House Tour :: Kitchen

The kitchen needed a scrub.... so it got shot as well today.  Welcome!

Look to the left  ::

Look to the right  ::

I did no styling of this cabinet to the left of the sink before I took this photo.  Clearly.  All about keeping it realz.

Let's go back to the left  ::

Coffee area to the left of stove  ::

The coffee cabinet, lately  ::

The candle holder is sitting on top of the cast iron griddle that lives on the stove top.  I literally never put the griddle away because we use it so often to make quesadillas or pancakes.

Did you know that Alabama has orange groves?  Neither did I until I got my Grow Alabama delivery this week.

I used to be a fridge minimalist.  But, alas, some things are too special to go anywhere else.

But the front of the fridge is clear.  :)

My favorite item in the kitchen  ::

And now, for the inside, filled with shelves and stuff!  (Also completely unstyled here... hence the wires hanging out of the "charging station" slash bowl.)

Okay, I lied.  I did add this snapshot just for the photo.  But I really had been planning on putting a picture of Dave there at some point.  Because I am hilarious like that.

Continuing on to clockwise is the breakfast and lunch table.  I didn't get a great overview shot of the table set up. We don't eat dinner here because I did away with a big high chair for Calvin.  Now there is only seating for three.

Next to the table is the shoe area, which is next to the door to the deck.

Three hat/bag hooks live here (above the shoe area).  The orange bag contains gardening gloves.  Because I have no better place to store them.

And for the final shot, a view of the kitchen from the living room.  And, for your bonus, a view of my son mid-temper tantrum because I wouldn't let him take the photos.

Oooh, wait, one last note.  The painting on top of the armoire was painted by my great grandmother, Rhea Lulu Thompson.  I am so glad to have it.

Food Containers

I am running low on food storage... not all of the food containers have matching lids, or some containers have gotten broken or cracked.  So when I was at The Walmarts today, I picked up a few different kinds of containers to test out.  Normally, I'd want all my containers to be uniform for the sake of storage (so they would all nest or fit together nicely) as well as a simplified look, so once I nail down which containers I like, I'll pick more of the same up.

Here's what I got  ::

A stack of four 1-cup Pyrex containers  ::  $9.97

Two Better Homes and Gardens plastic 16 oz. containers  ::  $3.97 each

Two Ziploc Versa Glass 1.5 cup and 2 cup containers  :: $3.97 each


I use containers like this for leftovers, cheese, half a lemon, etc.  I realized I was using a ton of ziploc bags for things like these, and that's when I assessed that my food storage situation was low.  So, let the test begin.  For the record, all of these containers are dishwasher safe.  

I'll be sure to update which ones I like the best.  I know, I know.  I am sure you'll be waiting with baited breath.  What can I say, I am a nerd who likes containers.


PS.   Most of what I already have on hand is pyrex... I probably would have picked those up again, but The Walmarts didn't have any matching ones in stock.  Hence, this test was born.

Boy

I promise, this is the last post about my gallery wall.  Just a quick update.... I finally put a photo in a huge empty frame that is at the center of the new configuration.  It's yet another Sarah Cook shot, and it probably is my favorite of all the photos she's done for us.

This was a spontaneous shot of my 6-year-old son that she took while we walked around the Birmingham Botanical Garden.  It was too perfect, and so very typical of my son.  The shoe fell off, there was no need to put it back on, since plenty of dirt could still be kicked with a sock-foot.  I love that kid.  And I love this photo.

Yikes, Stripes

I forgot to post photos of a little project Dave and I did over the summer.  I bought an old armoire at my next-door neighbor's garage sale.  It had been used to house a TV, and the back of it had several holes cut it it for cords and ventilation.  I bought the armoire for kitchen storage ...originally there were a couple of small black cabinets in there, storing some of my fancy shmancy serving dishes, but I had been keeping my eye open for something taller to make use of vertical space.  This was it.  And I'm pretty sure I only paid $50 for it.  We had to buy a new piece of paneling to replace the cut-up back, and I picked up a small pot of yellow paint for the inside of the paneling.

I won't go through the whole process, as there are approximately one million blogs out there to tell you how to do something like this.  But, of course, if you have questions, leave them in the comments.  I mean, really, could you say anything at all in the comments?  That would be cool.


The exterior of the armoire, next to the fridge in the kitchen.  Technically, it's in the "eat-in" area of the kitchen.

And now, for the really fun part....

After this photo was taken, Dave, my dad and I built four new shelves and installed them on the right side.  I keep a stand mixer, serving dishes, and a boom box (no joke) in there.  I hope to photograph the kitchen for a house tour soon, and I'll be sure to share photos of the finished project.

The Usefulness of Pinterest

Okay, I'm finally talking about Pinterest here, so if you already know the deal, pickle... feel free to move on to the next blog in your Reader.  I am compelled to write about it today for the sake of a few yet-to-be-named non-Pinterest friends.  I really should have talked about it on In Decent Order before now. After all... this is a blog about organization.  I think.

Various people use Pinterest in different ways and for different reasons.  A few of my creative and crafty friends are reluctant to get on the Pinterest bandwagon and I wonder if it's because they don't want a time waster or maybe they think it's another social network.  So, yeah, this is my last ditch effort to get a couple of friends to reconsider their position that Pinterest is overwhelming.

• For me, Pinterest is primarily a tool.  This is an important distinction because for some, Pinterest might be primarily a leisure activity.  

• It is a tool because it allows for a highly visual way of organizing internet stuff.

• In your Pinterest profile, there are a collection of virtual bulletin boards of various catergories that you name, and you "pin" a photo to it.  The pin/photo is attached to a link so you can find the item you pinned before.

• I've seen lots of types of pins out there.... home decor, recipes, teaching aids, crafts, holidays, drumming related items (that would be Dave).  Pinterest is like your internet browser's favorites list, but far more visual.  It's not just a random link in your favorites list, but it's a photo that takes you to the source of the photo.

• Pinterest is not another Facebook, or The City, or Twitter that you have to consistently maintain.  Yes, there are friends (actually "followers"), but the purpose of following friends on Pinterest isn't to keep up with each other's illness, vacations and kids' photos.  It's to see what your other visual-type friends are pinning.  For example, my friend Alyssa often pins quilting ideas.  I sometimes re-pin her pins to my own sewing board because I don't want to forget a certain technique or quilting method that she pinned (or if you prefer, "publicly bookmarked" instead of "pinned").

• So back to the idea that it is a leisure activity for some people.... if you have time to kill, or are looking for something to do or somewhere to go, certainly you could spend half an hour (or two hours) looking at your Pinterest feed at what your friends are pinning.  Or you can search all of Pinterest for what other people have pinned related to something you want to do.... I did a search for rain barrels recently.  It was nice because it saved me from having to do a broad internet search on the same topic.  For me, it weeded out a lot of useless links.

• But, even if you never looked at your Pinterest feed, having the "Pin It" tool in your browser so you can mark stuff you want to remember is extremely useful.  I have a dude-friend who uses Pinterest for organization, but he has no followers and follows nobody.  I mean, it *is* fun to share the ideas, but that wasn't the point for him.

• Pinterest isn't just for the crafty folks, but certainly because of it's visual nature, lots of crafty folk use it and pin crafty things.  

• One of my friends uses Evernote, so maybe she wouldn't find Pinterest nearly as useful as someone who has no internet organization method at all.

• My fear is that even with my little bullets, all these words have made it seem complicated.  But, really... it's not.   

This photo is from my Pinterest feed today.  Each small photo is equivalent to one "story" in Facebook.  Some items have likes or comments, but most don't.  On my Facebook the other day, my feed was full of unrelated items like Russsian bullets, pie-making, movie-watching, and parenting... similarly, this Pinterest feed represents the interests of each unique person who I follow.  So there are pins of recipes, a Chewbacca sewing idea, jewelry organization, clothing, and nursery decor, etc.  

One last thing, and it's not really my story to tell, but I must share it.  My friend Jennifer told me how some of her crafty friends get together regularly to have "Pinterest Parties."  Everyone brings a crafty project that they have pinned, but haven't had time to get to.  They work on their stuff together while hanging out. They must do this as sort of an anti-procrastination thing... it's easy to pin a lot of project ideas, or recipes, or books, and maybe have no follow through.  This is their way of following through... and it sounds fun.  Anyhow, she told me that after their latest Pinterest party, she and some of the other women were driving home together late at night when they got pulled over for a "broken light."  Apparently, the cop kept grilling them, asking them if they were going out and if they were partying, etc.  Jennifer said to me, "Tara!  Couldn't he see that we were all wearing cardigans?  I mean, I  had a glue gun at my feet and a bowl of oatmeal cookies in my lap.  Who does he think we are?"

******

So, did it work?  Did my last plea convince Tami, Chelsea, Chelsie, Lisa, Lori and Aimee to join? We'll see.  If not, I'll have to be content with connecting on a visual and creative level without you. Sad face.  

A Fall Update

An update on more things than you ever wanted to know about what's going on at my house and in my head these days  ::

• Some of my cousins, aunts and uncles are rolling into town today so that my cousin Steve can act like he's a bad ass while doing this.  I don't get to see extended family often, so we are super pumped about spending the weekend with them in the motorcycle pits.

• My sister-in-law, Jenny, is also here for a visit right now.  So far since she's been here, we listened to Calvin moan in misery over an ear infection, watched The Great Muppet Caper, ate lunch and took naps.  Life is exciting at my house.

• I am no longer washing my hair with baking soda... at the suggestion of my super amazing hair stylist, I am using Wen, of infomercial fame.  To say that I love it would be an understatement.

• Speaking of hair, I am in love with my velcro rollers, all over again.  I've had them for years and used them occasionally, but recently my stylist put more layers in my hair which has made the velcro rollers more effective. I like the big waves they make and I am hardly using my flat iron these days.  I let my hair mostly air dry (or mostly blow it dry if I am in a hurry), put the rollers in (takes about 5 minutes) and let my hair finish drying.  I pull the rollers out and that's it.

• I have joined a group of women in a year-long journey to become more like Jesus.  It's called a discipleship group and we meet once a week.  I am beyond thrilled to be with several deep, funny, honest, humble people while we make a point to love each other, reveal our emotions and motives, ask questions, and pray for each other.  Jesus is more real to me now than ever... I can't wait to see what is going to happen in our group.  In the three weeks we've met so far, I have felt both accepted and challenged.

• I flushed a scorpion down the toilet just now.

• I still really love my green dining room ceiling and think that everyone should consider a colored ceiling somewhere in their house.  

• I also like the colored ceiling in the living room... it's not an exciting color like the dining room, but it is half the concentration of the wall color.  Feels cozier in here and I like how it makes the room feel more finished.

• I'm dying to choose some fabric to make drapes for the dining room, but I am refraining until I get a couple of things accomplished... lingering loose ends with adoption paperwork, plant some already-purchased plants into the ground, a few small organization projects around the house (desk, two toy boxes, a bathroom closet).  

• I rehung my gallery wall.  I took it down when the walls were painted a couple of weeks ago.  I reworked it into a tighter arrangement and I think I like it better.  In case you might be curious.... all of the pieces were lying on the floor in the basement family room that entire time.  I wasn't really ready to rehang it, but with our company this weekend, it forced my hand.  See here for "before."

• This last bullet point is dedicated to a couple of my friends who make fun of "blog perfection."  This is an effort to not just share the things I am proud of... I am going to tell you something you probably could have gone all day without knowing.  Stop reading here if you'd like to continue thinking that I am blog perfect.  Ha. Okay, here we go.  So I have had this gross pink mildew in my shower.  It appears in the corners, and all along the bottom of the shower curtain.  I looked it up and found out that it's not a mildew at all... it's a bacteria.  And it's linked with pneumonia.  That was enough for me to kick into serious we-have-to-deal-with-this-regularly-and-thoroughly-for-the-health-of-our-budding-asthmatic-child-as-well-as-ourselves mode.   I bleached the heck out of the stall and the shower curtain to get rid of the pink nasty.  I have to consistantly hang the shower curtain over the rod until it dries so that the bacteria won't find a hospitable environment there and return to mock me and my bleach.  I also have a squeegee that I wipe the stall out with after my shower.  I hope this works, but I am sure consistency is the key.  

That's it for now!  Can I just say that I am in love with October here in Alabama?!  Anyone else with me?!

Another Birthday, Another Cake

Calvin turned two last week.  Oh, my heart.  My sunshine.

He is obsessed with the garbage truck, so it only made sense to make a garbage-truck-themed cake, using the same method I used to make Tucker's Darth Vader cake.   

And now for gratuitous cuteness on Calvin's birthday  ::

Still in jammies, ready to make the cake.

Legos, while the cake bakes.

My favorite show!

Dressed, and on to the frosting.... and scavenging errant powdered sugar.

Now, enjoying the dregs of heavy cream, vanilla and salt.

Finally, the finished frosting.

Skyping with the Jersey grandparents.

Dinner.

Needed a little help after awhile.

And now, the best part!  Couldn't wait to get my piece, so I went ahead and took a taste.

Tucker made a "cake" out of fondant scraps.

Presents!  A puzzle from brother.

A gift from Grandma.

Me, mommy, and my new garbage truck.