Anita writes:
"My kitchen has become a much more important part of my life since I returned to being full-time a stay at home Mum almost 2 years ago. I developed a chronic illness (fibromyalgia) 3 1/2 years ago which eventually made me unable to continue my job as a nurse. In many ways this challenging time has also been a blessing. I have returned "home" and we are a much better family for it. While I'm no domestic goddess, I'm working on it every day. This kitchen is the hub of activity here. I am trying to focus on my health which means preparing healthy meals from scratch as often as possible. Sometimes we fall off the wagon, but we always manage to get back on track.
I love that our kitchen has signs of our family life - kids lunch boxes on the windowsill, waiting to be filled tomorrow morning; a fridge covered in kids artwork and notices from school and sport; even two silly "pet aliens" on the windowsill which the boys got for their birthdays from friends.
On the bench is the second-hand breadmaker I recently bought on ebay, so that we can enjoy healthier home-baked bread. I'm not up to kneading by hand due to pain in my arms, shoulders and hands at times, so the breadmaker is a great help. Always present on my kitchen sink is a handknitted dishcloth or two.
I love that our kitchen has signs of our family life - kids lunch boxes on the windowsill, waiting to be filled tomorrow morning; a fridge covered in kids artwork and notices from school and sport; even two silly "pet aliens" on the windowsill which the boys got for their birthdays from friends.
On the bench is the second-hand breadmaker I recently bought on ebay, so that we can enjoy healthier home-baked bread. I'm not up to kneading by hand due to pain in my arms, shoulders and hands at times, so the breadmaker is a great help. Always present on my kitchen sink is a handknitted dishcloth or two.
Thanks for visiting my kitchen :)" You can visit Anita's blog here.
Please don't forget to comment. A comment is like payment for the time taken to post, and in this case in sending in the photos. Many of us were enthusiastic about this series, so make sure all the photos get a good number of comments. I don't want any of the people sending in photos to regret joining in. Thank you friends.
What a fresh kitchen! I love the white cupboards and your frig decor reminds me of when my grown girls were little. Sorry to hear you are sick and I hope you improve with each day. Stay at home as long as you can. I will be ever so grateful that my husband put in so many long hours so that I could stay home with my girls for most of their life. They appreciated it too! Take care.
ReplyDeleteAhhh Anita, a very pretty kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to stay at home with your young ones until they are grown. It is such joy to spend all of that time with our children. I have found that my teenagers need me at least as much now as they did when they were young.
So happy for you that your fibromyalgia is less of a problem.
Thanks for sharing your lovely kitchen, Anita and thanks Rhonda
for continuing these posts.
Becky K.
Thanks for sharing! I love the style of your cabinets & the warm yellow color :D!
ReplyDeleteVery nice kitchen, so clean and fresh looking!
ReplyDeleteI like your kitchen and its layout. Good counter space, but not too much walking to get to different parts.
ReplyDeleteMy mother wasn't able to knead bread, either (due to other issues), so she got a bread machine, and later a kitchen aid mixer, to do the kneading. It was always fun when she made bread, though we girls loved sandwich, and she could never make enough to keep us happy. Plus, we'd eat the bread straight when it was fresh, so it never lasted. What she made, we ate!
Thanks for sharing!
Good for you fine tuning your homemaking skills, Anita ... and happy to read that you are feeling a bit better. I LOVE your kitchen sink with the drain board areas!! Very utilitarian. It's a lovely-bright-cheery kitchen. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love that big kitchen sink with the drainboards! What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteLovely kitchen big & roomy, You are very lucky to be at home with your family, the kids grow up so quickly, I agree with Becky K the teenagers definately need you so much too. I think I live in the kitchen more with having teenagers because they eat so much non stop.
ReplyDeleteErika (Gold Coast)
Love your kitchen - so warm and homely. Youngest son has one of those pet aliens - but I think it's hidden in his bedroom somewhere still blinking it's little light...vbg. Enjoy your time at home - I'm a stay at home Mum and two of mine are teenagers - I honestly think they need me more now than ever before.
ReplyDeleteA lovely kitchen, I hope you feel better soon. Not so you can rush out to work, but to be able to enjoy being with your boys. These years go way to quickly and soon you will have all the time in the world to returne to payed work.
ReplyDeletetake care
What a bight and cheery kitchen. Love the extensions of the sink area. I've never seen that before.
ReplyDeleteHope you continue to feel better and that you can permantly stay home for your family.
Cheryl - Indiana - USA
What a sweet kitchen! It looks so neat and tidy, while at the same time having that homey, lived-in feel. Just the right balance. :)
ReplyDeleteAlissa
Lovely kitchen, your cabinets are very nice and it all is so fresh and clean ! I agree with many others that commented , stay at home as long as you can , you will benefit but your children will also , I was a stay at home Mom and I never regretted that decision for one minute .All the best with your health ,may you improve each day .
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Anita. I love your light, bright kitchen. My kids leave their impressions all over my house too, and it's nice to see it celebrated instead of sighed over (like I often do!)
ReplyDeleteI love your kitchen Anita, I have white cupboards myself and they always look so fresh. I too have fibromyalgia and I am a SAHM to my 2 young boys, I wouldn't give it up for anything though and it gives me more time to spend in my kitchen ;-)and spend time reading and learning from Rhonda's wonderful blog! I am very blessed that my husband earns enough for me to not have to work and enables me to be at home and care for my family.
ReplyDeleteSusieq.
Pretty! I love the white, cheery kitchen! I hope you can continue to get by on one income so you can stay home with your precious children!
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is so pretty and comfortable looking.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you are able to stay home with your boys. I hope that you have continued success in your health improving, but I also hope that you can stay with your boys until they are all grown. It would mean so much good stuff for them!
You reminded me that I meant to look into bread baking.Getting it off ebay is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us a peek into your kitchen, I hope you continue getting better.
What a nice fresh kitchen Anita! I hope you return to full health.
ReplyDeleteThis has very little to do with the kitchen (which I love by the way) but Anita, I have Fibromyalgia as well.
ReplyDeleteLove the beautiful kitchen. I'd love to cook in there!
ReplyDeleteLindsey Petersen
I'm smiling from ear to ear, it is so beautiful. So sunny.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how many people have commented on the sink draining space, it must be an Aussie thing!!
I hope that your time at home helps your body to grow stronger so you can enjoy the time with your sons. Thankyou for sharing
You alright? Heart of the storm home it is kind to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteHi Anita. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely, neat kitchen with us. Sounds like a mixed blessing, your illness. It is wonderful that you see the benefit in getting to be able to be with your family. I am sure they enjoy many wonderful meals from that pretty kitchen of yours!
ReplyDeleteTracy (Brisbane)
Hi Anita, what a lovely kitchen! I love the colour of your cabinets - so fresh, but still cosy at the same time. The fridge is great too - I think every kitchen that feeds children should have some of their artwork on display. Thankyou for taking the time to share :-)
ReplyDeleteI love that you have found the "silver lining" in your illness. I think its great that you can stay at home too and your children must love it. I'm looking for a second hand bread maker too!
ReplyDeleteLovely bright kitchen, Anita.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time at home. I have taken a look at your blog and will be visiting it again.
How nice to see a neat tidy kitchen, but also a touch of the childrens presence in the house.
ReplyDeleteThnak you for sharing!
I love the yellow and white! So fresh and cheerful,reminds me of daisys!
ReplyDeleteLovely homey kitchen and the lunch boxes remind me of my times now being a Grammy i have littel ones lunch boxes when they visit and come on my Rural mail run with me...hope you get good health back soon,my daughter is a nurse ,you are a "special lot of ladies"
ReplyDeleteVery nice kitchen, Anita - I really like your big kitchen window and the buttery yellow walls. I know you are enjoying staying at home with your two boys. I got to do that, too, until they were in high school, so I know how much that means to you! I hope you get your fibromyalgia under control. Keep up the good work on your cooking! It would be ajoy to spend time cooking for your family in your pretty kitchen!
ReplyDeleteCome by for a visit sometime!
Found you through One Green Generation. I bought a bread maker at a yard sale nearly 2 years ago + I keep saying it's the best $5.00 I ever spent. At approx. 1 loaf a week it has amounted to pennies for each use. I always thought of a bread maker as a discarded appliance from the 90's until I read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" at about the time the price of Ezekiel bread shot up to nearly $5.00 a loaf.
ReplyDeleteA heartfelt thankyou to all the lovely ladies who've left a comment on my kitchen. Your kind words, encouragement and support really are greatly appreciated. Thanks also Rhonda, for hosting my kitchen on your fabulous blog. Lots of love to you all. Anita. xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat kitchen and so glad you are healing. Hope you can manage to stay home awhile longer.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful kitchen, plenty of cupboards and space which you need when you have a busy family. I hope your fibromyalgia will soon improve, my mother had the same 6 years ago, after my father died and she is now 83years old and is much improved. There is often a silver lining in each cloud and staying at home when my children were the age of yours also gave me great pleasure. I am also a nurse. A profession that comes in handy when you are a mother. I've just been to your website - what a talented and creative person you are. Lorraine
ReplyDeleteI love your yellow walls and white cupboards and tile! Very classic and timeless. Looks like a happy place to spend time!
ReplyDeleteAnita,
ReplyDeleteYour cabinets are so fresh! Mine are dark brown and make the kitchen so dark. I really like how fresh and bright they make your kitchen.
Just beautiful! Clean and bright and it looks so neat and organized! I do hope you get to remain home with your children. What a lovely memory it will be for them. Hope you feel better soon! Thank you for taking the time to post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice kitchen - simple, clearly laid out and so fresh-looking. It looks well-frequented as well - you can tell it is a popular place in the house.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think every kitchen should have a couple of aliens in it!
I love that sink. I have one a bit like it. It sounds as if you put yours to the same amount of use as I do. The kitchen is the hub of the home. Glad to find you are enjoying your family and time while in the kitchen.
ReplyDeletePretty kitchen!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice staying home?
http://theadventuresofmrd.blogspot.com/2010/03/sitting-on-bread.html
What a gorgeous kitchen!
ReplyDeleteThanks again everyone. I'm quite overwhelmed by your lovely comments and words of encouragement. Sending out big cyberhugs to you all :)
ReplyDelete{{{Anita}}}. xx
Thanks for a great read! I will follow with interest!
ReplyDeleteJulia
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