Perfection and my attempt at avoiding it

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
First off, the good news:  I am going to water aerobics tonight!  It has been too long.  What with my school finals and the pool being closed for renovations, it has been well over a week since I have been in the pool.  I am really looking forward to being in the water, feeling its buoyancy and healing nature.  I'll let you know what I think of the deep end at Medgar Evers after tonight.

And more good news!  
Project Simplify: Kitchen.

During the freezer re-org.  Yes, that is a snowball and some
random blueberries.  I have no idea what the red stuff is.

Last week I started on an organizing journey through my kitchen.  I thought of it like exposure therapy; the more I see organization, the less I will resist its double edge sword.  While it feels so good to be tidy and together, it can also create a bit of an obsession with perfection.  I can easily name many areas of my life where this push and pull can be played out.  I don't have to be perfection's martyr.

The freezer BEFORE.

So, I went out and bought some cheap organizing supplies.  I usually don't buy these because I want the really nice stainless steel ones or even bamboo.  I want to limit my consumer consumption of plastic and stuff made in China.  Plus the nicer ones just look and feel nicer, let's face it.  But instead of holding out for something that seems to never happen, having the extra cash to spend on such fancy items, I went for the cheaper plastic version.

I am so happy I did!  It is way better to look at organized plastic, than the mess I lived through for all these years.  Now, when I come home, the first thing I want to do is look in my freezer or fridge, and the real shocker is that I am not looking for food to stuff my face with...I just want to relax into the sublime organization before my very eyes.  

The freezer, AFTER.

This week's goal, as set forth by the blog, Simple Mom, is countertops, closets and drawers.  Remember my life as a junk drawer?  And how awesome I felt then I got it all organized?  Well, it's back.  back to a mess.  I am re-inspired by my quote I found in a Martha Stewart magazine last week, "Staying organized is an ongoing process; if something isn't working well for you, change the process until it is."

I need to invest in some better organizing tools for this drawer.  Made in China, here I come.  My 12 year old would be rolling here eyes and stomping her feet at me for saying that, as she is an avid "buy local" fan these days.  The truth is, I agree with her, which creates quite a dilemma.

My finished container storage.

Does anyone have any fabulous ideas for reusing something to create a drawer organizer?  Last time I tried various plastic containers from food we had bought, but they float around too much in the drawer and everything falls out eventually.  It really wasn't working for me!  Let me know if you think of something brilliant and I'll do the same.

-Melissa