Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Oh boy. We are getting a doozy of a snowstorm today. We are expecting well over a foot of snow. Big fat snowflakes are falling, traffic has stopped on our normally busy road, and we are tucked in here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. Yesterday, we stocked up on food so we are all set. The view out my den window is very pretty right now – it won’t be so pretty when we try to dig our way out. If the snowfall amount is what I consider manageable, I am usually too frugal to pay the plow guy (who you remember bent our fence earlier this winter) but I think this time we’ll let him do his thing.

I must show you something pretty in the midst of this snow. I recently discovered a wonderful blog that many of you already know about, My Faerie Window. Lori is such a wonderful artist and has a beautiful sense of style. She blogged about a set of dishes she fell in love with and that eventually became her Christmas present. I fell in love. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Does that happen to you? That day, the obsessive streak that runs through me grabbed on and wouldn’t let go. The china was made by Edwin M. Knowles in the 40’s. I researched and researched but couldn’t discover the name of the pattern.

Not to be deterred by this little glitch, I poured over every page (and there are many) on the Replacements website. I finally found one photo of the pattern – no name – and registered with them just in case any pieces came into stock.

I kept going back to Lori’s post. I stared at the pretty photos. I obsessed.

Did the usual eBay search for a few days. Nothing. Then one day a photo came up that looked suspiciously like the pattern. I hit enlarge. Bingo. It had just been listed. In fact many pieces had just been listed. I was beside myself.

Of course, I am on a budget and cannot snap my fingers and buy a whole set of china. Luckily the seller had listed the pieces separately, so I bid on 11 dinner plates and 11 salad plates. No one else offered a bid so they were mine. This seller, by the way, was so lovely. He sent things out immediately and since he didn’t live far from me, I got them the next day. And he included a little 8″ platter – just to be nice.

I had to go back to eBay. You understand, don’t you? It was calling to me. I bid on a vegetable bowl and 11 salad bowls. Again, no one bid but me. They were mine. Again, the seller added something I hadn’t bid on – a gravy boat. What a nice, nice man.

Do I need 11 plates and 11 salad bowls? No. We don’t entertain all that often, although we did have a friend to dinner last night. We certainly don’t have room to have 11 people here for a sit-down dinner in this tiny cottage. But you do understand, my friends, that an actual dinner is not the point? I am nuts about pottery and china. Crazy about anything old and chippy and beautiful. These have a few flea bites and some lovely crazing here and there. All the better. I am so in love with this beautiful china.

I was singing away as I lovingly hand washed each plate and bowl. Husband wandered in and, thank goodness, actually liked the pile of dishes on the kitchen island. Yesterday, before our friend came to dinner, I had to do some creative rearranging in two hutches so that I could find a place to put everything. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

When I first read Lori’s post, I wrote to her and thanked her. Without that post, I would never known about this lovely pattern. Thank you again, Lori. You’ve made a china addict very happy.

Edited to add: The weather report has changed since this morning – now it looks like we might get up to 24″ and it is heavy and wet. We’re are hoping the power stays on! Cross your fingers!