snickerdoodles and kitchen news.

Amelie has been on a baking kick this spring.

She really wants to be able to make a batch of cookies completely by herself, so I told her to pick one recipe and we’ll make it over and over and over. That’s the best way to start, I think.

Her choice is Snickerdoodles, which are pretty much a universal crowd-pleaser.

 

 

Amie is a born servant. If I had to guess her Enneagram number, I’d say it’s a 2 (Helper), although I’m doing my very best not to peg my kids. She’s kind-hearted, generous, and loves to serve people.

And so it’s perfect that her growing love of baking is a vehicle to express her generous spirit.

Every batch of cookies has been made with a recipient in mind. Her educational therapist. Her grandparents. Her dad and brothers. Her Classical Conversations class.

 

 

As you can see, she has some eager apprentices, who are just itching to be baking as well.

With each batch, I see her gain confidence, learn to double-check the recipe and to identify measuring utensils and what the dough looks like when the flour is just mixed in. She can now do all the steps by herself except removing the cookie sheets from the oven.

 

 

Between cookie experimenting, kombucha, sourdough bread, New Members class, and normal meals, we spend a lot of time right here in the kitchen.

This brings me to my kitchen news:

We’re going to start another renovation this summer!

 

 

Can you believe it?

I can’t.

Here’s what happened. One day David and I looked at one another and said, “Well, it’s time to start thinking about our kitchen renovation.” We really, really wanted the same contractor and crew that did our bedroom addition. And last time we had to wait a year for them to become available.

We figured a year sounded about right to us.

Our bedroom was finished just over two years ago. And at that time, we said we would wait 2-3 years to start on the kitchen. Where has the time gone?

So David reached out to him last month, and a couple weeks later he stopped by to talk through the kitchen and dining room with us.

 

 

When Scott walked in the front door, it was like seeing an old friend.

The three of us walked around and talked and dreamed, and we loved his ideas. Once again, we were on the same page.

It started to feel like a new kitchen might actually be possible.

And when we asked him when he might be available next, he said, “Hmm…how about June?”

 

 

David and I looked at each other and gulped. We said we’d think about it, then he texted Scott later and said we want to wait until next summer.

I let out a big sigh of relief. A new kitchen would be incredible, but, well, it’s a lot.

And then we kept thinking about the kitchen. And thinking some more. It sure would be nice to have an extra year with a bigger kitchen and school space. We have the money saved. Finally I told David, “Maybe it’s like a Band-Aid, we just need to go ahead and rip it off.” And so, 48 hours later, David texted Scott back and said, “Ok, we changed our minds. We’re ready now!”

That’s how it happened. Of course, nothing’s guaranteed, but if all goes according to plan, we’ll start at the beginning of the summer.

 

 

Basically, our goal is to make the space larger and more user-friendly.

Our kitchen has never bothered me. It’s small, but it’s a cute little space with lots of natural light. But the bigger our kids get the smaller it seems to feel. It’s hard for two people to be working in the space at the same time. And with a family of people who enjoy food, that’s tricky. The cabinets are also very old and crumbly, which I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts. This means that I store as many pots and pans as I can out on the island.

Our back door, which you can see in the above picture, opens to a tiny laundry alcove, and then our screened back porch. Scott’s plan is to take out that whole back wall and extend the kitchen to include the laundry space. Our washer and dryer will go side by side in a cabinet in the dining room.

We’ll get new everything. Cabinets. Most appliances. A real island with a couple of stools (my biggest request). And more storage for homeschooling.

Can I tell you how amazing it feels?

 

 

We’re in this space — the kitchen and dining room — constantly. We eat meals together here. We do school. We play games. We cook. We blog. We host lots of people.

The thought of a new, bigger, bright, clean, cheerful kitchen feels a bit staggering at the moment. But wonderful-staggering.

And here’s one of my favorite parts of the whole thing:

Scott said he’ll build us a new back porch!

That’s right, he can take down our tiny existing porch and give us a nice, long screened porch for a big table. This could be a game-changer. Another whole “room” to eat meals, play games, do school, and host guests.

I’m having lots of fun browsing Pinterest and making my Kitchen Dream List.

Yes, I do also feel my blood-pressure rise when I imagine our family of six living here without a kitchen for a minimum of two months. It’s going to be a puzzle. And an adventure!

We won’t be doing school, which is wonderful And we have some fun trips planned for the summer. And, well, we’re getting a new kitchen. We’ll make it work.

I’m excited to share all about the process here on the blog.