Homemade Cleaning Wipes Review

As most of you know, I love pinterest. It has SO many great ideas on everything from crafts, parenting, home decor, DIY projects, recipes, etc. It is a fantastic resource! One of the things I had pinned that I wanted to try was homemade cleaning wipes. I go through clorox wipes super fast, but they are super expensive. A homemade approach seemed try-worthy! I got my recipe from here (kinda cool that I even had the exact containers from IKEA that she used!). 

Here are all of the supplies, ready to be used:

Really simple: cut a roll of paper towels in half, add the wet ingredients to the container, mix, add paper towels. Voila:

I let the container sit upside down for about 10 minutes to make sure all the towels got nice and soaked.  They are very wet, so I have to wring them out before using unless I want to go back over it with another paper towel, defeating the purpose of trying to save money. 

Next time I am definitely going to add some kind of disinfectant, because there is just something about knowing everything is nice and cloroxed when you use the clorox wipes. I also really liked the smell of mine, because I used the "Spicy Odor-Be-Gone" essential oil from the local lady I buy candles from (Lighthouse Candle Factory). It had a more home-y smell than the normal clean smell of the clorox wipes (not that I mind that smell either). Another idea I found online was to use old t-shirts cut into wipe size that can be washed and re-used, furthering the money saved. 

So all in all, a good experiment. I can definitely use them in a pinch and maybe I can even get used to using them regularly with a little tweaking to the recipe. 

Just for an added bonus, a video of the kids! This is completely unrelated to the cleaning wipes review, but I couldn't resist adding this in just for kicks. We have been working with Eden on not grabbing her stuff back when Harry takes it from her, and this is proof that maybe it is sinking in a bit. She very calmly hands him his own juice while taking hers back. Not bad for a two-year-old. :) 

Fun in the Sun (and water)

For Harry's one year old birthday, Meme and Pepe sent him a water table - so cool! Both of these kiddos love water, so it was a great idea. Last Sunday we decided to put it together and let them have a go. Here they are "helping" Daddy put it together in the kitchen:

Uncle Kenny helped too:

Once it was together, they couldn't wait to start playing even without water in it yet:

We grabbed their suits, filled the table with water, and the splashing began:

(I love this shot from behind them, so cute!) 

Uncle Kenny couldn't resist playing too after seeing how much fun it was:

Way to go, Meme and Pepe, they loved it! :) 

Curb Appeal

In all of our excitement to get to the inside of the house, we can't forget the outside! This is what our house looked like when we first found it:

Not bad, but kinda basic. We had/have plans to help it along a bit, and so far we have hung the flag, painted the front door and shutters and had the outside pressure-washed:

We spray painted the shutters black and I think it really helps them pop a little more against the white siding. The red door goes a long way in adding some personality too, and I love the home-y-ness of the flag. We still need to update the porch lights, replace the storm door, finish painting around the sidelights (there is currently a yellow trim around them), and get some nice patio furniture and planters. A work in progress, but already better!

Sunset Beach 2012

I committed the ultimate crime for mommies/bloggers: I went on vacation without my camera. :( I know, hold the gasps. Thankfully, my Dad is the "pop-arazzi" and I stole all the pics he had! So here you go with a Sunset Beach collage, courtesy of Pop:

Before we left for the beach, my parents stopped by our place for a day or two. Dad babysat the kiddos while Mom, Sarabeth, and I went on a few errands. He somehow managed to get all the grandkids (minus our newest, sweet Charlotte) in one shot:

I think Harry totally enjoyed time with Dad - he was quite attached to him!

Mom and Dad also brought along a little gift for the kiddos - a battery-operated jeep! Eden is a little unsure about the jerky movement when she first hits the gas, but I have no doubt this will be a favorite toy. 

We were able to go out to dinner the night before we left to celebrate Sarabeth's birthday - we ate at J.Pepper's in Kville - for all of you locals, I HIGHLY recommend it! Pop and Harry were hanging out on the patio before our food came:

Finally, we were off to the beach. It was filled with lots of fun and good times with the fam. My brother's wife, Caty, talked her parents into joining us this year and they were a happy addition. Here is Caty's mom (Cindy) with my Mom and Grammy, walking on the beach:

Sunday morning church service on the beach (Mom, Cindy, Caty, Pete):

Throwing the football (Dad and Pete):

One of many walks on the beach (Kellan and Mom):

Eden LOVED the water - I was so proud of her courage! She jumped the waves like a pro and had a great time in the water and sand:

Harry did great too, although I think the sand may have been his favorite:

We also had a lot of wonderful food, and ate out at Ella's Seafood one night. Jason and Harry waiting on our food:

Unfortunately, Jason and I had to miss the trip to Joe's Crab Shack, but I heard my Dad narrowly escaped a shark attack:

Eden with her Aunt Sarabeth waiting for dinner one night:

Some of the boys after visiting the shooting range (Grumps, Peter, Dad, and Caty's dad, Mike):

There was hang out time too, just relaxing at the beach houses:

The girls went shopping and the boys went shooting:

And of course, Dad got a little goofy when we went out for ice cream:

We had a wonderful time, as always! We were proud of the kids since they were out of their routines and still managed to behave pretty well. The time with family is so special and we are blessed to have been able to go. Can't wait for next year! :) 

Our Wonderful Everyday Life

This post is just a few random shots of our everyday. I love this one because it looks like Harry is holding Eden down but barely paying attention to her, haha - she actually climbed up there herself though:

This is what I see every time I look down, two sweet kiddos hanging on to my legs:

This is where we take our walks - we go up the street next to our house and there is a nice little space between two cul-de-sacs and we just volley between them.  You can see Eden on her little car in this one:

This is another side street we walk down sometimes that leads to a huge field where we sometimes get to see cows:

This is heading back to our house from the cow pasture (Eden is ahead of us again):

Lastly, I thought you all might like to see our Harrison walking! 

This may seem like mundane stuff to most people, but this is what makes our everyday life so great - playing, taking walks, and reaching new milestones. I love it!

Statues, Stars, and Stripes

So my latest project is one that I didn't even come up with myself. My friend Deanna had a yard sale find that she was sure needed to go in my house. Enter a huge, creepy Beethoven bust:

I admit when she first texted me his picture I was a little freaked out...I mean look at those eyes! He was just a little too life-like for me. But the more I started thinking about how I could change him, the more interested I was in getting started. I'm sure you can all guess my plan of attack: spray paint. :) 

I started with a coat of primer, just to make sure he would be well-covered. I had to use a new brand of spray paint this time (Rustoleum did not offer the color I wanted), so Valspar was the the winner. 

After the coat of primer, already an improvement:

Although it is a bit unorthodox, I wanted him to pop and serve as an accent in the music room. Since our accent color is turquoise, "Sea Mist" fit the bill. Here is his blue debut:

I am aware that this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really like him! He adds an interest factor in my somewhat boring, predictable decor. And I really like how his color bounces off of the other turquoise accents in the room. I think even Jason is beginning to like him. :) 

The other big project on my to-do list was painting the shutters and I am SO happy to say that I have finished them! That means every item on my "finish before the beach trip" is done (YAY!!!).  The only downside is that they will not be hung up again until after we get back from the beach trip (which means our family coming in will have to see our windows bare). We purchased a groupon for a pressure-washing company and they are coming while we are away at the beach. We figured it made more sense to leave the shutters off while they cleaned the house. But let me tell you, Jason held one up in place to see if it would look good with the fresh coat of black paint (coming from a gray-blue color) and it is gonna look GREAT! I can't wait to have them up again. I think the black shutters against the white siding and gray brick will look nice with our red door and other new addition this week:

A flag! I have been wanting one for a while and while at Lowes this weekend I found one on sale (take note of the naked windows in this shot, poor little DIRTY things...). Of course, our flag is not just for our country but for my brother, Joe - we are so proud of him! He is in the army and we are happy to show our support for him and the other troops. 

In other news, all of the holes that needed it have been spackled and re-painted so we are moving along just fine! When we get back from the beach, the painting starts again - this time will hopefully bring it to an end. The next to-do list will be up after our week of relaxation. :) 

Everything and Nothing Special

This post is about everything special to me - our everyday life! It isn't anything fancy, just our normal day-to-day. Here goes!

I tried several new recipes this week, including Crockpot Italian Chicken and Honey Sesame Chicken. Both were good, but the honey chicken was the best. We both really liked it and have actually been eating the leftovers (which hardly ever happens!). Here it is half-eaten, haha:  

(in the crockpot) 

(we ate it over rice, which I made in my Pampered Chef rice cooker, one of the few PC items I actually like and use).

I have been trying to vary what we eat a bit, since I seem to always cook the same things (tacos, chili, meatloaf, chicken, etc.). It is fun to do new stuff but it is amazing to me how many calories are in these new recipes! Most of them I find on pinterest and it seems taste is more important than nutrition on the ones I pin. I have been able to alter most of the recipes though and make them a little less calorie-dense. 

I have a few more things I am planning to try soon, including Baked Bananas, Cauliflower Tater Tots, and Chicken Caesar Sandwiches.

Speaking of cooking, Jason decided he was in the mood for pancakes one night this week so he made some for himself and Eden. I thought they looked so cute sharing pancakes together (as an after dinner/before bedtime snack):    

Next up is a little Harry collage (been having a lot of those recently). Here he is trying to climb into my lap while I'm working on the computer:

I went to wake him up from a nap one morning and was able to snap a picture of his favorite sleeping position:

And here's a few of him standing all by himself! He is SO close to walking...any day now!

Last, I think we have finally settled on an arrangement for Eden's room. We have left a space in the middle of the wall for the tree painting we talked about in this previous post. Here is a shot of when you first walk in the room (we got the canopy hung back up again...not sure if I like it, but it is staying for now):

To the right when you walk in:

The center, where the tree will go:

We have also been into a ton of other little (nothing special) things like painting trim and doors, re-painting and re-hanging the banister in the stairwell, re-hemming shower curtains (and ironing ours finally!), jimmy-rigging weights for the music room curtains to keep them from moving so much, and spackling holes in the bathrooms left from new light fixtures. They definitely add up to finish some things. 

The list to finish by next Friday is:

1. Spackle holes in kitchen ceiling (from fan installation)

2. Paint spackled holes in bathrooms

3. Paint outdoor shutters

Not sure if that last one will get done but I am very happy with how much is done on the list that was deadlined by our beach trip next week. Once we get back, I will have a post on our list to finish by Christmas! May seem a little early to be talking holidays but it's only 201 days! :D