Pantry Pitfalls

Have you ever embarked on a project with the ideal finish in mind only to come up short of that fantasy?  Well that is indeed what happened when I decided to spruce up my pantry.  I wrote in an earlier blog that I would be reorganizing my pantry because too many cooks in a kitchen has a tendency to wreak havoc on my storage spaces especially the pantry.  I try to keep food items together in a logical manner like all baking goods on one shelf and all canned goods stacked together, but during the holidays numerous trips to the grocery and a stream of users of the pantry results in a very messy, cluttered closet.  Yuck.  I hate to open the door.  So this year I decided I would purchase more organizers to tame the mess and spiff up the walls by adding a fun contemporary wall paper (I would have preferred vintage paper but at $95+ a roll, my conservative side said "Nah!").  I explored many sites online and pinned several ideas, so I envisioned exactly what I wanted.  Here is a look at my pantry before I spent two days preparing and applying wall paper:

My pantry is  not large plus it is an odd shape.  It is a walk in closet and has a great spice organizer built  in on one side, so spices were not the issue.  Notice I have used containers of various sorts, lazy suzans for the triangular space and can organizers.  Of course the space is a mess but beyond that the can organizer works only for a specific size can.  I don't like "stuff" placed on shelves: I prefer it all be contained in a basket or plastic container of some kind, and I want all of the floor items off of the floor for easy cleaning.

This was my dream from the blog HouseofSmiths.com:

I picked this particular pantry because the size was similar to mine and the blogger added wallpaper.  I should have paid more attention to her containers as those are what make this pantry look so amazing.   I am a cook and a baker and most of my items are of that nature, so I have numerous vinegars, oils, spices plus three kinds of flours, sugars, flavorings, etc. and then I realized my husband had at least 20 different rubs, purchased and homemade, as well as numerous bottles of salts and peppers that would need to be organized within the pantry. I should have taken off the rose colored glasses but I just knew my pantry would be as beautiful.

Here are my results:

I did find bargain wallpaper, but my 10 foot ceilings meant I needed 2 double rolls of wallpaper.  This was more than I anticipated.  Also, the metal baskets are actually drawers and were somewhat expensive, especially since I decided they did not need to be mounted as I could easily get to all of the items, and I originally purchased them hoping they would work in the triangular space but no go.  They are expandable, and I do like that because I can customize them for the space.  All of the items are now housed in a container of some kind albeit not as pretty as the dream.  Reality for me also is that I will never place my flours and sugars, pastas and cereals into different containers.  I also know that I will not label things as my pantry is ever changing.  And of course maybe I am just too lazy to make those changes.  I prefer to be outside when I am not in the kitchen and the weather permits, so I will spend my time as I always do and feel good about taming the tiger in the pantry. (Secretly, I will search for beautiful containers and try to make them work as the dream must continue.)

P.S.  Sorry for the post delay.  Many technical difficulties, but mostly the technical issues are because I live in the country and rely on a wireless network that shuts down when the wind blows.  This is Texas.  The wind blows often.  Sigh!!!!!

Pamper, Protect and Purge

It seems everyone has posted their new year's resolutions, and most, if not all are about taking care of self, being more forgiving and finding a calm in all of the madness.  I am no different, so I decided that January will be my month of pampering, protecting and purging.

I will  pamper my self by beginning a new age defying regime.  Ha ha ha!  Seriously, I will try to use the rather expensive rejuvenating cream I purchased at my daughter's insistence.  This is the same child who gave me the book THE WRINKLE CURE, several years ago.  Now she tells me it was more for my hands than my face.  I told her that every wrinkle, age spot and scar is a testament to my work on the farm as a child and teen, gardening and remodeling a home.  I don't mind that my hands look like they have aged beyond my face but she seems to mind.  She also reminds me that my grandmother would never have worked outside without gloves and bonnet.  I remind her that my mother worked outdoors without such and she never seemed to age at all.  Luckily my daughter has my mother's complexion, olive and oily, while I have my grandmother's complexion, light and dry, and sadly I have not taken as much care as she did.  Now that I am retired, I do devote more time to pampering my skin and hair, but I do continue to choose simple moisturizers and masks.  I like making my own, but I will use the purchased mask until it is gone, so I don't feel like I have wasted money.  I will share the results if they are positive.

After the Target fiasco, I have taken many precautions to protect my identity although I know scammers and thieves can retrieve that information easily.  I am not sure what I will do next, but I am debating going back to cash.  It is such an inconvenience because I have to stop by the bank (I do not use ATMs) and hope that I have extricated enough cash for my purchases that day.  I do plan menus and write grocery lists, but sometimes there are just random things I want for the week, so having the cash on hand may stifle the creativity.  The beauty of the Internet, however, is I can look up prices before shopping so I have a decent idea about the amount of cash I would need.  I continue to carry a checkbook, but so few places accept checks any more and I don't like the stare down at the register by those in line behind me.  I avoid eye contact with others when I do resort to writing a check.

Purging is my last action item for January.  I WILL (caps are for me, not you the reader) purge my clothing, outdated pantry items, attic stuff and barn storage.  Makes me tired thinking about it, but I always feel lighter afterwards.  I have the hardest time deciding what goes and what stays.  I know all of  the "trendy" advice, but if I followed that then I would not have my daughter's doll furniture and table and chairs that I plan to repaint for my grand daughter.  Nor would I have had an old iron patio table base that I restored for my front porch.  My son would not have had a sweater for his ugly sweater party, and I do need dressy black heels occasionally, but I hate to buy them, so I just keep them and wear when needed.  Nobody ever knows that my black heels were purchased about fifteen years ago.

Purging also means for me weeding through magazines for ideas, ripping out the page and sending the old magazine to be recycle.  This is a painful process for me because I want to keep the entire magazine, and I do have a collection of my favorites from years past that I peruse once in awhile.  Sure I could find most of the ideas or articles online, but it is like reading a book.  I like to touch the pages.  I have always believed that the senses help us remember and touching the picture and feeling the paper definitely helps my memory.

Whether you pamper, protect or purge during the month of January, I know you will feel better at the end of the month having done one or the other.  Onward.......

Lana