Spice and blogs

Mood: Tired
Hair: Ugh (best not to mention)
Snappy Comeback NOT to be used today: It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of karma to burn off.

That must be true...I must have been unpleasant in the extreme in my previous life.

So. Some of you will find this funny. Others will find it perfectly normal. It will be interesting to see who is who.

In the process of compiling the grocery list for the week yesterday, I was checking on the availability of cumin in the cupboards. We have lived in our house 366 days, and the spice cupboard was one of the first things organized when we first moved. I bought the stacked racks so you can see the stuff in the back of the cupboard. Very cool, very sensible....till the first time you reach in for the bay leaves in the back and knock over the mustard seeds and garlic powder and thyme. Among other not-so-Greek tragedies.

Yesterday, I ended up taking all the spices out of the cupboard. About ten went in the trash, because they were opened over three years ago. How do I know? I mark the date I open them on the lid (either in black marker or in whiteout-pen).

[Are you getting a sense of my issues? I'll give you a hint: my mother still has the same small container of cinnamon in her spices that I used as a young teen to make banana bread 25 years ago.]

I looked in the cupboard on the other side of the stove which contains Pam spray, olive oil, coffee, tea, balsamic vinegar, etc. Lots of ill-used space. Moved most of that into the "spice" cupboard so that I could put all of the stackable racks in a row on one shelf. The salsa mix, dry onion soup and bouillon are all together on one shelf over the spices. They have been sorted and re-alphabetized in three rows:

REALLY tall containers (oregano, black pepper) in the back
relatively tall jars (bay leaves, allspice) in the middle
short containers (poultry seasoning, garlic salt) in the front.

The huge Sam's Club containers of Italian herbs and taco seasoning and cinnamon fit JUST PERFECTLY next to the racks.

It makes much more sense this way. Then I went and bought cayenne and cumin to replace what I'd thrown away.

Now I almost want to cook.

If only life was this easy to sort.

But it isn't.

How do I know? Because at 8:15 last night I was shrieking at my son because his (dirty) lunchbox and (dirty) gym clothes were still in his backpack where they were dumped on Friday. Because family (of origin) gossip will get you in the end every time. And because sometimes you want to whack your friends upside the head over their BIG life decisions. Amazing what sharing a household and making two phone calls can do for one's mood.

Started the day well, ended it...well, pretty PISSED OFF. Probably why I went to bed early.
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Probably won't be blogging much this week. Am feeling generally overwhelmed, underappreciated, crapped out and cranky. Don't even want to be around myself. Not PMS, but the same general feel. Perhaps I'll empty and reorganize the pantry as therapy ...

Thank God (or not) for new jewelry! :-)