A tale of fine china

First it was Target and their Isaac Mizrahi. And then there was H&M with Karl. And now Kohl's has recruited Vera Wang to un-dork-ify their clothes. And I must say, these items are pretty cute. Now when my parents get me a Kohl's gift certificate for Christmas (as they do nearly every year for some reason) I will know what to buy. I used to only get socks and underwear, but now I might get some of these well-considered, inexpensive clothes. (Thanks to Fasshonburu for the tip.)

And now, a little bit about our Thanksgiving:

A little over eight years ago Mr. D. and I tied the knot in our hometown. We were only 22, but we felt very grown up when we registered for some lovely china we saw in a department store. I was in love with them: the rich ivory color, the platinum accent band, the weight of the tea cups, the shape of the saucers. I imagined the numerous, refined dinner parties where I would have occasion to use them, with roasts and complicated desserts and after dinner coffee in the living room.

After the wedding, we were thrilled to find out that my parents and grandparents had purchased them for us. We opened one of eight boxes to inspect the booty, and then put them away. We moved them four times- two of the moves were across state lines. They have remained packaged in their original boxes the whole time, completely sealed and never used. A couple of the boxes even had the original gift wrap on them. I guess we never thought there was an appropriate moment to get them out.

So this Thanksgiving, when I found out Leya was expecting eight people for dinner, I decided we should finally break out the fine china. I am so glad we did. The classic, simple design of the plates looked so pretty against the colors of Leya's whimsical tablecloth, and we had so much fun using them for the first time in our adopted home with our new friends. I would have never guessed eight years ago that these circumstances would be the first time they would be used, but it seems very funny and sweet.

(The photo at the table before dinner was taken by Curiousbird. Unfortunately, we didn't get any of the rest of the place settings, but you get the idea. Check out her flickr site for more good shots from Thanksgiving and mine for a shot of our friends playing Guitar Hero.)