Unique Serving Platter

I’m one of those people who never seem to be able to think of good gifts to give for occasions like birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries or other big events. So when my best friend recently announced that she was getting married, I was relieved to see that she had registered in advance with a couple of different stores because that was bound to make my task a lot easier. One of the items on her list was Reed and Barton silverware, which was a brand I’d never heard of before. But once I saw the stunning collections on the company’s website, I knew that’s what I wanted to get for the bride and groom.

I continued reading the Reed and Barton website to find out a little more about the products. I discovered that Reed and Barton has been in business since 1824 and have built a reputation of being one of the foremost housewares companies in the entire world. Reed and Barton silverware and flatware is particularly popular because of the stylishness, durability and beauty of the products. But the company also makes many other household items, such as china, storage chests, clocks and even humidors. The impression I got was that if I needed something elegant for my kitchen or office, I could find it at Reed and Barton.

Of course that kind of quality and craftsmanship wouldn’t be cheap. Once I saw the suggested retail prices of the Reed and Barton silverware set that my friend wanted, I almost gave up on the whole idea. It was far more than I was planning to spend, and since I would have to buy a bridesmaid dress, I simply didn’t have any extra money at the time. But I kept checking other websites in the hopes that I would come across a random discount of 10 percent or something in order to help keep expenses down. Much to my surprise, I actually ended up doing much better than that. I found several websites offering discounts of 40 to 60 percent on all Reed and Barton products, plus I found several sites that offered free shipping in addition to the discounts. Because of these discounts, I was able to get the exact Reed and Barton silverware set that my friend wanted at a price that I could afford.

Now that I know where to get discount Reed and Barton products, I’m never at a loss as to what kind of present to give at weddings. If only I could find great presents to give at Christmas and birthdays too, my life would be much less complicated!

This past summer I learned a hard lesson about using my regular plates and glasses when we were eating outside. My daughter decided that she wanted to use the tablecloth I had over the picnic table for a cape, but she didn’t ask anyone first. She just grabbed a hold of it and pulled it off. Everything went on to the ground and most of it broke. It took me an hour to pick up the glass and even then I couldn’t be sure. We took our food inside to eat and had to later move the picnic table to a different spot. Right after that happened I went out and bought an outdoor dining set so that I didn’t have to worry about that again.

I found the outdoor dining set in a local discount store. Though I had to buy some of the stuff separately, I found a great deal on what I needed. I got them in an assortment of colors that went well together. My outdoor dining set cost me about $25 and I thought that was a great deal. It would have been a great deal had I paid attention to what I was buying.

I took the set home and soaked them in soapy water. We used the outdoor dining set a few days later and we decided it was definitely a smart move to get them. I had ever purchased a plastic pitcher for our drink. But I am not as smart as I thought because I took the outdoor dining set inside and put everything in the dishwasher. This was not the smartest move I could have made. Though the pitcher came out ok, everything else was warped from the heat of the dishwasher.

When my husband opened the dishwasher to make this discovery, he was at least polite enough not to laugh out loud at me. The outdoor dining set was pretty much ruined, but he knew it might not be the best time to point that out. I picked up a warped plate and told him it was a new form of art and I knew what I was doing. Later that night we had a good laugh and decided we should wait until next summer to get another outdoor dining set. Perhaps we had just better eat inside for a while.