A Pantry Update

Hey everyone!  I hope y'all are having a great start to your Summer, and having some good weather, too.  We officially had our first-of-the-season monsoon storm yesterday.  We didn't get any rain here in our area, but we got a huge & very windy dust storm -- FYI, not all AZ monsoons have rain.  This time of year, here in the desert, does get more humid.  Even though it is still less than 50%, when you add temps of 110*+, that is dang hot!  Oh well, we adapt and some of us (ME) hunker down inside!  As some of you know, I've been busy working on our "Rhine River Cruise & Motor Coach Tour" album and it's almost finished.  YAY!  I have also been puttering around, making a few changes here and there, and will share some pics soon.  

Today, I wanted to share another organization project -- the pantry this time.  Not too long after we moved into this home, I shared an over-haul on my very "builder-basic" pantry.  You can check that out HERE.  I'm happy to report that most of the systems I set up back then are still working, but a bit of a mess was brewing that needed tending.  I made these changes in March but didn't have time  to share.  Better late than never, right?  Well, come on in to my dinka-dinka-dinkie pantry and see for yourself.

The outside has already changed from this to a summer look, but that's for another post!

Some Much-Needed Organization

Hey everyone!  During breaks when I was editing and posting our European trip, I was doing some re-organizing around our home.  One place that really needed my attention, is my decor cabinet.  Fortunately I did this before our temps soared into the 110+ range.  And just an FYI, when we AZ desert dwellers say, "It's a dry heat," it is true....two days ago our relative humidity was 3%!  Yes, you read that right!  Okay, back on track.  I am so pleased with how my storage turned out, and I just have to share.

First you have to see some befores!

             

                 

Believe me, I am so grateful that we have all of this storage in our garage, but.......

it's not the best for storing my chotskies.  That being said, it's what I've got, and I am making 

the best of it.

A Review, Tips & Some Other Stuff

Hey everyone!  Hope your week is going great so far.  We had a beautiful Spring here in the desert, but now Mother Nature has thrust us into full-fledge hot temps -- 110+.  YIKES!  At least it's still a "dry heat" at only 29% humidity, but that will change, too, as we quickly roll into the monsoon season.  We will be making a mad dash this morning to install our sunscreens and pack away the patio furniture, hopefully before it gets too warm.  Anyway, while things are still fresh in my mind about our recent travels, I thought it would be fun to share a bit of a review about the tour company we used and some travel tips.  I'm certainly not professing to be some kind of travel-expert, but I just want to share "the good, the bad, & the not-so-good" of our experience.  So let's get started.

These are the suitcases we used, both of which have wheels.  They are not expensive luggage, and I don't know why anyone would purchase expensive luggage.  I sat in our boarding area in Phoenix and watched luggage being "thrown" onto the conveyer into the plane.  Sometimes, one throw wasn't enough, the guys would pick them up and throw them again!  It's pretty interesting, they show no favorites -- pretty ones, cheap ones, very expensive ones all get the same treatment.   What?  Did you say you always do a carryon?  Argh!  Don't even get me started on the subject of carryon bags!  I truly wish airlines would stop allowing it.  Maybe if the people who insist on carryons had to board & deplane LAST, they could see what they are doing to those who check their luggage but have to wait forever while passengers wrestle those over-stuffed bags into and out of the overheads.  See, I told you not to get me started!