The heart of a home

     The kitchen. It is often referred to as the center of a home. Other times, as the heart of a home. There's the ever so popular saying, "No matter where I serve my guests, they seem to like my kitchen best." The kitchen is an important room in a house. Often, it is the room that differentiates whether the building is a house, or a home.
     But the kitchen is also often the hardest room to keep cleaned, or at the least, not massively cluttered. I swear that if it wouldn't make rolling pie doughs out oh so challenging, I'd have my counters installed on an angle. That way, stuff COULDN'T pile up on them!!! o:-)
     But the counters are not the only area of a kitchen that we put thought into organizing. Or keeping de-cluttered. Etc..
     There's the inside of the cupboards. We knew some people whom did not use the 'designated cabinets for specific products' method. After they were done cooking, they'd just open doors and put stuff in. That would drive me crazy!!! Okay, further over the edge. If I want to use the pan coating spray, I expect to find it by opening one specific cupboard door! Not in one of the various 'foods' cupboards. If I want a serving bowl, I expect them to all be together in one specific place. Not 'somewhere' in the dishes cupboards. If I plan to use a crock-pot, I expect all of them to be in one designated cupboard.  Not somewhere in amongst the other stuff in the pots and pans, etc. cupboards.
    In addition to organizing cupboards so that like things are together, there are often other aspects we organize in those cupboards. Things such as: how do you store your assortment of Tupperware lids? What about your bottles of food flavorings and colorings? Or your various baking products, such as powdered sugar, brown sugar, corn meal, oats, etc.? Or your frequently used cooking utensils? Or your regular silverware, versus your serving sized pieces?
    Do you have a kitchen pantry? How do you have things set up, so that you can easily find what you went there after?
    Is the inside of your fridge an open and shove system, or do you have it organized in some fashion?
    What do you keep under the sink, and why?
    Where is your trash container kept?
    If you regularly eat your meals in the kitchen, how do you keep "stuff" (that always appearing out of the blue "stuff!") from accumulating on the table?

    As most of you know,  this month our blog is doing a skim through of sorts, of the book, "PRETTY NEAT - the buttoned-up way to get organized and let go of perfection" (which was co-authored by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch, from 'Get Buttoned Up' ). We are currently in chapter eight (8), which is titled, 'CLEAR  THE  CLUTTER  AT  HOME'.

    What tactics or methodologies do you implement to organize your kitchen? Yes, we really would like to know about every single area we mentioned! What seems ever so simple and basic of a solution to you, might be just the tip that somebody else is going to slap themselves in the forehead and declare, "Why didn't I think of that?!?!!!" over. (Please, only tap yourselves! Refrain from knocking yourselves out!!!  o;-p) 
    And then there is also the possibility that the books editors might decide, that that is just the type of tip they were hoping to stumble across, and award you the $250!

     Looking forward to reading what methods you use (you are going to share them with us, r-i-g-h-t ..?  o;-p)  Don't worry, if you do not have a blog of your own, you can use "anonymous" to leave your comment under. HOWEVER, you MUST include your name in order to get credit for the organizational tip or shortcut ("methodology")!!!

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    Reminder: use the "link" in the side bar of our blog, to go back to the original posting which introduced this book and the connected drawings. Then, leave your "organization tip or short-cut" (methodology) under that posting. That way, it will be counted for our overall number and they will be sure and find it to consider it in drawing #2. :-)  Thanks!!! ;->

     Brian and Cheryl B. from, The Bz House That Love Built