Lucy Changes Her Mind

One of my all time favorite episodes of 'I Love Lucy' is 'Lucy Changes Her Mind'- there are a ton of hilarious one liners that still induce a belly laugh, even after viewing this episode hundreds of times:)
In our familia, we have our very own 'Lucy' that changes her...er, his, mind. That's right- hubby is a 'fly by the seat of his pants' kind of a guy and whenever I watch Lucy changing her mind a dozen times in as many minutes, I think, "Looks familiar":)

I like plans, schedules, routines and I like when they run smoothly (which they always should if 'Lucy' cooperates!) whereas hubby aka 'Lucy' prefers...uhhhh...let's just call it, spontaneity:) In my current world of 2 young charges that require constant supervision, spontaneity spells disaster, most of the time.

Recently the whole crew was loaded in the car to enjoy some of that spontaneity + food at hubby's request- I felt extremely proud of myself for launching out, minus my usual 'to do' list and anticipated a lovely outing. That came to a grinding halt after the 2nd eatery of choice was found to be closed- I felt like quoting Fred's famous line: "Stand by for another troop movement" as hubby aka 'Lucy' opted to change courses, again.

After feathers being ruffled and then a subsequent smoothing out session (a very diplomatic version of the actual events!), I reiterated to hubby the need for plans, much like Ricky did with Lucy and we made our way to Costco:)

End of the story: my 'to do' list was shortened, tummies were filled with "rare, thick & juicy" hot dogs and hubby graciously agreed to plan ahead next time:) Just another crazy day at the 'Ricardos':)

Thanks for laughing with us:)

Tiffany

Squeaky Clean & Green?

Another chapter in my journey to 'greening' our home:

I've been gathering recipes/info for homemade, all natural, cleaning options- let me just say that everything I've tried thus far, I love!

I was pleased to discover that our current window cleaner was on 'the list'! We've been using the 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water for a window cleaning solution for some time now, so no need to change this- I did read that straight club soda works well too and has no vinegar smell:)

I've switched over to scrubbing/mopping the floors with water + Castile soap (currently using an all natural one I found on clearance at Sprouts and then plan to try Dr. Bronner's). Works really well, no fumes and totally green:) Steam mops are also a great option.

The homemade laundry stain remover I've starting using has been working well for the past few weeks- kids clothes look great:)

Still on my 'to do' list for homemade cleaners was a disinfectant though so I was thrilled to see the following recipe, which I plan to try immediately (love that surfaces don't have to be wiped/rinsed afterwards with this!):

Disinfectant Cleaner:
Fill a 16 oz spray bottle with distilled white vinegar
Add 2-50 drops of Tea Tree, Lavender or Lemon essential oil or a mixture of these totaling no more than 50 drops. (This is optional- if you're wanting a natural fragrance. The vinegar has enough cleaning power on it's own.)

For an all purpose cleaner, check this out (also on my list to try!):

All Purpose/Bathroom Cleaner:
Fill a 16 oz spray bottle mostly full with filtered water
Add 1-2 tbsp liquid Castile soap
Plus 1 tbsp baking powder
And 10-15 drops Lavender essential oil (antibacterial/anti-fungal)
And 20-30 drops Tea Tree essential oil (antibacterial/anti-fungal)

And check this out- no more need to 'pledge':

Dusting Cleaner:
Use a damp microfiber cloth ( found in cleaning aisles at the grocery store) to wipe surfaces.

This can't get much easier and once you start acquiring a few of these supplies you'll be set for ages! I love cleaning our home using all natural products, at a fraction of the cost to use commercial cleaners and knowing that our little angels are not at risk from harsh fumes/toxins etc.... And there's no chemical residue!

Check out more green cleaning recipes using essential oils here!

Thanks,
Tiffany

Homemade Toothpaste

I noticed this week that the kid's store bought toothpaste is almost gone, finally! This means I can, finally, try out a 'handy dandy' homemade toothpaste recipe that I've had stashed away:)

It's really complicated: mix coconut oil and xylitol. That's it:)


Recipe:
1 tbsp Xylitol
2 tbsp Coconut oil
Blend & scoop out with toothbrush or applicator of choice (ie: Popsicle stick etc...)

Tips:
*My coconut oil was already "liquidy" due to receiving some ambient heat which makes for easier blending- if yours is solid, leave in the sun for a few minutes or heat the jar in a saucepan with a little warm water.

*The original post recommends pouring some xylitol in a food processor/blender to grind more finely as it's rather course- I did and it worked like a charm:)

Loving it and plan to switch hubby & I over to this too! Try it out yourself and let me know what you think!

Tiffany

It's Hot in Here!

One of the recent projects accomplished at our casa was getting a ceiling fan hung in Livy's bedroom- it seems to be the hottest room in the house making bedtime even more challenging when outside temps are reading 106 degrees...our aim is to make bedtime for Olivia as seamless as possible, hence the dire need for a fan:)

I was at Lowe's at 9am on one of those 106 degree days wandering around, not exactly knowing what I needed to accomplish my long 'to do' list, let alone where to find it...when all the sudden I saw ceiling fans and thought, "Done". Jonah was effectively yanking large clumps of hair from Olivia's head with her screaming as I quickly saw a white fan that seemed appropriate so I made a hurried call to my very own 'handy dandy', dear Dad to ensure the size was right (36 inch, 44 inch, 52 inch, whatever). My wonderful Dad said, "That will work and I'm headed over to your place in a few so I'll put it up for you." Music to my ears, unlike the crying I was actually hearing.
I hustled the kids home and here you can see that keeping them from helping Granddaddy was more of a challenge than getting the fan installed:)

It is though and working like a charm- kicking myself that we didn't so this sooner! Really wanting to mod podge the blades now...what do you think???

Song of Freedom

It's an incredible privilege to celebrate this Independence Day in 2012- I'm again reminded of the price to enjoy such freedoms and how grateful I am to the men & women who have given their lives for such.
There's an incredible Irving Berlin song in the film "Holiday Inn", sung by Bing Crosby stating: "I'm singing a song of freedom..." That's what today is all about- honoring those who have sacrificed and rejoicing in these United States that stand in freedom!

No matter where you are, I hope you set some time aside today to celebrate our great freedom with friends & family. In this crucial year, also consider that the many freedoms that have been bought with our countryman's blood, sweat & tears can be forsaken by our choices. Let's ensure that we can still sing a "Song of Freedom" one year from today!

Happy Independence Day!

Be Sweet to That Boo Boo

On March 22, 1954, "Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation" aired for the first time. During this hilarious "I Love Lucy" episode, Lucy is doused with all manner of substances on the 'Freddy Fillmore Show' in efforts to win passage to Hawaii.

"Lucy" episodes are often running while I'm in the kitchen, running around with laundry etc... but I always stop what I'm doing to see Lucy frantically tell Ricky, "Not that. Not that...awwww" as honey is poured all over her:) Olivia busts out laughing too which makes it doubly fun:)

So with the vision of Lucy covered in honey (as well as coffee, pie etc...), I've often wondered how the TV staff got all that honey out of Lucille Ball's hair??? Well, maybe they didn't need to.

I've recently been discovering the MANY health benefits to honey- at this time, let me state that the clear golden goodness seen on most supermarket shelves is not what I'm referring to at present, unfortunately:(

I saw that raw, unrefined (& preferably unfiltered) honey is a phenomenal medicinal tool used for cuts, scrapes, burns etc... as well as for treating seasonal allergies. There's also a great post on using honey as a facial cleanser (on my list of things to try!).

So for my initial search I located a local (2 hrs away is local in Texas!) farmer at the Pearl Farmer's Market that provided me with a lovely little jar of raw honey- be sure to ascertain whether it's been heated to where the 'healing goodness' is lost! Avoid those choices for medicinal uses but enjoy in granola:)

After working on my DIY wine rack, my hands were sporting war wounds so I grabbed my little honey pot and dug in, coating my boo boo with sweet goodnes- the hardest part is not licking the honey right off! The stinging subsided and I found after another application (dishes & laundry don't clean themselves!) my little boo boo was healing- I'll spare you any TMI pics of my battle wounds.

My pot of honey was a bit dear in price but works out to be cheaper per ounce than Neosporin and is all natural:) This particular jar had been filtered so I'm still looking for something to fit that specification but 2 out of 3 worked in a pinch and it's proving its worth on my finger even now:)

What are you using honey for these days?

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY

I took a week off from blogging to attend to some projects, including my first proper DIY attempt: a pallet wine rack. I found my inspiration at Pinterest (where else!) and began hatching my plan:) ***Notice that my rack has 2 slats and is much more rustic than the one seen on Pinterest- it's original:) Based on this being a beginner's project, my not owning my own power tools (yet!) and wanting extra reinforcement with my 2 tornadoes underfoot, I opted for this more rustic design.

I procured the pallet with very little fuss (thank you kind neighbor) and then with the 'handy dandy' power tools of my DIY mentor and great friend, Sylvia, went to work- actually, Syl made the cuts with her circular saw since I'm a newby and didn't want to lose a finger:)

Then one morning last week, at approx 7am, Jonah sat in his swing while I pulled out staples, hammered nails and sanded, wondering how early is 'too early' for DIY...no complaints from the neighbors:)

My Dad graciously relinquished some left over stash of sand paper, wood stain and 'poly' which kept my budget for this project at $0! Jonah turned out to be my dedicated DIY helper as he sat in his swing again, watching me stain away with a 'handy dandy' cloth vs a paint brush as the cloth was free (see note at end of post)!


So, now the wine rack has been formed, sanded and stained and is now just awaiting another coat of 'poly' before resting in its new home.


***NOTE: Wear gloves! If you don't, you'll end up with black hands- the pic below was taken after I had washed my hands a dozen times! Within a few more days the stain had mostly disappeared but I'll definitely wear gloves next time!


Stay tuned for part 2 of my DIY Pallet Wine Rack:)

Tiffany