Kitchen Remix

While blog stalking the other day, I came across a blog that featured a kitchen organizing post.  I of course became intrigued and felt like a kitchen remix would make my life a little easier so I got busy.
So my kitchen hasn’t been deep cleaned in quite some time and it was full of stuff that just didn’t belong in a kitchen. It was cluttered and disorganized and not pleasing to the eye!
The boys have designated racks to hang their lunch bags and backpacks after ‘school’ but do you think they willingly use those racks…”I’m going with NO”
This area kills me.  It usually looks a lot worse than this because its filled with mail, receipts, empty cups, etc. Plus all of the wires from the phone and internet set up are a jumbled mess.
A classic picture of there’s a place for everything and everything should be in it’s  place.  Why are there DVD's by the kitchen stove?  We don’t have a TV in the kitchen! A plastic bag full of receipts is definitely a fire hazard and we don’t want a repeat of this.  And how long has that pizza tray been there?  I know but I’ll never tell!
 Time to get busy!  Here’s my cup of coffee I poured before I disconnected my coffee maker.  Priorities!
I took everything off of the counters and put it all on my dining table. I did a thorough cleaning of all of the counter tops. It was disgusting.  There was dust, popcorn kernels, a dead fly, crumbs, and ground meat remnants everywhere.  The health department would shut me down quick if I were running a restaurant.
After cleaning, I only put things that I absolutely could not live without back onto my counter tops. Like my bread box, knives, and paper towels.
I had a big toaster oven thingy that I didn’t know how to work so I had to put a small $5 toaster oven next to it for my toast and waffles.  I solved this problem by replacing both appliances for a smaller toaster oven combo that I did know how to work, thus saving counter space and my sanity. Frozen waffles and smoothies are a morning favorite so these two appliances are a must.

I moved the coffee pot next to the sink instead of the stove because it’s easier to refill the water reservoir if it’s next to the sink.  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
I felt very accomplished after my kitchen cleaning/remix.  Of course Terrance didn’t even notice but it felt good none the less.  I am in the process of simplifying my life and getting rid of all of the excess junk that we’ve accumulated over the years.  And the kitchen was a good start  because it’s command central in our house.  More pictures to come from my life of simplicity!