Do you remember I mentioned multiple times that my friend Julie was having a class on organizing one’s kitchen. It was a week ago this past Saturday and it was great fun. Not only did I know all the gals who attended, Julie opened every cabinet and drawer and let us see how she personally applied the principles she was teaching us. It was a moment in time when so many of my loves came together in one place: organizing, discipleship, friends, laughter, and the kitchen!

The girls and Honey were on spring break last week and so cleaning was the LAST thing that was going to happen around here. I planned and purchased and waited for Monday, April 2 and the silence destined to fall upon our little abode.  Honey ended up being home, but he was a help and not a hindrance; 6’3″ husbands come in handy when you aren’t quite 5’3″. I turned on a little Tim Keller preaching about joy/anxiety, labeled my three Rubbermaid containers as instructed: “yard sale”, “other room”, and “trash”, and started emptying all the cabinets that didn’t contain food. I wish I had taken a before shot, but I didn’t think about pictures until the cabinets were empty and clean.

Isn’t that lovely?

I emptied everything, asked the seven empowering questions that Julie gave us, and ended up collecting three bins of things to either sell at our upcoming garage sale or move to another place for safe keeping.

Then I refilled my cabinets according to the zones Julie laid out for us and stood back to get a look and take it all in.  I seriously felt the tension in my shoulders decrease.

Don’t you honestly hear angels singing when you look at these photos? OH MY STARS!

I even have empty space! See it in the picture above these words? Just past the food processor. . . EMPTY SPACE.  There’s also two empty drawers! Sheesh!

Oh yeah, this is my beverage zone.  Seriously.  One might laugh at first but it makes so. much. sense. that your laughter will quickly turn to maniacal tears as you wonder how you didn’t see the genius before!  Everything from coffee to lemonade packets are in this cabinet.  All the mugs. . . one place.  Straws, grinder, kettle, etc. are in the drawer and cabinet below.  All that stuff I rarely touch – – out of my work space.  Brilliant!!!

So, my “take-aways”/thoughts/ponderings from this experience are . . . well they are like an onion (or parfait); there are many layers.
(1) Julie is having another class in June (get info from her newsletter, here) and if you live in the area you should attend.  Even if you think you have done a good job organizing your kitchen you WILL learn something new.  Come on, be a lifelong learner, for Pete’s sake.
(2) It is pretty much a guarantee that you have more in your cabinets than you actually need or use.  I received 72 pieces of Pyrex when I got married and I learned today that I have apparently been given more since the wedding!  (no we didn’t KEEP all 72 pieces for the past 11+ years – give me a break.) When it all comes down to it, I use 4-6 pieces in rotation.  It was well past time to get honest and get the extras out of here!
(3) There is a deep, soul level effect when one lightens one’s load and puts one’s stuff in place.  It makes perfect sense when I think that the One who made us is a God of order and when He created man He didn’t put him in a mall full of “stuff”, but in a garden with all he needed.
(4) When a couple has been married ten years, it would be a good time to throw them a “You Made it Ten Years and In This World That’s a Big Deal” Shower.  I can’t believe how much had just worn out and needed to be replaced.  Celebrating this milestone with renewed commitment and a new spatula could really be a good thing!

So, thank you Julie.  Thank you.  Thank you.

***Honey just came in and thanked me for the hard work done in the kitchen.  He said other sweet things too, but that’s nunya’ business.  What a joy to know I’ve given him joy.  Thursday I’m going to organize the food! I’ll keep you posted.