As you might recall, a few weeks ago I posted about the preponderance of steel-cut oats I discovered in our kitchen cabinet.
This morning I thought that I should use some of these oats, so I made myself some nice oatmeal with the John McCann steel-cut irish oats (the ones that come in a metal can). If you have ever made steel-cut oatmeal, you'll know that it's a much longer process than usual oatmeal. You can't make them in the microwave. You must boil 4 cups of water, add 1 cup of oats, and stir until they start to thicken...and then simmer for 30 minutes.
When I took the oats out, I thought I detected a slightly rancid odor, but I thought it was probably my imagination or the can. I was wrong.
After eating a whole bowl of oatmeal that didn't taste quite right, I googled "steel cut oats rancid," and sure enough, discovered that they can indeed go rancid!!
There was no expiration date on the tin, so who would have known? But obviously, we have had them for a long time--they are such a hassle to make, plus they were buried back behind all the vases and I forgot we even had them!
Most web sites advise keeping steel-cut oats in the refrigerator to prevent this from occurring. Already, we keep our flour in the fridge (to prevent mealy bugs), so I guess this will free up more cabinet space! And yuck--I think I need to go eat something else to get rid of that taste!! They weren't inedible (and I had put pieces of chrystallized ginger and dried apricots in them, so they masked the flavor somewhat), but the knowledge that I ate rancid oatmeal bothers me more than anything!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
January: Week Four, "Whip Your Kitchen Into Shape"
Yes, I know it's the last day of January. So I'm a tiny bit behind...
I'm not completely done with the kitchen yet, but I expect to be this weekend. This doesn't include the kitchen nook, though--that will have to overflow into the bedroom month.
Author Regina Leeds talks about how to prepare for an organizing project (choose your peak time of day--in my case, there's not much choice--evenings are really the only time I have available for this task).
She advises a second round of speed elimination. I skipped that step because my first speed elimination was fairly thorough...although I'm regularly discarding items as I tackle each section of the kitchen.
Leeds approaches each section or aspect of the kitchen:
Kitchen tools: She advises where to keep them, and suggests that we really don't need multiple can openers, wine bottle openers, nutcrackers, garlic presses, etc. This is generally not an issue for us because I have regularly weeded through our gadgets.
Take-out stuff: She suggests discarding any extra chopsticks, soy sauce, etc. I think I have a few of these in my fridge, and when I clean my fridge today, out they will go! Also, she suggests keeping takeout menus in a binder.
Large equipment: She suggests storing large, seasonal, or rarely used appliances in out-of-the-way areas. As I've previously written, I've already been following this philosophy.
Countertop items: I do not like having a lot of crap on my counters, so the only items we regularly keep there are (1) a tea kettle, and (2) a compost container. When I clean out the cabinet under the sink this weekend, though, I think I'm going to look for a way to move the compost container. The tea kettle is used SEVERAL times a day, so it makes sense to keep on the counter.
Baking gear: I already moved my Christmas cookie cutters (as she advises), and have weeded through my baking equipment.
Food storage containers: This is another area I've stayed fairly well on top of. We don't have tons of Tupperware or other storage containers...and the ones we have, we use regularly. (I often take leftovers in my lunch.)
Paper and plastics: We do buy paper products in bulk, but we keep them in the basement out of the way.
Dishtowels, potholders, and aprons: I weeded out the dishtowels, potholders, and aprons when I cleaned the linen drawer and one of the kitchen cabinets, and consigned the older dishtowels to rags, as Leeds suggests. She also suggests rolling the dishtowels to save room.
The pantry: She suggests organizing the pantry into categories and using shelf dividers.
Pet food: I skipped this section because we don't have any pets.
The refrigerator: She has some suggestions for refrigerator organization, but nothing that I hadn't already thought of.
But here is one thing that made me think: Leeds says that "refrigerator poeple come in two basic types: those who cover theirs with magnets, notices, and photos, and those who like an unadorned refrigerator. I would urge you to either join the latter group or at least pare your items down to a minimum."
Now this is radical notion for a busy family with three kids. Our refrigerator was adorned with magnetic poetry, various types of adult and kid magnets, notes, grocery lists, reminders, kids' drawings, and photos. No longer! This morning I took down all the photos and notes, got rid of a lot of the magnets, and consolidated the remaining items to the sides of the fridge. (Because we live in an old 1938 house, our refrigerator is a stand-alone item and is not surrounded by cabinets.) Finally, I took down all of the magnetic poetry that we've had up for over 15 years. Now that was quite a task! Do you know how long it takes to remove magnetic poetry? I haven't yet cleaned the front of the fridge yet, but when I do it will be very exciting. I really like the cleaner, bare look! Leeds is right that a cluttered fridge "looks messy and feels chaotic."
Shopping lists: Leeds keeps her own shopping lists in three sections, for each store at which she shops. I love the shopping lists on Cozi, because I can create one for Trader Joe's, one for Costco, one for Fred Meyer, and one for New Seasons.
Under the sink: I'm going down under today!! I don't think it's too bad under there, but we shall see!
The junk drawer: Check--I did this last night while Mike and I were watching a movie. I'll post photos later.
The kitchen counter office: Don't have one of those, but we do have a kitchen nook, which attracts a lot of clutter!!!
Leeds ends the chapter by talking about creating new habits and reminding us that she had said at the beginning of the chapter that it takes 21 consecutive days to form a new habit. I do feel that Mike and I are both much more focused on keeping the counters clean and cleared before we go to bed. And each time I open a cleaned cabinet or drawer, I feel such a great sense of satisfaction!!
I'm not completely done with the kitchen yet, but I expect to be this weekend. This doesn't include the kitchen nook, though--that will have to overflow into the bedroom month.
Author Regina Leeds talks about how to prepare for an organizing project (choose your peak time of day--in my case, there's not much choice--evenings are really the only time I have available for this task).
She advises a second round of speed elimination. I skipped that step because my first speed elimination was fairly thorough...although I'm regularly discarding items as I tackle each section of the kitchen.
Leeds approaches each section or aspect of the kitchen:
Kitchen tools: She advises where to keep them, and suggests that we really don't need multiple can openers, wine bottle openers, nutcrackers, garlic presses, etc. This is generally not an issue for us because I have regularly weeded through our gadgets.
Take-out stuff: She suggests discarding any extra chopsticks, soy sauce, etc. I think I have a few of these in my fridge, and when I clean my fridge today, out they will go! Also, she suggests keeping takeout menus in a binder.
Large equipment: She suggests storing large, seasonal, or rarely used appliances in out-of-the-way areas. As I've previously written, I've already been following this philosophy.
Countertop items: I do not like having a lot of crap on my counters, so the only items we regularly keep there are (1) a tea kettle, and (2) a compost container. When I clean out the cabinet under the sink this weekend, though, I think I'm going to look for a way to move the compost container. The tea kettle is used SEVERAL times a day, so it makes sense to keep on the counter.
Baking gear: I already moved my Christmas cookie cutters (as she advises), and have weeded through my baking equipment.
Food storage containers: This is another area I've stayed fairly well on top of. We don't have tons of Tupperware or other storage containers...and the ones we have, we use regularly. (I often take leftovers in my lunch.)
Paper and plastics: We do buy paper products in bulk, but we keep them in the basement out of the way.
Dishtowels, potholders, and aprons: I weeded out the dishtowels, potholders, and aprons when I cleaned the linen drawer and one of the kitchen cabinets, and consigned the older dishtowels to rags, as Leeds suggests. She also suggests rolling the dishtowels to save room.
The pantry: She suggests organizing the pantry into categories and using shelf dividers.
Pet food: I skipped this section because we don't have any pets.
The refrigerator: She has some suggestions for refrigerator organization, but nothing that I hadn't already thought of.
But here is one thing that made me think: Leeds says that "refrigerator poeple come in two basic types: those who cover theirs with magnets, notices, and photos, and those who like an unadorned refrigerator. I would urge you to either join the latter group or at least pare your items down to a minimum."
Now this is radical notion for a busy family with three kids. Our refrigerator was adorned with magnetic poetry, various types of adult and kid magnets, notes, grocery lists, reminders, kids' drawings, and photos. No longer! This morning I took down all the photos and notes, got rid of a lot of the magnets, and consolidated the remaining items to the sides of the fridge. (Because we live in an old 1938 house, our refrigerator is a stand-alone item and is not surrounded by cabinets.) Finally, I took down all of the magnetic poetry that we've had up for over 15 years. Now that was quite a task! Do you know how long it takes to remove magnetic poetry? I haven't yet cleaned the front of the fridge yet, but when I do it will be very exciting. I really like the cleaner, bare look! Leeds is right that a cluttered fridge "looks messy and feels chaotic."
Shopping lists: Leeds keeps her own shopping lists in three sections, for each store at which she shops. I love the shopping lists on Cozi, because I can create one for Trader Joe's, one for Costco, one for Fred Meyer, and one for New Seasons.
Under the sink: I'm going down under today!! I don't think it's too bad under there, but we shall see!
The junk drawer: Check--I did this last night while Mike and I were watching a movie. I'll post photos later.
The kitchen counter office: Don't have one of those, but we do have a kitchen nook, which attracts a lot of clutter!!!
Leeds ends the chapter by talking about creating new habits and reminding us that she had said at the beginning of the chapter that it takes 21 consecutive days to form a new habit. I do feel that Mike and I are both much more focused on keeping the counters clean and cleared before we go to bed. And each time I open a cleaned cabinet or drawer, I feel such a great sense of satisfaction!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
100 Reasons to Get Rid of It!
My blogging friend, Jennifer, uncovered this great list of Martha Stewart's, listing 100 reasons to get rid of "it."
It's actually more than reasons--it's also an extensive list of resources for ways to get rid of stuff...some of them I was already aware of, and some of them new to me.
Here are some great statistics, to remind me to continue on my obsessive decluttering odyssey!
It's actually more than reasons--it's also an extensive list of resources for ways to get rid of stuff...some of them I was already aware of, and some of them new to me.
Here are some great statistics, to remind me to continue on my obsessive decluttering odyssey!
- 1.4 million Americans suffer from chronic hoarding & clutter. I believe it.
- People burn 55 minutes a day looking for things. WOW!! 55 minutes a day???
- 80 percent of what we own we never use. I know we do!
- Getting rid of clutter will reduce housework by 40 percent. That would be nice!
Is this feasible?
Search for phone numbers online instead of storing bulky Yellow and White Pages volumes.
I would dearly love to get rid of the bulky phone books, but I don't completely have confidence in my ability to find everything I need online...
On the other hand, out with the phone books!! We wouldn't want to end up like these people:
- Miss Havisham in Great Expectations
- Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale in "Grey Gardens"
- Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple"
- The family in the documentary "Packrat" (packratthemovie.com)
- The Bronx, New York, man who, in 2003, was trapped in his home under an avalanche of books and newspapers for two days before being rescued...
And finally, here is some inspiration--you know, I do love quotations!
"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris
"You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." -Johnny Mercer
"The joy of giving is indeed a pleasure, especially when you get rid of something you don't want." -Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, "Going My Way"
Top of Refrigerator, Check!
I didn't get as much done last night as I had planned, because of the TRUE TIME WASTER that is Facebook! Mike had been out at a meeting, and by the time he arrived home after 10:00, he saw the kitchen dishes still not in the dishwasher, and he said "Poor you!" because he thought the kids had kept me going for so long, I hadn't gotten around to my cleaning and organizing!
Can't blame it on the kids. I had them in bed in record time. The younger ones by 8:30, and the older one by 9:00. It was that nasty computer calling me to be unproductive and find out every possible inane detail about my friends that I might want to know. Does it help me to be more organized, or to be a better person? NO!
At any rate, after loading the dishwasher and CLEANING MY COUNTERS! (Mike was doing the laundry downstairs), I did have time to strike one more task off my kitchen list: the top of the refrigerator.
Can you say: "DUST"???
Ugh.
Here's what it looked like precleaning:
With all the various vitamins, calcium supplements, medication, pills, and potions for five members of the family, we had ended up with quite a clutter. The last time I cleaned the top of the fridge, I decluttered through this collection and put what was left in a plastic tub. Clearly we had outgrown it. I also discovered other various items that could be put elsewhere.
Here is my result, after reorganizing and scouring the top of the fridge to get rid of all the dust!
Maybe someday I can figure out a way to have a completely clean top-of-the fridge, but right now it's a pretty safe and convenient place to keep medications out of the reach of little hands, and it's accessible for bedtimes.
I'm running out of January, and I still have some items to do left on my kitchen list--the junk drawer, utensil drawers (which aren't in too bad of shape), and the inside of the fridge. The kitchen nook will have to overflow into February, I'm afraid...
Can't blame it on the kids. I had them in bed in record time. The younger ones by 8:30, and the older one by 9:00. It was that nasty computer calling me to be unproductive and find out every possible inane detail about my friends that I might want to know. Does it help me to be more organized, or to be a better person? NO!
At any rate, after loading the dishwasher and CLEANING MY COUNTERS! (Mike was doing the laundry downstairs), I did have time to strike one more task off my kitchen list: the top of the refrigerator.
Can you say: "DUST"???
Ugh.
Here's what it looked like precleaning:
With all the various vitamins, calcium supplements, medication, pills, and potions for five members of the family, we had ended up with quite a clutter. The last time I cleaned the top of the fridge, I decluttered through this collection and put what was left in a plastic tub. Clearly we had outgrown it. I also discovered other various items that could be put elsewhere.
Here is my result, after reorganizing and scouring the top of the fridge to get rid of all the dust!
Maybe someday I can figure out a way to have a completely clean top-of-the fridge, but right now it's a pretty safe and convenient place to keep medications out of the reach of little hands, and it's accessible for bedtimes.
I'm running out of January, and I still have some items to do left on my kitchen list--the junk drawer, utensil drawers (which aren't in too bad of shape), and the inside of the fridge. The kitchen nook will have to overflow into February, I'm afraid...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tackling the Freezer Compartment
One memory I have of my upbringing is that my family always had a completely crammed-to-the-gills freezer in the garage. At times, it even had a bungee cord tied to the front to keep it closed! (Okay, Mom and Dad, enough skeletons out of our closet--I mean freezer!) My parents have always been very thrifty, and they have always been on the lookout for bargain prices to stock up on essentials. Hence, the full freezer.
Last fall Mike and I cleaned out our upright freezer in the basement...no fun task! But the freezer in the kitchen hadn't been cleaned for quite awhile. It was difficult to find anything without rooting around in it for awhile.
Cleaning out refrigerators and freezers is not one of my favorite kitchen tasks! But I sure do like the results!
Here is the "before":
You can see what I mean...that everything is crammed in there!
When I started excavating, I found several bags worth of spelt flour, and three packages of puff pastry sheets that expired a few years ago!! Out they went.
Amazingly, I found only one banana! (I like to freeze bananas so I have them for baking.)
I threw out a bunch of old bread and rolls, but mostly it was a reorganization effort.
Fruit in one area, cheese in another, meat and fish in another, flours on the bottom shelf (the spelt flour consolidated in two plastic containers!), and vegetables in another corner.
Ice, nuts, herbs, ricotta, and tomato paste on the door.
The freezer is still fullish, but at least we will know where everything is!
Last fall Mike and I cleaned out our upright freezer in the basement...no fun task! But the freezer in the kitchen hadn't been cleaned for quite awhile. It was difficult to find anything without rooting around in it for awhile.
Cleaning out refrigerators and freezers is not one of my favorite kitchen tasks! But I sure do like the results!
Here is the "before":
You can see what I mean...that everything is crammed in there!
When I started excavating, I found several bags worth of spelt flour, and three packages of puff pastry sheets that expired a few years ago!! Out they went.
Amazingly, I found only one banana! (I like to freeze bananas so I have them for baking.)
I threw out a bunch of old bread and rolls, but mostly it was a reorganization effort.
Fruit in one area, cheese in another, meat and fish in another, flours on the bottom shelf (the spelt flour consolidated in two plastic containers!), and vegetables in another corner.
Ice, nuts, herbs, ricotta, and tomato paste on the door.
The freezer is still fullish, but at least we will know where everything is!
Coffee, Tea, or Me?
Seriously, at the rate we purchase tea, that could be the question...
I tackled our tea/coffee/cereal/snack cupboard the other night...the one that always seems to be a complete jumble a few weeks after I organize it.
Yes, Sandra, I know we still have too many vases. I do like to have a lot for the lilacs in the spring though. At any rate, I moved them all to the basement storage because we do not use them on a regular basis (according to my new rule...).
Yes, we have a lot of cereal, too, but my children are cereal fanatics. We seem to have a preponderance of steel-cut oatmeal, too--must eat oatmeal!
Half of one shelf is completely crammed with multiple varieties of tea! Mike's been buying a lot more varieties recently, too, because he's on a new herbal remedy kick to calm his stomach down after the holidays. He does drink a lot of tea...but we seem to have a never-ending supply. I believe we have both committed to not buying any more tea for awhile!!
These before and after photos are not very shocking, but what you can't see is my organization of the cabinet.
All snacks are on the top shelf. The middle shelf contains coffee and cereal. (I thought about moving the cereals down lower so that the kids could help themselves, but Mike said he'd prefer to keep them out of reach so they don't pig out on cereal!)
And the bottom shelf contains mugs, tea paraphernalia, knives, cocoa, and TEA!!!
Perhaps I'll take another photo in 6 months, in the hopes that we will have less tea then! How many varieties of tea can one couple need? :)
I tackled our tea/coffee/cereal/snack cupboard the other night...the one that always seems to be a complete jumble a few weeks after I organize it.
Yes, Sandra, I know we still have too many vases. I do like to have a lot for the lilacs in the spring though. At any rate, I moved them all to the basement storage because we do not use them on a regular basis (according to my new rule...).
Yes, we have a lot of cereal, too, but my children are cereal fanatics. We seem to have a preponderance of steel-cut oatmeal, too--must eat oatmeal!
Half of one shelf is completely crammed with multiple varieties of tea! Mike's been buying a lot more varieties recently, too, because he's on a new herbal remedy kick to calm his stomach down after the holidays. He does drink a lot of tea...but we seem to have a never-ending supply. I believe we have both committed to not buying any more tea for awhile!!
These before and after photos are not very shocking, but what you can't see is my organization of the cabinet.
All snacks are on the top shelf. The middle shelf contains coffee and cereal. (I thought about moving the cereals down lower so that the kids could help themselves, but Mike said he'd prefer to keep them out of reach so they don't pig out on cereal!)
And the bottom shelf contains mugs, tea paraphernalia, knives, cocoa, and TEA!!!
Perhaps I'll take another photo in 6 months, in the hopes that we will have less tea then! How many varieties of tea can one couple need? :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Place for the Teapots!
I took a bit of an organizing break over the weekend--I had a good friend visit on Friday night, and then we went to a party on Saturday and a marathon play on Sunday afternoon--but last night I spent about 45 minutes organizing one of my cupboards...and cleaning it.
My evening of tearing through the kitchen, discarding as much as I could in one fell swoop, resulted in a few empty spaces in my cupboards. (Especially when I got rid of all those silly vases!!) Last night I reorganized my main dish cabinet, and actually washed the darn shelves!! I am embarassed to admit that we've been living in our house for nearly 10 years now and we have never wiped down the shelves (to my knowledge). It continues to be a challenge to keep myself focused on organizing and stop myself from fantasizing about what color I would like to paint the cupboards and the walls!!
At any rate, some organization and a few more discarding resulted in a cabinet that looked like this:
And Jennifer, over at The Year of Living Obsessively, has inspired me with her clean junk drawer. Must tackle that junk drawer...I've been putting that off!! And I have only six days left of kitchen organizing...or my husband will be very disappointed in me! Such a slave driver he is...
My evening of tearing through the kitchen, discarding as much as I could in one fell swoop, resulted in a few empty spaces in my cupboards. (Especially when I got rid of all those silly vases!!) Last night I reorganized my main dish cabinet, and actually washed the darn shelves!! I am embarassed to admit that we've been living in our house for nearly 10 years now and we have never wiped down the shelves (to my knowledge). It continues to be a challenge to keep myself focused on organizing and stop myself from fantasizing about what color I would like to paint the cupboards and the walls!!
At any rate, some organization and a few more discarding resulted in a cabinet that looked like this:
Look at all that empty space!! Most of the stuff is on the bottom shelf, because I am very short (5 feet), and the cabinet goes all the way to the ceiling!! I need a chair to get to anything in the back of the middle shelf or on the top shelf.
I was trying to think of what to put in my free space, when I had a bright idea: how about our teapots, which we are always trying to cram into other spaces? We typically keep our coffee maker downstairs because we use it only when we have guests...but I found a home for it on the top shelf...and moved the teapots and french press to the middle shelf. And I still have space! From the perspective of someone who grew up with crammed refrigerators, freezers, and cabinets in my family of origin, and who has continued with that tradition in my own family, I am loving the idea of empty space!! :)
Tonight, I tackle the tea/coffee/cereal/snack cabinet, probably the most crammed one in the house! (And where we typically try to fit the teapots into.) I still have quite a few vases in the kitchen, as you can see...might move those downstairs to the basement.
It would also be nice to move the cold cereal to a lower cabinet so the kids could help themselves. Our oldest son, Chris, is a cereal FANATIC!! He must go through four or five bowls a day.
And Jennifer, over at The Year of Living Obsessively, has inspired me with her clean junk drawer. Must tackle that junk drawer...I've been putting that off!! And I have only six days left of kitchen organizing...or my husband will be very disappointed in me! Such a slave driver he is...
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