kitchen tour..

here's a little picture tour of the kitchen in our crown point home. although it's not really any bigger than the kitchens at our three other apartments, something about the layout makes it a lot more functional for me. i'm so thankful for this (as are d & r, i'm sure) because i'm in there (and enjoying it) a lot more often than i was in the other kitchens. that keeps us well fed and out of restaurants. win, win.

 view from the hallway.. it's organized, somewhat cluttered, chaos.. just how i like it. :)

 pot rack and bread shelf both from my mama's house.. thankful she's willing to pass on things to me that help with organization in our small living spaces. even though it takes up a lot of room, we keep a highchair for rubes in the kitchen as well as in the (carpeted) dining room. she has her (often messy) breakfast in here with me while i tidy up the kitchen in the morning.

 this is my first experience cooking on a gas stove, and just like my mom said, i love it. quick, even heat.. expect for the broiler. i've burnt the bagels every time!

 a little spot for some favorite (and somewhat useful) things. a kitchen cat from daniel's gammmie, as well as the birdie s&p shakers. secret smartie stash when i'm in need of bribery or a treat reward for rubes, and an old butter urn and potato chips tin from my mom, as well. these are the kinds of things that keep me feeling close to people i love even when we're this far away, and always work as good reminders to say a prayer for them when they come to mind.

 the window cutout works great for us too.. i can see ruby if i need to start cleaning up the kitchen while she talks to me or looks at a book after dinner, and it's great for passing dishes right out to the table. my mom's hard work of hanging hooks above our coffee pot cleared a lot of space in our (very few) cabinets.

you would think that since we finally have a dishwasher again, this wouldn't always be full, but it always is.. along with the token just-rinsed clothes from ruby's last meal.

so, there it is.. the kitchen.. our new, and beautiful, mess.