"Jill's Mixer"

My latest addition to the ONE Project features Jill Wohldmann Harper and a kitchen item that is near and dear to her heart!

Here is Jill's story:

I love to bake. I always have. When I got married, I opted for using my wedding cash for even more practical things like sheets and plates. The $300 KitchenAid mixer was not in this photographer’s budget. When we moved to our next house, my husband, Mason, decided that I needed this appliance in my life, so I bought one in a color that was all the rage at the time: red. And I named her Lucy.

Well, Mason was right… I did need it. The amount of time over the last 18 or so years that I have spent in front of this mixer is incalculable. I baked for wedding showers, baby showers, Christmas parties, office parties, dinners, banquets, and all matter of "just because" reasons. Lucy was the first thing plugged in in my new kitchen in this strange new land of Kansas.

I can honestly say that working in the kitchen for me is home. It’s where I go when I am happy, concerned, in new season, or coming out of an old one. I’ve been been working peacefully while making chocolate chip cookies on a Sunday afternoon. But I’ve also been frantic and stress baking when waiting to hear news about a friend who is hurt. When I knew zero people in Kansas, I had the comfort of the kitchen. Lucy has been a part of all of those moments.

When we redecorated our kitchen last year, let’s just say that Lucy’s early 2000’s era red did not go with the theme. I talked about painting the mixer black or even getting a new one. But I knew it wouldn’t be the same. So she stands on the kitchen counter ready to help in all her glory.

Is it possible to be grateful to a mixer? Let’s just say it is.

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