

10. Walk in attic

Attic space is so important for storage. And, as I am getting older, having a walk-in attic will be important. Now I don't want an attic with a pull-down ladder but one with actual stairs to it.  That, or simply a door to go through.  I have been in attics with the pull-down ladder and it's fine if you're not carrying anything in or out.  If that's the case, it never feels secure so something walk-in would be ideal.

So, those are some of the things I would love to have in a house someday.  For those of you who fantasize about your dream home, what kinds of things are you looking for?  I'd love to know!

Quote of the Week

 

This is great advice for anyone, but especially for me.  Follow through has not always been my strong suit but it feels amazing when I do it.  I want that feeling more.