Our Magic Table

We've had a table and four chairs in our breakfast nook that we bought in 1986. We have moved it to seven different houses over the last 24 years. When we bought it, our girls were in elementary school -- they're now in their 30s and we have a teenage granddaughter.

This table has seen a lot of action. Since it's in the kitchen, it's where we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. And since it's also in the family room, I do some crafting there because I can watch the TV while I'm working. This is where we play games, have family meetings and set baked goods to cool when the counter is overflowing. There are actually tooth marks on the edge where the granddaughter cut her first teeth. Even though it is a small square table to seat four, we have always pulled up additional chairs when extra guests come over to eat because we enjoy the informality. Here's a photo ...

We recovered the chairs ourselves a few years ago. That little project garnered a lot of cussing until we realized we were using a crappy staple gun. Once Hubby bought a new one and every staple worked (not just every 3 or 4), we were in business.

But we've talked about getting a new table for several years now. We've looked in furniture stores and antique shops and even restaurants for just the right table. I've been leaning toward one with a hand-painted top that had some carving ... saw some like this at a restaurant years ago that has since gone out of business but we've never been able to figure out where they got them. Then last year we saw an unusual table at a furniture store that had a self-storing leaf so you could open it up and increase the size of the table. It was so cool; just not the right table.

A few weeks ago, one of our dearly beloved barstools that we've had since around 1994 broke. It's the one I perch my dainty butt on every day when I sit at the kitchen counter and use my laptop. I swear I have lost some weight but apparently not enough. We'd also talked about replacing these barstools as they've seen better days. We've had them recovered once and they had some paint on them from one of the granddaughter's little craft projects that wouldn't come off.

We were told about a barstool store in Chandler, Arizona, that the owners are closing for good so we headed off hoping to find a smokin' deal. And in this store, we found the answer to both our barstool and breakfast nook table problem all in one. We bought a counter height table with a total of eight barstools so there are four around the table and four at the kitchen counter.

And this is the magic part that just gives me a little thrill ...

It has a built-in self-storing leaf so we can expand the table to add a couple more barstools for when we have all the kids over or company when we're not using the formal dining room.

The barstools are covered in leather and they're really comfortable. I love it!!! Now if I could just make dinner magically appear on the table, I'd have it made.