Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I have a Pampered Chef person for you!

Click to look at the latest from Pampered Chef
This is my friend in San Diego....now you can get your own amazing garlic press! I also love my egg slicer thingy from Pampered Chef. Tyler uses it to slice olives for me :)

My Kitchen Full Of Treasures

It's been awhile! This week I am happy to be doing lots of cooking. I unpacked most of the rest of my kitchen things that have been stored in the garage. It's time to really get settled in here and this is the way for me to do that. I am loving having that favorite pan and those particular baking dishes and most of all my food processor! I made salsa to celebrate!

One of the first things from my kitchen boxes that I unpacked when I came here in December was my mandolin slicer. The first one I bought came from the Del Mar Fair, (now, I believe it is called the San Diego Fair), and I was 18 years old! I had to replace it a few years ago after it got melted by the house/pet sitter...I don't even want to know what happened! I was in a panic trying to find the same one and bought an imitation. I used it once and threw it away...it was dangerous! Mine is a Borner V-slicer and it is an amazing gadget that I use often. The Internet is a wonderful thing but I ended up getting a proper replacement by getting a friend to go to the San Diego Fair to pick one up and mail it to me in Colorado. :)

I lost so much when I went through the divorce and move. I mean, in terms of THINGS. I had to think long and hard about what was so important to me that I could not sell it, give it away or leave it behind. I had no jewelry left or precious things of that nature. I had already had to sell the piano or I would've found a way to keep that. My children kept special toys and toys that didn't seem so special and toys that all of them could enjoy, such as the healthy collection of Legos. What mattered to me were from 2 areas of my life. I kept some of the more treasured items that had been Julia's, my daughter that passed away. The other are was my kitchen. That is where I serve my family, my God, my community and myself. Those are my life tools and I chose carefully, keeping about 1/3 of what I had. Each item that I chose to keep was chosen with purpose. No item was just thrown in. Every spoon, dish, pan, utensil, gadget or appliance was carefully considered before it got packed into a box. I did not  know then that those thoughts would come back to me as I used each ordinary item now and attached to them are precious memories. I used the mandolin the prepare veggies for my friend, Betty Lynn's family. I got to know her mother, Betty Jane who I helped care for.  She passed away and you know I think of her every time I use my slicer. I made a huge batch of salsa when I got my new food processor in Colorado. Sarah ate so much she ended up with an intestinal problem from all those chips and we spent HOURS in the ER while they sorted out what was wrong with her. What a memorable event that was! LOL! My Pampered Chef Garlic Press I bought at a friends party is often found in the play dough bin and I think of that friend every time I use it! I also think of my garden and the wonderful success I had with growing garlic! My favorite sharp knife is a sushi knife I bought at the Colorado State Fair.  The waffle iron I got from a move-out clean I did. Best waffle iron ever....got rid of my big fancy one for this one! My silverware was given to me by an elderly cleaning client who just happened to be getting rid of their beautiful heavy flatware that was over 40 yrs old for something lighter the same week my ex-husband came in and took all the silverware and dishes from the kitchen. That one reminds me how God takes care of our needs. I could go on and on but you get the idea. Look around your home. What are really your treasures?