From Emilie Barnes:Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home: Creating a Place You and Your Family Will Love
“No matter where I serve my guests, it seems they like my kitchen best.”
That little painted plaque in my kitchen is more than just a cute saying for the wall. It’s the way I’ve felt all my life. Wherever I’ve lived, the kitchen has always seemed to be the place where warmth and love reign.
Family and friends are drawn there like chickens to their roosts. Of all the rooms in our home, the kitchen is the place of comfort, the preferred gathering place for shared conversations and the teamwork of preparing good meals for and with each other.
For me as a young girl, the kitchen was always where I wanted to be – sitting on the countertop as ingredients flew everywhere, tantalizing aromas floated through the air, and meals and memories were created.
After my father died and my mother and I took up quarters in three rooms behind her little dress shop, the kitchen was still the center of warmth.
I remember so many times when Mama welcomed me home with a baked potato, hot cocoa, cinnamon apples, or popovers in winter; popsicles or ice cold lemonade in summer.
All these were expressions of love, and they all came from the kitchen.
The Heart of the Home
Even today, the kitchen feels like the heart of home to me. The smell of garlic and onions being sautéed in butter draws me to the kitchen. Coffee, brewing fresh in the pot, lifts and warms my heart.
I love to bend over a bubbling pot of soup or gaze out the window while quietly bringing order to my countertops. And I love to smile at all the photographs of family and friends that smile back at me from the refrigerator door.
My kitchen is filled with heart. My pots hang on hooks above the stove the way my dad’s pots did in his commercial kitchens. Plants line the windowsill, including a few pots of herbs to snip when needed. A crock holds my whips, wooden spoons, and spatulas in a space-saving and attractive bouquet. A collection of special plaques and pictures from friends and family decorates my “love wall” at one end of the room.
Above all, make your kitchen a room you enjoy and feel good in.
“A special time to show your husband he is very important in your life is when he comes home from work. Make it a pleasant time for him. Put the housework aside. Greet him with a smile. Have his favorite beverage ready for him. If he wishes to talk, listen attentively. If he doesn’t, give him space to unwind. Such a greeting will make an amazing difference in his life.This may not always be possible with many little ones, but make it happen as often as you can. Your thoughtful consideration for his welfare will make him feel respected and loved.” -Paraphrased from Fascinating Womanhood
Inspire and delight your children with these lighthearted and faith-filled poems. Take a peek at Amazon here.
I miss my momma’s kitchen! :'( It was a lovely read, I hope my kids like our kitchen as much as I miss my momma’s. :’)
You’re kitchen is always welcoming! And Margie dishes up wonderful meals!
The kitchen was the heart of my childhood home. It is where I learned to cook everything from scratch and by hand, too. My Mother was of the opinion that everything had its proper time and labour-saving machines could not produce as fine a result. We spent hours planning meals. We didn’t have much money, but Easter and Christmas food was amazing. I have precious memories of those years I spent in my Mother’s kitchen. Indelible memories that warm the heart.
I too have fond memories of the kitchen during family visits: Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular. Most of our family was not Catholic, but there is a reason why the Fall is my favorite season; it reminds me of our big family get togethers. I definitely want to instill that in our family since we no longer have it with extended family… and I can already see our kids not only enjoying that in the holidays I loved; but also in the more important ones like Easter and other Holy Days. I hope to do this for many, many years even after they have grown up and moved out. 🙂
It is sad here.There is no such thing as a kitchen !There is a fire pit outside under some leaves or a tiny shack where the woman toils for hours.The man NEVER steps into the kitchen and it is always very tiny and often dirty.There are few pots and utensils and it is all simply done to survive.They are too poor to have or learn about the beauty of fine food.Fr Is trying to get Paul to teach them some recipes and how a kitchen ought to be run.
Your description gives us pause to consider all we have and how thankful we should be! Thank you for sharing Father.
I have never really considered what it would be like to live as a family without a kitchen. Thank you for that perspective, Father. As always, count your blessings.