All things kitchen

Since the kitchen is the room you walk into upon entering the house I started with it. It has also been the easiest by far to remove clutter and unwanted objects. It came down to several questions.
A: Is it useful??
B: If it's decorative does it make me really happy?
I found that I had a lot of things that I had not used in well over 2 years. That stuff went.

I also found that the more I got rid of the more productive I felt. One night I decided to bake. I made a loaf of honey oat bread, 2 loaves of blueberry oat bread and a peach cobbler without having to move much out of the way. I was free to be productive without worrying about making a huge mess.

I also had to come to terms with another area of my kitchen life. Canning. I had been considering selling my supplies because I have not had the time to preserve anything. I was still debating when I decided to clean out some of the old stuff I had preserved. Last year I made a batch of blueberry jam. I followed the recipe but it came out grainy and none of us liked it. The jars sat for about a year. I opened them to throw out the contents and reclaim my jars. I was horrified to find mold on the top of the jam once opened. MOLD!!! This should NOT occur. I did everything exactly the way I was supposed to but it still failed. This was the push I needed to call an end to my canning days. Maybe not forever but for NOW it is right. I gathered up most of my stuff(I kept my jar lifter and some jars) and listed it on Craigslist. Extra $ in my pocket and space cleared! Chapter closed.

I could close this post up but I'm going to add everything so I don't have to do
multiple kitchen posts.

I have real issues with uncovered windows. Call me crazy but I absolutely cannot have a window without at least blinds in my home. I have paid a ton of
money over the last 3 years for various kitchen curtains. I love my curtains but I was dealing with an annoying problem. The window above my sink is HUGE. The problem with the curtains is that my soaps would sometimes get on them and also splashes of water. The curtains were starting to look a little dirty. So I decided to take down the curtains and put up simple valances instead. The blinds keep our windows private and I don't have to worry about getting them dirty. Plus it's much easier to let light in now during the day. I did have to buy the valances but it only cost me $15 for 3.

When you are de-cluttering do not take away everything that makes your room comfortable. You still want it to show your personality. I am so much happier in my kitchen now that I have more space and less visual clutter. Not to mention I can let light in easily now without having to pull curtains each way. It still reflects my taste and style and serves my family well.

One room down. Five more to go.

Photos in order:
1. Valance and clean/ uncluttered counter tops
2. My baking results after I was working w/ a clean kitchen
3. Box of stuff to sell in the garage sale
4. The canning supplies I sold on Craigslist