We have Progress!

I cleaned something!

Really!

Isn't that awesome?!?!

My "pantry" has needed some dire attention for quite a while. It has basically been the place where I shoved certain things I had no idea what to do with. It was not a place you could walk thru, and most things were essentially unaccessible. It's been a forgotton, abused space, and is still in need of walls etc. But it's so much more enjoyable now. 

I wish I had taken before pictures. I hauled out all the junk and took pictures of that, though.

From this angle of the table you can see boxes filled with all the random stuff that was collected in there. Turtle supplies, paper towels, aluminum baking pans, potty chairs, serving dishes, extra food pantry items I couldn't fit in my "cupboard", and a miriad of other things.

More pantry items, craft items, 2 boxes of my "good" dishes that we have barely every used, table cloths, and a couple different little shelving/storage units to house more random things.

I managed to put it all back in by moving the white storage cabinet (which houses spices, some baking goods, and things I don't want the kids to see/get into like extra candy canes) to the end, and put in 2 tall metal shelving units that a friend gave me. By creating the extra storage space, I was able to move some items from my curio/cupboard in there, cleaned off another short metal shelf that was just outside that area, and put all that in the pantry. With the free space I cleared out from my cupboard, I was able to put one of the boxes of good dishes there - MUCH more accessible. I threw out a little coffee table that was stored in there, brought the small white shelf unit to the thrift store, and disassembled the blue shelf thing and used it as baskets for paints, paper, etc. and put that on the shelves.

The best part... I can walk thru it. Woohoo! Still! And I did this 3 weeks ago. The papers you see in the bottom right corner are coloring books, workbooks, and cooking magazines that each have their own magazine file, set on it's side. I moved my flour/sugar to here also. The baby boxes are stored out of reach of small hands that have disassemble them too many times. I have one shelf that has extra boxes of cereal, cake mixes, crackers and granola bars. The 3 bins have playdoh, paint and scrapbook/journaling/retreat info in them. There are a few things I could still throw out do something else with, organize better. But this is such a grand improvement. I feel so good! And the kids love to go in there "just to look at stuff." LOL I may need to move the plastic spoons and cups, though, as a certain little boy is just at that height and loves to drag them out.

Now. What's next?

Probably tackling all the piles everywhere. But hey. There IS progress.