Space

The final frontier? We’ve been living in 1,028 sf for four years now and are bursting at the seams. But it seems as if we only buy books and electronics.

My newest kitchen additions that take up space are a crock pot (used once to make beans for a crowd for July 4th) and a KitchenAid spice grinder, the only “coffee” grinder I could find where the entire bowl can be disassembled and washed thus obviating the need for two grinders for coffee and spices.

Otherwise there’s a potato ricer that hangs from the outside of the utility cart which is useful in a small urban loft, a wok that hangs next to the ricer. Kitchen/mail scale that hangs on the wall. Ok, Granton edge 7″ Santoku but that goes on the magnetized knife rack, and ceramic Santoku that goes in a knife guard in a drawer. I almost forgot. Two years ago for Christmas Jim came home with this huge Calphalon roasting pan and non-stick rack. Those won’t fit in the cupboards either so have spaces hanging on hooks on the exterior of the utility cart. You have to hand it to us for efficiency!

I am NOT the electronics maven in this family, leave that to Jim. I believe he has every computer cable he’s had since high school, mostly neatly tucked away in boxes. And half of the books are his. Would I buy a book called Numerical Recipes? Or Programming in Objective C?

Recipes, OK, but he does need three square meals a day and would be going to restaurants if not for me. Sometimes I get frustrated at our space, but we have a terrific view and if we had a larger place that would fill up as well. I know it. Jim knows it. We are happy here.

In four years I haven’t added much to the kitchen besides paper, and have even tried to control that but it only spills over elsewhere. Cooking magazines, recipes, books (cooking and other) seem to take over surfaces.

Our house is now a home, a bit messy and cluttered but a home. Now I can make more space by taking the dog to be groomed, so I can put the down comforter back on the bed for fall, thus saving room in the closet…. Dee