I mentioned before that our house here is fully furnished by the university. Our living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen came fully stocked with all the linens, appliances, and furniture we need. And everything is brand spanking new, which means we've been opening a ton of boxes lately. It's like we just got married and are opening all our gifts. That's the only other time in my life a whole bunch of people have given us a whole bunch of stuff to enjoy.
And there is so much of it that I keep finding things in new places, tucked inside cupboards I hadn't noticed were there or concealed underneath other new, packaged items.
I'll open a cabinet and find this:
or this:
or pull out a drawer and find this:
The girls were with me when I opened the drawer above and they immediately asked me what each utensil was for. And you know what? I wasn't sure exactly what a lot of them were for. So picked I them up one by one and read the label on the packaging to find out. I am now the proud owner of a palette knife, a rice paddle, and a round slotted turner, as well as a regular slotted turner, just to name a few.
And therein lies the brilliance of Bridget Palmer living in a pre-furnished home. Personally, I would never even think to take the time and effort to seek out and purchase a round slotted turner. I wouldn't hardly know what possible use existed for such a thing. It's like the time my (very fabulous) mother-in-law came to visit us in Tucson and mentioned off-hand that she noticed we didn't have any juice glasses, and could she buy us some? I was seriously mortified, not only because we didn't have juice glasses but because I didn't even know such a thing existed.
Now, the university has acquired for me a gravy boat, saucers for tea cups AND coffee mugs (which are apparently separate things), a sugar bowl, and that thing you put the milk or cream in. And they all match. (You'd better believe we'll be drinking herbal tea and hot chocolate in some serious style.) I have dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates, cereal bowls, the other kind of bowls, juice glasses, regular glasses, guest glasses (whatever the heck those are), and a bread box. That last one is another adulthood wish fulfilled, along with the electric tea kettle. I also have place mats and coasters, and of course they match. Anyone who knows me is probably about blown away by now. I have never been the classiest entertainer in part because I've felt self-conscious that I never had the right utensils for the occasion. Now, thanks to the university, I can have confidence in whatever social situation comes into my home.
Especially because they also gave me this beauty:
I think you're not allowed to be a real person living in the Middle East unless you own a hugely gaudy silver serving tray. I'm serious. All the natives have one, and they use it for anything they can. Jeremy and I knew a young, single Saudi man living in Tucson and even HE had a silver serving tray and knew how to use it.
So I think it's safe to say I've arrived at the pinnacle of my life and I can just retire now. Nothing can beat that silver serving tray. Not even a round slotted turner. Which I also own, thank you very much.
And there is so much of it that I keep finding things in new places, tucked inside cupboards I hadn't noticed were there or concealed underneath other new, packaged items.
I'll open a cabinet and find this:
or this:
or pull out a drawer and find this:
The girls were with me when I opened the drawer above and they immediately asked me what each utensil was for. And you know what? I wasn't sure exactly what a lot of them were for. So picked I them up one by one and read the label on the packaging to find out. I am now the proud owner of a palette knife, a rice paddle, and a round slotted turner, as well as a regular slotted turner, just to name a few.
And therein lies the brilliance of Bridget Palmer living in a pre-furnished home. Personally, I would never even think to take the time and effort to seek out and purchase a round slotted turner. I wouldn't hardly know what possible use existed for such a thing. It's like the time my (very fabulous) mother-in-law came to visit us in Tucson and mentioned off-hand that she noticed we didn't have any juice glasses, and could she buy us some? I was seriously mortified, not only because we didn't have juice glasses but because I didn't even know such a thing existed.
Now, the university has acquired for me a gravy boat, saucers for tea cups AND coffee mugs (which are apparently separate things), a sugar bowl, and that thing you put the milk or cream in. And they all match. (You'd better believe we'll be drinking herbal tea and hot chocolate in some serious style.) I have dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates, cereal bowls, the other kind of bowls, juice glasses, regular glasses, guest glasses (whatever the heck those are), and a bread box. That last one is another adulthood wish fulfilled, along with the electric tea kettle. I also have place mats and coasters, and of course they match. Anyone who knows me is probably about blown away by now. I have never been the classiest entertainer in part because I've felt self-conscious that I never had the right utensils for the occasion. Now, thanks to the university, I can have confidence in whatever social situation comes into my home.
Especially because they also gave me this beauty:
I think you're not allowed to be a real person living in the Middle East unless you own a hugely gaudy silver serving tray. I'm serious. All the natives have one, and they use it for anything they can. Jeremy and I knew a young, single Saudi man living in Tucson and even HE had a silver serving tray and knew how to use it.
So I think it's safe to say I've arrived at the pinnacle of my life and I can just retire now. Nothing can beat that silver serving tray. Not even a round slotted turner. Which I also own, thank you very much.