I had the best day today. It was my day off work and I decided to drive to the City-Of-3-Million people to spend the day. There were three things on my agenda:
1) Kidlet Two started a new job recently as Kitchen Lead with a catering company. I wanted to see where he worked. When I showed up in the kitchen asking where he was all of the employees starting laughing that
mommy is here to see you! Poor kid! My son was gracious and shrugged them off. Right away he handed me a spoon to start tasting the delicious soup he was making. How honored was I when he asked for my opinion on the salt content! My arrival was just in time for his break so I enjoyed his potato soup, Bison sausage, couscous with beets, peach-glazed chicken, and a whole lot more. It was a delightful visit and I am so proud of Kidlet Two and how he uses his cooking skills.
2) Visiting with Kidlet One and Grand Baby C were also on my agenda. We spent a fun afternoon together despite Grand Baby C having a sore throat and we could tell she just wasn't herself. After a long nap she still wanted to snuggle with her Mama. There were some smiles and giggles as we looked at books and played with some toys. My Nana Love Tank was definitely filled up as I pulled out of the driveway for the 90-minute drive home!
3) Visit this place:
Approximately 33 years ago I purchased a complete set of tableware from the potter, Peter Deneen. Dinner, salad and dessert plates, bowls, mugs, serving bowls and other miscellaneous pieces in the brown and blue glaze shown here filled my cupboards.
My bridal registry was in the store that sold this pottery in My City. For years our family used these -each-piece-handmade dishes and they held up beautifully. Until piece by piece they broke or chipped until I didn't have enough pieces for a complete setting. I still use the serving bowls but the plates and bowls were tucked away into boxes until recently. I Googled the potter and found him in The Big City. His family was very interested in getting back the pieces I no longer was using.
The company now makes mugs with name plates on them. Each mug is handmade. During my tour of the facility, I watched the clay being mixed, the potters with their spinning wheels making mugs, workers applying the handles, the kilns, the glazing, and the packing room. It was so impressive. Three mugs were given to me as a gift and I can't wait to have my morning coffee in one of them tomorrow!
For some reason I got choked up when I met the man who made each and every piece of my dishes. I guess the reality of his talent and the memories of so many family meals being enjoyed with those dishes caught up with me. As the tears streamed down my face I thanked him for using his gifts and making such beautiful creations. The poor man seemed a little uncomfortable with me sniffling there!! Later as I was touring, he caught up with me and handed me this personal piece that he had made. As I carried it along on the tour, all of the employees commented on it and told me how special this piece was. Several employees seemed surprise that I was given this piece.
The last mug that was given to me has the company name plate on it. If you own a company that would use mugs, I would encourage you to contact Deneen Pottery to have them design their one-of-a-kind mugs.
Spending time with two of my Kidlets and seeing a potter in action made it just an amazing day!
