Spice girl

I'm not sure I'm think it's a problem, but we might have a spice addiction in our household.

I think I have spring fever, or at least the itch for spring cleaning. Maybe it's the weather. It's fairly rare that central Iowa hits the 60s in the middle of February. It's extremely rare that we hit the 50s and 60s for almost 10 days in a row and I think it's made my body convinced that it is actually spring. Tomorrow's high of 32 degrees should remind me otherwise.

Whatever the reason, I felt compelled to clean and organize all weekend. Even more surprising - I actually followed through on that impulse. Besides the closet and refrigerator, the spice cupboard was in desperate need of cleaning out.

I pulled everything out and set them on the counter. There were over 70 containers and took up several feet of counter space. Plus I have a spice rack with 12 more jars. Why does one household need 4 different kinds of cinnamon, 3 different cajun blends, 5 kinds of garlic and about a dozen spice blends containing garlic. We are apparently taking Hollywood's fascination with vampires to heart.

Do normal people have this many spices and seasonings in their house?

So what do all these spices and seasonings say about me? I like cooking. Baking slightly less. Also, I like spicy and international cuisine. And, apparently, have an affinity for spices beginning with the letter C. Maybe it's just that there are so many more spices that begin with the letter C? Think about it. Cinnamon, cardamom, cilantro, curry, cumin, caraway, chili powers, cloves, coriander, cayenne, celery seed, chipotle and chives. I am sure there are more, but those are the ones we have on hand. Seems like a lot. (Before you ask, I WAS NOT alphabetizing them, just noticed a pattern.)