Glasses from Grandma Madge

Last weekend my cousin Kelly and her husband Mark drove in from Kansas City to Chicago to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They had a blast, ate at great restaurants, saw two theatre shows, and walked their legs off. We were able to meet up with them on Sunday for dinner at the Purple Pig. 

If you're in town and looking for a fun trendy small plates-kinda meal, you would do well at the Purple Pig. Everything there was amazing. Mike has been there several times but this was my first experience.

So good!

We drove them back to their bed and breakfast in Bronzeville after dinner. When we said our good-byes, Kelly and Mark transferred a few items from their trunk over to our car. These were things that had been in storage at my aunt's house for many years. The boxes were full of random things. Old high school and college notebooks, family photos I hadn't seen in years, towels and linens that once belonged to my Grandma Madge. But the most significant stuff to me was my grandmother's set of rose dishes. These are creamy white ceramic dishes with small pink roses painted on them. There are versions on the market today so you may recognize the pattern.

But to me the dishes are more than just plates and saucers. I remember sitting at her table every week and eating dinner with my grandparents often. My relationship with her was very special and it has been one of the most important elements of my life. I doubt it surprised anyone when I gave Anna the middle name of Madge. I wanted a bit of her to carry on in my own daughter. The rose dishes were only brought out for special occasions. They weren't every day dishes. But they saw a lot of use. We would all cram around her dining table in her small two bedroom apartment and enjoy whatever yummy meal she was serving. No one could cook like Grandma Madge. 

It's funny to me now that we all managed to squoosh in there with little fanfare. It seems these days many of us have to practically build an addition before we feel comfortable hosting thanksgiving. But things were different back then. Or maybe they were just different in our family. It didn't matter if you sat at the table or on the floor. If Grandma's food was on your plate, you considered yourself lucky.

As I unpacked the dishes and stored them away, I realized that these awesome pink water glasses were also packed in there. I have no recollection of using these, but perhaps that's because I was young and these are heavy, adult-size glasses.

They're awesome. They're the kinda thing I stare at when I visit antique stores and contemplate buying for myself. And though they may be unusual and even a tad formal, I'm going to use them. Really use them. Mike thought they would make great dishes for ice cream sundaes. That's probably how the kids will use them. But I'm going to use them as water glasses also. I think I'm willing (at least at this point) to take the risk that one might break and see how it goes for awhile. Because they make me smile.