Spices Galore

I like to be organized. This is different from being a perfectionist, or being OCD, because I am neither of those. But I am organized. So when I decided that the time had come to re-organize my spice rack, it was very exciting. We have two different spice racks here, both Jesse's. One is from Costco that comes with all the spices pre-packed, and the other is a fun spinning one we inherited from his grandma. Of the two, probably about half of the bottle had spices we actually used--the other half had things like "Poultry Seasoning" and some sad looking year-old dried parsley.
So I decided it was time for a change, especially because I've often read that you should replace spices every year to keep them fresh. So we threw out all our old, unused, clumpy spices, washed all the jars and peeled off all the labels. Then we took a trip out to our favorite spice-buying store, Limbo.
I love this store. It's a little piece of organic heaven, right next to Trader Joe's. So you go to TJ's to get all your fun things, then you go to Limbo to get your produce and spices. A perfect team. And the spices--oh, my. It's in bulk, which means it's super cheap. I mean cheap. You pay $9 for a jar of whole allspice in a regular grocery store, or you pay $1.35 and use the jar you already have. Deal. And they have everything you might even remotely need, down to dandelion pollen, milkweed, organic catnip, teas, and things I can't even identify. Jars and jars, all the way down the aisle. The possibilities are very exciting.
So I stocked up on basil and paprika and curry and thyme, and brought it all home to our waiting jars, which I lovingly (and quite messily) poured them in while I tried not to sneeze. Then I labeled them all with a nice yellow label, so they are easy to locate.
Now we have one rack of herbs and seeds, and one of spices. Behold:

The herbs.

Close up. Aren't they nice labels? This is where my non-perfectionism came in, because the labels are in no way symmetrical or perfectly placed, and the labels bubble funny because of the rounded jars, but I don't care.

And the spices. I suppose I should point out that I am a slight perfectionist here: if you notice, the color goes from light to dark. The other columns do as well. It just looks better that way! I'm choosy in my OCD.

Now we have a deliciously usable herb and spice system, and I'm quite happy with myself. Now I just need to cook!