Kitchen 363: Blackman

One place Josh absolutely loves is the kitchen. He loves to BBQ, grill, fry, simmer, etc.,etc.,etc. anything to do with food. With Josh being the great chef that he is, I wanted our kitchen to be clean and organized for him. He confessed a worry to me before the wedding; he wasn't nervous that everything wouldn't be clean but that everything wouldn't be put away in a practical place. (i.e. Coffee mugs by the sink while the coffee pot is by the oven) Which, granted, in our little kitchen it wouldn't make a difference, but it is important to him. So, I made a deal...I would try my hardest to put everything we owned in the kitchen in an orderly and practical way so that he would not be stressed when he decides to bust out the knives and chop. So, I had a game plan, how to make this work...I pondered, made charts and maps of how J and I were going to be able to function in the tiny space that is our kitchen. Some how or another we made everything work, every coffee cup, tumbler, thermos, plate, fork, pot, every little thing that belongs in our kitchen has a place. We can barley believe it, but it works.Our cabinets are holding all of our dishes and cook ware, it all had to go some where right? Josh and I wanted to be certain that all the wonderful presents that all the wonderful friends and family (Thank you notes are on the way!) gave us would be safe. We both made sure that every little piece had a place to stay and I'm happy to report they are safe and sound!

Here's a quick, little, side note: There are a couple DIY projects, can you spot them? The "chalk board" is an old window Josh's grandmother gave to us and J put in the towel rack directly under. We needed some extra space for dish towels to dry...desperately. Thanks J!

I honestly just wanted you guys to see our kitchen table because I love it! It was Mr. Wayne's and Mrs. Kim's back in the day and they gave it to J and I. DIY ALERT: We refinished it with some spray paint and some new cushions and...BAM new table! What do you guys think? Josh and I are pretty proud of it! The table runner is actually some burlap that I got at Wal-Mart the week J and I were moving in, it was super duper cheap. I keep up with these tid-bits I hear on HGTV, they are random, but if I hear something that I think is useful I never forget it. One day Gretchen was talking about every room in your home needing a little bit of texture and for me that's where the burlap comes in! Then, my bf, Callie B. gave J and I the really cool bamboo rug...double texture!As you can see by this "over-view" our kitchen is quite tiny so food storage became quite the task. Remember, all the cabinet space is being used by our new...and loved dishes, so...to quote Tim Gunn we had to "make it work". The steel rack against the fridge has been around since my good ole' days at CBC. We recycled it (thanks to my dad finding it in my parent's storage room) and used it to hold some of our food products. A spice rack and a jar of peppermints, followed by a couple of wicker baskets filled with everything from pop-tarts to peanuts, then two larger canvas bins that hold our chips, breads, and all the Hamburger Helper you can eat. I think J and I are both trying to getting over our college eating habits, we still do not eat like "grown-ups". On top of the cabinets are two large, silver buckets that hold our soups and other food items that cannot be put in the fridge. The fridge however is PACKED down. Everything that could go in...went in the fridge. Living in such a tiny space has taught me to be as organized as possible in a short amount of time; but I'm not going to lie, I'm loving it!