Scoop-a-loop.

Hello my fabulous followers! It's a two poster day as I'm feeling a little blogger guilt that I'm running low on major construction material. The good news is that next week, there will be a TON going on here including:

- final coating the wood floors (bye bye shiny floors)
- Base shoe on all wood floors
- Brackets under kitchen cabinetry
- Exterior light fixture installation
- Under cabinet lighting and outlet installation
- Screen door installation on back french doors
...and of course, perhaps the most exciting of them all:
- Basement overhaul!

So we will have LOTS to catch up on in the coming weeks. I did want to share with you that I will be posting very sporadically next week as we will be vacationing as I ring in my 30th year. The good news for all of us is that I have a guest poster that I am so anxious to introduce you to! More to come on her in the coming days.

Until then, I wanted to share a little something I picked up today. I was getting lost in blog land last night and stumbled upon this post over at Humble Pie (feel free to check it out at this web address: http://adashofhumblepie.blogspot.com/2011/01/setting-up-shop-your-weekend-project.html). The author wrote about setting up your kitchen in a way that inspires you. I've always been a fan of keeping my work spaces free and clear of clutter and keeping all my kitchen gadgets organized, but I wouldn't say I seek inspiration in my kitchen. As our remodeling projects slowly wrap up around here, one of my goals is to get back to meal planning (and on a regular sheet/towel laundry cycle...but I'll spare you those details). I'd like to plan to make dinner at home 4 days a week. I wouldn't say I 'enjoy' cooking...especially with a one year old that is PERSISTENT about breaking down all barriers and scaling the steps to our upper level...but I enjoy the idea of family meals at home and knowing what goes into our food. I liked the ideas she has of displaying fresh ingredients around to grab in a second and also to keep frequently used items readily available.

I have been trying to decide how I was going to use the open shelving in our kitchen area (being one that despises clutter, I was concerned about them becoming a dumping ground for whatever made its way to that quadrant of the kitchen). So instead, I decided to use the space as inspiration space - keeping everything I love about cooking within arms reach.

What you will find there are 3 glass canisters (I need to pick up a 4th) full of my dry ingredients like flour, powder sugar, granulated sugar and brown sugar along with a few of my favorite cookbooks and a binder of favorite recipes I put together while nesting during my second pregnancy (thank GOD for nesting!)

Next, I decided what would inspire me even more is if I had 'scoopers' for my canisters...you know, a perfectly sized scoop to fill up and level off your measuring cups. I happened to be meeting a friend for coffee near Sur La Table today, so I swung in and assessed their scoop assortment. I left with these bad boys that I'm just chomping at the bit to put to use.



I knew I didn't want plastic as it just felt less inspirational to me. I wanted something shiny which meant choosing between stainless steal or aluminum. The stainless steal is pretty gorgeous and also makes them dishwasher safe. The only problem is it also makes them 3x's as expensive. So, I decided I could hand wash these four items if it saved me a bundle, so I went with the aluminum (I actually prefer their more brushed/vintage finish) at $3 a pop. $12 later, I'm feeling more inspired in my kitchen and eager to try out a new recipe (one that uses sugar or flour of course so I can use my new scooper!) What do you keep in your kitchen to inspire you?