Nesting

I am nesting this week.  You might ask "why in the world is she nesting, is she going to have a baby or something?" Well yes, to answer your question  I am.... sort of. ..  I am going to have a baby come to visit; One of my babies I should say. One of the 29 year olds... who no matter the age is still in the same category to me.  She is bringing her two precious babies... my precious grandbabies... to visit. , and it has set me to nesting... I am so excited.  Steve is too. We are cleaning, rearranging, preparing, planning birthday parties,  buying toys at the second hand store... and anything else that seems needed.  It has been two years since Marie and the babies have been home.

Today I have cleaned out the pantry... really well.  I have cleaned out the fridge, cleaned out the kitchen cabinets,  and vacuumed; now I am taking a break to type this post and find a favorite applesauce muffin recipe, because  I have some applesauce in the fridge (that I just cleaned out) that needs eating up: muffins is what I am thinking.  I am on the verge of cooking up a storm as I nest, because well, I am cleaning out... and nesting (which I think always includes food).

I have been wanting to re-organize my pantry for quite a while, so this "nesting instinct" has helped get it done.  I had wanted to buy big organizing jars, but decided it was too much money, so used up all my spare canning jars instead.  I love how organized I feel.  I got the pantry, baking cabinet, spice cabinet, completely done over with my jars.  I had some things in jars already,  but this time I did much more.

I marked everything with a Sharpie, because I sometimes forget what in the world is in that jar.... especially since I am prone to experimenting, and well, you get the picture.  I have a longing to become really amazing and buy some of the chalk board paint, and paint part of the jars with it, so that I can mark each jar with chalk, and erase when I need to... but I don't think I am going to become amazing after all.. no time or strenght; I will just have to settle for Sharpie directly onto glass.  It works well enough and washes off when scrubbed hard.  

 So if you would have come over to my house this morning, this is what you would have found if you would have opened my pantry door (its like this often, because as I have mentioned in the past, I clean it every other week I think, but  in no time it is a mess again...   sigh... oh well, what's a mother to do?)

 .... and if you would have come a little later, it would have looked like this....

 and this...

.... and this.

 Because it always gets worse before it gets better doesn't it?  I hope you're not thinking "what a slob"... but really,  it didn't start out looking like this; it became like this as I pulled everything out.  

If you had stayed and had a cup of coffee and chatted with me while I worked, you would have seen it slowly improve.

Almost everything put into jars, or containers.

 Why does that look so pretty?  I don't know either, but it does.

Baking cabinet organized

 Everything washed and cleaned and put away...

 My sweet hubby knows how enchanted I am with the red appliances/accessories for the kitchen lately.

So he has bought them for me... our blender was a must, and I just got it yesterday; I am remembering a disaster I had a couple of weeks ago with the old one...what a mess we  had.  The toaster wasn't a must, but my other toaster really was so, so ugly, and I have had it long enough not to feel too frivolous at the thought of getting a new one.  Same goes for the crockpot (the lid was broken on it).  The toaster is like a little red sports car don't you think.   You would be amazed at how often I shine it up.

 I'm fond of blue dishes.  My Mom, my girls, my friend Roxy, and my friend Shari, are all blue dish collectors; its fun to share that with them.   Red and blue; I love them, but mostly just in the kitchen for me.

 Ah, now its time for a cup of coffee while I look for that recipe.

Oh, P.S., Marie and the boys will be in Sunday night.