I’m not sure if it’s more accountability for you or for me, but either way, as I told you on Friday, I am beginning a 4 week challenge here on GraceLaced. Four weeks is about all the time I’ve got left to organize and simplify my life before baby Cinco arrives. Wanna join me? I really hope you do…for your encouragement, but also for my sake….so that I’m not the only one fessing up about how disorganized I can be!
If you have a blog of your own, read through each Monday’s post for these four week, schedule time to complete the project, and post on your accomplishment on Friday of each week. Visit my post each Friday for before/after pics of my nesting efforts, and you’ll have an opportunity to link your blog post up to mine! I’ve never done a “blog-hop” or link-up, but have seen how fun it can be to get to know other bloggers and people who have like minds or interests. {Leave me a comment here if you plan to link up. If no one participates, then I’ll just enjoy my own little project here for the next four weeks! 
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If you choose to join me on this nesting venture, grab the button below by cutting and pasting the code on your blog so others can join in the fun! I hope this will be the giddy-up you need, as our goal is not to be perfect, but to be diligent day by day.
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.gracelaced.com/category/simplynesting" title="Simply Nesting"><img src="http://www.gracelaced.com/uploads/2011/03/Simply-Nesting-Button1.jpg" alt="Simply Nesting" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
So, today, I present to you our project for Week 1: The Pantry.
If you have a clean and organized pantry, you can excuse yourself now, and go have a latte while you pat yourself on the back.
For the rest of us, this is the week we’ll be reclaiming this most frequented spot in our home. Perhaps you find yourself buying items at the grocery store that you already have, but just can’t find. Maybe things seem to move from one shelf to another because little hands attempt to put things away. Whatever the condition of your pantry, see this as motivation to get this much-used space to work for you.
TIPS FOR GETTING THE JOB DONE:
1. Pull everything out of your pantry.
2. Wipe and scrub shelves. Mop the floor.
3. Sort all pantry items by type/cuisine/use/etc. Don’t forget to check the expiration date! If you haven’t used it in a year, throw it away or give it to a neighbor!
4. Group opened packages (ie. chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, etc.) by use, and seal closed either in ziploc baggies or with twist ties. I like to combine odds and ends ingredients in plastic shoebox containers to preserve freshness and so that I can find them easily.
5. If you buy in bulk, consider purchasing plastic or glass containers for storing flour, sugar, rice, cereal, etc. Creative DIY labels can be found here, here, and here.
6. Replace pantry items back on shelves with the following considerations:
a. What should be accessible for the kids? (cereal, lunch fillers, etc.)
b. What should not be accessible to the kids? (glass jars, gummi snacks, anything chocolate…)
c. Are the items you use most readily accessible, or do things topple over when you try and get to them? {‘Cuz that would not be considered “readily accessible.” }
7. Stand back and admire your work! Oh, and teach your family the method to your madness!
8. Take pics, and share your post on Friday!
Have fun, and thanks for nesting along with me!
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Ruth~ I’m looking forward to this so much. I need encouragement in this area like never before because I’ve been so sick with my pregnancy, and things have really gotten out of hand. But, I can tell I’ve started nesting somewhat because EVERYTHING is driving me crazy around here, the Pantry being a huge one.
Greg just walked in and asked me what I was doing, and then said, “oh boy, is this something YOU’RE going to do, or make ME have done by the end of the week”? He chuckled…
SEE, I told you it was getting bad!
Thank you, and I’ll try to keep up. (I don’t blog though)
And, I can’t imagine showing everyone how bad MY pantry looks.
Casey, I’m so glad you will be joining in. I don’t know a pantry gets so outta hand, but it does. Pregnancy is a season (esp. if you are sick) where “doing what you need to do” doesn’t feel fun…but is just what we need to do. God’s faithful to encourage our hearts in it.
Oh Ruth! You know I’m all over this …. Curtis actually straightened up the pantry yesturday, but I’m going to do this week so that I can get it clean and take inventory of what’s in there.
I was just thinking this weekend that my pantry was starting to look a little disheveled–one shelf in particular has all my ‘bags’ of things. Katie has also started to play in the pantry more when I am cooking, so I’d like to organize it so that the ‘safe’ things are lower and the ‘not-safe’ things are out of reach (like the butane).
My gosh…our pantries look identical (cream colored sliding doors with round gold handles). Ok, I’m in…I will clean out my pantry this week.
Hi Ruth!
I’m in! I just posted my before pictures on my blog. I can’t get the cute little “i’m simply nesting” thing to work, though. Has anyone else had a hard time with that? I could totally be doing it wrong!!
http://susanhayes.blogspot.com/2011/03/simply-nesting-week-1.html
Susan
Hey Susan: The code under the button is to be cut and then pasted into your html option on your blog. I don’t know how blogspot works, but usually you have an option to enter html in every post. Or, if you are putting it in your sidebar, there should be an option for it there as well.
Hi Ruth! Thanks for trying to help me! I did add an html “button” to my sidebar, but it just comes up as a little icon. I left it up.. maybe it will fix itself? Is that silly to think?
Okay, so I think I “fixed” it. I don’t know exactly what was the problemo, but the code should work now. I tried it in my sidebar and it works. Sorry about the hassle!
What? #5? Where have I been?! I am SO excited for you all. Congratulations:) That is great. Oh the nesting, ha!
So glad you stopped by today. Very good to hear from you!:)
Great tips and instructions!
As pantries are probably one of the most hidden places of our homes, I am so glad that you chose it as the first project of your nesting. To be more precise, I am proud of you, my daughter!
Though my pantry has been really, really organized (well, mine is an empty nest, what can you expect?
), I still joined you and spent some time to look at it.
And then, I started to examine the pantry inside of my heart and deep down in my soul, and see whether it is as organized as my visible pantry.
I want to say thank you, my little teacher (as you have always been since you were my little girl), thank you for your reminding and your beautiful inspiration. I love you!
We just left our home for furlough or I would participate in this fun. De-cluttering and organizing is such a stress reliever. In honor of your nesting challenge I did go back and organize all of my photos from the last 2 years by month and special events. I’ve been behind ever since my twins were born. I also moved them onto an external hard drive in case something happens to my laptop. So easy to find things now, but no cool before and after photos to post;)
Hi Ruth! I am brand new to blogging. I am participating in your nesting challenge, hopefully I can learn more about this process and get a little more organized! Thanks!
Nice to meet your Elizabeth Ann! I’m so glad you’ll be joining us!