Family Restaurant

Someone in our family is in crazy nesting mode!

Just this past week we have rewired the electric in our kitchen, installed a ceiling fan/light fixture, painted the trim in our bedroom, sanded, stained, painted and finished a secondhand kitchen table, purchased and set up a new sofa, replaced light switch covers, installed coat hooks, replaced all the doorknobs, set up the cradle... and the list keeps growing!

While it feels great to be getting so many things accomplished, it can be a bit trying to run a household in the midst of these projects, especially with two inquisitive toddlers running around.

The biggest challenge so far has been serving meals. Our kitchen is fairly large and open but we do not have a dining room. Since it has been days, perhaps even weeks, since the temperature has been above twenty degrees, my husband and I have been working on restoring our 'new' table in the kitchen over the span of four evenings so in between sanding and staining we have just been covering it with a tablecloth and eating off it as is. Until tonight. The last step was sealing the top and since the sealant needs twenty-four hours to dry, eating dinner there tonight was not an option.

So, just in case you're ever in a similar predicament, here's how we ate dinner with no kitchen table and two messy eaters:

The Pippa Cafe!

My son has been wanting to make a restaurant for days. (He got the idea from a story in Highlights Magazine.) So when he asked about it this morning I realized it would be the perfect solution to our current table situation.

The more I thought about it the more the pieces fell into place. (It's possible that I might have had more fun with this than the boys! ;)

My son had the name in mind from the start. (Pippa is our kitty - can you tell she's just a little loved around here?)

Came up with the menu. (It was leftovers night! :)

Set everything up in the living room. Conveniently, a new sofa means big cardboard box!

The boys were so excited to tell my husband about it when he got home that night. And, of course, he played right along. To make the night extra special, after they finished their dinner we let them 'order' from the dessert menu.

And, while our restaurant was great for one night, I am very happy to report that our kitchen table is now finished and we have been eating there happily and neatly ever since. :)