What's On the China Cupboard?

If you were following along last week with What's In the China Cupboard you may have noticed some things sitting on the china cupboard last Tuesday.

The boys' college graduation pictures are sitting on top, and there are a couple of woven oak leaves and copper star ornaments hanging on the knobs. The things I'm talking about today are the two possibly slightly-out-of-place hunks of lumber.

Shortly before we went to CO to help Ryan pack and move this summer, John went out to clean up his workshop. It's in the top floor of our barn, and the boys used to play out there a lot when they were young. I suspect that John didn't actually clean up much, but he did bring these two hunks of lumber back to the house. 

You'll see that this one lists the members of the very exclusive Ryan's Club House.

There is room for a third member, but I don't believe I've ever been considered for membership. Underlining and three exclamation points make it clear that it's for members only.

The other seems to be a scene at sea, or maybe a boatyard.

I like the smiling sun, that the boats are numbered for some reason, and the gently rolling ocean waves. I haven't been able to relegate them back to the woodpile in the shop, so they continue to elicit a smile from me whenever I pass through the dining room.

What's in the China Cupboard: Friday

I'll finish out this week with a few of my favorites from the china cupboard. One thing that I didn't have originally was a teapot. Both my mother and sister-in-law liked to gift me additional pieces for my birthday and Christmas. One year, I must have mentioned to both of them that I would like a teapot, and that was the year I got two teapots for Christmas. 

The teapot features Donnington Castle on the lid and Farnham castle on both sides. And if you have teapots, you also need cups and mugs. The original set had plenty of cups and saucers, and there was one year my mother gave me 12 demitasse cups and saucers. I've never served espresso in them, but they are adorably cute.

The cups are only 2 1/4" across and feature Nottingham Castle on one side and Ludlow castle on the other. There is a regular cup and saucer behind them, and I love the floral scroll inside the teacup.

I've got lots of regular teacups and demitasse cups, but I bought four mugs several years ago. They are newer pieces and don't feature castles at all, but I like the Christmas tree on them, and I use them often throughout the holiday season.

Thanks for reading this week as I looked at what's in the china cupboard. I wish we could share a cup or mug of tea together!

What's in the China Cupboard: Thursday

Today I'm featuring the platter that will be holding our turkey (and ham, too, because John really likes it). 

The platter features Stafford castle, complete with two large towers and crenellations. It's pretty hefty at slightly over 16 inches across, but that ensures that none of John's ham will accidentally touch my turkey.

Wishing all who are celebrating a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving, and a very happy and healthy Thursday to those who are not!

What's in the China Cupboard on Unraveled Wednesday

I don't want to miss linking up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday, so I'll take a small break from the contents of the china cupboard, and return to it tomorrow. But wait, my china set did come complete with several different yarn bowls! 

The covered version even has Windsor Castle inside, for when you want a fancy yarn bowl. 

I finished the ribbing on the body of the sweater, and have just started the stockinette portion on larger needles. Only 18" to go before I join the sleeves! 

I only finished one book last week, but it was a good one - The Chancellor by Kati Marton. It's a biography of Angela Merkel who I have long admired. After reading the book, I have even more reasons to appreciate her accomplishments. Merkel is intensely private and didn't speak to the author for the book, but I give her a lot of credit for keeping her ego out of her leadership (and out of the news). It's certainly a stark contrast to what goes on in the United States! 

Several books that I had requested months ago came up on Overdrive, so I've started These Precious Days and The Christmas Promise. These Precious Days is a collection of essays from Ann Patchett, and they've been great listening so far while I've made pies, stuffing, side dishes, and cleaned. The Christmas Promise is the latest book by Richard Paul Evans. This isn't the type of book I usually read, but I was feeling a bit tender when I first saw it and thought it was a book my mother would have loved. It may be formulaic and schmaltzy, but I'm hoping it won't be the worst book I read this year. If it's too bad, I've got another book of essays that I need to read and review on my Kindle - Bomb Shelter. 

What are you making and reading this week?

What's in the China Cupboard: Tuesday

Before I take the rest of the week telling you about things in the china cupboard, I should probably tell you just a little about the china cupboard itself and how it came to be filled with china.

There's a little niche at one end of the dining room that is just the right size, so we bought the china cupboard at the same time we bought the dining room table after we moved into the house in NJ. For a long time, I didn't have anything to put in it.

For almost four years it was empty, but then John's grandmother passed away. She was called Mom-mom, and John's mother cleaned out her house, then called me wondering if I was interested in Mom-mom's china. Nobody else in the family wanted it, it was the last thing she needed to take care of, and she could bring it right over. Even though I'm not really a china person, I couldn't stand the thought of taking Mom-mom's china to Goodwill, and I did have this empty china cupboard. 

My mother-in-law did bring the box of china over, and my excitement grew as I unpacked the pieces. There were lots of dinner and salad plates, cups, saucers, two platters, bowls, a creamer and sugar bowl, and a gravy boat. The pattern is Old Britain Castles, and each piece features pictures of one or two (you guessed it) old British castles. I was thrilled to receive this, especially because it's a pattern I would have picked out for myself. 

It's still in production today, but the original pieces have a crown back stamp. These were produced in 1930 through World War II when production was stopped. Production resumed in the post-war period, and the pattern is still made today, but in China and without the crown back stamp. 

One piece I always make sure to use is the gravy boat. 

The gravy boat has Rochester Castle on one side and Runnymede on Magna Carta Island on the other. The underplate has Warwick Castle on it. My family enjoys gravy when I serve mashed potatoes, and the gravy boat needs to be refilled several times to make sure there is enough gravy for turkey. The boys were always careful when passing it at the table, especially because the underplate isn't attached. It's a bit more elegant than serving gravy from a measuring cup (which is what I often end up doing for regular weeknight dinners). 

I'll be back tomorrow with another piece from the china cupboard along with some knitting and reading.

What's in the China Cupboard: Monday

For much of this week, I'll be featuring a special piece or two from my china cupboard. I was inspired when I reached in to see what might need to be washed so I could use it for Thanksgiving. It occurred to me that there were several stories contained in these pieces, and now might be a good time to share some of them. 

The first thing I noticed was my mother-in-law Sylvia's teapot. This has been on the shelves of her china cupboard ever since I first met her in 1974 (and probably long before). She used it often, usually for mint tea. We were invited to share stories of Sylvia at her memorial service, and the first one I shared was about this teapot.

More than 45 years ago, Sylvia offered to make mint tea for a family friend and me, so she went out to pick the mint, put the kettle on to boil, got out the teapot, and we all waited for the tea to steep. After several minutes, she poured the tea into dark mugs, and the friend and I took sips of the mint tea we had looked forward to. We looked at each other questioningly and took a few more sips. Neither one of us was quite sure what to say, but I finally had to blurt out, "I don't think this mint tea has any mint in it!" Sylvia looked a bit surprised but started to laugh when she saw the mint she had picked was still on the kitchen counter. That was the day my future mother-in-law served me hot water, but it was prepared in her lovely teapot. She continued to laugh about it for many years afterward.

It's not a fancy or expensive piece, but she was always careful with it. Some of the gold has worn off in places, and I especially like the place on the top of the handle where her thumb rested while pouring. Nobody in the family remembers when she got the teapot, but I'm grateful to have it in my care now. I think about my mother-in-law every time I make tea in it.