4Real Forums: Elegant Simplicity in the Kitchen

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Topic: Elegant Simplicity in the Kitchen

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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 3:44pm \| IP Logged

For the shoe thing, we are doing something different. We had a rubbermaid container behind the back door and the kids just kicked their shoes into it on their way in...at least I could find them, but when it came time to go out, we would be missing someone's shoe and be late! My dh and I are going to try something different...

He is going to stop at the craft store and get some unfinished wood crates. I am going to paint them and he will then anchor them together (on their sides) to make what kinda looks like a book shelf with the youngest shoes on the bottom and the older kids shoes on the top.(we will attach it to the wall for safety) This way, each child will have a spot for their dress shoes and sneakers and I can "see" if someone's shoes are missing BEFORE we have to be somewhere. My 3yob is really good at losing his shoes and I want to do it this way to help hold him accountable before we are late for Holy Mass!

BTW...this is in an area that is a mud room, but it is too small for anything but catching dirt on the way into the house.

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Donna Marie from NJ
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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 3:46pm \| IP Logged

MicheleQ wrote:

[QUOTE=teachingmyown] But how do you defrost bagels?!!!

In the toaster - we have ones with extra wide slots. I know someone said they got rid of their toaster, no way, that I like and we use it everyday.

[quote]
That was me...and yes I am weird, but my ds liked playing with the toaster and that was a bad thing and I actually like using the oven...I defrost things in there all of the time with no problem...did I say I was weird?

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Donna Marie from NJ
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~Rachel~
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 5:00pm \| IP Logged

ALmom wrote:

Someone once said that they always had tablecloths on the table. Well that set me to thinking - that really does make the table beautiful, but the last time we used my favorite white tablecloth - well it has never been beautiful again and I've avoided using tablecloths ever since as I just don't want them ruined. But then I got to thinking again - at Chinese resaurants, they always have these luxurious cloths - but they are covered with a clear plastic cloth or a plexiglass top. That would protect our tablecloth, be beautiful and even save on cleaning (our table has built in leaves that we have to pull out and clean between the cracks everytime we eat - but with the plexiglass cover, we'd have the beautiful clean cloth underneath that wouldn't have to be cleaned or ironed too often) and the plexiglass that could be wiped clean with ease. Has anyone done anything like this?

Janet: Yes I have. And if my table had not decided to break when I moved it today, it'd be there still

(we have a loose leg on the table that got too loose and when i tried to repair it I realised it was a job that should have waited until the weekend

).

Anyway, I went to Walmart and purchased a length of clear vinyl from their fabric dept. I placed it OVER my tablecloth and wipe it down daily. Every month it needs a deeper clean, but my tablecloth is pristine and yes, it is white

The vinyl is cheaper than plexiglass and very replacable for when the kids tear it

, but I am sure plexiglass would work as well

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Lisbet
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 5:23pm \| IP Logged

We did this clear vinyl over the tablecloth before. I would sandwhich different things inbetween for display. A print correlating to the liturgical season, a lovely drawing from one of the children, table blessing in latin with decorative borders when we were all learning it, etc...

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Cici
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 6:01pm \| IP Logged

Wow! I stay away from the forums for a few days and look what I miss!

To jump in here...I am an appliance junky with a small kitchen. I have the Zo, the Kitchen Aid Mixer, the food processor, and the coffee pot/grinder all out on the counter and it drives me crazy! But we have no cupboard space - this thread has motivated me to look for alternatives.

My table remains uncovered. I tried the tablecloth thing, but my 21 month old manages to grab and pull, and twist it around. Too much work. Instead, I keep it clean and polished. When we are done eating we place a "floral arrangement" type basket of living plants in the center of the table. Amazing how this really does keep the clutter off the table.

As for microwaves - we have one here because it's built in above the stove. It's rarely used, though. An occassionaly cheese melt on a tortilla and that's it. We prefer popcorn on the stove (cheaper, too), and reheating on the stove or oven. We have a toaster with wide slots that atually has a little "defrost" button on it that works wonderfully for waffles, English muffins, and slices of bread (not big bagel eaters around here).

Oh, and I brought the candle back to the stove, too. I lit it this afternoon and couldn't believe how much I missed it and what atmosphere it sets for, really, the entire house.

Ahh, but I babble...

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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 6:14pm \| IP Logged

We do the clear vinyl thing sometimes too...keep in mind...there are several different kinds of thicknesses...some are heavy wt and is less apt to snag and tear which would be a good thing, right?

The baby being on the table is a hazzard here...we push the diningroom table up against the wall when not in meal use. It does hang on to that cloth better. I have even duct taped that sucker on to the table from the bottom before...my dh says I am nuts...but that is why he married me...see the hill..take the hill....LOL

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Donna Marie from NJ
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Genevieve
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 6:33pm \| IP Logged

Okay ever since I realized that I would like to participate in the tour, I've been cleaning, throwing and rearranging like crazy.

It's almost there, but what I'm stumped is kitchen towels!

They all look so dingy and they are quite new. Quite an eyesore considering I hang mine over the oven handle. How do keep yours clean? Do I need get better quality ones? I stuck with red because then I won't think twice of wiping off spaghetti sauce on them. This is such a fun project! Thanks for boast of motivation!

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Cici
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 7:52pm \| IP Logged

Donna Marie wrote:

I have even duct taped that sucker on to the table from the bottom before

Of course! Duct tape! Thank you!

Donna Marie wrote:

my dh says I am nuts...but that is why he married me...see the hill..take the hill....LOL

Yours too, huh?

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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 8:56pm \| IP Logged

Genevieve wrote:

Okay ever since I realized that I would like to participate in the tour, I've been cleaning, throwing and rearranging like crazy.

It's almost there, but what I'm stumped is kitchen towels!

Yes, I agree...I need motivation right now...I feel like I have housecleaners burnout and I am not as far as I want or need to be

I feel inspired!

I keep all my kitchen towels in a basket on the bottom shelf in my hutch. I get the barmop kind of ones and I replace them every few months. I use them for everything. I use the biokleen and the bac-out products and they get them clean the best...brighter than bleaching them...and I don't have to worry about bleaching someone elses' clothing anymore....

...no matter how careful I am with bleach...it always sneaks out of the bottle when I am not looking and ruins something....

Good question! What does anyone else do about this?

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Donna Marie from NJ
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teachingmyown
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 9:58pm \| IP Logged

Okay, my dh is more than a little skeptical about the no microwave thing. His biggest concern is having to watch his food cook on the stove rather than being able to push a button and walk away. Good point. Maybe I can convince him to give it a try.

But you all have inspired me. I can see my countertops (at least on one side of the kitchen

)!! This is rare because I do tend to keep everything out, because, you know, I will use it again tomorrow or the next day....

So, thank you for the inspiration and practical ideas, keep them coming.

Donna Marie, where do you get biokleen and bac-out products? I am not familiar with them and I am SO frustrated with my dingy laundry!

(Not to go off on a laundry tangent. How about elegant simplicity in the laundry room?

)

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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 10:09pm \| IP Logged

I got them from Julie at Julie's stuff I love this stuff on my cloth diapers...they look great! I should get a commission for all the people I sent her!

I am allergic to many detergents..this doesn't bother me at all....and that is saying a lot!

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Donna Marie from NJ
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Erin
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Posted: July 18 2006 at 10:32pm \| IP Logged

Cici wrote:

I have the Zo, the Kitchen Aid Mixer, the food processor, and the coffee pot/grinder all out on the counter and it drives me crazy! But we have no cupboard space - this thread has motivated me to look for alternatives.

Cici,

This probably doesn't help you in your situation, but I just though I'd chime in and say that when dh recently designed our kitchen the best thing he insisted on was two corner appliance cupboards

These house the dfood processor, toaster etc. It really gets rid of the cluttered look and when not in use all I have to do is pull down the doors

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Genevieve
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 10:17am \| IP Logged

Donna, so do you have white towels? Where did you get yours?

So my kitchen is as clean as it can be... but it's missing that special touch. Unfortunately I'm renting so I can't do any drastic. I have no wall space to hang my favourite painting.... any ideas?

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Donna Marie
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 11:58am \| IP Logged

Genevieve wrote:

Donna, so do you have white towels? Where did you get yours?

I got white with blue pinstripes from the buying club BJ's...like Sams or Costco.

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Donna Marie from NJ
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LisaD
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 5:28pm \| IP Logged

For those of you who don't use microwave ovens, at what age do you teach your dc to safely use the oven, stovetop or toaster oven? Right now, my 5 year-old and 7 year-old can heat things in the microwave for lunch, but I hesitate to allow them to use the stove or toaster oven.

I resent the amount of counter space our microwave oven takes up, and we really only use it to heat lunches. It is nice for my older children to be able to cook a hotdog or reheat some spaghetti, though.

I did a Google search on the safety of microwave ovens, and just came up with a few sites, like Mercola.com, saying they are unsafe. Fwiw, my dh is an electrical engineer, with a specialty in microwave theory and techniques, and he isn't worried about using the microwave oven, so I've never really been concerned about it before. However, if there is a question of microwave ovens being unsafe, I'd rather get rid of it and gain the counter space!

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Genevieve
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 6:01pm \| IP Logged

Donna Marie wrote:

Genevieve wrote:

Donna, so do you have white towels? Where did you get yours?

I got white with blue pinstripes from the buying club BJ's...like Sams or Costco.

Wow! And yours stay clean? Even with red sauce!? The cleaning products you use must be fabulous! I don't have bleach in my house so this might be a good compromise.

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JennGM
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 7:16pm \| IP Logged

I don't buy much from this store, but I'm crazy about Williams-Sonoma dish towels or here. They really hold up, and wash well...and look nice hanging out. They have different colors once in a while...I bought for my mom on Mother's Day a few years back some pastel colors -- yellow, pink, lavender...very yummy.

My mother and I have found them to be absorbent, durable and clean looking. I'm not crazy about free advertising for the company

but I haven't found a towel that outlasts these. I know my marriage is still young, but these towels are lasting 6 years...I had some others..some "younger" and they are biting the dust. Mine are blue and white, my favorite combo.

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Dawn
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 7:25pm \| IP Logged

I buy 12-packs of plain white washcloths from Target (I think they are $5) and use them for *everything*. They hold up well and bleach well too.

For dishtowels, what I like to do is have several sets that are put out only when we entertain, and that way they stay nicer and look presentable when we have company. Many of these are seasonal or holiday themed.

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KellyJ
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Posted: July 19 2006 at 8:08pm \| IP Logged

I'm struggling to catch up on threads. My time is so limited as of late.

We have a small kitchen and tends to accumulate lots of clutter on the surfaces. We have our microwave under the counter level. The plug goes outside the door that conceals the microwave, and my husband intends to put an outlet in at the microwave level so the cord doesn't have to plug in above the counter level. The stand mixer is also below the counter level. (I don't know that going without the microwave is an "option" with the absence of AC and our hot-n-humid summers in this poorly insulated house. I'm glad it is not on the counters though; we don't have the room to spare for the thing.)

The kitchen is being re-painted right now -- second coat just finished going on a few minutes ago. There is still some touch up and trim to go.

The kitchen is really a thorn in my side with surface clutter, especially now with the re-painting, as we've taken down a wall length cabinet door to repaint it, and it has been off for about a month, with many of the contents sitting on the surfaces so the little ones don't take everything off the shelves.

We don't have a dishwasher; so, there can be added sink/dishes issues. Towels go in the first floor bathroom, as we don't have a spot for them in the kitchen.

With the re-painting project, my husband put in a lamp to give more light while he painted the ceiling. I really liked that effect. I am going to see what I can do about making it more homey after the painting business is through.

KellyJ

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Posted: July 19 2006 at 9:46pm \| IP Logged

Well, I just discovered something about my kitchen. When I have to wash dishes by hand, the kitchen stays cleaner. We bought a new dishwasher last October, and the thing is a piece of junk...it's already been repaired once

. Today I decided I am done with it. It is nothing more than a very large dish drainer. So back to washing by hand. Tonight I noticed that the kitchen was actually clean, with no dishes in the sink waiting to be loaded. I guess I tend to keep up with it when I do it by hand.

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