Some of you might recall the stories I shared about our big kitchen remodeling project. The kitchen refresh that morphed into a bathroom remodel…and then a gut of the laundry room. Guess what?! We’re on the other side and we survived! Paul and I are still married (and speaking to each other!) and we’re beyond grateful to our design and construction friends. They were amazing – the best of what anyone can hope for when you invite people into your lives to improve your home. Over the course of many months, the talented team solidified their place within the family.
As I’ve often said, chosen family rocks…and we’re grateful to count Jen, Ethan, Jesse, Tammy, and Graham as dear ones for life.
During Thanksgiving, our brand-new kitchen (see snip above) was put to the test and then some. After months of making do with an oven in the basement, it was a joy to rock the new appliances and there’s no stopping us now. 😉 If you’re in the neighborhood, pop over because the long lapse in having friends and family in the house has propelled us into entertaining overdrive. Our house never felt more like a home. It’s as if we have a new heartbeat and the house – and its occupants – are oh-so happy.
I don’t think we realized how much we missed meal prep, cooking and hosting. Paul’s the keeper of his mother, Maxine’s treasured recipes and we’re already debating the menu for Christmas and beyond as we thumb through beloved and stained pages of her well-used cookbooks and dog-eared recipe cards. Yesterday we discussed the need to make a batch of Maxine’s signature gingersnaps and our mouths began to water.
Getting the house back in order involved retrieving precious mementos and keepsakes; all the delicate and fragile items that were tucked away for safekeeping over the past 10 months. As we scratched our heads wondering what “hidey-hole” (thank you, Wynne Leon for that fabulous term) we squirreled stuff into, it was a bit of a treasure hunt.
Nothing was labeled, you see. In our haste (okay – mostly mine) I was satisfied to simply move items to safe harbor, wrapped in tissue or newspaper…sometimes paper towels. This meant we had endless, nearly identical-looking tubs and boxes to dig through as we looked for…you name it. Graters, tongs, strainers, ladles. All the tools.
Note to self: Victoria: If you ever empty the contents of an entire kitchen again – for storage or moving or whatever – and you fail to label the boxes, you’re gonna get a stern talking-to.
Christmas came early as we unloaded one bin at a time, gingerly retrieving the contents. I had no idea we had that many delicate items – beloved serving pieces, crockery and crystal from our parents and their parents…heirlooms in the making – not because of their material value but because of the memories tied to each.
And so…come on over if you fancy some time spent around the big island (no, not Hawaii) as we gingerly wash and rinse etched crystal goblets, vintage Art Nouveau vases, great grandma’s china or the treasured mugs and teacups used by generations gone by. With reverence, we’re finding new homes for everything, reminded that we’re holding history – our collective, family history – in our hands.
I’m also thinking ahead. One day we need to sit down with dear daughter, Delaney, to make sure she understands the sentimental significance of these pieces. I’ll put that on my to-do list. And while we’re at it, we’ll need to tell her the story behind a beloved piece of furniture. About distant cousins and a great Aunt she never knew. A dear one who left the Earth not long after Miss Delaney was born. My story on Heart of the Matter today explains more…about a transformer-like dining room table with nine lives…and leaves.
Vicki ❤
Victoria Ponders 
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