From the depths of the pantry

3 cans of peas and carrots ... and we don't even eat them
5 cans of corn

and i think 13 cans of tuna.

We have some using up to do!

Pantry - before and after!

As part of my spring cleaning challenge ... yesterday I finally attacked our pantry...

BEFORE





And AFTER ...








Much better now - I can breathe again!

Go vertical!

Clutter loves a flat surface. Give it a flat surface, and chances are, stuff will find its way there and fill it up. Vertical storage is a much better use of space than horizontal storage. And less likely to be a dumping zone.

Case in point, my cookbooks.

Now the thing is, I am married to a dietitian. And we both love food. And I love to cook. Especially bake. So between us, we have a LOT of cookbooks.

We have cookbooks in the office. Cookbooks in the cupboard above the stove. Cookbooks in the spare bedroom.

Oh ....

and cookbooks (the ones we are using) here.... (among other things ... and can I say - I can't believe I am showing this!)






See - flat spaces are designed for clutter. Put something in a flat space and watch it BREED.

So I did some shuffling ... moved a table, and found an unused bookshelf (Billy - from Ikea)...

and decluttered numbers. A lot.

And now we have this.

Much better. By the time I am finished they will be all in one place - and in the RIGHT room.

Makes me smile!

It doesn't need to cost a cent to organise. Just some time. Reducing clutter. And rethinking how you do things.

(and watch this blog - later this week I will do a post on where I have put that table. And how I have created another space to make me smile!)

There's a change in the air ...

Autumn is fighting hard ... but winter is starting to win the battle once more.

I love winter. I love the changes it brings. Nothing like snuggling under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate or a glass of port ...

This week I am starting to "wintify" my home. Starting in the kitchen. All this done before breakfast. I am learning to love my early riser ...

a change in fruit and vegetables from the farmer's markets ... goodbye stonefruit ... hello leaks and pumpkin


Pumpkin soup ready for lunches ... done in the slow cooker over night ...


Menu planning and list making


Hearty winter food for dinner tonight

Chicken, pumpkin and lentil curry .. I can't wait!

Bring on winter ... let the fog roll in! I can't wait!

Done. Finally. And I LOVE it!

It took time. But it is finally done. And I love love love it!

After much time wasted trying to choose the final flooring - then time wasted waiting for it to arrive the floors were installed today. The workmen were fantastic. On time. Clean. Tidy. Thorough. Truly a wonder in this day and age. (note to self - must pass feedback on!)

I love the floors - they really look clean and fresh - but have enough colour in them to bring a warmth to the kitchen that was missing.

Everything about the kitchen was bought at a discount. Even the flooring after MUCH to-ing and fro-ing.

And this kitchen is filled with love. Friends and family pulled together and shared their gifts with us and it made SUCH a difference!
Thanks especially to Mick and Liz for their destructive tendancies, and especially Liz for her endless compliments about our progress -
Gene for being an amazing builder, no way we could have done this without you!
Dot for keeping the menfolk fed and my washing and ironing done while I conveniently went on prac during the worst of the building.
Mum and Dad - you are amazing. Not only for the paint, the tiling, the blinds and pelmets ... but for talking me through all this and helping me make decisions.Mum, thanks especially for coming to Ikea and loading EVERY box for me (my hand is all better now - Thanks!).
And a big thanks to my husband Paul. For trusting my decisions. For never once complaining about all I was spending (well - maybe a little - but I honestly don't blame him one bit! We need a sensible one in the family. And for all the work he put in. I reckon my man is learning to be a handyman after all!

So - after all my ramblings ... here tis!

Shows flooring, tiling, cabinets and benchtops ... and my pride and joy - my new cinnamon coloured kitchenaid mixer.


Overview of the kitchen area


Left view


Right view








Oh - did I say I was done? I would still really really like this buffet from Ikea. Or something similar. In the corner of the dining room closest to the windows. Maybe one day.


And there is one more little job. I want the tv mounted on the wall. But I'm told that is easy. Told you my man is becoming a handyman!

Finally.

Right now as we speak the flooring is going in! Kitchen will be DONE!

I'll upload pics later on today!

Almost there - window treatments are up!

Blinds and pelmets made by mum and installed by dad! (my parent's rock by the way!)






We are almost done! Flooring has been chosen - just waiting to install. The only other things are a tiny job from the plumber to install the dishwasher (which is why it is sitting out to allow access) and for the two filler pieces to be put either side of the stove and the cupboard above the stove. This will allow us to attach the rangehood.

Then we are DONE!!!!

Happy happy happy HAPPY!

(and check out the before ... posted here
http://findingthecalminthechaos.blogspot.com/search/label/renovation?updated-max=2010-01-24T02%3A35%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=20 )

Total indecisiveness...

I need to choose flooring.
In a hurry. This is the last thing I need to do.

Apparently I have expensive taste. The name "titanium range" is never going to be a good sign is it?

These are my slightly less expensive options. Just wish I could make up my mind.

Choices ...

I'm leaning to this ...

Thoughts??

Dear Dad

(and Kelly- for some reason whenever I see the top of my messy fridge I think of you and feel guilty.)

This is for you!






My fridge. Top cleared. Cleaned and scrubbed.

Isn't it pretty!

Why Ikea?

I've been asked a few times - why Ikea for our kitchen?

I thought I'd blog just a little tonight about our experiences.

For us it was a combination of quality, price, and function.

#1 - We loved the options Ikea gave us. Not only in the cupboards and veneers, but in the little storage ideas and solutions that make Ikea unique. I wanted a really functional kitchen. Ikea could help us achieve that.

#2 - The quality. Compared to other kitchens in the price range we were looking at, Ikea was much better quality. It was the little things that mattered - things like dampeners on the drawers so they can't be slammed. I was very happy with the quality.

#3 - The Ikea Kitchen planner software. Once I figured this out, this was key to getting what I wanted. It let me play and change things. And I didn't feel so overwhelmed.

#4 - My Father in Law is a builder. This meant I could relax in knowing that any little problems we came into with installation would be fixed well.

#5 - The ability to upgrade components that mattered. Things like the pull out shelves for the pantry. And the ability to pay extra for the custom made bench tops. I believe you need to buy decent benches - they are the workhorse of your kitchen.

#6 - The price. Our cupboard veneer was discontinued. This meant we got these at 65% off retail. Which meant I could put more money into things like the cupboard upgrades that I wanted. And price DOES matter.

Overall, I am very very very happy. A few things were a problem, like a dented sink and living so far away. But to be fair, once we made them aware of the problem Ikea were EXCELLENT and compensated us for our time.

Would I do it without Gene (the Father in law builder) - probably not. Although I do think we *could* do it. But it would take a lot more time. And a lot of googling and youtubing to work things out. And probably hiring a handy man to help with some bits. And no one could do a job as good as Gene.

Would I go ikea again? I guess that depends how it wears. SO far, that is a yes. Time will tell...

More Progress!

I think all we have to do now is paint the walls - and get the flooring done.

Walls are scheduled for Tuesday ... Flooring quote is organised for then too ...

In the meantime ...

We have HANDLES (thanks dad! Love you!)



and TILING!

(did I tell you my mum is amazing? She is an inspiration to me!)

Oh how I wish I could get you all here to see my feature tiles in person! They are black glass - but when the light hits them this amazing grey/silver detail shows. I LOVE them!

For those who wanted more of the kitchen ...

(and that means you Kelly!)

The ceiling is painted ...

The cornices are painted ...

and the tiling has begun ...







Have I told you before just how much I love my mum?

Pantry storage

I love my pantry!



One thing I insisted on when we were choosing our cupboards was this pantry.

What I love about it is, although it is only 600mm wide, the shelves come completely out - they pull out like drawers.

What this means is I can use every little bit of shelf space, and easily access every single item.

In this pantry, I can easily store all the food we stored in our large corner pantry, but instead of losing things in the depth of the cupboard we can see everything on each shelf at a glance.

Very happy!

(oh - and as you can see - I also like tupperware modular mates! They work well for me!)

Feral Food Friday! (OK - I know it is Sunday!)

OK - I know it's Sunday - but I was away till just now ...

How's your fridge? Anything growing?

Anything being ignored ready to move forward so you EAT it????

Just a reminder!

I came home to a fruit bowl that had seen better days. Not what I wanted to see - but it's ggone now. Next step is to use the fruit up before it gets to that stage!

Stations.

In organising my new kitchen I am trying to utilise stations as much as possible.

Previously - I worked by putting like with like - plastics together, pantry items together, crockery togehter.

Now I am trying to think through the activities we do, and put all the things I need to do that activity in a logical place.

For example - this is my coffee and hot drink making station.

It is in a high cupboard, above the kettle. So the placing makes sense.

In the past, I would have put the tea, coffee, sugar etc in the pantry, cups with the plates, travel mugs with the picnic things, tea pots etc in another cupboard for the rarely used items.

Now I have everything I need in one cupboard. If you want a cup of tea you go to the cupboard and the cups, tea, coffee, sugar, teapots, travel mugs etc are all together. The most frequently used things are at eye level, least frequently at the top.

It is a whole new way of thinking for me, and I know it will take a long time for me to get all my stations right, but I think it makes sense and will make my kitchen more functional.

Plus - the added bonus is that if an item is stored in a cupboard that is not a station, it means I have to think good and hard about whether it has a use, or I am keeping it "just cause". I'm hoping it will help me reveal those things that I keep but don't use and love so I can let them go.

My Gran challenge - bed, table +1

My challenge to learn from the wisdom of my Gran is back. Well, it's back now that I can find my table, and all the tools that were on top of it have gone. It was a trifle difficult for a while.

A clean table.


(ready and waiting for Valentine's Day and our Anniversary)

Beds all made.



And I am adding - sink is shined and counters are cleared.


I want to start as I mean to go on.


Just three little things - and my house is one step closer to being tidy all the time.

Baby steps.

Ktichen renovation day 7 - the install is about done!

It's taken a week. But the job has been done well. Gene has checked every door, drawer and cupboard is square. If it moved it has been reinforced. It's been a big job and he's done amazing workmanship.

We still have cosmetic things to do. Like a few filler pieces, painting and tiling. And new flooring. And the exhaust fan. And an electrician for the dishwasher.

But it is a world of improvement on the old kitchen.



(sorry for the crooked photo! I must be more tired than I thought)

And like a good flybaby - the first thing I did when everyone left was shine my sink!

Quick! Need kitchen appliance advice!

If anyone has a second - I need opinions.

My stove is in the pics below. It is staying for now.

My fridge is white too.

I need a new microwave, rangehood and my first ever dishwasher.

Do I get white to match what I have? Or stainless steel and gradually change them over?

Pros? cons???

WWYD??? Does white look horribly outdated??
What is hardest to clean??

HELP!

Kitchen renovation, day 6

Long benchtop is in



Skirting boards are going in


But the most exciting thing ... I HAVE A SINK! With running water!!!


Today's job is to finish the skirting boards and to put the shelves and drawers in. I've already started organising and filling some cupboards.

The door handles will be left off for now, I want to live with it for a week and make sure I am happy with the direction each door opens first.

So excited! It's almost functional at least!