Kitchen Obsession

Every since the city announced they want to buy our house, to tear down and build a road; I continue to look at available homes in my area. If it were up to me....we would stay put. I love my house! I admit that there are things about the layout that I am not crazy about and the bedrooms are a bit lacking. But I am happy here.

Mostly I love my kitchen! And I have yet to find ANYTHING that comes close to it. It is warm and cozy....and big. And I have a TV in it. And a lazyboy. I spend most of my day in the kitchen.

This is my kitchen as you walk in the back door. Back door? Yep, this is the door that EVERYONE uses...except strangers or first time guests. In this picture if you look across the kitchen/dining area...you can see the front door. It's a nice shiny front door...since no one uses it. And the large china cabinet? In the middle is a section that opens up to reveal my kitchen TV:-) Orange hallway leads to bedrooms and other end of house where our family room is. That kitchen table is over 10 years old. Scarred with D's name, he carved with his fork. And many nail polish smudges from the girls.

As you walk into my kitchen and look to the right...there is the KITCHEN part. Large pantry next to the fridge and a nice window over the sink that looks out over our back deck into the back yard.

Standing at beginning of orange hallway, looking into dining room; you can see my old fireplace/wood stove. This is the one that is so temperamental. Most winter days it gets so blazing hot that I could cook in my swimsuit. LOL And to the right of fireplace is my beloved 'area'. The lazyboy. I spend HOURS sitting in that chair; watching TV while reading, making menu's or just spacing out.

Now from front door looking back, you can see the back door that everyone uses. And to the right is the garden window. We received that garden window from a friend who removed it during a home remodel. David installed it, we picked out pretty tile and redid the entire thing. It is filled with plants (some alive...some dead), birdhouses, and lots of rocks from various travels.

When I recently complained that I would miss this kitchen, it was homey and warm; my sister in law told me its because I made it that way. I'm sure she is right. But it has so much character that I am unsure I will ever replace. Or maybe its just all the good times I have had here? Just the other night, I sat in my recliner with the lights off and just candles lit. I sat there for a few hours; thinking there was no better place in the world. Will I be able to do this in a new kitchen? Will it feel 'right'? Or will I be stuck in a cold kitchen with no character or warmth to it?

That is my fear. We will move and I will HATE my kitchen.....