Kitchen Spring Cleaning

Finally getting the kitchen island right

inspired me to do a little Spring cleaning!

And by Spring cleaning, I mean...

Moving it all out of the kitchen and painting the walls too!

I decided to change up the décor over the bean chest too...

As much as I loved displaying a sampling of my Martha's book collection, I

was bitten by the spring cleaning bug, so the whole scene suddenly began to

feel cluttered and bug me. Besides, ever since I saw the pot rack over the

stove in this kitchen from the movie It's Complicated, I've wanted one!

Now... I'm no stranger to the convenience of having a pot rack in the

kitchen. As you can plainly see from this photo of my California kitchen!

In fact, my pot rack was the first thing I wanted to

hang up after we tore everything down in this kitchen!

I tried to love it. But it just didn't feel right here...

So I had it taken down and got comfy with stacking my pots and pans in the

cabinets. But that didn't stop me from wanting a pot rack like the one in the

movie. And then it happened! I was standing at the island thinking about how

great a pot rack would look over my bean chest and it hit me! I've walked past a

pot rack very nearly similar to the one I've been pining for a hundred times at the

Antiques Marketplace in Greensboro! When the planets finally aligned for me,

I grabbed the phone and called to see if the pot rack was still there. And, it was!

I asked them to hold it for me because although my pot rack has been hanging

in this vendor's booth waiting for me to make the connection for two years, I

didn't want it to sell in the thirty minutes it would take me to get there!

So last Sunday during my cleaning spree, we decided to take

it one step further and repaint the kitchen and redecorate too!

But before the walls could be painted I had some major cleaning and

de-cluttering to do. And, it all began right here with the refrigerator!

I mean, seriously... How did this happen?!

Of course, there are a couple of things here I cannot imagine not seeing

every day. Such as this note my dad left on our door one morning when

he and my mom dropped off some magazines to me. I cut it out and taped

it to our refrigerator. That was 1996 and two houses ago. It was also back

during a time when there were still four of us living at home. Four. Sigh...

Then there is this little gem, which ironically still looks just like me!

But while the memories are very sweet, I felt it was time

for a change... Of the spring-cleaning, clean-slate variety!

But I didn't go crazy and get rid of everything. I decided to keep the

first magnet I bought after we married in 1985. Because after all...

There must be some common sense left in the kitchen!

So while the man I love painted the kitchen and, reminded me over and over again

that he has yet to meet another husband who has painted his wife's kitchen five

times in as many years, I cleaned and organized. Has it really been five times?

Actually, it has. There was the yellow, which lasted all of five minutes...

Which is also about as long as the tile counter tops lasted...

Which I loved in my California kitchen and said I would love

forever here, if only he would replace the Formica with it!

Hey! A girl will say anything to get rid of Formica! Especially when her choices

were building a swimming pool and getting a mini make-over in the kitchen,

or doing a full kitchen remodel without the swimming pool option. Besides...

Summer was coming at the time and I knew I would

eventually get everything I wanted in the kitchen!

It's the difference between getting it all now...

Or getting it all in stages! 

Fortunately, I like things to evolve and change

so getting what I want in stages works for us!

After the kitchen was painted and everything was washed...

I changed a few things up and, even decided to

eliminate a few things. Just to lighten it up a little!

Sadly, my vintage pink Toledo candy scale didn't make the cut...

SpaBoy has moved back to High Point and has been downsizing from

his storage so we are considering throwing a tag sale next month...

Which could be fun. Because you know what they say... Out with the old means...

In with the new!

And the more pot racks I hang drawers I clean out...

The more room I have for new stuff!

So where are you in this season of Spring cleaning?