To Rest or To Nest?

Being almost 8 months pregnant, I'm wanting everything in it's place and spotless. BUT being anemic and again, pregnant, I'm exhausted! I'm going back and forth between trying to clean and organize and rest (ha!). I find myself waking up extremely tired eagerly awaiting 12.30p when Clinton goes down for a nap. Every day I say I'm going to nap when he does...and then I don't.

This week I decided to start working on my kitchen. A room that I never feel is clean. I truly believe you must eat out every meal to truly maintain a clean kitchen. By the time you can get the dishes washed, floors cleaned, counters wiped down and table cleaned off, it's time to start the next meal...ugh. But I decided to attempt some "revolutionary" changes anyway.

I started with the pantry. Of the many things I love about my house--nice big front porch with rockers, open floor plan, very private master suite--there are a few things I'm not crazy about...and my pantry is one of them. For starters, it's not even a real pantry. It's just some larger cabinets that are supposed to pass as a pantry. I dream of one day having a "walk-in" pantry with storage climbing to the ceiling, shelves deep enough for cereal boxes but not so deep things get lost, and maybe even some drawers....oh, and a place for my trash. But for now, I must work with what I have...and this is where I started.

BEFORE: Everything thrown in. Every trip for something a long search.


AFTER: Beautiful. I sorted everything into categories. Threw out the expired stuff...embarrassing. We'll see if Rodney notices all my hard work.


I also got started on a list Martha provided on how to Clean Your Kitchen from Top to Bottom. I didn't get too far, but managed to get a couple of small tasks completed that I thought made a big difference. The most amazing is how to clean the inside of your microwave. I'm terrible about covering stuff up, so there is always food splattered along the inside of our microwave...and Rodney HATES it! However, the suggestion Martha gave me was to put a bowl of water in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, then let it sit for 5. Then wipe it down. My microwave is sparkling. I also followed her tips for cleaning the garbage disposal and flushing the drains.

My goal for the weekend is to get through the rest of the list and make lists of what she's says should be done daily and weekly. I'm going to post those inside the door of my freshly organized "pantry" and maybe that will help me keep this perpetually dirty room clean!