Getting Organized The Julia Way

Here are a few things I have done to start getting myself more organized so I can be more efficient when I cook. The spice rack in the drawer was not a planned thing. I was out shopping and had to get a few spices when I first started the Julia cooking. I stumbled across this spice rack that goes in a drawer. After years of fumbling in my kitchen cabinet for a particular spice and knocking half of them onto the counter trying to get the one I need, this spice rack seemed like the perfect solution. I came home pulled the dish towels out of the drawer and put the spice rack in. I put a 4 ft. x 7 in. hanging shoe organizer in the mudroom right off of the kitchen. I organized my towels and washcloths for the kitchen in that. It hangs on the wire rack that runs the length of the room above my washer and dryer.

The egg and dart shelf was just another one of my eclectic finds. I love all things that are different. I don't care so much about the era or the history or if it matches really well, if I like it I buy it and then try and make it work somehow. There are a few spices that weren't included in the spice rack so this shelf was handy in getting those organized and easy to grab. Plus, the shelf is absolutely adorable. I love the egg and dart pattern but I also love the color. I have a border in my kitchen and the shelf helps pull the golden brownish yellow pear color out that one might not notice otherwise.

And then, there is the peg board. What a truly clever way to make your kitchen utensils accessible. I was forever digging in drawers trying to find a certain spatula or spoon. Out of all the great ideas Julia and her husband came up with, I like this one the best. It isn't the most attractive way to organize your kitchen gadgets but it is the most useful. I have the board hanging inside the pantry door rather than on a wall. The door is just right by the stove making it handy. I keep the door open while I am cooking and then when I'm done cooking I can shut the door and all the clutter is hidden. I'm absolutely not into clutter. But this is a serviceable clutter and it is organized in a fashion that it makes it purposeful so I can live with that clutter.

After several weeks of bringing home floor samples and deciding what would look best, we did ordered the new floor and it will be here in about a week or so. Michael is going to install that all by himself. I love that he is so handy. We currently have a very unattractive white vinyl floor that we let a floor store owner talk us into buying. He ensured me that carpeting and flooring should be neutral and not really noticeable at all. We should have never listened to him. We have detested the carpet and flooring in our entire house since the day it was installed. I'm not into clutter and I'm also not into neutral...anything. I love color and things that are distressed and decor that makes people feel relaxed in my home. White floors and beige carpet is not relaxing or much of anything, really. It's just there.