Summary: Hello Ladies! I hope you are having a blessed day! I have to apologize again about the Spring Clean Challenge. I'm going to try to get it up this evening. Right now, I have to take my daughter to the hematologist. See you tonight! From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-Three Begin Cleaning the Kitchen Scripture Memory: “And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” John 20:7 Download the .pdf version of this article. Perhaps you have never given much thought to the verse above. Jesus, our King and Lord, had just been resurrected. What was the first thing that he did? He folded the burial cloth that He had been wrapped in. Here is the Messiah, the One who has just given His life for our sins, and He takes the time to perform an ordinary task. Why? Our God is a God of order. It would have gone against His nature to leave a mess behind. I am suggesting that neatness begets peace. It demonstrates a deeper meaning. A house that is chaotic is not a house that represents the peace and sanctuary that is found in Him. We have discussed creating a routine for your day and setting up a daily schedule. Today we are going to begin the journey of getting your house in order room by room. We will begin in the kitchen. For this week, you should either set aside an entire day, or set aside a 1 - 2 hours a day depending on your needs. It is important to keep the kitchen sanitized and in good working order. Every surface where food might be placed, should be clean and free of germs. Guests will feel better about eating food that you prepare if it is evident that the kitchen stays clean. 1. The best way to get really organized and clean in the kitchen is to pull everything out of your cupboards. From spices to dishes to pots and pans, take it all out. You can do this in sections if you are satified with the arrangement of your dishes, pantry items, and such. Otherwise, pull it all out at once and carefully arrange the items in another room. Go through all of your belongings and decide what you really need. Some things may be appropriate for giving away or for putting in a yard sale. 2. Fill a dishpan, or the sink with hot water. Add a cleaner, such as Lysol, for really grimey messes. However, if your cabinets are wood, painted or stained, you may want to use a product such as Murphy’s Oil. 3. Wash the inside as well as the outside of your cupboards. If you have not done so before, line the shelves with pretty shelf paper. 4. When deciding how to arrange your dishes, keep these things in mind: Place items used frequently within easy reach. Items used every now and again, place on higher shelves. Place items near the area where they are used. Or, place items near the dishwasher to make putting them away easier. Use storage containers, baskets, or drawers to store plastic containers and lids. 5. Store pantry items where you will be able to easily see what you have in stock. 6. Items such as flour, sugar, cereal, dried fruits, oatmeal, etc. store better in jars. In our house, we store our dry goods in canning jars, or other glass containers. We have a set of pretty plaid lids that dress up the canning jars and make them special. For my flour and other large dry goods, I purchased vintage glass canisters and painted the metal lids to match my kitchen. Make your kitchen pretty where ever you can! 7. Once you have cleaned and reorganized your cabinets, clear everything from your counter tops. Spray with disinfectant and scrub dust, grease, and grime from them. Also, wash the walls between the upper cabinets and the lower cabinets. This assignment may take you several days. That is okay! Tomorrow we will continue in our task of cleaning our kitchens. It will feel invigorating when it is complete! In your prayer journal this week, ask God to help you work with willing hands. Click to Listen Extra Resources
