Getting Organized

The first stop on my journey  is to get more organized and I have decided to start this quest for organization by first de-cluttering the house. My husband (hence forth referred to as TechMan) and I are considering downsizing in the spring to a town house. It would be the same amount of rooms but a little less square footage and less back yard and no front yard. I think this is actually TechMans  main motivation for the move, no more mowing in over 100 degree, 90% humidity weather. (Welcome to Houston) Needless to say we won't have room for all the "stuff" we've seemed to accumulate over the years. I'm not talking about the furniture, although doubtless some of it will need to go. No, this is all the little stuff that just seems to pile up;  you know all that stuff that you told yourself you'd use one day so it got thrown in a closet or cupboard and there it sat. It's still sitting there now, waiting for you come and put it to good use.

Nowhere else, at least at my house, is this more evident than in the kitchen. I love kitchen stuff, and when I say love kitchen stuff I mean I LOVE kitchen stuff. Bed Bath and Beyond is like heaven for me, and although I don't buy a lot of stuff from them, unless I have a coupon and I just can't live without it, I seem to have acquired a lot of the stuff that lines their shelves. You see my family knows that I love kitchen stuff and so when they are cleaning out their kitchens and feel guilty about throwing certain things away they think "a ha, Alysia loves kitchen stuff, I'll give it to her. She'll put it to good use".  And so it comes to my house and sits in my cupboards. Yay me. It's sad, I know.  

But no more. I will not feel guilty for getting rid of things I don't use! (Well, maybe a little.)

And so I set out on my quest. I emptied all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and went through everything one piece at a time. My rules were simple.

1. Have I used it in the last six months?

2. Is it something I will use for the holidays?

3. Do I have more than one of this item and if so do I need more than one of this item?

With my rules in hand I rolled up my sleeves and got to work

After several hours of slogging through pots and pans, utensils, bake ware, casserole dishes, etc.,  I finally got the pile down to a more manageable size and actually freed up a whole shelf. Score!!!

Inspired by my success in the kitchen I am ready to tackle the rest of the house.

You should have seen the kids faces when they were informed that their rooms where next on my hit list. Priceless.

These are a few of my favorite pieces.
1. Casserole/Baking dishes. I got rid of all the ugly ones and kept these. There is actually a third one that goes with this set as well but I thought it might be overkill.
2. The Calphalon non-stick pans. These are my all time favorite pans to use. They go straight from the stove to the oven and are great for making fritatas.
3. Dutch Oven. Great for stews or roasts.
4. Nesting bowls. You can never have enough mixing bowls.
5. Mixer. This is my go to item when ever I'm in the mood to bake, which is often. It's really a life saver.