Tuesday 4: Kitchen Dreams

Monday night:  I realize this post is supposed to be about Kitchens, but we had this beautiful rainbow show up in our sky this afternoon, and it wasn't even raining here.  I believe it is a sign of God's promises to us and it was especially wonderful today.

You see, on Saturday morning, our beautiful 17 year old niece Shannon was in a very bad automobile accident, and for a while it looked like her injuries to her hip, pelvis, and back were quite severe.  They first thought they would have to put multiple rods, pins, etc., in her to hold everything together.  But when they got into surgery they found that they only needed to put one small rod in the back of her pelvis, and the rest they felt would heal on its own.  However, she will have to stay in a wheel chair for 4-6 weeks, without putting any weight at all on her legs until it is healed.  That in itself will be a major challenge for this very active young lady.  But we deem it to be somewhat of a miracle that this was the extent of her injuries. She took a direct hit in her driver's side door from a driver who ran a red light. Truly God had His angels surrounding her and protecting her from much more serious harm.  We give glory to God and praise Him for what He has done on her behalf.

However, I would still appreciate your prayers for this lovely young woman...physically as well as emotionally and especially spiritually.  May she fully realize that God has saved her life for a very real purpose.  Too often we don't get that second chance in life.  We thank the Lord that He has spared her. Oh, and as of this evening, because she did so well on her physical therapy today, they are releasing her to go home tonight.  It will be a challenge for her and her family, so again, your prayers are appreciated. 

Thank you, and Thank YOU, Jesus!

Tuesday morning:

So now we can move on to today's Tuesday 4 topic of "Kitchen Dreams"...

Kitchen Dreams

Welcome to Tuesday 4 in memory of  our blogging friend Toni Taddeo!

This week's questions were provided by Pamela Steiner who has the Closed Doors Open Windows blog.

Hey, that's ME again!! Thank you, Annie of Cottage by the Sea for putting this together for us each week.

So here we go:

1. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home...tell us about YOUR kitchen. 

Those of you who know me know that I believe in the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words".  So here are a few pictures of the basic parts of my kitchen...the sink, the stove, and the refrigerator.  I do spend a lot of time in my kitchen, and for the most part I enjoy being there.  At least in this house I can hear the activities in the living room, which is just around the corner, and I am not so isolated from the rest of the house as I was in our last home.  The kitchen actually is in the center of the house.  Probably the only thing I don't really like is that I don't have a good view out those three big windows. They look out front to the street, and the sun is really bright on that side for a good bit of the day, so I have to keep the blinds shut, and besides, I don't want people watching me in my kitchen as they drive by. If I could redesign this house I would have put the kitchen on the back side of the house, with windows looking out at the pond.  But other than that, I am content and happy here in this kitchen.

 

You can click on the pictures to enlarge if you wish.

What is your favorite part of your kitchen?

    

Where do I begin?  The wonderful part of this kitchen is all of the added little nooks and places that make it homey and cozy and a pleasant place to visit or just sit and read while I wait for something to cook... 

This is the coffee/tea area, where I fix our morning tea and coffee every day...

This is the tea/coffee cup cabinet just above, that we use for every day.  If you want fancy tea cups, you have to go into the other room where the china cabinet is to find them...but that's a subject for another day.

If you noticed the island where the sink is in the pictures above, well, this is what you see on the other side of the island.  There are plenty of seats if you want to come and visit with me while I am cooking...

 Or, you can "Come into my kitchen and chat with me while I prepare a pot of tea."

My paternal Grandmother did this needlepoint many years ago, and it was on the wall in her kitchen for as long as I can remember. I was quite honored and thankful to receive it when she passed away.  She also had done one for my mother that said, "No matter where I serve my guests it seems they like my kitchen best."  I don't know what happened to that needlepoint after my parents died and their estate was settled.  No one seems to know who took that home with them.  That makes me sad. But, I digress. I am very happy to have this one.

And then there is this wonderful old painting of the two old ladies sitting in their rockers and knitting or just visiting.  The caption that used to be legible on the frame said "The Gossips".  That wore off in time, but you get the idea.  This used to hang in my maternal Grandmother's home, and so I am very honored and thankful to have this as well.

Over in this corner I have my rocking chair. This is the rocker my parents bought for me when I was expecting our first baby,  so I rocked all three of my babies in this chair. It is very very special. It is also a good little corner to sit and read a book while I cook. Or you could sit there and visit with me, if you prefer!

Or you could visit with Lily Grace and her little friends while you wait on me.  They are having a perpetual tea party here, while Lily Grace entertains them with songs on her guitar.  They can sometimes be heard singing "Jesus Loves Me", or "This Little Light of Mine, I'm going to let it shine...", or just some other fun little song.  Never a dull moment in this part of the kitchen!

Speaking of Lily Grace, she has already shown you parts of the kitchen all decorated for autumn

I love this cabinet with it's open countertop where I can decorate for each of the seasons.  I know, it looks kind of cluttered. I realize that, but I have such fun decorating it that I sometimes don't know when to quit.  I guess that is part of what I love about this kitchen too...

I also love these little Scripture cards that I can change often. They are good reminders of God's promises to us.

Perhaps you've seen this before?  

2. If money were no object, what would be your "dream kitchen"?

Wow,  I don't really know.  I  might expand this room a bit so I can put the Hoosier Cupboard in here, and have a little more open space and open counter space.  This kitchen is a bit crowded when we have a group of people,  and the cooking area is definitely a little tight when we start trying to cook, wash dishes, etc. with more than one or two.   And I would definitely situate this room to have the windows overlooking the pond or some other such view.  

3. Tell us about a favorite memory from your kitchen, or from a kitchen in your past, perhaps your mother's kitchen or your grandma's kitchen?

Out of all my memories in many different kitchens throughout my life, this picture and memory is perhaps my very best and happiest.  Having all three of my precious little boys in the kitchen with me, baking cookies, and licking the batter off the beater.  There can be no more precious memory than this, especially since one of these dear boys is now in heaven...the one in the forefront, Matthew. 

And you can read more about this old house in the following post: https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2010/06/alarms-sirens-whistles-bells-and-things.html

Here is a link to cookie baking time with our boys many years later. More precious memories in our kitchen...

4. If you could invite anyone in the world (either past or present) to come visit with you in your kitchen, who would it be, and why?

I don't know why I wanted to ask this question, because there are so many people, mostly from the past, that I would just love to have sitting with me in my kitchen again.  Of course, those three little boys above, just like that once again, would be marvelous...and then of course my mother...Here she is in her kitchen, doing what she did best...making something wonderful for her family, most likely a pie or some cookies...

And here in this link is a picture of her visiting me in the Interesting old house and kitchen we had in Maine , many years later.

Also, I would love to have my mother in law, "Nanny", visiting with me again in my kitchen. 

 Here is a link to a recent post about her visits to my kitchen.  We made many memories together while she was staying with us.

Here is a Link to a post about my previous kitchen, which was probably my most favorite kitchen ever, except for the fact that it was so isolated from the rest of the house.

I hope you enjoyed this little journey down memory lane in my kitchen memories. I know I added a lot of links, but those are also for me so I can find them again more easily.  Also, if you click on the word "kitchen" in my labels, you will find a lot of stories that came from my kitchen memories.  

Yes, I do believe the kitchen is the "heart of the home".  It is amazing how many happy memories flow out from that one place, no matter how humble or how modern...it is where you can find love in the home.

My Little Kitchen Prayer

"Bless my little kitchen, Lord

I love its every nook

And bless me as I do my work,

Wash pots and pans and cook.

May the meals that I prepare

Be seasoned from above

With Thy Blessings and Thy Grace,

But most of all, Thy Love.

As we partake of earthly food,

The table Thou hast spread,

We'll not forget to thank Thee, Lord

For all our daily bread.

So bless my little kitchen, Lord

And those who enter in,

May they find naught but Joy and Peace

And Happiness therein. "

Author Unknown

Now let's go see what our other friends are sharing from their kitchens: http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2021/10/kitchen-dreams.html