Today’s Question of the Day is all about the dishes you use at your home.
This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, yet terribly conflicting for me! 
I love dishes and dinnerware; I have no idea why. If I had the room, I think I would have at least 2 sets to use everyday, and some seasonal ones as well. As it is, I barely have room for the everyday dishes I do have and use. My “good china” is a set of fine china that I inherited from my grandmother, and I have never even used it. (It’s probably 75 or 80 years old, or more, and definitely not microwave safe!) It’s been packed up and stored in the attic as long as I’ve had it. For everyday use, I have had Mikasa French Countryside since before we were married, although I just had a few place settings before I got registered for our wedding. We now have a set of 12 dinner and salad plates, and both sizes of bowls (soup bowls, which are larger, and salad bowls which are smaller). Oddly enough, I use all of the bowls and cups, the small plates, but I rarely use the large dinner plates. They have a large “rim” or “lip” on them, and they just don’t fit in my dishwasher well. So, a couple of years ago, I picked up 4 red dinner plates that are “flatter” at Target and we use those for two nights meals. They’re cheaper though, than my Mikasa, and they are scratched up and getting really chipped after all of the use they’ve seen. I need to replace them, and hope to do that soon.
As I said, I’d LOVE to have room for another set of dishes, but I just don’t have the space. Part of me would like to pack up the 12 place settings of plain white dishes I have and go with a set of colored dishes, or a mix and match of two or three colors. I’d love to get some Fiestaware, in a couple of coordinating colors, or some other mix and match dinnerware. I realize that the white is much more practical, and that’s why I have been using it for the last 12 years or so 🙂
I also love seasonal dinnerware, especially at this time of year. I’d love to have something fallish, but more than that, I LOVE Christmas dinnerware. I actually have some Christmas dishes. Years ago, I started getting a few pieces of Pfaltzgraff Winterberry, and had slowly built up enough for us for a few days (not enough to host Christmas dinner, but then again, no one ever comes to our house for Christmas, we always have to travel everywhere). I don’t have room to keep it in my cabinets year round, so it is packed up in a Rubbermaid tote and is stored in the attic. Last year, for the first time in several years, I had Tim bring it down from the attic, and I packed up some of our everyday dishes, and pulled out the Christmas ones to use. It felt so good to have new dishes!
So, finally, I’ll stop blabbing about my love of dishes and what I have and mostly what I WISH I had! Today’s Question of the Day is for you – what dishes do you have and use? How many sets do you have? Do you have “nice” china as well as everyday dishes? Do you have any seasonal dinnerware? Are you happy with what you have or are you wanting something new? Do you understand my obsession with dishes and do you share it?! 😀
Have a wonderful day everyone!
LOL, you nut! No, I’m not obsessed with dishes, but I do love cute lil’ bowels and such. Unique ones, though. We have 3 full sets of dishes. I had 2 sets and David had one set. We blended them! The set we use most often is my favorite … FIESTAWARE! I have all teh serving dishes to match, as well. I have a few odss and ends pieces for holidays and no chine here. Not fond it, actually. I’m not fancy nancy about that stuff, I guess, LOL!
I just have some plain boring white dishes. My Christmas pattern is Winterberry though! I just have a few pieces. I usually get one or two for Christmas from my Dad each year. My Gram *loved* dishes. She had so many sets. After my Gramp passed away, though, my cousins went to my grandparents’ house & took all of the dishes, her cherry Hope Chest & everything in it, all her cookware, all her table linens… =( I always wanted some of the pieces but… Oh well. At least she gave me all her old photos long before it was ever an issue.
Right now, I have a 12 setting set of Sorrento by Signature. There are 4 colors – burgundy, gold, green, and blue. Big plates, big cereal bowls and mugs. I have to be careful with the blue ones – they color has been discontinued! I use white serving pieces when we use them. My “good” china is Butterfly Meadow by Lenox. The actual place settings are “Cloud” – all white with embossed butterflies on them. But the serving pieces are the different butterfly prints. But my favorite dishes are my Christmas dishes. They’re by Furio called Sponge Tree and were available at Target. Of course, they’ve been discontinued also, but I still find extra pieces on e-Bay. I can’t wait to put them out again this year!
Royal Daulton-Carmina
thrust me, the search for everyday dinnerware between the differing tastes of the wife and I was a challenge
I have used a Pfaltzgraff set for everyday for the last 11 years. I also have a set of Franciscan Desert Rose that was my grandmother’s. My fine china is Lenox Citation Gold, and I have holiday dessert plates to go with it. I also have some casual Christmas dishes. I guess I like dishes too!
I have a Pfaltzgraff set that I’ve had since we got married called Stratus. It is white and I use it everyday. I think I have about 12 sets of it.
My good china (also wedding china) is MIkasa Palatial Gold. I think I have 10 sets, but I’d have to go check (I might have more…) This china for a short period of time had some accent pieces that were holiday, so I have a few of those which I LOVE!!! but now they are very discontinued. I try to use them at least once a month, but it probably is really less often than that. For some reason, some of our friends do not feel comfortable eating off of china, which boggles my mind!!!
I have a white set from Corelle that I use everyday. I think it’s called Enchantment. I really like them because I’ll dress up the table with different accesories for the seasons. That way I don’t have to have different dishes for everything. Although I would if I could. There is something about all sorts of nice china. Right now I’m sorta obsessed with the square shaped stuff. I think it’s so nice. And fiestaware? Love it. See? I really do need to stay away from china departments.
Oh and I do have a set of fine china from Noritake called Anticipation. When we got married my mom made me pick a set of fine china and I really liked the pastel look of these then. I still like it, but it’s a lot less “me” now if you know what I mean. We rarely use it. Teenagers and doing the dishes and fine china should never be in the same sentence. ;v)
We have the linens n things brand plain white for the every day use. It’s nice and sturdy and still looks good after 8 years of use.
I also have my wedding china which my grandpa bought for my grandma on their wedding anniversary many years ago. (he is gone now) That set is from Sango. I pull it out whenever we have guests. I love it.
I totally get the obsession because I would be the same way! But I am banished from buying extravagant things because I’ve dropped one too many plates in my lifetime. What I started doing was going to the thrift stores and Goodwill and picking up anything that caught my eye. It tends to be of a blue pattern, but there you go. I like to mix and match. You never know what you’re going to be eating off of!
Good question today! I love getting to know this kinda stuff about people.
I knew I liked you. I have six sets of dishes and am on the lookout for my seventh. 😉 Four sets are packed up in the basement not being used right now. One of them the Kid decided was his if and when he ever moves out. They are solid black and I found glasses and silver to go with them.
I love browsing the dish aisles whenever I’m shopping. Now a question for you. Do you change your utensils and glasses whenever you change your dishes?
Gosh, yet something else we have in common! I *love* dishes and wish I could have a reason to use a different set every week. My mom has a lot of the Winterberry, and I think it is just the most gorgeous, perfect Christmas set in the world. I’ve always gone ga-ga over pictures I see in magazines where the entertainer decorates the table with mixed sets – it always looks so pretty!
Right now, we are using the Pfaltzgraff Jamberry set that we got when we got married (almost 7 years ago, time flies!). I still like it a lot, but I know one day I’ll want a change and I’ll be so indecisive about what new pattern to get.
I really like your Mikasa set – it’s very elegant yet casual. 🙂
I don’t understand…I’d eat off paper plates everyday if I could. We have two sets of dishes though. One is Corningware…one is some bargin bin that I paid .25 a piece for. I also have two sets of China. My moms and mine. Both are in the storage unit somewhere and I’ve never even had my china in my house. People bought it for our wedding even though I didn’t want it. I have the whole bloomin’ set!
Dishes just don’t seem to go bad, so it is hard to justify a new set. When I moved into my first apartment senior year, my mom graciously gave me our cornell white plates with green flowers around the end that we had been using for a good 6 years at home already (after thinking about your question-my mom knew what she was doing she wanted new dishes!) Fast forward 20 years later I was still using those darn Cornell dishes! That is over 1/4 of a century eating off those plates.
When we moved to california our first house had a downstairs apartment, which my parents spent a lot of time in so they furnished it with my sisters old Cornell plates with hearts on it (I guess my sister learned that trick from my mom).
I still own both sets of dishes, and I did break down and buy my very own new set of no name Macy dishes about 4 years ago, they are white with blue and yellow stripes around the edges.
Now I also own my paternal grandmas china (flowers), my mom’s wedding china (a gold wheat pattern).
My mother just asked me if I wanted her current china- which I love because I am the one who picked it out- I said yes if I could use them every day(Michael would have a fit if I brought any more dishes into the house that we don’t use!) My dad thought that was a great idea, and my mother then agreed to- so as soon as she gets them boxed up I will own another set.
I do love dishes, and wish I could change yearly- but as I started out with-they just last too darn long!!!
I will post about my many dishes later tonight! My daughter, Sarah, has an adorable set of red and white Fiesta Ware. I think that is the brand I will buy when I get to purchase new stuff. 🙂
*smiles*
Kim
Well you know we’re related because I love dishes too! I would have at least 2 sets if I could. The ones I have for every day now are Lenox Poppies on Blue, but I’ve had them for over 15 years and I’m really itching for something else. I think I’m going to get something less expensive, from Target maybe, that is neutral so that I can mix it with other colors/placemats etc. for different seasons. I know that’s why you want to change from your white ones but I’ve never had plain ones and I think I could change them up more if I had some like that. I have sone fine china we got when we got married 252 years ago but we hardly ever use it!
I love dishes, also! 🙂
I have a set of Martha Stewart dishes that are a blue English garden pattern…something like that, anyway. I love them! I need new ones because G has broken 2 of the bowls and we’re always running out of bowls. At least, that’s my excuse for getting some new ones one day soon. 😉
We have a good set of dinnerware from Wal Mart — serves 8 people that is for everyday use. It’s pretty colorful. But, for just us we typically use plastic plates also bought at Wal Mart. I have a 4-piece place setting Christmas set we got for a wedding shower gift that I have never opened. I might consider using them if there were more pieces. I like the look of expensive dinnerware but can live without out.
I’m a dish lover, too! I have two sets of everyday dishes…blue & white and cream. In the summer, I also add a stack of “nice” plastic (is that an oxymoron?) plates in the cupboard for meals on the deck. I have a set of more formal dishes that I use for dinner parties, but I do not own any really expensive dishes, and have no china pattern. It’s just not me. I also have seasonal serving dishes and plates, and a set of Christmas dinnerware.
hehe, I do understand, Stacy, but I don’t share it. I like my dishes but would rather spend it on something else. I don’t like to entertain much so they wouldn’t be used anyway.
I have Fiestaware for everyday and Mikasa Calla Lily for china. I don’t have any fine china other than my Nana’s and my mother-in-law’s tea cups and pots.
I’d love a set of Christmas dishes but wouldn’t spend the money unless I had it to burn.
I have Mikasa Italian Countryside…we got it 8 years ago for our wedding and I figured I’d be tired of it by now! Nope…I still love it (amazing, considering I am also a dinnerware junkie!).
All my dishes are hand-me-downs from my mother or grandmother. You’d think after being married 15 years I’d buy my own. I love looking at patterns and dreaming, but never have cared enough to lay out the money to buy!
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