Spicing Things Up

Ok, friends of Benmakesten, let's talk spice racks!

The girls and I deep cleaned our kitchen, a few days ago. We dove into our task around 10:30 am and didn't finish until almost 4 pm! (And, we still have to clean the inside of the fridge and oven...that's for another day!)

We made a tedious chore become a very enjoyable activity (even though my 47 years were reminding me of their presence every time I tried to get down on the floor and crawl to the backs of the cabinets to get things wiped down in there!)

We emptied EVERYTHING, we placed new liners in the drawers, we sorted, discarded, arranged, and organized every nook and corner and cupboard that we own. It was FUN!

However, I am confessing to you, here and now, that I do NOT like my spice rack.
This little piece of information makes me feel very ungrateful and guilty...because my current
kitchen spice rack  is very large and contained within a corner cabinet that opens wide to reveal two huge "lazy Susans". You know what those are, right? I always have to check because, having been born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, sometimes, I discover that something I THINK is a word is not a real word at all...but just the way WE say it. So...I THINK "lazy Susan" means a little shelf that spins 360* to make all items on the shelf easily accessible...but...I'm not sure...is that true? Is "lazy Susan" a real word or a Pittsburgh word? LOL

Anyway, most people that see my cabinet that contains the huge "lazy Susan" love it. I do not.
I always love when people have their spices displayed on lovely wooden shelves. I even have an online friend who keeps her spices in special little containers that are actually magnetic, so they stay on her refrigerator at all times! THIS, I like! (Except my kids would be sprinkling them everywhere, I'm sure!)

What sort of storage do YOU have for your spices? Do you have a "lazy Susan" like I do? Are your spices on racks? Do they hang on a wall? Are they tucked inside a pantry? Or, are they part of your kitchen's decor, sitting out on the counter where all can see?

I think the reason I don't like my arrangement is that there is no organized system to it. I try to keep all baking spices and things on one side and all food/dinner spices and items on the other. But, it never fails that someone will use something and put it back on the wrong side; thus, making a jumbled mess, which I detest.

Also, it's very difficult to clean inside the cupboard...as I said, it's a corner cabinet...but the spinning shelves take up ALL the space so wiping underneath and around them calls for being able to contort and bend your body in all sorts of interesting ways...ways that are MUCH more difficult at age 47 than they were at 25! LOL

I always try to be thankful for what I have and "roll with it". But...I'm thinking there must be a better way to store spices...which then begs the question of what I would do with the empty corner cabinet with the huge lazy Susans inside...any creative ideas for me? I'd love to hear them!