Do they look sad to you? Many would deem them ready for (or beyond) retirement and recommend replacing them with new and more modern versions. I, on the other hand, would hold on with white knuckles if you tried to remove them from my home. Some may have some sentimental value, but to me they're all worth hanging on to because they still work.
If I did buy replacements, what would I do with these? Donate them? Come on. These are tools only a mother could love :-). Send them to the landfill? They still work and have purpose. Not to mention the cost of replacing these items. Where else could that money go? Hmm. Let's see...do you really want to get me started?
This past Sunday in church, our pastor spoke on 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and the churches of Macedonia. Verse three states...
"For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints..."
And it got me thinking...could it be that we, simple women of the home, could take part "in the relief of the saints" just by forgoing the newest and prettiest tools of our trade and sending those funds elsewhere? Can we make due with what we have even when it may not be the best and the brightest? Do we really care that much about our stuff to place it above furthering God's kingdom?
Oh, dear friends, I certainly hope not. I challenge us (I'm including myself in this!) to not be so quick to replace anything in our homes that still functions just fine. Instead, let's set that money aside and be joyful givers. Pin It
i agree. i happen to love my beat up kitchen stuff, and have a ton of what my grandmother and mom gave me and i love those pieces dearly. I have to admit when we moved into our house over the summer i had the "new" stuff urge. I wanted a new look - but honestly - new doesn't work for us for a lot of reasons. Not necessarily financial - a lot that has to do with sentimentality.
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's awful that our country is so materialistic anyway!
ReplyDeleteThank You for such a honest post! Your pans show how much you love to cook for your family! Those pans are perfect! And, Thank you for reminding that "new" isn't better!
ReplyDeleteI think everyone's (mine included) cookie sheets and muffin tins look like yours. I like to think of them as "loved".
ReplyDeleteExcellent post TH, excellent. Such a good point...
ReplyDelete(I love your testing fork...;)
Nothing pierces a potato like those vintage sharp tine forks.
ReplyDeleteAunt V.
ps...my baking tins and vegetable peeler look just the same as yours!!
ReplyDeleteThe oldies are often the goodies, it is hard to find a good muffin tin or cookie sheet these days! If only dishes didn't break, then we would all be in great shape!
ReplyDeleteYour pans and utensils look seasoned from use, not abuse. Bright and shiny things are unused! I'm proud of you, that you actually cook for your family when so many in our nation default to convenience foods that require no creativity, minimal mess, and have little nutritional value! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteGood for you!! I did replace some of my old pans and utensils, BUT, I gave the old ones to my daughters and they were thrilled! I think we are way to quick to replace the old with the new. Some of my most precious possessions are from my mother and grandmothers...they are irreplaceable and they work GREAT...maybe it's all that extra love...
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day!
~Mary
Great post containing info we need to be reminded of. New is NOT always better . . . at all. Are you SURE those cookie sheets with the lip are yours? They look EXACTLY like mine.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteGigi
I have a lot of kitchen items that were passed down from my grandmother. They sure aren't pretty but they are so durable and still function exactly how they are supposed to!
ReplyDeleteI so totally agree. And new things are so soulless.
ReplyDeleteBut you are challenging me to think of what I can do with the money I have saved by not buying all the new gadgets and shiny things. It's so easy for me to get stuck in my own little tiny world. Thank you.
I rue the day that I threw away my old cookie sheets. I thought newer would be better. Not true at all!!! I miss my old cookie sheets.
ReplyDeleteI have baking pans that look just like that! Why fix it if it isn't broke.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. "Use it all, wear it out, make it do, or go without." We should make TV commercials that say that. Do you think we could ever run those commercials to balance out all the "buy! buy! buy!" stuff already in the media?
ReplyDeleteThanks for this reminder and the encouragement to resist needless buying. I recently finished a book that got me thinking about what's really essential in life. Sometimes it's even hard to think of "things" that I really want or need. Christmas gifts this year will be mostly donations to charitable organizations.
ReplyDelete