Not Quite Vintage

a little spice... and organization

I know I am crazy busy with crafty holiday projects, but my pantry has been calling my name the past few weeks. It really needs some work... and if I am going to enjoy my holiday baking, it needs to be clean and organized soon.

On a recent trip to the store, I bought some new jars - the fun vintage, squarish looking ones with silver lids - for my baking supplies. But, I put them in the basket drawers of my rolling cart/island instead of in the pantry.

My pantry is pretty small. And honestly it has too much stuff in it. I am trying to limit my grocery purchases so I can use up what I have and take stock of what I really need. I also plan on being a bit pickier as I purchase new items - more healthy choices, less processed foods etc.

One shelf I really need to start with in the spice shelf. Have you seen the McCormick spices ad in the magazines that shows some old jars and tins? It tells you how crazy old some of your spices might be. I know mine aren't 10 or 15 years old like the ad illustrates, but I know mine could use a weeding out.

Over the weekend, I stopped into my neighborhood Penzey's Spices. I have to admit, I haven't actually visited before and it has been open for years. What fun. I know, it is a little odd to have a blast in the spice store, but I did. I picked up some small containers of spices I knew I needed and some I wanted to try. I am looking for as many unique ways to spice up chicken and fish... so now I have some new options.

More organizing to come soon (photos too I hope)... but hopefully, I can avoid last nights disaster - dropping an open jar of peppercorns. Seriously peppercorns move far and fast on a linoleum floor and are not so much fun to clean up!

weekend download

Happy Monday! I know, Monday's aren't always the happiest, but I am feeling pretty good today... especially after feeling all weird and dizzy on Saturday. Maybe it is because of all the fresh air and sun I got yesterday, maybe it is because of all the good friends I saw yesterday... who knows, but it feels like a Happy Monday to me.

I have to admit, I didn't really get anything crafty accomplished this weekend... but, I did have fun at Trivia on Friday. We came in 4th out of 30 tables. Pretty good for us... I really think our success can be attributed to our special guest, Flat Stanley. He even came with his own suitcase... wish I had gotten a picture of the suitcase. Flat Stanley even participated in the Twist contest... didn't get a picture of that either.

Saturday, while relaxing on the sofa trying to get rid of my headache, I went through a lot of old magazines. I think I have mentioned my magazine addiction... I love them, have tons of subscriptions and have a lot of trouble throwing them away. So, I have piles of them around my house. In my bedroom, on the back porch, in the basement.

In an effort to simplify and organize (as part of Simplify 07), I tore out and saved only the good pages. My piles of recipes were turned into binders and my crafty inspiration was filed into an accordion file.

I actually started 2007 with organization in mind, even though I just officially joined Simplify 07 last week). My parents gave me this great "Mail Center" for Christmas... I love it when they listen to my suggestions. Over my holiday time off, I organized all my paper work and filed last years papers into a storage box and started 2007 with fresh folders in my new mail center. It is working pretty well so far - much better than the ever-overflowing wire basket filing system. Simplifying this system has really made a difference. I actually throw out junk mail right away - there just isn't room for it.

Kickball was fun, but cold! We won one, lost one. Not the best outcome, but we had a lot of new players and even though we have plenty of boys on the roster, only 4 could be there for the first game. I am all for the strength of girls as athletes, but in coed competition, it is really important for the guys to actually show up. Glad I am not a captain anymore or I would be composing a "When you sign up for a team, it is a responsibility" email today.