Saturday, November 24, 2012

Why Do I Even Have a Kitchen?


I once saw a sign in a catalog that said, “I have a kitchen only because the house came with one.” Except for the occasional holiday, that pretty well describes me. If I didn’t like eating so much, I’d give up cooking.

I’ve actually considered that. My house is maybe two blocks from a mall and a major highway. Six restaurants are within easy walking distance and another eight are a reasonable hike. A short drive takes me to so many more I can’t even count them. I can buy sandwiches, Chinese food, Mexican food, seafood, southern cooking, pizza, Japanese food… It just goes on and on. And the prices are reasonable. I could actually eat restaurant food more cheaply than I can cook at home if I made good use of doggy bags.

However, I can’t get a wide variety of low calorie, low salt meals in a restaurant. So I have to use my kitchen—albeit minimally.

But my kitchen is much like the rest of my house—straight out of the ‘70s., closed in and dark with harvest gold counter tops. Only two changes have been made to the original design—the former owners painted the oak cabinets white, and I had sheet vinyl installed that looks so much like distressed pine that a visiting carpenter had to bend down and feel to make sure it wasn’t wood. It really made the white cabinets pop.

My dream is to bring the kitchen into the 21st century. I have plans that include ripping out a cupboard so I can have room for a larger fridge (the old one is very small and was in the house when we moved in 15 years ago) and ripping out the wall between the kitchen and dining room to let in light from the glass deck doors.

I don’t know how many more years Hubby and I will be able to climb the stairs to the top floor of the bi-level, but for now the stairs provide exercise we both need, even if I breathe a little hard when I get to the top. In the meantime, I hope to make a home that meets our needs with beauty and character. And I hope to leave it someday a little better than it was when we moved in.


7 comments:

  1. I have a magnet on my fridge that says, "I have a kitchen because it came with the house."

    I wanted my kids to eat healthy, homemade meals, so when they were growing up, I cooked every day. After the last one moved out, I all but gave up cooking. These days, if my hubby comes home and the house smells like food, he's all sorts of giddy.

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  2. Seems pretty reasonable to me! I am always thinking resale when I start planning for a project. Not only do I want things to be easier to clean and maintain, but also more functional. We have a semi finished basement, there is no ceiling and it needs more insulation. Those are on my 2013 list of things to get done.
    I would also LOVE to add a bathroom down there, that is on the maybe list for 2013.
    My husband says, "It's always something!" To which I reply, "That's responsibly owning a home."

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    1. Because Hubby and I will probably do some serious downsizing when we move again, I don't think so much about resale value. I just want to make it my idea of pretty. Hope you get everything done you want to do. It's nice to have that feeling of completion.

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  3. I'm not much of a cook either. I like to bake, but I dread the "what's for dinner" question every night, especially when I get home from work! :)

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    1. People who work shouldn't have to cook. You should be able to stop someplace on the way home and pick up meals for your families. Yeah, I remember what that was like. Not so bad now that I've retired. : - )

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  4. I actually have a sign in my kitchen that says "I only have a kitchen 'cause it came with the house". It was my grandmothers (I got it for he at a craft fair years ago) and hung in her beautiful kitchen (that she hated being in). Now that she is gone, it hangs in my pitiful kitchen and makes me smile. Your post made me smile and glace over to check it out. Thanks for that. Not a bad way to start off a Monday! ;-)

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    1. If I've made someone smile my day is made. If I've made someone smile on a Monday--well that's a superpower. : - )

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