Kitchen Declutter ~ Before & After

Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Og Mandino

Decluttering, downsizing and simplifying. Those words are my mantra these days though I am still a long way off from my goal of implementing these ideas in full. I am part of a Christian Women's Group that is using the month of January to declutter and we are encouraging one another so I feel I am making progress. The Og Mandino quote above is not so much about decluttering the house but decluttering one's life. My feeling is that one needs to declutter and simplify one's surroundings (home, office,private spaces) before one can declutter a life and focus on fully seizing the precious moments in life.

Here is a little project from the weekend that involved cleaning out my kitchen drawers and lower cupboards. It involved purging the "junk" and reorganizing things to make the drawers and cupboards tidier as well as more efficient.

Drawer #1 - Before photo

The cutlery drawer was not organized as such but was cleaned. Now I'm thinking I would like a new cutlery tray. I don't even remember where I got this cutlery tray but it is truly ancient and I don't even like brown. I have a knife block but I find I like to keep my knives in their sharpening holders (the white things on the right). There is also block for knife sharpening at the back of the drawer.

Drawer #2 - After photo

This is drawer # 2 Before photo

This is drawer #2 After photo

I decided it wasn't tidy enough and it looked like it would quickly get disorganized again, especially when my roommate rummages around. To remedy this, I went to purchase some inexpensive plastic baskets to keep things better organized. This is what the drawer looks like now.

In the back (left) are gadgets we don't use that often. On the right, are items we use almost daily. In the fore are the measuring spoons and few gadgets that we use often. After adding the plastic organizer there was no longer room to store the blender but I kept the beaters there.

You might wonder about the blue plastic. It came as a "gift" in the plastic baggie box. It is a reusable plastic cover for bowls. I know that many in the frugal movement would not use plastic and/or disposable wraps, etc. I agree that reducing usage and reliance on disposables is an excellent idea. I do it in other areas of my life. For example, I use re-usable totes for food shopping and other shopping. Where I have to rely on store provided plastic bags, I re-use these rather than toss them as part of my overall "reduce, reuse, recycle" effort. These days I seldom have to use a plastic shopping bag as I usually have my own with me. Once I've simplified my life, I can perhaps make some reusable wrapping products or I can buy some here. At least it is something to think about.

This drawer is a catch all for hammers, screwdrivers and pliers, as well as some bungee cords and various weights of string for packing. We also keep our flashlights here for those power outages that occur from time to time. I do have a small tool box which I keep in a closet as well but it doesn't hold much and it isn't handy for those quick jobs that always need doing around the house which is why I keep the tools in the drawer.

Drawer # 3 Before photo

Drawer # 3 After photo

Here is the final After photo of the same drawer after adding one plastic tray. It might still look a little cluttered but everything is neatly stored in zip-log baggies (like-with-like) to keep them from spilling all over and getting jumbled.

This is what the drawers look like when they are empty. I put the ivy patterned mactac in the drawers when I first purchased the condo. I like the pattern and I also like the ease of wiping the drawers clean with this coating on them.

The bottom kitchen drawer in the Before photo below, is probably for holding pots and pans. I was using it for linens and such. Over time it became a catch all for other kitchen items that didn't fit anywhere. It had become a place where I feared to look.

It is much neater now in the After photo below. I've decided to keep my nicer damask table cloth, napkins and place mats in here. I probably should take them out of the plastic bags and find something more suitable so they can breathe. I'm thinking of trying to make something like this linen keeper (fabric not yet decided). The brown wooden chest contains my collection of better flatware.

A close up of the flatware. For every day use, I have a mismatched assortment for daily use pictured in the first photo in this blog (above). The set was wasn't always mismatched. Somehow though, cutlery pieces just seem to go astray, much like socks disappear when doing the laundry.

A side cupboard in the photo below has undergone several usages. The most recent is storage for the thermos and juice flasks, food wrapping materials (plastic, foil, baggies, wax paper), and big jugs of vinegar for cleaning.

The lower shelf has two plastic trays. I've placed one in the very back where I've put my new dish cloths and tea towels. In the front, I have my apron and another daily use table cloth, as well as the electric beater.

I have two of these side cupboards, pictured in the photo below. One on each side of the kitchen sink. I don't actually like them because they have very small doors and it is hard to reach into the back of the cupboards to clean them or to reach things you need. But I must make use of them as that is what I have. One side of the cupboard is for plastic containers, mixing bowls, and saucepans as well as glass bake ware. Other pots and pans are stored in the stove oven and in the stove drawer. A few larger pots are stored atop the kitchen cabinets.


The cupboard on the other side (pictured below) is used for food storage. The upper food shelf is for canned goods as well as dried items like legumes, beans, etc. The lower shelf (at back) is for baking items (like sugar, coconut, specialty flours) and small baskets of potatoes and onions/garlic. This side of the cupboard will need more organization but for now this clean up will do.

Whew! I think I accomplished a lot. Not only did I clean these shelves and drawers and reorganize them but I had to go out and purchase some new baskets, tablecloth and dish towels too.

I have much more de-cluttering and organizing to do in the apartment over the coming weeks and months and the kitchen is not entirely done yet. But I have made some good progress this month.

Later this week, I will tackle some of the unpacked boxes in the living room. I also hope to begin going through some of the unpacked boxes in my bedroom. Some of you who follow my blog will remember we had a fire in May 2009. We were lodging in a hotel for several months. Now that we have moved in and have a lot of new furniture (replaced by insurance) I have a lot of things I want to eliminate. I was contemplating a major de-clutter project before the fire but after the fire, I didn't have any choice! Now that I am retired I can also get rid of boxes and boxes of files and papers I no longer need or wish to keep.

As we enter into 2010, I find many people are de-cluttering. How about you? What de-cluttering projects do you have underway? If you are like me, clutter makes you feel disorganized and somewhat overwhelmed. Cleaning up the clutter frees up my mind as well as my spirit and makes me feel so good!

Good luck with your de-cluttering.

Book Swap Opportunity

Since September I have been having a struggle with my health more so than usual. I haven't been able to do much of anything so when I am up to it I've been catching up on some long overdue reading. The books I'm reading are those I've had on my shelves for awhile.

The three books in the photo below are some of my more recent reads:
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton, and
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

Each of these books is well written. I'll try not to give too much away in my brief review of the books.

The Prodigal Summer is a surprisingly satisfactory book all around. I unexpectedly found myself laughing out loud at various points in the book. A welcome relief in a book filled with serious subject matter.

A Map of the World was a tad depressing and had I known of the subject matter, alleged child abuse against a school nurse, I might have saved the book to read another day. As it was, I found the book well written. This carried me through to the end though I really wish there had been more levity in the book to compensate for the grief and anguish felt by several of the book's characters.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter deals with a heavy subject matter. A doctor ends up having to oversee delivery of his wife's twin babies. One of them turns out to be a Down's Syndrome baby. What ensues is a complicated but compelling story. The book is very well written though I do have a minor beef concerning the overuse of one cliche where two people's eyes meet across a room and volumes of unspoken communication and intimacy results between the parties.Use of this cliche may have been forgiveable if only used once, but the writer uses it at least 3 times in the book. Other than that, I did find the book quite satisfying. I was grateful that the author did not write a book with complex characters and plot line and give it a nice, pat, happy ending. In leaving things somewhat unresolved, the author chose instead to reflect what might have happened in reality.

I hope I don't put you off by indicating that all of these books deal with heavy subject matter since they are all well written books that bring some insight into the human character and psyche. I'm interested in a book swap for one or all of these books.

If you are interested in a book swap, let me know what books you have available for a swap! I've added links to each of the book titles (above) so you can read more about the books. You can also click on the photo to enlarge it. I hope to hear from you soon.

Help for Haiti

By now virtually everyone will know of the devastating earthquake and aftershocks that continue to rock the small nation of Haiti in the Caribbean. I've practically been glued to the television set as I watch for signs of life in the rubble and PRAY for any signs of good news in this truly tragic situation. I have been praying for international aid and assistance to reach these dear people as soon as possible.

Today I was deeply moved by the generosity of my Canadian countrymen and the generosity of the many other nations and individuals that have stepped up to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. There are many organizations on the ground in Haiti to which one can donate funds. You can read about the Canadian aid agencies here. If you are not in Canada, many of these agencies have international counterparts.

[All photos are the property of Mail Online
Click photos to enlarge]

Canadians can donate to charities through text message. The Salvation Army began its "text-to-donate" program on Thursday, whereby Canadians can make a $5 donation by texting HAITI to 45678 from Rogers Wireless or Bell Mobility, and then confirming with a YES reply. World Vision Canada is encouraging people to use social networking sites to challenge others to donate in a campaign called $10 And Pass It On. That is where I gave my donation. I encourage you to do likewise if you are a Canadian reader as every $10 counts toward helping someone.

Americans can donate to the Salvation Army by texting a message with the word 'Haiti' to 52000 for a $10 donation. You can also text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief efforts for Haiti. The amount will be added to your cell phone credit card bill.

For more information about the aid agencies around the world that are providing assistance to Haiti, here is one short summary article disaster and relief aid to Haiti.

Button Bird

There is always something interesting to see when out and about.
Our city has some kind of initiative where artists sculpt animals using a particular theme and when they are done these sculptures are displayed in public outdoor places. After a certain period of time the sculptures are auctioned off. Last summer, cattle were on display. Right now it appears to be eagles sculptures on display.

When I was out recently I came across what I am calling the button bird. I call it that because it is in the style of northwest coast Indian button blankets but the buttons are painted ones rather than real ones. See tons of wonderful images of button blankets here.

This plaque says the eagle sculptures will be auctioned in Spring 2010.

The Bible tells me that God created everything and owns everything including the great animals and birds that bring such beauty to our lands.

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills
I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

Psalm 50: 10-11 (KJV)

God created these things for our enjoyment and His and for these.

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Isaiah 45: 18 (KJV)

Yet man in his desire to consume and control has destroyed much of what God created for us to enjoy.

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 24:5 (KJV)

The destruction of the earth and its inhabitants, people and animals alike, causes me sadness when I really think about. But I am grateful to those men, women and children who do their part to appreciate this wonderful creation. Anything we do, great and small to preserve this great beauty of the earth is a wonderful way we can appreciate and preserve it for the generations to come. It's another new year
and that gives us all another new chance at doing our part for the environment and the animals and people in it. God bless.

Before and Almost After ~ To New Beginnings

A few weeks before Christmas there was a huge fire a few blocks away. It destroyed several old buildings, all of which housed restaurants, funky coffee shops and hip clothing. Read about it here.

It was several more weeks before I could take these photos of what was left behind from the fire.

The photo below is where the Mexican restaurant, Zocalo used to be. I never had a chance to try it.

Just the other side of Zocalo was a funky coffee shop called Lugz. It had a long and loyal following.

The photos below show the remains of two long standing restaurants: Slickity Jim's Chat n Chew and the wonderful, Kishu (Japanese restaurant). The Kishu is a chain of japanese restaurants in the City and this particular one did not have a website of it's own.

Somewhere along the line I did take some photos of food I ate at the Kishu. The food there was always tasty and also good for the budget.


Yesterday, as I was on an errand, I saw these scenes ...

A lot of clearing has gone on since Christmas. I am eager for the rebuilding to take place and I do hope the previous owners are able to continue with business though I see that Slickity Jim's Chat n Chew is now permanently closed.

The hip clothing store was affected by smoke damage but was able to re-open within days at a location just a few doors down. I am not sure what all the others owners and staff have ended up doing but whatever it is, I know it must be trying times and I send out positive thoughts and prayers for their rebuilding efforts in these recessionary times.

I also send out my best wishes and prayers for each of you my blogging friends and your families. May God hold you close in the palm of His great hand in 2010. May He give you a blessed New Year despite whatever raging circumstances there may be around you, as you keep your heart and mind focussed on Him; the great and sovereign Creator God.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26