Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

There, I've admitted it. And proof follows.

Back when we were running the B&B, on Saturday mornings, in late spring, if we had no guests, we'd go to yard sales to look for good linens, real silverware, sets of china and whatever doodads, lamps etc., I could use for decorating the rooms.

I love the old enamel tea and coffee pots. Most of the time, they'd be in poor condition, but, every so often, I'd find a useable one where the inside wasn't all eaten away. So, the collection began.

But, there hasn't been made a teapot that can withstand me.



A bag of teapots waiting to go to the scrap metal and/or junkyard. The blue one on top looks fine enough on the outside. Couldn't get a good shot of the inside - enamel all eaten up - wasn't that way when I bought it, however!

Then there's:



it *used to have* a glass piece that fit in the lid - I must have cracked it!



And, of course, I ruined the inside, as well:



This pot I really liked - more than the others. Doesn't look bad on the outside and hey, it still has it's glass lid piece! BUT:



Yup, managed to burn the enamel off the inside of this one as well.

I should get a job as a tester. A tester of *anything*, as hubby says I'm brutal on stuff. Cabinet doors really should be made strong enough to withstand a few slams, without the hinges crapping out, dontcha think?

And the same for drawers - one should be able to set the thing in motion and let it continue it's slide into place on its own steam. I mean really, is one supposed to hang onto the drawer and walk it into the cupboard, as if you were escorting an aged person by the elbow? Ridiculous!

Awww, I'm not that bad, I think, despite what hubby says. But then there's these remains of all these teapots I've put on to boil and have walked away and forgotten about, until I hear, 2 rooms away, some very odd crackling sounds, which, after the number of times I've done this, I really should be familiar with the sound, but no. What's that odd sound I hear? So, I innocently begin looking from room to room until I find the latest teapot on its last legs, dying before my eyes. Eeesh, I did it again. Forgot all about wanting that cup of tea.

So, after the enamel jobs, hubby said unh unh, no more enamel, and definitely no glass. What could withstand wifey-poo - hmm, metal. And ALL metal would be ideal, but, of course all metal is too costly. So, our most recent teapot was stainless with just the plastic handle and spout top. It lasted 4 or 5 years - a record!

But it had it's weak spots - namely those plastic parts. That pot should have seen me coming, but it didn't.

And, as sure as night follows day, I did it again and maimed the teapot. I didn't quite kill it, so hubby managed a quick repair to keep it functioning until we could get a replacement. But I guess I was intent on doing it in, because, not a few weeks later, I melted the knob on the kettle top, so it's all askew, and the spout flap thingie (with that darn plastic bit!) melted and came off.



We recently bought the same kettle - though it's a cheesier (lighter/thinner) version of its former self - so I'm not holding out much hope that this one will last even the 5 years or so the last one did.

My one New Year's Resolution? Try harder not to kill the teapot.

Onward.