Creating a Breakfast Bar

 

Since I am often the first one out of the house in the morning

I decided to create a breakfast bar

that would be quick to put out in the mornings

and easy to put away afterwards.

 

 

First I took one of my wooden trays with handles.

On this tray I put the favorite spreads for toast or bagels

that can stored in the cupboard.

 

I then added some homemade Oatmeal mixes.

On the lids I labelled them with the type of Oatmeal

and also put the microwaveable directions.

 

Next came an assortment of bagels or English muffins.

I sliced each one and put them in Ziploc bags

and then labelled them with the type

(i.e. blueberry, cinnamon raisin)

and also the date.

 

They all sit nicely in a little plastic basket

that goes onto the tray.

 

I then made a little tray that can be slipped in and out of the fridge easily.

It has some butter and an assortment of our favorite jams.

 

The dry good tray slips in and out of the cupboard easily

and offers us a breakfast assortment.

In less than a minute I can have the breakfast bar set up.

 

 

Two trays set out by the fruit bowl and toaster

and breakfast is ready!

 

 

  ~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!



De-cluttering the Top Cupboards - Before & After

~Before~

~After~

 

After I finished de-cluttering my countertops

I decided to tackle the top cupboards.

I took everything out of the cupboards

and gave the interior a good scrub down.

~Before~

~After~

 

I did a little re-organizing and a little bit of rearranging.

I also got rid of a few items that I no longer used,

but most of the space I gained just came

from simple re-organizing. 

 

~Before~ 

~After~

 

A few things got moved around so it made more sense.

Coffee and tea items got moved to the cupboard by the coffee maker.

The baking supplies were moved to a lower shelf

so it is now much easier for me to reach when I bake.

The cupboards now make sense and everything flows.

 

~Before~

 

~After~

 

I am loving the space.  It feels like a new kitchen

and it is so much easier to work in.

Opening the cupboard doors is now a joy :)

 

 ~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!



 

I am joining...

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Message Center Make Over

We have a little corner of our counter

that we use as our message center.

Or maybe it's better put as our

"catch-all corner".

I knew it was time for a make over of this busy little corner

and after browsing through Michaels with my daughter

I was inspired.

I fell in love with these magazine holders.

And the butterfly goes so well

with this spring theme I seem to have going.

And this delightful little box

just took my breath away.

I knew I had to make it work somehow,

And I thought the saying was perfect :)

Well, the box turned out to be the perfect size.

Not only does it hold a full size box of kleenex

but pens, books, notepads, coupons

and all those little things that are needed

in a message center corner.

I knew I wanted one more thing

to tie it all together.

And this little bouquet of flowers

seemed to be the perfect fit.

They pull the colors together

and flow so nicely with the

African Violets on my windowsill.

Wow, so nice and neat

compared to the first picture.

It makes my heart sing :)

I am joining...

Nita at Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphises Monday

Marty at A Stroll Through Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Jann at Have a Daily Cup from Mrs. Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday

Basement Room - Part 1

Well, the craziness has begun.  My dear hubby has started his first set of night shifts and starts off with five in a row.  Normally he would work 3 days, 3 off, 3 nights, 3 off, etc. but start up always requires a few extra. 

With this change to our schedule, it has sent my thoughts back to the reason of being a "keeper of the home" which is to respect and honor your husband.  Honestly, sometimes keeping the house is much, much easier.  I have been noticing however, that when I change my focus from "my home" to "honor and respect" that is changes some of my priorities throughout the day.

On that thought, my goal over this week and next is to make a spot where hubby can go when he is transitioning onto night shifts.  That way he won't have to worry about disturbing the rest of the family who are trying to sleep and it will be more comfortable for him.  It will also serve as a temporary family room for us until we complete the main family room.  So, not only will it benefit dear hubby, it will benefit the whole family as well.

I got a really good start on the room today.  I was very surprised how much I was able to accomplish in such a short time.  The room was being used as a storage room so I had to shift some things around.  Thankfully dear hubby and I got the garage cleaned out this summer so some of the storage items can now go out there. So, here's what the room looked like before I began.

 

After about a half hour of work you can definately see some progress.

I definately made progress as I continued to work although it's not as noticeable in the pictures.

 

 

I also got part of the closet cleaned out and hope to finish the rest of the closet area tomorrow.  Once that is done alot of the books, etc will be put into the drawers.  There is really not a lot left to get put away.

 

Along the way I have also been decluttering.  I have two big bags full of give away items.  One of those bags is mostly winter items and it's a perfect time a year to donate those items to charity.  I did run into a bit of a problem along the way though.  I came across 3 old, very old, gaming systems that I figured we could just give away.  However, I thought I had better check with hubby and son first.  Well, they think that we definately need to keep them.  Out of the box I packed up with the hopes of giving it all away, they only figured two items out of the box could be given away.  Why we can't give it all away since we have two brand new gaming systems is beyond me but I agreed to put the box in the closet and we would discuss it again at a later date.  I really was hoping I could have eliminated one more box of items.



(What I was hoping to give away)

(What I actually get to give away)

After working in the basement I headed outside to cover my tomato and pepper plants because of a risk of frost tonight and I couldn't resist taking a few evening pictures of our vine growing along the garage.

It is getting late so I will be heading down to do a bit of x-stitching and have a cup of tea before I call it a night.

"No matter what you've done for yourself or humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?"

(Elbert Hubbard)