Spice Drawer Makeover

This whole back to work thing has put quite the damper on my blogging schedule. First of all, I am having trouble fitting in the time to write, and second of all, not a whole lot has gone on lately! Today, however, I finally tackled an idea and project that I have been thinking about for quite some time. After finding this idea on you guessed it, Pinterest, I knew that it would be something easy, cheap and necessary for our spice drawer. You see, I think I am a pretty organized person. I like order, planning and neatness. That being said, even more than I like orgnaization, I like cleanliness. I cannot stand household items in plain view. Tucked away in drawers and cupboards however is a-ok with me, even if it not necessarily the proper place for it. Our kitchen island, in all its 4x6 foot glory is the mecca of clutter for our home. Mail, books, wallets, and other basic crap is constantly found piled on the island which drives me absolutely insane. For that reason, I am constantly shoving random items in random drawers...just to give myself the illusion of organization and tidiness. This strategy equals drawers that look like this...behold, our spice drawer.

There is really no excuse and therefore, why it needed some work. I already had the baby food jars, as well as chalkboard paint left over from another project so it was relatively simple and completely free to whip this drawer into shape. Here are the after results...


Much better! It should also be noted that the before pictures were taken on my cameras automatic mode, along with every other picture this camera has ever taken. The after shots, however were actually taken on manual! A friend and I started a photography course last night at PhotoCentral downtown and in a couple of hours started to learn the basics of how our cameras actually work. The course consists of 6 2-hour nights and I am so excited to learn more each and every week. Already I can see the difference in the pictures my camera can capture.

Things around here are hitting their groove as the temperature is dropping along with the leaves. It has now been a few weeks of me being back to work and I can honestly say that it hasn't seem to affect Colin at all. He loves it at daycare and he loves it at his Grandparents...which makes it so much easier all together. I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the time away and the adult conversation as well, however at times am still struggling with how much I am missing. I have found that the hardest part of this whole thing is simple. I just want to know what he's doing. For the last year, I knew what he was doing pretty much all the time. I knew how much he slept, I knew how much he ate, I knew how many times he pooped. Now, for 3 days a week, I simply don't know these things (except for when he is at my parents...my Mom writes everything in a journal for me - thanks, Mom!). It is an adjustment that I am figuring out as I go. I read a sign the other day that said "Keep Calm. Nobody else knows what they're doing either". I found great peace in that phrase as I am not quite sure how to make home, work and my family life all blend into seamless life. It may be too much to ask, however will always try to achieve the ultimate trifecta.