A Working Kitchen

I snapped this picture after I completed a deep clean of my kitchen. I can honestly say that this space, especially my counters, rarely stay this way. Why, because I have what I call a working kitchen. 

For me a working kitchen is one that is easy to tidy and meets my everyday needs. For each person that will look different.

Most of the time my counters aren't what I would considered cluttered.  And they certainly aren't picture perfect. They have an item or two that is working for me. 

In this instance it's the dehydrator. There was an abundance of cilantro that wouldn't be used before it went bad. 

Three meals a day come out of this space. Many times it's an appliance doing the work for me. 

Megan enjoys working in the kitchen also. Sharing a kitchen with my 19 year old daughter means that many times she is the one working in the kitchen. 

A jar for egg shells to be baked and ground up for the chickens. Along with some banana peels becoming fertilizer are sitting next to the sink.

This bowl is always on the counter to collect eggs. 

This space is one that you spend a lot of time in serving your family. From serving hot meals to nourish hungry bellies, to prayes sent up as dishes are washed. 

One thing Megan talks about is grounding. In her case, walking in the yard in her bare feet feels grounding. For me the grounding comes from the peace and security of my home. Mainly, my working kitchen. 

It's the work horse of the my home, and place where memories are made around the table. It's a place where problems are solved. Budgets are worked around the table, plans are layed out, crafts and school work are completed here. There is dancing, laughter and sometimes tears shed. 

Not only do I have a working kitchen, I'm trying to have a no waste kitchen. Such as the banana peel fertilizer, the eggs shells as calcium, and a scrap container for the chickens. 

As the world seems to get crazier and uncertainty is everywhere it's time to pull our focus toward home. A working kitchen can provide a safe place and become a haven for those who enter. Who wouldn't want to stop by for a fresh baked cookie?

My working kitchen is ever changing. 

Wendi 

First Week of Spring

The first week of spring has been full and wonderful. The weather has been spectacular for early spring. That helped to get many things  marked off of. the to do list.

Here and there I have been up potting my seedlings. I still have three trays to work through.

I was also able to do some early season planting. 

 

Peas are officially in the ground!

Every one has been anxious to be outside, even the chickies. 

The yard was cleaned and the first cut of the season took place. 

The big project of the week has been the neighbors kitchen. All of the old kitchen cabinets and counter top were all condensed into this stack. I may have had a great time busting most of these to smitherines!

This is as far as we got by the end of the weekend. Honestly, must further then we thought. 

Since this picture was taken the sink has been temporarily installed.  A must with twin 8 month old babies. The plan is to have the cabinets completed next weekend so the counter top installation can be scheduled. Oh, and they will be able to load the cabinets. I know they are looking forward to getting that chaos put away.

Not everything was work. The weather was perfect and there was a lot of time spent outside. The boys from next door were in our back yard as much as they were their own. 

I really don't mind as it warms my heart to hear them counting while playing hide and seek and the giggles make me smile. 

While the kids played I read. I've officially completed all 14 books I received for Christmas and my birthday. I'll have to find a new series to read soon.

Spring is my favorite season and I plan to enjoy every moment.

Wendi 

Happy Spring!

Spring decided to make a show this year. It was warm and the sun shined all day. It made my heart very happy!

I spent a couple of days last week spring cleaning my kitchen and living room. With that complete it was time to fluff the nest and add some spring/Easter touches. 

I only purchased one item to add to my decor. Let's take a look around.

I had fun creating a carrot themed vignette in the my kitchen corner cabinet.  

I am still loving my faux cake. I added some fabric carrots to the top and a cute sign that says "take time to stop and nibble the carrots. Along with some more of the fabric carrots in a berry basket. 

The next shelf I added some faux forsythia, a carrot themed sign and filled a jar with the carrots I made last year. 

My goal was to spend little to no money on decor this year. I wanted a banner for the top of the cabinet and searched Pinterest for ideas. I encourage you to look outside of the box when adding seasonal touches. There are a ton of things that you can create for only the cost of paper and printer ink. I found some cute carrot themed gift tags and used them to create the banner. 

I used the same faux tulip I had out for Valentine's Day and added the sign I used in this space last year. It still makes me happy, so why not!

I love this little ladder with the metal baskets. It adds a little bit of decor to my counter without claiming a ton of space.

The forsythia came from my floral stash and I kept my every day towel. I round canister holds white sugar and I use the ceramic recipe container to hold my tea bags. The cutting boards are some my handy hubby made from some scrap wood. 

Again I used some of the carrots I made last year and printed something from Pinterest to add to this existing sign. 

Now lets move into the living room. I pulled one the every day signs from the shelf above the television to update for the season.

I found a free printable and cut it to fit over this sign. I used poster tack to secure it. That prevents the original sign from being damaged. 

For Christmas I received some items for this tiered tray. The round and rectangle wooden frames were included with cards to change out for each season. I've found that not all of seasonal cards included fit my style. No worries! Can you guess what I did. If you said print out something, you are right!

I printed out the item displayed in the rectangle frame. 

The only item that didn't come from my stash is the container holding the flowers on the top shelf. I was racking my brain trying to thing of something to hold the florals. That's when I saw the container of black pepper that I had recently emptied. 

I spray painted it and found that the size and shape fit the space perfectly. The bonus is that it fit my goal of not spending money. 

On the hutch I added two small birds and changed out the florals in the rope vase. This is where I spent money. Last year I had one bunch the tulips, and it really wasn't enough. I purchased a second bunch and spent a total of $7.06. I call that a win!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek at my spruced up space. Happy First Day of Spring!

Wendi

Making Hay

 Hello friends, it's been a few. While I've been away I've been busy making hay while the sun shines. 

If you follow Annabel from The Blue Birds are Nesting on the Farm I imagine you've heard her use that phrase often. I'm sure we could all feel a shift in the world recently. 

When things feel heavy I do two things... turn to God and turn my thoughts toward my home and family. I looked it up and the Bible mentions multiple times that we are not to live in fear. I can't remember exactly, but it was something like 365 times!

What can I do to change things when the world is on fire? Really, nothing. I can pray and I can prepare. Here are a few things I've been doing to make hay while the sun shines.

I planted the last of my vegetable seeds.  

A week after sowing the seeds, most of them have sprouted. 

We (meaning mainly Chuck and me as his cheerleader and helper) have taken on a project. We are removing and installing new kitchen cabinets for our next door neighbors. They are also helping with labor. 

They were quoted $24,000 to complete this project. We were approached and asked if Chuck would help them (which means basically to do this project). They are paying him for his help, even with paying him they are going to save a bunch of money. Over the weekend this is the section we were able to complete. 

There is still lots of work to complete, but in the end it will be a win, win for all of us. They will save money and we will earn some. 

For even when we were with you, this we command you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

With things feeling a little uncertain I decided I needed to do some stocking up. I may not work outside of my home, but what I do in my home is just as important. 

 The first stop was to get bedding and extra feed for the girls. 

Next I added to the pantry. Now, as I've mentioned before I keep a well stocked pantry, so I did a little topping off. 

The first stop was to stock up on my tea. Only one store carries the kind I like. I did splurge and purchase a frozen pizza that was on sale. That will save us from take out on a crazy or lazy night. 

I stocked up of flour and sugar. There is so much that can be done with these two items. I also needed to top off my chicken supply. 

Now that most things have been topped off I will need to be prudent to watch sales and ensure my stock doesn't dwindle. 

While making waffles for breakfast I whipped up a double batch and added some to the freezer. 

Chuck finished the window boxes to the point that I was able to give them their first coat of paint. 

The plan is to finished them this week and then Chuck will be able to add the trim to the top. 

It's spring break which means I won't have to care for Ben for the next two weeks. I have a lot of hay to make while the sun shines!

Keep those home fires burning and continue to pray, that's really all we can do!

Wendi 

The Organized Homemaker #6: Baking/Spice Cabinet

 After a slight delay I'm back to organizing. Again, I'm working in the kitchen. I tackled one of my most used areas...the baking/spice cabinet. Come and take a look. 

Here is the before shot.

My main issues with this cabinet was gaining access to my spices. As you can see the containers were stacked. Not only did I need to sort through the spice containers, but in many cases I had to move the oil bottles out of the way. It was a major pain!

Not only that, but many items were no longer labeled correctly and some that were labeled were starting to have the labels come off. It was time for an update. 

I emptied the cabinet, removed labels and washed all of the containers. 

As I was filling containers I added instructions on the underside of the lid, if needed. 

This was the solution for the spices. 

I am in love! At first I purchased two racks. After they were up I asked Chuck if he thought two more would work. I was able to have a space for all of the spices plus to add my baking sprinkles. Seriously, I can't say love, love, love enough.

I keep oils, vinegar and vanilla in these glass bottles. Sometime there would be oil on the bottle that would end up in the bottom of the cabinet. In order to prevent that from happening I placed them in a plastic bin. It will be much easier to wash out the bin instead of the entire bottom of the cabinet. 

Here is the complete, finished cabinet.  It may sound silly, but it brings me joy to open this cabinet. Everything has a place, everything is labeled and I'm super happy. I only wish I had done this sooner!

I'm enjoying working toward an organized home. I've set a goal to have the inside of my home completely organized and deep cleaned by the end of March. I feel like this a goal I can reach without added stress. Check back next week to see that are I tackle next. 

Wendi