I will be more organized.

      I will be more organized. That was a "suggestion" I made for the New Year. So far, so good. Of course, we are only a week into 2012. I have been working on organizing several areas of the house...maybe I should work on organizing one area at a time. I believe any change in becoming more organized is good. Regardless, of how I get there. Besides, I have all year, right?
     So I cleaned out a few boxes in the storage shed and put things where they should go. I cleaned out a few drawers and added some shelves in my sewing room for fabric. I also rented a booth in a local shop to sell my old, but not necessarily unwanted items. I do want all these items. I just know it is time to pass them on or let them go. I can't keep everything. Right, again?
     I started doing some organizing in my kitchen. 2 different areas really needed my attention. First area is my spice cabinets. When we installed our new cabinets, I had a plan for organization. I had decided to keep everything to do with everyday cooking to the right of the stove, i.e. salt, pepper, season salt, garlic powder, thyme, sage. To the left, I would place baking items, i.e. baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, apple pie spice, nutmeg, etc. It was a good plan, and works for most items. However, I lose the spices. Thinking I have used something up, I run to the grocery store and replace it. Only to find months later that I have multiples now.
     I decided to take the spices out of the cabinets and place them into a drawer next to the stove. There is no real order. I just placed them in an orderly fashion determined by the container shape or size, so that I could utilize every available inch. I now can see the spices at a glimpse. Why didn't I think of this sooner? This works! It saves additional space in the other cabinets for taller items.

     So now, let me see what I can do about the refrigerator. I reach in the refrigerator to find the feta cheese. I have to move the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, butter, horseradish, mayonnaise, and cream cheese before I can ever find the feta cheese. Now this is just crazy. Oh, and the leftovers, another issue. I forgot all about this chili, and oops, there is even an older tub of leftover chili against the back. I don't even remember when we had this penicillin pasta. What in the world is this fuzzy stuff? I have got to organize this refrigerator! I always keep my eggs in a wicker basket with a cotton lining. So, why not use more baskets. I took measurements of my refrigerator shelves and headed off for some quick shopping. I came back with 4 baskets and decided on 2 larger ones. The smaller ones will come in handy organizing my sewing room. 

     The baskets are nice heavy duty plastic. I put one on an upper shelf to hold items that I need to watch the dates closely. Items included in this basket are cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, etc. This items will not have to be moved out of the way to reach another item. These items will more likely be used in a timely manner if I have easier access to them and don't have to locate them in a cluttered mess.  I will pull out the basket and remove what is needed. I placed a basket on a lower shelf to be used strictly for leftovers. I don't want to ever lose another container of leftovers again. I recycle containers, so it is very easy to lose pasta placed in a cottage cheese container. All my leftovers will go into this basket and I will make sure the leftovers are served in a timely manner or disposed of.

     

     I love the handy baskets. Not only will these baskets keep my refrigerator more organized, but cleaner. There will be no juicy, sticky leaks on the glass shelves. Any leaks will be contained in the baskets for easier cleaning. I suppose I should have taken pictures before the organization. Nah, I think I would rather leave that to your imagination.
Now, how can I organize my sewing room?