CHUCK IT, CLEAN IT, FIND A PLACE FOR IT - Continuing the Cleanout in the Kitchen

The office was such a success, I was ready to tackle the kitchen.  Not to be overwhelmed, I counted how many drawers and cabinets there were - 21.  I could do 7 each day for three days.  Done.

For many months I have had drawers that wouldn't open well, cabinets that spilled out when opened, and a general gross feeling to all of it.  This had me thinking we needed to renovate the kitchen - new cabinets, new design and a way to make it functional.  Guess what?  It wasn't what was needed.

Baking and Mixing

Bowls and Cups

Day 1 - I began at one end and worked through 11 cabinets.  I didn't mean to, but as I made room in some, I moved items from others.  As I moved stuff out, I cleaned the shelves, the doors and the surrounding area (floor tile, toe kick, counters).  Gross!  How did I let this stuff get like this?  Out went anything I hadn't used in the last year.  Out went items with missing parts.  Out went a lot of junk!

Spice Cabinet

Pantry

Day 2 - I wasn't as excited today to start.  I knew what a pain yesterday has been and knew I had the cooking side of the kitchen to do today.  I started in the pantry and tossed expired food.  Yikes!  That took about half of the stuff cluttering up the cabinets.  I cook all the time, but obviously I don't routinely use a lot of the special products that were old.  Spice cabinet, pots and pans, under the sink (gross) and I am done.  This was definitely the harder day and lots of scrubbing.

Lucky for me 'Hoarders' was on and a wonderful backdrop to motivate me!  I pulled the TV over and let it distract me while I worked.

A full trunk headed for Goodwill - that is a lot of stuff!

Finished, I stepped back and saw that the cabinets were not bad, just need some repairs (Michael will have to do those).  The kitchen is not too small - my cupboards are open and have room to spare.  There is not a need to renovate at all, I love how it looks and how it functions.  Actually, I am thankful it is the size it is.  I can clean it easily and quickly.  I would love a second oven and a wine fridge, but I can put the roasters in the laundry room on holidays and use the second fridge for beverages.  No big whoop.

I am in love again with my kitchen!

Now I am considering which room will be next.  Two biggies are the laundry room and fabric room.  Yes, fabric room (where we store our inventory).   I should call it now the "storage-and-don't-know-where-else-to-put-it" room.  The laundry room is the same.  It has a large pantry cabinet (what I thought we needed since our cabinets were bulging), a refrigerator, and where the cats live at night.

This will have to be done with careful planning.  The men in my house will have to be at work or asleep as these areas will require some serious culling.  Will they miss it?  No. Will they notice stuff is gone?  Yes.  My younger son, Chich, doesn't do well with change and will be hostile for a few days.  So what?  I live here and his dad and I pay the bills.  Get over it!  I have left his room untouched and allow him to live in filth.  Parental lesson - close the door.  But know that when his booty moves out, I will be scouring that room and turning into a glorious guest room.  I am already planning the quilt....seriously, I have the blocks finished and am dreaming!

I hope you are feeling empowered.  If I can do this - you can.  I don't do it for hours, just a few.  Like two.  If I don't have time to quilt, cook and do my routines I will be unhappy.  So, I quilt some, clean some, and then work on this project some.  It is all about balance and peace.  I am working to find both.

NOTE:  If you look carefully at the kitchen picture, you will see the cat on the chair in the office snoozing away.  I think we are all happy with the changes!