Organizing

I love organizing things. Some of the process is not fun (like dusting before putting things back together neatly) but the end result makes it all worth it. Today I put out some Christmas decorations while Alisa took a nap and then decided to organize the stand alone cabinet that we had to buy last year because I have so many dishes. We also bought a large kitchen island last year, but that was for more counter space as well as storage space.

My kitchen has the following spaces for storage:

FOOD:
**the pantry by the fridge for food (canned goods, pasta, microwave popcorn) and things like trashbags and extra papertowel rolls and napkins
**large high cabinet by the fridge for cooking/baking stuff (spices, sugar, flour, various extracts, chocolate chips, powdered milk) and chips/pretzels
**small cabinet above the microwave for special flour (wheat, cake) and tea (Craig's mom sends us home-grown tea)
**small high cabinet by the dining room table for cereal and boxes of stuff like Bisquick, rice and mashed potatoes

DISHES and MISCELLANEOUS:
**large drawer next to fridge for silverware, plastic wrap, wax paper, foil, rubber bands, twisty ties, chip clips, measuring spoons
**large low cabinet by the fridge for dishes and miscellaneous (mixing bowls, measuring cups, waffle maker, kitchen scale)
**small cabinet above the fridge for vases and extra set of nice dishes
**drawer under stove for cookie sheets, muffin pans, bread pans
**large cabinet under the sink for dish washing supplies
**large cabinet above the dishwasher for everyday dishes (plates, bowls, glasses
**small cabinet next to the dishwasher for drying racks, pie plates, springform pan
**drawer next to dishwasher for matches, wet wipes to go, etc
**kitchen island drawer for coupons, scissors, tape, pen, paper
**3 kitchen island drawers for serving utensils, knives, ice cream scoopers, spatulas, potato masher and so many more little things
**really large cabinet in kitchen island for pots, pans, skillets, wok
**stand alone cabinet for dishes (glass baking dishes, small plates, mugs, plastic storage containers, plastic cups, serving bowls)

Okay, after seeing it all typed out like that it seems like a lot...but when you are in the kitchen it doesn't.

It's amazing how much more space the cabinet seems to have now that it is organized better! Here's the inside (which is rarely revealed to others):