Okay. I admit that I am one of those people who loves (loved) those huge armoires that housed the television and associated technology.  When my husband and I got married, I realized that he is the type of person who wants a television in every room.  I, on the other hand, rarely watch television.  As a compromise, we agree that he could have as many sets as he wanted as long as I didn’t see them. Hence the huge armoire in our family room.

Over time, as the screens get larger and thinner suddenly, t.v. armoires become dinosaurs and out of style.  As we graduate to a larger viewing screen, my expensive armoire that fits beautifully in my family room, is now obsolete.

Have you ever owned something that you may have spent too much money on and then, in good conscience, you cannot discard, donate or get rid of it?  The question is what to do with the enormous (truly it is) piece of furniture that, even though I got it on sale, is a pricey piece for this Connecticut Yankee?

I convince my husband that I can repurpose it. To this day, I am not sure how two strong guys managed to carry it up our 100- year winding old staircase to our upstairs hall.

As with most t.v. armoires, there is a large hole cut in the back to accommodate the back of the set (remember the bulky, thick sets?)

After covering the back with a black/white checked fabric and adding a few plywood shelves, the armoire is transformed to a linen closet.  Over time, I manage to cram every blanket, sheet, pillow and miscellaneous holiday things in it.  How does one collect so much stuff?

In the ongoing effort to sort, clean and organize, I finally tackle the t.v. cabinet turned linen closet. What a mess!

The doors fold back allowing the entire unit to open up.  In the bottom portion, is an over abundance of sheets and pillow cases.

I pull everything out and sort all the contents into 3 piles~~donate, discard and keep.

I thought I would paint the shelves black to match the rest, but you know how that goes….Maybe someday I can add a black painted trim piece on the front of the shelf .

After going through each and every piece, I finally discard frayed and stained sheets and donate baby blankets and no-longer-used linens.

Sorting and labeling the sheets by bed size makes it easier to find what you need. Collecting and storing the winter/holiday items together, including flannel sheets, decorative blankets and pillows just makes sense.

Folding everything in a neat manner really saves space and looks more visually appealing.

Ta-Da! The end result….a far less cluttered, more organized, linen armoire. The plywood shelves still need a facelift, but oh well.

Another organizational project completed! it feels so good now each and every time I access this cabinet.

Other Ways to Repurpose a T.V. Cabinet

Even though this product is no longer available from Restoration Hardware, it would be easy to take an armoire, remove the doors and make it into a baby changing station.

How cute is this small chandelier in this coffee bar?

I love the use of space in this drinks cabinet, with the wine/bottle storage on top. The mirror in the back makes it feel more spacious.

Not sure the origin of the next picture, but what a great conversion to more pantry space.

Or if you need a home office, but want to keep the mess out of sight, check this out.

Do you have an old television cabinet that you don’t use anymore? I have two armoires, one big and one on the smaller side, still waiting to be converted. Perhaps it’s time for me to either sell them or turn them into a fun, creative project.

I recently purchased a new book, Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins. This hard cover book is a guide to creating a natural, low-waste home. The book is filled with great ideas and recipes on how to reduce what you consume and throw away. But it got me thinking about how we live. What are we currently doing that is living efficiently and reduce what we take in and what we discard?

Composting

About 30% of our kitchen waste is recycled through composting. I have written about this before (see post here) and we put every single peel, pit, skin, eggshell and other non-cooked fruits, vegetables and flowers into the composting garbage can.

Grass clippings, tree branches and other brown material is also composted here on the property. This significantly reduces our waste that goes to the City’s landfill and dump.

All the luscious rich fertilized soil goes back into the yard~the garden, the orchard and all the bedding areas. Giving back to the land is very rewarding.

If you do not compost, please consider doing so. There are many containers on the market that make composting a breeze.

Recycling

The City of Phoenix has a recycling program so we separate our garbage into separate bins for pick up once a week. Cardboard boxes, paper, plastic, glass and cans are separated from the trash. In our kitchen we have 3 cabinets with pull out garbage cans~one for composting, one for trash and the other for recyclables. Does your community have a recycling program?

Gardening and Chickens

Growing our own fruits and vegetables reduces the number of trips we take to the grocery store and farmers market. With the exception of summer, our garden is in production.

What we don’t eat, or what has grown past its prime, goes to the chickens or into the compost bin. Growing your own vegetables and fruit is immensely satisfying too.

Our chickens provide us with the most delicious eggs. In order to increase egg production, we will soon need to get some more chicks as our flock is aging out. It is joyful to have these feathered friends and they, too, help reduce our food scrap waste.

This summer we are spending more time up at our mountain cabin. If we continue to do so, then it may be time to plant a garden and set up a composting system there as well.

Preserving Food and not being wasteful

Growing up in a family of 7, my mother never wasted a thing. For example, leftover stale bread was turned into bread pudding. I am sure that philosophy is a result of living through the Great Depression and also having a limited budget.

Because I was raised with a frugal mindset, it’s hard for me to throw good food away. I just made a big batch of mole chicken and after eating it a few days in a row, I will freeze the rest in individual servings for another time. Same with the big pot of chili I just made. How nice to have a meal ready, especially on those busy days where cooking for dinner is the last thing I feel like doing!

Abundant harvests from our garden or the orchard are canned and preserved for use during another season. From fruit preserves to tomato sauce, these are either canned or frozen. Though preserving food does take a bit of work, the rewards outweigh the effort. Opening up a jar of summer tomato sauce in the middle of winter, is such a treat!

Laundry

Line drying here in Phoenix, especially in the summer, is a quick and easy energy efficient task. Not only does the sun acts as a powerful disinfectant but also has natural bleaching powers. Nothing smells better than slipping into freshly washed sheets! Even my children notice when their sheets are washed and line dried.

Our local electric rates increase significantly over the summer. Not running the dryer and other large appliances is an effective money saving strategy too.

Coffee

I recall a time when daily and sometimes more, we would drive through the local Dutch Brothers and get our coffee. The staff knew us by name and their fun, upbeat vibe was a plus to our cup of Joe. Unfortunately, that coffee location closed, but fortunately for us we removed Dutch Brothers as a line item from our monthly budget.

Now we make our coffee here at home using my favorite Nespresso machine (currently 38% off a used one on Amazon!). The coffee pods get recycled through Nespresso recycling program. Making our morning coffee at home not only saves money, but we are no longer using paper cups, plastic tops, time and gas to drive to and from Dutch Brothers.

Paperwork

As I mentioned in a blog post about my kitchen, there is an industrial shredder placed sitting in our kitchen, which some people think is odd. See that post here. Daily, the excessive amounts of junk mail is shredded and added to the composting bin. The shredder keeps the paperwork stack down on the counter and it gets recycled!

Manage our Utilities

A few years ago, I was asked to give a lecture to a group of 7th and 8th grade students about the recent utility (electric) increase and how that rate hike affected our neighborhood. Of course, I didn’t even realize we had a rate hike. So in order to provide an intelligent presentation, I did a deep dive and thorough analysis of the cost of electricity.

What I discover is that we, personally, are not on the most efficient or advantageous utility plan. Once I understand that, then I start paying attention to our electric usage. By changing our behavior slightly, we save quite a bit of money. Over time, we save even more.

The moral to this story is 1) understand your utility usage; 2) investigate the best plan for you and your family; 3) by making reasonable changes you can reduce your usage and save money.

Now, during the warmer months (trust me, air-conditioning bills can be ridiculously expensive here), we monitor our large appliance and air conditioning usage from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Water consumption

Water here in Arizona is a precious resource. Rates increase especially in June, July and August. By using flood irrigation provided locally, we are able to deep water the orchard and yard at a low annual cost. The well that we re-instituted many years ago, handles additional yard watering in a cost-effective manner (see that post here).

Room for Improvement

Like with most things in life, I can certainly improve and lessen my waste. We have too many things that need to be sorted, organized and donated. My hope is to reduce the items in each room by 50%. Lofty goal, but this is an ongoing effort.

Are you familiar with Marie Kondo’s organizational tips? I believe she has (had) a Netflix show where she shares her organizational philosophy. See where I use Maria’s tip in organizing my master closet here.

Other Ways live Simply

I’d love to live in a place that doesn’t require driving everywhere. Phoenix is more car-dependent than other cities, but during the cooler weather I do try to bike and walk more. No one wants to bike or walk when it is 116 degrees.

In addition, I need to assess my use of cleansers/detergents and investigate more eco-friendly cosmetics.

So what are you doing to live more simply and efficiently? Please share any ideas so we can all get better at this!

Happy Wednesday!

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #614

For years, I happily have my spice drawer to the left of the stove, where I can easily access what I need for cooking. Being the primary cook in the family, the spices are a manageable size and scope. Then my children and husband start creating and cooking in the kitchen, and next thing I know, I have so many more spices in multiple size containers. They spill out into two other cabinets and quite frankly, it’s hard to find what you need in a timely manner. Here are the steps I take to organize my multitude of spices.

Assess Your Space

Having three or four areas to search for spices is not very efficient. In order to find something, I am taking all the jars out and looking in the back of the shelves. Often times there are spices stacked on the counter or on a shelf over my head.

I finally decide to convert a lower cabinet by adding a pull out drawer for ALL the spices. This cabinet is still to the left of the cooktop and easily accessible. Currently, the cabinet has a pull out drawer on the bottom (which holds dry pasta and rice) and a shelf above that is stuffed with who knows what. This becomes the perfect place to replace the shelf with a spice-specific pull out drawer.

Resources for pull out drawers

Typically, the least expensive way to accomplish designing a pull out drawer is to ask someone who is handy to make one to fit. For months, I did ask our contractor, but it was low on his list of priorities and it never got done. There are several resources from Home Depot, The Container Store, IKEA to Amazon to get pull out cabinet organizers in different materials~wood, metal baskets, plastic, etc.

Since our cabinets are custom sizes I have a drawer I design online through The Cabinet Door Store. Built in the USA, the drawer is made to your size with hardwood sides, dovetail corners and can be mounted either on the sides or an under mount. It takes about 3-4 weeks from order to delivery. You also have the option to have them assemble it or you can save a few dollars and assemble it yourself.

We have our contractor install it as it does require a side mount. The drawer is solid birch and it does not match the drawer below, but who cares. It is all hidden behind the door anyway.

Selecting Spice Containers

On Amazon, I find these spice jars from AOZITA. This set has 36 glass spice jars with spice labels. The jars are 4oz and square shaped. Each has a shaker lid and an airtight metal cap. In addition to a large selection of labels there is a chalk marker and blank labels for unique spices. Filling the jars is rather easy with the included silicone collapsible funnel.

Much to my surprise, I go through 36 jars quickly and I need more jars. Fortunately, I can buy in lesser quantities and find the same set with 14 jars.

Spices~ Fresh or Old?

Spices have a shelf life so it is easy to toss the ones with obvious expiration dates. But when should you throw out spices?

According to the internet: whole spices are at their freshest within the first 10 months of being bottled. Ground spices retain most of their flavor for 2-3 years. Whole spices retain most of their flavor for 3-4 years. Spice blends retain most of their flavor for 2 years.

How do you know if spices are too old?

Ground spices lose their freshness the quickest and typically don’t last past six months. The best freshness test for ground spices is to give them a whiff — if they smell like nothing, then it’s time to say goodbye. Whole spices, on the other hand, can be fine for up to five years.

Of course, storing spices in cool, dark places will help retain their freshness.

Spices~Organized and Accessible

My husband has a smoker and he buys all sorts of spices for smoking meats. However, he buys them in huge containers, which are difficult to store. The newly bottled spices take up about 2/3 of my drawer, so his taller, bigger containers fit in the back.

All the jars are in alphabetical order and now I can easily see each and every spice that we own! I feel like this project will definitely save time and frustration going forward. All that wasted time and energy hunting for a little jar of something.

In Summary

Now I am using the smaller upper cabinet to house cookbooks I frequently use.

I did not think to measure the spice jars and determine an optimal fit in the newly designed drawer. Therefore I can fit 9 bottles in each row with a small space at the end. Right now the space works as it is large enough for me to fit my finger there and pull the drawer out. If it fit tightly I would probably need to add a handle or pull to the front.

Make sure you take into account the height of the bottles and the room inside your cabinet. I am still able to use the bottom drawer for pasta and rice; while the top drawer can handle the taller, larger spice containers.

This is the final project to my complete kitchen cabinet organization/cleaning project and I can say I am so happy it is COMPLETED!

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Is it really the first Saturday in August? I cannot believe some children are already back in school. Are you wanting summer to stretch out or are you ready for fall? I am hanging onto summer, especially as we are enjoying it in the cool mountains of Arizona. It has been a very busy week so it feels like it just flew by. Well, Happy Saturday and it’s time for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things. Let’s jump in!

Local Farmers Market

A week ago, at this time, we decide to explore the farmers market up here in Pinetop. I would summarize it by saying it is small but mighty. I find pickling cucumbers, garlic and onions from the local produce lady; great Italian frozen take-and-bake food from Chef Scotty; an excellent quiche (by the slice or whole) that rivals my own; Japanese Milk buns from Cedar Hill Bake Shop (@cedarhillbakeshop); 1847 sourdough starter kit and grass fed beef from Skutel Cattle Company.

It can’t recall a time when we had such a haul from a farmers market, but this one is a winner if you get there early. If you are ever in Pinetop-Lakeside on a Saturday morning, check out the White Mountains Market, 1501 W Mountain Blvd. from 9 am to 2 pm.

What are Japanese Milk rolls?

According to King Arthur Flour, Japanese milk rolls are referred to as Hokkaido milk bread. These rolls are incredibly soft and airy thanks to a simple technique involving a roux “starter”, known as tangzhong. The roux is mixed into the final dough, producing wonderfully tender bread each and every time.

You are probably wondering why I am a bit fixated on Japanese milk rolls, especially since I have never heard of them before, nor have I tasted one. In reading Elin Hildebrand’s book, Five Star Weekend, her main fictitious character is Hollis, a food influencer. According to the story, Hollis has a website, Hungry with Hollis, and she posts a video with her “making a meatloaf sandwich with homemade refrigerator pickles on freshly baked Japanese milk bread”. The video goes viral and hence her story begins.

Well, being the food enthusiast I am, once I read that passage in the book, I just couldn’t let it go. So when I saw the Japanese milk rolls at the farmers market, guess what I did? Yes, you are right! I quickly made a meatloaf and refrigerated pickles with the meat and cucumbers I bought at the same farmers market.

Needless to say, it is all very, very good. I’ve never seen these rolls for sale anywhere so if you cannot find them, I would say a close second would be Hawaiian sweet rolls. Not as fluffy as the Japanese ones, but a good option.

BTW~Making refrigerated pickles is also simple and I hope to write a post about that soon. Also, do you have a favorite farmers market? If so, please share.

1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter

As I mention above, I purchase the 1847 Sourdough Starter kit at the Farmers market. Story goes that the seller, during the pandemic got some of this semi-dry sourdough starter (you can find the entire source/story here) and is now selling activated bits of it. Since I don’t have any sourdough starter up here at the cabin, I thought, why not? Maybe it is the real deal or maybe it isn’t, but it will be fun to experiment with baking bread at 7,500 feet.

The instructions are not completely clear so I follow it as best I can. My beautiful Le Creuset pot which I use faithfully to bake my bread is also in the Valley, but I have a smaller Lodge cast iron Dutch oven that may work.

I literally just pulled the bread out of the oven and I’m so pleased with how it looks. Unfortunately I need to wait a bit before I slice into it, but so far, so good!

Pavlova

It is definitely a week for cooking and new recipes. After making two Apricot Almond tarts last time at the cabin, I had 10 egg whites leftover from that recipe. Since I don’t like to toss or waste, I freeze the egg whites in a Ziplock bag and use them for a pavlova.

What is a pavlova? According to Wikipedia, a pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. Originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century, it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Taking the form of a cake-like circular block of baked meringue, pavlova has a crisp crust and is soft and light inside.

A typical pavlova uses 4-6 egg whites, but with 10 I just assume I can make a bigger one…which I did but still had pavlova mixture left over. I use that for 6 more individual pavlovas. In summary, way too many pavlovas. Other ingredients include sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Here is a very easy recipe from allrecipe.

The fun part is the filling which can be fresh whipped cream, lemon curd or really what ever you’d like. I use whipped cream and fresh fruit for both the gigantic and mini ones. Thankfully friends agree to come and share the large one, with plenty left over to take home with them.

If you are looking for a light summer dessert, try making a pavlova. It’s simple and your friends will be impressed!

Gardening in the Mountains

Most of our property here is natural forest and not structured landscaping or gardens. However, we do have an existing pear and apple tree that came with the property. Recently, we add a watering system and now will do more planting.

To date, we have two new cherry trees~a Bing and Montmorency and one new apple tree~a Fuji. I am excited to see how they grow, as this hardiness zone (6b) is so different than the one in Phoenix.

New foundation plants should be going in soon and hopefully then I will have hydrangeas, lilacs, peonies and hostas. Yippee!

Do You Use Dryer Balls?

We use dryer balls but I never understood the benefits of something so simple. Dryer balls bring forth fluffier towels, softer sheets, and less-wrinkly shirts while also reducing drying time by 25%. This is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fabric softeners and dryer sheets. The main purpose of using dryer balls is to reduce drying time, soften fabrics, and decrease static cling in your laundry.

Benefits of Dryer Balls

1. Drying time reduction: Dryer balls work by creating space between clothes in the dryer, allowing air to circulate more efficiently. This improved airflow helps to dry your laundry faster, potentially cutting down on drying time by up to 25-50%. This can lead to energy savings and lower utility bills.
2. Fabric softening: The tumbling action of the dryer balls against the clothes helps to soften fabrics naturally without the use of chemical-based fabric softeners. This is especially beneficial for people with sensitive skin or those looking to avoid synthetic additives in their laundry routine.
3. Reduced static cling: Dryer balls can also help reduce static electricity in fabrics, which is a common issue when using the dryer. The gentle agitation of the balls against the clothes helps prevent static buildup, leaving your clothes less prone to sticking together or clinging to your body.
4. Environmentally friendly: One of the main advantages of dryer balls is their eco-friendly nature. Unlike single-use dryer sheets, which are typically discarded after each use, dryer balls can be reused for hundreds of drying cycles before needing replacement. This reduces waste and is more sustainable in the long run.
5. Hypoallergenic: Wool dryer balls, in particular, are often preferred by those with allergies or sensitivities because they are free from synthetic fragrances and chemicals commonly found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
6. Scent options: While dryer balls don’t add artificial fragrances like dryer sheets do, you can add a few drops of essential oils to the dryer balls if you prefer a scented effect. This allows you to customize the scent of your laundry without using potentially harmful chemicals.

Overall, dryer balls are a practical, cost-effective, and eco-conscious addition to your laundry routine, providing a more sustainable way to dry and soften your clothes. Apparently wool balls are the best and you can find them here.

That’s it for this week’s Saturday Meanderings. If you missed my Tuesday post, you can see all the organizing and cleaning I did in my kitchen here. Next week I hope to share my Spice cabinet redo.

As always, thank you so much for joining me today. I so appreciate your continued support! Enjoy your weekend and stay cool out there.

For years, I have been wanting to clean each and every cabinet in the kitchen, however, the task just seems so overwhelming. I finally get motivated when the condition of my spice cabinet drives me to despair. Each and every time I am looking for a spice, I cannot easily find it because 1) the light is insufficient to the cabinets they are stored; 2) I cannot reach anything over the first shelf, especially if the jar is in the back. So it is finally time to go through each and every cabinet to clean, sort, organize, and retouch if necessary.

Where to begin

I start to the right of the stove where our “coffee center” is located. Since there is only 1 upper cabinet, one lower cabinet, a slide-out section and a drawer, it seems like a good place to start and not get discouraged. This area is between the stove top and refrigerator, and it feels that I can reasonably accomplish cleaning these cabinets out in one day. In addition to the cabinets, I will also deep clean the counters by decluttering and disinfecting.

This photo was taken in August 2017 when I wrote a post about designating this section of the kitchen as the coffee center. Since then the walls are a new color and we have a bigger and better coffee maker here.

Before and After

I won’t take you through each and every cabinet or drawer, but it’s a bit embarrassing to show you some of these photos. The drawer above is the first aid drawer where anyone in the family can find bandaids, thermometer, healing teas and drinks, etc. It’s amazing how much we use this drawer. Check out the before~what a mess!

Getting rid of expired ointments, aspirin and items we no longer use, now makes this a pleasant drawer to open. Since this drawer does sit below the coffee/tea station, it’s also a place we put some of our favorite drinks.

Below the first aid drawer is a lower cabinet that houses more tea and related beverage items. The children went through a “tea” stage when we had a Tevana, an amazing tea store nearby. Unfortunately, tea, like spices, gets old and most of it needs tossing.

Now I can find what I am looking for, whether it is tea, super latte powder, syrups and we even keep a candle or two in here. Using baskets and trays help to put like items together.

Quite honestly, I cannot remember when I cleaned out my baking supply cabinet. But now, all expired products are gone and everything is neatly labeled (a great labeling machine here). Placing smaller items into plastic tubs also helps reduce the clutter.

Personally I LOVE sliding drawers in cabinets. In retrospect, I wish I requested more of these because as we know, things get lost in the back of the cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

After each cabinet and drawer is empty, I wipe with a disinfectant, remove old labels and check the cabinet’s condition. Since we had all the cabinets re-laquered a few years ago, most of them are still in good shape.

I am surprised (but not really) on how dirty the interiors get. Even with the doors closed most of the time, things spill or there are scuff marks from dragging products in and out. They clean up nicely though, and look almost new (even though they are 23 years old). I use disinfecting wipes for the countertops and for the tougher jobs, Krud Cutter really cuts any grease and grime.

Drawer Organizers

Here is a before and after of the junk drawer.

Having plastic drawer organizers with divided sections help keep small items organized! There are so many to choose from~just make sure you measure your space to get the right size.

Even my utensil drawer has a plastic organizer and see how much better it looks organized and tidy! After all, who needs numerous ice cream scoops? After narrowing down my collection of tools, I take all the duplicates to the local good will store.

My silverware, knife, first aid and large utensil drawer all have organizers. They come in different sizes, shapes and materials, depending on your needs. It makes finding things SO much easier.

Making My Way around the Kitchen

I tackle all the perimeter cabinets, drawers and slide outs, even including a deep cleaning of the dishwashers, ovens, wine refrigerator, refrigerated drawers and the side by side refrigerator/freezer.

I throw out old oven mitts, stained dish towels, donate extra aprons and organize all the plastic Tupperware. How did we ever get so many water bottles and insulated travel coffee containers?!? Isn’t it amazing how we can accumulate so much stuff?

The last section to tackle is the kitchen island, which has 8 more cabinets/drawers and warming drawers to clean.

Fixing the Chips and Dings

When you have lacquered or painted kitchen cabinets, in any active kitchen, you will have paint chips and dings. Add pets and children and the likely hood is far greater.

I keep a mason jar of paint for each room labeled with the type of paint and sheen. I cannot tell you how many times someone has tried to touch up an area using the right color paint but the wrong sheen….and it looks awful.

Many of the chips are small but cumulatively, I believe it makes a kitchen look tired. It takes just a second to apply a little paint and the chip is gone.

Sorry for the blurry photos~it’s hard to paint and take a picture at the same time. Most of the major dings are in the slide out garbage can cabinets so a nice fresh coat of paint looks neat and clean.

Baseboards and Toe Kicks

Due to sweeping and vacuuming, the toe kicks under the cabinets take a beating. After laying blue painter’s tape on our hardwood floors, I get down on my hands and knees and paint all the toe kicks. The most time consuming part is laying down the protective tape, but what a difference a new coat of paint here makes.

Since the island is a different color (a light sage green), I did the same for the island toe kicks, chips and dings as well.

We have rather tall custom baseboards in our home. Our sweet dog, Cooper, decided to chew on the corner of this one. I thought about trying to rebuilt the wood detail, but instead, just painting it white makes the damage disappear.

Using a damp cloth, you can easily wipe away over paint smudges from the plaster walls.

So what about the Spices?

Since I have outgrown my existing spice drawer, I need to move the spices to a completely different cabinet. I design a new system, but need to await the construction of a new sliding drawer.

The entire process to move the spices is deserving of its own blog post. I hope to send that off to you next week.

How Much Time Did this take?

My goal for completing this project is rather simple~I would try and clean a few cabinets each day. Overall, without including the spice drawer redesign, this project took about 14 days. There are approximately 52 cabinets, plus the extra cleaning of the appliances. Painting the toe kicks went quickly and I did touch up painting on each cabinet/drawer as I went along.

Having a fresh and clean kitchen is providing much joy, each and every time I open something. It took some time for me to overcome the immensity of this project, but taking it slowly and a few cabinets at a time, made the project much more manageable.

To see more about my kitchen, visit My Kitchen-Part 1 and My Kitchen- Part 2. Also 10 Things I Love About my Kitchen.

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #758