My Kitchen

A few months ago, Mrs. White posted about her kitchen in her post Do You Love Your Kitchen? along with an invitation to share about our own kitchen. Our home is over a hundred years old, but when we moved here, we updated the whole house. At the time, I shared a brief description:

It has walnut looking cupboards and a light countertop, red plaid curtains and a baker's rack with beans, peas, lentils, multi-colored popcorn, etc. lined up in pretty gallon sized jars on one shelf and herbs and spices lined up in quart sized jars on another shelf. Shiny pots and pans and an old fashioned cookie jar look so pretty there. By the window is a butcher block with a hand crank wheat grinder and an old fashioned bread box that sits behind our Berkey. I do not decorate much because I do not like things that are not "functional." If it is pretty and functional, like a clock or cute shelf with a drawer that holds things in it, then I like it. I do have some ceramic bowls that line the top of the cupboards (some that I made).

I have to laugh at my description. I have not decorated my kitchen at all. (I really do like practical.) I also have a husband that likes a really clean looking clutter free environment. I remember when we married, the only thing on his counter top was a clear counter saver and a designer salt and pepper shaker set. It wasn't until I was 8 or 9 months pregnant with Malachi that I had had enough of that. Every time I got the Kitchen Aid mixer out to use, he would put it away after I was done. Finally, one day, I asked if we could please leave it on the counter?! (That thing is heavy!) I have kept it there since and added a coffee pot (that I mostly use to heat water for hot tea).

Here is my kitchen after cleaning it the other night. I bought some red pot holders to match the curtains and hung them above the stove. It gave it a little more color and they look pretty with the matching rugs. All very practical things.

One of the things I love to do after I clean my kitchen is put up a fresh towel on the stove handle and a fresh dishcloth in the sink (after I shine it). I also love to light a candle and put it on the stove top. When I am having a real hard time finding the motivation to clean (which is quite frequent lately), I will go buy a candle and not light it until I am done cleaning.

I love waking up to a clean inviting kitchen! In fact, this morning I made homemade coconut milk and macaroons. I am working on a review/giveaway for Tropical Traditions shredded coconut that I hope to post tomorrow.

Here is a wider angle of the kitchen. In the closest corner, I have a crockpot of beans soaking. In the morning, I drained them and put them in the corckpot on low for dinner tonight.

In the far left corner, is where I keep my Country Living Mill (hand cranked wheat grinder). One of these days I would love to motorize that thing, but I probably won't. Luke's grandma, Nanie, gave me her old fashioned electric stone mill and I just had the cord replaced on it and hope to use it soon. I took it apart today to clean it and will reassemble it once the stone dries. I also took the CLM apart to clean and change the auger, but I couldn't get it back together (hence why it is apart in the picture).

I keep the Berkey water purifier here along with the children's cups. Even my youngest can get her own water easily. We drink this water and cook with it. I love the Berkey! I will probably order another one for our home in MT. We have the Royal Berkey and it holds 3.25 gallons of water. I fill it about one and a half times a day. I only run 2 black filters at a time, so it takes about an hour to drip.

Behind the Berkey is the bread box and the fruit bowl. The honey tub is next to the fruit bowl. I would love to buy some hooks to hang the cups up.

On the opposite wall of the kitchen is my pot rack.

I rearranged a little, emptied the quart jars so that I could wash them, and decided to just dust the gallon jars. (I also needed space for the bags of grain underneath). Next to this rack is the door to the mud room which leads to another door out to the back yard.

We had a new window put in the kitchen and I can see the backyard through it, which is very nice in the summer time.

When we moved here, we thought we would be living in our motorhome, so I gave away all my house plants. I really miss them. I think house plants are pretty and practical (they produce oxygen after all). And after reading Mrs. White's post again, I am thinking that I should hang a little welcome sign or something (maybe above the sink?). A welcome sign would be practical after all, right? (smile)

Any other ideas to make it more warm and cozy without adding clutter? (I want my husband to feel at home in the kitchen too!)