Organizing the Kitchen

This kitchen does not a have dedicated pantry. Our first kitchen had more space than we ever needed and our second barely had any at all. This kitchen is the perfect in between. When we first moved in I put all our white dishes behind the glass and the so called pantry was just a few cabinets that deemed not practical. At first I was hesitant to put all our food in sight, but in the end it doesn't bother me at all. Now this whole area acts as a pantry wall. 

All my baking flours, oats, nuts, etc all live in glass jars from ikea and World Market. I bought a few wood trays to keep medicine and a few can goods corralled throughout.

The new cereal keepers have been amazing! No more throwing away stale cereal because apparently it is really hard to push the plastic bag back down. Plus they are really easy to use and minimize kiddo spillage. These fit a full family size bag.

I have always dreamed of having a spice drawer. No idea why, but they always seem so organized to me rather than having to go one by one trying to find that eluding cinnamon that made its way to the back of a cabinet. Most drawer organizer were to deep for this shallow drawer, but I came across these and they were exactly what we needed. they were cheap and work well. A win in my book. Now when I ask the kiddos for a spice it is an ease for them to pick out the right one. With my Dr. ordered diet I have to be really careful with what I put in my body. Love my spices from Primal Palate, because I know they are safe and I love what they do for a dish!

The two bottom cabinets are dedicated to kid snacks. It helps them and their friends to know exactly where they can grab from. Again the new canister are amazing. I did quite a bit of research on what type and brand to buy and these seemed to be winners on so many lists. They were a bit of an investment, but when figuring how many boxes of things we had to throw away because they grew stale I feel less guilt.

Here you can see our laundry nook.. The washer and dryer are completely open to the kitchen and it's something I am hoping we can tackle later this year. Anyhow the hooks were here when we moved in and they have been so practical. The wicker basket holds things like potatoes, avocados, and onions. It keeps them off the counter and keeps them fresher longer due to lack of sun.

This is the shelf we added when we we did a bit of a refresh in the kitchen. Since we rarely have littles in the kitchen anymore this ended up being the perfect spot to house all our cups and mugs. Easy for the kids to reach and easy for them to put them away when unloading the dishwasher. We will see what happens when my friends with toddlers come over. Ha.

The cabinets in this kitchen are high. Perfect for my 6'6" husband not so much for my petite self. I found this ladder at ikea and I loved the simplicity of it. It hangs in the laundry nook when not needed. The upper upper cabinets hold things we don't use often like the crock-pot, Christmas cookie cutters, and my over abundance of glass baking dishes.

Here you can see a peek of the washer. The glass in this house still amazes me. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE to cook in this kitchen now? It's far from perfect, but it is perfect for us.