It’s a sunny Monday morning and I’m on day 11 of progressive sickness in my house. A mild but persistent bug is keeping us home and crazy!
I am not sure if this is “therapist approved” … But I’ve definitely noticed that when certain things are out of my control, I reach to manage what IS in my control. And it almost always makes me feel better.
So this lower kitchen cupboard has been calling my name for who-knows-why and today I decided to answer.
This very deep recess holds everything from cake stands to small appliances to my grab-and-go school lunch supplies. Is this the best place to store each of these items? I don’t know. But I will find out.
Two potentially tricky items are for (not surprisingly) coffee. We have a hand grinder that still has old grounds in it from PROBABLY before we had a third child. We also have an old automatic drip maker just in case of emergencies (my deepest fear is not having access to convenient coffee!) It just might be time to let go of one or both of these.
We have two cake stands. Even though I don’t make a lot of pretty cakes right now, I’m keeping them for two reasons. My mother-in-law makes a beautiful cake whenever she comes for the kids’ birthdays, so we use it probably every quarter of the year. It also doubles as a chip and dip bowl. (Does that scream wedding present or what?)
We have an electric skillet and an ice cream maker that have inches of dust but I can’t seem to let go of. Clutter is emotional. Things are just starting to get easier now that we’ve adjusted to having three kids and certainly sometime soon we will be making our own homemade ice cream. Right? Right.
I spy another coffee accessory: the French press. She’s not going anywhere.
I might not get rid of most of these things but I will be glad to spray down and clean this deep cupboard.
I also don’t like things collecting dust in the basement so it’s probably OK to let them collect dust in the kitchen where I am likely to need them (some day?)
November and December are great times to look at your kitchen because there is a coming influx and flow of all this space. Is there an area that would service you well to be cleared out before the holidays?
Make space before entertaining. Make space before buying more.
Like yours, Lydia and I have been focusing on the kitchen area in preparation for the holidays. We parted ways with an air fryer and an instant pot gifted to us. Initially, we thought both would be great for the family but then realized that we personally prefer a slower cooking method even if we are tight on time because it creates a space for socializing in one place after work.
Another area that overlaps with the kitchen is the pantry. We spent an afternoon going through it. We had a retrospective discussion, reflecting on how our habits and priorities changed as children grow and evolving work circumstances that affect our meal plans and schedules. Neat to have moments like those that make us pause and consider our relationships with things.