Sunday 19 October 2014

kitchen tour

Oh it a good day here in the valley. Its a very nice fall day not sunny but not cold just the way I like them. So after a load of questions being sent my way on how I keep my tiny kitchen organised. I have taken the time to take pictures of the cabinets and share my favourite tips.

I just painted the kitchen, you can read that in my last post. This post is about the practical stuff, the down and dirty stuff., ha-ha well not to dirty. Are you ready for picture over load.
 I love pictures.

 ok I start any organising project with how you use the space. For a space to stay organised  you have to be able to put stuff back fast and easy. In the fast paise of life i don't want to be moving things around to get to the things i need everyday plus i don't like cluttered counters. I do someday live in my kitchen. I love to cook, maybe even more  then i love to eat.

we will start in the far corner. Its my baking central station. Its a family love, My family are professional bakers. I am more of a cake decorator but I do love to play around someday. As you can see, selling Tupperware in the last 2 years has really helped my cabinets get organized. oh its so freaking sexy!!!!!  so this 2 foot area is PACKED with everything for baking.
 
 The drawer under my mixer is also packed, it is so big!!! LOVE  so my scoops and measuring cups are in here. (also they are Tupperware) yes i have a problem

 Under the drawer is baking stuff too, well not all of it .I do have some big pans and cake takers in my pantry downstairs. Post to come on that. I love large Ziploc bags for stuff so i always have a  box there. A cereal sorter keeps a whole 4 kg bag of sugar and keeps bugs out. eeewwww I keep my egg cooker down here oh that thing is a hard worker in this house. I love shoe boxes too.. a lot! so in the far back one the holds my stuff from my tw choppers and the other holds my mandolin accessories. I love doing this way one because i just grab it toss it on the counter use it clean it and put it back. Second  it does not take up any drawer space. If you haven't figured it out yet I LOVE CONTAINERS. The cabinet only had on shelf when we moved in so i bought one tossed it my muffin tins and loaf pans stuff that is thin on that shelf. The other bin has some manuals that I like having close at hand.
 
NEXT I love having a sandwich press but it so big and its so heavy if i was to put it down stairs i would never use it. I got lucky that it fit perfectly between the drain pipe. my Fryer also fit perfectly between the drain. I love the use of this space, It is a waist of space other wise. I got my drawer rack from home hardware i think its the most i have ever spent on a organising thing a whopping $35 yes  i am cheap. All my dish clothes and towels fit in there YES!! ALL of them I have 8 of each i feel even 8 is much. i do towels twice a week (stinky towels eewww) so i really never run out. I also keep my sink cutting board from ikea here. I only use mr clean and Windex all the time in the kitchen that is what is in the purple bucket. On home blessing day I grab it and go clean everywhere.   

 
This is over my sink. Blue basket holds microwaveable tw.  Then food storage. Then medications. i don't like it in the bathroom and really for some reason it always ended up in the kitchen anyways.
 
The dish cabinet the most used cabinet in the house.
It hold every thing "drink". Tea and  hot coco the kettle everything to make a good cup of joe. I like having everything in one spot for 2 reasons 1 is that I know were it all is and 2 I don't buy doubles of things and i can see when  I run out.
 
on to the other side of the room. ahhh look at those wonderful shelves. Cant wait till my chalk board is done. Oh and my rocketfish stereo LOVE (thanks mom and dad and brothers )
 
first cabinet is well just food prep stuff. I have a thing about toasters in counters. Maybe one day when I have more counter space it might not drive me as crazy. But for know i have it here with a tray under it. this cabinet use to be a sink cabinet. cant complain for a $1. The biggest problem it is so wide that I could not get shelving for it. I got a shoe rack that fit perfect. Lunch kits and more TW. I love magazine holders for so much more then just books. They work great for the bowl lids. and my cutting boards hang on a small coat hook on the door.
 

the utensil drawers . pretty basic stuff here. My grater goes in here to but is dirty. Every thing has a home. i love measuring spoons lol i have 3 sets. that is the one thing I will let clients keep lots of, well max 3 sets. 
 
This cabinet shared in my back to school post
 
ok and beside the stove
there was only one cabinet here when we moved in. My dad made these for me for Christmas. I LOVE them they hold lids in one and the other is cooling racks and cookie sheets. Its important to have every inch in a small kitchen use to it fullest.
 


 
Then the pantry
This pantry makes my OCD a little nuts but its getting there. ahhhh red modular mates I love you!!!!
   
 
so that is my work in progress kitchen. This is not the last you will see of this room. Now i get to cook dinner in it right now before the man gets home from work.
 
I challenge you to find more space in your kitchen. Think out side of the box!!!
thanks!!!!!

 
 
 
 
 

Kitchen makeover on a nothing budget

OK I think I have never been so excited to share my makeover of my kitchen. Oh this kitchen is getting better over time, well that's what I think. Lets go back, WAYYYYYY back.
When my brother bought the house



Then he painted It was not bad. The red was nice just didn't go with the feel I was going for.


ugh cluttered mess

 
We have been living here for almost 3 years. I have grand dreams for the kitchen but not a grand budget. I grabbed the cabinets from a few places. A family friend and the thrift shop here for a $1, yes your see that right ONE loonie. It was luck, destiny, fate what ever you want to call it. The base cabinets fit like omg I could not have planned it better if I tried. Ok lets get on with some super eye candy. 
funny moment for a second, so I sent my husband a text well I was doing this that said "do you want to see something sexy" and this is what I sent him
OMG that is one sexy baking cabinet
hehehe
 Lets get on to the really good stuff. oh its good, well I love it and I see a very small light at the end of the reno tunnel for this kitchen.


 
We had the shelves in storage since they came off to fit the hutch in the dinning room.
The old cabinets we great for holding stuff but they were so dark and blah in that corner. I love open cabinets and or shelves. I, like a lot of people love to stuff things and have that "Out of sight out of mind" thing happen.   

waiting for paint to dry sucks sometimes this is going to cover the hole from the old spice shelves

I didn't do a lot on this side just cleaned it.


this might be the hardest kitchen to photograph.
In spring the green will be coved with the  house color.  

still waiting for the top doors to dry. but oh it looks so good.
This is the problem we have in this kitchen there is 8 walls in this kitchen ugh, and the man and I cant agree on the pantry getting doors or not. I love it open ( I love looking at my beautiful red Tupperware) and its easy to put stuff back for the rest of them. 
 
I am in love with my kitchen. Its a work in progress, but I am looking for progress not perfection.
 
Please comment, love to know what you think about the pantry door.
 
Thanks
 


Wednesday 15 October 2014

Good morning,
well I have had a flood of questions about how I run my house. Trust me we don't live in a show home. I have "clutter" and messes. We all do, even the people that look like there house is perfect.

So the questions EVERY mom has is how do you keep the house clean with kids? Well that is a challenge all in its self.  I had a light bulb lighting hit me in the head moment. I was getting so mad and upset with the kids bedrooms and playroom. We moved to this wonderful house with all this space and they still could not keep it clean. (Enter crazy mom here ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!) why am I expecting, then 5 and 2 year old to one clean like me and to know were everything is suppose to go. Heck I could not remember where it suppose to go. So I set out on a mission to be a MOM and take control of there spaces. They had some say on what we got rid of. Red is a stuffer and a hoarder, she gets that from here mother. If there is no home for something it gets tossed with anything it will fit with.

So I would litteraly sit in the play room at there level and I would get so overwhelmed. That is were we started getting rid of lots. Do they realy need 5 rolling pins in the play dough bucket and realy does the bucket have to be the size of a laundry basket NO!!!! you are the boss you control 100% what the kids have. I found a $1 store basket and the kids picked there favorite play dough stuff and that was it the rest got donated to a  friends day home. Know they have to share more of the stuff but really, is that a bad thing.

Some of my pointers in getting the kids stuff under control is getting yourself under control.They don't need that much stuff. They don't need to keep everything. you need to help them learn to not have to NEED all the stuff. You are the boss. Also if you cant clean the room why are our expectations so high for a small child.

Know 2 years latter my kids get rid of stuff all the time they really have no need to keep stuff. but I struggle more and I have to remember its ok get let go of stuff that does not make there life better. you yelling less and cleaning less is really all that is important. I will post all the other tricks I have asap.
coming soon!!!!
How to label for school age and preschool\kindergarten age
Thinking the way a child thinks
how to make a kids closet and or dresser work for you and your child.
How to get kids to help with house work.
Reds room before our big purge. How would you feel getting up every morning to this.....STRESSED!!!!


If you have any idea as well, I am always looking for cool stuff for the kids