Pretending It Is Spring

 

The lily blooms in the little bouquet I bought at Walmart last week are opening. I am so glad to have them on this snowy March day.

It was 70 degrees yesterday afternoon; it is 28 degrees this morning. Quite the difference. Last night when a thunderstorm came through, we received a radio alert for possible tornadic activity in our county. The broadcast said radar-detected rotation. Then the outdoor sirens started sounding. We can barely hear them in our condo. I opened my front door so I could be sure that was indeed what I was hearing.

 We sat in our inner hall next to our two bathroom's walls with the tub in one and in the other a shower (hopefully a strong reinforced wall) for about 10 minutes. All we got was some rain. Then the weather radio went off again, but the affected areas were to the northeast of us so we knew that we were safe. I do not see anything in the internet news about local damage. Praise the Lord for His protection.

We can relax for a while until the next unsettled weather comes to northern Indiana. 

New Blue and White Dishes

 

My set of 6 ceramic appetizer dishes I ordered from eBay arrived a few days ago. I love the blue and white patterns. The Cerkik six-inch plates are safe to use in the dishwasher and microwave. 

My kitchen cupboards are full. I need to decide what to do with the Corelle dishes. Probably in the next few weeks, I will remove them. We are already using the Pfaltzgraff white dishes that is part of the Corelle ware replacement. 

Later this spring we may replace our recliner chairs and a side/lamp table, too. We are spiffing up things in our old age. 

Pfaltzgraff Jules Dishware

 

Corelle dishware is resistant to cracking, breaking, and chipping; but even Corelle is not miracle dishware.

We have had a set of Corelle dishes for almost 19 years. The edges are eroding away. The dishes and bowls are serviceable. We still eat out of them regularly. However, they are looking a little shabby.

I bought on Wayfair a new set of dishware. They arrived yesterday. They are Pfaltzgraff Jules pattern. They look nice. I am not sure how well ceramic dishes will hold up over time. They are definitely heavier than Corelle. The bowls are much larger than I realized. This pattern has a beaded design around the rim of the plates and around the outside of the bowl.

There are 4 dinner plates, 4 dessert/salad plates, and 4 bowls.

The Corelle ware set had 4 blue mugs with 4 "saucers" except the saucers had no circular indentation like it would for a normal cup. I am looking at some "appetizer" plates on eBay to replace these small plates. I think I am going to buy a set of 6 blue and white plates in different but complementary patterns. 

I really liked the Secret Garden design. Corelle no longer makes it or anything like it, but they do still sell dish sets.

I am not the same person I was 20 years ago. As long as I am replacing dishes, I might as well try something different.

What kind of dishware do you use? Have you had it a long time?

Mardi Gras

 

Our retirement community has a themed Sunday brunch once a month. On the 15th, it was Mardi Gras. The tables had strands of green, gold, and purple beads along with feathered face masks. Some of the buffet choices were jambalaya, fried catfish, okra, and beignets. The dessert table had King cake.

The only time I saw a Mardi Gras parade was in Gulf Shores, Alabama when my husband and I spent two weeks away from snowy Indiana. Nearby Mobile has many parades with decorated floats. Our smaller town had mostly decorated flatbed trailers pulled by pickup trucks. The people on the float threw out bead necklaces and candy. 

We were glad we had our winter coats because a front came through and drove the temperatures down. When we returned to our car, we stopped in at a small cafe and had beignets and hot drinks. I had eaten beignets in New Orleans before. They are delicious but messy with the powdered sugar getting on your fingers and clothes. 

Have you eaten a beignet?