Pantry Organization!

     So the normal choice after the freezer redos would of course be the pantry. Unfortunately no preview of before, but here is a shot of after. This was actually done at a previous time, when a rouge mouse decided to run rampant and cause issues. Lucky for me it has been fairly easy to keep this system in check, and only needed a short clean up and wipe down to get things back in order.

   
     This is the drink and spice section. I had gotten tired of all of the boxes of tea and wanted something easily put onto the counter when guests were wanting some. Hence I came up with the large, lidded jar in the back. It holds something like 30 boxes of mixed tea bags. Love that everyone can find something they like in there, and nice that I had already had the jar - was one I purchased long ago for a terrarium project, though had yet to get all of the supplies to make it. The spices are just as easily found, reusing organizational pieces I already had to make things found in a snap.

Beverages and Spices

     I do love to cook, so more spices on the next shelf down (much of these are stock I keep to make my own home-made dry mixes and such), keeping them corralled in a wire basket that didn't have a more exciting task at the moment. Easy to pull out and sort through when I need, or just pull out to wipe the shelves down. I rarely purchase any type of premade dry mixes, but the rubbermaid container helps to keep them tidy and safe from mice. For the few box products I do use, another rubber maid basket keeps them handy, allowing me to easily reach the shelves for cleaning. I also like to keep my cookbooks in here, as it keeps them easily found, clean and off the counters. Having such a small kitchen, there really isn't a good place to keep them lately, so this works. I also keep a stack of bread recipe books stacked on one of the stools. I like the way it looks and keeps those (ones used most) closer to hand.

More spices, boxes, overstock and cookbooks.

    So my son got lucky and they had an insane sale on a couple of cereals that he really likes, so picked them up. The other containers house instant pancake mix, rice, dehydrated potato flakes, more cereal (usually added to breads), and general breakfast stuff. I ended up finding the glass containers at a yard sale for $1 each (later found out they are from IKEA, though at a much steeper price), and absolutely adore them! Usually look for glass storage containers any time I may be at a thrift store, have a nice assortment now!  Too, not quite sure how we ended up with so much peanut butter (granted there is an almond butter and sunflower seed butter in there too!), so looks like home made dog treats will be in order this week. Not to mention, we have run low and she sure loves them!

Cereals, dry storage goods, overstock, and some canned goods.

   
     Last, but not least, the canned veggies and fruits. I rarely use canned veggies, preferring frozen much better, but I do use them on occasion. Nice to have, but will only pick up when there is an insane sale on them. Thinking I paid $.30 per can - something great to have on hand in case of emergencies too. The storage below is for pastas, popcorn, etc. Anything to deter the mice in their venture. Luckily, we haven't seen any evidence for awhile, so thinking they were finally caught and dealt with! Woot! Overstock items (stuff I use regularly will be purchased when half price off or more, and stored up) are usually kept to the back, keeping items I need easily found. By putting things into containers and boxes I found not being used otherwise, it makes for an easy removal to reach things in the back or for a quick wipe down of the shelving. Little extra tip - grab a sharpie and write the date of purchase on the top of your cans (or can expiration date), that way you can easily rotate stock and make sure that nothing goes to waste! Best when everything can be seen and found easily!

Canned veggies and fruits, more dry storage.

       
     So that's about it for the pantry. Glad to have it done and behind me now. Yesterday was also spent cleaning the bathrooms and returning my floors to a pristine white (Grout cleaner recipe can be found in a previous blog post), clearing out and finishing up on organizing areas of my basement for habitation purposes, and stocking up on most of my mixes. In a few short hours, I now have instant panacke mix, instant peppermint hot coco mix, instant vanilla cappuccino mix, cream of anything soup mix, and my most favorite Chai tea! So for a bit of my time, using materials I already hand on hand, I was able to save around $60 worth of items from the store!  Not bad at all! Happy to have everything stocked up and ready to go for the next month of use! Also, most of the recipes should be listed here in this blog site, or just drop me a line, happy to pass them along!

     Time to get moving today. Biscuits and Bread making are on the list today, making a few batches to freeze down. Great to have in case of unexpected company for dinner, and always great when the day has not gone according to plan. Absolutely adore the smell of the house during bread days! Nom!!

Freezer Organization Complete!

     I love when I can have productive days! With the unseasonable warmth this weekend, I am hoping to catch up on a few more outdoor chores that I never got to before the snow fell as well. Have to see how it goes!

     Yesterday I ended up spending a few hours on emptying all of the freezers, organizing and replacing everything back in them, rotating the older stuff to the top, and making sure to thoroughly clean all the surfaces in-between. It amazes me just how much crud can get spilled in there! So here is the new and improved system.

     Much better! I can find everything easily, see most everything at a glance, and even made it teen friendly by labeling the drawers - no home is complete without Sharpies! No more endless, non-productive, freezer digging! Typically, I purchase meats when on sale - usually looking for half off kind - and stock up a month's worth of meat for that price (or what ever my meager budget will allow). I have found some great help here with Reynolds' new Perfect Portions Freezer wrappers, as I usually don't cook very many meals where meat is the "main course" on its' own, though like to add bits of meat into various recipes to make it last as long as possible. So, when I pick up a pack of chicken breasts, I usually try for the largest size as it has the biggest discount for purchasing in bulk (same with beef and pork). These allow me to portion down before freezing, so I only take out what I need and also allows me to save money by reusing my expensive freezer bags by keeping them rotating with individual servings. I can use multiple times, since I never really take the main bag out of the freezer. Always a win-win! 

 

                

Chicken breast portions - singles

     Here is what it looks like with my portions already frozen. I get the heavy duty (quality) freezer bags, as they do much better and hold up much better than the cheap guys. I think I paid all of $3 for 75 ct of the portions bags and so much cheaper to toss a bag that costs only $.04 than one that costs $.20! Also great, as I can load them without directly touching the meat and avoiding a larger mess or washing my hands 30 times while packing it all down! I have my beef and pork the same way, often in 1lb portions. Then I just label the bag with dates (have I mentioned I love sharpies!), and rotate the older stock into the inside freezer as needed. Each type of meat is further separated into the chest freezer into stack-able baskets for easy searching (and easier on the back!).  Keeps everything fresh and easily found with little hassle or having items lost in the abyss of the chest freezer.

     I have always extremely disliked food waste, and take as many steps to prevent it as possible. After breaking down the freezer yesterday, I was shocked to see just how many little frozen veggie bits had fallen to their death at the bottom of the freezer - they are now fodder for the compost bin, so not a huge loss. Just a waste of money if meant to be eaten. So ended up switching them all into quart freezer zip lock bags. Figure there is no need to label, as it is easy to see just what veggies are where, and the quart bags are perfect for holding one regular size bag of veggies (also as I replace the veggies I do stock, they can go into the same bag - no waste!) No more half-used, crap bags; digging through to see just what I do have, or having rogue veggie bits meandering all over the freezer at whim. Everything is neat and tidy! Woot! 

Easy to find veggies now!

     With cooking for just my son and I, we never ended up needing the whole bag of veggies at a time, and I adore having frozen veggies on hand to toss into casseroles, soups, stews, etc. Also, many of the fresh produce items I purchase get processed (cleaned, diced, etc) then sent into the freezer so they are on hand when I want them. Creates much less waste, especially with the bell peppers, onions, summer squash, seasonal fruits not canned, etc. Usually though I will dice or chop them, throw them on a cookie sheet in one layer, then place into the chest freeze for a couple of hours until frozen and then straight into a freezer zip lock bag - that way, you have frozen bits for ease of use, rather than one solid clump. So much cheaper to purchase fresh and freeze yourself, also save quite a bit when produce runs on sale!

     So hopefully this may help a few out there wanting to get control of their food storage issues, or perhaps give others a few ideas to make life a little easier and dinner prep a little quicker. I am always happier to dice, chop and create when I have a little time, rather than trying to be rushed to get a dinner on the table and something in the belly before 9 pm ends up rolling around. Life can get hectic, time can get away from us all, and just remember - life happens. Just try and make the best of it. I am usually pretty worn out with just going to the grocery, and will often toss everything that needs to be dealt with in the extra fridge in the garage for an hour or so (couple of times even overnight) until I was better prepared to get it all packaged down and where it needed to be. Works great for me, but perhaps not for some. Just have to find what works for you!

YEA! Here's to the New Year!

     Well, here's hoping that all is right and well with the Blogger site again! Has been quite some time since I have been able to get on here (site was not functioning correctly). Trying to keep busy as usual, though find it is hard with the slowing down for winter. Did finish another gift for a friend's wife - a beret hat and finger-less mitts set. Very happy that they are so happy with the end product. I really enjoyed making them! Will warn you in advance, this is a VERY labor intensive pattern! Works up beautifully though! (Pattern can be accessed through the link below) For the mitts, any basic pattern would work - I never really used a pattern for them.

Pattern for Autumn Vines Hat

     

     So of course with the new year, comes plans (hopes at least) of creating a more organized home. Getting rid of the old and unused - finding good homes or recycling what I can, and trying to find a bit more peace and simplicity in my life. My children are now 16 &17 years of age, and I still find baby socks on occasion. I think they end up breeding like rabbits as soon as you are no longer in need of them - but heaven forbid you ever find a matching set when they fit!

     So this year, I am taking one space at a time - sifting through and finding what can be re-purposed or reused elsewhere, and making it happen. Figure also on starting a bit early on the Spring cleaning, as it will go hand in hand with the organization, and leave me much more time for Gardening and enjoying my time elsewhere. For today, I have slotted getting my ransacked freezer in order (three of them actually), but the worst seems to be my side by side - the one the teen boy likes to pick through the most. It is pretty bad - brace yourselves!  LOL Still unsure of how such a small space can end up that bad...two words: Teen Boy!

For shame, for shame.

     The goal will be to combine what veggies and food stuffs that I can, get everything cleaned up and organized, get rid of anything that will never be used (the raccoon family love anything I toss over the fence), and get generally more organized to save time and space. I will hopefully have a better photo to show tomorrow of my exploits, along with tips and pointers as I went. The other goal is to clear out the top freezer of the outdoor fridge for a friends' use (they needed a bit of space), as a full chest freezer and my side by side should handle everything I need. Luckily, there is only a few things left in the upright freezer.

     On another note, as the days are growing longer and dreams of gardening enter my mind, I ended up on Amazon with a gift card from Christmas, trying to decide just what I may need. Low and behold, I found this pair of awesome gardening shoes from Muck Boots - and for just $25! Not the normal $100! So exciting to come across something like this! I know they will last forever, and they are most comfortable for outdoor chores! Woot! What a find! Really looking forward to gardening season and spend a good portion of my day laying out grid plans and making other plans of projects to build this year and seeds to purchase! Hoping the weather cooperates this year! I would really love some incredible tomatoes!

Muckin' it up in style this year!

     So in the interest of getting something done today, I will end this for now. Looks like car repair will be in my future this weekend (distributor is on it's way to a violent death), so will really appreciate the beautiful weather for that! Spent yesterday adjusting the points and timing on her and running a bit better. Replaced the rotor and spent a couple of hours getting the grime and muck from the streets off her. At least the salt damage shouldn't be so bad, just need to make sure I stay on top of the maintenance. Thinking it took a full three hours to regain feeling in my fingers afterward!

   

Sad Days...

     For some reason, I have been unable to create any posts. Hopefully I have it fixed now. It has been a hard month for me, especially after having to lay my grandfather to rest this past week. My family is thankful that his suffering has ended, but it is still hard to lose someone you love. I have always tried to view death in a positive light, the beginning of another cycle, but sometimes it can be hard. Now he stays forever in our hearts through memories. May he rest in peace.

     It has also been a busy month with the engine. My friend had taken over the rebuilding of it, as there was much work done to the case and I am thinking he wanted to make sure it all went together well. Although I was really hoping to do most of it on my own, I appreciate the work he has done and have complete faith in his abilities - that, and he is a total perfectionist. LOL Hoping I haven't driven him too crazy during the times I was there. With the amount of work on the engine, there is no guarantee as to how long it will last, just trying to keep positive thought that all will be well - and if nothing else, I will still have one that is at least serviceable if I need to throw it back in. Lucky for me also - the bus stop is just a few blocks from the house.

     Lately I have been busy trying to prep the car for Winter (yes, still), with patching the heater channels on the list for today. A whopping 60 degrees is expected, so working hard to make that happen. Believe I may be foregoing the earlier plan of fiberglassing them over, for a metal and tar patch that should make it through to next year. Hoping to have the 73 bus up and going by then, so that I have the luxury of stripping down the bug and getting her all straightened out in good order. New floor pans, heating channels, seals, wiring, and paint will be on that list when the time comes. Plenty to do to keep me out of trouble I suppose!

     For the rest of my time - still working on finishing up a few commissions needed for Christmas deliveries, also hoping to be able to knock out another 1560's Italian Renaissance dress that will be needed in mid-January for an event taking place here in KC. Problem is with the mass amount of weight loss, I am needing to start from the bottom (corset and underdresses) and work all the way up the layers. Should be fun, but a great deal of work with all the handsewing involved. Looking forward to the challenge! Here is a shot of the dress I am using for inspiration, along with the fabric that will be used...

Will try and keep up with the posting a bit better, as hopefully this is now remedied. Oh, and here are a few pictures of projects I have been working on, on the side. The blue hat was finished, and I have started spinning new yarn for a knit Viking torque project. Always something going on - some days it is best to keep the ADHD side of me busy!

Blue Ritenour Hat

Icelandic Wool & Silk  with a sample of the finished yarn.

     Hoping this finds all happy and healthy through the holiday season, may you find your hearts desires this Christmas.

Beautiful Days!

     I absolutely love the Autumn colors! With all of the rain we had this year, the color has been outstanding! One of the great things about Kansas City also - all of the green space. It has really come alive this season, and enjoy spending my days finding any excuse to run errands and see the fall color! Though having a hard time getting to the yard work that needs to be done at my place, as I really love the color all over the ground! LOL This weekend will be beautiful and a great time to get it done - but for now, I just appreciate all the beautiful leaves scattering on the ground. Definitely going to be a chore to get them all cleaned up, mulched, and put down around the hosta garden! I always leave a few bags on the side of the yard to mold up and add as a Spring soil amendment.

Looks like yesterdays winds took down most of the dogwood leaves out back!

Such beautiful colors! 

     It has been a pretty quiet week around here, goodies baked and given as seasonal gifts to friends. More baking is on the calendar for this week. Somehow mixed up my days for the VW gathering, so will make a fresh batch of everything again this week - at least it all turned out well and was able to share the previous run with very appreciative friends. 

     The engine block is still be worked on, so nothing new on that front. So much work has been done, I really need to find some ideas for giving back for this, even with a cash reimbursement! So incredible the work that has already been done! Perhaps massage is a good trade? Talking with a few of my guy friends to see what they would appreciate in such a circumstance, all came back with the same intriguing answer, but will keep this family friendly (at least for now!). LOL 

     Loved the hat pattern so much, I have made a couple more - the first out of alpaca, which I have decided is just too fuzzy for a great guy gift (though would be extremely warm!), and one more I am making again out of the Malabrigo Arroyo. Absolutely adore this yarn line! I really need to keep away from the yarn store...though it was mentioned that they would have another shipment in at the end of the month! Time to start saving those pennies!! 

Royal blue alpaca sock yarn (just too fuzzy)

One more in Malabrigo Regatta Blue. Adore this - will be perfect!

      So cold outside today, I am thinking it will be a good day for a hot cup of tea, catching up on a bit of HAVEN, and finishing up this new blue hat. I would love to get to the recipient within the next couple of days! Brrr...only 20 or so more weeks until Spring! Can't wait to get back to the kind of weather that allows me to drop that convertible top and enjoy the sunshine!

     

What A Wild Ride This Is!

     Spent most of the week with Clarabelle (she really refused to change her pound name - so Clarabelle it is...), she is recovering from her spay surgery (Sun), and has been doing everything possible to show she is not happy about something. Sigh. Beginning the training has at least helped to pear down the destructive behavior.

This really is my bone...

Unfortunately, she works quickly. This is what the place looked like after a quick bathroom break for me!

Yep, a dirt trail all through the kitchen and dining space. The rubber tree isn't faring well either. Sigh.

     Just have to remember plenty of patience. She is growing and will grow out of it soon. Thank the gods!

     Also made some time today to get back to organizing and getting things accomplished. I spent the morning oven canning some extras I had. Keeps them wonderfully fresh, never have issues with bugs or mice, and can hold for up to 20 years or more! Granted I usually get around to it much quicker than that! Love the look of the jars all stacked throughout the pantry too! Today, I was able to process 35 jars - a mix of oats, dry beans, instant pancake mix, instant spiced oatmeal - set up for single servings, white rice, and all purpose flour. Absolutely adore my new oven, as this was all processed in one go! Woot! Little tight, but worked beautifully! 

This is what 35 jars in a 6 cu foot oven looks like! 

     I always purchase my flour in 25 pound bags, as they cost under $10, while a 5 pound bag ranges $3-$5! Save a ton of money (even cheaper if you have a Costco or Sams' account), and find that I use it pretty quick. Usually pick one up every month or two depending on how much baking I am working on. Also, I like to keep baking mixes and batches of instant pancake mix to keep in the pantry.

     Next week I have plans to make up biscuit dough - enough for four or five dozen - and freeze them after cutting out, for quick dinner compliments. I love hearty soups in the Autumn and Winter, and usually make them a couple of times a week. Great too if company comes, as just pop out of the freezer and onto a baking sheet, then into the oven! As company here is often unannounced, I also make sure to keep a few frozen loaves of artisan bread handy too! Just a few minutes in the oven for a home made masterpiece!

     Thursday will bring the crafting of a pumpkin cheesecake - a cheesecake social is scheduled with friends on Friday, and Friday afternoon I will be working on coffee cakes, scones and biscotti for an event with the VW group on Saturday morning. I know the guys always appreciate that not only can I work on engines, I can whip up one hell of a coffee cake too! 

      For more information on oven canning, check out The Prepper Project - Long Term Oven Canning for Dry Goods. Although I have no plans for preparing for a zombie apocalypse, it is a great site with some great information and I do like having food storage available for emergencies. Not to mention the instant oatmeal is often great to pack along for camping trips!

Another Project Finished!

     Another day of being busy on very little sleep! Training is going well with the Eshe, and she is quite an intelligent little girl! Already settling in very nicely!
     Finished another project last night - a wool hat for a friend. I enjoy giving back when I can, and know that his hat was looking well loved and well used. LOL Love the crown on this one, although the photo doesn't show it well. Will have to get a better photo up later. This is based on a free pattern from Ravelry, with a link below, this was a very quick project and has a wonderful feel using the Malabrigo Arroyo wool yarn.

Free Pattern: Ritenour Hat

          Have to keep it short today and get out to run errands. Helping out at a friends' shop today, and Eshe will be tagging along. Great chance for her to meet lots of people and other dogs, working on getting her well socialized, which will be a bit harder with the cold weather upon us. Now if I could just make a bit more time to get the yard work done...