When Phil & I got married, I was thrilled with (and still am thankful for) my Corelle set of dishes that my best friend from college gave me. They have worked wonderfully for the past 12 years, and the majority of them have survived despite the wear & tear, being dropped, and used as a drum set at mealtime! I never had a need, desire, or space for fine china.

But about a week ago, I came home from Illinois with a family heirloom - my great-grandmother's set of china. It has been passed on from mother to daughter, but usually not until after you've reached the "responsible" age of 40...or older. My mom decided she didn't want to make me wait to enjoy it. (Her friend wasn't too sure that I understood the value of the set, nor the uniqueness of the square salad plates. I got quite the lecture!) Mom had already given me a portion of the set, but trusted me with the rest of it. Her friend will be happy to know it make it all the way to Oklahoma & is in pristine condition. :) It is a beautiful set & I'm excited to use it. My grandma did a lot of entertaining & blessed people through her hospitality. I'm not sure that we're formal enough to ever use all the pieces - dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl & saucer, bowl, dessert plate, teacup & saucer, along with serving dishes and a plater. But one of these days, we'll have a dinner in courses, just so we can!

Phil's mom always served their Sunday dinner on china while they were growing up. So this past Sunday we brought family traditions together & made use of our "new" plates. Per Noah's request we served Chinese food on our china. It seemed appropriate.

And yes, those are styrofoam take-out containers!

Just keeping it real! :)