Sometimes Good Things Come in LARGE Packages

Our everyday dishes are as old as our marriage--25 years this coming March. :-)

Some of them still look pretty good,
but most are worn out,faded, scratched, and tired.For several years I've considered replacing my dinnerware. Enjoying something fresh and pretty has warred with the desire to not waste.

After all, these plates and bowls are still functional. And they're Corelle--incredibly durable. Eight of us over two decades have managed to break only a few, and the dingsand chipsare also rare.

So every now and then Len and I went back and forth regarding need vs. want, aesthetics vs. materialism. The difference this last time was that some children overheard.

What to get Mom for her birthday became clear . . .They wanted to surprise me, but thought better of it, thank goodness. Lauren did some initial research, and I spent many hours online as well.

I quickly narrowed my search to Corelle again. It is thin and light, easy for children to stack and carry and load in the dishwasher. It is durable beyond belief. It is bargain priced compared to other casual dinnerware.

Other preferences helped, too. No square plates! No designs in the center of the plate, just waiting to be scratched up by years of knife and fork use.

Finally I had 8 patterns selected. How to choose? How to choose?

(Yes, this story is long and probably dull. You're welcome to just scroll through the pictures and wait for a more interesting read some other day.)

That's when I looked more closely at the place settings that were available: big plate, little plate, bowl, and mug. I didn't really need or want more mugs, but whatever. What stopped me in my tracks was the little plates--they were the tiny bread and butter plates, not the mid-sized luncheon ones we use every day. Argh! Now what?

More online checking to see about adding single plates led to the great discovery of the perfect (for me), super-size set. At a steep discount, it had 12 each of three plates,and three different bowls,plus two serving bowls and platters! With NO mugs! It was available in only one of the patterns I had considered, making that decision so much easier . . .

So my sweeties have given me a gift I'll see and use nearly every day for decades. THANK YOU Lauren, David, Daniel, Joseph, Marianna, and Rebecca.

And in the spirit of "waste not, want not" I'm packing up the old dishes to save for David. He thinks the new ones are too girlie, but the flowers on the heirlooms are faded enough to be inoffensive. ;-)