operation pinterest pantry. and horses.

i hate picture day.

now...i am aware that "hate" is a very strong word...and it is, indeed, bordering on over reacting...but any time pictures are involved, it evokes pressure that feels equal to filling out college applications.

i knew that today was picture day.

i knew it because i got the forms to fill out (3 of them) to order the class picture and special spring pictures a few weeks ago.  you know...they are real good about sending those things home early.  so you can be prepared.  i knew it because i set those things in my to-do pile on the cabinet and visited them every now and then.  i knew it because the teachers sent the kids home yesterday with "tomorrow is picture day" stickers stuck to their chests.

and then what happened?

i stayed up watching mindless tv until 11:30 and then hit the snooze button until 7:30 this morning and waited until i had just enough time to wake the kids up, throw out some clothes for aiden, let the boys wear their athletic pants (that is happening an alarming number of times these days), slap aiden's hair in a top knot, let them pour their own cereal while i throw together 3 lunch kits, initial homework, and ruffle their hair and kiss their heads as they shoot out the door with chad.  that's a total run-on sentence...but let's be honest...my mornings are run-on mornings.

that's when i remembered that it was picture day.

it went something like this.

yelling:  "AIDEN....WEAR YOUR NEW SUNDRESS WITH THE PINK SWEATER INSTEAD OF WHAT I LAYED OUT FOR YOU AND HURRY UP SO I CAN DO YOUR HAIR."

"CHASE...IT'S PICTURE DAY!!!!  YOU NEED TO GET DRESSED IN SOMETHING NICE!!!

him yelling back downstairs from his room:  "I AM, MOM!!!"

me:  "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING???"

chase:  "THIS."

me:  "CHASE...I CAN'T SEE YOU.  I'M DOWNSTAIRS."

(chase appears over the balcony)

me:  "oh no no no no no no...you are not wearing sports pants with your pajama t-shirt from last night for pictures."

chase:  "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO WEAR.  I DON'T WANT TO WEAR NICE CLOTHES."

it went on from there.

oh...there were other issues too.

like colton insisting that his teacher told the whole class they had to wear a blue shirt and that is why he needs to wear this ratty t-shirt from, like, 3 years ago and aiden needing her bangs trimmed, and chase needing his hair wet down.

i also feel guilty that i didn't spend $30 to order the class picture for them.  i just feel like that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a picture that they may or may not pull out in 20 years to re-live who all was in their 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade classes.  it's like i just know that the teachers and photographers are going to say, "wow...your mom must really not love you if she is not ordering these pictures."  besides...i could take a better picture myself.  i should scan and show you all of their school pictures over the years.  tons of money wasted on pictures that never saw frames because they were either completely out of frame, they were smiling some fake smile, or the background was a ridiculous shade of blue that was about a natural as if i colored it with marker.

needless to say...by the time they were out the door, i had to light a candle and make myself a cup of coffee and give annslee a bowl of chocolate chips to snuff out the tantrum she was throwing because she wanted to go to school with aiden.

****

moving on.

there were "and horses" the other day.

i was minding my own business in the grocery store when i heard an announcement that the Clydesdale's horses were out front.

i have never grocery shopped so fast in all my life.  i began throwing stuff into the cart without looking at prices, labels, brands, or lists.

i had to get to those horses.

i all but pushed children out of the way to get to this fella.

this is my new friend, magee.

he is an official anheuser busch clydesdale.

and he is one of the most magnificent horses that i've had the privilege of pretending was mine.  i had all kinds of scenarios going in my mind as i stood just beneath his neck...stroking his strong muscles while pressing my head against him and telling him how beautiful he is.  i love standing at that spot with a horse.  you can look right into their eye and see right into their souls and all of their gentleness and vulnerability.

i would have given him one of my apples if i didn't think the budweiser people would be on alert that they have a possible horse thief on their hands.

****

and since chad was home from ukraine...

i had the bright idea to go ahead and start the pinterest pantry project.

our pantry had gotten completely out of control.

and i kept seeing and pinning pantry pictures to my pinboards on pinterest and every time i looked at them, i got more and more excited to transform my pantry into a beautiful corner market space.

this is the before:

i knew there was nothing that would make me finish this project like pulling everything out of there and having to live for a couple of hours like a hoarder.

and yes...

i let annslee entertain herself by carefully measuring out dog food from one scoop to the other.  she did this for, at least an hour.

and then put the men to work.

i surveyed the items and  decided to find another storage place for anything that was not medicine or food or kitchen necessities.  that was the hardest part.  i had a lot of stuff stored in that small space.

then annslee and i hit walmart to buy the jars and containers.  this is part of my plan to produce less trash as a family.  these bins can be taken and filled in bulk to avoid packaging.

i found the glass jars for $5 and less; and opted for plastic containers for the cereal and snacks that were only $2 each.  the hardest part of this task was wrangling annslee on the walmart isle.  at one point, i thought i lost her at the checkout.  i was busy, putting everything on the check out counter and she spotted the candy section a few isle over.  cue panic.

i explained that this is why she needed to stay strapped in the basket and that i could not continue to chase her all over walmart because she thought she saw a skittle floating through the air that she had to run and follow.

she said,

"no."

anyways...we are off track here.

so...after putting everything back together...

the pinterest pantry project was complete.

it took a day and a half and was totally easier than i thought and worth the time and limited funds.

the key was uniformity.  i could have used mismatch baskets and stuff that i already had...but i really wanted to lighted it up with all white.  these bins were from the grocery store and were $2, $4, and $5 depending on the size.  i was looking for baskets, but opted for these because they are cheaper and can be wiped out and labeled easily.

another key is removing the commercial label off of bottles and replacing it with clean, matching labels.  for example, i just removed the label on the vanilla bottle and used my own.  now it is pretty and i love seeing it every time i enter the pantry.  i also used an old oreo tin to hold wooded clothes pins for chip bags, etc.

i eventually want to print off pretty labels...but for the time being, i used martha stewart ones from staples.

i already had the bushel baskets (from hobby lobby, i think) and i thought they worked for the bottom shelf with things like, bananas, onions, root vegetables, crackers, bags of different coffees, and random bags of dried beans.  if i used dried beans a lot...i would put them in a jar...but i don't.  so...i thought they would be better stored like this.

i found the wooden crates at michael's on clearance.  i think i paid $7.99 for them...which was more than i wanted to...but i'm glad i did.  they are perfect for canned drinks and canned goods that are heavy, bulky, and not uniform at all.  i put those babies on the floor and i wasn't sure i would like them there...but i really do.

i found this dog food tin at tj maxx when trout was a tiny puppy and i love it.  it keeps the dog food fresh and is easy for the kids to get in and out of so that they can feed him themselves.  plus...it just looks nice.

i find myself looking in my pantry "just because" now.  i think it is a very welcoming, kid friendly, pretty space that makes meal prep, plan, and list making a lot easier.

up next...

operation pinterest laundry room.