Wow, this week it seems like fall has slipped in around the corner and into the countryside where we live. The mornings have been quite brisk. Mid-day it is warm, but when the sun lowers just a tad in the early evening, the chill sets in once again. I have to say I’m enjoying it after some pretty hot days last summer. As we were taking a walk after supper last night I mentioned to my husband that fall is becoming a favorite season. I love the long shadows in the early evening, the crickets chirping, the comfort of a throw on my lap while on the backyard swing, and the brisk morning temperatures. I’m also seeing the beginning of colors in the trees and bushes. Beautiful.🍂
You can listen to this post here on Refresh Her Podcast
A real estate broker asked a young woman if she was thinking about buying a house.
“Why would I need a house?” she answered. “I was born in a hospital, educated in a college, courted in a car, married in a church. I eat my meals in restaurants and spend my evening in the movies. When I die, I’ll be buried from a mortuary. I don’t need a house; all I need is a garage.”
To that I would answer – Oh, but a home is a haven from this world where we foster love for God and people. It’s where we are nourished, rested and strengthened to go back into the world. All that is made easier and more welcoming in a home that is clean and organized.
This is episode five in our Clean with Me series. We’ve hit most all the main rooms of the house – the bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen. How’s it going for you? Remember, we’re not out for perfection, but progress! Keep at it, and little by little you will get there!
There are still two areas that need our attention. The one we’ll address today is our storage spaces. That could mean closets or attics or any other place that might be “hidden” from view, but has gotten crowded or out of control!
Let’s discuss three things:
Easy Tips to organize a closet
My favorite tools to help calm the clutter in storage areas
How to KEEP it clean!
The starting point for your hidden spaces is to snap a picture of it exactly as it is. It’s embarrassing how bad some of my storage spaces had gotten! But I’m equally happy about the end result!
I had the blessing of making dinner for my daughter’s family this week. Well, it was a blessing until the pot pie filling seeped out of the crust and baked into a hard, crispy shell in my oven! What a mess it created!
My oven has the self-cleaning feature, but I’m not really a fan of using it. It just gets too hot in my opinion. So when the mess in my oven cooled, I did my normal routine to try to get it clean. I scraped up what I could using a scraper, and then scrubbed it with a Brillo pad. Not much came up. Ugh. Then I Googled for a solution and I came up with a method that was called “Scrub-free!” I was a little skeptical, but it gave it a try. I was blown away with the results!
The spice cabinet is one of the areas in my home that I struggle to keep neat and organized. I think it’s because I use it while I’m busy cooking and don’t have time to carefully put the jar back in its rightful spot. Dinner is cooking, after all! So every now and then, I just have to make time to clean up this space in my kitchen cabinet.
Last week on Instagram I saw Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) do a reel showing how she stocked her refrigerator. She started with a fridge that clean and empty. Then she added all new, unopened grocery items –
Bottles of water
Condiments
Piles of fresh lemons and limes
Eggs
Cheeses of every kind
Several kinds of meats
Sodas
Milk
Juices
Deli meats
Veggies of all sorts, all washed and wrapped
Freshly roasted chicken
Homemade soups and hummus
And lots more
It was pretty incredible to view the video, but as I watched, I wondered what “regular person” could really purchase all that so they could end up with that lovely, satisfying result? What do you think? Could the average person fill their fridge like that all at one time? I don’t think very many would be able to follow her example.
But I have some good news! I have a few ideas for you today to help your fridge be as organized and lovely inside as Ree’s – and it will cost you nothing extra!
Since we’ve just come through the holidays, perhaps your fridge is nearly bare. Great! Or maybe it’s still full of little leftover containers of this and that. That’s okay.
Start by emptying the shelves one at a time. Analyze each food item as to whether it should stay or go. Check the expiration dates and pitch anything out that’s old.
Once the shelf is empty, wipe it down with hot, soapy water. Then begin to put the items for that shelf back in.
Keep like items together – condiments, salad dressings, sauces, dairy itms, etc.
Place each item with labels facing out so it looks uniform.
I like using vinyl placemats in my fridge because it makes it easy to wash. I plunge them into the hot, soapy water, then dry them and put them back in their spot! You’ll notice the turquoise ones in the picture below.
I like putting my blueberries and strawberries into Mason jars (after the berries have been washed). They stay fresh SO much longer that way! You’ll see the jar in the left drawer below. They also look pretty displayed in the fridge that way! Mason jars are also great for leftovers!
I try to keep all the leftover containers together on one shelf, that way nothing gets forgotten, and it keeps the fridge from getting cluttered up with little dishes.
Start the new year with a fresh start in your kitchen by taking what you have and getting it clean and organized. You’ll be inspired to keep it that way. There’s something very satisfying about opening up a freshly straightened up space – especially something as big and important as the refrigerator!
Is your fridge full or empty now that the holidays are past?
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