MCFH: Collection

My Cozy Fall Home, Day2: Collection. 

I’m not much of a collector, since with a large, creative family, our home already has plenty of clutter and cleaning challenges.  But I do I have a 'thing' for useful ceramics.  In fact, an e-friend coined my addiction "Vesselarianism," as I love pitchers and mugs, as well, but I'm most drawn to bowls. (I wrote about this previously in My Not-so-secret Problem: A Bowl Addiction.  More and better photos can be found there.)  I am tempted to buy many, but budget keeps that to a minimum.  I also like to limit my collection to pieces that mean something to me.




The white and green bowl is one I had made especially for bread baking, although, these days, with so many of us watching carbs and gluten, it's primarily used for produce.  The eggplant purple ones (my favorite color!) are part of a larger set made for me by a friend.






I have to say that my favorites are the smaller bowls made by my Princesses Bossy and Artiste,

while I also have a special fondness for the delicate, flowered bowls brought home from Japan for me by Princess Sassy and Prince Steadfast.

Football Bowl... But Not the Kind You Think

I know I've said it enough times....


               "Don't kick balls in the house."


                                                                       "Baseball/football/soccer is played outdoors."


                                                      "Please don't throw balls inside."


But... Crash!                                                                                                                                                                                 

Maybe you remember the the tiny bowl I keep on my kitchen windowsill.  It belonged to my Grandma H., who used to use these bowls to serve us ice cream every time we visited her and Grandpa.  It is a pretty reminder of her love and hospitality.  It holds my rings when I bake.


The football, with hundreds of cubic feet of kitchen space to fly around in, found that special little vessel and broke it into 3 pieces.


Prince CuddleBunny felt terrible.  He knew he'd done wrong, and knew the loss of the bowl would be sad for me.


He asked where the Scotch tape was.  I told him bowls weren't fixable with tape, and tears welled up in his eyes.



I went in the kitchen about 10 minutes later and he was bent over a project on the counter.  He made it clear he didn't need help, and I left him alone.  


I returned later to see the bowl looking almost as good as new.  I guess I knew nothing about tape and bowls!  ;-)   He did a great job of fitting the pieces tightly back together.











It will still hold my rings. 
 From a distance, it looks just like it always did.  I hope the tape lasts forever, because now the bowl says the same things it did before, but more.  I see how much my little guy cared about my feelings, and how hard he worked to make things right.








In this case, I have decided to "Choose Joy," and see the love instead of the loss.  Lynn at Cottage and Creek has written a post sharing her intention to Choose Joy throughout 2012, and is also hosting a give-away... Of a beautiful fabric art piece she sewed herself that will serve as a daily reminder in the home of the winner.  Give her a visit and enter!

Looking Back...

January:
Reading through the titles of old posts, I see 2 significant steps. Changes in our pizza crust recipe made a difference in our lives on a weekly basis, with improvement in the taste and texture of our pizzas, and an easier pizza-making routine:                                                                                                                                         

Pizza Crust....The continuing quest for the best.

And making our own yogurt was a new and successful experiment, although I haven't done it since.  I will again, someday, though, when I gather all the right equipment, so the process can better fit my multi-tasking life.

Bucket List Item: Making Yogurt

February:
A gadget that's made a big difference in our breakfast menu and added to our nutrition:

New Oat Flaker/Roller

March:
I shared routine things that brighten my days...                                                                                                                                                                            

Routine Sustenance

and my weakness.

My Not-so-secret Problem: A Bowl Addiction

April:
We have 3 birthdays the first week in April, which are usually the big events of the month.  This year however 2 engagements took center stage!                                                                                                              

Good Things Come in Twos!

May:

Twosome Tuesday: Wedding Dresses

We, of course, started prep at a quick pace, aiming for 2 summer weddings.


We finally met Prince Helium in person, and he was a blessing on the spot when Prince Go-for-It passed out from a sinus infection, resulting in a worrisome trip to the ER.                                                               

A Princely Scare and the Comfort Food Hug for After

June:
Wedding prep and discussions continued, and the in-laws' house remodel, with the kitchen I designed and built by Hubby, and with other decor choices I'd made, was coming together.                                                                                                               

Update...In-laws' Remodel

July:
Nothing could beat out our first wedding for the #1 blessing and accomplishment!                                                                                            

Wedding #1: Check!

August:
The in-laws' remodeled house selling in one day was big news (In-Laws' House: SOLD), but, certainly, Wedding #2 ruled this month.                                                                                                                                                                

Twosome Tuesday: I suppose you want photos?

Twosome Tuesday: Photos from Wedding #2

September:
It was time to get life back to normal.  I tried a few new things in cooking, we started excavation for the garage addition, and I made a gruesome discovery in the sewing room (I'm Not a Screamer...).  But my biggest project was refinishing the kitchen table and refreshing the finish on the island.

More Stripping at our House, Part 2

October:
We discussed finances in the Money Monday, the Series in adjusting to our adjusted (lower) income... and fed 26 for the cross-country team pizza feed.                                                                                                      

Pizza for 26

November:
I celebrated my Blogiversary, but mostly enjoyed Thanksgiving, headed up by the newlywed chefs.

Thanksgiving Prep - The Day Before

Thanksgiving Meal

December:
This has been a month full of activity, joy, and busyness.                                                                                                                             

Getting a new oven is always a biggie...

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday- Oven #5

Family Christmas Festivities

and hosting a Christmas party for my side of the family was an honor and a delight.










  

 Hubby-built Bookshelf

Also, so great to have the bookshelf up and operational for that.


But Christmas with our own brood in our own home is always the best.

Glimpses of our Blessed Christmas

Link up: Top Projects of 2011 Party

Thanks to seeing it on Sugar & Spice in the land of Balls & Sticks, I'm linking to Southern Hospitality's Link up: Top Projects of 2011 Party.  I hope this post suits the theme well enough.  My 'projects' this year didn't all have before and after, and weren't all home-oriented, but it's been a wonderful, wonderful year full of great blessings, projects, and progress.  


I am thankful for all the events of 2011, and look forward to what God has planned for us in 2012.

Happy New Year to you and yours!!

Exacerbated Vesselanarianism

My collection of vases had always been a mixture of hand-me-downs and those that came with the few bouquets of flowers that have been delivered to me in my life.  A motley and not very elegant group.



After the weddings, however, I have so many more, as the girls passed those left from the various centerpieces off to me.  
This gives me the opportunity to be, both, more discerning, getting rid of the ugly ducklings I'd kept because they were all I had, and more vase-endowed, since as long as they're here and paid for, I might as well keep a more varied assortment than I'd afforded myself previously.

Do you think these kind of tops are food safe?
Good for vinegars or oils?

Lots of orange and blue.
Not at all my favorite colors, but the
blue is growing on me...

With a houseful of youngsters, I've never been big on candles, but that can change a little bit now.  Princess Bossy had votives mixed into her table centerpieces, so I inherited a box of candles, as well as several little vessels in which to hold them. 

Now my goal is to try to get Hubby to build some shelves for our living room, so I might display some of my new (and old) vessels, before the permit comes through, and nothing happens but garage-building around here... As it should be.










Previous related posts:

My Not-so-secret Problem:
A Bowl Addiction

My Little Vesselarian Heart
 is Singing!

My Little Vesselarian Heart is Singing!

The search for another bread bowl is no longer necessary...




Our ceramics instructor friend had Hubby stop by his house on the way home, because he had some new bowls for me.  They are GORGEOUS.

Porcelain beauties with ridged sides for no dropping.  One was pulled sideways after turning, and has thumb-grips built in for easier handling.  

They are the lovely natural porcelain creamy color with a glaze of variegated soft sagey and olive greens around the top edges...with just little bits of bluish and something earthier. 




This wonderful friend also offered Hubby a spalted maple he'd had to take down...And said if the tree worked out for him to use, he wanted a loaf of bread in trade.  He's more than earned several loaves of bread just in bowls!   I aim to keep him well supplied.































Previous related post:

My Not-so-secret Problem:
 A Bowl Addiction

My Not-so-secret Problem: A Bowl Addiction

One of my cyber friends said I should not refer to this as an addiction, but instead refer to myself as a "Vesselarian."  That, in fact, might be more accurate, because I also love pitchers, canisters, and other interesting and artful containers...but today we'll concentrate on bowls.                                                                                                                                                                                             
I am not talking about all bowls, as I am also a bowl snob.  I really can't get into plastic bowls...Not the Melamine kind, nor the soft, smarmy silicone ones that lack structural integrity.  I never liked Tupperware bowls much either, even though I admire some of their storage solutions, like my beloved Tupperware Modular Mates Rectangular #4 Containers that hold up to 37 cups of baking staples like flour and sugar, and fit so perfectly in my upper cabinets.  
But, I've digressed...                                                                                                                                                                                                           
I'm also not passionate about stainless bowls, for the most part, but do love the usefulness of my four giant (13-quart) ones for mixing up grand batches of granola, and mixing and serving large salads or pasta dishes.                                                                                                      
It is glass and, especially, ceramic bowls that have me hooked.  Larger ones and certain graceful shapes increase my interest.  (I first said they 'raise my lust level to its peak,' but although it was more descriptive, seemed slightly suggestive in a way I didn't want to go!)  Mason Cash mixing bowls seductively call my name. (There we go again...)                                                                                                               
Budget limits my collection of such things, but here are a few of my favorites:                                                                                                                                                      

A feature corner in my kitchen...Fresh fruit & handmade bowls, an unbeatable combo!
The largest (about 7 qts) doubles as my bread bowl

A housewarming present from our ceramics instructor friend.
A gorgeous color,  besides such a thoughtful and wonderful gift.

A cool one found in my in-laws' house.
We think it originally belonged to Hubby's grandmother.

The more commercial entries in my collection.
I like these for their shapes and colors.
They look great in my hutch and are useful sizes, too.

A sentimental favorite.  This was part of the set in which my
grandmother always used to give us ice cream at every visit.
I had wanted to display it in some special manner.
But it sits simply and quietly on my windowsill,
as a reminder of love & hospitality...
and it's as if Grandma holds my rings for me while I bake