Pantry update!

I showed you my pantry here. When I did this pantry make over I had a hard time finding shelf liner I liked  I finally settled with the red and white checks. I did like it ok but the more I lived with it the more it bothered me. It was way to busy.

I decided to paint and I love how it turned out.

I emptied the pantry and got rid of expired food and moved some things that I no longer wanted in there.

I started by painting the walls WSU Gray... yes that is the actual color. Scott has a "man cave" That is WSU Cougar colors. I used his leftover paint. I chose not to paint the top section because I was afraid it would be too dark. I may go back and do this section when I do the touch up. (I always have touch up after my paint dries!)

I painted each of the shelves white, left over paint from Maddie's room. I couldn't find the saw horses..this worked. ;) The grass is dead from a game we played in that spot.

Then I put it all back together. This seriously took me like 4 hours.
Here is the finished product...

It looks so much cleaner with out the busy red and white checks.

I moved the pasta, rice and dry foods to the top shelf.

to make room for the cereal and breakfast foods down lower

I did some rearranging and got some new jars.

The cereal basket is from Hobby Lobby,  Kuerig basket is from Fred Meyer, all other baskets are from 

Jo Anne's. The black wash tubs that hold my flours and paper plates etc are from the dollar store. Spice packet holder from Jo Anne's. All wire shelves are from Target. Jars are from Target, Goodwill, Garage sales and my garage, I love me some bottles and jars! The cute labels are from the Farm Chicks store that is no longer open. My plan is to use my chalk board vinyl on the ones that do not have labels. Wire baskets on top shelf are from a garage sale about 5 years ago... I knew they would come in handy!

 Here is the before.... cute... but too much for my taste.

and now...

 I totally didn't have time for this project but I'm glad I did it. CHECK! 

Next up is my store room... uhg... one trip to Costco and that place is a mess again... I need some organization/purging/rearranging in there! Good thing those are 3 things I LOVE! ~Shelby

baskets!

I showed you my pantry in progress here. I should have named this blog  Life  In Progress, cuz I use that phrase alot!

I still haven't painted, the red gingham is kinda getting to me, but lets get real here, I want/need to paint our master, Conner's bathroom, re-paint the laundry room, ... the list goes on. I need a schedule! Plus Spring is here so I have out side projects!! Focus Shelby!

 Anyhow...

I saw these for 50% off at JoAnne's. Perfect size.  Not white and  no chalkboard label like I thought I wanted, but I like the natural color and the weave would allow me to add my own label........ in my spare time. ;)

AND I saw this basket for 50% off at Hobby Lobby, one handle was broken so I got it for 75% off. I just broke off the other handle and it is perfect for my cereal. I was needing something bigger.

I am still crazy about this storage solution! Works great!

Here it is as of today,

I showed my chalkboard magnetic pantry door project here.

I will be sure and show you when I paint in there (that red is really bugging me)

I better go start.... or finish, a project!! ~Shelby

Pantry organization and my cereal storage solution

Good morning! It is still beautifully snowy outside this morning! As much as I have the spring bug, I must admit the sun shining with frost and snow blanketing everything is a gorgeous site to see!

 I recently did a pantry beautification/organization. You all know I have some issues and things that are organized, functional and look good are kinda my thing.

Here some of the ways I keep my pantry tidy and organized. First I removed everything. I bought the checkered liner at Fred Meyer, and lined all of the shelves. Someday I would like to paint the shelves and go with clear liner.

Bins and baskets. I do wish mine all matched, but I used what I had on hand. I may get busy with some spray paint if I don't find some that are perfect at the right price. Most of the plastic ones are from the dollar store. The wicker type ones are from Fred Meyer, or TJ Maxx. White baskets with a little chalk board label would be perfect and I'm on the look out.

But for now.... Instead of keeping all of the granola bars, breakfast bars, microwave popcorn etc. in their boxes (that never get closed) I dump them in to a bin, labeled of course. Small spice mix packets are in a small wood bin I found at Jo Ann's. Floor space is used for bulky items. Bins for corralling flour and sugar, small bags of chips, potatoes, and my back up coffee pods.

Jars. I put items we always have in the pantry in jars, also anything I buy in the bulk bins at the grocery store. These go on sale often and can be found at thrift stores and TJ Maxx type places for cheap. Tape on cute labels, the cute ones I used were from The Farm Chicks store that is sadly now closed, you can add instructions for preparing as I did with my oatmeal. Scrap book paper also makes for cute labels. I just taped on with packing tape.

Group like items together. Mac and Cheese, Top Ramen and Maddie' s favorite dry soup go in a basket together. All the pasta is put in a basket together.Canned goods are grouped together on risers, all wire shelves are from Shopko. All breakfast foods are on a shelf together. As well as baking stuff etc.

 

Cereal boxes are so bulky and take up so much space. Here is my solution.  I take all bags out of their boxes. I made clothes pin labels to tell what is what, and put them all in a big basket.

Here is a how to make your own cereal clothes pins. It is easy peasy.

You will need, scissors, clothes pins and chalk board con-tact paper. Chalk pens work best because of the small surface you will be writing on. (I also used the con-tact paper and chalk pen on some if the jars.) I could only find both the con-tact paper and the markers at Michael's.

Simply measure and cut con-tact paper to the width of the clothes pins, remove the backing and stick it on. Trim any over hang with tiny scissors. Then write the kinds of cereal. These don't have to be perfect...

Place them all in a big basket.

Lastly here is a full veiw.

So, does my pantry always look this tidy? No, but pretty close. It just needs a little straightening now and then. With a place for everything, everything is almost always in it's place.

Office recap and a few of my favorite things!

I did it! I knocked off every office goal on my list yesterday! My husband even went through every thing in his pile. (Thanks baby!) Wish I had taken before pictures! Here is the after...

You can actually see the floor!!!

A spot for each kiddo's school work.

Cut down on the books... again! At least they all fit in the basket. I did box some up to save for my Grand babies!! :)

Ordered my CD boxes and I got a waste basket!

A few of my favorite things!!

#1. The office! It is clean and organized. It is such a satisfying feeling to complete a project!

#2 Thankful that I can be here for my sick little kiddos, Maddie was home Thursday- Wednesday. She went back today and now I have Conner home. Thankful to be a stay at home mom.

#3. Signs of Spring!!! A few robins were in my yard this morning! The pussy willow tree up the road is in bloom! Spring is on it's way and I'm ready!!

#4. I'm a sky watcher. When the sun goes down, the mountainside behind my house is breathtaking.

I love the rosy glow and the way the trees become illuminated.

#5. Basketball. Conner has had a great season. He has improved so much. I'm also thankful this is the last week!! I'm ready for a lull before spring sports start.

                                                                                      
Think Spring!!! ~Shelby

PURGE PARTY~ the office

I am a tidy person by nature. I like things orderly and neat. I am a huge fan of organization;  list, schedules and charts make me happy. I think this is both a blessing and a curse.

I feel like order calms the mind, and makes for a calmer rhythm in your life. I know that if I am stressed by messes and chores undone I am not the mommy or wife I want to be. I believe that most, if not all, children thrive in an environment that is calm, clean and clutter free. I am a cleaner upper all day. I so dislike not being able to find things!

I tend to "lose it" when my house isn't in order. While this has improved, I still become a bit edgy when the house is a mess and the chores aren't done. This is usually when I begin the lecture on my beloved family not taking care of their stuff. It is typically after a few weeks of our lives being busier than I like. As I have said before... I enjoy a slower pace and believe I am a better me when I'm not crazy busy.

We have lived in our house for almost 3 years. I got rid of a bunch before we moved but as we have lived here I feel like a big purge is necessary. We have toooo much stuff. I am going to go room by room and get rid of anything I don't need, use or LOVE!!!

I am tackling the office today. It is room that has never truly gotten finished and where everything that doesn't have a home winds up. I want to reclaim this space as a place for work. The decor need to be pared down and the paperwork organized. Eventually I'd like this room to be painted and "decorated", but organized is the first step. Sooo, here's my plan for today.



Goal #1. A waste basket would be nice in here, don't ya think? The last one cracked so I tossed it and have yet to replace it.

Goal #2 Move Lego and block bins to hall closet... which means the dreaded picture box (we are talking BIG box! It is ridiculous!) must be gone through and organized. I will get to that job, in the mean time the picture box will sit quietly in the corner of the living room.

Goal #3 Clean off desk and create a place for kids to put school work that need to be worked on.

Goal #4 Clean out file drawer and side drawer, then reorganized these spaces.

Goal #5 Children's books. I have them all in a big basket and I MUST get rid of some more. I have done this 3 times already, I love them all too much.

Goal #6 Pare down clutter, this room has way too many nicknacks.

Goal #7  Need to order storage boxes for huge box of Cd's.

Goal #8 Get my people to go through their piles I may have created during this process.

Goal #9 Move piano to the shop. Takes up too much space and no longer has a little girl to play it. (will wait till spring)

Goal #10 Final touches!!

So here goes!!