June 30, 2018

Use Everything

Back in the old days, you had Good China and Company Plates and you only used these sets of dinnerware when you had people come over for special occasions. However now, it's rare for people to have dinner parties and use the good china or company plates anymore... it just doesn't happen. 

I'm not sure why this doesn't happen, it just doesn't; and it's a shame.

I've been donating to op-shops lately and taking a walk around to their shelves and finding more and more large sets of the dinnerware given to the places by families because they think they won't use them. 

However, I love having people at my place to have a meal, making pots of tea and just sitting and talking. It's and old-fashioned way of communicating without computers, without the smart phone, without the television blaring in the background. It's how I was brought up: turn off the television, sit down with us at the kitchen table and let's talk. 

In today's world it's so hard to get people to put down their phones.

Yesterday, I had my parents over to help me put together a new greenhouse I bought from Bunnings (a gardening warehouse here in Australia) and it was fun! Earlier that morning, I put on the slow cooker and started on making a vegetarian stew/soup for lunch. They were looking forward to having lunch at my place as they hadn't eaten here for a long time. So, I opened up my Chiswell Table and set it and made sure the house was as tidy as I could get it... as I don't have a lot of space. 

We spent a good hour putting the greenhouse together, putting the plants back where I wanted them, putting the plants which the greenhouse was for inside it and then we had lunch. I brought out the bowls for the soup. I bought a whole dinner set from Life Line at Slacks Creek for $10 it's a pinkish red one and looks gorgeous. I used a lazy susan in the middle of the table so everyone can get to everything... and the soup went down well; seeing the day wasn't as hot as they told us it would be on the radio.

Then it was time for a pot of tea. Everything from the teapot to the cups and the tea canisters were second-hand; even the sugar spoons were second-hand and were proper sugar spoons from all over the country (and all over the world as well) all polished up and ready to use. I brought out some chocolate biscuits and we had a good chat about things as we drank our tea... Dad looked around and Mum said that it's the tidiest I can get my house because there's just no room for my art stuff. 

And that's the thing. If you don't have room to expand your passions, it's something that needs work. I've worked on my house so much and I use all my things I've collected - I make sure of it - and still I have a room problem. It's always good to use everything you own and everything you collect from anywhere... don't be shy about it. 

And that's this weekend's challenge: have a look at what you use and what you don't. If you haven't used something in your house in over 2 years, donate it - you won't miss it. I am donating a set of mugs, with matching spoons, as I haven't used them in over 2 years. I got them for free and used them at first - because I didn't have any other mugs - but now, I have a good collection of nice mugs; and I no longer need these old free ones. So, what are you going to let go of? 

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