Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Our kitchen is so packed with stuff that we have to stack things on the floor. Every cupboard, the entire pantry, and all but one square foot of counter space are overstuffed with dishes, appliances, cookware, utensils, paper and tea-towels, cleaning supplies... even some actual food. It's insane. You should see us maneuvering:

Hubby - "I need a square foot of space for the Foreman grill later tonight."
Me ----- "OK. I'll move this crock pot to the floor as soon as it cools."
Hubby - "Don't you usually keep that on the stove?"
Me ----- "We needed that space for the tomatoes we just picked."
Hubby - "That reminds me. There are 3 dozen more to pick."
Me ----- "Oh noes! I need to learn how to can them or something."
Hubby - "Great idea. Um, where will we put the canning equipment and jars?"

The problem got worse yesterday. Our built-in microwave has a door problem. It's part of the same unit as our regular oven, which is 2 years new and working fine. The best solution is to order a countertop microwave. There goes our last foot of counter space!

Needless to say, I'm shopping for a storage solution. We have space along one wall under the kitchen window for a long storage bench, or anything else that holds stuff and is exactly the right size. I'd even settle for cardboard boxes (but they must match... I have my standards!)

As this 'critical mass' dilemma swirled through my thoughts, I logged on to World of Warcraft to catch up with my friends. There I found my buddy, Sharon. Sharon is moving to another state soon, and is getting things ready.

She told me she plans to fit everything into a standard-sized truck. One truck! We'd need a convoy just to clear out the kitchen. My envy surged. I hadn't been that jealous since Marsha Hintindyn asked my high school crush to the dance before I could!

Jealousy quickly gave way to admiration. Good for Sharon! It's tough to keep the clutter from taking over. Hard choices must be made when deciding what to keep, what to toss. I've been dodging those choices for too long. It's time for that to change.

But not right now. We're out of food, so we're off to buy more groceries. Sigh.