Month: April 2025

Downsizing Dilemma: The Wedding China

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

If you had the traditional wedding back in the 70’s or 80’s you probably remember picking out a china dinnerware set to put on your wedding gift registry. I know I did. It was such a grown-up thing to do. We picked out a delicate white pattern with lavender and tan flowers on it. I envisioned having guests over for lovely sit-down dinners with crisp white tablecloths, sipping coffee from fine rimmed china cups. I am not sure what universe I was living in at the time, but it was definitely not reality. We have probably eaten off of the dishes 15 times in the 44 years that we have been married. Now that we are downsizing, does the wedding china make the move?

Where the wedding china all started. We were so young and idealistic back then.

Along with the china, we picked out a set of silverware and some delicate wine and water goblets. Never mind that I did not even like wine at that time. Practicality had nothing to do with these choices. It was just what you did in that era. It was a sign of being an adult and starting a new life. I would have been wiser to choose an everyday stoneware set. Yet, this china set is part of my history. It tells a story. I have used the silverware set a lot and will definitely keep it. Not the same for the wine and water goblets, of which I never got the complete set.

Since we did not get the complete set of eight for the wine and water goblets, they sat in the cupboard collecting dust for over 40 years. About a year ago I decided to go ahead and use them for every day. Why not, life is short, they are beautiful, and they remind me of a special time in my life. However, I still have trouble using them because they are so delicate. The china dishes are still collecting dust and I need to decide if they will make the move with us. Ugh. These are the tough decisions. I can’t just do the Marie Kondo thing and take a picture and release it. It is bigger than that. It is part of “us”.

Does this pattern take you back a few years? If so, you might be a baby boomer.

Is fine china back in style?

Go into any vintage store and you will find china dinnerware sets for cheap. I guess a lot of baby boomers are wondering what they were thinking of back then too. They are beautiful, but not really practical. And they take up quite a bit of precious cupboard space. Fortunately, some people are reviving these old china sets and bringing them back to life with a decorating style called granny chic, or grandmillennial style.

Granny chic is a new home decor trend that celebrates cozy nostalgia. A gentle blend of vintage and modern with soft florals. It creates a comfy aesthetic that makes you want to settle in with a good book. Or invite the neighbor over for hot biscuits fresh out of the oven and homemade jam accompanied by a stout cup of coffee on china dishes. It is the perfect setting for light conversation and a few juicy tidbits of gossip. It is cozy comfort.

Another way to use old china dishes is to create a design wall. Design walls, with an eclectic mix of pictures and old plates, are definitely on trend these days. Many of the pieces for these walls are a mismatch of wedding china plates and platters. They create a unique and cozy nostalgic feel.

Another popular trend is using a mix of older china pieces for a table place setting. As long as you keep similar color tones and patterns, it can work. This is much more interesting than a perfectly matched china place setting. Bonus if the table is outdoors with a hand embroidered tablecloth. The desire to recycle is strong right now. No one wants to contribute to overflowing landfills, so people are finding unique ways to use old products that are fun and interesting. It just takes looking outside the box and being a little brave with your style.

Sorella’s restaurant uses mismatched plates and serving dishes that the owner curated from thrift stores to create a beautiful, eclectic table setting. (The Upcycled Life)

Adding more to the pile

Not only do I have this complete set of wedding china for eight, but several years ago my mom gave me her gorgeous 12-piece place setting of India Tree Spode, along with numerous serving pieces to match. I have always admired it, so when she decided to pass it on to me, I was delighted. I have used it a couple of times and I do display some of the pieces. The pattern is timeless. But seriously, I do not need two sets of good china when I rarely use one. Our new home is not huge and there will not be a lot of storage space. I considered passing them on to my own kids, but they do not want our stuff. (Notice in the linked post that I started this downsizing thing over two years ago-geez.)

I have wrestled with the china decision for a couple months now and the moment of reckoning has come. My mom passed away three years ago, and the Spode was something she collected over the years and loved. The china is a reminder of her beautiful style and gracious spirit. Besides, it makes a lovely, timeless table setting. And the wedding china is, well, part of our history. Besides they would make a nostalgic place setting on a table with a quilt under the old apple tree… there I go again.

This photo is a glimpse of the beautiful Spode dishes from an autumn meal a couple years ago.

After much deliberation I have decided… drumroll please, that both sets will be making the move. I cannot part with either set so I will find the space for them. But I am committing to using them more. Life is too short to have them sitting in the cupboard gathering dust when they could be enjoyed. And so the downsizing project goes. At this rate I might as well just pack everything up and haul it with us for our kids to have to sort through some day. Sigh.

Happy Easter!

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

Easter means so many things: spring, new growth, hope, love and forgiveness. I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate. One of the ways we do that at our house is to host an extended family Easter brunch and egg hunt every year. We typically have between 30 – 40 people and so it is fun, delicious chaos. If you have followed my blog, you know that I am a big believer in traditions, particularly for kids, but even adults rely on these to build security and maintain a solid foundation. It makes you part of a tribe.

Whether your tribe is made up of friends or family does not matter, the benefits are the same. A tribe provides you with a sense of belonging. You have people you know that you can count on. You share an identity and often a history that cements the relationships. It is a support network. And research shows that being part of a community or tribe fosters mental and physical well-being. For a tribe to stay together you have to be willing to overlook irritations that will inevitably come up. You have to be committed to seeing the good in each other and overlooking any petty annoyances. It is all part of the give and take of making relationships work. The benefits are well worth it. So, if you do not have a tribe, start one. It just takes a few dedicated people to get the egg ball rolling.

I credit my mom (A Tribute to My Mom) and dad with starting and keeping our tribe together. They initiated so many of the family traditions that we carry on today and the Easter brunch and egg hunt is one of several. Since I am posting this pre-Easter this year, the pics are from last year’s brunch and egg hunt.

My dad smiling as he is surrounded by family on Easter. We are so blessed that he will be joining us again this year.

The Easter brunch

How do you feed 30-40 people in your house? With a lot of help from the tribe. Everyone pitches in and brings a dish to share. We have settled into a nice routine where one couple always brings the sausage, one the fruit, one the ham, another couple does the eggs, I make the cheesy potatoes dish, etc. It all works. My creative SIL always brings the bunny decorated cupcakes (featured image above) which is a big hit with the kids.

Tables are put up in almost every available space.
My brother and SIL scrambling the eggs at the last minute (left). There is never a shortage of food.

The Easter egg hunt

The week before Easter Mr. U and I spend a good hour filling plastic eggs with candy. Everyone brings eggs to hide too, but you can never have too many eggs at an egg hunt, right? A few golden eggs are filled with money to entice the older kids to keep hunting after the easy eggs have all been snatched up.

After brunch the adult hiders head outside to get creative with their hiding places. Anywhere within the designated area is open for hiding. No place is too high or too low to hide an egg. As the kids get older, the hiders have to get more creative to stump the finders. Of course, every year they are so creative that we find a well-hidden egg or two later in the summer.

The hiders will stop at nothing to stump the kids.
Son #2 is burying this egg in the ground.

The kids are corralled inside while the eggs are being hidden. Of course, they are trying to peak out windows to get a head start on where to find the eggs. When it gets close, the kids scramble to wait inside the door. We used to try and let the littlest kids out first, but that never really worked. Then we tried asking the older kids to leave the easy eggs for the littles, but that is impossible. Who takes the time to decide if that colorful egg is an easy one or not? Besides, who can pass on picking up an Easter egg right under your feet? Hence, why we just hide tons of eggs. There is more than enough to go around.

The kids waiting impatiently to be let out the door to start finding.

I wish you a very happy Easter however you like to celebrate it. It is the mark on the calendar that tells us sunnier days are coming. Enjoy!

Happy Easter from our house to yours!

A DIY Project

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

It is so satisfying to remake a worn, chipped or ugly item and turn it into something beautiful and useful again. It is good for the environment, and it is easier on the checkbook, but the best part is the gratification of seeing the transformation occur under your own hands. I expected that I would complete more do it yourself (DIY) projects in retirement, but somehow other things have taken priority. So, I am trying to delve into them a little more again.

I recently decided to try upgrading a couple of nightstands that we had in our guest room, even though I vowed I would never pick up a paintbrush again after painting all of our kitchen cabinets a couple years ago. It took me almost two years to recover from that little project, What Were We Thinking?

Back when it was new

When we first got married, we bought the proverbial waterbed. Back then waterbeds were pretty cool, and cheap (as beds go) but totally impractical. I clearly remember when we decided it was time to grow up and get a real mattress. I was eight months pregnant with son #1. Have you ever tried turning over in a waterbed when you are eight months pregnant? I do not recommend it. I had to roll from side to side a few times to get enough momentum (and wave) to roll over. By then I was wide awake. Yep, it was time to bite the bullet and get a real bedroom set.

I remember the day our lovely cherry wood bedroom set arrived over 35 years ago. It was a big extravagance for a young couple just starting a family. It was our first really nice piece of furniture that was not a hand-me-down and as expected, it lasted us for years. (It was also much easier to turn over in it when I was pregnant with twins a few years later.) But eventually it became chipped and outdated and so it was relegated to the guest room. Now, as we prepare to move, I am evaluating what stays and what goes to our kids or gets donated to charity. I looked at the nightstands with a critical eye and realized that I simply could not part with them. So, why not give them a DIY facelift instead?

Years ago, I went through a phase where I painted almost every old piece of furniture we had a shiny black color. I was dangerous with a paintbrush in hand. I told Mr. U that if he stood still too long, he might be painted too. Fortunately for him, life got busy, and the paintbrush was set aside for carpools, kid’s sports and sleepovers. Now that I am retired and the nest is empty, I have picked up a paintbrush again. Watch out Mr. U!

The transformation begins

Every DIY project begins with four planning phases.

  • First off is the fun part of deciding what kind of look you are going for. The internet offers more than enough ideas, as well as information on how to do it. And don’t even get me started on the deep hole that you may never come back from, aka Pinterest. In this case, I wanted a more modern look, so I chose a flat black paint and simple brushed gold handles.
  • Next, is an inventory of what tools you currently have on hand such as sandpaper, paint remover, brushes, etc. I have made the mistake of planning to use some paint I already had on hand, only to discover that it was much older than I thought and no longer usable. Note to self – always open old paint cans to check on them.
  • Once you know what you already have at home, you can make a list of what items you still need to complete the project. Then it is time to make a trip to the hardware store. There are so many great paints available now that are self-leveling and do not show brush strokes.
  • Lastly, round up any help you can muster. In this case, I needed some assistance with the sanding tools. And I never decline offers to help with the painting, even if they require bribery.
The prep for any project is usually half of the work.

It seems like every DIY project has some unwanted surprise along the way and this simple project was no exception. I took the old handles off only to discover that they do not carry that width handle anymore. Mr. U came to the rescue and put putty in the previous holes, then sanded and painted over them so we were able to put the new hardware holes wherever we wanted. See why you want to enlist any help you can get? (Refer to phase four above.)

You can see the white wood putty in the hole for the old handle in the picture on the left.

Whenever I am partway through a DIY project, I prejudge how it is going to look. I always, and I mean always, feel like it is going to look terrible. I get frustrated that this has all been a waste of time. But it is amazing what a difference the finishing touches make. It truly transforms a project. I was happy with the outcome of our nightstands. Beware, I just may start painting everything in sight again. And if you come to my house, you may be enlisted to help.

Before and after pictures.