Kitchen Declutter

Three white orchids in one pot - two have flower shoots coming up - exciting!

I love browsing homes for sale online, as you never know what perfect gem might turn up.  Plus I find staged homes very motivating.  They look so magazine-like and inviting.  I love the way staged kitchens have nothing on the bench apart from one or two items.  This was my goal when I decided to declutter, organise and clean our kitchen.

The kitchen hasn’t had this much attention since I posted about it in February 2012 so a bit of focused organisation was long overdue.  Being a place that is used 3-4 times a day (at least) to prepare meals and hot drinks, it is no wonder things migrate around and stuff gets jammed in the same old place even if that place is already full.  Items that are used frequently are also left out which adds to a messy, non-magazine look and that is not the look I am after.

Here we go, and I hope the Before photos are not too upsetting for you.

Pantry - Before

Pantry - After

Our kitchen is more than twenty years old but I don’t care, I still want it to look stylishly simple.  I love to keep it clean and organised, and even though we’re still paying off our mortgage, I think of it as mine.  If it was all new and wonderful that would be amazing of course, but I truly am just as happy with it as it is right now.

First up was the pantry.  The glasses, cups and plates on the top shelves were good, they were recently sorted through earlier in the year here.  The bottom three shelves (which includes the pantry floor) had everything taken out.  The shelves were wiped clean - I use Huggies unscented baby wipes for lots of jobs and they were great for this.  Usually I would use Spray & Wipe and a clean cloth.  I put what was going back in an orderly fashion.  Coralling like items in baskets is my preferred method.

Then it was onto the cupboards.

Frequent use cupboard - I didn't take a before picture as it was nice and tidy then, but I kept only the daily use items in this cupboard and put the plastic containers in the bottom (from the pantry).  I use these containers for taking food to work, making freezer portions and organising my pantry.

Large corner cupboard - Before

Large corner cupboard - After.  I was cooking with my orange Le Crueset when I did this, so had to shuffle to fit it in after dinner!

I weeded out items as I went.  Items that we hadn’t used in forever went straight to our guest bedroom which is my decluttering outbox ready for re-distribution.  Firstly I check with family members if they want any of it and then the rest is donated to a charity shop.

Here's a lovely long view of the kitchen.  It looks quite bare afterward (without the cat biscuit and vitamin decorations) but I can't tell you how luxurious it feels to get everything out to prepare dinner and there is bench space galore.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

Microwave area - Before

Microwave area - After.  Isn't that a thing of beauty?  It's my favourite transformation in this little project.  The plastic drawers were handy but oh so ugly.  They are now in the bottom of the pantry and may go altogether.

I was so enthused by my kitchen project that I couldn’t wait to take Before photos, as I knew the After photos would be here soon enough and look fabulous.

 

Underbench area at the other end of the kitchen - Before.  Cat biscuits and vitamins on display.

Underbench area at the other end of the kitchen -After.  And breathe out.  So calming

And in exciting news, I picked up my copy of TheLife-Changing Magic of Tidying book from the library today.  It couldn’t have turned up at a better time.  I’m only up to the preface and am already seeing that this will be a very motivating title.  Yippee!

This little ceramic dish was a 50c op shop find which is perfect for keeping the soap, sanitiser and lotion neatly in one spot by the kitchen sink.  I'm sure Martha Stewart would do exactly the same thing.

Have you been streamlining an area of your home lately?  Do share.

Uplifting Quotes

In my last post Stephanie requested I share some of my favourite quotes.  I have a lot, but here are a few of my favourites.  Some might not mean much to you, but start collecting snippets you see here and there and put them into a dedicated notebook as they speak to you.  You will love reading through this notebook as it grows fuller.

My notebooks above:  the two tiny ones go in my handbag with me everywhere and the two large ones live at home.  Yes, I ended up with four.

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I just love life.  I love people.  I love to write, that’s my gift.  I love to sing.  I have a good attitude.  I like to think I shine from the inside. - Dolly Parton

(I think Dolly’s wonderful.  She’s an amazing singer/song-writer, a gorgeous person and seems to have been around forever.)

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If we believe in magic, we’ll live a magical life. – Anthony Robbins

(I just love this saying, it’s one of my favourites and always makes me feel so good when I come across it again.)

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Happiness is a daily decision. – Unknown

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Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. – Willie Nelson

(I love Willie too.  His music is so calming and catchy and he seems really laid-back.  My dad is a big fan also, and he heard Willie being interviewed once.  Willie said his secret to good health and longevity was a big lungful of fresh air out his open bedroom window each morning.  My dad said of that ‘I don’t think it’s the fresh air he’s breathing in’.)

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From a tv programme on driving safely in icy and snowy conditions:

The key is not to look at obstacles ahead, but instead to the route ahead.  The human brain is hard-wired to look at the problem, but we must look away from the problem.

(I relate this to negativity too.  We are hard-wired to look at the negative side of things but we would do better to focus on the positive, if it’s the direction we wish to go in.)

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A positive attitude brings strength, energy and initiative.  To think negatively is like taking a weakening drug. – Unknown

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A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. - Roald Dahl

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To remain confident and positive, think about your goals all the time. – Brian Tracy

(I have many Brian Tracy quotes noted down all over the place.  I can really relate to the things he says.)

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You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.  The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. – John Maxwell

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Remember that the sudden decision to stop fighting, and just go with the flow, can be incredibly releasing.  Resistance is just so draining.  There is a beauty to gracious acceptance, an energy that leads to peace. – Nikki Gemmell in Pleasure:  An Almanac For the Heart

(I don’t take this to mean fighting literally, but in any way you are resisting something.  Change perhaps?)

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Cheerfulness and content are great beautifiers, and are famous preservers of youthful looks. – Charles Dickens

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And one more, because it’s just so cute:

I know that dogs are pack animals, but it is difficult to imagine a pack of poodles… And if there was such a things as a pack of poodles, where would they rove to – Bloomingdales? – Yvonne Clifford

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Won’t you share your favourite quote(s)?  I’d love to gather some more as you can never have too many!

Optimism

The always lovely Audrey.

I admire those for whom optimism is a natural condition.  I tend towards the optimistic side myself but certainly have my moments of pessimism and negativity.

Recently I read an interview with Anthea Turner, my favourite Perfect Housewife, about the break-up of her marriage from her cad husband.  Here are my favourite bits from Anthea’s article, which inspire me with their optimism.

I love being this age (54).  I may have been wrinkle free in my 30s, but I was a different person back then.  For me, it’s about looking the best I can for the age I am.  Women are beautiful at every stage of their life.

I’m a big fan of exercise and taking care of yourself.  ‘Use it or lose it’ is what I say.  I have also learnt that most of it has to come from within.

I don’t want to live in the past and I don’t believe in holding onto things, especially toxic situations.  It’s about understanding and learning from it so you can go forward.

I earn my money by being Anthea Turner.  I am my business, so I have to look after myself.  We can all spend days in a onesie moping around, but in the end, if you put your make-up on and get on with it, you feel better.

I’ve got more years behind me than in front of me, so I just want to make the best of it.  I also believe being the best you can be for the age you are.  Keep vital, keep interested, do things that challenge you or frighten you – these are the sorts of things that will keep you young.

It’s easy to feel bitter after a painful split, but then that’s written all over your face.  I’ve seen too many women who are bitter and end up wearing it.  I prefer to stay strong and you can’t beat smile for making you look younger.  It’s an instant facelift.

I am picking up the reins of my life and just getting on with it.

This is an unusual time in my life.  I’ve come out of a long marriage and I’m in a transitional period.  But, as a friend said to me, ‘It will all come right in the end – and if it doesn’t, it’s not the end.’  It’s a lovely way of putting it.  I value life.  I am an eternal optimist and I will love again.  I know the best is yet to come.  Although it’s been the toughest two years of my life I’ve learnt so much from it all.

She seems quite a sunny kind of character and as an aside is a gun at housework motivation.  I have her two dvds of the UK series Perfect Housewife and think I’ve worn them out I’ve watched them so often.  Yes, I agree, she’s not great at choosing men, but if she did everything right she’d be perfect.

One of my friends whom I meet for lunch every so often (always with her tiny and adorable poodle) once told me about her philosophy she has had her whole life.  She said she ‘always stays serene and calm, and knows that everything will be alright’.

She mentioned it in conversation and probably didn’t mean it to be a big revelation, but I thought what a beautiful underlying attitude to have and I’m sure it has served her well.

Why not be ‘Miss Congeniality’ to your family and friends – and yourself?  Maintain a spirit of love, happiness and optimism no matter your status in life.  That loving spirit helps to carry us through times of trouble.

I happen to have gathered a lot of quotes on optimism in my tiny French Chic notebooks that I carry around with me.  I love these notebooks.  Anytime I have to wait somewhere I always have something uplifting to read.  And oftentimes just a quick read of a favourite quote or paragraph from a book is enough to snap me out of an irritated/bored/flat mood.

I have a positive outlook because I don’t think you can function at your best if you’re constantly worrying or looking at the negative side of things.  I also think being a happy person and being motivated to succeed gives you the kind of energy you need to make other people want to believe in you and help you achieve your goals.

Actress Sofia Vergara

I really do believe that.  Happy, cheery, 'up' people who have a positive and enthusiastic outlook on life are always more fun to be around than moany moaners.  Which one would you rather be???