Show us Your Life China Pattern

Over at Kelly's Corner, she hosts the Linky Party " Show us your Life"  and each week it is a different topic.  This week it is China Patterns, the party is almost over, but I really want to share my China Pattern story..so here goes; . Kelly suggests that we tell about how we picked  our China Pattern when we registered for our wedding, etc.  Well, we eloped, so there was no registering for a china pattern.  However, his mom, took really good care of us and bought the entire Melvyn's Scandinavian Dish set for us...it was was not china, but I had my very own matching set of dishes - it was ours and I loved it.  I still have a few of the the pieces, but 22 years, small children and 3 moves takes a lot out of an everyday dish set. It was well used and loved.  But on to the China...Fast forward 16 years.  A colleague and I were at a conference in Tahoe and while driving back we decided to stop at a few antiques shops along the way.  The name of the shop eludes me now (I have the card stuffed somewhere), but I do know it had only been open for a couple of days...anywhoo, as soon as I walked in I saw this set...it called my name! II had a china hutch (only 4 years old at the time) but no real china and I had been on the hunt. I asked the store owner, how much and she said "all the pieces aren't there...it was my mom's, we never used it...the rest is in storage somewhere...I'd have to get it for you this weekend."  My heart sunk...we were at least still 6 hours from home, I would have to come back if I wanted it...but she said there was more...how much more?  "Well, it's a service of 12 and there are at least 6 serving pieces that go with it..."  OKAY this is going to be too much money I better keep on moving.  "I'll give you the entire set for $300.00 if you want to come back in a couple of weeks to pick it up or I can ship it to you at your cost."  300.00!  Are you kidding?  I called PC and told him about it and he said..."go ahead and get it, maybe you and your mom can drive up together to pick it up (I knew I married a good one)".  So I wrote a check for a deposit and drove happily home.  I told momma we were going to make a road trip and we did; here are some photos of our weekend - it was such a good time and my china will always be special to me because I made the trip with Momma:  

We stopped at several little shops on the way back to pick up the China Set, we oooed and awwed and goofed around a lot.

When we got there, I gave the owner my check and she gave me the boxes, but she told to check all the boxes, because she hadn't unpacked them and she didn't want me to be missing anything.  Such a conscientious lady. Soooo, this set is MIKASA, GoldFleur, numbered, never been used...EVER!  It's so dainty and beautiful and there are so many pieces. $300.00!

I unpacked each piece (I could not believe how many there were, I kept thinking I was finished but Momma kept saying, no there's another one behind you...I felt like I was a little girl setting my blanket for a grand teddy bear picnic (my grandmothers quilt is what I'm setting everything on)! Playing with my dishes -  I was a kid in a penny candy shop! Do you see the Cream Soup Bowls?  There is a Dinner plate, salad plate, bread plate, dessert plate, berry bowl, cream soup bowl, teacup & saucer for EACH setting!  Creamer, Sugar, Gravy boat, two vegetable bowls, one large platter and one small platter.  That's about $2.93 per piece!  I still can't believe it. 

On our way home, we stayed in an old haunted hotel.

It was very cute but it WAS haunted.  I wanted to take the lamps home.

Momma loved the dresser.

We happened to be making this road trip in the early Autumn, Momma was so happy to see all the wonderful colors...we don't get that in our immediate area, so this was a gift from Mother Nature. 

I had such a sweet time with my momma, window shopping, stopping to smell the roses (or watch the water move), eating at quaint places, just being girls on our own time and terms.

I think picking out my China pattern was supposed to happen this way...such a memory, such a treasure. Now I'm off to play with my dishes some more!  Tata for now!