Week 2 :: New Year's Organizing Revolution

Welcome back for Week 2 of the New Year's Organizing Revolution. This week the area selected for organizing is the kitchen. I had a head start on this because I spent my New Year's repainting my kitchen cabinets but unfortunately I forgot to take before and after pictures. The paint was chipped and scuffed mostly along the bottom cabinets.

My kitchen wasn't in too bad of shape because I spent the end of September and early October going through each cabinet, removing the items, wiping down the shelves, adding new cabinet liners, putting the items I use back in, and selling the unused items in a yard sale. I also went through the drawers and added some pretty scrapbook paper and organized my spice cabinet. So this week was mostly spent straightening up those drawers and cabinets, clearing the countertop of projects and stuff, and organizing my laundry room. I also included my dining room since the majority of my Christmas decorations were in there and needed to be taken down.

My before pictures starting with the left side of my dining room:

And the right side:

In my dining room leading into the kitchen:

The right side of my kitchen:

And the left side:

Here are my after pictures starting with the dining room on the left side:

And the right side:

Tasks in the dining room:
- Packed and stored the Christmas decorations
- Put away the clean clothes
- Dusted
- Polished the furniture
- Vacuumed and mopped the floors

Kitchen on the right:

Kitchen on the left:

Tasks:
- Painted the cabinets
- Added Command hooks to hang purse and apron
- Completed art/craft projects
- Put away clean dishes
- Cleared countertops (found a home for each item, trash, and donated)
- Cleaned microwave
- Wiped down countertops
- Cleaned stovetop
- Wiped down appliances
- Cleared inside fridge
- Cleaned window and ledge
- Hand scrubbed floor
- Scrubbed and polished sink

I'm looking for new pet dishes on a stand to make my girl's eating area neater:

My laundry room is in my kitchen (behind the by-fold doors) so I knocked that out too except I failed to get before pics.

Tasks:
- Organized supplies
- Made new batch of laundry detergent and fabric softener
- Made new labels for baskets (the stamps have nothing to do with cleaning but they are so cute!)
- Wiped down washer and dryer

I'm linking to Clean Mama for Week 2.

Hugs,

Travel Adventures + Retail Therapy

I was in Huntsville, AL last week for work and was surprised by the great shopping options. They have an Anthropologie and I don't in Panama City. Boo! That may be a good thing or else I would stay broke! LOL. Anthro never ceases to amaze me with the showroom eye candy they call a store. I want to move into their store. :-D

Rocking my new Anthro fingerless gloves.

Chandelier lighting in the gorgeous hotel I stayed in (SpringHill Suites).

A section of artwork on my floor at the hotel.

Hugs,

Quote - The Spirit of Christmas

Would that the spirit of Christmas

could live within our hearts

every day of the year.

~Charles Dickens

Have a very Merry Christmas! 

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Love,

Tried and True Sweet Christmas Goodies

One of my favorite parts of Christmastime is making sweet goodies for loved ones. I have a couple tried and true recipes that I turn to each year that never fail to delight.

First is my homemade fudge with walnuts (+ a small portion without nuts), buckeye bars (which I think are even better than Reese's Cups!), and chocolate truffles (rich and melt in your mouth).

This recipe is so simple you can make it in a microwave, which I do. Before finding this recipe I tried and failed making fudge on the stovetop more times than I can count. I almost gave up until I tried this version in the microwave and BAM! Nailed it! Recipe for Fantasy Fudge from Kraft.

Some folks make buckeye balls but I prefer them in bar form. I don't even like peanut butter (yeah, I've heard it all before.) but I LOVE these bars! Recipe for Buckeye Bars.

I stumbled upon the truffle recipe in a Kraft Foods magazine several years ago. They are super easy to make but a bit messy. I've never tried to alter the recipe just the toppings or sometimes no toppings. I'm sure you could alter it and come up with some awesome versions but I like the simplicity of the recipe and the sweet creamy taste without no changes. I used chocolate sprinkles, red and green colored sugar crystals, and peppermint sugar crystals. Recipe for Chocolate Truffles.

This recipe is a newbie for me. I've made monkey bread before but this one kicks it up a notch. Cream cheese makes everything better! Recipe for Cream Cheese Monkey Bread.

Sweetly Yours,