I heart Tupperware

* Before you read this, let me just assure you this is not a promotion of Tupperware. I have not been sponsored by Tupperware to say any of this. But I just love Tupperware. A lot. (So if you work for Tupperware, and you want to pay me in Tupperware to say nice things about it, then that's ok. I accept!!)

If you know me in Real Life, you know how much I love Tupperware. Oh my goodness gracious me, how I adore anything to do with Tupperware. I love it's practicality, I love it's plasticky goodness, I love the bright colours, I love how it stacks neatly to make my pantry look organised and presentable. I love how it keeps weevils and other little critters out of my flour, I love how it keeps my food fresh, I love how it stops me from using reams of Glad Wrap and hurting the poor, damaged, trembling environment.

If Tupperware is the darling of the anal-retent, then I am that anal-retent. The only thing that prevents me from completely organising my entire house in Tupperware (colour-coordinated, of course) is money. Since I have not yet invented a bottomless purse which magically fills itself with $50 notes, I cannot spend wildly on the Tupperware of my dreams. And so, I attend parties every so often, and collect a few more pieces for my gorgeous collection. (And before you ask, yes, I do acknowledge that it is an illness. And no, I don't want a cure. Christian wants me to be Tupper-immunised, but I'm afraid that won't happen.)

When we sold our beautiful house and put all of our worldly possessions into storage, the majority of my Tupperware was packed gently and lovingly away. I know it's there - but I miss it terribly!! So when my lovely friend Casey from http://milkncookies.info/ invited me to my first Tware party in a year, I was a tad excited. (Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It's been twelve months since my last Tupper-purchase. And during that time I have lusted after plastic storage containers with a lifetime replacement warranty, and all in pretty colours.)

Casey is an amazing cook, and regularly posts her gorgeous recipes on her blog. So I knew she would have been baking for her party while keeping her two little sprogs entertained, and preparing her house, and doing all the other little things we girls do when expecting a crowd. The Mouse and I were only five minutes late, which was an excellent effort given that it took half an hour to eat her sandwich today! (Too much time spent cooing at the cat. Then again, Ernie IS rather enchanting...) So I was surprised, and relieved, to discover that the majority of Casey's guests had not yet arrived.

I was completely gobsmacked when, forty minutes after the time stipulated on the invitation, it became clear that only three of the twelve women expected were going to attend. Casey had baked enough cupcakes and mouth-watering biscuits to sink the proverbial; the Tupper-display sat gleaming and ready for us to paw over and drool on; and the kids' play room was being anxiously watched by Casey's daughter, who could not understand why her playmates had not arrived. And still, no one came.

So our Tupper-fest was far more intimate than planned, which did not dim my excitement at seeing some new Tupper-inventions, and some old favourites not yet acquired. And yet...I could not shake my anger at the no-shows. It's not difficult to throw a Tupperware party - in actual fact, I really enjoy it. But still, you clean the house and spend money on nice things for afternoon tea or supper, and you spend time preparing for your friends to have a good time. And it's certainly not hard to turn up to someone's house for a cup of coffee and a chat, particularly when you have said that you would.

What I hate, is that as a Tupperware hostess (or any other party plan hostess), all you ask of your guests is to come and have some fun. You're not holding a gun to their heads to buy anything. And so what if you've seen it all before? Would it kill you to look at it again while being social?? The hardest thing about throwing a party is those people who act as though you asked them to something really repulsive, or difficult, and either come and make disparaging comments, or don't turn up at all. And since Casey is so beautiful, and such a welcoming hostess, I felt very bad for her today.

So here's a message to those "ladies" who failed to honour their RSVP today. Us girls had a lovely time, chatting, drinking coffee and fantasising about having enough money to buy the Tware roasting dish. It was lovely to be around such positive, pleasant company, rather than eating a sandwich on my own, standing at the kitchen bench. I only bought a couple of pieces today, but I enjoyed every minute. So a big thank you to Casey for such a lovely day. You have helped re-ignite my passion for my beloved Tupperware, and I know it will only be a short time before my lounge room is blessed with the scent of new plastic and brightly-coloured seals. Now, all I need to do is convince Christian that Tupperware is indeed the answer to all of our problems...or that it is something about me he will need to learn to love. Because I heart Tupperware. And that's all I have to say about that!