Monday, December 6, 2010

One Organized Little House


Walk into my mom's house at anytime and it will be spotless. You can open any drawer or look in her laundry room and it will also be tidy. When it comes to being domestic, my mom takes home the blue ribbon on any given day. She can whip up a meal for 25 people with little to no effort, and minutes after we've eaten, the kitchen is just as spotless as the minute we walked in. Her secret? Organization. Much of which I've picked up, and very much of what I still have to learn.

Growing up in a small house with 17 brothers and sisters, she had to be organized, being disorganized wasn't an option. I've known her for 45 years, and I have yet to see a pile of laundry or walk into an untidy house. With that said, I'll also add that she's not a clean freak. She doesn't bark if the kids get crumbs on the couch or you walk in the house with your shoes on. They believe that a house is a home, and that living can be messy at times.

She says that once my dad was retired and started to pitch in with the housework, it took a while to train him on her system. She has an exact location for everything from her 1960 greeting card collection to her 2010 photographs.

I asked mom if she'd allow me to take a few photographs of her system, and she agreed.

Without further ado here's a little peek into the life of an organized homemaker:


Mom keeps her eyes open for things like "Mail organizers" at Thrift stores and yard sales. Here's one she recently picked up.


A small basket in the medicine cabinet keeps little items from rolling off the shelf and offers more space.


A medium-sized bucket on top of a coat rack is a great place for mittens!


A dollar store basket sits in a busy area of the home where junk tends to collect.


A knife block saves drawer space, and comes in handy when cutting cheese or slicing bread.


Pots are in a pot drawer.


Aluminum foils, baggies, and plastic wrap fit well in a drawer along with a rolling pin.


I don't know if EVERYONE does this, but my sisters and I have always kept our dishcloths and tea towels in a kitchen drawer. Mom's look so pretty!


I want this. She has an over-sized divider that fills the full space of the drawer. It houses far more utensils than the regular-sized ones.


A cup of pens sits by the phone. Always handy when a call comes in.


Small appliances are kept underneath in the cupboards. She even keeps the toaster oven in there!

And here are more small appliances. She puts them in the exact same spot every time.


Another small container is placed in a traffic area of the house.


You can't see it here, but this container is about as wide as a 2 liter pop bottle. She keeps their vitamins in there.


Noodles and bagged pasta is kept in a basket in the pantry.


She has an oversized juice container to store rice. I would estimate that it holds about 4 liters. And it has spout for pouring.


A large bin for white flower. These containers can be purchased at some fast food places for $2. Since they get so many they often give them out. Just ask management.


A second large bin for whole-wheat flower.


Medicine cabinet in the hallway. I see moisturisers, cough syrup etc. Notice how the storage containers are inexpensive? Nothing fancy. They are likely purchased at the dollar store.


Cleaners in a broom closet.


Under the kitchen sink. The basket keeps cans and small items organized and easy to find.


Can you believe that this is my mother's spice cupboard? I know!! She has her spices in little baskets that she pull out. She knows which ones she uses more frequently and has them housed together. I love this!


Under a kitchen cupboard we find odd shaped items like a cheese grater. Not having all that many kitchen drawers has given mom opportunity to get creative.


Since I was a baby, I remember cups have always hung on hooks. Now they have trees to hang them on. Hmmm... this gets me thinking... maybe hubby will put a few hooks under my kitchen cupboard, and I can bring back the retro look. "Michael..."


This is one of my favorites. This square glass container is great for holding wooden spoons on the stove. Do you also see the cute spoon rest? The spoon sits upright instead of lying down. Love it!


A paper towel holder is close to the stove.



My mom is addicted to these utensil carousels. She gave me one several years ago that I should have kept, but didn't. Now I want one of my own. Maybe she can find another one at the thrift store for me. Look how much it holds!


On the left she has hot pot pads, and on the right are plastic lids. This is in a small cupboard.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Raising Homemakers

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