I am so happy with how my kitchen turned out! This is perhaps the most important room in my house. My friend T offered some advice when I asked her. Also, CC has a good eye for things like this. This red wall looks VERY red in this picture, but it is more like a subdued brick color in the natural lighting. I had the urge to hang three pictures from Singapore on that red wall. They are the black and white charcoal type, signed with a chop block by the Asian artist, in black frames. But eventually, CC and I both decided that we have so many Asian accents in our home (silk hanging of 100 children; bamboo; etc.) that we should devote this spot to Turkey. We put back up the two Turkish plates, the quilted block of Turkish teacups with a cay spoon, and the ottoman style hand-painted eggs. We also included the cross (which tricks the eye and looks like a key) from Cameroon (Africa), the little bowl/chopstick set from Japan, and my lemon tray. All of these items except the lemon tray were given to me. They were gifts from dear people here and far away. I tend to light my candle lamp at night AFTER the kitchen is cleaned up. The cinnamon smell reminds me of the warmth of the kitchen and the end of the day. It's the hub for our family. Which room is your hub?
3 comments:
It looks really good!!!!!
Every woman reading this relates to your feelings about the kitchen. It is "our" room, isn't it? The room where our love for our family manifests itself in so many good things to eat. I certainly relate.
I have to tell you something that you may or may not find humorous but will probably be shocked. Our "center hub" is the kitchen for breakfast, the kitchen for lunch, but come dinner/supper time, it is the living room floor.
MANY years ago I set a pretty table, had supper ready when David came home and the whole nine yards. I was raised that way. One day David came to me and said, "I do not like to eat when I first come home. I am too wound up." He liked to unwind, go outside, stretch, move around, get into some kind of activity and then 7-ish or 8-ish was ready to eat supper.
Believing that this was David's home also and not just mine and he was the man of the house who worked hard all day, I started feeding the kids a light meal when they came home from school and then 8-ish o'clock I would have dinner. We would lay a large quilt in the living room floor, get out the TV trays, bring David his supper plate, all prepared, meat cut, etc., his drink and so forth. The kids and I would fix our plates (David is always served first) and everyone would head to the living room, kids on the quilt, Mom in her chair, with our food and drink.
Now, I know what convention will say about that and I used to feel guilty that my kids had grown up eating their supper in the floor, until a wise woman older than myself told me a similiar story (They ate supper in their parents bedroom because of the shifts their parents worked.) and pointed out to me what really mattered was we were together at mealtime.
Other than sitting in the floor (uh hum), it is a traditional dinner time. No, we do not do that with company but we love Dad and he enjoys his dinner in front of the TV, so there you go. We have wonderful conversations and can't wait for supper each night. David has bragged many times on how we spoil him and told me more than once that dinner is the highlight of his day. (When he said he felt spoiled, I thought to myself, "Mission accomplished!")
To this day, a 25 year old, a 21 year old, a 17 year old and a 16 year old gather in the floor on a quilt to eat dinner with their mom and dad. :)
There's our unusual hub. :)
Mel
P. S. I skipped the part about the kids drinking from the same glass . . . I know. They do it by choice now but when they were little, I made them share glasses so not to waste their milk, juice, whatever. My youngest one still does not like his own glass but likes sharing with one of his sisters. :)
Moral is be careful what you do with your kids when they are growing up! They learn more than you think and not always what you intended! :)
Absolutely the kitchen!! Yours looks very warm and cozy!! I think you need something Ukrainian up there!
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