So what are you doing with all that free time?

Unfortunately, catching up on all the stuff that I had to let slide while I was busy with school!  I have to admit though, it is really nice to be able to get out and go on a weekend without feeling guilty about leaving assignments to the last minute.  It's also nice to not have to budget that time allowance for discussion posts and assignments during the week!

The latest project is reorganizing my kitchen.  Now, this isn't as bad as it sounds, since we instituted a restaurant rack system a year or so back. That in itself helps keep me organized in the kitchen, because all my pans hang on hooks and I have a huge canister that stores all my utensils.  Chris's coffee supplies take up one shelf, and that section stays pretty much clutter free because he has to be able to get to the coffee maker!  The main problem is, though I hate to admit it, me.  When I clean off a surface, everything ends up on those racks.  Things that really should go elsewhere, like pantry goods.  The reason for this is that my pantry was a disaster. 

So today I decided I'd tackle that disaster.  First order of business...more canisters.  My canisters have a very bad habit of disappearing or being reappropriated. For example, we used my big flour canister to catch a bat that got trapped in the house.  Well, no amount of bleaching it was going to convince me to use it for flour after that!   I didn't think it had been THAT long since I'd seen those sets of cheap plastic storage containers/canisters at the dollar store, but apparently I was wrong because there was no such thing in sight when I went. Then I checked ShopKo (since it is on this side of town), and they had two sets that would pretty much have done what I wanted...but not for $90.00 apiece!!   Not wanting to drive all the way across town and fight the Saturday crowds at Hellmart, I was getting pretty frustrated.  Fortunately, about that time my friend Nancy called and when I explained the situation, was nice enough to bring me over a bag of Tupperware storage containers she never uses.  With those and a judicious clearing out of expired items (ooops),  the disaster is about 99% solved.  I still need a couple more containers for pasta, but other than that, things are much better. 

I am also debating the wisdom of turning the bottom part of the microwave stand (which has doors and shelves) into storage for the larger canisters of goods like rice, baking mix, sugar, and pasta.  That would free up a good chunk of space in the pantry cabinet.