"A dish where there is love..."

    ♫ 'Now, listen to a story about a girl named Deb...' ♫ Picture this post to the theme of the Beverly Hillbillies opening song and you'll be right on track for the story I'm about to tell you. But my story didn't start in the back woods. It started with a conversation of tweets with my friend, "Bead" (My nickname for her on Twitter). {By the way, you can FOLLOW and tweet with her too--> HERE , or visit her gorgeous--> Etsy shop. }

    Actually, it started with me tweeting with "jenscloset" (also on Twitter). I love--> her beautiful shop on Etsy. I saw this--> Vintage Floral and Luster Bavarian Soup Bowls Set   in her shop, and it reminded me about the set of porcelain dishes that I own. I mentioned that I had a similar set to "Bead", and she said she has a set too! So, we decided to do both of our blog posts today to show them to each other! :-)

    Now, my back story is that I have had this set of dishes since before I was married! I was a flower toting, hopeless romantic, even then! I didn't have a boyfriend even, but I knew one day I would!!! So I started to build up a "Hope" chest. I bought bed spreads, curtains, silverware, all kinds of knick knacks, and good smelling sachets. And I had them all locked up in suitcases and boxes, waiting for that day my Prince would come and take me away to that beautiful Mansion where I could display all my pretty stuff for all to see! (STOP LAUGHING!!!)

    Then one day I saw a catalog....I kinda like looking at pretty stuff in catalogs--> Remember my Catalog Finds, from the other day?! But this catalog had a porcelain china set, with flowers...Roses...on each piece!! I had to send away for it, and had to pay a ridiculous amount to have it shipped to me. But BOY! Was it worth it!

    Isn't it gorgeous?! I have an 8 piece setting. There's 8 plates, tea cups, saucers, salad bowls, soup bowls, and hordeuvres plates. Then, I have a bunch of extra pieces too: My big platter and gravy pourer, pictured above, a beautiful sugar bowl,...

    ...and more! I even have salt and pepper shakers around here somewhere, I think. I'll spare you having to look at any more. I think you get the idea that I LOVE IT!!! Especially the hand painted flowers all over everything!

   The mark on all of them says they're from Romania.

      I don't remember sending to Romania to get them, but you never know! It WAS over 30 years ago! {If you want to see Bead's, this is her blog--> HERE.}

    The end of my story is that I DID meet my Prince, but he was driving a green Chevy Chevette and didn't have a Mansion. We did...♫ 'Pack up all our stuff' ♫...and move...but not to Beverly Hills. We moved to a one bedroom apartment in Connecticut, a place not big enough, or, in my opinion, classy enough, for all of the stuff in my Hope chest! It wouldn't have matched any of my stuff anyway! We ended up buying a "practical"/Ugly striped brown, gold, and tan living room set, thanks to my "practical" new husband, and a brown bedroom set. :-/ ...

    I had bought bright red Satin bed spreads and curtains, and a poster of John Travolta to hang on my wall. The hubby wasn't into that so much! LOL He was a BROWN kind of guy. Still is, kinda,...with a little blue thrown in here and there. The only thing from my Hope chest that he loved as much as me, was...you guessed it...my beautiful porcelain china set with the hand-painted roses all over them!!!...I knew there was some reason I married him!!

    Now, if he could just figure out how to make Donuts and cupcakes pay off as well as ♫ "bubbling crude...Oil, that is...." ♫ we'd really have something to put on these dishes!!  ^__^ In the meantime...

Love Fills The Holes

Isn't  it wondrous,

this life that we live,

the holes we fill up

from the love that we give?

Even the hard times

make wonders abound,

because of the memories

of times safe and sound.

The good times, they come,

they fill us, they flow

and leave behind a smile,

like the hard rain's  rainbow.

So, its the love that keeps growing,

that adds wonder to life;

because no matter how peaceful,

or how full of strife,

Isn't  it wondrous,

this life that we live!

Cherish it always-

for the holes it will fill.