Bramasole

Millie is sick with a cold. Non-stop runny nose and yucky cough. I am trying to keep her away from Ivy but I'm sure her germs are all over me (because she always wants me to hold her) and then I probably pass them to Ivy when I hold her. I'm guessing she picked it up in nursery, although she sits on my lap in there for 75% of the time (she won't go without Mark or I) and they put santizer on the kids' hands before snacks, but yeah it's basically a breeding ground for illnesses.

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I finally ordered my flatware! I did a lot of research and asked a guy at the Silver Super Store a lot of questions and got the best set I could afford (or at least I pretended we could afford). I got an 85-piece set with service for 16! I'm guessing that I will never buy flatware again in my life so I wanted a huge set so I could have matching silverware for large family gatherings now and later in life so that's how I justified what I paid. Also the author of flatware.org really convinced me that it is an investment. When I first saw the set in January, it was $19.95 a place setting which made it $299.95 (which I already thought was a lot) but when I went back to order it a week later it was $34.95 a setting bringing it to $494.95!! I was so dissapointed that I e-mailed the store and asked if I could get the previous price. The guy said that the manufacturer, Ricci, had raised its prices and that the new inventory had been purchased in January and that the 85-piece set cost them $330 and that they could sell it to me for $350, which is still compartively inexpensive compared to other quality stainless flatware. Since I had already started a correspondence with the store I asked a few more questions before deciding that this really was the best set for me. I finally ordered it on Monday and it should be here today! It was a total splurge, but luckily my mom helped pay for it as part of my Christmas present. I am so excited. I keep looking out the window for the big brown delivery truck.

So without further adieu, here's my set: http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/productImagesPopup.jhtml?

You can read more about Ricci on the Silver Super Store's "Ricci" page or at flatware.org.