November Monthly Room Challenge - Kitchen

[sunnysandiegan]

Trick-or-Treat?

I am going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen in November anyway, so I figure I may as well get it sparkling clean and decluttered while I am at it... It'll be ready for holiday baking, too...

Wanna join me???

My DH assisted me in October's front entryway and living room challenge and he suggested the dining room for November. Why? Because we don't have one.   He thought he was being clever, but I informed him I would still do the kitchen because that's where our table for dining is...

So....without further ado, here's my ambitious list for November:

1. Shorten the curtains and make ties from the leftover fabric.

2. Wash the slider inside and out.

3. Caulk and touch-up the paint on the slider casing.

4. Wash the awning, let it air-dry, and put it away for winter. I already pulled it in for winter, but I don't recall cleaning it first. We still have warm weather, I just need the sunlight for the edible plants.

5. Clean out the fridge/freezer -- declutter AND scrub it down inside and out. SCARY!

6. Clean the stove and oven(?).

7. Clean the convection oven.

8. Clean the microwave -- inside and out (it is also the range hood and that part is used and needs a cleaning far more than the inside).

9. Research and replace(?) our furnace. (Moved from October's list. Technically, the furnace is in the hallway between the LR and kitchen.)

10. Clean the table and counters. Multiple times...

11. Declutter and organize the pantry. Ugh.

12. Declutter and organize the big lower corner cabinet. Ugh.

13. Declutter and organize all the other cabinets.

14. Use our nice china for Thanksgiving dinner. Inventory our pieces and buy another piece, if appropriate.

15. Touch up the paint on the walls -- every wall in this color (includes kitchen, hallway, living room, laundry room, foyer, stairway, upstairs hallway).

16. Research art for large wall ... or hang up new family art.

If I get through half of the list, I'll be ecstatic!

I'll take "before" pictures in the morning.

Edited by sunnysandiegan - 11/29/11 at 3:05pm

[AfricanQueen99]

Thanks for organizing this!  It's going to help my serious nesting desires and make my house look nicer. :)

Needs:

* Move fancy decorative pieces to the new china cabinet in the dining room

   1. Put together china cabinet and clean it out

   2. Cover the glass panels and turn into a true planning station

* Deep clean all the windows

* Deep clean all the floors and moldings

   1. Paint brown the little area of the missing molding so it looks like something is there!

   2. Paint the floor boards a nicer white

* Inventory freezer and pantry

   1. Move extra pantry items to basement

* Scrub the table and chairs

* Order new stovetop knobs

* Move art easel to addition

* Fix backing for dog's rug (houses food dish and water)

Wants:

* Come up with a board for the top of the cabinets so I don't see them when I'm walking up the stairs

* Figure out if we want to move to a gas cook top and then research options *OR* fix the down draft for our electric one

Edited by AfricanQueen99 - 12/1/11 at 10:55am

[aeterna]

I love these threads and you ladies are so inspiring - I'd join you for November but I think I am going to have other preparation priorities this month and next (as per my siggy! LOL)... how do you decide which room comes next? I'll probably be in for January and I like to dream big. ;)

[sunnysandiegan]

I chose the rooms based on what I needed to do.   I waited until the end of the month to see if someone else wanted to start a thread first. Others may have other methods for choosing...

Here are my "before" pictures taken this morning... Can you say "hot spots"????

We had some flooding the winter after the sliders were installed. We had to crack the caulk in order for the water to escape and air to get in and dry it all out. Guess I wanted to forget all about it...LOL...because I never got around to re-caulking and touching up the paint.

Hot spot #1: Too much 'stuff' on the kitchen table... DH wants to just open the table more (seats 4 this way -- ignore fifth chair, it's not functional in that space -- seats 6 with one butterfly leaf lifted out of the table -- seats 8 with two butterfly leaves lifted out of the table -- the pedestal never changes, but the table top sure does and our walkway becomes restricted at 8 when the dishwasher is open -- we do it for dinner parties and return it to 6 or 4 immediately thereafter), but I am holding off until Thanksgiving because it just encourages MORE stuff...

Hot spot #2: Small counter between fridge and stove. This is not normal and I'm not even sure what is there at the moment.

Hot spot #3: Always the counter above the dishwasher. In this case, it is the fresh produce from our CSA that we didn't want to store in the fridge or pantry, yet (brown bags holding ripening pears and ripening plums -- behind them are tomatoes), and a bag of fresh bay leaves I am drying. The baby food jar has dried rose petals. I put the empty jar away right after this pic! LOL Dishes will get put away at dinner. I was gardening most of the day and we have Halloween plans later.

Hot spot #4: The only real workspace is the corner counter. Dinner is cooking in the crockpot, which has a home otherwise. There always seems to be something that needs to soak longer and is left on the side of the sink to do so... The other items just need to be washed and will get done later.

The pantry is to the left of the fridge and I managed to skip it in all four pictures. It is the same cabinets, but solid top to bottom as deep as the bottom cabinets. Between the pantry and the slider is one of the largest walls in our house and it is practically naked. I have been looking for something specific for years (off and on). I wonder if I can find them now? I want three vertical paintings in the same theme as other paintings in our house (scenes of Italy's coast in bright colors), but perhaps I can focus on ANY paintings??? The tile above the sink is the same theme.

[FrugalGranolaMom]

Ooh, I'm in! My kitchen is in desperate need of a good overhaul. I'm off to take pics and put together my to-do list. I'll be back later today to post.

[rubidoux]

My kitchen needs some work, too.  Our house was built in 1949 and has the *original* sink/counters/cabinets.  It looks a little bit like someone just plopped down a stove and a fridge in a bedroom, though.  And our stove is black and completely doesn't go with the white fridge or the style of the cabinets.  The counter has a big *moldy* spot that I can't get clean (I'm hoping with the right chemicals and a little dh elbow grease) because it's so old and porous.  Gah!  I think this month, though, I'm going to just put a few small things on my kitchen "to do" list.  I'm planning to start painting in the living room and move back, so kitchen would be the third room I get to.  If I get there, then I plan on emptying all the cabinets and drawers and getting rid of stuff and reorganizing.  But that might not happen until december.  So, for now, I'm going w/ a short kitchen list:

--  remove caulk from around sink/counter and replace

--  clean backsplash tile/grout

--  figure out what to do with fold out ironing board thingy (not sure if this should just be walled up or if I can do something fun with it.  I think it's between 2 and 5 inches deep and the size of a half-iring board, but sadly sort of off center in the room, like they just threw it up anywhere.)

I may come up with a couple more...

[kathirynne]

Oh I am sooooo in!  My kitchen needs to be decluttered and deep cleaned.  I want to get my kitchen paraphernalia down to the bare bones, so that I can store more food in my kitchen cupboards.  (The way things are going in the world, food prices are just going to keep rising.  I want to stock up while I can still afford to.)

To Do List:

1. Empty, scrub, declutter and re-stock cupboards, one shelf at a time.

2. Empty, scrub, declutter and re-stock drawers, one at a time.

3. Scrub cupboard doors and drawer fronts.

4. Empty, scrub, declutter and re-stock refrigerator.

5. Deep clean ceiling, walls and floor.

[sk8boarder15]

I'm sooo in. I will be working on getting my kitchen sale ready!! We will be listing our house in January, so I really need to get to work! 

My big goals are 

- Paint the walls 

- Clean everything, go though every cabinet and re-organize and get rid of non-essentials

- Clean inside of fridge and freezer 

- Give my Tae Kwon Do trophies to my school 

- Make the fireplace look AWESOME (Eg.. no more dog bowls!) 

- Get rid of the crap on top of the dog crates! Get the laundry under control

- get the missing drawers fixed... They are in the garage. 

- fix or replace the old light fixtures,

- get a small dining table in the kitchen by the window (not a folding table and dog food...) 

- Stage the kitchen 

Oven area, I actually just decluttered the Lazy Susan, but here I need to declutter, clean the inside of the oven and get all the stuff off the fridge. 

Here I need to declutter, clean the window (both sides) and get the drawer fixed. 

Here: More declutreing and repairs. Thats my giant Irish Wolfhound. My German Shepherd was a blur in the first picture. (He's usually a blur) 

This is where I'd like to lose the crates and folding table and get a small dining table to help stage the ktichen. 

I really want to make the fireplace look awesome. Its a big selling point, there is a matching one in the living room. 

There is the GSD Blur again. :) Here I need to majorly declutter... eventually lose the crates, but not until RIGHT before we list the house. The tables we use for our church group. In Theory they are supposed to get put away sunday night.. :/ 

And THIS area is probably the worst! What you can't see is all the crap behind that old TV!! I need to get the laundry under control too... 

This is actually a family room off the kitchen, but it needs just as much help so I'm going to work on it too. 

Edited by sk8boarder15 - 11/1/11 at 3:49pm

[taubel]

A friend of mind removed her fold-out ironing board and hired a carpenter to build shallow shelves inside the space. It's now her spice cabinet!
 

Originally Posted by rubidoux 

My kitchen needs some work, too.  Our house was built in 1949 and has the *original* sink/counters/cabinets.  It looks a little bit like someone just plopped down a stove and a fridge in a bedroom, though.  And our stove is black and completely doesn't go with the white fridge or the style of the cabinets.  The counter has a big *moldy* spot that I can't get clean (I'm hoping with the right chemicals and a little dh elbow grease) because it's so old and porous.  Gah!  I think this month, though, I'm going to just put a few small things on my kitchen "to do" list.  I'm planning to start painting in the living room and move back, so kitchen would be the third room I get to.  If I get there, then I plan on emptying all the cabinets and drawers and getting rid of stuff and reorganizing.  But that might not happen until december.  So, for now, I'm going w/ a short kitchen list:

--  remove caulk from around sink/counter and replace

--  clean backsplash tile/grout

--  figure out what to do with fold out ironing board thingy (not sure if this should just be walled up or if I can do something fun with it.  I think it's between 2 and 5 inches deep and the size of a half-iring board, but sadly sort of off center in the room, like they just threw it up anywhere.)

I may come up with a couple more...

[sk8boarder15]

Wow, turning the old ironing board into a spice rack sounds like a really neat idea!! Our house is only 20 years old (you can see the original slamon countertops BLAH), so nothing that neat in it. We are lucky that the cabinets are really nice in our kitchen though. 

[sunnysandiegan]

I've been spending about 5 minutes at a time doing stuff in the kitchen here and there. It isn't exactly my favorite room of the house, so this is pretty spectacular. LOL

My main "job" yesterday was gardening with laundry a close second... Logistically speaking, the kitchen is steps from either area, so it worked okay.

Today, my main "job" was finances & paperwork with laundry yet again a close second... Logistically a bit more challenging since I literally could have avoided the kitchen altogether... ;) I had a class across town this afternoon, too.

Tomorrow is packed with out-of-the-home activities until I pick up DD from school.

The dishes are washed. The ones from the pictures above are put away and there are fewer in their place tonight. ;) All the counters are a little more clear...baby steps...

I set up some tasks on my computer with reminders.

What is your game plan for accomplishing your goals this month?

BTW, I love the idea of creating a shelving area from the ironing board space. I would fill my small shelves with all my herbs and essential oils and similar supplies...and I'd want cabinet doors, if possible, for light-blocking purposes (keeps these items fresh longer). I also love the built-in ironing board cabinets for crafting space (sewing/quiting/etc is the only ironing I do), but it sounds like yours may be in an awkward location???

[FrugalGranolaMom]

Okay, back to post my list:

• clean off & scrub counters
• dust the high nooks & crannies (corners of the ceiling, on top of the fridge, etc.)
• replace toaster (it's a 4 slice toaster, but one side has been broken for a couple of years)
• move microwave from current location to corner under the windows
• organize & inventory the pantry
• clean out & scrub the fridge/freezer including the one in the garage
• contain the magnet/biz card/coupon chaos on the outside of fridge
• clean the oven & hood

We have so much counter space since we remodeled the kitchen, but it's always cluttered.

visual clutter

[AfricanQueen99]

While we are on fridge visual clutter.  Is there a way to display photos, but it looks more organized?  I'm even thinking of framing my kids photos in some sort of collage format and then throwing magnets on the back of the frame so they stick.  Or is there another option?

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by taubel 

A friend of mind removed her fold-out ironing board and hired a carpenter to build shallow shelves inside the space. It's now her spice cabinet!
 

I was thinking spices, too, since it's doesn't go back in very deep.  I am cooking less and less, though.  

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan 

What is your game plan for accomplishing your goals this month?

BTW, I love the idea of creating a shelving area from the ironing board space. I would fill my small shelves with all my herbs and essential oils and similar supplies...and I'd want cabinet doors, if possible, for light-blocking purposes (keeps these items fresh longer). I also love the built-in ironing board cabinets for crafting space (sewing/quiting/etc is the only ironing I do), but it sounds like yours may be in an awkward location???

I think I have too many goals for a game plan.  lol  I am hoping to really jump in today, though.  

I think the ironing board closet thingy must have been put where it is because of where the electrical wires were running, or something along those lines.  It looks so random, I don't think anyone would have made it their first choice.  lol  If it were in my sewing room, I would LOVE it and have no problem figuring out what to do with it.  

sk8boarder,  Your kitchen looks huge in those pics.  We have one of those tables you said you use for your church group, but taller, the counter height version, in our kitchen because we don't have almost any counter space in there.  I HATE it!  And we really just have to get rid of it.  But there's so many things in line first to spend $$$ on.  I love it that your doggies managed to get in about half your pics.  :D

I'm adding to my list:

--  remove caulk from around sink/counter and replace

--  clean backsplash tile/grout

--  figure out what to do with fold out ironing board thingy (not sure if this should just be walled up or if I can do something fun with it.  I think it's between 2 and 5 inches deep and the size of a half-iring board, but sadly sort of off center in the room, like they just threw it up anywhere.)

--  declutter above fridge (both what's sitting on top of fridge and in the cabinet above it  --  and find stuff from other parts of the room that I don't use or want to get rid of to keep up there)

[kathirynne]

Originally Posted by AfricanQueen99 

While we are on fridge visual clutter.  Is there a way to display photos, but it looks more organized?  I'm even thinking of framing my kids photos in some sort of collage format and then throwing magnets on the back of the frame so they stick.  Or is there another option?

Chinaberry Books sells a magnetic collage frame that solves this problem.  The photos are protected by a thick, wipeable plastic cover, and the back has magnet strips to stick it to the fridge.  I mine!

p.s.  I got rid of my "works-only-sometimes" portable dishwasher.  The improvement in my kitchen is surprising, and it only took me 10 minutes to cart the thing out to the skip.

[rubidoux]

I have some before pics here.  The second half of the set are kitchen.  Taking these pics is about all I've gotten done today.  lol

[doubledutch]

okay ladies, i'm joining the monthly room challenge after a long haitus away from the do&s board.  i was having way too much fun over the summer to worry about my house . . . and it shows.  now that we're deep into fall, i'm enjoying being at home and definitely in the mood for house projects.

here's my kitchen to-do list (thanks for all the great ideas!) . . . wait, i had to split this into "to-do" and "wish list" because i'm trying to be realistic about what i can actually accomplish.  the wish list items are either not that bad right now (like the panty - i just purged it) or just stuff i'm not likely to get to, as shameful as that is.

to-do:

scrub floor

clean out and scrub fridge and freezer (eek!)

run self-clean cycle in oven and deep-clean outside & stovetop

clean microwave inside and out

clean off top of fridge (ahem)

figure out a system for mail/papers (ugh, the school papers!!!)

wish list:

clean windows

clean out and organize pantry

empty cabinets/drawers to clean inside them

declutter stuff from cabinets/drawers as i put the contents back into them

remove crummy bulletin board from door to basement stairs (i really hate it)

make & hang curtains

change the light fixture (already have new one in basement!)

buy container for kitty food

i should be able to accomplish more than six kitchen tasks, but at least this gives me an initial focus, and if i get to the second tier, those would be bonus accomplishments!

[Olma]

Originally Posted by rubidoux 

I have some before pics here.  The second half of the set are kitchen.  Taking these pics is about all I've gotten done today.  lol

I love the look of the cabinets in your kitchen!! It's a bit hard to make out the layout of your kitchen and to estimate measurement but I have a couple suggestions if you don't mind -- I have a renovation itch in me and I love projects like these. Is your Dh handy? Is there any way for you to switch places for the fridge with the cabinets with the cereal on the counter? That would make better use of that space, you could have the counter space to use next to the stove, the stove and the fridge won't clash that much. Besides, the fridge next to the oven is not good for the fridge, it takes more energy to operate the fridge near a heat source.

Depending on $$$ and again, how handy your hubby is, you could replace the sink -- they are really not that expensive and maybe the coutertop? When we redid our kitchen a while ago, we got some cheap butcher block cut to fit the sink and then varnished it with boat varnish to make it water proof. Came way off cheaper than any other counter top.  Dh installed it with no problems.

Have fun!

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Originally Posted by rubidoux 

I have some before pics here.  The second half of the set are kitchen.  Taking these pics is about all I've gotten done today.  lol

I'm having serious lust over your kitchen.  I vintage kitchens, and yours is so cute!  It looks like you have the original countertops and faucet...  And is that a cutting board?  *swoon*

I know what you mean about having the stove and fridge just plopped in the middle of the room.  My apartment was built in 1902 and had the same problem.  I wouldn't wall over the ironing board cabinet.  I think it would look less random if there was something on the wall next to it ot the right.  Maybe install some shallow open shelving or maybe a "message center" with a pinboard?  But if the space were less empty visually, it would look fine. 

Here's a link to someone who turned their ironing board cabinet into a spice cabinet: http://veganknitting.typepad.com/vegan_knittingand_then_so/2009/08/inspiring-summer-around-the-house.html

The same goes for your stove; it needs to look more built-in.  What if you moved the stand that holds the toaster oven to between the stove and fridge?  You'd have to find a new home for the toaster oven, but it would give you a little landing zone next to the stove.

I'm just totally thinking out loud here...  Feel free to ignore me! 

[AfricanQueen99]

Jayne - what did you find to clean the mold under the caulk line?  I have a bit of mold in our master shower and have tried TTO, Simple Green, baking soda, straight vinegar, GSE, but NOTHING is working.  I was thinking of just making a Borax paste and seeing if that worked.  I'd love to hear what you're going to do and find out if it works!  Our shower mold isn't that noticeable since we have dark granite in the space, but *I* see it every shower and it annoys the crap out of me.

Edited by AfricanQueen99 - 11/3/11 at 11:58am