Future Pantries of America

My productivity today knew few bounds.  (I did watch an extra 20 minutes of TV after taking a break for dinner, because Aubrey was curled against my leg napping and I didn't want to disturb her.  She's been a pain in the rear about wanting to go out but not going out with the snow.)

This will someday be my pantry - I didn't assemble the whole thing because it would just have to be disassembled to paint and do the floors later.  I did the bottom half, partly to make sure it would work, and partly to provide some temporary storage, and partly so I wouldn't have to look at the ugly hole where the frig used to go for the next 5-6 weeks.

Isn't it going to be cute?  Originally I was going to put some kind of door up, but now I'm thinking I might just leave it open - paint the inside a nice contrasting color and allow everyone who enters my kitchen the privilege of admiring my mad organizational skills.  (Maybe I'll showcase some appliances or my tupperware storage stuff instead of food storage, though.)  I'm quite pleased with myself - I resisted the urge of a $900 pantry cabinet that would have matched my kitchen cupboards and instead went with the $60 shelving system from Home Depot.  With the top section on it will be 6' tall, with 5 shelves currently.  However, I can pick up another shelf if I choose.  The shelves are adjustable in 1" increments, and hold up to 350 pounds per shelf.  There are also baskets and hooks you can buy to hang from the shelves.  It was kind of a pain, I admit - there's a little lip from the framing around the door, so it had to be assembled in the actual space, and there's not an inch to spare on either side.

Other than that, and the time spent outside shoveling, I did tons of odds-and-ends and organizing today.  My visiting teachers made an appointment for Tuesday, so I'm trying to use that as motivation to get completely "moved in" by then.  They wouldn't really care, but I function better with a deadline in mind than just doing things because I should.  I at least want it to look like I've cleaned since I moved in!  I still need to put up curtain rods in my bedroom - I have my curtains hanging on the old rods he had for his valances, but those went over drapes so they stick out about 6 inches from the wall.  I got some cute decorative ones.  And I have a shelf to stain and put up in my bedroom, and some day I need to drive to Good Will and the recycling center, and I still have no organization to all my books, although they are all on shelves.

Other than that - I still need to deal with the grandma drapes in the living room, but I'm waiting on a gift card I ordered with credit card bonus points (one of those turn $20 would be cash into $25 from a specific store things) to pick up the curtain rods.  I have them picked out - I'm trying to be good and wait for the gift card and a sale.  And I don't want to take the drapes down either until I get blinds or something privacy-providing up in the windows since I'm doing sheer curtains.  My neighbors are a bit closer here than they were in Oklahoma!  And last but not least - I haven't touched organizing the basement.