{ Clean out the fridge }

I've been eyeing out my fridge for the past few days and thinking that it needs a really good clean and organizing.

I try to keep it clean but the past few weeks, between Thanksgiving and Christmas and get togethers and such, I haven't had a chance to get in there and it was really starting to irritate me.

Since I have to get groceries this weekend, I wanted to have it clean and ready, but I didn't exactly want to sit and do it the day I was shopping, especially since I wanted to really get in there and pull shelves out, wash and wipe and give it a good clean.

So, today was the day.  It took me about 2 hours which is not too bad, but I was able to get it done.

I reorganized and tidied up, I threw out items that were expired (which actually weren't too many), and I got rid of leftovers that never were eaten.

It's always such a joy to see it all clean and fresh.....let's see how long it lasts.

OH and on Saturday morning before I go shopping I'll give it a quick wipe down, but I don't think it will get very dirty until then.

Let me show you the before and the after pictures.

BEFORE:::

As you can see things are just randomly thrown in, mostly thanks to hubby and kids.  Let's face it, I'm the only one who cares about a tidy fridge, they are not worried about such things.

The doors weren't any better.  Condiments galore, some of which I threw out and bottles and things just put anywhere.

The cheese, ham and butter drawer was a jumbled mess, again things are taken out and then just thrown in.

My vegetable drawer wasn't any prettier.  Usually I package things when I bring them home, switch them to ziploc bags, wash and cut etc., but with everything going on it was just a jumbled mess.

I was actually scared of opening some of those bags hahah

I pulled every shelf out and gave them a really good scrubbing and washing.  Even pulled out the glass inserts and washed and dried those out making sure to remove all sticky spots.

Next I pulled every single item of the fridge and looked through it.  Anything expired went to the trash, and everything else was put back in a neat fashion.

I had a bag of celery that had seen better days, but there were still a few stalks that were green and good.  I cut those up and placed them in a Tupperware container.  I did the same with the last few carrots I had.  Now they're all cut up and easily accessible to us and the kids as a snack.

I had a carton of eggs that needed using, so threw those in my Pressure Cooker and made some boiled eggs to keep in the fridge.  My Nicholas loves hard boiled eggs as much as I do, so it's a quick breakfast or lunch item on hand.


AFTER:::

It's amazing how nasty and yucky these side shelves can get, all those condiments dripping onto them.  Gross!!!

It all got a nice clean and wash and I reorganized it all by how much they're used and also like items together.

In the top are my eggs, right underneath I have the sandwich condiments as well as ranch dressing which we use for salad and for sub sandwiches as well.

Next shelf holds the other condiments I use regularly, and the third shelf has the jams, boysenberry pancake syrup, whipped cream, some juice, egg nog and my chai tea concentrate. 

On the very last shelf are some drinks like wine, mud slice, rumchata and my cooking wine.

I rearranged the shelves and what goes where.   On the top shelf in the green basket, is yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese and that little bowl of fresh blueberries.  Right next to it is a jar of salad that I made up real quick for me for lunch.  I'll have it some time this week.  Behind the jar is actually a jar of pickles and some leftover mincemeat filling which I'll be using this weekend.

There is a smaller jar of salad, and right in front the boiled eggs I made. 

Next shelf will hold my leftovers.  In the Temp-Tations casserole dish is my Mexican Pasta leftover from last night.  To the right, the celery and carrot sticks.

Below is my milk, creamer, green tea, chicken stock, coconut milk and the last coke that the kids left in the cardboard pack.  I don't know why they don't just pull it out, but I guess I should be thankful that this time they didn't leave the empty carton in there LOL

My drawer is neatly organized.  I put in a plastic little organizer.  I get a ton of these from the Dollar Tree and they are great for organizing every room in the house.

To the left my cooking margarine and in front Ham and pepperoni.  In the plastic tub are all my cheeses, sliced, shredded, cream cheese and cheese wedges.

I emptied all the vegetables from their grocery store bags and placed them either in ziploc bags or bowls for easier access, like my limes and lemons.

In my blue organizer I have onions and some parley which needs using up this week.

In the ziploc on the bottom left is my ginger (I'll be cutting it up for my winter tea mix), some green onions which I also went through, threw out the ones that had gone bad and cut, clean and bagged the others.  Tomato, lime juice concentrate, an orange, cucumber and some fresh green beans.

The very bottom drawer holds just one romaine lettuce and that will be for dinner tomorrow night.

I love having salads in mason jars.  It is quick to put together and makes an easy and healthy lunch during the week.

So there you have it, fridge is clean and organized.  I did my freezer the other day so didn't have to today. 

I know it's not exactly one of the most enjoyable or fun chores to do at home, but it's needed and once it's all clean it does make you feel better.

I must say that there has been a lot about homemaking that I stopped caring about, the past 2 years have not been easy and since moving to Texas I've been so busy with so many different things, that I kind of let it all go.  I wasn't homemaking, I was just going through the motions and doing the very of basics to get by.

It's going to change, I'm ready to get back to what makes me happy, and believe it or not, homemaking and puttering around the house is it :)

Thank you to all who have stuck around even through the horrid blogging years, but I'm glad you did and this year is a come back to what it used to be.  It's quite exciting.

If you haven't yet done so, be sure to follow Diary of a Stay at Home Mom over on Facebook so you don't miss any posts.  I've republished the page and am hoping to keep it updated and interactive.

Right, I think I'm going to make myself a cup of tea with my chai concentrate and work a little more on my newest crochet project.  I'll leave you with a sneak peek below.....