Garbage Disposal + Plunger

Last night sometime before getting dinner started, and after lunch my kitchen's plumbing had a major meltdown. I'm pretty sure it was the carrot peelings that looked something like party streamers going down the drain that morning. The garbage disposal was spinning, but nothing was going down, including the water. After finding the reset button & fiddling with the special tool, I was sure that I was going to have make a call. But I had one last hope before shelling out $75 plus..........the Google search.






Which led me to this website. Seriously, there are a hundred testimonials of using a plunger to unclog the sink. These people don't lie. So, there's me going to town on my sink, plunging like a mad woman. And guess what. It worked like a charm! Therefore, today I am thankful for plungers and very heavy duty soap to clean up after said plunger! :)



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Mission: Cloth in the Kitchen

Using paper towels in the kitchen are one of those disposables that can be a drain on your budget and your trash. Yet, with a little forethought and planning you can have your big messes and clean them up with cloth too!

Here is a complete look at my cloth system. It is constantly evolving just like any organizational system, tweaking and changing with the seasons and needs of our family. So, what are the basics that come with having a cloth system?

- Initial Start Up Investment. You might have to spend some cash to complete this mission (unless everyone at your wedding got you kitchen towels, like they did me :)). The key is to make it easy for you, or it won't work. That means you need a few days worth of towels so that you aren't doing laundry after every spill.

-The categories you could use are Good, Dish, & Clean Up. Now that you know your mission you must decide your choice of weapons against the messes.

- "Good" doesn't mean these towels behave better than the others. It simply means these are the towels that hang out for us to dry our hands on. No spills or floor for these guys, they have the easy life.

-"Dish Rags" are only for use in the sink.

-"Clean-up" towels fall into two categories. The left-side ones are for the heavy duty messes. These messes are the ones that would usually have me reaching for the paper towels. Instead having designated heavy duty towels to turn to is key for me. The right-side ones are for my little ones. After they eat they use them to wipe their hands. You can't tell, but they are half the size of the "good" towels. They are like napkins for us.

Another tip is to hide the paper towels. If they are out in plain sight then it is going to be harder to say no. For guests when they ask I can redirect them and suggest they just use a towel or point them under the sink.

And lastly, always have a bucket or way to keep the towels till they are ready for the washer. Having them draped over something or spread out is key to not letting mildew or germs breed on them. Then when they are dry you can easily put them in a sack or bucket for the journey to the laundry room!

Now, nothing may happen over night, but by using a few towels here and there I really picked up the habit. I hope seeing my humble system in place inspires your own or keeps you motivated to keep up your own good work!

Good Use Of Space

I'm a huge fan of anything that takes up the smallest amount of space possible, while still be useful. There's something wonderful about functional furniture (storage ottomans, etc.). In the kitchen it seems like every appliance is huge and rarely put to use.

Enter the Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner. We got this as a wedding gift and I couldn't be happier with it. Not only does the entire thing collapse into a thin disc, it also doubles as a serving bowl or colander. It can also be washed in the dish washer if needed.

So for anyone out there trying to make more space available in their crowded cabinets, may I suggest investing in one of these.

Photos by moi.

A Recipe for Organizing Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen organization is tested the most during the holiday season. That is why this time of year is a perfect time to reevaluate your cooking needs and organizational systems!

To start I took a "before" shot of the pots, pans, and Corningware cabinet. Pots and pans are up top, lids are contained up front by a rack, in the back is a pressure cooker, and stacked in the middle are Corningware/glass containers. This is only one side of the cabinet and on the other side is more of the same. A new system had to be "cooked" up so that I was not stopping mid-cooking to find a lid that matched a pan, picking up the Corningware that had fallen, and overall a better use of the space up top.......

I now have a general knowledge of everything that is in this space . Clearing out the cabinet then grouping like with like will help me assess how much of each I truly have.....












Next, comes the fun part, purging! On the bottom shelf was a pressure cooker that never got used. My husband is the only one who cooks with it, and needless to say it hadn't been used in a couple years! It now has a loving home with its original owner. Look at that sparkle! Can't you tell how excited Mr. Pressure is to be going home?

Also, lids that were doubled, pans that were similar in size, and one's that were only getting used once a year got put away in a box. The box is sealed in the garage and labeled "Extra Kitchenware- Donate if not opened by 5-25-2010". That way if I don't open the box in six months, I know for sure that there is nothing important that I will have given away.
The after picture shows all pots and pans WITH their lids, skillets grouped together, and Corningware stacked the full height of the cabinet! The rack that held all the lids has a new function! Placing pots on top of it makes for easy access to things in the back of the cabinet.

This project only took half an hour to complete, but will leave me breathing easy for months to come..... Ahhh, now if only cooking with those pots and pans were as much fun as organizing them! :)