White

I have a white pitcher that belonged to my husband's grandmother. It has graceful lines and sits on the shelf above my kitchen sink. It shares the shelf with an old white porcelain pitcher and another tall white pitcher that was made in Italy.

My kitchen cabinet is filled with assorted white serving bowls and platters, some are newer, some wear the marks of time. Some have straight lines, some are curvy. Each are unique in shape and size and do their job well in holding the various foods I choose to place on my dinner table.

I have a closet in my home that bears the weight of 200 dinner plates. When my oldest daughter got married she wanted a sit down dinner for her 200 guests. Purchasing the plates from the Pfaltzgraff outlet was less expensive than renting, and I have enjoyed and used the dishes for large get togethers and weddings for about 15 years now.

I have a drawer of lace doilies that my husband's grandmother crocheted and a drawer of white tablecloths in assorted sizes. I have tablecloths in cotton poly for everyday use and some linen ones I iron for special occasions. For Shawna's wedding we also made 200 lace edged napkins to wrap the silver in. Over the years I have collected some pretty embroidered napkins as well as some that are monogrammed that I use on special occasions.

Some of the dishes have a special meaning for me, like the ripple edged cake plate that was one of my mother and father's wedding gifts. I enjoy the fruit design on the stemmed white glasses that were my grandmothers. The gravy boat that Michael and Kendra gave me gets put on the table almost every Sunday. I like cutting bar cookies and placing them on the rectangular plate that Kevan picked out. I have bowls that were made in Portugal where Michael served his mission

There is something special about setting an all white table and letting the pretty colors of delicious food take center stage. One of these days I will need to disperse my 200 dinner plates amongst my six children, but for right now they are happy on the shelf awaiting the next call for a celebration.

In the mean time, mmmmmmm... what shall we fix for dinner tonight?