My Favorite Room

My dining room will never win an award for decorating. I have a simple table made of dark stained mahogany that my Great Grandmother Lois gave us as a wedding gift. A matching mirror on the wall lengthens the room and reflects the bay window from the living room. In the spring the mirror frames a perfect picture of my neighbors garden bursting with peonies blooms and bright marigolds. The crystal chandler is a hand me down from my in laws and about the only fancy aspect to my home. The window overlooks the retention pond and if you sit in the right place you can only see the ancient green pine trees that pierce the sky and not the wire fence enclosing the water. The room is nothing special but the memories made there are. My dining room is my favorite room because of what takes place there.

That old, mahogany, dented table is where my people gather to eat. It's where we come together for lunch each day before daddy heads off to work. It's where my babies have blow out their birthday candles and where we have gobbled down Sunday morning pancakes dripping with maple syrup. The table is where loved ones sit. Those four table legs have held up five layer carrot cakes for Easter dessert after we finished off glazed ham, pickled watermelon rinds, salads, fruit, and roasted potatoes. We have celebrated Thanksgiving with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted green beans, and stuffing with a pumpkin and apple pie for a holiday treat in that room. When we gather to eat, we also gather to share, to make memories, to pray, to take a moment away from our busy lives and nourish ourselves in both body and soul. I care for my loved ones at table and in that room.

My dining room can easily be transformed into an art studio, a science lab, or a makeshift kitchen. The Brothers have painted and drawn masterpieces on that table. We have made glittery fall leaves and hosted gingerbread decorating parties with friends in the dining room. Shane has rolled pie crust, tossed salads, and spooned muffin batter into tins because the table is just the right height to prep food on. On a rainy day, when Shane is filled to the brim with energy but we are locked inside from the weather, I like doing science experiments with baking soda and vinegar at the table. I have spent countless hours folding paper airplanes there as well. Brian's 30th birthday party boasted 8 different desserts and wines with 12 dear friends circling the table: sampling, savoring, enjoying the treats. The room transforms into whatever I need it to be and for that reason it has grown on me over the 6 years I have lived there.

In my home, a room is made special once it has hosted countless memories. My boys nurseries, my bedroom, my kitchen, the living and family rooms all have harbored treasured moments but of all the rooms the dining room is where the most memories were made. That room is where we eat, create, explore, host, and celebrate. That table could tell a hundred thousand stories of smiles, lessons, tears, letdown, trumps, and realizations. It is because of all the memories that have been made in room that the dining room is my favorite room in my house.

Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for her Show and Tell series!