Hanno had an operation yesterday to clear up some bleeding in his eye. I'm happy to tell you that he's woken up this morning with normal vision and his eye is looking good. I'm grateful for the eye doctor we both go to. He's very skilled, efficient and does most of these smaller ops in his private surgery.
I've transitioned from plastic bins and jars to glass in recent years and only have this plastic bin, those blue bins and two larger bins left. This one on the right contains sugar and I'll probably change it over fairly soon. The bin is beginning to show signs of cracking at the base and when it finally goes, I'll buy another one of those large glass jars.
I've spent the past few weeks methodically cleaning and organising my food cupboards. There's been no clear plan and I'm not rushing it, I've just done a cupboard or drawer here and there when I felt like doing it. It's part of a bigger plan to reduce food waste so it's not just about clean spaces, it's more about how food is stored so it doesn't spoil and get thrown out. I have to tell you, there is nothing like the satisfaction of cleaning and organising a space that you use a lot. It makes an immediate difference and the satisfaction grows every time I use each cupboard.
Here are the two larger plastic bins. I hope these last a few more years because I like the size of them for bread flour and rolled oats.
Maintaining inspiration can often be a problem with this kind of cleaning and organisation so I was really happy to find a You Tube site that became my motivating force. Harugreen at Freezer Organization, Refrigeration Organization was exactly what I needed to keep me focused. There were foods there I didn't recognise, but I was fine with that, I was there to learn and improve what I do. I hope you watch it. I think you'll be surprised. Watch for the wonderful makeshift utensil she uses to pour black beans into a container and don't forget to choose "English" subtitles in the settings at the bottom of the screen. There are a lot of other videos there on various forms of housework so I subscribed and I'm slowly working my way through the rest of harugreen's videos. I'm so glad I found her. If you're looking for help to start organising or to keep going, join me over there.
I'm presenting an online workshop this weekend on Food Storage and Stockpiling, so this all slotted in well for me. This is the second last of the six-week series; next week will be Backyard - Gardening and Chickens. I've had a wonderful group of women join in, some for all six workshops, some for one and some with a selection of the subjects they have particular interest in. We've had a great time and I'm pretty sure they've found simple life homemaking interesting and hopefully more helpful than they might have expected.
I've also read and watched these links during the week. I hope you have time to go through them over the weekend.
- Baarack the sheep shorn of 35kg fleece after being found roaming in rural Australia - he's living at Edgars Mission now!
Hello Rhonda, that is good news to have Hanno's eyesight normal after his operation. I have a dear friend that had a detached retina a couple of months ago and it has been quite a process for her, she's only just starting to be able to drive herself around again,our eyesight is very precious.
ReplyDeleteI love to have an organised pantry too, mine is a large walk in one which because we live so far out of town on a property has to be well stocked. I have been getting the coffee drinkers who drink Mocconna to save me their glass jars for a few years now. They come in a large size and medium size. I really like them to look at and to use. Most of my staples go into these. I also like the fact that I can see everything clearly and the seal on them is terrific.
Your workshops sound wonderful xx
Rhonda, I love organizing! As you say, even 1 cupboard or drawer at a time makes everything feel fresh. We will be moving in the next few months, so as I pack, I also toss and organize. So freeing! We are getting back to "normal" here in TX in the US. We just got water back 2 days ago, but will have to replace the heating element in one of our water heaters as the rolling blackouts caused it to go out. The house we are in now is not very energy efficient, so we are definitely looking for that in our hunt for a final move. Your ideas on sustainability are enlightening and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteWill you do your class series again? I would love to join if you do.
Good to know things are returning to "normal" in Texas. I'm not sure if I'll do the workshops again. Some Municipal Councils in Sydney have engaged me to do some online workshops for them so I'll just see how I go.
DeleteThank you so much, Rhonda, for the nice list of things to watch & read. I always love recommendations from others. Happy spring organizing too. I love your pantry you pictured here. ~Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful Hanno's sight is good after treatment. Your pantry looks efficient and so easy to see what you need. I like your different size jars. I wonder if the glass replacement for your sugar and oat buckets maybe hard to lift without the handle.🤷♀️ cheers
ReplyDeleteI might not change the flour and oat bins, Bernie. That handle is vital.
DeleteThe bread tag colour change is true, I have worked for a bread company and learned that bread has a two day life on shop shelves. The colours make it easy to remove the older bread which then is processed into breadcrumbs.
ReplyDeleteBakeries don't use colour codes here, there is best before- stamp on tags. Kind of easier, you don't have to remember extra informaation. Best begore depends on the type of bread, like sourdough rye bread has a very long self life, and store baked White breads are at their best just few hours...
DeleteWe have tags, best before ... and use by ... 🤪
DeleteWe went through our pantries and reorganized a few months ago. It is still a pleasure to open the doors and see how neat everything is in there.
ReplyDeleteThat's lovely news that Hanno's eye op went so well. Lucky you've got a good eye person locally, that must be very reassuring. Your very well-organised cupboards look wonderful! The easy visibility and the glass jars are great. Colette
ReplyDeleteThank you for making this content.So glad I found you (through Brooke Mcalary). Baking some of your cheese biscuits right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found us, Jess. Enjoy the biscuits!
DeleteI need to find a better way to organize my pantry. It's just two large and deep shelves and things get lost in there. I would like to get a couple of stackable storage racks to put in there so it will help me find things better. Organization is always an ongoing work in progress, isn't it? :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, different levels makes it easier to see everything. I use a metal shelf which expands to the width I need it to be. In the back corner I have a double-level turntable that keeps all the smallest items together. Organisation never ends but it adds interest when the changes happen. Good luck with yours.
DeleteGlad to hear that Hanno is healing well, and that you have such an excellent eye surgeon. Your cupboards look fantastic. I need to get to work on mine. For some reason I always procrastinate in those areas of the house. The cabin cupboards are in great shape, but the cottage ones need to be organized and redone. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteDear Rhonda, Hanno and Gracie best wishes to Hanno with the eye problems it's very frustrating getting older and we seem to be requiring maintenance just like everything else! I have plastic container guilt, as my pantry has a lot of those clip sided stackable containers as they fit well in the limited space. I will probably keep them for my forever as they are supposedly bpa free and as they are never used for heating or wet or acidic things I guess they won't deteriorate. I do prefer the look and recyclability of glass more and do have some dating back to my mum! Thanks for the inspiration to clean and sort my pantry, it doesn't seem such a lonely job when you see a lot of people doing it together! Glad your workshops have been successful and enjoyable, I know they will be so helpful. It feels really like Autumn down here,cool nights and mild days,need to get some broccoli planted but so many cabbage moths still about🙃
ReplyDeleteRhonda, thank you for the link to Harugreen and the freezer organisation. It was wonderful! This week I have done the same in my own freezer and cannot believe how much space it saves and then there's the ease of finding what I want, as well as seeing clearly what should be used first. It was one of those gamechanger moments in homemaking. Bless you!
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased the link helped you with your freezer, Jenny.
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