In my kitchen: at my table

Growing up - one of my jobs during dinner time was to set the table. My parents were not the Martha Stewarts of table settings or anything. They did have fancy plates and silverware that we reserved for special occasions like Thanksgiving. But the everyday table setting consisted of the bare essentials. Plate, utensils, drinks, paper napkins. Often the plates did not match. Often small chips could be seen on a cup. But there was a specialness that touches me now as I look back. The simple act of being together. The act of sitting, breathing, and sharing together. Sharing of our day. Sharing of a meal that would nourish our bodies. It was the togetherness that stands out to me. The atmosphere of togetherness that makes me push a little harder to achieve that for my own family now.

Upon moving to the Big Island - the circle that I found myself in tends to use paper plates and paper cups when entertaining. I must confess that the convenience of it is so nice. The ability to just throw your plate away when you're finished eating. But while convenient - it is not the most economical, nor the most environmental friendly.

So - breaking with the custom I've adopted, I went back to my roots and set our table with our dishes, glasses, and silverware. And oh can I say how wonderful it was to sit and linger at the table. To visit and talk and laugh about the happenings within our days. The dishes at the end of it didn't even seem to be such a chore. It was worth it to be able to have the togetherness that was shared at the table.

A little bit of handmade in the placemats added such a nice touch too. If you're wondering about them I made them from this tutorial. And blogged about them here. Next up on the handmade list for the table are napkins. This site actually has 21 tutorials for napkins. Napkins and a table runner are my next sewing projects for the table! For the kitchen table is starting to be one of my favorite places in our home.