a look behind closed doors

Is there ever a time in your life when you declare enough is enough? For quite some time now I have been dissatisfied with the state of my Tupperware (although not all of it is actually Tupperware) cabinets. One holds all the bowls and a shelf in a lower cabinet holds all the lids. It had come to the point where I was so frustrated with the lids that I'd tell Heather which lid I needed and she'd dive in and look for it. She's getting really good at knowing which lids to with which bowls.

Yesterday, even she couldn't find the lid I needed. That moment was the catalyst moment. Something had to be done ~ and now. So on a whim I finally set out to rearrange the cabinets.

The cabinet with the bowls wasn't too badly organized, although a little jumbly. See that red one on top? Why was a bigger one on top of a smaller one? Sometimes this cabinet is in more disarray because for reasons unexplainable to me the kids seem unable or unwilling to stack like bowls with other like bowls. I am constantly restacking the bottom shelf.

This hideous mess is what sent me over the edge. I have attempted time and time again to organize this neatly. There are two baskets holding lids. There was once order and calmness in here. Now there is this. There are even lids on the lower shelf where they aren't supposed to be. At times I will admit that I open the door and throw the lids in there and shut it quickly. Getting a lid out? Well, you need a miner's lamp and some heavy equipment to venture into this black hole.

This cabinet is low (and I am not) which made getting lids out of the back a pain. Note to all home builders: Please only install the lower cabinets with those fancy pull-out drawers from now on! You will make our lives easier.

Viola! I decided to store the lids closer to their respective bowl mate. I moved the biggest bowls out of this cabinet and am amazed at the space it gave me. Let's take a moment to admire the beauty. Ahhh.

Some lids are lined up neatly next to its corresponding bottom. Easy to find. Easy to get.

Most lids are still in a basket, but still very close to their mate. The tiniest lids are in the yellow basket.

Order has been restored.

I put some seldom used items that I am unwilling to part with in the waaayy back of this lower cabinet. The bigger bowls and their lids are in the front of the cabinet. Easy to find. Easy to get.

This little project allowed me to get rid of some stuff. I found I had more lids than bottoms. Out they go. The containers that never shut quite right? Out they go.