Whether it’s in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, I love having my tools ready and at my fingertips so that my work is made easier. However, I’ve found it so difficult to keep them neat and organized. I had this issue in my bedroom where I store all my hair tools – dryer, round brush, curling iron and styling spray. I had thrown them all into a small basket and every time I’d get one out, it would be tangled up with the others. The cords stuck out like serpents, wriggling all over the place. What to do?
If you have a home and a car, you always have something to do!
Like anything, a home needs constant maintenance. I think closets and pantries that are used every day need frequent refreshment. Things need to be reevaluated to know if the space is working at its optimal potential.
We have lived in our house for nine and half years and we are going through and slowly giving each room a fresh coat of paint. It feels amazing. This week the entry way, living room and kitchen were painted a lovely white called, Blue kiss. It’s a white paint with blue hues. As I was getting the rooms prepped for the paint job, I realized that my pantry was also a spot that had the “old” paint color. Soooo, I pulled everything out, put it on the kitchen table so it could get brightened up with the new white shade. It was a good bit of work, but I knew it was going to pay huge dividends!
hōmˌmākər/noun NORTH AMERICAN – a person, especially a housewife, who manages a home.
I think the reason many women don’t enjoy cooking is simply because their work space makes it difficult. This is a clear sign for the need to manage that space in order to maximize your homemaking efforts.
Yesterday I was sweeping the floor and opened my pantry door to see if it could use a swipe through. Yep. Onion skins around the produce basket and a sprinkling of little crumbs at the baseboards told me it needed some attention. I pulled the basket out, and then my flour tin. “Oh, might as well pull everything out and give it a good sweep” I thought.
Two hours later, I was leaving the kitchen! Why? Because once I began working in the pantry, I found more and more areas that needed some management.
Homemakers definitely need to constantly guide the affairs of the home. Without it, tasks are disorganized and difficult.
When I’m working on a space, I ask myself,
Does this space make it easy for me to do my work?
If the answer is no, I work until I feel like I’ve fixed the problem!
Here are some suggestions of ways I do that ~
Move frequently used items to shelves I can reach without having to pull out the step stool.
Fill jars with items I use frequently – oatmeal, brown sugar, confectioners sugar, chocolate chips and rice. It is so much easier to scoop those ingredients from a jar than to open up bags and boxes.
Seldom used items are place up high and out of the way.
Frequently used utensils are within my reach.
Salt and pepper are at my hand near the stove for ease in cooking.
All baking tools are in one area, keeping me from going from one spot to another to gather rolling pin, measuring cups and spoons.
All baking ingredients are also easy to get to.
The trash can is in a spot that is accessed easily.
I also always have a “garbage bowl”out when I’m cooking or baking. It’s a container that sits on the counter and holds the trash – egg shells, onions skin, potato peel, empty cans and anything else that is needs to be thrown away. It all goes in there and gets dumped when I’m finished cooking. It saves me steps while I’m working.
How about walking into your kitchen and asking yourself, what area makes cooking burdensome, rather than easy? Then set to work to fix that problem. Managing your home well will make your homemaking work easier! You might even find that a task you disliked isn’t so bad after all!
What area in your kitchen is most frustrating to you?
There are seasons that just make us want to dive into our areas of clutter and begin a donate campaign. The beginning of the new year, springtime, or a move all give us that proverbial shove to get rid of our piles!
We tiptoe into closets that are brimming with things we’ve stuffed inside, perhaps because we didn’t know what to do with them, or we were in too much of a hurry to put them in their proper place. Lurking on shelves, in shadows and under stacks, we find so many items that are no longer useful. Oh what freedom comes from filling bags with all the undesirable bits and bobs!
Early one recent morning I walked into my closet – my walk-in clothes closet where I also pray. I grimaced at the little pile I had hidden placed behind the door, but I ignored it, shut the door, and knelt to pray. It was then that the Holy Spirit brought to my mind that there are areas of clutter that are far more serious than that pile in my closet. It was so easy for me to see.
Oh yes, Lord! In my life I look around me and recognize the hording that slows my spiritual progress. It deadens my sensitivity to Your Spirit. It makes my testimony ineffective, keeping my eyes on earthly things, rather than the heavenly treasures.
A “pile” of spiritual clutter that came to my mind is found in Colossians 3:
sexual immorality
impurity
passion
evil desire
covetousness, which is idolatry
anger
wrath
malice
slander
obscene talk
Before you raise your eyebrows and think I’m living in immorality, (I am not), I was reminded that this list might sound like it’s directed to the “really bad sinner.” But the Spirit of God reminded me that if I allow any of this to enter my closet door through means of someone else throwing it in there, it’s still cluttering my life. That means I may need to “toss out” people I follow on social media that promote their sinful lifestyle. Comedians that laugh at what God calls pure may need to be added to the trash pile, and “entertainment” that uses profanity, promotes obscene language or nods “yes” to things God clearly condemns all must be added to the “donate pile.”
I also see that filling my minutes/hours/days with useless things is even more cumbersome to my life than hanging onto the sweater I loved but has a hole in the sleeve.
As I continued in my prayer time, I heard the Lord giving me directives on what to “toss” and what to add to my spiritual closet. Confessing my spiritual clutter was the only thing needed to unload the mess. I rose from my knees with a sense of peace. This time was needed. The shadows had revealed the lurking loads that were now clean, fresh and ready for enjoying, rather than sighing with the burden of knowing it is all there, but not dealing with it. It is gone.
Lest you think this is a boast of legalism where we have to “follow all the rules,” I must add that in Christ we are free. We are free to choose the path of righteousness that will lead to greater spiritual fruit, or we can choose the way that gives a short-lived satisfaction but yields only weeds and thorns that we will regret. We live with eternity in view , knowing that Christ could come today. I want my “closet” clean and ready to receive Him. I want others to see the joy of walking with Christ. I, too, love the precious things the Lord adds to my life each day. You know the happy feeling of dumping all that load of junk at the donation center? This is far greater!
If you ask the Lord to show you the clutter that needs to be removed from your life, He will faithfully reveal those things to you. Humble yourself before Him and be ready for the peace and joy that comes from your obedience.
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?
RefreshHer 