Organizing the Kitchen/Dining With Containers

Cardboard drink holder

Last Friday, I wrote about Organizing the Bathroom With Food Containers.  This Friday, I want to show I have organized a few things with food jars and other containers.  In the picture above, I have a cardboard drink holder from a restaurant takeout trip.  I used two large cups, one to hold straws and another one to hold forks and spoons.  It has a handle for ease of moving to and from the dining table.

Below, I have a nifty napkin holder.  Of course, we could use it for holding paper napkins, but why?  I have two salt shakers, one for each side of the dining table, as well as two toothpick holders.  It's easier to hold all of these four items in the napkin holder. 

Napkin holder

Below, you can see two containers of Nesquik Chocolate-flavored powder.  One has been emptied of the powder and its label removed.  I love these containers.  I've used one for birthday candles.  This time, I have used one for pre-packaged spices for different meals.

Containers of Nesquik chocolate powder

Nesquik container reused

Below is a tall plastic container that we were given years ago.  It used to hold some granola bars.  I knew right away when I saw this container that it would be worth more than the snacks it held.  Well, it now holds cup cake paper cups, food dye, and other small baking products.

Front of snack plastic container

Back of snack plastic container

Finally, here is a plastic Folgers container.  I love these because they are very sturdy and versatile.  The label can be removed and with a permanent marker one can help relabel it.  Below, I am using it for uncookable pinto beans.  I'm saving the beans for a future craft project.

Plastic Folgers container

Folgers container holding pinto beans

As you can see, containers of all sorts can be reused.  Nesquik and Folgers container, and even drink holders, can be used in different ways.  Food, baking, and eating utensils can find new containers.  Unconventional containers can hold new things.  I would think that the small Folgers container can hold sugar for a trip, and the napkin holder can still hold a small amount of paper napkins.

Well, thanks for reading this entry.   

If you like it, please press the "like" button below.  

I would appreciate that very much.

How about it, my readers?  Have you organized anything in your kitchen and/or dining room lately?  Would you consider using plastic food jars or other unconventional containers?  Right now is the perfect opportunity to do your fall cleaning.  I hope you would find time to change things up for the fall season. 

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

Five Things I Need to Cook Successfully

My kitchen is small but functional.

Throughout the years as a mother, I have cooked many a meal for my family.  Yes, I'm not perfect.  I don't cook everyday.  I try to make the best of my situation with my ongoing illness and energy levels.  Having the right cooking tools to help my health quest is important.

Now, I know what you're thinking?  What does having an ideal kitchen have to do with a health quest?  Well, I'll tell you.  Like the saying goes, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Having the tools I need is very important to me.  I get very upset if I can't find my tools to cook.  Take, for example, my garlic press.  I used that thing until it broke.  If you don't believe me, ask my hubby who had to fish out some metal pieces out of a batch of Fideo I recently made.

What are some of the tools I need to cook successfully and happily? 

I need water all the time.

For one thing, I need water.  It's not only for cooking some meals; I'm always thirsty.  It could be my health that requires it.  It could be that the heat makes me dehydrated.  I just know that I get thirsty when I cook.

Pots hang in my kitchen.

Second, I need my pots, pans, and their lids.  The right pan can make a difference.  I have a wok for stir fry foods.  I have pots to boil water for tea and soups.  I have flat pans for my pastas like rice and Fideo.

This is my recently organized food pantry.

Third, I need my food ingredients.  I think you must understand that having the food to cook is necessary.  What is equally important is having it organized.  It doesn't matter if it is spices, canned goods or frozen foods.  We need to know what we have before even starting to cook a meal; there is nothing more disheartening than to find out that something is missing when some of the ingredients are already mixed.

Specific cooking utensils are important to me.

Fourth, I need the right cooking utensils.  Sometimes, I need to cut things.  Sometimes, I need to spoon things around.  Sometimes, I need to transfer food from one pot to another.  Sometimes, I need to measure liquid or powdered items.

Music puts me in the mood to cook.

Finally, I need my music.  Music gets me going.  Have I ever mentioned that I hate the idea of stopping what I'm doing to cook?  Well, when the music is switched on, I get going.  Once I hear my favorite music, I dance while I cook; I get in the mood to cook.

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  I appreciate it.  I had fun putting it together.  I hope my kids enjoy reading it because I made it for them.  After all, who bothers to tell children what makes a cook happy in their kitchen?  I hope my kids enjoy cooking in my kitchen, too.

How about you, my readers?  What do you absolutely need in your kitchen?  What tools do you need to cook?  Do you have any quirky needs to be able to cook?  I encourage you to consider what you need to make cooking a pleasant experience.  You just might find out a way to truly enjoy cooking.

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discussed here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.

Cleaning Challenge Update Second Week--Kitchen & Living Room

Update on the 31 Days to Clean Challenge: Days 6-10

Day 6

Just one major cabinet that is working now.

For day 6, I had to clean the inside of my kitchen cabinets.  I did not clean the shelves, but I had moved stuff around in my kitchen previously in April.  Perhaps in some other month, I will clean and line my shelves.

We also had to list 6 top priorities of things to do per day.  A blank page was provided in the Ebook I'm using.  I faltered on Thursday.  I think that I don't want to be on a formal schedule.  I am having problems with staying motivated because of my health.  

I think my biggest challenge is getting up early.  Of course, I must go to sleep early.  I need to work on that next week.  I'm not gonna be hard on myself about it. 

Day 7

Pantry is working wonderfully now that I have that organizer on the door.

On day 7, I read about the curse of having to clean continually.  Yes, the mess we make is the mess we have to clean.  That doesn't bother me as much.  It is the accumulation of paper, toys, and other things that bothers me.  I just wish I had enough time to fit in the shuffling and shredding of old paper, for example.


We had already moved things around for the pantry in April.  This was before I even heard about this challenge of cleaning.  I decided to use this time wisely.  I tore apart my favorite magazines.  I shredded what I didn't want.

Day 8

For day 8, we had to ponder about areas that God has worked in our lives.  I had developed Bell's Palsy 10 years ago.  Bell's Palsy can affect your face's appearance.  Mostly, I healed, but if you look closely, you can see subtle changes in my face.  God showed me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that He can help you in any area of your life.

For this day, we had to work in the drawers in the kitchen.  I had already weeded out the clutter.  Back in April, I unloaded bags of utensils and sippy cup tops that we did not need.  I asked my hubby to just take the stuff out and shake out the crumbs.  Because of health problems, I could not walk much so I appreciated my hubby's help with the three drawers in my small kitchen.

Day 9

For day 9, I read about laziness.  Yes, I'm guilty of laziness.  I have to admit that.  I don't like cleaning, but that doesn't mean that I have dishes or toys in the living room.  I have taught my kids better.

The laziness comes in the form of letting paper clutter and that messy drawer syndrome.  I have files, but they are scattered.  I have about 3 places where I hold household files.  Then, I have boxes, yes, boxes of stuff to weed through of things that need to be put back in their houses.  I readily confess that I am too lazy to go through those boxes.

Day 10

Tip: Use a wheeled chair and basket to move heavy items within the home.

For day 10, I read about tips on how to attack the feeling of frustration that comes when looking at all the clutter and cleaning.  I think the best tip, to me, is that you must start.  If you keep wondering about how to attack something, you'll never get it done.  We just have to plunge in and get down and dirty with it.  I tell my kids that if they get their body and/or clothes dirty while cleaning, they and their clothes are washable.

Enlisted my teenager to sweep and mop small kitchen floor.

For today (which should have been for day 9), I asked Iris, my teenage daughter, to sweep and mop my small kitchen.  I am not going to do everything in my house.  I asked her to do it, while I swept my room, living/dining area.  I also asked my teenage son to dust my room, too.  Together, we get the jobs done faster, and one person is not left to do everything.  

What lurks behind those blue curtains?

With this in mind, I hope to clean my mini-blinds outside with a water hose in the weekend.  I had already changed the curtains.  I need to clean the windows, too.  If my curtains are dirty after this, I might just have to wash them again.  I might also wash some of the mini-blinds from other rooms, while washing the ones from the living room.

Finally, I had to think about the ideal home.  I had my ideal home already about 7 years ago, but we had to move.  My hubby had created the ideal home for me, but it was in a terrible neighborhood.  I miss my eat-in kitchen.  I have a very small kitchen now, and it doesn't allow for too many people to help to cook and/or clean.  

Really, I don't like to think of what an ideal home would be for me.  I am happy with how clean my home appears to others.  I really don't care what others think about my home, if it is negative.  I do wish that we could paint inside and out, but with money and time, it is not possible.  I would like my hubby to finish the trimming inside and to paint and perhaps expand my utility room, but I am grateful for what I have already.

Thanks for reading this entry (update) and viewing the pictures.  

I hope you were inspired.

How about you, my readers?  Have you done any decluttering at your home?  Are you deep cleaning?  Are you wanting to deep clean, but you don't know where to get started?  I hope you will try to do the cleaning piecemeal.  The link above leads to an Ebook which can be helpful in prioritizing and breaking down the cleaning.  I encourage you to click on the link if you need more help.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry has been part of the Family Fun Fridays series.