Pretty Things

This afternoon in desperation after realizing that I may not leave the house at all, I started looking for something to blip. Several times in the past I've arranged the teapots or tea cups or some of the lovely cut-glass that comes from Mr. Fun's family and taken photos, but never used them here. So I walked into our formal livingroom, which isn't a livingroom at all.

Years ago when we moved into this home we weren't used to having a livingroom and a family room so having both seemed like a waste for space for us. We like to entertain and I think the best time spent with friends is dining together; therefore, we furnished the livingroom and formal dining room with oak tables. We can seat approximately 36 people for a meal, and in the past we've done that often. I love having my home filled with people.

So currently the tables in the front of this home are decorated with "pretties." Grandma M -- Mr. Fun's grandmother came from well to do folks in the North, Milwaukee to be exact. Her first name was Belle. Her middle name was Armour because her parents were good friends with the Armour (Meat Packing) family. She also married a well to do young man (who built that grandfather's clock I blipped a couple days ago). So at their wedding in the early 1900s, they were given amazing gifts . . . lots of cut-glass, sterling silver, and linens. Sometime soon after that, they broke all family ties and moved to California. The only part of the "well to do or wealthy" that came with them, were those gifts. Today we have some of those things, and the punch bowl and silver spoon are a couple of them. I thought you might enjoy seeing them.

Currently Mr. Fun's mother has divided the collection amongst numerous family members. I wish she would keep the entire set altogether and give it to just one of the granddaughters. I mentioned that once and she adamantly disagreed, so I just keep quiet.

I love entertaining. For 10+ years I planned, organized, and executed my own birthday dinner party and loved every minute of each one. (I've already told how much I love birthdays.) For those parties I cleaned, shopped, cooked, served, and then enjoyed my guests as they each one had brought something to share--a book or a special object or a vacation or Christmas memory. In my mind those friends and their sharing were my presents. They had given an evening of their time to spend with me. Those were magical evenings together.

Today we don't entertain as much . . . for numerous reasons -- we're too busy, we need new carpet, and entertaining is a lot of work. But when we do, it's a blast!

Someday maybe I'll write about Grandma M. She raised her three sons after her husband left her. In the 1940s and 50s she owned and operated an up-scale women's store in our city. When Mr. Fun was a little boy, he was the light of her life! She died when he was in sixth grade, so I never met her, but she is still a giant in our family.

It's Oscar weekend. Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka