BUTTER, BONES, AND THE PITS

As a child, it was often my job to entertain my Great Grandmother, who in her declining years was confined to her wheelchair or bed.  One of her favorite things to do was talk about cooking, entertaining; and, especially, her dishes.  She would have me fetch specific dishes from the china cupboard, and she would regale me with stories about their use.  She and Granddad were not rich by any means as they were ranchers and farmers on the prairies of Colorado, but she was a bit pretentious when it came to entertaining.  She was born in the Victorian era, when they had a different dish for every food.  Among her favorites were the butter pats, the bone dishes, and her olive dish.  

Some of the dishes in this post, I inherited from her; others I have just accumulated.

 Below are G. Grandmother's Sunday dishes from Austria.  She had plain white ironstone bone dishes she used, but I don't know what happened to those.  The Meakin bone dish was given to me by a friend.

CHINA - ROYAL JNNSBRUCK, JHR and CO., AUSTRIA
BONE DISH - J and G MEAKIN, HANLEY, ENGLAND

 I love a table set with a mix of brown transferware.

PLATE - "TONQUIN", ALFRED MEAKIN, ENGLAND; BONE DISH - "TONQUIN", CLARICE CLIFF,
ENGLAND; BUTTER PAT - LS and S, ENGLAND; CUP and SAUCER - CLARICE CLIFF, ENGLAND

 The red transferware are my 'Sunday Dishes'.

PLATE and SALAD BOWL - JOHNSON BROS., ENGLAND; BONE DISH - ROYAL
STAFFORDSHIRE,  ENGLAND; BUTTER PAT - WEDGWOOD, ENGLAND

 More accumulated brown transferware.

PLATES: JHW and SONS, HANLEY, ENGLAND; BOWL - ALFRED MEAKIN, ENGLAND
BONE DISH - FURNIVALS, HAMPTON, ENGLAND

 Then there is G. Grandmother's olive dish and fork with the individual tiny dishes for the discarded pits.

HAND PAINTED NIPPON

I came across this picture of a complete formal place setting. 

Picture from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFormal_Place_Setting.jpg

It would be the "PITS" to do all of these dishes and silverware without an electric dishwasher.  G. Grandmother said that was what grandchildren were for.  And my mother always said G. Grandmother could dirty every dish in the house, too.  I think my mother was the grand daughter that always did those dishes!!

A plethora of inspiration can be found on the following:
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Knick of Timse Interiors for Knick of Time Vintage Tuesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for WOW Us Wednesdays
Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
Nancherrow for Fridays Unfolded
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

METAMORPHING - CHANGING THINGS OUT

January -- the month to change things out!  After putting all of the Christmas things away at the end of December, it was time to bring some things out that haven't seen the light of day for awhile.

 I decided to celebrate my Colorado pioneer heritage.  The big picture below is of my grandfather and his cowboy cronies; and the smaller photo is a studio shot of my great-grandfather in his dress cowboy finery.   

In the dining room cupboard, there are now blue and white dishes; most of them belonged to various family members.

The two small pictures are of different prairie houses belonging to my grandparents and great-grandparents.  The large photo is of the family farm with two houses that my grandparents built in about 1916.  The wood-handled utensils belonged to a great-great uncle who homesteaded in Colorado in 1876.

Here is how that dish cupboard has morphed the last three months - in November, brown transferware; December, red transferware; and now blue in January.

What will Spring bring?  I don't even want to think about it -- I'm enjoying Winter too much!  My goal this month is to get some of these old photos printed on matte paper and reframed.  I love Winter projects.  How about you?

(Pictures may be clicked on to enlarge.)

I'm partying with the following:

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday

Helene's Legacy for Everyday Vintage Friday
Nancherrow for Friday's Unfolded

Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks

Creative Home Expressions for The Creative Home and Garden Hop Sunday

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

 Better with Age for Give Me the Goods Monday

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday

Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday

FAVORITE DISH PATTERN(S)

Alison at The Polohouse has challenged us to post about our favorite china pattern for her "Favorites on First" party this month.  Does transferware count as one pattern?  I hope so, as I couldn't decide among several patterns of transferware as my favorite.

I consider my red "Old Britain Castles" by Johnson Bros. as my 'good' dishes.  I always use them for the holidays shown here with the Christmas dessert plate that has the same border pattern.  

Charger-Mikasa "Italian Countryside"; Champagne glass-Grandmother's green depression; Ice tea glass-Mother's Fostoria "American"; Silverware-Oneida "Damask Rose" stainless

  The "Old Britain Castles" is shown below with Johnson Bros. "His Majesty" dessert plate that I always use for Thanksgiving. 

Silverware-Mother's 1847 Roger's silverplate; Goblet-Dollar Store

I love the intricate borders on transferware.  I have service for 16 of these Johnson Bros. dishes.  Actually, I have more place settings than I have room to seat people in our small house; unless it is warm and we can overflow to the screened-in porch!

 Then there are my Johnson Bros. "Friendly Village" dishes that I bought at an estate sale.  There is service for 12, but I have both the buffet plates plus the dinner plates -- 24 people for dinner -- probably not!

Glassware-Fostoria "Argus"; Silverware-Great grandmother's monogrammed sterling

 I bought my "Blue Willow" by Churchill everyday dishes at the grocery store about 15 years ago.  I figured I had to buy groceries, so I might as well get some cheap dishes with them.  I have servings for 12 plus lots of serving pieces in this pattern of transferware.  

Glassware-Dollar Store; Silverware-"Damask Rose" stainless and sterling

  Sixty-seven years ago, my parents had me pick out this sterling silver pattern, Damask Rose; and they gave me pieces along for my birthday and Christmas so that by the time I married I had my 'good' sterling.  Then, several years ago, Oneida came out with the same pattern in stainless, so I bought a service of 12 to use for everyday.  Can you tell the difference between the sterling and the stainless?  The soup spoon is the stainless and the rest is sterling.

 And, finally, I couldn't leave out the 19th century brown transferware.  I have picked up pieces along for twenty years, so I don't have a 'set'; but I have lots of soup bowls and bread plates in different patterns for a mix and match place setting.

Glassware-Mother's Fostoria "American"; Silverware-"Damask Rose" stainless; White dishware-Mikasa "Italian Countryside"

I do believe I'm ready in the dish department if I ever have to serve an army!
In addition to The Polohouse on September 1, I'm linking to the following:
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Sunday View for Vintage View Sunday
Creatively Living for Monday Funday
Better with Age for Give Me The Goods Monday
The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Vintage Tuesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Vintage Farmhouse for Creative Things Thursday
Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday