Today’s Ten on Tuesday topic is one that will be slightly different for everyone – the assignment was to write 10 things about a piece of furniture that you own. I chose to write about my kitchen table and so, here are 10 Things About My Kitchen Table.
- It first belonged to Dale’s grandparents. I am extremely honored that we are the 3rd generation to have this kitchen table.
- It has burn marks on it from Dale’s grandmother’s coffee pot. I find this terribly charming.
- There is supposed to be a drawer but it fell apart years ago and Dale has never gotten around to building a new one. I do wish he would, though.
- It is the place where we ate dinner with the kids every night when they all lived here with us. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I have set a dish of baked macaroni and cheese on that table. Or a platter of chicken. Or a simple grilled cheese sandwich.
- When Hannah was little she spilled her milk on this table. Every single night.
- One night I sat at this table with my good friend Sharon and we drank wine and dyed yarn. We spilled some of the dye on the table and the stains are still there. I love those stains and the memory that goes along with them.
- It is where I roll out pie crust. I always think of my mother when I do this and then I think of Dale’s grandmother and wonder how many pie crusts she rolled out on this table, too.
- It is where we put the mail when it’s waiting to be sorted. It’s where Dale leaves the newspaper until he has read it.
- It has a basket of fruit in the center. Usually there are bananas, often there are limes, and occasionally there are other things like avocados, apples and whatever other fruit is seasonal and on sale.
- It is scarred and gouged and imperfect and I wouldn’t trade it for a shiny new table for anything.
I hope you all enjoyed this topic – I really loved thinking about my kitchen table and what it means to me and my family. As Ali Edwards said in the post that inspired this topic, the things we own are pieces of our stories.
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Before I started school, my dad’s sister babysat me while my parents worked. She had a huge old, oak table in her kitchen, and I remember sitting at it with my cousins and eating lunch. I also remember getting there early in the morning, before her kids were up, and watching her cook or bake while I sat at the table. I never thought much about it until I went to my cousin Joe’s house, and found out he has the table. (!) What a feeling to sit at that same table with those same people as an adult, and to have all of their children around us. All of Joe’s kids are raised now—I wonder where that table is today?
Your table tells a story of love and longevity of family and friends. It’s a well loved, well worn table. May it live long in your house.
ahhh… do you ever think about the stories the table could tell? three generations is a lot of life…laughter, tears and love! great topic!
I love the stories about your table. And I love that it has been passed on through the generations. That’s back when furniture was built to last!
I love that it has been passed on to you through the generations with wonderful stories and memories. That is my kind of furniture – may it continue to hold many more memories and then passed on to the next generation!! Wonderful topic!!
may you make a lifetime of happy memories on this table. Thank you for letting us be part of those memories
That is a wonderful treasure! And I am sure there are many, many memories that will continue to be made around it.
Lovely story! What a wonderful, tangible way to keep memories alive.
That is one great table. I have a fabulous, huge, square oak table (now residing in the cellar) that I bought for $100 along a roadside. I have no idea of its history. It has five enormous pedestal legs and several boards stored underneath to turn it into a rectangle. We used it for years for eating, for art projects, for homework – although the top was so uneven that pencils poked through paper all the time! When we joined forces with my mother, she wanted to use her table which is admittedly smoother. Tables are repositories of family history more than any other furniture – except for maybe the bedstead!
I love that table. It’s warm and comfortable and inviting. And now I know that it is loaded with memories <3
This makes me think of my grandma’s house. Loving something with some stains and scars seems a lot like loving someone who is aging but still special.
Wonderful! I love antiques and vintage stuff, but my favorites are hand-me-downs, the ones that have stories or hold personal memories.
I have my great-grandmother’s kitchen table, china cabinet, and an old dresser for storing linens in my kitchen. The table and china cabinet were in my grandparent’s kitchen, too, before my mother claimed them. I refuse, of course, to get anything new. The best part is a photo I have displayed of my grandfather and my grandmother’s half brother in my grandparent’s kitchen in which you can see the table, the cabinet, a rocker and a windsor chair that are up in my den. I count myself lucky to have such a direct connection to the women of my family.
Furniture that lasts the test of life are the best. Love your story.
What a beautiful story your table tells! I teared up over Hannah’s spilled milk–so darling!
I enjoyed reading about your table; how grand to have a piece of furniture with so many wonderful memories. Took me back to my parents’ table which we no longer have but I can see it and the stories surrounding it quite vividly. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Cheers~
I’m a day behind Carole, but had to say I LOVE THIS post. And, Hannah, I spilled MY milk every. single. night. too (until I was 12?*)! xoxo (*nah–I still spill!)