Hey, everyone! I've started hearing a lot about Google shutting down Friend Connect, which is essentially where all our followers are. I've gone in and read about it, but here's where the confusion sets in. They say they will be shutting down Google Friend Connect for all non-bloggers. Does anyone know what a non-blogger is? I've tried to pose the question to Google, but they haven't explained it, at least as far as I can understand. Is it just me, or is anyone else confused. If you know the answer, please share.
Thanks,
CAS
1/24/12
1/22/12
My Kitchen Pantry "From Pandemonium to Organized Bliss"
Hey, everyone. I'm so excited to be able to cross a major "To-Do" off my long list of "To-Dos" for 2012! I worked like a fiend yesterday, to get this project accomplished -- Organizing the Kitchen Pantry. I was so excited and full of energy when I first got started, but after a couple of hours, my enthusiasm was starting to wane. I thought I was never going to get finished, but I persevered and LOVE the results! Okay, before I show you the "befores & afters," let me share with you my view on kitchen pantries. I don't feel the need to add extra pretties, like stenciling or pretty paper. I want my pantry to be totally functional & organized. If I had one of those large, walk-in type pantries, I might want to pretty-it-up; but for me, a clean and organized pantry IS ". I know, I'm strange! So let's get started, shall we?
Beware the "monster" that resides behind this closed door!
So glad it's a solid door & not a see-thru.....LOL!
EEEK......so much chaos!
It really got this bad right around Thanksgiving -- ya' know, when all the extra items come into play.
Truly no rhyme or reason as to where things are located -- this is so NOT ME!
Not good use of this great additional storage space.
Good grief........
this all came out of the pantry! I tried to group things together in categories as I removed them from the pantry shelves so that I could better see how much space I needed for each category.
All cleaned, wiped down & swept! See that wood on the second shelf?
Those are 2x4's (The Man cut them as I needed them) that I will be using to create tiers so I can better see what's on each shelf & utilize the space better. My shelves are stationary & deep, so I hope this will work. Got the idea of making my own tiers HERE @ Inspiration for Moms. Yes, I could have painted them, but really want to make sure the concept works.
Are you ready for the newly organized space?
TA-DA! I just love how it turned out!
Much better!
There are 2 tiers on this top shelf, but I couldn't get in a very good position to show you the very back. The "way back" area of this top shelf is for bulk items -- extra olive oil, cannisters of teas, chocolate syrup, etc. I need my step-stool for those, but I don't have to access them very often. The front of the shelf is for cereals, coffee (I have a decorative cannister at my coffee station that I refill from the big can). I also have my meager supply of wine which I typically only need for dinner parties. Although it's looking pretty tempting right now.....lol!
This is my favorite shelf because it had been in super-chaos condition before. I was always buying more of an item because I couldn't find it. I stacked and used several 2x4's on this shelf and can now see every single canned product I have -- well, all the canned veggies, fruits, & tomato products!
LOVE!!!!
The left side of this shelf is baking-related, and the right is for meats, soups, beans & rice.
Snacks, snacks & more snacks! The Man & I are trying to eat healthy, so our snacks are more on the right side. Things for our "Grands" are on the left. I didn't buy any new containers for this re-org project. I shopped my storage closet for any baskets, bins, etc. that might work.
The large basket on the left is holding paper/plastic products like cups, plates that we sometimes use when we have the entire family together. The two baskets in the middle are for onions & potatoes. I found a plastic lid (that I wasn't using) that fit the top of this wire shelf so the messies from the veggies wouldn't get all over the shelf or the floor. Using the wire shelf gave me added space underneath for my disposable gloves.
I found this taller bin (again, I already had it) that works perfectly for my extra boxes of zipbags, plastic wrap, & my large package of napkins also fits in it. I put this large basket to good use housing our bottled water.
I have a command hook on both sides of the pantry. This one holds my plastic bag holder, but I may replace it with a metal one that I've seen. I also keep my broom and dustpan tucked in here.
My apron is hanging from a command hook on this side.
This wire system is so great when it's functioning as it should.
You have to see one more shot of the over-all look!
Swoon!
Hope you enjoyed this tour of "Pandemonium to Organized Bliss." The Man is calling me the
"OCD Nana," but he quite enjoys being able to find what he's looking for and I enjoy not hearing him ask "where is such and such?" I call it a win-win! Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by, and please come again!
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1/19/12
Going Computer Silent!
Hey everyone! Having a bit of an issue with my laptop, so it is in for repairs. I don't think I'll be doing any posts for awhile. I haven't mastered the IPad yet & the IPhone is just too darn little for these eyes of mine....lol! I think I'll be able to visit - at least I'll try. So, I will be back when I can.
CAS
CAS
1/16/12
Studio Closet - Organized!
Hey, everyone! Hope ya'll had a great weekend. It was kind of a relaxing time around here, except for a trip to Costco on Saturday (we just won't learn!). We also went to a movie, "We Bought a Zoo," which I would absolutely recommend to everyone. It was soooo......GOOD!
Anyway, I have an organizational project that I've been working on and wanted to share. You may have thought you had seen enough of my "Studio," but (sigh)......there is more! If you missed the two previous posts, you can check them out HERE & HERE. When I did my previous tours of my favorite room in the house, I was desperately needing additional storage in my studio closet, so I steered clear of sharing that space with you. Then The Man took pity on me (aka: tired of me nagging) & helped me put together what I needed. Since I've been told that I make my posts too long, I really tried to do fewer pics, but I don't think I was very successful......lol! Come on, let's look around!
Anyway, I have an organizational project that I've been working on and wanted to share. You may have thought you had seen enough of my "Studio," but (sigh)......there is more! If you missed the two previous posts, you can check them out HERE & HERE. When I did my previous tours of my favorite room in the house, I was desperately needing additional storage in my studio closet, so I steered clear of sharing that space with you. Then The Man took pity on me (aka: tired of me nagging) & helped me put together what I needed. Since I've been told that I make my posts too long, I really tried to do fewer pics, but I don't think I was very successful......lol! Come on, let's look around!
My original plan for this closet was to have sewing/quilting on one side and scrapbooking on the other. But....in order to utilize the space to it's fullest potential, I had to mix it up. I have most everything labeled, so it isn't difficult to find what I need.
1/14/12
What I Did With the Christmas Cards
Hey, everyone! Why am I talking about Christmas cards, you might ask? I know you've probably already packed them away (if you can't bear to part with them, like me) or you've been a "practical-minimalist" and discarded them. Well, I've always been somewhere between the two. I usually keep them until I scrapbook a few pages of our Family Christmas, and use them (or parts of them) in my page layouts. This year I decided to do something different. This isn't an original idea; I saw it on Pinterest, I think....lol! I created a little booklet that I will display next Christmas, somewhere in my holiday decor. It's super-easy! All you need is some kind of hold puncher, some metal rings, & ribbon.
Oops, forgot to show you the rings. I had them already, but they are kind of large for this project, so I may change them.
I punched 2 holes in a few cards at a time. Some small cards only got 1 hole. If there were photos with the cards, I either kept them aside to scrapbook on our family pages or I punched holes in those, too. A lot of our cards came with letters, so those just got tucked inside of the appropriate card.
I added a cute little tag that I already had & wrote the year on it.
I simply tied it all together with some red gingham ribbon (because I had it) & that was it. I look forward to making these each year from now on & pulling them out to reminisce over the past years. Simple, easy and a sweet memory keeper!
Hope you enjoyed. Thanks so much for stopping by.
CAS
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1/8/12
A Little Day Trip
Hey, everyone! As you probably know by now, if you've been reading my blog for very long, I'm pretty organized & not very patient about getting projects completed. The Man, however, is much more "lay-back" & really enjoys doing spur-of-the-moment activities. Having been married for 42+ years, we've learned the fine art of give and take. He is so good to me and is willing to build, move, or assist me however he can, especially when I'm in "project-mode." Soooo, when he wants to break away for a little road trip, I readily agree. This was the case earlier this week. After working a couple of days on some re-organizing projects, he wanted a break and off we went to explore Florence, AZ & the St. Anthony's Monastery.
Among Arizona's oldest towns, Florence was founded in 1866 and became the Pinal County seat of government in 1875. Florence is about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix and is situated along the Gila River in the Sonoran Desert. Through its history, Florence’s architecture evolved from rustic Sonoran adobe brick buildings to the Modern Movement. Florence is noted for its collection of adobe buildings, the earliest dating back to 1868. All of the architectural styles that existed in Territorial Arizona can be found along the streets of Florence today. The most spectacular landmark in Florence is the 1891 Pinal County Courthouse. The Courthouse is a prime example of American Victorian architecture which reflected the County Supervisor’s commitment to continued growth and prosperity in Pinal County. He was obviously trying very hard to veer away from the sun-dried adobe.
It's undergoing some renovations.
This is a photo of how it looked in the 1890's.
Beautiful clock tower.
From a tour map I picked up, I think this original adobe building was once a
meat market on Main Street.
This late 1870's building was originally built with adobe bricks, a dirt floor & roof, & in the early 1900's was updated with the brick veneer.
I think this was originally a saloon & is currently a dentist office. Most of the buildings have brick veneer exteriors. Florence had its own brick yard where they made the fired bricks.
I really liked the lines of this home. It's on the historical register, but someone lives here and is keeping it well maintained.
I love this building. It was originally built in 1890 & was the town bakery. It's the oldest 2-story red brick building in Florence & is now home to the Chamber of Commerce.
This is the courtroom in the original Pinal County Courthouse. It was built in 1878 & has since served as a hospital, a health clinic, home for the elderly & now a museum run by the Visitors' Center. It is part of the McFarland State Historic Park. Yes, the floors are original! The wall lamps were oil that have been converted to electric.
There are several original fireplaces in this building.
I was fascinated by some of the photos. This was somewhere on Main St.
Wouldn't you love to have this piece in your home?
There was no note with this photo, but they look like "Suffragettes" to me!
St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery
Our first glimpse of the Chapel Belfry.
This is a new chapel (built in 2008) dedicated to the Prophet Elias. It was sitting high on a hilltop away from the main monastery.
It looked so pristine sitting up there in the AZ sun with the beautiful blue sky as the backdrop.
We just missed the tour but thought we might get to walk around the exterior just a bit.
This is as far as we got before a little tiny, very Greek elderly woman turned us around! We did find out later that we were not properly attired anyway. Men must have long sleeves, long pants, shoes & socks. Women must wear long skirts, long sleeves, full head scarves, & flats with socks. They do keep some clothing at the gate that you can borrow, but........I don't think so! We didn't really mind not going inside. It was a beautiful day, and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. We love exploring our state. What about ya'll? Do you enjoy what's close-at-hand and
want to learn about your state's history?
Hope you didn't mind a little history lesson. I truly enjoy hearing about other states and their interesting highlights. My next post will be "home decor" related, I promise! Thanks for stopping by.
CAS