may 22

When my sisters and I were little girls, we inherited a set of wooden kitchen toys. I don't know the exact details of their origin, but I believe they came out of a preschool and were given to one of my cousins, probably thirty-something years ago.  They are solid wood and sturdy, as if that isn't completely obvious by the fact that they are at least forty years old.  We didn't "inherit" them until Beth was about four, which means I was probably too old, and certainly too tall, to play with them. But I remember playing with them a lot anyway.

 

I remember emptying my mom's pantry of all the canned goods and boxes of crackers. We would fill the cupboards with our "groceries" and "cook" Wheat Thins in little pans on the stove. We probably drove her crazy. Need some tomato sauce? Oh, it's in the bedroom. 

When we outgrew the toys, or my mom got tired of how much space they occupied in the house (not really sure, but I'm guessing the latter), she gave them back to my cousin. Since that time, twenty-ish years ago, they sat in a leaky, spider-filled shed. Insects built homes and chewed small holes in the wood. Water rotted some of the boards and splintered the bottom edges. Hardware rusted and the plastic sink cracked. But, for the most part, they survived. 

We picked them up from my cousin almost two years ago, with the intention of cleaning them up for the girls. After procrastinating and moving them around the shop a dozen times, they are finally back in use. Ryan replaced some of the boards and some of the hardware and built a stainless sink (because he likes metal). The hinges are original, and spring-loaded. Perfect for slamming on small fingers. And I slapped a few coats of paint on them. In the future, I will not try to cover dark green with buttery yellow. 

So far, the cupboard have been filled with various sand-filled toys and weeds picked from the yard. Mia washed her dishes and Laci baked kitty treats. 

And the whole thing just makes me smile.

(I only wish I would have taken true "before" shots. The pics above are post-sanding and board replacement, but you get the idea.)