I love our dining room table. It's the center of our home. It's big, solid, useful, simply beautiful.

I know some people fret about dents. I used to, but I've come to think that you may actually be able to mark the quality of your life by the authentic marks you manage to put on your furniture, especially your tables. That's why I love this picture. My husband is resting his full weight in the heel of one hand and then slicing through pie dough straight to my table top with a rolling blade in the other hand.

I know people will spend extra money to purchase dining room tables that only look like they've been used in this way. When I first got married, I was attracted to the tables that had this "distressed look" about them. The ones I wanted most came new from the store with pre-made scratches and dents and edges already worn. But, we couldn't afford those tables. I had to settle for one with a then flawless top.

But, I gave myself a challenge. I bought a table we could afford that I really liked that I thought would last through the years and then made it my ambition to really live on it. So, now I am deliberate to bake apple pies every year and practice handwriting with my little one every day and throw out flour to kneed some dough every so often and that way I can (and do) take pride in every little scratch because I know every little one only adds to the richness I've shared with my family around that center of our home.