Pantry Facelift

It certainly isn't a HUGE difference, but we were needing to change a few things around. I didn't have much of an area designated for snacks for the kids, so that needed to be added. Then the baking stuff was getting a little mixed around, so all I really did was re-organize. I'd had plans to do a big over haul and change things up quite a bit, but then reality set in.

The reality being that we have a TINY pantry.

There isn't a ton of other options. Adding a bunch more bins or containers would end up taking up more space then some of the actual items.

Short of taking out all of the shelves and reconfiguring the whole thing, this will have to do.

What I actual did:

- Updated all the labels with the current contents

-Moved things around to make room for two drawers of snacks. One is for the kid's snacks, one for the adults' munchies.

-Organized the canned goods by category

 -Went through all the junk that had found it's way into these pockets. I finally put things together that belonged together and got rid of stuff that just didn't belong!

What I've learned, through this process: I need to content with what I do have. I keep seeing all these organizers make their spaces look adorable with cute bins, labels and fun {which I love!}. I want all of it. I want to have a pantry that looks just as great or a closet that is all neatly organized and perfectly coordinated. I know I can make things look like that if I:

1. Spend a significant amount of money on all the bins, organizing tools
2. Have a bigger space then we have and/or less stuff {maybe a good combo of both}

Well, that's not my reality right now. I'm not going to spend money on those kinds of things right now. Although they may seem so, they are NOT necessary. The systems we have in place are perfectly acceptable and they work fine. We don't have an out of control kitchen, it's just not pretty and organized in a cute "picture perfect" way.  It is quite simply an envy problem at this point, so in order to "cure" my envy of other people's things I need to spend some time adjusting my perspective.

-We have a pantry full of food. There are children in Somalia dying of starvation as I type this. My children are well fed. My family eats at least three meals a day, plus several snacks!

-We have a home over our heads. There are people in Puerto Rico that are dealing with flooding in their homes because of hurricane Irene. Still others are concerned about their homes and safety as it continues to move toward the Dominican Republic and Florida. {FYI: this will post a couple weeks from now, so there may be more recent news on this, but the point is the same. My home still stands.}

Perspective: I have it now. I'm blessed. I have all I need. I do NOT need to have a picture perfect pantry in order to be happy. The things that matter are ALL in place.

Sure wasn't intending on taking this post in that direction, but there you have it. The real deal.