pantries past and present

topic number ten: bag the bags

Few know that it was my ongoing battle with the use of plastic bags or as some say, baggies, that inspired the organization of my kitchen pantry. Certainly everyone has an item (or two) which constantly proves annoying. But I must say, the dislike and hostility I feel for these little plastic pouches started long before "green" groups campaigned for recycling, long before the reusable grocery sack and long before some of you were on two feet. I have to ask myself where did this severe reaction to zip-lock come from? Perhaps, it was because I could never find a way to bring the bag's lack of aesthetics into my realm of every day living. Have you ever tried to keep plastic bags filled with cookies, croutons and mixed nuts neatly aligned on one shelf?

Do understand that I begrudgingly use plastic bags on occasion, but I draw the line with plastic flowers and decorative plastic fruit. Without going too far out on a tangent, these two particularly bizarre creations quickly catapult me over the edge. I put them on the "not nor ever missed" list next to mosquitoes. With this said, there are many life altering plastic inventions worthy of every one's support, i.e. heart valves. So, I do not hold plastic itself in contempt.

I do know that my aversion to the plastic bag was accelerated by the fact that no one I know, at least in my household, ever seals the bag completely. Thus, after several bouts with ants and other even less desirable insects coupled by reaching for a bag of newly opened chips gone stale, I knew something had to be done. This truly was a pivotal moment, both aesthetic form and function were at stake!

My kitchen pantry is now filled with glass containers for all that must be contained. There are no longer opened cereal boxes waiting for weevils, no longer assorted cracked crackers in baggies, and no more paper sacks of flour powdering the shelf. I purchased various sizes of canning jars equipped with great sealing abilities. Large jars can be used for cereal and quantities of chips. Medium sized jars are good for snacks of all sorts. And small jars are great for anything from packages of substitute sugars to wasabi peas. Please know that these jars are not only easy to use, but the experience of this organization will bring delight each and every time you open your kitchen pantry door. Shelves stay clean, with the contents of each jar remaining fresh and the overall quality of your kitchen experience enhanced.

I applaud my cousin Steve who took pantry organization one step further. He created a great template for the top of each pantry jar to identify its contents. Do not underestimate the importance of this deed--especially as in Steve's case, with confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, cake flour and pastry flour all shelved side by side. This was an intervention.

Here are a couple of additional notes-for pantry ingredients which may require special preparation instructions, attach the information on the underside of the container lid. Also, my assortment of canning jars from the Container Store were originally purchased with orange rubber seals. But if you look further, you will find that the store carries packages of white replacement seals. This, of course, made my day! And I hope that these tips might make yours too.

p.s.-daughter Lindsay is away at an intercollegiate horse show, but will be back again posting shortly.

where art thou gucci?

topic number five: shoes, a personal love story

I make no apologies for my love of shoes; from a gorgeous gucci sandal, lovely louboutin or classy chanel to a sexy ali rahimi, I find them all divine. This is lust you say, not love? Either way, heel to toe, there is deep affection.

I pamper my shoes by housing each pair individually in my closet. Shoes are organized by style and then by color. A friend of mine has taken this a step further by attaching a photograph on the front of each box for easy viewing. Somehow this seems a little too impersonal for me, like putting a name tag on your loved one's lapel. But then again, not everyone is as in love with their shoes as I am. Instead I use perfectly sized clear boxes from the Container Store. And periodically, I make an effort to rotate shoes out of my closet for cleaning and repair.

But having an organized closet where you can find everything because you can see everything can have a down side...my husband sees everything too! Thus, came my promise to Gary-to donate an existing pair of shoes aka: physically remove a pair of shoes from my wardrobe (and sometimes this hurts) whenever another shoe purchase is made aka: a new love appears.

This culling if you will, not only helps keep my closet updated, it keeps it in shape. The shoe promise along with my dear friend Paula motivated me to do the same with my clothes:t-shirts, blouses, socks and lingerie. "How many white shirts does one really need?" Thank you Paula! What this accomplishes is amazing. Surprisingly, especially for me, is that I now never really have to take time to reorganize my closet unless I want to, but not because I need to.

Watching and/or helping friends yank out their entire wardrobe every spring- clothes piled high with belts, bags and boxes everywhere is time consuming. It can take a day just to try on each and every piece of owned clothing prior to sorting. Try making the promise instead. This requires less time, it is easy with practice, and actually, over time it could even save you some money. Yes, loving and dumping, at the same time. Heartless, but helpful.