Pantry Re-organization

About a month ago, I sent Girl 2 into the pantry to retrieve something for me.  A few minutes later I hear, "Mom!  I found it, but I can't get out!"  Sure enough, she was able to climb over all the canned goods stacked in the floor in order to get in, but once her hands were full, she couldn't get out.  I rescued her and then moved some of the stuff from the floor into the guest room -- definitely a temporary fix.

We're actually blessed to have a very large pantry (like it? It can be yours!  The house is for sale, you know!).  However, with all the canned goods and homesteading cookware, it's managed to spill over into the kitchen, guest room, and guest room closet.  It was time for a reorganization.

Before pics:

As with any re-organization project, it's best to start by determining what you want out of the space.

 For me, I wanted . . .
1.  to be able to find things easily
2. to showcase all the beautiful jars of food I'd slaved over all summer
3. for my children not to get stuck when they venture in

Guest room floor

Step 2 is to empty out the space.  Resist the temptation to clear only one shelf at a time, clean it, and place back the items you plan to keep.  You won't be able to completely re-invent the way the space works, unless you can see it empty and get a good look at what all needs to go back in.

It's during this emptying out phase that you need to ask yourself the hard questions.  For example, why did I think it was a good idea to keep the paper shredder in the pantry?  Or, is it necessary that this be the location where I collect the newspapers for recycling?

As I mapped out my new layout plan, I kept a few things in mind:

1.  What items do I want the kids to be able to access easily?  Goldfish.  Nutella.  Cereal.  Popcorn.

2.  What items do I not need/want the kids to access easily?  Baking items.  Chocolate.  Glass jars.

3.  What items ought to be stored together?  

After pics:

Drawer units store less frequently-used/not-easily-stackable items.  

Canned goods are visible and adult-accessible.

Baskets corral similar items and keep them organized.

Bottom right: snacks are easily accessible.  

Potatoes no longer have to reside in the dining room.

Top left:  canisters made from recycled grapefruit containers store staples like rice and sugars

Top right:  herbs in large quantities are stored in a tray on a high shelf for when the small jars (stored in the kitchen) need to be refilled

Bottom left:  beautiful, beautiful jars!

Bottom right:  frequently used baking goods are stored in a basket together that can be easily carried to the kitchen 

I can't wait for Girl 2 to get home and see that surviving the obstacle course is not a pre-req for after-school snack time today.  

Not a bad way to spend a rainy day!

You Know You've Had a Good Yard Sale When . . .

Let us consider all the ways yesterday's yard sale was a success:

1.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

2.  I got rid of enough stuff that the leftovers fit neatly into my van and were hauled in the afternoon to the donation center (translation:  nothing unwanted made its way back into the house).

3.  The kids each sold a few things and now have some spending money.

4.  I sold enough stuff to purchase (through Heifer International) a goat for a family in need.  (We love to buy goats for others since we know firsthand how great they can be!)

5.  I was able to multi-task and reorganize/clean out the garage in between helping shoppers.

6.  I enjoyed some fun conversation with fellow neighbors.

7.  It was all finished and cleaned up by noon, plenty of time for my little helper to have a nap!

Yep, an excellent yard sale, if you ask me!

A special thank you to Tami, Howard, and Teresa for helping out with the clothing rack!  I so appreciate it!

"Spring" Cleaning: Kitchen Edition

Yes, I realize it's not spring yet.  But, here's the deal:  spring is going to be full of gardening and seed starting and goat kidding and maybe bottle feeding (goats, not children -- thankfully, we're beyond all that around here! In fact, this past week was a monumental one in terms of our kids growing up -- we are a Pull-up-free house.  That's right my friends, for 8.5 years, we have purchased either disposable diapers or Pull-ups.  But, no more!!!)

Sorry.  I digress.  Anyway, it occurred to me that I really ought to be doing winter cleaning.  Who wants to be outside right now anyway?  It's CRAZY cold out there, people! 

And, since the guest room closet looks like this, with canning supplies stacked about 5 feet high, I decided to start by cleaning/organizing the kitchen.  My goal was to clear enough cabinet space that I could move all my canning supplies to the kitchen.

My basic plan of attack is . . .

1. empty cabinets/drawers

2.  clean and re-line cabinets/drawers

3.  decide what to keep/what to donate

4.  re-stock in the most organized/logical way I can come up with (based on where in the kitchen I use the items and how frequently they get used)

I use posterboard to line my cabinets.  So that is doesn't peel up during the year, I hot glue it to the cabinet in the front and at corners.  Each year, I remove the old liner and use it to measure and cut the new piece.  I've never used a lid organizer before for my pan lids, so I'm pretty excited about this addition (it's the little things sometimes ;).

If I didn't use an item in the past year, it went to the donate pile.  No exceptions.  Okay, fine --one exception.   And I deliberated on it for awhile.  By scavenging second-hand shops, I've managed to amass 20 of these antique snack trays.  On the right side, they have a raised ring to hold the matching adorable punch cups.  I've used a few through the course of the year (when I want my lunch to feel fancy ;). But, I've definitely not hosted the ladies for brunch to put all 20 to use.  Still, I love them.  And, I just couldn't part with them.  I compromised.  Since the cups look very similar to the ones that came with my punch bowl, I got rid of the punch bowl cups.  Now, I've got just 20 glass cups that can be used with my punch bowl and/or snack trays.  Now, I just have to be sure that I use all 20 before next year's clean out, so that I can justify keeping them again! 

I added these little cup hooks (8 pack for less than a dollar) to hold my measuring cups and spoons inside my spice cabinet door.  This door is directly over the cannisters I use to store my flours and sugar, so it seemed like a handy solution.

Speaking of countertops, my January issue of Real Simple suggests that only appliances that get used at least once a month get to take up countertop real estate.  All others should be stored and pulled out for use.  Ummm.  There's no way I could fit all the appliances I use every month on my countertops!  There'd be nowhere to work! 

So, my rule is if it's super heavy (stand mixer) or gets the most frequent use (juicer) or would make a mess to move (toaster), it gets a home on the countertop.  This relegates the blender and food processor to the cabinet, but they're stored right below where I plug them in, so I don't have to move them far.

Another suggestion:  if you can't figure out a good way to organize the chaos, just settle for corraling it.  See the red bin?  It holds all the weird tupperware-type containers that I send to school in the girls' lunches.  I just toss the containers and lids in to the basket, so it's not exactly organized, but at least it's not visual clutter when I open up the cabinets.

Speaking of Tupperware, I probably have less to corral than the average gal because last year, I splurged and bought us these Pyrex containers instead.  And this girl LOVES her Pyrex!  What's so great about them?

1.  I can see all my leftovers without having to pop the lid and peek in.

2.  Their rectangular design makes them easily stackable in the fridge.

3.  They're glass, so I can pop them in the microwave to reheat things.  (I know a lot of people still reheat their food in plastic containers and live to tell about it, but my husband WOULD NOT have it at this house!  He's not super particular about many things, but microwaving in plastic is a big no-no with him.)

More lid storage -- I think I'm gonna love this!

I've winnowed down my long-handled utensils to just these.  I can't think of any good reason I should have 5 spatulas and 4 slotted spoons that are exactly the same.  For that matter, how in the world did I amass 5 9x13 glass baking dishes? 

This drawer isn't even full.  In fact, lots of drawers and cabinets have extra space now that I'm finished -- even with all my canning supplies moved in.

And, this is the pile (yes, it's in the guest room) of stuff to donate.  Keep in mind, I got rid of just as much stuff during last year's kitchen clean out.  If I'm not careful, there'll be nothing left in a few years!

But, my kitchen is a workhorse.  It's where it all goes down around here.  The last thing I need is extra stuff just taking up space in there.  I can take or leave the cleaning part of this process, but the organizing I LOVE!

Have you got any suggestions for cabinet or closet cleanouts?  I think the pantry is next for me -- it could get ugly!

Growing Thankfulness: November Giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving!  This season of thankfulness is such a joy!  Reflecting on the many things for which I have to be thankful leaves me feeling so very full.  God is indeed very good to us.

This concentrated season of thankfulness leaves me feeling a bit convicted, though, that I don't incorporate more of it into my daily life.  I suspect that many of us are like that.  When we were experiencing such drought this summer and then were blessed with that first, sweet rain, I searched the web for a prayer in thanksgiving for rain.  What I found instead were tons and tons of formal and beautiful prayers for rain. . . and not a single one thanking God once the rain had come.

Sometimes I feel too much like that -- like I'm very prayerful in my requests and then silent when I ought to be offering thanks for the answers to those prayers.

I've heard a lot about thankfulness journals.  I think they're a great idea.  I've even tried to incorporate them myself, but it just didn't take.  I have had some success with a thankfulness notecard.  I use a notecard system for my daily prayer time, so this integrated nicely.  It's super easy, but it does cause me to reflect on thankfulness in an intentional way at least once a day.

All I do is mark the date followed by a 2 or 3 word description of something I'm thankful for.  Some examples from this card:

9/25 Shep's birth

10/9 PR

10/9 a friend

10/17 a moment with "Girl 1"

10/25 fixed car

So simple, huh?  Anyone can take that much time for thankfulness.

For my monthly giveaway, though, I'm offering you the opportunity to start a nice thankfulness journal.  This paperback Moleskine journal has lots of empty pages, just waiting to be filled.  (Don't you just love the possibility of an empty journal?!)

All you have to do to be entered into this month's drawing is comment on this post by Saturday, telling me something that you're thankful for.  But, you cannot post something that someone else has already posted.  So, if you're thankful for your husband, your children, your God, etc., you'd better comment quickly before someone else steals your idea!

If Momma Ain't Happy . . .

Around here, the motto for lunch and dinner is "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit."  In other words, Momma decides what's on your plate.  But, at breakfast I am a short order cook.  Everyone gets to choose.  The problem with this is that Girl 1 wants to sleep in and then announce that she wants eggs, which take awhile to prepare.  Girl 2, who is not a morning person, usually answers my "Good morning, sweetie!  What'll it be for breakfast?" with a grunt.  And Little Boy sleeps until breakfast is basically all cleaned up, so  I've had to decide on something for him.  Inevitable, it's the wrong thing, and he starts his day with a fit or disapproval. 

So, all of this is going on, but throw in that I'm now trying to pasteurize milk in the midst of breakfast prep, and I could see that the whole process needed a revamping.  John actually came up with the idea of taking breakfast orders the night before.  It was perfect!  Now, Girl 1 can sleep in and her eggs will be waiting for her when she wakes up. Girl 2 can grunt away as she eats the breakfast of her choosing.  And, Little Boy will greet his breakfast plate with a smile when he decides to finally get up.

So, I printed out two copies of this document and slid them back to back into a clear page protector and clipped it to the fridge. 

I can use a wet erase marker to record orders; and, because it has a front and back, I only have to clean it off every-other day. 

 So far, it seems to be working really well for everyone.  The kids think it's fun to give Momma their orders, and I love being able to work in the quiet kitchen and get everything to the table before the morning chaos ensues.  I know that a sit-down family breakfast is not something that everyone gets to enjoy, and I don't take it for granted.  But, I'm definitely thankful for a prep routine that is less stressful for me.

If you like this solution and would like a copy of this file to customize for your family, just comment and give me your email address.  I'll send it to you as an attachment. :)

Ready or Not, Here We Go!

The goats are set to arrive Saturday.  We've been anticipating their arrival for months now.  Because of kidding and weaning, we've had to wait until now for their arrival.  All that wait time has translated into uber-preparedness.  I mean, seriously, just check out this view of the milking room.  Yes, look at those bins -- my love affair with the label-maker continues (please don't tell my slow cooker ;).  Also pictured here are the freshly painted walls, milking stand John built, newly installed shelf, shop light for working after dark, and refurbished old stool that carries with it a bit of nostalgia.  After all this waiting, it's hard to believe we're so close!  I can almost taste that milk!

In the weeks leading up to my turning 16, I used to just sit in my car in the driveway listening to music.  I could hardly wait to be able to actually drive it without an adult in the car with me.  I think we've all got a bit of that going on about the goats.  Here, Girl 1 is just sitting on the milking stool, getting a feel for things.  And, last night, we all just kind of hung out in the goat shed, talking mostly, but also doing a few last minute things to prep the space.

 I was so proud of Girl 2 for working so diligently and not goofing off. 

Then, I saw all the pine shaving she'd thrown in Girl 1's hair.  Oh, well.  We're having fun, and that's a huge part of what all this is about anyway.  :)

Recipe Organization

As I've mentioned before, I must be a tactile person.  I know that there are lots of more technologically advanced ways to keep recipes organized, but I LOVE my Big 'Ole Scrapbook Cookbooks.  Here's what they look like sitting in their place of honor on my "station" (that's what we call Mom's Command Center at our house).

You may be thinking . . .they're just 3-ring binders.  That's exactly right.  Two giant 3-ring-binders.  Volume 1 is basically everything not in Volume 2.  Volume 2 houses the main dishes.

I use cardstock paper so that the pages are more substantial and slide each page into a page protector (to protect it from errant splashes and drips).  Notice the watermelons?  Our town is known for its great watermelons, so we use watermelons rather than stars for our rating system.  (A 5 Watermelon rating is an honor reserved for only the very best recipes -- I think there are only 3 in this whole book!)

Because it's done scrapbook style, anything can be put into this book:  the recipe your friend wrote out for you at her dinner party, the recipe you got in your email because you actually did one of those recipe chain mail things, the clipping from your Real Simple magazine (lots of those in this book), the recipe your Grandma wrote out for you on one of her old-timey recipe cards, the photocopy of your late mother-in-law's pizza sauce recipe, so that you get to read it in her handwriting every time you make it.  Are you starting to get the picture?  It's not just about the keeping the recipes all in one place.  It's about keeping the memory of how that recipe came to you. 

Each binder is divided into categories.

Only recipes that we've tried and liked go into the book.  Ones that I've found and would like to try go in the front pocket until they've had a chance to vie for a prized spot in the book.

I no longer have need of other cookbooks.  And, yes, I've used my Betty Crocker app and several Pinterest recipes, but if we like them, they get printed out and placed in the book.  I know. I know.  I'm just old school like that. 

The Secret to an Organized Life

Well, it organizes my life anyway.  So, if it could help you too, I figured it should no longer be a secret.  (Disclaimer:  Though I am going to link to their website and greatly tout their product, I am in no way being compensated for endorsing this product.  It just really is that great!)

This is my Circa notebook.  You can view all the Circa notebook products at Levinger's website.   This little baby keeps me organized.  At first glance, it may look like your ordinary, run-of-the-mill organizer, but that is why you need to take another look.

See those rings that make it look spiral bound?  Those are actually just round discs.  Those disks hold the filler paper in place and allow you to remove and add pages as needed.  You choose your cover (they have some very nice leather covers and such, but I just went with the basic cover and customized it with a pic of my brood), and you choose your filler pages (I have a calendar and a lot of lined pages, but they have lots of different filler papers).

This is what the calendar for this week looks like.

This is the beautiful part.  With their special hole-puncher, you can make anything stick in your notebook.  Here, I've punched a clipping from a magazine that I hope to blog about at some point.  Then, I can just insert it into my notebook wherever I need it.  I also punch coupons so that I'm sure to have them when I'm at the store, appointment reminder cards, papers the kids bring home from school with field trip information, etc.

I can also create my own pages on the computer, hole-punch, and insert them.  This is the list I use to inventory the kids' clothes at the beginning of each season.  One of these for each kid can be found in the "Shopping" tab of my notebook.  That way, when I'm out and stumble upon a deal, I can check to see whether it will fill a hole in that child's wardrobe.  I also create a chart like this for use with Christmas shopping.  It lists who I need to buy for, what ideas I have for them, what I actually buy them, and then has a box to check off when the item is actually wrapped and under the tree.  Having this in my purse at all times, helps when I'm out and see something that someone on the list might like.  These customized lists are easy to make and insert because the paper for this Junior-sized notebook is just half a letter-sized piece of paper.  So, I just make my documents in landscape, print, and fold in half before hole-punching.

My  notebook has tab dividers for each of these categories:  Calendar (which is where I write down scheduled events and my to-do lists for each day), Shopping, (where I store the clothing inventory lists, Christmas list and an on-going shopping list for when I have opportunity to make it to the Big City), Blog (where I record ideas for upcoming blog posts), Projects (where I can record the measurements I need from the fabric store, make notes about my price comparison shopping for pest control, etc.), Reading and Writing (where I can take notes on my book I'm reading for Book Club and keep a personal journal), and Addresses (so I'm never at the post office to mail a box and then realize I don't remember the destination's zip code).

Now, I know that most people would just rely on their phones for this kind of thing.  I do use my phone for lots of things.  I love, for example, the Grocery IQ app, which organizes my grocery list into aisles for me and saves me tons of time every shopping trip.  But, I've tried  several times to go techy with my planner, and I've always ended up coming back to pencil and paper.  Maybe I just like something tactile.  Anyway, this is the best planner I've ever had, so I thought I'd share in case anyone else is looking for a great way to keep everything you need in one handy location. 

Scary Places!

At the risk of sounding like a horrible housekeeper and thus mother, I need to make a confession.  I have scary places in my house.  These places frighten me because they are dark and seldom accessed and thus they are never cleaned.  However, during this round of spring cleaning, I am facing my scary places head on.  For example, under the stove.  I mean, it's just dark and weird under there.  I confess that if a crumb or marble or silly band bracelet makes its way under there, I will not be reaching my hand into the dark abyss to retrieve it if it's not visible.  It's just considered lost.  But, this is the kind of thing my spring cleaning has been all about this year.  Do you have scary places, or is it just me?

Also, while I'm getting things off my chest, I should add that my "spring cleaning" is a bit misleading.  I was confessing to my mom that I've been cleaning things that I haven't cleaned in a LONG time.  She tried to comfort me and help me feel like not such a bad housekeeper by reminding me that "they call it 'spring' cleaning for a reason."  The implication, of course, is that it's something done once a year.  If that's the case, then perhaps what I'm doing is Leap Year Cleaning, because I'm doing some stuff that just doesn't get done every year. 

What can I say?  I love an organized closet, drawer, or cabinet, but I'm not nearly as concerned about dusting them.    And, that is why, when I clean, I reward myself by also getting to re-organize the cleaned spaces.

Ahhh.  A place for everything and everything in its place!  If you are not one for organization, please allow me to make a suggestion.  Start with your silverware drawer.  It's probably the drawer you open most often in your house.  Thus, your organized drawer will make you smile an average of 7 times a day (or however many times you open it), and it just may inspire you to organize some other spaces.  Maybe even your scary spaces.  ;)

Laundry Closet Re-organization!

I'm working my way through the house doing spring cleaning with a plan completely stolen from my friend Ericka -- tackling one room per week with a deep clean.  In the process, I've discovered something about myself.  I LOVE to organize, but  I HATE to clean. 

Aside from the rug in front of the kitchen sink, I probably stand still the longest in one day, in this spot right here, folding and hanging clothes.  So, I've been very happy by how much this little re-organization project has helped simplify my laundry routine.

As you can see, we have more of a laundry closet than a laundry room.  This arrangement is fine by me because I'd rather not be shut off in a small room by myself folding clothes anyway. However, the closet leaves me with a small space in which to get a big job done.   But, since the re-design, it's working out great!  1st, notice the curtains.  They can close off the space so that I can hide it all when company is over (although now that it's so organized, I may not be drawing the curtain so often anymore).  Also, the bulletin board can hold little snippets from magazines, Bible verses, inspirational quotes, pictures, or stain removal tips. 

On the shelf above the machines, I've added these plastic drawer systems.  The big one has one drawer for each child.  I put all of their clean undergarments, pajamas, and socks into their drawers (at our house, we hang everything else).  When the drawers are full, I pull them out and take them to the bathroom  (where the kids keep all of these clothing items).  When the kids see their drawer sitting on the bathroom countertop, they know it's their job to put their things away and return the drawer to the laundry area (and, yes, even my 2-year-old son can do this :)  The smaller set of drawers holds collar stays (which go in all my hubby's dress shirts, extra dryer bars (we've switched to those instead of dryer sheets), and clothespins.  Atop those drawers is a small trashcan to collect dryer lint (it's compostable, you know) and extra hangers at the ready.

At the very top of the closet, I have crates labeled "Resale" to collect the clothes I plan to put into the kids' consignment sale I participate in twice a year.  So, when I wash that t-shirt that has begun to fit like it should be made of spandex, I can just pull it from the dryer, fold it neatly, and tuck it away in a resale crate until I'm ready to do my tagging for the sale.

Above the washer, the closet rod is divided up into three sections so that I can organize the kids' clothes as I hang them up.  Also, my hubby put up two new shelves for me on the left-side wall of the closet.  One is up high and holds laundry items that I don't need as frequently.

The other one, which is lower, holds my detergent, lonely sock bin, and lotion (does folding laundry make anyone else's hands crazy dry?).

This may well be the best part of the whole project-- there's nothing on the top of the machines!  It's completely free for folding.  So, while I may not have loved vacuuming dryer lint off the power cords or handling the sock retrieved at long last from down the crack by the washer, I am loving the fruits of my labor -- a clutter-free work space!