16 Plates, 16 Cups, 16 Bowls... Large Family Minimalist Kitchen

Getting down to a manageable amount of kitchen items when there are sixteen people here is pretty challenging.  I have had the same ideas as this inspiring guy, right down to the silverware, but that is easier said than done when you have a hundred little kids running off outside with your forks and spoons and then of course blaming one another left and right when confronted.  Still, we have kept it down to just one cupboard for dishware for years now, and pared down to 3 drawers for utensils (one for silverware... which of course is not really silver, one for utensils, and one for knives), one cupboard for pots and pans, 4 cupboards for crockpots, tupperware type stuff, mixing bowls etc.  I will be posting pictures later today when it is all clean :)  For the past couple days I have been busy busy busy, combining decluttering and re-minimizing the kitchen with a very thorough fall cleaning (dusting beams and logs and washing light fixtures).  Today we move on to the upstairs, which has already been decluttered for the most part and just needs a deep cleaning of bathroom, ceiling fans, and clearing of cobwebs etc.

For the first time in about two months I am about to have empty laundry baskets!!  And just in time.  Looks like today marks the end of the 2010 clothesline season :(  

A final mow of the yard took place over the weekend with a monumental event:  Three newbies at the lawnmower!  Yes, they are all about mowing, fighting about who gets to do it and how the other took more than their share of the lawn... where does that attitude go?  Here I am, supervising the mowing and watching the clothes dry  ;-)