I have finished up
Molly Wizenberg's beautiful
Homemade Life and I'm ready to send it on its way. When I first bought it I wondered if it would inspire me to new cooking efforts, and I've certainly taken note of some of the recipes
But, really, it has got me thinking about
kitchens: about the time we spend in there, the people we gather
round us, the way we use our kitchens as a reflection of where we are in our lives. And what it comes down to in the end for me is this:
You grow up, you get more gadgets.
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| Our first little kitchen, nearly finished. With the cooker we found when we moved in and our wedding present matching kettle and toaster |
The kitchen I'll always love the most is the one in our first little house. My new husband designed it and ordered it and flat-packed it himself and it made me very happy. Probably more happy than the big, grown-up kitchen I have now. Because we did it all ourselves. Coffee machines and warming drawers and big larder cupboards are nice - but, you know what I think? They take a lot of cleaning and they mean nothing at all if you aren't still serving up the food you enjoy to the faces you love. This lovely little book reminded me of that; and I'm glad of it.
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| Our kitchen now - mess and all |
So I'll be interested to see what direction it takes this month's adopter in....and that adopter is
Melissa of
Daily Life - Bits And Pieces. Melissa, drop me a note with your address and I'll get it in the post to you.
A couple of you have been asking how long Pass The Book is going to run for, so here's what I'm thinking. Let's keep each book out there until it has been circulating for 12 months, then I'll see if it will come back to me (I would love to see the messages inside - you are writing a message, aren't you?). That should give everyone who is interested a chance for a look. And I'll keep Passing The Books out until August - that'll be a years worth of reading. After that, we'll see how it goes. Sound like a plan?
23 comments:
That sounds like a more than generous plan Sian. I'm kicking myself now as I forgot to add my name in the draw for this book -duh! You are right though what makes a kitchen is what you produce out of it. Happy cooking.
This post gave me an idea for my Home album which I hope to do this year. I wonder if I have photos of the kitchens in the houses we've lived in. A redo of our current one is #1 on my wishlist this year.
Mess? I see no mess! I see a kitchen which is obviously the heart of the home. A place where people gather together and share their days. I could easily sit at that table and share a coffee and a slice of that ginger cake!
Deb (and everyone else) you would be very welcome!
YIPPEE! Of all the books so far, this is probably the one I wanted to see the most, so I'm excited to finally get in on Pass The Book. Sian, I've emailed you my information and will start watching the mailbox for it soon! :>)
Lovely reflective story to share Sian! I know what you mean, when you put so much time in on a project at home it means so much. Every time the hubby and I finish a project we always have to toast it and admire it for at least a few days. We spent a week, giving our new hallway a goodnight ritual with the new embedded lights we added to it :) Enjoy your day and your next book.
Sian, you are so right! I still have very fond memories of the very first kitchen we had as a married couple. We'd had the house built and got to choose the colours we wanted. My first kitchen was red and white and I loved it. I'll have to look out the old photos and it could well appear on my blog sometime soon :) Thanks for making me stop and think about this. xx
Our very first kitchen wasn't a kitchen really it was in the dining room and comprised a two ring camping stove balanced on a couple of crates, a kettle and a bucket of water to keep things cool in (there is a whole other story that goes with that!) Our first house was in great need of repair and the old kitchen was ripped out before we moved in.
Congratulations Melissa!! This book sounds like it has a great match in you :) I remember our first kitchen in our apartment, it was fresh with white painted cabinets and greyish tile. I love the galley style kitchens, everything is close at hand with just a quick turn. And ginger cake, well that is just up my alley :)
Loved this kitchen post. You always get me thinking. Wishing I had photos of my kitchens through 26 years of marriage. So true that the first tiny ones are often favourites. Kitchens do seem to get fancier through the years but we don't love them any better. It is all about the memories. I guess the kitchen really is the heart of the home. :)
I'm gutted I'm not involved in the book passing but it looks fab and a great idea. Have loved catching up with your blog Sian! xxx
Congratulations to Melissa - I must enter for her share of the Pass the Book on her blog - I'd love to read this one too.
Your first little kitchen looks sweet, but I love the kitchen you have now - it looks welcoming and homely (and not messy really).
My first kitchen was a bit spare in the cupboards and storage stakes. It was a converted bedroom in an upstairs flat; there was a huge old wool rug on the floor - Wilton or similar, probably expensive when it was new - the original built-in cupboard by the old fireplace, a walk-in larder built into the corner and a sink, with shelf underneath by the window. Other than that, there was a 1960's kitchen unit and a melamine-topped table with folding leaves. Me and my flat-mate painted the walls white and all woodwork bright, shiny red. We made a curtain for the open cupboard under the sink and covered the table with white & red checked sticky plastic. We thought it was fab. We spent our pocket money on red utensils and kitchen accessories and were so pleased with our kitchen. The old gas cooker worked much better after my flat-mate dismantled it, cleaned everything in a bucket of hot, soapy water and reassembled it again!
Still, I like my nice, tidy fitted kitchen now - I don't think I could live like that nowadays!
yay! i love kitchens. in fact, we spend most of our time in ours. and when we entertain, the whole evening is spent in there.
A plan indeed!!
I have just a couple of things from my Mom's kitchen, and of course, those are cherished items for me. Whenever I'm at a flea market or consignment shop, I will get a kick out of seeing things like my parents had - and will get a warm feeling remembering those things we used in our everyday lives growing up.
I have said a couple of times that I will cry the day our new kitchen goes in, it is because we have not been able to have lots of family dinners and celebrations in our home for the past seven months - the lack of space, safety hazards and dust has prevented it all - I am certainly the gatherer in our family and the kitchen is the hub of it all!
We love our kitchen. It is definitely the heart and soul of our house, as it was of my parents. We love having a large kitchen with an eat-in breakfast nook.
Rinda
That's very generous of you, Sian - and I hope the messages are getting written in! As we are just finishing the largest kitchen we've ever had (and it's not big, beliweve you me!), this is a very apposite post for me - you're getting me thinking, gal ...
I think kitchens are the one room that always evoke strong feelings and vivid memories. Thanks for sharing yours.
Your kitchen looks loved & lived in...a HOME! Thanks for sharing!
my mom was a wonderful cook but she always had a very simple kitchen - no fancy gadgets, just the basics. i don't have her knack but am more impressed by her abilities as i get older.
i have one of your books and will be passing it on soon!
Congrats, Melissa! I loved your kitchen, Sian - the coffee machine, the fridge, the space.... But mostly, just settling down comfortably for a chat with you xx
Your posts always make me smile Sian, and this one really struck a cord with me, I have very very happy memories of our first home, and my first kitchen - like you said, it didn't' have the gadgets, and it wasn't a kitchen I picked myself, but I loved it to bits and still smile when I think of it. :)
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