Touring our Home: Kitchen

Today, the kitchen. If you saw my before and after of the kitchen this past winter you may have seen some of these photos before. We replaced light fixtures and added recessed lighting last October. Then we painted the walls and hired out to have the cabinets painted white this past January. I am still amazed at the difference those things made. If I could do everything I wanted to this kitchen I would put a butcher block counter top on the island, black counter tops around the perimeter, and a white subway tile back splash up. But I am so content with where it's at. Pretty sure this is where it will stay. But it's always fun to dream too :)

 

 

I had questions about our berkey water filtration system in the last post and always meant to answer but never got around to it. That two tiered stainless steel tower creates the best water you ever tasted. Each Christmas Shaun and I choose one bigger thing that we'd like to get together and last year this was it. We absolutely love it and highly recommend. 

 

This last photo reflects a more recent view of the kitchen... I had just hung up sage to dry, and our window sill is usually lined with fall fruits... sometimes apples, this time pears.

 

And as with the dining room, I just don't feel right posting photos of the room all perfect and without anyone in it when it only looks like that 1% (or less) of the time. So here are some "kitchen in action" photos I just chose at random from my recent photo folders:

 

Counter full of baking supplies, helping me make Isaiah's birthday cake, which was actually a giant skillet chocolate chip cookie.

 Some random photos of things that have come out of this kitchen:

whole roast chicken, one of our favorites: 

 Burrito bowls, another favorite.

 In the summer there's lots of fresh produce, here I was about to make bruschetta

 In the fall are the root vegetables... this was fried sweet potatoes with rosemary and brown sugar.

Our kitchen also doubles as the barber shop, and is where I cut all four boys hair... this was Jaden's first hair cut this summer:

 

 

There is homework done at the counter at night, lunches are packed, I make huge batches of soup in our giant stainless steel pot and let them simmer all day this time of year, I wipe down that island more times than I can count, I clear it off, it fills back up just as fast... (anyone else have that problem?) Mail is sorted, bills are paid, I plan out my week and to-do lists here more often than not. Our kids race around the circle the island makes after dinner most nights, Isaiah helps unload the dishwasher, they raid the pantry for cheese balls and mandarin oranges and goldfish and apple sauce pouches and juice boxes.... The kitchen is in many ways the heart of a home, and this is ours. It is noisy, it is chaotic, it is warm, it is usually messy. It is perfect.  

 

(If you missed the first two parts of our house tour, the living room is here, and the dining room is here.)