Plush Nest

in which I try not at all to recreate the post that blogger ate

2011-12-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I wrote a perfectly lovely post all about how excited we are to be expecting our first child- it even had really cool photos and I waxed poetic about morning sickness, and told an amusing story about why we're refering to the baby as "The Dragon", but blogger ate it & I decided that I have way too much end of first trimester fatigue to try to recreate it, so you all get to read this instead.

I will post the pic of the vintage pattern I scored on etsy for The Dragon's first Renaissance garb:

Sorry,

I'm really alive- I swear it!

2011-11-12T19:07:00.000-06:00

So, I know it's been ages since I posted, so this begs the question:
"What happened?"

Let's see...
Most Saturday's in July I was working at "peasant camp", which is also known as our space at the Renaissance Festival. We purchased a 3rd space, so we were knocking down walls, removing concrete fountains (possibly the best-built item there!- we had to use a jackhammer!) painting, etc.

Fest started in August and ran into October, so I was there every weekend in addition to working my "real job" all week. This part of my hiatus is pretty much a blur. Tons of fun at Fest every weekend (including using a CO2 powered confetti cannon to launch marshmallows in an all out war)

In October, I was pretty focused on Breast Cancer awareness- I managed to wear pink to work *everyday* all month long as part of our company's campaign and I also walked in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, raising over $200.

And now it's November. Wow. is it any wonder I'm exhausted?

Cherished Collections

2011-07-20T20:58:00.002-05:00

Welcome to everyone who is visiting from Elegant Musings for the Cherished Collections Bog Tour!
I'm having so much fun seeing all the wonderful things different people collect and I hope you are too!

I'm going to share with you a collection that happened somewhat by accident. I collect silver and silver-plated compotes.

What's a compote?

A compote, or compote dish, as they are sometimes called, is a footed dish, often used to serve sweets or nuts.

So, how did I end up with this collection? It started with one piece that had been a wedding gift to my in-laws and they had never used it:

I brought it home and polished off 30 years worth of tarnish and added it to my small Revere bowl, which is a shape I've been enamored with since I was a child. Slowly the collection grew.

I have tall ones, short ones, simple ones, fancy ones, pierced ones and some that aren't technically compotes because they don't have a pedestal and foot, so they're really bowls, but I love them just the same. Each one is different and I know exactly which ones I already have at home and refuse to duplicate even if it's a really good deal. I've become pretty discerning about adding to the collection and a new one has to be pretty special and priced just right to make it, which is why I've been holding at 11 for a while now.

I love that they add a little touch of drama to everyday. The tallest one in the photo above came from the estate sale of the husband and wife who founded the theatre I work at. I think it's kind of neat to have it. I have a few that were gifts from very special family members, including one of the little bowls (it's just peeking in at the lower edge of the photo) that was originally a gift to my husband Joe's grandparents on a significant wedding anniversary.

A little part of me cries every time I see a lonely compote at a thrift store because I know I could give it a good home, but I am NOT the Angelina Jolie of silver compote adoption! I have learned to say no.

I polish them pretty diligently, except just before Halloween when I let them tarnish a bit to add to my creepy decor! The photos were taken in December & yes, those are disco ball ornaments- I always glam them up a bit during the winter holidays!

Be sure to visit the other blogs on the tour by visiting Elegant Musings