Kitchen Organization Challenge: Reveal(ish)

First let's review the goals that I had.
1. Create a Lunch Prep Station for My Beloved
2. Spice Storage
3. Organize Freezer and Maintain a Freezer Inventory List

We'll start with the first one because that's the only one I really did.


1. Create a Lunch Prep Station for My Beloved
Here is the before picture:

And once I moved them to their new home here is how the drawer looks:

Much better and right next to the fridge. I didn't do anything different to the basket that is in the fridge because it's working just fine.

From here I deviated completely from my goals. Once I moved the baking goods and the pasta to make way for the snacks, then the baking goods and pasta needed new homes. So here is what I DID do:

Pasta Drawer Before: 

This is the drawer below where the snacks now live. I didn't really NEED to move these except for the fact that I wanted them to be where the snacks had been.

Pasta Drawer After:

It's not exactly complete in the beautiful and organized sense but it makes much more sense as far as the location goes. This cupboard is right next to the stove. 

Also you can see I use the term pasta loosely it's really more like pasta, grains, beans drawer. To be fair I am in need of quite a few of my normal pastas so this drawer will be a little more loaded after I do some grocery shopping, we'll see how well it holds up. I'm hoping to find containers for pasta. I had found some at Ikea but when I went to purchase them they were not as air tight as I would have liked so I passed on them.

Then there was the baking drawer where I wanted to put the snacks.

Baking Goods1 Before:

I moved the drawer under my other baking goods drawer, literally just pulled the drawer out and traded it the drawers. Then I pulled everything out and contained it, labeled it in my good enough fashion, and now it looks like this:

Baking Goods1 After:

Oh mason jars how handy you are. Thanks to you I spent $0, nothing, nada on any of these drawers. 

As I mentioned the drawer above this one is also a baking drawer and it was organized before. I didn't do much to it but I did need to add a few things to it that no longer fit in drawer 1.

Baking Goods2 Before:

Baking Goods2 After:

I am really pleased with my game of musical drawers. Things make SO much more sense and I love that. In a brain where logic and emotion are in a constant battle for king of thoughts, having a kitchen that works for me and not against me is one less stress.

I didn't spend any money on these drawers but I did buy two little baskets for my potatoes and onions. I stopped by Fred Meyer to see if they had some storage containers for my freezer. Instead I came home with these:

 They just screamed onions and potatoes. So being the obliging human that I am I granted their silent wish.

I'm still working on a freezer inventory. I think perhaps my best bet is going to be framing a check sheet similar to my cleaning list thus creating a dry erase surface with categories that don't wipe off. I think I might need to rethink the wall next to the fridge that houses my kitchen towels as well as my grocery list and cleaning schedule. So I'll keep you posted on that and the spices that I still can't decide how to handle.

But next month we are moving on to Linens and Loos. Which is good because both of those areas are a little overwhelmed in our house.

~And So That's What She Did.

Healthy Snacks and a Glorious Day

Today has been a horrible, terrible, no good, bad day! I realize this is not in the title, because this is not what this post is about. I'm trying to look on the bright side, which means I have to look back a few days. :)

I have been trying to find fun ways to serve the kiddos healthy snacks. Here we have a carrot and ranch sunshine. The kids also love apples and cheese presented similarly. 

Okay so I'm not that creative, here if you look close there is the moon( the grapes), the sun(the cheese), and the stars(it's a stretch but the pretzels work I think). 

Apples and peanut butter. I bought Sonoma apples this last week and I don't really like them. I'm sure they have their place but as a snack they are too mealy. Probably great for quick baking.

On to the glorious day, which began as a terrible day as well, but the sun came out and so we went out and that helped A LOT.

This was just a split second before she face planted into the sand.

It wasn't terribly warm but as long as the sun wasn't behind the clouds it was rather pleasant.

I love this stage, when they constantly steal your seat and whatever it is that you were doing previously.

"Hey, Mom do you want to be buried in the sand?"  Ummm nope.

One of the great perks of being a Mom, fresh picked wild flowers(weeds).

While I was outside I did notice that although we had snow just last week, spring just might be coming after all to the Northwest.

This expanded like crazy. I'm not sure what it is ;0, but I transplanted it last fall and I'm just glad it came back.

This is the one that excites me the most. I transplanted this little sapling from the lilac bushes in our front yard. I wasn't sure if it would take but lo and behold . . . buds! 

After playing outside the girls always sleep so well.

Sweet babies.

Which reminds me of a moment that Ballerina reminded me of earlier today. She came out of the bathroom with a white and coral colored bow in her hair. 

"Mom, I've never worn this before have I?"

"Yes you have. You wore that the day we brought Beloise home from the hospital."

And just this little exchange reminded me of the sweet moment we were leaving the hospital, I was in a wheel chair being pushed by an orderly, holding Beloise. Ballerina was walking with Daddy in front of me. When we got to the first floor of the hospital Ballerina came back and took my hand very gingerly so as to guide me out of the hospital. 

It was so sweet. 

I wish we had taken a picture. But the picture in my head and heart is sweeter than any printed picture could possibly be. 

And it's good that she reminded me of that today, because she then proceeded to throw fit after fit, after deafening fit. Let's just say I was all too eager when nap time finally came around.

~And So That's What She Did.