Christmas in the Kitchen & Changing my Attitude

When adding a little Christmas in the kitchen, I found myself mentally making a list of things I’d like to change or fix. Touch up chipped paint on the cabinets, remove the peninsula and add an island, redo the backsplash...

This state of discontent could have gone on for an hour, but for for some reason, right there in the middle of my list making,  I had the thought: is my kitchen, with all her faults, really the heart of my home?

The list maker in my head quieted as I reasoned, the kitchen is the most functional room in the house, with all of it’s nuts and bolts, appliances and gadgets. But it takes more than nuts and bolts to give a room heart.

 And while cooking and dishwashing and stocking a fridge are functions of the kitchen, those things are more than just functional. Preparing food is more than preparing food. It has the potential to be an expression of love, sustaining not just our bodies but our souls as well.

While adding little holly wreaths to my chalkboards,  sweet memories lined up and one by one they swept me away…

All the Sunday suppers we’ve had here. I could almost see us…Mike, the kids and grandkids finishing out the weekend together.

Laughter and good food and stories…always stories.

Tiny granddaughters standing on a chair to help me finish up the cooking…

Holding my camera steady for this shot, I smiled thinking of how many friends and family manage to crowd into this small space. During our extended family get-togethers, everyone wants to be right here, cradling their mugs of coffee and having three or four conversations at one time. That sound, the laughter and talking over one another is music and here in the silence, I can almost hear it.

And this sink! Oh how I love her when she’s clean and empty like right now. But I also love washing stacks of pots and pans on Thanksgiving eve while Mike makes dressing and gravy enough to feed 35…

Here’s the peninsula, the one I’ve been wanting to remove, but come to think of it, this has been the just-right spot for lots of heart to heart talks. Me standing on one side and a daughter sitting across, while we hashed out hard things over coffee, usually ending with a prayer. I wonder how many prayers whispered at this bar, have been answered…

So many memories in this room.  So much of life happens right here… With all it’s practicality, and all the imperfections, I’m loving the heart of our home a little more right now…

If you ever feel discontent with your home and find yourself making a list of things to change, give your memories a few minutes, they might just quiet the list maker in your head.

And let’s inspire each other on Pinterest! HERE!

And if you are in the mood for more Christmas I’ve got ya covered…