A LOOK INSIDE MY CUPBOARDS

Obviously, I would never let you look inside my cupboards if I hadn't just organized them. 

Before I show you my newly organized pantry, I have to show you my good-as-new dishes.

Almost 18 years ago, as a wedding gift, I got simple, plain white dishes.   I love them.  They go with all of the plain white serving platters and bowls I've collected over the years.   For the last 10 years, they've been covered in scratch marks from my silverware.  I tried scrubbing them with baking soda like Heloise said I should. Nothing. I tried the Magic Eraser. Not so magical. 

I was ready to buy new dishes. I decided to stop in at our local Ace Hardware.   The helpful clerk suggested I try this.

Just in case, I also picked up the more abrasive version.

I ended up using both. I applied the Liquid Bar Keepers Friend with a damp sponge and a little elbow grease. For the really tough scratches, I added a bit of the powdered version and applied a little more elbow grease. 

The results speak for themselves.

I guess Ace really is the place with the helpful hardware man.  A helpful tip from me: if you will be scrubbing a lot of dishes, it might be a good idea to wear rubber gloves.  And it's probably a good idea to test on a small area before you proceed.

 I can't say how well this would work on other dishes, but it worked wonders for mine.  At $4 a bottle, it's worth a try.  You can always use it to clean your bathrooms or your pots and pans if it doesn't work on your dishes.

Now, onto my newly organized pantry.  I found these awesome containers at Wal-Mart.  I had to go to almost every Wal-Mart within a 15 mile radius to get enough to do this.  Are you suprised that there are 4 Wal-Marts within a 15 mile radius?   Three of them no longer have any of these on the shelves.

They're Flip-Tite Containers by Better Homes and Gardens.  I added labels to some of the containers.  Because I need to be able to tell my husband and children "go into the pantry and get the baking powder," and get a quick response.  Not that I got a quick response when the baking powder was in a little can that said BAKING POWDER right on the front.

Just looking at it makes me happy.  I'd like to put everything in the house into these containers.  The laundry soap.  The paper clips.  The M&M's.  The Legos.

I guess it's time to pay a visit to that fourth Wal-Mart. 

PINNING MY LIFE AWAY

Have you tried Pinterest yet?  You have to "request an invite," and honestly I'm not really sure what the deal is there.  But apparently I have incredibly good taste, or I'm super popular in some imaginary Internet circles, because I've been invited!  And I'm wasting so much time having so much fun "pinning" all the great ideas I find! 

Like these $4 Ikea spice racks turned bookshelves from Ohdeedoh.

Why would you use boring old wrapping paper when you could put your gift in a cupcake gift box?  Maybe because, like me, you don't actually have the skills to make the cupcake gift box.  But still, very cute.

I can't say I've ever had a craving for Tater Tot Casserole . . . until I saw this.

Can someone please tell me where I can get a milk carton glass?

Pinterest is sort of like a giant online filing cabinet where you can store and organize all those great ideas you come across on the world wide web.  Actually, it's more like an giant online bulletin board, isn't it? 

It's even helped me get in touch with my feelings.

Source

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA

There are a lot of clever people out there.  I am not one of them.  But I have learned how to make myself appear clever by copying the clever people.

I'm always seeing great ideas for holidays, things to do with my kids, ways to stay organized, etc.  And every time I see one of these fabulous, clever ideas online, I add a new page to my favorites list. 

The result is a way too long, unmanageable list of favorites.

But how else will I find these clever ideas again when I'm ready to put them to use?  Like this idea from Martha for a paper airplane Father's Day card.

And then it dawned on me.  For a second, I actually felt like one of the clever people!  I could post all the great ideas I find here, on my blog.  After all, I keep all my recipes on a blog.  Why not all the great ideas I want to try someday?

They'll be organized and categorized and I'll never run out of room.  And maybe you'll enjoying seeing a few clever ideas from time to time too. 

If there's one thing I really love, it's free printables like these magnetic shirt bookmarks and Father's Day coupons from Martha.

I'll be honest.  I'm not very crafty.  I can't sew.  You're not likely to see any projects here that will take longer than 15 minutes.  Unless I think they're really, really clever. 

You will see a lot of ideas like this one from Real Simple.  Using an empty tissue box to hold your plastic grocery bags.  I have one of these in my pantry right now. 

Except where I buy groceries, the bags aren't hot pink.

Ideally, after clever ideas show up here, you'll find evidence on my blog that I have used them in real life.  But don't hold me to that.  You know what they say about the best laid plans . . .

But seriously, my husband is so getting a paper airplane Father's Day card.