"Lazy Susan" Memories

 I had recently started thinking about how nice it would be to have a lazy susan for my dining room table.  I've already had one for a number of years on my kitchen table and have loved the convenience of it, so I thought, "Why not have that same convenience at my dining room table as well?".

The great thing about a lazy susan is that it holds all the essentials for dining at the table, and it's decorative at the same time.  We've got our napkins, salt, pepper grinder, sugar, vitamins, and toothpicks, all right there.  Plus it holds a centerpiece, and even a little bit of kid art.

When I started my search for the dining room's turntable, I didn't find what I wanted.  My dining room table isn't very wide and most of the lazy susans were too big, or they didn't fit my style or my price range.  I figured I might have to get a little creative.

At Joanne's Fabric Store I ran across a hexagonal tray in the clearance section.  I thought it just might work with a turntable base.  I searched for the base parts, but in the end, my mom gave me just what I wanted.  It was a simple Sterlite turntable, the kind that are used for organizing in the cupboard.  She found it at the thrift store where she volunteers, and picked it up for only $1.50!  Thanks Mom!

I brushed the sides of the tray in a rustic manner with white paint, because I wanted to brighten it up a bit.  Then, I sanded off the edges and corners of the tray to give it a distressed look.  When dry, I sealed the paint with a matte sealer.  I painted the sides of the turntable base with white spray paint.  Then, I glued the base to the bottom of the tray with Plumber's Glue.  (It's what my dad suggested and let me borrow).  Thanks Dad! 

I gotta say that I think the new lazy susan is perfectly suited for our dining room table.  No more napkins just slapped on the table (by my guys who don't take the time with the details of table setting), and no more "Can someone please go get the salt?" during dinner.  It's all right there, and it looks cute.

For me, these lazy susans are also tied to special memories of sitting around Grandpa and Grandma's table in Washington.  Because visits to their house were scarcely once a year, time spent with them was incredibly precious.  My grandparents had a lazy susan on their dining able, which sat in front of their big picture window that framed the most beautiful view of their big yard and gardens, the fields behind them, and Mt. Baker in the distance.

The focal point of Grandma's lazy susan was a fat chicken-shaped pitcher that she used as a napkin holder.  Circling it was the sugar dispenser (that now sits on my kitchen turntable), their vitamins and a crystal glass with differently patterned spoons that Grandma had collected at yard sales.  I remember trying to pick out the spoon I would use by what matched my mood.  There was a tiny crock for toothpicks, a salt shaker, and a pepper grinder with a little plate under it for catching the mess that a pepper grinder inevitably leaves. 

I adored my Grandma and thought she was very clever to have such a convenient system.  I also admired how pretty she made everything look.  I have vivid memories of food that we ate around that table, because some was grown in their own garden, and because it was beautifully presented and served with love.  Meals around Grandpa and Grandma's table were treasured by me and my family.....perhaps this is why my mom, my sister and I all have lazy susans on our tables!

We are blessed by our "lazy susan" memories.