New Relationship with my Dear 'OL Pantry

I smiled every time I saw the pantry door over the holidays. How could you not? Look at all the people who thought of us in the month of December. Ahhhh...one of my favorite things about Christmas time. I left the cards up even after our decorations came down because they made me so happy.

But then I would open the door. Ug. (I didn't take a picture.) Dirty, crumby shelves. Can't find what I need when I need it. Don't even know what's in there. Something stinks.

Anyway, after running downstairs to the food storage room for the zillionth time in one week, I thought I would take some advice that was given to us in Enrichment Night, which was to have a two-month supply of food right in your pantry, if possible. If there's not enough room there, create a space (or several spaces) somewhere on the same level as your kitchen to do so. Sister Lee (the one who was giving the advice) had actually converted a bedroom closet into her 2-month supply closet and was a changed woman.

In my almost-3rd-trimester state, I'm already getting these sudden urges to organize and clean things. So unlike me.

At 3:00 pm, I brought up a few cans from the basement with no intention to start this project.

By the time Jeremy came home from work at 6:30, there was stuff all over the counters, I was up on a chair scrubbing shelves, and I had a big list of things for him to bring upstairs for me. I think we had dinner, but I don't remember for sure.

After moving 2-3 months worth of food upstairs, I realized why dear Sister Lee recommended this so highly! The food storage room downstairs isn't nearly as full as it was, which showed me that we don't have nearly as much as I thought. I can see much more easily what we need to really have a year's supply. And the best part is I will seldom have to coerce any children into running downstairs for things every time I cook.

I believe the idea is that you keep a list somewhere near your big food storage supply of what you took out in order to re-stock the 2-3 month supply place. Then you replenish that supply on a regular basis, ideally only buying stuff when it's on sale.

I found myself smiling as I was lying awake at 3 am, just thinking about my pretty pantry. When I got up, I came straight to the kitchen and opened the door just so I could see it again. I think I love it even more than the day we moved in. It's so lovely.

I know what you're thinking: "How tacky to put a picture of the inside of your pantry on your blog. That's so self-centered." Well, let me just tell you...anything that takes six hours to complete needs documentation!

Right away! Before it gets messed up again.

No! It's not going to get messed up again. I'm going to be one of those Type-A Personality, perfectionist moms from now on, who has to put everything away herself. ;)

OH...and while we're on the subject of cleaning inconspicuous places, here's a little "blessing in disguise" that happened this morning.

The kids had just left for school. I opened the fridge (another place that I have recently cleaned during a nesting moment) and reached for the FULL pitcher of O.J. The darn thing slipped right out of my hand and lost it's entire contents on the floor. "%$@*&!" is what I was thinking, but I was good and just used slang.

So, the blessing in disguise is that my dear husband happened to be not only home at the time, but in the kitchen. After absorbing the bulk of the O.J. from the floor, he pulled out the fridge and oh...it's a good thing he was home. There was not only O.J. under the fridge, but a whole lot of other gross stuff.

Yipee! I'm thinking, one more thing that I know is clean.

Now I just need some kind of reason to get him to climb a ladder to reach the plant shelves in the living room. They have 5 1/2 years of dust piled on them. Can you accidently spill something that high? Hmmm....I'll have to think about that one.