Teacup Rescue

I love our local hospice store, a small, homespun thrift store that supports our county's hospice system with its earnings. Lovely things are donated there. The store is cozy, friendly. The ladies who work there don't like to mess about with change and pennies, so they don't charge tax. (Of course, it is tax-free, being a non-profit). They're adorable.
Anywho, months ago I noticed these cups and saucers there. But I'd just bought my very favorite set of four Syracuse diner cups/saucers, and loved them, and didn't need another set. So ... I resisted temptation.

And the yellow cups and saucers sat, and sat there. I noticed them week after week. The stack diminished a little. And then -- tragedy! Adam dropped and broke one of my favorite Syracuse cups! (Bwaahhhhhhhh! Why does that break my heart? Don't know.) I glued it back together, and set it on my dresser with its saucer to hold jewelry. (Sniff.)

I'm ashamed to admit it. But yes, I was hesitant to trust my husband with yet another of my Syracuse diner cups. I was left with only three cups and saucers, not a good set. I needed something else for him to drink his morning coffee in. And then I remembered those yellow cups ....

I stopped at the hospice store and was surprised to find that there was only ONE saucer remaining, but a stack of SEVEN cups. Hmm. Again, trying to resist temptation, I bought the saucer and only two cups.

And they're pretty! Adam was pleased with the size and shape.
But those remaining five, lonely, saucerless cups worried me. They seemed sad, abandoned. Who would buy them in that state? What use were they?

Then I found myself using the yellow cups. For coffee. For a scoop of ice cream. For a little soup. A cup alone is actually a very useful thing. It's the size of a large ramekin and good for plopping an egg in for whisking, or a little bit of leftover-something as you're cooking.
I told Adam he could call me crazy, but I was going to the hospice store, buying any unwanted yellow cups they still had, and bringing them home!
Of course, my big problem, in a little house, is Where To Put Anything New. I have zero kitchen space available. I even emptied a bookshelf (horrors!) of its books, and am using it to store casseroles and dishes. So I came up with this windowsill idea.

The five cups look pretty there, happy in the bright sunshine. They fit well. Julia says they look precarious, and she's right. She broke one in the first couple weeks, sadly. We will be careful as we draw the curtains. No saucers. Just cups. But I'm glad I bought them. If we break them, I won't cry. If we use them, I'll be glad. If I donate them again in a few years, I've lost 50¢, total. (No tax!) I do love the hospice store. I think that perhaps whoever bought the five saucers got the worse end of the arrangement.