Kitchen Organization: A beginning

The weekend before I went back to work, the boyfriend and I had to hunker down for Hurricane Irene. If I had managed to clean the apartment, I could no longer tell because all the "free" space was covered with hurricane supplies. Since then, I've been living with that chaos and it has been driving me nuts. A rainy Saturday afternoon was the perfect time to tackle this project.

I started with my pots and pans cabinets. It was in such a bad state (sorry, no before pic! I know. I know. So bad). The cabinet doors were bulging out, so I sat down on the kitchen floor and pulled out everything. Seeing everything on the floor really helped me get a grasp on this out of control situation. I had Corningware dishes mixed in with my stainless steel pots and pans. Somehow I ended up with 2 or 3 lids that didn't match any of the dishes/pots I had, so those had to go. I also removed some of my smaller Corningware dishes and lids because I've never used them. Before I put everything back, I asked Steve to help with the organization. Since he's the main cook in this apartment, I figured it was only fair. He suggested that I group the dishes together that we use on a regular basis. I did and I think it's going to be a big help in our small kitchen.

On the top shelf from left to right: Stainless steel lids, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, box of lids
On the bottom shelf from left to right: The pans we use the most, stainless steel dishes we don't use that often

It's not perfect, but I'm amazed at the transformation. Removing excess dishes and lids and organizing it according to how we use the space is definitely a step in the right direction. Eventually I will need to go back and put in another container to hold the stainless steel lids (2 more were in the dishwasher when I snapped the picture), but for now, it works.

The next space I had to work on was the "pantry." These 2 upper cabinets to the right of the sink store our non-perishable items and cooking spices/flavorings. Again, I emptied both cabinets, tossed out the expired items and the items I hadn't used since the last time I reorganized this space. I think I've managed to organize this space in a way that we can both use it.
On the top shelf from left to right: Spices/rubs/seasonings, canned/bottled baking items, boxed baking items (i.e pudding, cake mix)
Second shelf from left to right: Drink mixes, canned veggies, seasonings/marinades, condiments, "leftover Hurricane survival food (i.e. Ramen, baked beans, and beef stew).
Bottom shelf from left to right: Canned food that we use regularly (tuna, soups), pasta and pasta sauce, and breakfast/snack items)

Ideally, I would like to get items in nice storage containers and that will come one day. For right now I'm excited I can navigate my way around the kitchen again.

Spring Cleaning: Bathroom Organization

I have lived in my apartment for a year now and there are still some areas where I haven't set up an effective organization system. One of those areas is the bathroom. When I moved in, I just shoved the ABC store boxes under my sink and told myself, "I'll get to that later."




So after living with liquor store boxes under my bathroom vanity, I decide it was time to purge, get organized, and ultimately save time on my morning beauty routine. First, I did an Internet search for "how to organize a bathroom." Hey, when you don't know or want a clear-cut, step-by-step process, just Google it. I used this link, copy and pasted the steps into a word document, printed out the information, and taped it to my bathroom mirror. I found this really helpful for keeping me on track as I worked on this room.


Next, I took everything out of the drawers, cabinets, and my medicine cabinet. Talk about overwhelming! I had no idea I had all that stuff in the bathroom.

I started by tossing out old medicines and then started grouping things according to categories. After a few minutes of getting the piles down to a more manageable size, I made a not-so-quick run to Target for some storage solutions. I bought 2 drawer organizers, 2 clear shoe storage bins (6 quart size) with snap latch lids, and a rolling pull out drawer. Once I got back home, I was ready to put everything together. The drawer on the right has my make up and hair tools.

The drawer on the left is a semi-organized collection of leftover toiletries that I'll pull from when supplies get low.

Underneath the vanity are 3 sections. On the left, cat litter clean up supplies which makes sense for this space because the litter box is in my bathroom. Ahh! Apartment living! In the middle, I have the rolling pull out drawer with miscellaneous health and beauty things (i.e. feminine products, shaving cream, razors, first aid kit) in the front and lesser-used products (i.e. rubbing alcohol) in the back. On the right, I put my 2 clear 6 quart boxes. I used one for all my Bed Bath and Beyond products (soap, bath gels, lotion, spray, antibacterial gel) and the other one is currently empty, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it in the near future!

I love how everything turned out! The bathroom has such a calm vibe to it and I can't wait to get ready tomorrow in my new space.
Ahhhh! A little organization goes a long way!

Rejoined Weight Watchers

I had my first chiropractor appointment on Wednesday and I was told to stop working out at Curves while undergoing treatment. How frustrating! One one hand, I was so excited to get started working out and losing weight. On the other hand, I probably should have waited before starting an exercise program--especially one I have to pay for. I'm hoping I can go to Curves tomorrow, show them my doctor's note, and suspend my membership.

The topic of my weight and blood pressure issues also came up at this first chiropractor session. The doctor was going on about how his mom and sister lost "lots" of weight on Jenny Craig. This got me thinking. If the only exercising he wants me doing is walking, then I'm going to need something more to keep me on track. So I'm going back to Weight Watchers. I joined WW in August 2005 and lost 40 pounds. I went from a size 18 to 12. I looked great and ever since I've been trying to get back on the wagon. Now that I don't have any ex-husband issues standing in my way, it's really time to focus on me. I rejoined last night and have been tracking my food intake as well as learning more about their "Points Plus" program. I've tried other free sites before, but there's something about the "pay to lose" part that really helped me.

One of the suggestions that Weight Watchers (and any diet program) makes is to clean out the refrigerator and pantry and then restock them with healthy foods. I did that today and I ended up making my kitchen more organized. To the right of the kitchen sink, I have upper and lower cabinets. Originally, I had mixing bowls, spices, tupperware, and other miscellaneous items in the upper cabinets and the food stuffs in the lower cabinets. This was not a good arrangement. I couldn't clearly see what I had for food.

Tonight I decided to reorganize my cabinets. First, I tossed any expired items as well as random tupperware (tomorrow I'm going to get new tupperware that keeps the lids and bowls together). Next, I decided how I was going to organize the 3 shelves of the upper cabinets. As you can see from the picture, the top shelf has spices, baking supplies, and drink mixes. The second shelf has items that I'll most likely use in cooking (i.e. pasta sauce, mayo, soups, rice). The last shelf has my "grab and go" items such as popcorn, cereal bars, and other snacks. It feels good to know what I have in my pantry. I'm hoping that this will help me make better eating decisions.

Another suggestion most diet and exercise programs make is to take before, during, and after pictures. I've done' this in the past, but I hate the cell phone-pic-with-half-of-me-in-the-bathroom-mirror look. So, I worked up the courage and asked my boyfriend to take some pics for me. He was nice enough to oblige and I'm not going to post them...yet. Once I start making progress (i.e. losing a size), I'll post the before and during pics together.