31 Days of Calm: The Kitchen Cupboards {Day 9}
Well, I have to apologize again. I’m sorry this post is late. Yesterday was crazy. We were gone all day Wednesday and I didn’t get to bed until really late. So I woke up late and had to run out the door for a very last minute two hour drive to a dentist so my son could have his cavities filled before he leaves for Canada for a whole year. We didn’t get home until around 3:30. Then, after eating a bite we had to get his stuff sorted and packed as he had to leave today. Anyway, it was a crazy, busy day and I was worn out.
My son just drove away a little while ago, so I’m still teary! It’s hard to say good-bye – even when I’m so happy for him.
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31 Days of Calm in My Chaos
Yesterday’s goal was to go to bed with a clean kitchen and counters free of clutter. Were you able to wake up to a clean kitchen? How did it feel?
Today, we’re still working in the kitchen. You may want to work on the kitchen over the weekend as you have time.
Remember that clutter builds up over time and there is no magic cure for getting organized. It does require some work. So, having said that, if you feel overwhelmed by the state of your kitchen, take heart. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. You can change things starting today.
[Tweet “Feeling overwhelmed? You CAN change things starting today.”]
This past summer I repainted the inside of all of my kitchen cupboards. Unfortunately, I still haven’t found the time to finish painting the doors so they aren’t hung yet. I don’t have a magazine ready house! This is real life. Well, this is MY life. Maybe I will share some photos with you soon. I’m just not that brave.
Anyway, one of the things I did was line the shelves with EZ Liners as opposed to contact paper which I had always used in the past. Well, at least, I lined the shelves with contact paper when we first moved in ten years ago and it remained there until I did the repainting.
I love, love, love the EZ Liners. You should have seen me trying to peel and scrape off ten year old contact paper. Ugh!
Really, never again. You can find the EZ Liners at Wal-Mart or Target and what’s so neat about them is that you can throw them in the washing machine. I love that.
So today, our focus is on the kitchen cabinets and drawers. Of course, in an ideal world, we’d all be able to afford the newest and greatest gadgets and inventions to make organizing in the kitchen easier – like toe-kick drawers, deep drawers for pots and pans, and perfect sized cabinets for baking sheets and plastic containers. But like I said this is real life. Most of us will never have magazine style kitchens. And that’s okay.
[Tweet “Most of us will never have magazine style kitchens. And that’s okay.”]
{Of course if you are lucky enough to have a brand new state of the art kitchen – count your blessings!}
My kitchen is circa 1950. It’s small but sweet and will be charming when I eventually finish painting it. So, instead of wishing we had something we don’t, let’s just decide to make the best of what we do have.
[Tweet “Instead of wishing for something we don’t have, let’s decide to make the best of what we have.”]
And just remember, you CAN have pretty things for cheap if you are savvy. Organizing doesn’t have to cost lost. Use your imagination and a little creativity and be on the lookout for great containers next time you visit the Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart.
Ideas to Inspire You
I wish I had this much space for food containers. I love the labels – and all of these containers came from the dollar store.
{Photo via I Heart Organizing}
Under the kitchen sink… this is something I definitely want to do. There is a ton of wasted space under my kitchen sink!
{ Photo via Better Homes and Gardens}
I have similar dividers in a couple of my drawers. I use these bamboo dividers from Amazon.com and just love them.
{Photo via Better Homes and Gardens}
I love this idea for organizing containers and lids!
One of my personal goals is to continue purging and getting rid of more stuff so I can organize better. I have a husband who has a terrible time parting with things which make it hard. It’s not the things that he’s attached to so much as the idea that he spent hard earned money on the stuff and he doesn’t like to waste money. I don’t like to waste money either – but I’m okay with making space in my life more less stress. I think he’s beginning to come around.
Today’s Goal: Organize, purge, and clean out one kitchen cabinet at a time. You can do the whole kitchen over the next few days if you have the time.
I’ll be working on my kitchen off and on as I have the time. Join me on Instagram and twitter with hashtag #31daysofcalm!
What’s your biggest challenge in the kitchen?
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