Caught Red Handed!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have a sort of obsession with dishes of any sort - I collect meat platters, complete dish sets, random dishes that appeal to me, I can't help myself!!! I am Cindy and ...I am an addict...I have not bought a dish in two days...

When I had to start hiding dishes in boxes, under the beds, in the front closet,

on the top shelf of my bedroom closet, Mike made me promise that it would come to an end. What came to an end was me hiding them where he might find them. I started being more creative. I started taking them over to the workshop and hiding them in closets over there. Edna, my accountant has a locking closet at the workshop where she stores my bookwork for Scrapbook Cupboard and Monday Night Class. I figured that if required unlocking a door, Mike would probably not look in there. I also had to find a "dish mule", someone who was reliable and not tell on me, make sure that the dishes were delivered on a work day when Mike was not around, and be willing to smuggle in my fix when ever I saw a set that I could not live without. Tanya has been my most often used dish mule, as she lived in Lethbridge and had access to Pier 1, Winners etc. She was also very safe, as I signed all of her paychecks ( so she knew that I was the boss) and she worked odd hours when Mike was not "around".

Recently, I saw a very pretty set of dishes in a Pier 1 catalogue and gave Tanya a cheque to cover some rather "extensive" dish purchases. However, my daughter happened to be around to see the deal go down and then very promptly ran to her father and blew the whistle on me. Tanya no longer could be used to smuggle, as Mike then started watching her like a hawk when she came to work. I had to become even more creative.

A week or so ago, Mike and I took a road trip to the States, just a few days off to eat and relax and see some new sights, before shipping started. Luckily for me, not so much for Mike, he can't keep up to me with his crutches. After a period of time in a mall or in a store, he usually goes back to the car to rest, while I finish looking around. I feel like a convict that has escaped!!! Straight to the housewares I go and check out all of the new patterns and colors. Then I have to figure out what I can buy that I can hide dishes in!!! This trip, I came home with a whole set of luggage.

What Mike does not know is that I had the clerk wrap up all of my dishes and put them inside the suitcases (I asked her to do it so they would not break as we were travelling) and I walked out of the store, right to the car, put the suitcases in - RIGHT UNDER MIKE'S NOSE- and he never suspected a thing. Later that night, when he went to take a bath, I transferred just enough clothes and purchases into the suitcases to camouflage the dishes. He never suspected a thing!!!!

Can you blame me? Look at that pretty platter with the crewel flowers on it!!! This is one that Tanya smuggled for me!!! I love this pattern! It is currently residing in the workshop on this shelf that my Dad built for me. You are probably wondering why Mike does not notice the dishes when they are out in plain view?? You have to see my house to understand. Or my workshop! I have been collecting fall decor and dishes for so long now that I can decorate several houses and I had custom cabinetry (in the house) built for my collections, so it would be very hard to notice a small addition here or there. Even I can't keep straight all that I own, so how could he? Long live the addict!!!!