Menu Planner and Grocery List Organization

I love Simplify 101 -- so many things that she does are SO my style. I just wish I had the time and energy to implement much more of how she organizes her home and business.

I came across this "perfect" Menu Planner and Grocery List from Aby Garvey that works perfectly in my Circa Junior Planner -- I love it! Take a peek and see if it will work for your family.

Lately it seems I must have things written down or I just forget. I really am good about remembering things, but I think my plate is too full and some things just spill over ...

Tackle it Tuesday -- Spice Drawer Organization

I decided to tackle my spice drawer. To be honest, I do not remember WHY we started putting spice bottles in drawers, but in thinking back, they have been pretty much been kept in a kitchen drawer versus a cabinet. (probably a husband idea originally!)

I have a bad habit of just jumping in and starting a project and neglecting to take a before photo.
This time is no exception!

Before photo: Picture in your mind, dozens of bottles laying on top of each other ... white powder residue at the bottom, even various other colors. Get the image? (yuck!)

I picked up 2 packages of small baskets at the dollar store -- and transformed my spice drawer into a work of organization! I keep ones I use more frequently at the front and then other "like" spices grouped together. Then I started really thinking and added some labels to the top of the jars. (I love my label maker!) There are some that are too tall to stand up, so they have to be laid on their sides. I have found that I do better at keeping things in place if there is a label. Now for the rest of the troops to feel the same way ....

What do you think? This could also be a Works for Me Wednesday post too! They actually do not slide around very much and the labels at the top help me find what I am looking for much easier.


Click on the above banner for more Tackle it Tuesday posts hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms.

Something I've done on my kitchen counters is to "contain" all the odds and ends --salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowl, coffee grinder, honey bottle, olive oil etc.

Lots of stuff cluttering up the counters. I have very limited counter space -- and needed to do something because it was getting to me. My kitchen is a sage green and cream and we want accents in red. Joann's had a great sale on their baskets (60% off, plus a 10% off your entire order) a few weeks back and I picked up a set of cream baskets with a red/cream stripe lining. Love them!

I do not have a before picture, but just picture in your mind: CLUTTER. LOL!


Here is the salt/pepper/sugar bowl contained in this little basket which is next to the toaster. That side of the counter is completely bare with those exceptions, and if I need room, I only have to move the 1 basket.

Photos were taken with my cell phone, so they are not the best quality.

This is a larger basket that I have at the other end of the counter. (yes, this is the only counter I have!) and it is sideways against the wall, so it doesn't take up as much space. My knife holder is behind it and my coffee maker is close to it. I have quite a bit of items in this basket. I pretty much use those items daily. Olive oil, coffee, coffee filters, Splenda container, honey jar, coffee grinder. This really works well for me. I have two other smaller ones. One on the kitchen table that holds paper napkins, and one on top of the microwave.

Friday Find -- Popcorn Bowl and Recipe Book Templates

I thought every Friday I would post about something I have found over the past week -- that is either free or minimal charge. I've found a few things this past week!

I hope to have a button created this weekend to make it prettier.

First is a Free Popcorn Bowl Courtesy of Orville Redenbacher. You do not even have to pay for shipping, but you do have to send in 2 UPCs from the purchase of any two packages of their gourmet microwave popcorn.

Here is a link to the downloadable form: Free Popcorn Bowl
Offer expires 30 June 2007.

If anyone knows if this is on sale somewhere, or an online coupon link, please leave a comment and I'll add it to the post! Also Kroger has this on sale thru Tuesday 2 for $4.00

And second, on the blog of A So Called Perfect Life - there is:

Family Cookbooks! A How To Guide With Templates

Created and copyrighed by My So Called Perfect Life!

She gets the credits for this. I am just posting the link, you will need to visit here to obtain the template. Just click on the link above and it will take you straight to it.


I currently have my recipes saved individually in word documents and then have them in folders. But one recipe doesn't always take up an entire page. Check out the above link. She shares this great template -- I'm hoping I can copy and paste a lot of the recipes that I know I will make again. I really just need to delete those I've tried and probably won't make again.

Side note: One thing that I have done for my daughter, is to compile a recipe scrapbook with recipes that have been handed down through the years and ones we really like as a family.

It's a work in progress and good thing I only have 1 daughter!

But I thought that once I complete the recipes into the above format, I could print them, make a cool cover, bind and share with my 2 future daughter-n-laws! I personally would love a gift like that, what do you think?

Organizational Challenge -- Are you up to it?

Am I up to it?

I decided to take this challenge because our extra room (which we refer to as the library) is a total mess. I'm not sure that 30 days will be enough, but that is my goal. I'll add a before photo and if you have any tips/ideas to make these process easier, I'm open for suggestions!!

Keep in mind I do have a full time job and we are very involved in church activities -- so time is always at a minimum.