Where Do You Keep That: The Kitchen Counters Edition

I’m continuing the “Where Do You Keep That?” series with some insight into my kitchen counters. Elisabeth talked about her kitchen counters on one of her WDYKT posts, so I figured I’d just be a copycat and do the same! I have a typical apartment kitchen: it’s a galley-style and space is at a premium. I try to keep my counters as clean as possible because clutter makes me anxious. Here’s what they should look like when everything is in its proper place:

This is the left side of my kitchen when you’re facing the back wall. There’s my oven with the microwave and a small counter area. Beyond this counter space is my pantry and then my stackable washer/dryer. I use this small space to house my knife block; a utensil holder for spatulas, big spoons, an ice cream scoop, a pizza cutter, and some other utensils; and the girls’ wet food. I just received a new shipment of food so I keep it all stacked up on the counter because that’s the best place for it right now. I also have a jug of spring water that normally wouldn’t be there. I bought it in October when we were under a boil water advisory after the hurricane and wasn’t sure how long that would last. Now I’m using it to fill up the girls’ water bowl.

(You may notice some steak knives are missing from my knife block. I do not know where they went and I am the only person in this apartment. It’s one of the great mysteries of the world.)

Now onto the right side of my kitchen! We’ll start with the sink area, since that’s the area closest to me if I’m standing at the front of my kitchen.

(You can tell that I scrubbed down the left side of the sink but not the right side. Sigh. This is real life, I guess? Water lines and all.)

I have a double sink (very common in apartments!) and I use the left side for stacking dishes before they go into the dishwasher and the right side for my dish drainer, which isn’t used as frequently as it used to be. But I keep it around for those non-dishwasher friendly items. The little silver tray with a sponge should be suctioned to the side of my sink, but the suction has stopped working (I have a new organizer coming today, and I’m very excited about it!). I also have some dish soap, hand soap, and odds and ends like a sink stopper, pan scrapers, and a special sponge for my glasstop stove. There’s a random water bottle on the corner that hasn’t moved in years. Should we see how long I can leave it there without moving it?!

And here’s the other side of this counter, which is the most counter space I have in this kitchen so I try to put it to good use. I love the two-shelf organizer that I bought from Amazon a while ago. Here’s what on each shelf:

• Top shelf: sugar packets for coffee, melatonin, bupropion prescription (that I stopped taking because it makes me sleepy but I have it on hand for emergencies), gabapentin prescription for the girls, and a butter crock (to keep butter fresh and at room temp)
• Bottom shelf: glass jar with k-cups, vitamin D, Advil, magnesium glycinate, Lexapro, multivitamin, and probiotic. The green item in the front is my day-of-the-week pill organizer

Next to this organizer, I have a Starbucks reusable cup that is too tall to fit on my shelf in the cabinet (even without the straw!), treat jars for the girls (Temptations and Greenies), and then my Keurig. I also have two half-eaten bags of chips, which aren’t always there. You can also see all my fun magnets from vacation destinations, postcards for sweet bloggers, and some fun photo magnets from Kim. The front of my fridge is not magnetic, which is annoying, because it means I have limited space for all the postcards you guys send me! Maybe I need to just add them to the fridge with tape.

I also have this raised counter that is also used as a landing zone for all sorts of things; typically I use it to place things I need to bring with me the next time I’m leaving my apartment (library books, reusable bags, mail, etc). I also have a small organizer that houses a few things: a pair of scissors, a lighter, a pet hair removal brush, my passport (which is usually in another location but I needed it to check in for my cruise and I decided to keep it nearby so I can pack it when it’s time), and sometimes mail I need to deal with. My pet camera is also set up here—it’s the perfect location as I can see all of the living room from this spot.

And that’s my kitchen! Thanks for coming along for the ride today. 🙂

Curious about where I keep anything else in my kitchen (or my home as a whole)?