Organizing The Back Entry

Among many other chores and commitments this weekend, I did some organization in our back entry, also known as the mud room. I think when the farmhouse was originally built in the 1940s the area of the house that now consists of the laundry room/half bath, mud room/back entry and the master bedroom walk-in closet was a porch. This was a great use of the space by the person who remodeled the home.

I have a pretty big collection of cookbooks and when I brought home some of Mama's, I had to do some straightening.  This wooden box turned on its side on top of a storage cabinet works well for storing the cookbooks.  The iron frying pans and the grater belonged to Mama.  I tied a lavender scrap of fabric, which was her favorite color, on the grater so that I would know which one was hers, because I already had two of my own.  I wrote her name in the front of her cookbooks, because with my middle aged mind, I know I wouldn't remember which were hers in a few months time.

This display is a work in progress.  I tried to achieve a "cooking" theme by displaying some of Mama's vintage kitchen items.  Some of them are rolling pins, biscuit pan, biscuit cutter, flour sifter, vintage potato masher, some old tarnished knives in a mason jar, swing top mason jars,  the old rusty breadbox and a couple of cookbooks.  The cross stitch piece, which I bought at a yard sale years ago, has a recipe on it for biscuits.  In a couple of the jars I have stored tea light candles.  Mama's smallest iron frying pan serves as a place for me to toss my keys when I come in the door.

As I said, this is a work in progress.  I'm not really satisfied with he results yet, but it can be changed easily. 

Underneath the cooking display, these jars of pickles are stored.  These are the last batch that Mama had a hand in making.  They were stored on the floor of her linen closet and so had been kept in a dry dark, cool place.  Thanks to her, I won't be concerned about making pickles this summer.  There are 19 quarts and 4 pints stored in this spot.

Getting a space organized gives me such a good sense of accomplishment!   Did any of you get any organizing done?