Organizing the Pantry (and the fridge!)

My apartment has a really small and narrow pantry. However, I'll never complain, because it's the first apartment since college that has had a pantry.

Before Photo (with the cereal removed)

When it came time to (re)organize the pantry, I wanted to have a specific plan in mind. I started by taking a look at what I had (and generally what I buy) and divided it into 6 categories.

Pasta

Sauces

Sides

Breakfast

Mexican

Snacks

Yes, Mexican food items have their own space... I do love all things tacos ;)

I also used this as a bit of a guide:

I took everything out of the Pantry and spread it across the counters. (and didn't take a picture!)

I grabbed a few bins for organizing each section, and started to but everything back.

Canned Fruits, Veggies, and Broths were put on the small display shelf I had for them (and in the soda dispenser, I bought a ton of broth from Sam's Club since Jenn keeps posting soup recipes :) )

Cereal only fits on the top shelf of the pantry, so I keep that up there, with one of my cake carriers and other breakfast items (like pancake/waffle mix). The other carrier doesn't fit in the pantry, so it's in the storage closet in the studio. I only use it for large batches of cupcakes (it holds 36!). Bulk Items (Flour, Sugar, etc) fit behind the can display (Sorry I can't get a photo back there!), so that I can just refill the smaller containers of them when needed. They also keep items from getting pushed to the back and forgotten. I decided against putting the other breakfast items into a bin. It seemed a bit overkill.

Sides and Mexican items are on the next shelf down.

None of the bins have labels yet. I plan to use Chalkboard labels, so I can easily switch things up if I want too.

I keep my pastas divided in clear containers, so they line up on one side, and the different sauces are in the bin next to them. Oils, spices (that don't live on the spice shelf behind the stove) and extra condiments also live here.

The next shelf is snacks. I have a bin for the smaller items, and then bagged chips and pretzels have a space next to the them, but I didn't have any smaller snacks (I really do need to go shopping) so for now, the bowl of chex mix is living there :)

And finally, the bottom shelf holds the baking crate. I keep all my baking supplies in this crate, so whenever I'm in the mood to baking up a storm, I only have to pull this out!

Next, I moved on to the fridge and freezer. These were my inspiration photos:

Here is my "before" photo:

I took everything out of the fridge, wiped down the insides, and threw out anything that was past it's prime. i wanted to label a little in here too, so using some adhesive vinyl, I cut out labels for some bins in the fridge. The plastic bin for yogurt was too narrow to get the words on it, so it got a picture instead. Original inspiration is from here.

I buy cheese in bulk it seems, since I'm always needing a different variety. All the cheese went into one of the bottom drawers. The other drawer is bagged veggies.

I grabbed a few more bins and separated items like deli meats (and other sandwich items) Having all these together makes making lunch a breeze! And since I like a little variety  I used the bigger bin for this. 

And a basket for Dairy Items. I usually keep a lot of butter(s) around because of baking, so a small bin to keep that and cream cheese on hand keeps everything together.Actually, at the moment, I have more cream cheese than I can handle :) (but big plans for it ;) )

The fridge (and pantry)  will stay this empty for a while, since I'll be traveling so much, but at least when I start buying groceries on the regular again, I'll be all organized!

Oh, and the freezer? 

I didn't do much but add a few bins to separate the items (Frozen meats on in the bin on top, and frozen fruit below. I go through veggies fairly quickly so I didn't bother sticking them in a bin this time.  I'll probably do some labeling in there eventually, but generally, as long as I can see what's in the freezer, I consider it organized :)

Patio Makeover

I had plans for posts last week... and then somehow all my time got sucked up into not feeling well, travel, family, and chaos (and some work in there). So I'm a little behind. And weekends are pretty much out for catching up because I'm out of town pretty much every weekend until March, and even if I can take a computer with me... internet access is iffy.

I really can't complain though, this was my view every morning this weekend:

but here is the patio post that I had planned for last week:

About two years ago, I bought a new mattress for the futon I had (as a couch). And then I decided I needed a real couch :) So I sold the futon frame (but the buyer didn't need the mattress to go with it)

Rather than just dispose of the mattress, I decided to come up with something I could re-purpose it into, but for about a year and a half...it just sat taking up a ton of space at my mother's house. When J moved it, she used it as a bed for a while... but after she moved out, I continued to search for the perfect use (so it would stop taking up studio space!)

Enter Pinterest, and this post.

Photo via Pinterest

I have no skills when it comes to power tools, so building the frame was not really going to be an option... but instead I got this!

Here are a few before photos of the frame (in the box) on the patio. 

It's crazy simple to put together (just open it up!) and then I just popped the mattress on top!

I did get a mattress protector to keep the mattress dry, and I had planned to DIY a weather-proof cover for it, but I found this instead, and it saved me a bit of time (and $$ overall). There is even space under the frame so that I can use the space for outdoor storage.

Here is the finished patio bed (minus pillows... I need to get a few outdoor ones).

The second photo is a pretty accurate view of the cover color (the first one came out kind of washed out, no matter what I tried with the camera :( )

I've already spent one warm afternoon lounging (and napping) out there, with my laptop and Doctor Who!

Playing Catchup

Since it was a holiday weekend (which allowed us to extend our weekend trip) I'm still playing catch up on real life :) I'll be back tomorrow with either a Patio bed update and Friday with the Pantry/ Fridge makeover for this week's Home Organization Challenge over on A Bowl Full of Lemons.

Until then...here are some highlights from the weekend!

I'm about to spend the weekend with three of my 5!!

Happy Friday (and have a great weekend!)

Soup's On!

Dreary, rainy weather is keeping me from finishing the patio project I started, so hopefully I'll have that done by next week!

Since it's raining, it's about to get cold again around here, and that means...soup! Even tomorrow in our office we are doing a soup based staff luncheon (while our attorneys go on their annual retreat)

Lately I've been into making my own soups at home, and since one of my New Year's resolutions was to eat less processed stuff, I plan to stick to that. Here are a few of my favorite homemade soup recipes:

 1, 2, 3, 4, 

Yes, they are all from Peas and Crayons... She's like my own chef (you know, where I still have to do all the actual work because she never visits!)

I do have a few others pinned to try though!

1, 2, 3

I'll let you know how those last three are (and I'll post any adjustments I make to the recipes, since at least one of those calls for pre-canned "soup" :( )

Media Organization

A while back, I read this post from I Heart Organizing, and I fell in love with these little media boxes (from the Container Store)

.

And I bought two... thinking 240 spaces (they each hold 120 dics) would be more than enough. I was wrong! :) I now have 4, and apparently am a DVD hoarder....

Since I don't have a Container Store anywhere near me (the nearest is Atlanta, but I don't make it up that way all that often), I decided to ditch getting yet another one (since I'm once again out of space, and shipping is expensive) and use what I already have!

I bought one of these to storage backup photography discs, but the system really wasn't working for me. I didn't have enough discs, and most of my photography is backed up on external drives (and online cloud systems). So this little box has just been sitting around, collecting dust.

I have many more TV episodes than movies, so I opted to keep the TV shows (and Disney/kid friendly, which wasn't pictured) in the Container store boxes, and move my general movies to these, and store them in the CD box.

The system is similar to what I had before, but costs far less. I just popped a vinyl label on the front and I was done!

And I still have some space left to grow! Although I've starting purchasing more things through Itunes, since I'm a bit of an Apple fanatic....

To easily be able to find any TV show or movie when I want to watch it, each box has one of these media inventory sheets.

I purchased them from I Heart Organizing's Etsy shop.

So there is my little weekend media organizing project. I actually got two different projects started this weekend, but only this one got finished. Details on the progress of the other later this week!

**The Chalkboard Labels on the acrylic media boxes can be found in my Etsy Shop!

Kitchen Cleanup!

So let's pretend today is Monday (for simple the purpose that I had planned to post this on Monday). The flu or something similar is going around my office and my group of friends  and Sunday I was feeling less than amazing, so I didn't finish editing all the photos. 

As part of A Bowl Full of Lemons Home Organization 101, I spent the weekend cleaning and organizing my kitchen (as well as a few other fun things as well, but I'll save that for the end of the post ;) )

 In the interest of full disclosure, here are my before photos... since I didn't clean (besides running the dishwasher), it's extra scary for you :)

No matter how much I try, the bar/ counter seems to get incredibly messy. It's a dumping ground for anything and everything that I might run around the house with :)

Some of my cabinets were not that bad, but still could use a little work. The lower cabinets seem to be the worst about getting cluttered and disorganized. And the junk drawer....well..it's a junk drawer :)

I gathered a few containers that I thought might come in handy while organizing. I ended up switching out the basket for the coffee and tea. 

I started with with the drawers. They were the easiest to empty, purge and organize as I put everything back. Here are the results:

The empty junk drawer....

And then with everything added back (minus anything I could toss or that actually went somewhere else (like the lollipop sticks). 

Here is the right side knife/utensil drawer.

I love those Oliver plates....

And here the flatware drawer (with a few more pieces than my before photo.) I got new flatware for Christmas, and so I need a new flatware tray (that has a bit more space) so this drawer will have another makeover soon :)

As for the cabinets, the upper cabinets didn't need too much work. I switched the basket with the extra coffee and tea, and removed a few items that were old or never used (or missing lids).  

I tossed all the lids for the storage containers that no longer had containers. I always tossed misc lids in that cabinet, thinking I would find their mate, but it never happened. I also recently switched to glass storage containers, so with just those up there, it feels nice and fresh.

I just straightened things up in the cabinets above the stove and fridge.

(and all of that apparently didn't get photographed... :( )

I did however get lots of shots of my clutter free counters!

As for the lower cabinets, these got a bit more of an overhaul. I took the cake carriers out and I'll be making a space for them once again in the pantry. When J was living here I needed to make more room for two people in the pantry, but now I have the place to myself again, and can use the space a little more efficiently! I moved my trays down to this cabinet, and straightened out the other baking supplies. I also moved the utensils that I use only for baking down to this cabinet. I used to keep them on the counter but it was just too cluttered.

In the appliance cabinet, I moved a few things around and got rid of my mini George Foreman. I haven't used it in over a year.... so it seemed like a safe bet to let it go.

I'm saving the inside of the fridge and freezer for the same day I clear out and organize the pantry, but I did do a little de-cluttering to the front/side of the fridge. I have a crazy amount of magnets... and no one needs that many, so a few got to stay, a few moved to the studio for use, and a few got put in the "junk" drawer so that if they are needed, they aren't far away. a new menu planning board (purchased as Target). 

So that's the first of many organizing projects over the next few weeks. I'll be tackling the fridge and pantry at the same time...and my studio is always in progress.

Getting organized!

Since one (two?) of my resolutions was to get more organized and cut the clutter in my life, I started by getting a new planner for 2013...and I got this!

My last macbook bit the dust a little less than a year ago (I still blame the roommate and World of Warcraft, sorry to the WoW enthusiasts out there :( ), and I've been waiting patiently (after trying everything possible to fix the last one) to get a new one. I love my desktop, and my iPad, but I've needed more than the iPad can handle in a travel friendly package.

I haven't gotten to do much more than the basic set up, but my contacts are synced, and over the weekend I'll have time to organize photos (Only a select amount will be loaded onto the laptop, as my desktop is my main storage space for photos and I'll be getting a backup drive for them soon.) For now, iCloud has me covered until then (and anything that it doesn't have was backed up long before). I'll also be moving most of my music (and small selection of movies and TV shows from my iTunes). I don't want to clutter it up with too much from the desktop, as more photos will be added and edited.

Oh, and I may have mirrored to my TV, just for fun ;) 

**I should mention that I just love all things Apple... they are great, long lasting products, but these are all just my own opinions, and in no way affiliated with Apple.

As for my planner, I just picked up a small weekly planner from Target. I keep many reminders and appointments in my phone, but I like to have something to write everything down in as well (it's also great for meal planning.) At the moment, my meal planning is all done on post-its.. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what will work before me in the long run.

I researched a few different options before deciding on the simple planner from Target. There was Jen's personalized planner from I Heart Organizing (but for the price and the additional items I would want to bind it with, it wasn't really budget friendly). It actually would come out more than the life planner from Erin Condren that I thought about getting for a while.

Oh, and to make it all more fun, I grabbed these sharpie pens while at Target as well. They don't bleed through the paper like the thin sharpies (although they are a bit lighter that I thought they would be)

So that's my first step in getting organized. I'll also be taking a huge step in less clutter this weekend by joining A Bowl Full of Lemons Home Organization 101 Challenge  

This is the second time around that she has done the challenge, and I plan to participate this time! Details on Monday!

2013

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays and celebrations were amazing. I know I wasn't ready to come back to my day job... I even took an extra day just to extend the relaxing (and recovering) a little longer...

Here are a few photos from New Year Eve! 

The boys looked pretty amazing in their suits (and they knew it ;) )

But now it's back to work, and on to those resolutions!

I don't really make New Year resolutions, but something about a new year (especially this year) has the potential for new beginnings all over it. So I'm making some general resolutions this year.

Resolution #1- Relax more.

I'll admit it, I don't know how to relax. I'm constantly worried about something, making myself to busy, and I definitely don't even sleep enough. I have a full time job, run an Etsy shop that does a decent amount of business, write a blog (which is always put on the back burner) and when I can squeeze out time I try to keep up with my photography.  My busy lifestyle (plus some other situations) caused my portfolio to suffer this past year, so I'm getting right on that (especially since I was recommended to do the 2014 Firefighter calender...), but I'm not going to stress myself out. 

Resolution #2- Clear the clutter.

I own too much stuff. It's just that simple. I have too many kitchen gadgets, clothes (yep, I said it) shoes (gasp!), etc, etc. When I first moved out in college, I barely had dishes (still had too many clothes) and it was simple. Over the years, I've gathered quite a bit more, and when it comes to sentimental stuff, I would call myself a hoarder ;). I keep playbills, ticket stubs, you name it, because I want to remember all the good memories that go with them, but sometimes I just need to settle for the 15,000 photographs cluttering up my hard drive (I'm gonna try to get that organized as well also).

Resolution #3- Stay Organized.

This goes with #2, but once I have a place for everything, I hope to be able to keep it that way!

Resolution #4- Eat healthier

I've done pretty well on this (thanks Jenn!), but some nights I just want to gorge on pizza or mac and cheese.  It's quick, and simple, and processed. It's the processed part I'd like to eliminate. There's nothing wrong with pizza or mac and cheese, but I'm going to try to make them from scratch  so I know what's in my food before it goes in my mouth!

Resolution #5- Exercise!

I know, it doesn't get anymore cliche than that, but I need to do it. And it's always more motivating with friends  so a few of us have decided that we are getting back into working out as often as we can (and holding each other accountable)

So there are my resolutions. Nothing to crazy and it's all stuff I've been working on already anyway, but there is nothing like a fresh new year to make you feel like you can accomplish anything!