Posts Tagged “kitchen goddess”

I have made a lot of progress on my quilt and am learning so much along the way about the process of designing a quilt as well as the mechanics. I’m almost finished…all that’s left is to bind the outside. I was up way late last night sewing away, and when I drove the sewing machine needle through my left thumb, I decided to call it a night. Luckily my injury did not necessitate a trip to the emergency room, just a bandaid. I’ll post a finished shot of my quilt after I finish it and it’s ready to hang.

My entry is a self portrait of sorts and the subject is one I have been thinking about for a long time. I do not actually consider myself a kitchen goddess. Part of the description of the show reads, “Recently society has had a nostalgic rebirth, with longing for family dinner hour, home-cooked meals and the woman who can ‘have it all’, with a family, job and flawless house. This exhibit is a collection of symbolic respresentations of the Kitchen Goddess from the American past through present day.”

I’m not sure about any other women out there in the world, but I don’t long for a flawless, perfect house. I do want to be fulfilled and to keep my family close. There was a time that when I was newly married that I was “playing house”. I was interested in grocery shopping, preparing wonderful meals everynight, looking good when I woke up in the morning, having a designer showcase house with 3 kids in tow. But, life doesn’t exactly turn out the way we envision.

I have one child and have never managed to get pregnant again, I’m still married to the same guy, but it’s not easy, I do have a dog and cat to supplement my family, my house is a mess and I don’t relish cooking, shopping or cleaning. My favorite meal is Chinese take out preferably eaten with my family. So, for my entry, I chose to represent my family with me in the center eating take out! That’s my idea of a kitchen goddess…one who is wise enough to enjoy what she has and to relegate chores she detests.

I’ve been thinking about the Colorado Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art Call for entries for the Kitchen Goddess Exhibition to hang in January 2007 in Lakewood, CO. In my head, I know what I want it to look like, most likely a fiber collage…maybe even a self portrait. However, I am still working out the details.

In the meantime, I was looking for a book from the 1950’s that my mother had given me. While I was in PA helping my mother move this past summer, we were going through some of her cookbooks…many of them decades old. She saved one for me that had an excerpt of how to be a good wife or something to that effect from the 1950’s. I searched high and low and I can’t seem to find the book. I did find a 1950’s Better Homes and Garden Decorating Book that begins…”Dear Homemaker,” that I’ll share with you another day.

In my frustration in not locating the “good wife” book, I turned to the internet and found this image. It is such a hoot to read the tips of the day! After reading the good wife guidelines, I most definitely fail as a good wife and I am pretty sure that I am not a kitchen goddess. Anyone else pass?