Organizing Mondays!
I’m hitting 2009 running! I need organization in my life. When my little world isn’t in order I find myself grumpy, a little confused (more than usual!) and my creativity just stops. So organization is for me, a beautiful necessity.
So for the month of January (maybe longer!) I’m going to have Organizing Mondays!
Today, I’m starting with my pantry. Now, I don’t know about you, but my pantry has seen a lot of action since October! It’s way overdue for a little TLC!
My organization plans always include pretty…I’m not a function only girl, it has to be pretty first, functional second…it’s madness, I know…
I start by taking everything out of the pantry and purging the old or stale stuff! I clean the containers and the shelf paper and rethink my placement of everything.
My pantry is tiny, most people have a bigger one so it’s easier, but even if your’s is smaller or if you don’t have a pantry, you can still make your storage space pretty and functional with a little thought and planning.
Containers are super important. A year or so ago, I went from plastic containers to glass. I like glass much better. But whatever you choose if it’s clean and neat it’ll be great! If you decide to switch your system of storing you could do it a little at a time. Buy containers for the flour and granulated sugar one month and the next month buy for your oatmeal, brown sugar and powdered sugar. It’s so much fun to shop for containers and you can find them everywhere!
I like these for baking essentials…
I have a label maker and I’m not afraid to use it!
The Husband and I don’t eat dinner Mon.-Thurs. (we’re old, if we ate dinner every night we’d blow up!) In the winter, we sip on Hot Chocolate instead, so I like everything handy…
Back in the day when the kids were home I had tons of canned goods, I kept the bulk food on shelves in my washroom. These days, with just the 2 of us I don’t need to buy bulk! I keep cereal, popcorn and other “boxed” things in a spinning cabinet.
I love long bread baskets for foil, parchment, and plastic wrap! And the 2 shallow baskets on top hold small & gallon size zip-lock baggies. (I found these in the “bathroom supply” section at good old Walmart…they were super cheap!
This is my S’more center…thanks to my bud Gitz, I neeeed s’mores!
Don’t forget the pups! Treats & Cheerios! (I throw out a handfull of Cheerios as I leave the house, it keeps them busy for a minute so they don’t cry!)
The Boo has a super sensitive tummy. I keep Pedialite for when he needs it, which is at least once a month!
And 2 kinds of food for them…Ollie has kidney issues and can’t have meat…and although I make the white pups food (chicken breasts,brown rice, and green beans)my vet makes me include dry food in with the home-made so they get their vitamins! I know, my pups are super spoiled!
I do love these containers for keeping their food. Got them at Target!
Okay, here’s the tiny pantry all finished! 
Do you have any organizing plans for 2009? My next project is my wash room. It’s an overflow room and gets messy really fast. So that’ll be next Monday!
One hour in our house and my bride would have your order in a mess. 🙂
Wow! That is amazingly beautiful. The world just becomes round again for me when everything is clean and organized. Umm, you think that is small? Oh Robin I can make you feel so much better about your small pantry : )
We did hooks this weekend for the boys backpacks and snowpants and coats and mittens, and…
Love the bread baskets for wrap… that’s a good one! Thanks for sharing. Organizing and Joy go hand in hand for me!
Here I am again. I keep coming back because I keep learning something and getting all inspired. I would write more, but I’m headed to reconfigure my own pantry. I look forward to the laundry room next week.
Take good care,
Celesta
Could you organize my office like you organized your pantry? Awesome!
Oh, you and I would get along so well in person. I would go stay with my Aunt for a week in the summers just so I could rearrange her kitchen. We had a running joke about how many times I would use the phrase “utilize the space you have.”
Sometimes I mess up a closet just so I have something to organize again.
And I adore your s’more station.
(oh, and I just emailed Pete this morning about not being able to find the archives… guess I should have stopped here first!!!)
Oh, I love organizing! Your pantry looks AMAZING! I like your glass jars – may have to start investing in those a little at a time and I am DEFINITELY setting up a s’mores center in my pantry ASAP! Brilliant idea!
Oh it makes my heart sing. Do you know how much willpower it took not to log in to blogger or type in your address when you posted on facebook about your label maker? It wasn’t easy. So glad I finally got to sit and read it. I have tried to ‘let go’ and not be so anal about organization but I think it makes me grumpy, just like you said. So about the middle of last year, I systematically started going through and getting things like I want them. I am totally getting a label maker after this post. I can almost hear birds singing. 😉
Your pantry is like a little work of art! The shelf paper is darling.
LOVE your blog!! Did you say where you bought your class jars with the lids?
Crystal: I bought the glass jars at Walmart and Target!!!