When you move into your first place that's all your own, sometimes it's all you can do to scrape together enough money to pay the rent. Well, that was my case. I moved out on my own at 18, went to school part time, worked retail part time and was a freelance photojournalist for Flex Magazine. I took all that was "mine" which of course just consisted of what was in my bedroom... books, albums, art supplies and my camera equipment. I think that was about it. (Remind me to tell you the story of buying a futon and bumping into Bruce Springsteen!) So I was grateful to family and friends for giving me towels, a bookcase, a coffee table and some kitchen items. Of course nothing matched in my little studio apartment, but it was all mine. And I said to myself, "Self... one day you will own matching dishes and glasses and some nice pots and pans!".
Well, it's been an interesting, rollercoaster-ish journey on this thing called life but I have finally, at age 43, begun to have matching items in my kitchen. And I feel so grownup! I posted awhile back about the new glasses I got at Pottery Barn and how they match my cool Target dishes so well. (Those ceramic beauties are starting to chip though... badly. Maybe because they are ceramic or maybe because they are from Target?) And now I am excited to say, after standing in the aisle of Bed, Bath and Beyond for an hour and a half staring at everything and justifying what I was about to do, I am the proud owner of some gorgeous stainless steel Calphalon pots and pans! I have been trying to save for the All Clad as I love them and currently own two pieces but after realizing I'll never be able to justify the price of those bad boys, I now have the prettiest pans on my block. Of course I don't want to use them. They are so shiny and, and, so new! Does anyone else ever feel that way? (Of course, I have burned three pots in the last year making hummingbird food so it was now or never. The Firefighter hinted that maybe I have done this on purpose so I can buy the new ones!)
Although I never make enough time to cook, I love cooking and baking and I really wanted to get teflon out of my house. So, internet, what do you think?