Furniture Consignment Gallery Blog

Take A Holiday from Wishes

Posted by Jay Frucci on Sat, November 29, 2014 @ 10: 04 AM

So maybe my timing wasn't perfect ....

While undertaking the sixteen-hour drive over the river and through the woods to my in-laws in Kentucky, I listened to a radio talk show. According to the enthusiastic host, Thanksgiving was the perfect time to discuss end-of-life issues with older relatives. wpc5acd0bf

In other words, white meat or dark? Burial or cremation? Pass the carrots, please. And, speaking of vegetables, when do you want us to pull the plug?

So after we finished our family feast, I thought I'd broach some of those topics with my in-laws. "Have you two created a will?" I asked. "Who's the executor?"

"Glad you asked!" Papa responded with great zeal. An Army veteran who did two voluntary tours in Vietnam, he wasn't a man to approach anything without a battle plan. "We've got good long-term care insurance in place," he said. "And we've taken care of the will." Diana, my wife, would be the executor.

He paused then for a moment and nodded his head slowly. We all leaned in a little closer. "I've given a lot of thought to this," he said thoughtfully. "And I'd like my ashes to be spread all over Nancy."

His wife's name is Becky.

In the uproar that followed that disclosure, he quickly explained. Nancy, Kentucky is the home of the Mill Springs National Cemetery, one of the oldest national cemeteries in the U.S. Established during the Civil War, some 4,000 veterans are buried there.

Well, the conversational floodgates opened - probably out of relief. Suddenly, everyone at the table had an outrageous death wish.

"I want to be shot out of a cannon," my mother-in-law announced. She wasn't about to be upstaged in the department of grand theatrical exits. I looked over at Diana. She was starting to look a little panicky. How would she find a functioning cannon in Kentucky?

Maybe some topics are better left alone at Thanksgiving. And probably Christmas. I've learned from this experience. So my advice would be to steer the conversation to more uplifting subjects. "Gosh, Mom, your dining table is so beautiful. I bet when the time comes we could get good money for it at Furniture Consignment Gallery."

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Topics: family ties, manomet, family, robbie, thanksgiving, death wish, consignment, boston, MA, chestnut hill, massachusetts, newton, Furniture, Hanover, plymouth, christmas, chairs, quality, chair, dining, dining room, kids, travel, kentucky, funeral, will

Collision Course

Posted by Jay Frucci on Tue, November 25, 2014 @ 02: 09 PM

Thanksgiving didn't really begin until my grandfather's tan Oldsmobile rumbled into the driveway. My mom would send us three boys out to help my grandparents unload the car. Inside the trunk was enough food to feed an army - and my grandmother was a tiny Italian General Patton. "Pick that up from the bottom - it's heavy," she would bark at my brother. "Careful!" she would scold. "That's hot!"thanksgiving dinner clip art 2

 

This was her battle station - and it smelled like a five-course banquet. There were pepper biscuits, stuffed mushrooms, fried artichokes, sticky buns, and, of course, boxes and boxes of fragrant cookies. The starter dish, however, would be Italian wedding soup with homemade meatballs followed by a lasagna to mangia on before they carved the bird. Grandma was determined to march inside, take control of the kitchen and hijack the meal. It worked for me!

 

My poor mom, on the other hand, had been up cooking her own special dishes since 4 a.m. - but she knew she wouldn't win against this culinary tyrant. She graciously accepted all the goodies. She took a breath and counted to ten and conceded her kitchen. Her food got pushed into the warming oven, but my mom endured the insult with grace and dignity.

 

Looking back today, my mom is happy she didn't make a battleground out of Thanksgiving. She embraced the parade of food, somehow knowing that her mother-in-law was a kitchen bully but everyone would appreciate her special skill for cooking.

 

I learned a lot from my mom about Thanksgiving. It isn't about the perfect meal. It's about an imperfect family gathering around a table to make perfect memories.

 

So, brace yourself for those moments when we will have to take a breath and count to ten next week. The smallest child sitting at the kids table might take notice of the give and take that is required to make a complex family work.
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Topics: turkey, cooking, manomet, thanksgiving, consignment, boston, MA, chestnut hill, massachusetts, newton, Furniture, Hanover, plymouth, chairs, quality, chair, dining, dining room

Take Ten And Take it Now

Posted by Jay Frucci on Sat, November 15, 2014 @ 09: 33 AM
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Admit it. You're harboring a secret fantasy. The whole family is gathered around your table this Thanksgiving, sipping wine and feasting on turkey while you bask in their appreciation. Problem is, you don't have a table.

If you ordered a dining room set today from Baker or Ethan Allen, you'll get it in time for ... Easter. That's right. Twelve to 16 weeks is the standard waiting time for a set from a quality manufacturer. Customize your order and you won't get it until Memorial Day. Of course, you'll be sitting alone at your new table because by then everyone also will be gathered around the grill on the patio.

Ordering a new custom dining set might just be one of the worst investments you can make in terms of time and money. First, you write that big check with all the zeros, then you put your entertaining plans on hold for months. After your order goes in, the manufacturer has to wander around the forest figuring out which tree to cut. Then, the wood has to dry...

On the other hand, buying a gently used table at our store is one of the best decisions you can make. For one, you'll save thousands of dollars. In fact, we're offering an extra 10% off this weekend to show our gratitude for your business.

Choices? We have 80 tables in stock - and more arriving every day. We have six Bakers, including an extra-long custom one. We have a Guy Chaddock if you prefer something less formal. Or for those who want handmade, we have a solid cherry Shaker-style Thomas Mosier and a gorgeous cherry trestle table made by Great Meadows Joinery with ten hand made ladder back chairs.

Best of all, you can have your table now. Now means we can help you load it in your SUV, or we can deliver it right to your dining room with time to spare before Turkey Day. Now means you'll hear "Pass the cranberry sauce" at your home on Nov. 27, 2014.

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Topics: turkey, manomet, sale, thanksgiving, consignment, boston, MA, chestnut hill, massachusetts, newton, Furniture, Hanover, plymouth, chairs, quality, chair, dining, dining room, take it now

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