Steps to Re-Organizing Your Pantry - Part Two

I love my kitchen. It's the serving center where I spend much of my day in and out of. I like to think that lots of love, life and creativity flow from this space into the others.

Yesterday, I started posting my steps to re-organizing my food pantry. I've been evaluating and researching how to make my pantry a FRUGAL pantry. Go here for step one.

Step Three
After you've completed those first two steps, next make a list of kitchen organizing products you've determined will help you with efficiency in the kitchen.

Get ideas from places from online stores like SurLa Table or Target and Ikea. I use mesh cutlery utility drawer trays to organize. I also use little plastic containers.

Besides counter, drawers and cupboards, what else needs attention? Does the refrigerator need cleaned out? Check expiration dates of all the food in the refrigerator and the freezer. Get rid of anything that looks or smells iffy.

Make a page in the Kitchen section of your Simple Home Notebook that says Grocery List and write down what is going to need to be replaced. Move older freezer food to the front and use that first. There are tons of blogs and sites to help you be creative with menus and dinner planning.

Step Four
What needs to be replaced? Again, mark these items down in your Kitchen notebook. Recently, I began to replace all my toxic plastics. I've gone to use mostly glass containers with a few from the non-toxic plastic list.

Step Five
Take a look at your food pantry. How's it working for you? Is it functioning well for time efficiency and is it stocked for some emergency situation?

Ask yourself: How can I re-organize it according to baked items, canned items, pasta, etc. What needs to be replaced or replenished?

The key to Simple Home Living is to begin small with little steps, get a girlfriends help and try to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I know moms of little ones can find themselves overwhelmed. Be encouraged do the best you can, take one step at a time and enjoy those moments with those little people who always seem to be under foot. Bring them by your side for little moments of teaching. Teach them how to work by giving them little projects to do like putting the silverware or cups away. Give them a paper towel and have them "wipe" the refrigerator off while you wipe off the counters. Give them a little wisk broom and show them how to "sweep" the floor. Make it fun, not a chore. Teach them the value of sanctuary.

Before you get started on Part Two of Re-Organzing Your Pantry do these things (if you haven't already):
1. Make your bed.

2. Smile and tell God three things you're thankful for.

3. Clean your kitchen sink out - no dirty dishes allowed!

4. If you're married, go back down memory lane and reflect where you were the first time you "noticed" your husband.

5. Kiss your little ones and tell them how much you love them.

Related Posts
1. The Well - Equipped Kitchen
2. Step One to Re-Organize Your Kitchen
3. Teach Your Little Ones How To Work
4. Making a Simple Home Notebook
5. Teach Your Little Ones About Sanctuary
6. Make It a Priority

Aren't these pretty? This color makes me smile! Just thought I'd show you!

Steps to Re-Organizing Your Pantry - Part Two

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/02/steps-to-re-organizing-your-pantry-part_17.html

Steps to Re-Organizing Your Pantry - Part One

My spring cleaning has gotten off to a big start - I mean a really big start. I've been evaluating and researching my food pantry and have decided that there would be some huge benefits for me to create a year long working pantry.

So, the past month, I've been charting, shopping, couponing, stocking, researching, re-organizing and re-thinking how I do food from my Simple Home Kitchen. I'll post more details about my Simple Home Pantry changes in future posts, but for now, I want to share how important my kitchen is to me.

My kitchen is the heart of my home and it's always been my starting place for spring cleaning and organization. I believe the kitchen is the focal point and that life flows into and out of the kitchen.

My kitchen is my main working station. Everything I need to manage my home and be a good steward as a home maker is centered in my kitchen area.

I know that organizing the kitchen can be a bit overwhelming so here are my Simple Home Living steps to Organizing your kitchen.

Step One
Get out a notebook (used or new) and mark it: Kitchen! Next,take a look around your kitchen. Look at your counter top, refrigerator top, open drawers, cupboards, and look under the sink.

What do you see? Ask yourself:
1. What needs tossed? Old plastics, tefelon pans that are peeling, broken equipment, etc? Well used wooden spoons (which need to be replaced every three months)? Cutting boards - don't use a cutting board that you've cut chicken or other meat on with one you use for salad. You're cross contaminating.
2. What needs cleaned?
3. What needs to be removed - because it isn't necessary or doesn't belong there or because you have too many of them?
4. What needs re-organized? (the knife drawer, cups, plastics)
5. What needs to be in a better spot? Is your counter top cluttered? Is everything on your counter or just what you use on a regular basis? Is your counter top space used effectively? Do you need cabinet organizers or shelves to make better use of space? Does your spice rack need attention?

Step Two
Write it down and start SIMPLE. If you feel overwhelmed, ask a girlfriend to help you out. A few years ago, my daughter Candace came over and re-organized all my cupboards. She had eyes to see things that I couldn't. That boost helped me to continue to make further changes.

In the past, my counter tops were pretty cluttered. My daughter, Jenni, helped me de-clutter the counter tops. In time I enjoyed and realized I worked more efficiency with a simple counter top.

I keep only what I use on a daily basis: French Press coffee press & bean grinder, a red pitcher that holds tools such as spatulas and spoons, and a two tiered Crate n' Barrel wired basket that holds my onions, tomatoes, garlic and other vegges or fruit.

Don't be afraid to make changes.
Do re-structure or re-organize your working station, your cupboards and drawers for the purpose of being productive, making good use of space, and having an efficiently working kitchen. You don't want to waste time looking for something. Remember, your kitchen is the hub of your home.

Start small but start
Maybe you need to begin with a small project like Lindsay's? Or you might need to take an hour or two and overhaul the kitchen cabinets like Laura did.

I did a fifteen minute project to organize all my spices in alphabetical order. That was huge a help for me and time saver.

Think about your different tasks: mixing, cutting and rolling and organize around those tasks. I also created specialized work areas storing my tools near those places that I thought would be most practical. For example, I put all my sharp knives and a cutting board within reach of the area nearest my stove/oven. It made sense for me to chop onions, carrots, celery, kale, potatoes, garlic, etc. to the right of my stove, because most of the time they're headed into a big pot that is on the stove.

The whole idea with kitchen organization is to get to the place where you create sanctuary and have a peaceful Simple Home and not a chaotic one.

I'll post the next set of steps on Wednesday. For now, go seize the moment and do the following:

1. Clean your sink - great principle from FlyLady

2. Make your bed - it's a must to start the day off right.

3. Read your bible - just one section - Proverbs 31:11-12

4. Hug your little ones and read them a little book.

5. Get started back in your kitchen with the above steps.

Related Posts
1. Steps to Create Sanctuary
2. Get Organized for 2008
3. The Simple Home Planner
4. What is The Simple Home
5. Step Two to Reorganize Your Pantry

What I strive for my kitchen to look like.

Steps to Re-Organizing Your Pantry - Part One

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/02/steps-to-re-organizing-your-pantry-part.html

how to declutter 20 years of stuff in 23 minutes or less

I do love to declutter and keep "stuff" as organized as possible. Like many women, I'm always on the look out for a new tip on decluttering and organizing and how to get rid of the excess stuff. The Simple Home is all about SIMPLE and and being free of stuff.

The Stuff I Collected and Neatly Organized
As a writer and speaker I have neatly gathered saved and organized tons of little illustrations, newspaper clippings, topic ideas for messages for women's retreats and tons of other misc. notes that shamelessly filled almost two filing cabinets.

Lylah's Tip: How to Declutter 20 years of Stuff in 23 Minutes or Less
The other day, while reorganizing my sections in our garage, I took a look at the space taken up by those two filing cabinets. Upon opening both drawers and taking a very quick look . . . a very quick one mind you and then without hesitation, I started dumping it all. I didn't reminisce. I didn't take a second look. I dumped and filled each grocery bag as full as I could get it.
So, girls, if I can do it, so can you. There's something so freeing about getting rid of "stuff."

how to declutter 20 years of stuff in 23 minutes or less

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-declutter-20-years-of-stuff-in.html

Kitchen Tips, Remedies

I love scanning bloggy world for some good tips and remedies. And today, I found a few that I thought worthy of posting here.

Organizing Tips
Some of the best tips for my kitchen or any other area of my Simple Home come from the Organizing Queens. Laura is The Organizing Queen and she's done it again - made me fall in love with her blog - especially her Rubbermaid containers in her garage. I'm dreaming that ours will look like hers - one day.

Lately, Laura's into baskets and so much so that she's started a Basket Carnival. For the best tips on baskets and organizing go here and then for a simple idea on how I used a basket go here.

Onions and Tears No More
For some reason, I'm really good at buying onions that make me cry. And, I don't use water proof mascara! I've researched different ideas on how to chop an onion without tearing up and this one looks like it's tried and true! It comes from the Kudzu Grows blog and her tip for onion chopping is to have a candle lit next to your chopping block. Great idea and from the comments it looks like it works!

Heartburn Help
Even though my last baby was thirty one years ago (Happy Birthday Jenni), I can still remember the burps and heartburn.

Mrs. Pear's remedies are:
five small meals instead of the usual 3
sitting up after meals no matter how much I feel like laying down - a compromise is to sit with feet up on a stool, or some such arrangement.
avoiding spicy food
eating peppermints when the heartburn hits
having a few sips of carbonated soda (decaf of course) when heartburn hits

Tomato Tip
My readers know that we're having fun gardening but unfortunately our tomatoes have been a bummer this season. My lovely friend Lindsay has given me some good reading here with her post on Tomato Tips and Tricks. I LOVE it. Thanks Lindsay.

The Importance of Soaking Grains
Another important tip from Lindsay is about the value and necessity of soaking grains. I admit that I have been lax until I read this article by Amanda Rose, Ph.D. She explains how soaking grains (our steel cut oats we eat most mornings) effects the phytic acid and mineral loss.

Stain Removal Tips
One of the things I need is a small list of good, quick stain remover tips. I found this one at Heather's Blog.

Removing Blood - Hydrogen peroxide
Removing Grass Stains - Shout
Removing Ink - Aerosol hairspray
Removing Grease or Oil~ Your best friend in the case of a grease stain is a good dish soap. She prefers Dawn.

Kitchen Tips, Remedies

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/05/kitchen-tips-remedies.html

organize the closet....get encouraged

I've been snooping around tonight, enjoying some girlfriend's blogs and Laura's got me excited. She always makes me smile with the super cool organizing ideas she blogs about. This one is a great encourager of a post. I'd done a closet organizing post here, but I think hers deserves the prize. You Go Girl!

organize the closet....get encouraged

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/05/organize-closetget-encouraged.html

organizing product reviews

Laura is a self proclaimed organizing junkie and she's got a new post on her product review blog that's . . . well. . . about organizing. This book - she LOVES. Read what she says about it here.

organizing product reviews

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2008/04/organizing-product-reviews.html