The Spice of Life, or at least my cooking

Joining Jules at Pancakes and French Fries for The William Morris Project.

Continuing with the kitchen, I give you the two cabinets I worked through this week.  The first is the cupboard above the microwave.  Doesn't this one become the stash cupboard in everyone's kitchen?  Even in my childhood kitchen, that cupboard was where my mother stuffed things that didn't really have another place.  (Only that cupboard, of course, wasn't above the microwave--since we didn't have one--but above the stove.  The Harvest Gold stove.)

As you can probably guess, my mother also kept medication above the stove.  I guess that was so it was out of reach of little people.  Those fluffy white things above the magazines?  Those are mosquito tents.  And behind the boxes of zipper bags are some cookbooks.

I cleaned out the medicines, sorted what was expired and what was worth keeping.  I got the expired medications ready to take to the sheriff.  No flushing meds here!  (Is there anyone who still does that?  Don't.  Just don't.  It ends up in the water supply.  The local police department can tell you where to bring your expired and unwanted medicines.)

I moved the stack of Vegetarian Times from the last cupboard into this cupboard.  I'm trying to corral all the cooking magazines to one area.  After that, I need to find some way to manage them.  But that's a project for another day.  I left the headache medicine and the burn cream, but moved all the other medicines to the bedroom closet.

The other cupboard is the spice cupboard.  I try to organize this one about once a year, but I can't figure out a way to keep it looking nice and neat.

It actually isn't too bad.  It really just needed some straightening.  I also try to keep a list of what spices I have taped to the door, and I know that it wasn't accurate (as evidenced by finding three jars of pumpkin pie spice).  

The three clementine boxes on the middle shelf are labeled Spice Mixes, Baking Supplies, and Misc.  They hold all the stuff that gets pushed around, like birthday candles, onion soup mix, and cheesecloth.  It won't stay this neat.  At least the lower shelf won't.  But at least I know what I have now.

And since The William Morris Project is about beauty and not just utility, I give you the big reveal of my holiday present.

I just got it back from the framer's.  I love it so much.  That wall has been empty for four years, and now that we are moving I have finally put something up there.  I was just waiting for the right something.  I found it at this shop on Etsy.  

The tree represented here is the white pine, which is Michigan's state tree.  Amy Ruppel, the artist, has a series of states depicted with native foliage.  Her interpretation of California uses redwoods, Wisconsin is sugar maples.  They are lovely.  We actually thought about getting one for every state we've lived in together, but decided we like the simplicity of this one print.  It really makes a statement on that wall.