Sometimes it is a wine sort of night. Other times one might like a martini. And for dessert, a Velvet Hammer (see "Grown Folks Milkshake" from September 2012). And then there is the Banana Sheet Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook which is enhanced with a little banana liqueur. Suffice it to say, we enjoy quite a wide assortment of spirits at our house. A recent trip to the Container Store was in order to address the organization dilemma.
Problem: 1) too many bottles but can't part with any of them, 2) inventory check very difficult, 3) trying to reach something in the very back not easy, and 4) since these items have rather long shelf lives, the bottles don't disappear very quickly.
Solution: Santa's Elfa! At the suggestion of "Tammy" at the Container Store, I removed the liqueurs and mixers from this cabinet to reduce the volume of bottles. Two Elfa pullouts took care of the rest of the bottles. Tammy suggested that the liqueurs be moved to another Elfa unit for the inside of my pantry door. I designated one basket-shelf for mixers. I installed the pantry door unit all by myself! No drill involved nor any extra tools. The allen wrench needed is included in the installment kit. With a couple of the basket-shelves still empty, it will be a pleasure decluttering some other to-be-determined area.
There might be a Christmas Elfa lurking around the corner to help you. Jot down your measurements and set a goal to straighten up a cabinet in the New Year. Perhaps a little giftcard from The Container Store in your stocking? Merry Christmas, faithful readers!
When a family grows like mine has, some Stuffers Of Stockings (SOS) eliminate the adult stockings and just do the little people. Other SOS eliminate the stockings altogether. But since I enjoy every single part of Christmas, this SOS is preparing 15 stockings again this year, including my husband's mother and my brother. The biggest issue for me is keeping inventory of what is to go in each one. The endless written lists of groceries and gifts works for awhile, but the stocking items seem harder to track. Stuffing stockings for ages 6 months to nearly 83 years makes for an impossible mental inventory for this brain. So, I am offering my solution to you: liquor boxes, specifically 6-slot like the LARGE bottles of wine come in. I reuse the boxes every year so that I don't have to rewrite names. Then I can peer down in each slot to see whose stocking is lacking. No putting all items on my bed on Christmas Eve to stuff and discover that somebody is WAAAAYYY short. Merry Christmas to all SOS readers!
