Another Drawer Overhaul

So the kitchen......it's a hub of activity, and is the most visited room in the house, next to the bathroom perhaps. What this really means is, no matter how tidy you get it, at some point, it's going end up getting cluttered and disorganised.

That's okay! Between dinner parties, grocery nights, kids meals and all the rest of it, it is completely normal and acceptable to end up with something a little less Martha Stewart, and a little more Hoarders. Don't beat yourself up over it, just get in and spend 5 minutes at a time straightening things out. Heck, if you're feeling up to it, spend an hour or two! It really doesn't matter how much time, so long as you get to it somewhat regularly. 

You've already seen my Fridge Overhaul here, and some of my other drawers and cupboards getting a spruce up here and here. Now I'm going to show you my 'Pantry Drawer'; the drawer that gets used as a mini pantry because our actual pantry is too deep to store tins and jars effectively. A few months ago I had the lightbulb moment to swap out a drawer full of spare crockery for the most accessed food items we had in the pantry. Although it still isn't my dream pantry option, it's a darn sight better than before. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the true 'Befores' of our kitchen. This 'blogging about everything I do in the house through images' thing is still relatively new to me! Never the less, behold my drawers!

Maybe I should call this a Jumble drawer, as opposed to a Pantry Drawer? Anyway, regardless of it's name, this drawer holds sundry food items in all shapes and sizes *limited to the height of the drawer, sometimes frustratingly so (damn you condiment bottles!). This is where you'll find all of the makings of a good cup of tea or coffee, except for the teabags. See I have a nice box for those, and I couldn't bear to bury it in here. You'll also find all the possible toast toppings, and milk add-ins amongst the tins and jars of, well lots of different things you really couldn't care about. Oh and also, those annoying packets of sugar/dried fruit/flour that wouldn't fit in the pretty pantry container you bought for them....yeah, they're in that blue-lid container.

Everything out! Always! I hope you know this by now? Look at all the treasures I found...hair, stale chip, plastic wrapper. Mm mm. Okay, now wipe it out.

So, the contents are out, now what? Turf what's out of date, condense what's doubled up, check your fridge to see if it's ready for the new jar of pickles, plan some meals around things about to go out of date, cross off that jar of seeded mustard you had on this week's shopping list (you have two already), and wipe everything down.

Then put it all back in again, but NICELY. Sort by height or food type, it's up to your preferences and the way you use your kitchen. I sorted by height and type, and by the confines of this rather small drawer. I found a use for the silly small containers you get in the 'Value Packs' by filling them with things I wanted easy access to and packet leftovers like Custard Powder, and zippied up some popcorn for B4's snack.

Optional extra: Make labels for your containers so that the men can find them (sorry boys, but it's too often true). Fun Facts: In the Yoghurt Topping container is a special mix I made up for B4's snacks. I whizzed up some Arrowroot biccies, almonds, flax seed and oats for a crunchy and nutritious yogurt addition. B4 loves it, and I no longer feel guilty about the flax seed (lindseed) I spent a mint on and then promptly stopped using. The snack box is stocked up with biscuits and sultanas for quick dashes out the door with B4. I try not to go anywhere without a drink and a snack for him. It buys me time and sanity.

Now stand back and admire your handiwork! No really, admire it, take photos of it, make sure you got that image locked in your memory somehow, because in a few hours, the downhill slide will begin....

For a bit of a giggle, see what I found here when Google-Imaging 'Messy Kitchen'. This is why I spend so long on the darn computer. Google Images. Anything you could ever imagine to find is at your fingertips. And now there is Pinterest, so that you can SAVE all of the said images! I HATE YOU GOOGLE! GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK.


xo Cassie