Saturday, Look at me go...splat!

     Well I actually made it through yesterday and it was by far my worst day for the no diet coke and low carb.  It was day 4 from hell.  I did get my exercises done and I worked on some blankets after the littles left.  No sewing to speak of which was bad, but after running with kids all day I just didn't feel like it.

     I am still working at getting rid of clutter and I have really concentrated on the kitchen the last two days.  When ever I go up to make myself a cup of herb tea, I clean a cupboard while the kettle heats up and the tea steeps.  I was able to down size 8 different pots and large bowls.  I also threw away about 25 items from under the sink after consolidating things.  My sissie buys me all this cleaning stuff I don't use and don't realize I have.  So now that I know I have 4 boxes (yes 4) of swiffer wipes,and 2 boxes of swiffer dusters I will use them.  Thanks sissie.

     So I cleaned out the lazy susan and my corner cupboards,  putting things I love to use at easy access.

Don't look at the dirty floor, hub's is about to mop.  See all my bowls I use religiously.  The colored ones have lids and it is so nice to store things in the fridge and reuse over and over, so no waste of plastic.  The blue covered casserole is perfect for shepherds pie and scalloped potatoes or any hot dish it was way up in the top of a cabinet I cannot get to with out a small ladder.  I am short.












Here are a set of old fashioned bake wear given to me by my older neighbor.  I love these.  They can go from freezer to oven and bake with lids.  Again perfect for a no waste scenario.  I know she bought them from one of those old fashioned catalogs and spent a pretty penny.  But where were they?  Up in the top of a tall cupboard.  Stupid.

 See the cleaned out cupboard?  I will clean out another food cabinet next week that is always a mess and reuse this space.  The bottom cupboard holds my toaster, bread and mixer and measuring things that I use daily.

  I am going to remove the two Almond cake trays to another cupboard.  It will be so nice to have this room for food stuffs.














Here is the tall cupboard I told you about on the top shelf are vinegar and molasses and glass wear and glass wear and things that are used very seldom.  My wheat grinder and blender and rice cooker take the bottom of the high cupboard and I can reach these, with my kitchen stool.



     Now I ask myself, why didn't I do this a long time ago?  I don't know.  Mom, grief, not slowing down long enough to realize what could be done.  My Sissie would be so proud of me.

     Now speaking of Sissie, she buys spices when she comes here because she is a fabulous cook and she does most of the cooking.  But she doesn't really look hard to see what I have probably because my stuff is such a mess.  Even though I know she has reorganized my spices several times over the years.  Well I went into both spice cupboards, and combined the duplicated spices and jars that were almost empty.  Why do I need 3  one quarter filled jars of nutmeg?  Four jars of dill?  Three jars of partially filled cloves?  You get the drift.  By the time I was done, I had 31 jars and boxes to throw away and my spices and baking things are so much easier to get to.  Again for someone that cooks almost constantly why?

     So combine the last two days and I have downsized another 64 things from my life that were aggravating me so to speak.

     I just need to keep tackling, the closets and cupboards.

     I was able to use a large bag of frozen tomatoes and two packages of meat balls and another box of pasta, from storage and the freezer. yesterday.  Eating down and saving money.

     Today hub's and I are going to run around to the second hand stores looking for a large basket for dog toys and old silver for the wedding center pieces.  It is just something to do that we enjoy and we might go out to a late lunch with a gift card.

     I pulled out a large package of chicken breasts out of the freezer for tomorrow and what ever else I can come up with during the week.  Using it up is the motto around here.  I think I am making headway on the upstairs freezer, but the one in the garage is another story.  A work in progress,

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim