Shall We Cook?

  The story continues.  My days are filled with trying to transform a bedroom into a playroom of sorts in time for the grandlittles visit.  This is not as easy as taking out furniture and putting in toys.  Taking out the furniture was simple and took less work that trying to think like a tot.  My feeble, old brain has not had to deal with toddlers in a long time.  I am not sure what they find entertaining.  

  Today, I decided that the old set of play dishes and cooking pots might occupy the two tykes for a short while.  They have a grand play kitchen at home which has all of the up-to-date appliances and such.  It is such a pretty little thing!  I wish my own kitchen was so nice!  The play things that I have for the kiddos date back twenty five years or so with the exception of the stove.  Even though that looks old, it is new.  Son made a great faux wood-burning stove for the past clue hunt and has now downsized it to work for toddlers.  Yep, here on the Bayou, the kiddos will cook on a woodstove!  

  The tiny pots and pans were bought for Darling Daughter years ago. She had no interest in such things and played with them only a few times.  It was Son (being just a little over a year younger) who decided that he needed to be a "chef".  Since the play stove was in Darling Daughter's room and she refused to have him cooking there, the thing was moved to my kitchen.  In fact, the stove was moved INTO a kitchen cabinet!  We have one large pantry cabinet that fits in the corner of the room.  A couple of bottom shelves were removed and this made the perfect spot to create a play kitchen.  The cupboard was large enough to house not only the play stove but also a tiny table and two chairs.  Son was content to stay in his little kitchen while I worked in mine.  It was great as I knew exactly where he was and what he was doing at all times.  (So...there you have it.  Put your kid in the pantry and let him cook.  It is great!)  

  Now these little metal pots and pans will be housed in the corner of the playroom (which just happens to be Darling Daughter's old room.  How ironic that she banned the stuff from her room when she was a child only to have it return years later!)  A small shelf of my great aunt's was hung next to the stove to hold tiny plates, cups and saucers and bowls. Tomorrow, Son will build a pot rack for the other side of the stove and the "kitchen" will be ready for the great chefs to come!  What fun this has been!  

  Oh...and the little rocking chair?  That is my oldest brother's little chair that he used some sixty years ago.  Wow!  I wonder if other folks hang on to so many neat things.  The Little Bayou House is filled to the brim with these interesting items and it is so good to be able to use them.