Scott and I have moved a lot in our 10 1/2 years of marriage. We’ve lived in two apartments, four houses, plus a couple month stay with my parents. We’ve lived in four different states. Each time, we try to make where we live feel like a cozy home. Most people have one room that is the most important when looking for a home.
For me? It’s the kitchen.
We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment when we first got married. It had cinderblock walls, and a tiny kitchen. But, we made the kitchen cozy and shared so many meals in there. We made Christmas cookies together. It was perfect.
From there, we moved into a 100 year old home, and had another cozy kitchen. There wasn’t much counter space, and it had a gas stove that terrified me. We had the teens from our youth group over for many meals. Then, we had our first child and I struggled to figure out how to balance my new responsibilities.
Our next home had another small kitchen, but it had loads of counter space. This home is where I really discovered my love of baking. There were so many yummy treats made there, and it was fun to see how food could bring so many people together. Four years were spent in that little kitchen. I cooked for picky toddlers. We really struggled financially, and there were times that PB&J were the only things coming from that kitchen. It was still made with love.
We moved into another small apartment from there. There was a total of 3 feet of counter space in this apartment and not much room to move. We honestly REALLY struggled with living in this apartment. Not because we had three kids in a small space, but because the kitchen was unbearably tiny. Once we no longer had the space to create, it was really a struggle for us. Cooking meals felt impossible because there just wasn’t anywhere to put anything, but we still managed to make it work.
Our next home had a small galley kitchen. I was thrilled to once again have counter space. Homemade noodles and breads were being made weekly. That house was my favorite. It just felt so cozy and perfect for us. I was heartbroken when we had to leave.
During our stay with my parents, I was once again back in my childhood kitchen. It felt surreal and like such a gift to be cooking with my kids in the kitchen where my mom taught me to cook. It was a lot of fun to cook for seven people every day. I was grateful that our stay with them was short, because I’d hate to wear out our welcome. But, I think we all had a lot of fun being under one roof for that season.
Now, we are here in this home. The kitchen is spacious, open, and beautiful. There are two ovens, which has made for a lot of fun hosting Thanksgiving meals. I feel spoiled with a kitchen like this. Homemade noodles, breads, cookies, meals, and lots of bone broth have come out of this kitchen. Those same things have come out of smaller kitchens also, so I won’t be sad when the time comes to leave it.
The kitchen is the most important room to me because the most memories tend to be made there. I love teaching my daughters the skills to make meals. I feel like cooking has become a lost art. I love making yeasty bread. Kneading warm dough is therapeutic. Watching it transform and rise is delightful. The meals don’t have to be fancy or extravagant to be special. I think our kids look forward to Taco Tuesday the most of any meal.
Gathering around the table nourishing our bodies and hearts is my favorite part of the day. Family dinners are so important to me. I miss out on them three times a week due to my work schedule, and that has been the hardest part of going back to work.
What is your favorite room in your home? Do you feel like the kitchen is the heart, or is it somewhere else?
