Holiday Prep : Pantry Organization

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but our house is small. In all honesty, too small for two adults, four kids, and two daschunds. And to be really honest, probably way  too small for entertaining or hosting large groups for the holidays. Which is why I love hosting parties during the summer and early fall, because we have a large yard, and can have our party outdoors. However, our tiny house has never stopped me from gathering our family and friends in our home for Thanksgiving dinner, or any other holiday party. Somehow, we always make it work, and our philosophy is, the more the merrier. I love to entertain, and will hopefully one day, have a larger home to do so. Until then, I do what I can to make it work, and that starts with organization. Organization is key, especially in a small space. We don't have a formal dining area, our dining area is in our kitchen, and we have a galley style kitchen (not ideal for entertaining). What does work for me in the house is our pantry. The pantry was my Valentine's Day gift two years ago, who needs diamonds when you can have a beautiful, functional, walk-in pantry. It was once our laundry room, and I always knew it could serve a much better purpose. It works especially well because it is connected to our kitchen. I had a pretty pantry before I had a pretty kitchen. It more than makes up for the lack of space in our kitchen/dining area. So last weekend,  I deep cleaned and reorganized to get ready for the upcoming holiday season.
 The cart holding my mixer was in our kitchen, but I knew we needed the extra space, so I moved it into the pantry. I love it in there because I keep it plugged in, and it's  ready to use when needed. All of my entertaining essentials are stored in there, everything from platters, trays, and cake stands, to linens and wine. All of my baking essentials are also stored here. I display all of my baking products, spices, and dried foods in matching glass jars. Not only does it look better, but it also allows me to see when I am running low on an ingredient. Baskets are my friend, I use baskets for everything. In our pantry, baskets hold things like pans, cookie cutters, oils, and onions. It doesn't have to be expensive to be organized. We use hooks to hang cloth grocery bags and aprons. I'm only five feet tall so the stool at the end of the pantry is a must. I believe things should be both pretty and practical. If you don't have a walk in pantry, utilize the space you do have. Use a cabinet, drawer, or even a closet. Below are a few of my  tips to keep your sanity and household organized for the upcoming holiday season.

Deep clean your pantry. Throw away any expired ingredients, and make note of what you need. Wipe down all jars, containers, and appliances.

Group similar items together. I store my baking ingredients on one shelf, and pasta and rice together on another. I have an entire shelf of only spices.

Label your jars. You may know what everything in your pantry is, but someone else may not. I learned this lesson the hard way. Also, you may forget what something is, and let me just say, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika look a lot alike, especially when you are in a hurry.

A well stocked pantry. A stocked pantry is key to making your life easier, especially during the holidays.