By

I love our dining room table. It's the center of our home. It's big, solid, useful, simply beautiful.

I know some people fret about dents. I used to, but I've come to think that you may actually be able to mark the quality of your life by the authentic marks you manage to put on your furniture, especially your tables. That's why I love this picture. My husband is resting his full weight in the heel of one hand and then slicing through pie dough straight to my table top with a rolling blade in the other hand.

I know people will spend extra money to purchase dining room tables that only look like they've been used in this way. When I first got married, I was attracted to the tables that had this "distressed look" about them. The ones I wanted most came new from the store with pre-made scratches and dents and edges already worn. But, we couldn't afford those tables. I had to settle for one with a then flawless top.

But, I gave myself a challenge. I bought a table we could afford that I really liked that I thought would last through the years and then made it my ambition to really live on it. So, now I am deliberate to bake apple pies every year and practice handwriting with my little one every day and throw out flour to kneed some dough every so often and that way I can (and do) take pride in every little scratch because I know every little one only adds to the richness I've shared with my family around that center of our home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By
Image
"...the child should have a set time everyday to read for fun. Begin with half an hour for first graders, and build up to an hour of reading time daily... This is an important part of the child's education: it improves his reading skills, teaches him the habit of sitting still with a book, and reminds him that reading is fun... free reading ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level so that he can simply enjoy himself. The easier reading will help him increase his speed." The Well Trained Mind: The Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
Read more

Andrew Peterson's Songs That Celebrate Marriage and Family

By
Recently, I got to go to an Andrew Peterson concert at the Community Coffehouse in Danbury, CT. My dear friend and I didn't realize the show was sold out when we arrived.  But luckily, the lady at the door showed us pity, let us pay for tickets that didn't exist, and go in. We were willing to stand at the back, but we were able to find space on a bench at the back of the hall. I knew a few of the songs he sang that evening, but many of them were new to me because I have a hard time with new music.  I'd rather sing a song I already know by heart a hundred more times than hear a new song through even once. I know it is a problem that I need to work on if for no other reason than for the sake of my poor husband and daughters who have to hear the same albums everyday for a year. No, really. A year. At least. I have been giving myself permission to buy new music for this reason. So I came home that evening or maybe it was the next day and I purchased three of hi
Read more

Astronomer Shoe Boxes for Challenge B

By
Image
  Avril finished her astronomer shoeboxes for Challenge B.   The Challenge B students have all done research and projects on astronomers throughout this first semester.  Now, students choose two (or more) astronomers in secret and provide clues to the astronomers' identities in their shoeboxes.   For instance, if an astronomer made telescopes, sang opera, played piano, discovered binary stars or Uranus, studied eclipses, lived in a simple, log cabin, or made a map of Washington D.C., you might include some of those items to your shoe boxes as hints.  Student bring in their shoeboxes, and classmates get a chance to guess who the astronomers are based on what's inside the boxes.  Can you guess who Avril's astronomers are based on the pictures above?  Hint: Her two boxes actually represent three astronomers total.  
Read more