Who needs a centerpiece, anyway?

Pretty much every time I go to Trader Joe's, I pick up some sort of floral arrangement or potted plant for our island in the kitchen.  Although the island tends to get buried with all sorts of stuff - school papers, mail, keys, wallet, purse, sunglasses, and a plethora of other nonsense (what are those plastic things that go in the collars of dress shirts called?), I still like to have something pretty on there...even if it gets covered in the shuffle.  No wonder the flowers never last more than a few days - they probably can't get any air.

The other day I was looking around my kitchen, noticing how cluttered it is, and I decided that I should try to declutter as best I can.  I installed child locks on the cabinets (yes, just now, when my youngest is already 2) so that I could put a few counter-top appliances underneath the counters.  Then I thought that I should clean everything off the island - and let me tell you - it makes the kitchen look quite a bit bigger when there's not a whole bunch of stuff everywhere.

I was a little concerned because my nice tidy kitchen didn't have any flowers on the island.  I looked around to see what I could put there to pretty it up a bit...and it dawned on me that I could move the fruit & veggies from the counter to the island.  They take up a lot of room on the counter - but I like to keep them there so that I always have a healthy option at my fingertips.

Do you know how EASY it is to enjoy a roasted squash?  Cut it open, sprinkle spices (no salt) on cut side, place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast at 375 for 40 minutes or so.  Remove from oven, scoop seeds out with a spoon...then scoop out the squash or eat it right from the skin.  SO GOOD - and incredibly healthy.  Perfect for chilly evenings.

Here's how my island looks now.  I like it!!  Until we decorate for Christmas, it'll stay like this.