quiet.

Posted byTara 96 Comments on quiet.

I feel a little bit quiet right now. In the eye of the storm.

So here are some photos from a quiet midday, still in my pajamas, while making cookies for the kids to come home to. I hadn’t planned on photographing this. But once I got everything out and fired up the oven, I remembered that I had told myself to pick up my camera more. I have been missing it, missing just shooting for myself. My kitchen and I were the only subjects around. It just kind of happened.

Looking at these, knowing I have them, makes me feel good. This is a big part of my life as a mom. Hair in a bun, working from home, no make up on, comfy pants, cooking something up for the kids, appreciating the quiet. This is a story that hadn’t been told for me yet.

Random thoughts that came up when looking at these:

I wear aprons when I cook because I have a bad habit of wiping my hands on my clothes. Better to wipe on the apron. I also hate washing clothes. I also don’t mind wearing a dirty apron.

My kitchen is small and my black cabinets soak up all the light. (We painted them with chalkboard paint when we did some home renovations back in 2007.) Cooking for six isn’t easy in here. Cooking for entertaining is nearly impossible. That counter is my only real working space. If I had a bunch of money it would go towards the kitchen. Knock out a wall, bring in an island, create a more functional pantry, have a few open shelves…

Anything in bulk that I can put in a jar, I do – because my pantry is tiny and overflows onto the top of the fridge. No flat space goes to waste. And jars are beautiful.

Brown eggs are beautiful, too.

Pyrex is also beautiful. I have been collecting Pyrex for at least ten years. I don’t have a lot, but the pieces I do have, I got cheap, and I love.

Most of the things in my kitchen have been purchased second hand. I love scouring thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales for beautifully worn in bowls and containers.

A huge jasmine bush blooms just outside that kitchen window. A great idea that the previous homeowners had. All white carpet was not.

That little red pan on the stove sits there semi-permanently. It is the pan I fry eggs in every morning.

I have a scrabble tile rack above my sink. One word to remind me. The word used to be SMILE – but the E fell into the disposal awhile ago. Now the word is SLIM. That works for me, too.

But not until after I eat some cookie dough.

xo

Tara

Unrelated PS –

For Japan with Love has raised over $55k. THAT IS AWESOME!

I will be making final decisions on a graphic designer this week. Thank you to all who have applied.

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96 Comments

  11. these are extra extra beautiful. i was just thinking today that i wanted to get back to more “real life in the moment” type shots.

    we too put all of our flour, sugar, beans, grains, nuts and such in glass jars – both those from the bulk bins and those that come packaged. i’ve found i eat so much more of them when i know they are there!

    your kitchen oozes with charm.

  17. Love, love this. I was just thinking today about how much I love just silence sometimes when I’m home alone just doing my “mom” stuff. These pics represent those kinds of times perfectly. Thanks for the reminder to capture them!

  23. I love your quiet. And your kitchen. And this post. Really looking forward to seeing more of “you” through the eyes of your new designer. Good luck with the decision on who best to capture your vision.

  26. I love everything about this post. Your self portrait is fantastic too. I have a love affair with pyrex (and I only buy what I find super cheap) and a kitchen that is also too small for preparing meals for my 6 ;-)now I want to see the finished cookies

  28. i love that even though you don’t have much space….i don’t either….that you keep beautiful things around you! i can learn from this…i tend to keep things barren thinking it will seem like i have more room…..when i actually love things comfortable and lived it! ……i love pyrex too ;)

  33. I love this post AND… I am SO RELIEVED to hear that I am not the only one who likes to remain without makeup and comfortably lounging in my jammies.

    My mother gives me grief (as an adult and mother myself)… “wouldn’t you be more comfortable if you got dressed?”… to which I reply “NO, actually I am quite comfortable, really!” NOTE: we also disagree on bed-making… she thinks it is “inviting” to crawl into a bed that is made – while I find an unmade bed MUCH MORE INVITING because it is already ready to climb into!)

  35. LOVE your kitchen. Mine is small too (lived with it for 28 yrs.) and when I saw your pics, I thought it’s ME!! I do love your chalkboard cabinets – so unique and YOU use them!!!!

  38. Love these photos!! The color in your kitchen just pops w/ the cabinets black.
    Your kitchen is laid out just like ours was in Corona, CA! AND the same window view…kinda spooky when I saw this, as it looks like our house did! (we moved outta state in ’02 though)

  47. I don’t know you, never seen you in person, and yet I feel like we could be friends. Weird. Your posts about family and motherhood are so raw, i guess it’s just so easy to relate. Thanks for being you. :)

  48. Totally random, but opening this post and seeing that yellow Pyrex bowl (especially filled with the ingredients to make cookies) made me smile. I have the same one – it was my grandmother’s, and we used it together to make chocolate chip cookies when I was small. When she passed away that was the one thing of hers that I absolutely had to have, and now my 5 year old and I use it together (ONLY for making Chocolate chip cookies!) I swear making them in that bowl makes them taste better :)

  50. I love these photos of real life, but honestly couldn’t get past that first pic of the bowl and ALL THAT BUTTER. I want that cookie recipe.
    And what about an IKEA island for the middle of your kitchen?

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