My Antique Kitchen Decor: Enesco Prayer Lady

As far back as I can remember, there are certain items that were always present at my mother and my grandmother's houses. Items that became iconic to my childhood, that still to this day have the ability to take me back in time with just a glimpse of them. It's hard to believe that an inanimate object can be so reminiscent of days gone by, but they can, and they do, and for that I will always treasure them. After I finished college and left home, my mom gave me two items that belonged to my two great-grandmothers. A scouring pad holder that was my Mamaw Cindy's:

And a napkin holder that was my Granny Rose's:

As a little girl this napkin holder always sat in my mama's kitchen and I have always ADORED it.  This is The Prayer Lady and was made by a company called Enesco. (She is sometimes called The Mother in the Kitchen as well). I'm not for sure how old this is, but I think these started being made in the 1960s and continued through the late 70s?  Give or take.  But anyways, there were numerous items made in this line, and they were available in pink, blue, and yellow.  She changed a little over the years as different collections came out (the shape of her face, the color of her hair, etc).  Just slight changes. Also, on each of the items there is a different prayer on their apron. This one has always been my favorite:

Dinner Prayer

Be present at our table, Lord

be here and everywhere adored.

These morsels bless,

and grant that we 

May live in paradise 

with Thee.

Amen

Like I said, she was first owned by my great grandmother. By the time my mom had it and raised me and my brother, it had been broken and glued numerous times, and was so incredibly fragile. I went on eBay and found me another one so that I could put my grandmother's up on a shelf to keep her safe. That started me collecting various pieces of this set. 

I actually ended up buying my mom another napkin holder, and a 2nd backup for myself as well lol. 

(Notice the slight color differences in her hair?) 

I got a scouring pad/ring holder that I just love. Notice the crack on her apron?  She hasn't been broken or glued, this porcelain does that over time.  She's still sturdy and strong, but the cracking worries me a little, lol. 

My spoon rest is probably my most used item out of all my Prayer Ladies.  I keep this by my Keurig to stir my coffee or tea.  Keeps you from dirtying up a spoon every time you make something to drink. I simply stir, rinse my spoon in the sink, and put it back on my spoon rest for the next use. Works great. Holds 4 spoons, which would be good if you were serving tea or something. But I'm the only coffee/tea drinker here really, so I just use the one.  I actually had bought the ladle spoon rest for my stove too, and accidentally knocked it in the floor cleaning one day. It shattered into a tiny million pieces. Broke my heart, but I plan on replacing it one of these days. 

I got two toothpick holders. I use the one on the left. The one on the right I got on eBay too, and it had never been used!  Those are actually the toothpicks that came with it. It's in 100% perfectly new condition. 

And lastly, my 2 sets of salt and pepper shakers. One set came with the toothpick holder, again, never used and brand new. It's good to have backups of some of these items.  They break so easy and where they aren't in production anymore, they're only going to get harder and harder to find. 

Hope you guys enjoyed!  If you have any of these items let me know and let me know how you like them too. I am secretly dying for the canister set which is sometimes available on eBay for an arm and a leg. You should definitely check them out, they are so sweet and beautiful. xoxoxo -