The Kitchen Transformation

So our little "eat in kitchen" (that is, you can eat in it with a family of four or fewer) that was a no-mans land of everything that was sort of school related and sort of games and kid related, has been completed for a few months.

Before (The space is entirely filled with shelves, table, chairs and coats but we're happy and that's the part I wanted to keep!):

I boiled everything down (that is, let go of the least essential) and found a new home for the remaining stuff (more on that in another post- made possible by Chris making new shelves in the laundry room and in a small closet area) and freed up that space to be a toddler/ visitor/ extra work space. I took down the regular height table and took out the chairs (they were too wide for the space and made getting around the room difficult). I gave away the broken chairs, put one of the shelves into storage, moved the other shelf out to a closet, bought metal stools that stack together for the counter, metal stools that stack together for the kids, a lower wooden table that makes the space feel bigger and has space underneath for the kids coloring books, and put a wooden bench with some inside storage (Table cloths) that sort of matches the wooden table.

I want to hang some art up and put a shelf up near the ceiling for bulk herb storage. And I still need to figure out how to fix our shoe storage issues by the door. I need a huge curtain rod and curtains for the giant picture windows (the setting sun is very intense on that westerly side of the house). But the biggest part of the space problem has been solved and every time we do a 10 minute clean up of this room it's neat and tidy and easy to sit down at a clean counter or do a kitchen chore. Last year this room made me go into fits of frustrated tears and was a black hole that sucked in my whole life in terms of upkeep. Now I love this space and I feel so much freer and lighter hearted when I'm working there. With the right furniture, ten or more people can sit and move around in the room at once, so it's great for when we are entertaining, and often when a friend just stops by, there is an open seat right by the door for them to feel invited to sit down and chat, maybe stay for a cup of tea.


During (April 2015) I begin to break down the shelves, and go through the stuff:

 We put a fresh coat of spackle and paint on the wall over the summer.  My best friend came over late and helped me paint on her day off (only best friends use their kid free days to stay up late to help a friend paint!) I loved not just covering all the wall damage and free form, er, murals, but how going from that mint green to a warm cocoa color tied in all of the elements of my kitchen- the woods, the cool grey laminate and the warm terracotta pink tile color. Suddenly everything worked. Chris also took down the old microwave and gave me a new stove hood (no pic, will add it):

Meanwhile I searched for "the thing" that would make the space work. I settled on very simple stackable stools which I ordered online. Other than our A/C unit, they might be the biggest package I've gotten in the mail. I ordered four tall stools for the counter (which I try to keep as clear as possible- by eliminating other things in the cabinets so most stuff has an away home now) and four regular height stools for the lower table. The table I found for a song at a charitable thrift store. I was shopping with Best Friend and it was the end of the day and I was sad I hadn't found The Thing, the short, squarish. bombproof, lovely farmhouse style table of my imaginings, so I sat down and rested my elbow on a sturdy nearby thing. Wait! What is this? It's The Thing I Need! It was here all the time!

And four months after I started (August 2015) (Wooden bench not in this shot, because it hadn't occurred to me to relocate it there at the time):

And ten minutes later:

Foot Washing

When I first began my 'higher education' in the fall of '99, I began to run headlong into a question posed to me through my instructors, advisors, peers, readings, projects and assignments. This question boils down to : "Who am I?"

Often I was chided if I answered the question based on my relationships- my family, my friends and church, my God. These were considered invalid answers because they were outside of me. They wanted answers based on my personal ambitions. So, I began to develop other ambitions outside of my home and church. I began to look forward to some time when the skills and lessons I was learning at school might 'pay off', enabling me to write for publications and create for galleries and earn money and acclaim (even if a modest amount) in spheres that seemed to have more clout than my home, my church and my neighborhood. This may seem like an innocent endeavor, and worthy goals of an education. But it began to set my mind at odds with the 'lesser' things. I began to disdain my home duties and to think less of involvement in our church and neighborhood. After all, how much should I really invest in the lesser while there was something greater to strive for?

I think I was aware while I was at school of this conflict. I never ceased valuing my home-life or relationships and never wanted consciously to deprive them of my energies and time. It was in my last semester that one of my instructors, innocently and with the best of intentions, encouraged me by telling me in a class session that I was 'More than just a mommy'. She wanted, I think, to indicate that I had intellect and potential, and I do value her intent in that. But as I've had the time now since graduating to step away from the conflict of values, more and more, I'm coming to realize how dissonant with my life such a statement is for me.

We're potty training Libby now (the baby, now toddler, I was taking to class with me during that last semester). We started last Friday. Today is day five. There are a number of accidents on our floors, so I am doing my best to keep everything I can up off the floor (not easy with five kids all stuck indoors in the wintertime!) and to keep the puddles mopped up after I chase the child to the potty. Sometimes another child discovers a puddle before I do. Then I wash her feet. And her socks. Yesterday Libby had a particularly gross accident. I couldn't get to her in time as she elected to have the emergency while I was changing a particularly messy diaper on Baby Penny. When I did get to her, I had to give her a shower (not to mention handwash the staircase and floors and toilet...). I began by just wiping off Libby's feet. I was feeling frustrated as I cleaned between each little toe. God, I thought in a silent prayer, I could be doing better things with my life! And the Spirit responded-- There is no greater calling than the work of a servant. The least of these are greatest.

I'm trying to learn that there is no greater thing to be looking forward to and that this time in my life isn't one to just 'get through'. Right now is the joy of my life. If I seek to serve in God's kingdom first, by being faithful to the work He gives me, I know He will add to my life in abundance, both now and in the future.

Jesus is asking me to wash the feet of His newest disciples. What greater thing is there?

I don't expect to make the papers though. And that's okay too.

Take a Hike

Yesterday we took off right after church and went on some of the Trails at Locust Grove, Samuel F.B. Morse's Home in Poughkeepsie NY. The fall leaves all over the paths made the walking very noisy. The kids got along great and loved being outside and running along the paths.

We brought a special thing along- Letterboxing clues! The first one we tried to find was no longer there, although we are pretty positive that we found where it used to be. The kids really loved the fairy waterfall and throwing in their wishing stones.

We searched for another one that was on the premises and found it! It was incredibly exciting and hard to keep everyone calm to take turns stamping the books. Inside were directions to another hidden box, written in Morse code. We decoded it but couldn't find the box right away. Since I was wearing out and there was no telling how much longer Libby would keep a dry diaper, we decided to save the rest of the treasure hunting for another time.

And to balance out all of that nature we went to McDonalds. Then we made sure to take everyone through showers- between checking for ticks and playing in a McDonalds playground, it just needed done!

Now I have all that laundry to catch up on! But it was a fun day and I hope we can do more Letterboxing soon. See you later! Libby will be looking out for you.