I am exhausted!

I decided to deep clean my kitchen.  I try to do that at least once a year and usually in January.  This year I was sick the first part of January and then we went on a vacation and I never got it done.  I decided to just buckle down and get it done at the beginning of March.  I'm pulling out everything from cabinets and wiping everything down inside and out.  Then I go through everything and pull out things I know didn't get used that year and tossing out expired food etc.  I have a box of stuff to donate and a huge amount of trash going out. I already cleaned the stove/oven as good as I can but I can't wait until we can get a new one.  Eventually we are getting laminate wood flooring put in too but that will have to wait until after things settle down with the stock market and this virus epidemic.

This year I'm having to re-evaluate everything I have in my kitchen.  Since I have Psoriatic Arthritis I am having problems pulling heavy dishes and bowls out of the cabinets.  I ordered a set of lighter plastic nesting bowls (I got this Kitchenaid 5 bowl set in pistachio) so they match my mixer and other things. I was hoping to get rid of my heavy ceramic mixing bowls.  Remember those Corelle Callaway (ivy) dishes that so many people had in the 90's?  I no longer have the dishes but I have the heavy ceramic mixing bowls, like this.  There are also 2 different sizes of covered casserole dishes.  I love them but I just can't lift them anymore.  I pulled them out to donate or gift and my husband didn't want them to go.  So that extra room I thought I was getting got filled back up.  I had him move them to the top shelf since I can't reach it anyway.  I need the stuff I use to go on the bottom shelf.  Stuff that gets used less often can go on the middle shelf.

Also, since I'm doing the keto diet I'm taking this time to remove some food from my cabinets that I can't have and no one else will eat.  I tend to feel guilty that something will go bad if I don't eat it and ruin my diet so I tossed it.  I moved my 5 pie plates and 4 bread pans to the dungeon cabinets over the refrigerator that no one can reach.  Well, my son Jared can and he's the one that put them up there.  At least I know where they are if I need them and they will be with the other stuff only used during the holidays.

I got a lot done today so I'm ready to go to bed.  My larger joints are aching so I may have overdone it.  I might have to take a rest day tomorrow but that's okay.  I need a few days for the contact paper I ordered to come in.

Has anyone noticed that all the contact paper is ugly or just doesn't match anything now?  I had the hardest time picking some out.  Teal/turquoise seems to be a popular color now and I love that color but it doesn't go with my kitchen decor.  I had the same problem last year and ended up buying some contact paper with lots of fruit on it.  I put it under the sink and then realized I hated it so I didn't put it anywhere else.  I finally found one I liked (hopefully it looks the same in person) on amazon but found it for half that price on ebay with free shipping.  I really hope it looks good when I get it.  If not then at least I'm only out $6.  I have to get something though because my cabinets and drawer bottoms are getting scuffed up.

Anyway, I'm glad I felt good enough to get so much done today.  It will be great when I'm finished.

I hope everyone avoids the plague.

~Donna