tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post3053229545194353153..comments2024-03-29T21:11:37.724+10:00Comments on down to earth: Organising your kitchen spacesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-18174058709396665362011-03-24T06:42:22.485+10:002011-03-24T06:42:22.485+10:00in england the weather has shifted to gorgeous &am...in england the weather has shifted to gorgeous & warm, and i'm into serious reorganising & spring clean. we moved in at the darkest time of year and it's just felt too cold, the days too short, to really get to anything. it feels wonderful to pot up plants and start the garden, and put things in order! i'm planning to spend the next 10 days going mad with cleaning house til it is in fine shape. i really adore having this arranged so they work - constant shifting according to need, i find! x!elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03666174167150041505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-53134504648317124982011-03-20T21:50:44.489+10:002011-03-20T21:50:44.489+10:00those are great ideas!those are great ideas!Twisted Cinderellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14273548648344779210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-41513823615516568222011-03-20T15:08:55.823+10:002011-03-20T15:08:55.823+10:00Thank you for your timely post Rhonda. I started ...Thank you for your timely post Rhonda. I started today by eliminating a long cluttered table and some boxes as well as the breadmaker which I never use anymore. I still have the pantries and cupboards to go, but the space already feels great.Silviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09461867342038492623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-50997614136873209242011-03-18T22:37:42.294+10:002011-03-18T22:37:42.294+10:00I've been slowly working on different sections...I've been slowly working on different sections of my kitchen during Feb and March, and it's starting to look, feel and function much better! There are still a few areas that I fear must remain a little cluttered (drinks/vitamins/cups for the day etc. and the dreaded corner cupboards that someone else mentioned) But I've been able to get rid of some items we haven't been using and buy some better utensils/appliances and make them fit! Thanks for sharing these details from your kitchen to inspire me further! (And we're trying ginger beer for the first time too)Fionahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03564174820915401323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-63477302415652025672011-03-18T08:35:21.788+10:002011-03-18T08:35:21.788+10:00I'm all about decluttering and organizing. I&#...I'm all about decluttering and organizing. I'm working on it for sure, in fact, I've rearranged once in an effort to make my kitchen more user friendly:<br /><br />http://youngernews.blogspot.com/2010/12/flow-in-kitchen.html<br /><br />I've got to make room for baby stuff and for the toddler dishes we have been given. Something else to work on!Mama Rachaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03534245701379707268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-85865853391392398462011-03-18T05:00:24.124+10:002011-03-18T05:00:24.124+10:00I was so lucky to be raised and trained by a woman...I was so lucky to be raised and trained by a woman who understood how essential a properly organized kitchen is to a homemaker. <br /><br />Thankfully, my sisters learned the same thing. When I was just 2 weeks from my due date with #3 son, we moved. And labor started early. While I was having my baby, my 2 sisters set up my new kitchen. What a blessing! And, they were so wise and considered how I cook and live that we never had to rearrange a single thing in the 10 years we lived there.<br /><br />I am so glad that you are sharing so much of yourself, Rhonda. Many young women these days want to be joyful homemakers but need encouragement and training. You are giving them a place where they can learn the practicalities as well as see the peace, contentment, joy and fulfillment of being a keeper of the home.<br />God bless.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00536191701757095495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-82237604992483974122011-03-18T01:45:28.996+10:002011-03-18T01:45:28.996+10:00This post reminds me of when we moved here. We ha...This post reminds me of when we moved here. We had lots of friends helping including three ladies in their 40-50's who I asked to sort the kitchen. They asked me where I wanted stuff and I said, "Just put things where you think; wherever they go, something will need reorganising later." They gave me a really good start and while we did swap a few things, it worked beautifully.Attilanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-54162792231618653382011-03-18T01:27:56.133+10:002011-03-18T01:27:56.133+10:00Thanks for this, it's come at a great time for...Thanks for this, it's come at a great time for me. We have just bought a new house and are in the process of planning lots of renovations - including a lovely, large brand new kitchen. I really want to do it *right*, so if anyone has any advice?! I don't yet bake much or cook much from scratch, but I was just starting to when we moved in with my in-laws. I really want that to continue in the new place!<br /><br />One of my biggest problems is what to do with big appliances that take up bench space but should be accessible, like the bread maker.<br /><br />In our old flat, I created a 'tea-and-toast' station: teabags and cupboard-stored spreads above, cups below and bread, toaster and jug in the middle on the bench. It worked brilliantly and used an other-wise fairly useless narrow bench.Melnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-36957225790411770522011-03-18T00:33:40.258+10:002011-03-18T00:33:40.258+10:00I really love the idea of a basket of dishcloths/t...I really love the idea of a basket of dishcloths/towels. And your tea/coffee area too.Jeannie B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05622479618143731970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-8380636957190585652011-03-17T23:04:13.264+10:002011-03-17T23:04:13.264+10:00Great suggestions! I try to just keep things that ...Great suggestions! I try to just keep things that I use. No room for much else anyway. Looking forward to Spring cleaning time. I like to get rid of stuff that has gotten dusty.Callie Bradyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16379683295150396693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-8007593233961536422011-03-17T22:09:38.713+10:002011-03-17T22:09:38.713+10:00I reorganized my kitchen last year to make things ...I reorganized my kitchen last year to make things more efficient for me (the main cook). There was a lot of frustration at first because I had a several family member who were in and out of the the kitchen but couldn't find things...I finally put sticky notes up everywhere. Silverware, pots and pans, coffee cups, etc. After several weeks everyone got accustomed to the new placement and I was able to take the notes down. All was fine until my oldest boy returned from a deployment in Afghanistan. Poor guy, he had a terrible time finding anything in the kitchen!Lace up and Walkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17143556081356821588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-48127519298818502312011-03-17T19:09:26.806+10:002011-03-17T19:09:26.806+10:00I have only just discovered you, and am really enj...I have only just discovered you, and am really enjoying your blog - thank you. I have been on a big mission this week to sort out my kitchen space as I would like to store more bulk foods and have a better flow for all the projects I am envisioning in this space. I like your tea making station! VickyVictoriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03949695868393257933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-55973817911560182382011-03-17T19:09:01.582+10:002011-03-17T19:09:01.582+10:00Thankyou Rhonda......this is so well timed. I hav...Thankyou Rhonda......this is so well timed. I have just moved into a new house and the kitchen has not been working well at all. we've been running from one side of the kitchen to the other just to make a cup of tea!! I have just changed the tea and coffee making things around and now have everything near the jug on a beautiful wooden tray that I had in the cupboard. I just have to crochet a nice tray cloth and it will be perfect!!Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09040961824147958454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-65706955990848735842011-03-17T18:18:07.832+10:002011-03-17T18:18:07.832+10:00We are about to move...to our very own farm! I...We are about to move...to our very own farm! I'll be putting a lot of thought into how I arrange our kitchen, with preserving and bread making at the top of my priorities. Some great advice here, Rhonda xxChristiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09276070221178771348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-38279754040439331172011-03-17T16:54:09.699+10:002011-03-17T16:54:09.699+10:00I love my country kitchen but the tall deep pantry...I love my country kitchen but the tall deep pantry in the corner was so frustrating and totally impractical for storing jars of dried foods, tins, spices etc. You had to pull out jars to reach the ones at the back. I reorganized and created a baking drawer - I use small baskets and plastic trays to hold baking supplies such as vanilla essence, spices, etc. So no more hunting in the back of the pantry for a sachet of gelatine! I dream of a dresser but as my dining /family room has full length glass doors there are no walls to place one on. Never mind, the views of our bushland I have from my kitchen is what we bought our home for. When we extended the house my husband gave me two options for the old bathroom next to the kitchen. An office/library or walk in pantry. As we homeschool and I hate desks in living areas with all their office clutter on show I opted for the office. It has a sliding door that can be closed at a moment's notice but it is also the perfect central location for the family computer so you can see my dilemma! Its shelves along one wall would be perfect for my glass jars but I have lots of books. A recent book de-clutter has resulted in free shelves so it's a room in transition. All my dry goods in big glass jars sit on the top but reachable shelves in single file. I can sit at my desk and make up a shopping list and turn around and a glance see which dry and tinned goods are running low. For now it has to be both an office and a sort of pantry - when the children are no longer in need of all these books it will become a butler's pantry. The former food pantry became a crockery cupboard and I found its deep shelves the perfect spot for all my long platters.<br />This was a very helpful and relevant post Rhonda - thank you!Ann at eightacresofedenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524581927752695509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-51254162580492778752011-03-17T15:24:34.974+10:002011-03-17T15:24:34.974+10:00Good advice at just the right time! I am planning ...Good advice at just the right time! I am planning on cleaning out my big kitchen next week. One thing I will change is to make a shelf just for empty jars and things like you have done.<br />I love your basket idea for the cloths and think I will adopt something similar. (Just need to knit a few more cloths first!)Taniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00123593037593548003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-90287481469627048662011-03-17T13:07:31.569+10:002011-03-17T13:07:31.569+10:00I'm at the point of seriously considering eith...I'm at the point of seriously considering either replacing my broken dishwasher or just turning the area into storage space for my cast iron pans that reside inside my oven when not in use.Mrs. Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06644129213141875138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-69121240117839727642011-03-17T12:59:27.549+10:002011-03-17T12:59:27.549+10:00This is an excellent post, which already has got m...This is an excellent post, which already has got me thinking about some things I could arrange better. I appreciate all the wisdom you share with us. Thank you!Lauriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01156180100389224114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-36730117822906045162011-03-17T12:04:02.128+10:002011-03-17T12:04:02.128+10:00How funny! I've just spent the past 2 days reo...How funny! I've just spent the past 2 days reorganizing my kitchen to work better for me! I'm pregnant with our 5th child and just couldn't bear the thought of bending down into the kitchen cupboard where all the plates were housed. I cleaned out our buffet and hutch, lined the back of the shelves with some pretty fabric and flocked scrapbooking papers and moved all our plates, bowls and everyday settings to it! Now it's all accessible (without bending for me) and it's all still reachable for the kids when they set the table. I'm so happy with it! The best thing is that I can now use the old cupboard space to keep the foods that we buy in bulk! <br />Thanks for the encouragement you give me Rhonda!<br />Lusi xlusihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741397873957723386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-15485898285644418062011-03-17T11:02:26.190+10:002011-03-17T11:02:26.190+10:00We also have a small kitchen and organizing it is ...We also have a small kitchen and organizing it is a challenge. Do you have ideas for how to organize and store cookbooks? We have and use quite a few and it's hard to know where to keep them.Sarah Khttp://www.small-cityliving.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-36799346078749804872011-03-17T10:37:13.314+10:002011-03-17T10:37:13.314+10:00This post reminded me of when I first saw your dis...This post reminded me of when I first saw your dishwasher conversion. I thought it was brilliant then and I am still trying to get my husband to do the same for me. He's willing, just has a different list of priorities. My dishwasher died the day before Thanksgiving 2009. I've never been sorry, just eager to put the space to use!Debbiehttp://prinetimeprinepen.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-89174991880704122112011-03-17T10:20:38.877+10:002011-03-17T10:20:38.877+10:00Thank you for this post, I've been wanting to ...Thank you for this post, I've been wanting to do something to the house but wasn't quite sure what. Now I know! I really don't enjoy preparing meals in our country kitchen. The fridge and pantry are on the opposite side of the room from the prep area with a rather largish table in the middle (if anyone is sitting down while I'm preparing they have to move and when we have company...chaos). I have made a tea drawer near where we have our kettle which provides space on the bench for when I need to bake. I don't bake as often as I'd like because it's hard. I guess I'll be clearing out the cupboard next to the drawers and use one for the baking stuff! Thank you Rhonda (oh and hubby got some potting mix yesterday, the sweet potatoes will be going into a large tub today - easier to harvest as we have rock hard clay soil!)Larissa in Country West Australiahttp://www.larissaquinn.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-28151947669242132952011-03-17T10:06:20.328+10:002011-03-17T10:06:20.328+10:00I had to google "Coolgardie safe"! Got a...I had to google "Coolgardie safe"! Got a real kick out of this peek into your kitchen, RJ. Thanks for this food for thought. Though I think everything in my kitchen is fairly handy now, always room for improvement!Dmariehttp://bettermebetterworld.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-11461228700478965452011-03-17T09:19:09.052+10:002011-03-17T09:19:09.052+10:00Really good post, Rhonda.
It is important that we...Really good post, Rhonda.<br /><br />It is important that we make our space and our tools work for us!<br /><br />I long ago made a "baking center" in the cupboard under my mixer. That is where all the baking supplies are kept and a draw within reach has the measuring cups and spoons etc...it has been so handy whether making a cake, cookies or bread.<br /><br />I love these kinds of posts - they are encouraging to home keepers! Thanks!Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16133684514103206137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-59023722528968678712011-03-17T08:12:19.207+10:002011-03-17T08:12:19.207+10:00You are so right! Organization is veyr important! ...You are so right! Organization is veyr important! I need to do more organizing too.Sheryl at Providence Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07127223943390691667noreply@blogger.com