Little Update, Little Crafty

WHOOO HOOOO! It's hotter than the 4th of July here. It has been so hot this week and last week for that matter. We have either been swimming everyday or just staying close to the a/c vents. I have realized that since my children are no longer babies, that I can actually get in the water and swim. I forgot how much I loved it. I jumped off the bridge 3 times on Tuesday. I had to give myself a pep talk every time, but I did it. And LOVED it! The water in our creek is deep, clear and cold. We are so blessed to have a place like this right down the road. I can't imagine being a city dweller on days like that. My poor hubby though has not been so fortunate. He has been out in it everyday, fixing other peoples' air conditioners.

Last weekend my cousin from Tulsa and her hubby and 2 girls spent two nights with us. We had such nice visit. We also got to see my grandma Betty and Aunt Chris. On Saturday we went to Eureka and walked around. It was too hot, but we still had fun. I found an adorable topiary for the kitchen at a store called Lilies. Here is a picture of Carla's kids and mine(without Adrian)in Eureka.

Here is a picture of Grandma Betty and her signature red lipstick. She looks great.


Here is a picture of my sister and I. We had a bbq the last day the cousins were here. We celebrated Gma's birthday, Navaeh's birthday, Georgia graduating Kindergarten and mourned my brother leaving for Chicago.


Adrian is back from DC and had a good time. She has about a million pictures. I am not sure she fully appreciated everything she got to see, but I hope that someday she will. She rode the metro the night before it crashed! Her favorite places were Virginia Beach (of course), the capitol building and the Holocaust museum. She was also blessed to get to see Glenda McMath while she was there.



Finally, my latest craft. Have you seen those cute little frames with antiqued looking silverware in them? I really wanted one, but of course I wanted to make it...so much more fun. So I bought a dollar set of silverware and a frame from Dollar General (it already looked antiqued). I took the glass out of the frame and covered the cardboard with black scrapbook paper. I lightly spray painted the silverware with Krylon in Woodland Brown. After they dried, I glued them down. Then I hung it up! Easy! As usual my husband thought my creation was a little strange, but I just love it!


My other recent creation is this lamp. I was inspired by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. I found this cute little lamp at Hobby Lobby (on sale of course). It was already adorable but I just couldn't help myself. I covered the shade in burlap and glued down the monogrammed "L" (which was also purchased at HB). SO EASY and so CUTE.


Happy 4th of July, hopefully next I will be updating about our trip to the beach!

Clean Your Whole House for Less

There are really only 3 products you need to clean your house.
1. Vinegar - white or apple cider
2. Toilet bowl cleaner
3. Magic erasers



Of course you need things like rags, broom, spray bottle, etc., but as far as products go you can get by with just these things.

A few optional things are:
1. Cheap hair conditioner if you have a shower door.
2. Rubbing alcohol
3. Disinfectant

I dilute the vinegar in a spray bottle and add a 1/4 teaspoon or so of the rubbing alcohol. I use this spray to clean all my glass and it works just as good as any commercial glass cleaner. It can also be used for just general cleaning such as wiping down appliances and counter tops. I also mop my floors with diluted vinegar.

I have not found a way to get around buying toilet bowl cleaner, but I do buy the plant derived ones with a coupon. I often pay $1 or less.

Magic erasers are the best thing ever. I use them in bathtubs, showers, counter tops, floors, walls - just about everything. They are worth the extra money, but I have found that the store brands work just as well. I always tell my kids - if it won't come off with a magic eraser, it is not coming off. I especially love these for the tub and shower. They get off soap scum that you can't even see yet. Just wet your tub and rub the eraser across the tub. The eraser glides across the areas with no build-up. However, when you feel it catch in spots, that is where soap scum is beginning to build up. You can prevent your tub from ever becoming a hour long scrubbing match by just keeping it wiped out every week.

Now the hair conditioner trick was given to me by my dear clean freak neighbor. Just apply some cheap hair conditioner to a scrub brush and gently scrub the door. I actually do this while I am taking a shower. Then just squeegee or rinse off. I might hit it later with a magic eraser and glass cleaner just to really make it shine. My shower door really is spectacularly clean.

Some of you cannot live without your germ killer and I don't blame you. I only use a disinfectant spray weekly for the counter tops. Remember, germs are not killed unless you let the spray sit on the counter for a few minutes before wiping.

Now for those of you with good wood furniture, you may have to purchase some polish. I don't own anything that can't be dusted with a damp cloth. I know a lady with some very expensive antique furniture pieces and she only uses a dry microfiber cloth on them.

So you can clean your whole house for $4 and this will last for months!