Then my world was swept out from under my feet.
Two weeks after giving birth to my son, we found out we could not afford to stay at our apartment anymore. Thanks to the apartment complex hiking up rent by an additional $250 a month right as I was recovering from a c-section, and our newborn son wasn't even a month old, we were faced with the mind-numbingly difficult task of packing up our entire life and moving into my parent's house. Due to my recent surgery, I had to sit there on the couch and watch as my son's nursery was packed away before he even had a chance to use it. I watched as my clothes and belongings were shoved into boxes. And yes, I even watched as my trusty kitchen, my source of inspiration and stress relief, was taped shut into a cardboard tomb.
In the year that followed, we lived in a single room together. Albeit, the room was more like a small studio apartment, but regardless; it was too small for comfort. Forced to share a room with our newborn son, my husband and I had no privacy whatsoever, nor did we get much sleep. We couldn't so much as whisper to each other without the threat of waking up the baby. Our bathroom was reduced to a single standing shower crammed next to a toilet. And the kitchen...oh the kitchen. It was originally built to be a small bar, not a working kitchen. We had a mini fridge and a bookshelf we converted into a pantry shelf. The only stove/oven I had to use was in what we called the "community kitchen." The "community kitchen" was the actual kitchen space in the house (not in our little room) but was therefore first and foremost my parent's kitchen. Graciously they shared the kitchen with us when we needed it, however; scheduling out cooking times and meal times between two different families can be harder than you think. There were often times where there really were too many cooks in the kitchen. Most of the time I tried to work wonders with my small electric skillet and a microwave. But it clearly limited my cooking options. Needless to say, the number of food blogs I was writing began to drop more and more. With a newborn to take care of, a small room to convert into a temporary home, and a house to hunt for, cooking and blogging became the lowest of my priorities.
Days, weeks, months passed and my passion for cooking began to fade. My whole life was consumed by the need to find a home. I was tired of the embarrassment of needing to live with my parents. I was heartbroken that my son didn't even have a room to call his own. And I was fed up with trying to get by. I wanted more. Pretty soon cooking in that sad excuse of a kitchen, that little bar, only drove at my every nerve. Even though our last apartment had a closet of a kitchen, it was at least a real kitchen!
But then the day came. My husband went with the realtor to look at a house. As soon as he got there he sent me a text. It was a single picture with a caption that read: "we have to put a bid on this house!" And there it was, the picture of my dreams. He had sent me a picture of just the kitchen and with that I was won over. It was a bigger kitchen than I had ever had. A center island, cabinets and cupboards galore. Dual stacking ovens. And best of all, a skylight and a bay window for lots of natural lighting. I knew then that it was going to be our house.
It's funny how a single picture of a kitchen could offer so much excitement and hope. But that picture was a huge turning point for me. It was the first picture I saw of our soon to be home. And every day that I have worked in our new kitchen I thank God for giving me such a wonderful space. I went from a closet kitchen, to a tiny bar, to finding myself standing in a gloriously open and inviting kitchen.
Although moving and the holidays still kept me from having the time to revive my blog, I still had the great pleasure of testing out my new kitchen to its full extent. For the first time ever I hosted Thanksgiving and, despite messing up on the gravy and thus creating a very memorable gelatinous blob, the dinner turned out fabulous! The turkey was falling off the bone it was so moist, and the fact that I made nearly everything entirely from scratch left me feeling particularly proud.
But now that the holidays have come and gone and, for the first time in a long time, I have the space and time to cook again; I have strapped on my apron and I am ready to get back at it! So my fellow foodies, I thank you for so patiently waiting for me and I look forward to starting off new this year. Here's to new beginnings, great company, and good food!
 |
| Before (2011 in our apartment) |
 |
| After (2012 in our home) |
 |
| Before (2011 in our apartment) |
 |
| After (2012 in our home) |
No comments:
Post a Comment