Stories · Curiosities · Questionable Ideas · Rather a Lot of Imagination · Farah Sam · Author & Creator ·
The Kitchen We Were Hoping For
The heart of the home is finally complete as the kitchen renovations wrap up with warm floorboards and clean counters. A flurry of grocery unpacking, soup stirring, and a spectacular flour-and-jam baking session with Farhaan makes the space feel incredibly alive.
THE STAR FAMILY BLOG
Farah Sam
12/25/20212 min read
The heart of our home is finally beating, and it is beating at a very high frequency today. This morning, our kitchen renovation was officially declared complete. The old, worn floorboards have been replaced with beautiful, warm, smooth wood, and the counters are wide, clean, and ready for action.
I spent the morning running grocery errands, returning with bags overflowing with fresh winter vegetables, bread, and baking supplies. As I was busy putting away the groceries and stirring a massive pot of vegetable soup on the new stove, Farhaan and Ariadne decided to claim their corner of the counter for a celebratory bake. Farhaan, using a recipe he researched online, was busy baking a magnificent, rich vegan coconut cake—my absolute favorite.
Ariadne, chattering and giggling with absolute delight, wanted to be right in the middle of the action. She is a highly active, curious child who finds joy in every texture. Since she cannot bake independently, I sat on the clean wooden floorboards with her, guiding her hands hand-over-hand to sift flour into a bowl, laughing as a fine white "flour-blizzard" dusted her nose. She got completely messy, dipping her fingers into a jar of sweet raspberry jam and happily pressing sticky fingerprints onto the cupboard doors.
In the middle of her giggling, she suddenly let out a sharp cry of hunger. I immediately pointed her toward her newly built, low independent snack corner near the pantry. It was fully stocked with fresh bananas, apples, water, croissants, and milk. She reached out, grabbed a banana, and began to peel it by herself, her crying stopping instantly as she took a big bite.
Closing: With the scent of warm coconut cake filling the air, and the older kids happily reading their books at the new tidy counter, I cleared a small section of the clean wooden floorboards. I sat on my mat, moving through a series of gentle cat-cow stretches, feeling the solid, smooth wood beneath me. I closed my eyes, took three deep, slow breaths, and let my mind settle into the beautiful, warm heart of our house, feeling incredibly grateful for this messy, joyful life.