Straightening the Pantry

Well I finally bit the bullet and straightened the pantry shelves.  They were getting out of hand and I needed to take stock of things before the weather turned off cold.  I detest hauling in groceries when it's raining and snowing so I keep a stockpile of the common things we use such as soup, canned vegetables, etc.  I also keep a few things that if we were to be snowed in for a few days we could survive comfortably.  Things include powdered milk, canned goods, packaged mac and cheese, etc.  We do not have a fireplace, but we have a gas stove top and a generator that would keep the refrigerator and furnace running.  It will not power everything, but enough we would be okay. 

This is the first year that Sprout has helped me do this.  We organized her school snacks and breakfast food so that she knows where it is and when she is low.  We also organized the things that FarmBoy claims he can never find so that if I'm not here she can help him out.  She was actually excited to help.  I let her make some decisions on where things should be so that she was a part of the process and so that she could find things.  We talked about what I keep in stock and why.  It's part of her maturing and being able to run a house by herself.  It took several hours to get done, but it was a good sense of accomplishment.

I'm ready now to start thinking about Christmas shopping.  I buy some stuff all year long but really after Labor Day I really ramp up and start making lists.  I sort through what I have bought and having hiding in places and then start asking for suggestions from folks.  Again when the weather turns off yucky here I don't like to go out so if I can't order it on line then it's likely I won't be buying it.  This year Sprout wants to make cookie baskets for the neighbors and since she's a pretty good help now it's probably going to be something we do.  We live in the country so our neighbors aren't all that close or plentiful, but they all love to see her working with her livestock in the pastures and yard. 

Fall is coming and I'm getting ready.  It's time to start cleaning up the hoses and such outside as well.  I'm kind of a list person so this weekend will be a bit of list making and a bit of checking things off.  I'm sort of excited.