Hey good lookin'... whatcha got cookin'?

When I set out remodel my house, I originally only planned on adding a bathroom upstairs. That led to expanding the two bedrooms up there. Which led to adding walk in closets in both rooms. The, since I was already getting a contractor, I figured, why not have them knock out the wall by the stairs? And while we are knocking out walls, I guess we could get rid of this door here... and add on to the porch... and enlarge this window... and get rid of the side door and window... and extend the kitchen into the family room... you get the idea.

So from that laundry list of things we are fixing, the biggest surprise was the kitchen. I am not a super cook who needs warming drawers and granite countertops, but this kitchen was a tiny bit ridiculous. There was a total 24" of counter space. Two feet. The dishwasher was one of those European deals that is super skinny and only meant for people who shop at the original Ikea or live in New York City. There were three cabinets. Soooo I may have gotten a little carried away, but now we're redoing the kitchen!

I met with Laura, my kitchen planner, for the first time this past week. Kitchen planners are great because unfortunately, things like cabinets and appliances aren't really standard or anything. Every kitchen is different and comes with a unique set of needs. So here are some things to keep in mind when setting up your kitchen (even if you are not remodeling, keep these in mind when putting things in drawers, etc.):

- Keep in mind your three primary work spaces: refrigeration storage, cook top, and sink. Technically, these three spaces should be no more than 9' from each other (not a problem in my kitchen, haha). They should also be no closer than 4' in order to leave room for prep spaces. There should be no obstacles (such as an island or trash can) in the middle of the triangle.

- There should be at least three feet of counter space next to the sink for food preparation.

- Your dishwasher and trash receptacle should both be within two feet of the edge of your sink.

- Keep in mind landing areas. Each of your primary work spaces should have 'landing areas' nearby... basically, that is just a fancy word for counter space to drop food as you retrieve it from the refrigerator or before you throw it in a pot on the stove.

- Keep the clutter to a minimum. Your mixer, blender, food processor, coffee maker, etc. can all be stored in a cabinet when not in use. OK, maybe not the coffee maker. But things that you don't use all the time, store away. It will make you feel like a neater person and all your guests will be so impressed! And by "guests," I mean your mom.

- Don't forget to consider your primary uses for the kitchen when defining the space. Expert baker? Spring for the marble countertops. But if that is not something you consider a huge deal, save your pennies. I am not a great cook, though I love to dabble. I am also keeping in mind resale, so my kitchen won't be crazy specific as far as extras.

- Height matters. When I lived in South Carolina, I had this great loft apartment with 18' ceilings. Awesome, right? Yeah except the cabinets were proportional to the space, meaning I could only reach the first two shelves. Anything higher and I either had to hop up on the countertop or get my hand dandy reach extender. Not OK. Now I won't be designing my kitchen specifically for someone who is 5'3", but it will also not be for a giant.

Above all, when considering your kitchen set up, think logically. Cups and glasses should be close to the refrigerator. Utensils should be below dishes. Cooking utensils should be near the stove. Use your head, and enjoy an easy cooking experience. Now, learning to cook is a whole other story... I'll be working on that for awhile. Until then, I can subsist on spaghetti and scrambled eggs.

Autumn Cleaning

Spring cleaning is sooo two seasons ago. This September and October, autumn cleaning is all the rage. I am not saying you should completely give up your spring cleaning, but everyone needs a good purge of stuff this time of year.

This afternoon, my mom and I spent a few hours cleaning out the garage at my new house. (Side note: my mom is crazy and claims she actually likes that kind of stuff; I told her to come on over whenever.) Not only was the weather perfect for such a task, it actually didn't take as long as one might think. I am not such a fan of getting dirty, or bugs, or dust, or sweat... but it actually wasn't that bad!

The previous owners left a few things that honestly had probably been there even before they moved in. Most of it was trash, but we did find some really cool salvageable things. For example, an old brass day bed that is missing pieces... oh no problem, I'll turn you into a border for my herb garden (don't laugh, I am totally considering growing one... I get ambitious). We also found about 300 feet of usable garden hose, which is pretty awesome since I am close to sure that it is longer than my lot. Also go several planters and some cool metal tea light holders. I love finding stuff!

It really is a good time to throw stuff out. A lot of trash pick-ups will have a special "junk" day around this time of the year where they will pick up big items like furniture. Also, for areas like a garage, you are going to want to start parking your car under cover more often once the weather gets gross. And as disgusting as it is to think about, now is the time to consider pest control... before the little critters get cold and look for some comfy lodgings in your home.

The bottom line is that autumn is the time to prepare to hunker down in your home... by making it as clean and tidy as you can. So take advantage of the sunny yet cool days and get to work! And let me know if you'd like some help from my mom...

bLOG

So I like to call my personal style 'organized chaos.' When it comes to paperwork, I inherited my mother's OCD gene. Unfortunately, as a general rule, I am not the neatest person in the entire world. My records, however, are pretty perfect.

A filing system is a whole other story (which we will get to eventually), but first I need to impart the necessity of keeping a home log. It is tedious, yes, but it will undoubtedly help you in the future, especially when you go to sell your home.

I am not talking anything too fancy. All you need is a Word document on your computer that you add to whenever you do some sort of significant work on your home. I started mine today when I had the water and electricity switched to my name. I entered a note in my log under September 2009 saying when service was switched, mentioned any deposits paid, pertinent phone numbers, and account numbers. Now, when I go to cancel my service in a few years, I will have those notes so I remember the important things.

These notes will also help when you sell your home. The more information you give a buyer, the better. If you can hand them a record of any problems or fixes you have done in the time you have been in the home, they will trust you a lot more, which will eventually lead to a better price for you the seller.

Example entry:

October 2009

Garage treated for termites by Bubba's Bug Killers (502-555-1234) for $185. Retreating recommended every twelve months ($45). No significant damage found; some past evidence of termite presence. Treatment prevents infestation.

Simple. Takes about two minutes. Saves you a huge headache. Great all around. Enjoy your record keeping!

Clutter.

Grab a trash bag and pump up some Miley jams, because it is time to get rid of clutter. Which, just so you know, is one of those words that sounds REALLY weird after you stare at it for too long.

It is official: I have not fully unpacked my life since 2007. Seriously. When I moved out of my apartment after graduation, I loaded my stuff into my Volvo and a storage unit, lived in the home a professor for whom a friend was housesitting for two weeks, and then moved into my awesome loft apartment in Greenville. But I wasn't sure how long I was going to be there (I didn't have a full time job yet and wasn't sure I would be able to find one), so I kept some stuff in boxes in my spare closet. I don't even know what stuff. Books? Clothes? DVDs? I suppose you could argue that it is obviously stuff I don't actually need, but I beg to differ. It is going to be like Christmas morning when I finally get this stuff out! 

As of today, I have been living with my parents for a year. I feel like I am going to need years of therapy just to deal with that fact. As I have mentioned before, it is not all bad, but it sucks a lot sometimes too. Anyway, I have unpacked some stuff, but I keep thinking that my next impending move is closer than it actually is, so I rationalize living with boxes. That is all well and good, except now I am going to be moving into my own place and have to make sure my life is somewhat together. Ha!

So after I finish sittin' on babies tonight, my goal is to declutter my room here. File away papers (VERY important), put things where they are supposed to go, and maybe even start boxing some random things up for the move. Also, I am a total night owl, so starting this project at 11:30 sounds like a great plan. We'll see how far I get.

Note: 'declutter' and 'unclutter' are not words. Thoughts on that matter?