Ahhh... Today is Spaghetti, and garlic bread, and bread with marmalade and butter, and cake, and wine, and good company.

These are the moments that I treasure.

These are also the moments that justify my buying an entire set of Universal china "Ballerina Mist" dinnerware, more wine glasses than I would care to count, an inexplicably useless collection of milk-glass bowls, a full set of Oneida Community Stainless Twin-star cutlery (with the little iced-tea spoons) and a few odds and ends of jadeite.

Essentially, parties (while being a festive occasion to meet and chat with wonderful people) are also the rationalization for my rather obsessive 50's kitchenware collection.

Now if I could only find some way to justify the rhinestones....