Sunday, February 27, 2011

lined bins from diaper boxes

I am all for saving a lot of money a few bucks.  I also like creative ideas that are chic looking and fit with my decor.  I have a baby, therefore, I have lots of unused diaper boxes that could potentially look like this:



I was instructed to visit this site by my friend Alicia. This is where I found this post on how to make these lined bins from empty diaper boxes. I LOVE them.  So pretty and very inexpensive to make.  Send any other great ideas my way!!!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

I Love You

"So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.  You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.  God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 


I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return.  May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God." Phil 1:7-11

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Inspired by Sweeping

I love Spring.  Not so much hot weather, but nice sunny cool days that make you want to soak up as much Vitamin D as possible.  Its always a nice treat to see new life emerging from underneath the bare, desolate, "dead" world or so it seems.  Today is turning into one of those days pretty quickly.  I awoke this morning to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining through my window. 


My deck has been hiding under piles of crunchy, brown leaves since the fall.  There was really no use in sweeping it because it would have ended right  back under the leaves.  This week it was my goal to get the deck clean.  Nevermind that its now Thursday and I am just getting to this task.  So, I put John in his exersaucer and out the door we went to discover what was underneath all those leaves.


While I was sweeping, I was looking around at all the trees beginning to crack open with the promise of new life and beautiful things to come.  I know this may sound strange but I began to wonder if it "hurts" the trees to be strained until they crack.  We all know that in order for the beauty to come, the cracks are necessary.  It also made my mind wander to Christ.  In order for the beauty of the resurrection and our salvation to come about the "cracks" (i.e. the cross) were present then as well.  During the journey of our lives, God wants us to be beautiful as well.  We hide under our piles of leaves and bare limbs until He makes us crack or sweeps us off to reveal the beauty He always intended for us to have.  This process may not always be painless, infact it may just be some of the most painful experiences we will ever indure.  Sometimes all we may need is a sweep but more often than not, we require a really hard crack.  We do however  have a hope that He promisedthat we will have beauty and peace in the end.  I have had some of the most ugly, tattered, torn rose bushes give me the most fragrant, vivid colored roses I have ever seen.


So, before you decide to sweep the deck, remember it may get you to thinking but you may make some pretty interesting discoveries along the way.

Friday, February 11, 2011

I am Green

I am becoming green. No, I am not sick or jealous.....this time anyway ;).  I am a clean freak, though if you walked in my front door you may think I am lying. I clean every.single.day. but having said that, I also have a husband and 3 children who mess faster than I can clean. But not getting off on a tangent.  I used to use a gallon of bleach a week.  I am talking, walk in my house and burn your nose hairs off with the smell of bleach kind of thing. Well, I  began considering what inhaling those fumes were doing to my health and not to mention my children.  I know bleach is cheap but most other cleaning products can cost you a small fortune.  As you may or may not know, I am a stay at home mom.  Our money tree died before it began producing so cutting costs makes me smile.  So, on to the real point.  My best friend Alicia has always mentioned to me that she makes her own household cleaners.  I didn't really give it much thought, then I met Bonnie and saw her home made laundry soap recipe.  I fell in love with not only the cost (its .25 a gallon) but the way it works.  I also started using the laundry soap solution to mop my floors.  I use the borax and washing soda in the dishwasher.

My husband works in a garage so his clothes get pretty dirty as well as his skin.  The laundry soap gets out even the worst stains on his clothes.  I was wondering what I was going to do about cleaning the bathtub to get the grease off and genius Alicia told me to use Dawn dish soap with baking soda to scrub the bath tub.  It works absolutely amazing.  I also used that mixture to clean my kitchen sink and I have never seen it so shiny.

So now not only and I saving money I am also helping the environment and keeping my children from breathing harmful chemicals.  All these products work just as good if not even better than high priced and harmful cleaners.  I haven't bought bleach in over a month and I am quite proud of myself for quitting the bleach habit cold turkey.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I Love Scentsy!!!!

I love scentsy. If you do not know what this is you can visit my website here.  I have been using their products for a little over a year now.  If you know me, then you know that I am OBSESSED with candles and all things "smell good".  I have spent hundreds of dollars over the years in search of the perfect smelly thing for my home, car or whatever place I am occupying for a period of time.  I honestly have never found a product that I love more than scentsy.


There warmers are beautiful works of art in themselves. Here are just a few:



They have 80 different scents of wick less wax to warm in these lovely warmers.  There are also plug in warmers too to save counter space.  The plug ins are also wonderful for apartments or dorm rooms because they will really "smell up" a small space.  I have a plug in that is in my bathroom and fills the bathroom as well as my bedroom with luscious scent.

You can also choose from scent circles, travel tins, scent packs, room sprays,  and fragrance antibacterial foam for on the go goodness.


Scentsy also has products for the smallest family members in the form of a scentsy buddy that has a zip pouch to place a scent pak inside for wonderful scents to be released wherever your little one goes.




So, you see there are many wonderful products from scentsy.  I am now an independent consultant and would love for you to visit my site.  You can purchase products, host an online party ( earn free products), or even sign up to become a consultant yourself! 

Happy Smelling!


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I Have Three Sons

I have three sons.  I am not having any more children.  The third child was not an attempt to gamble with mother nature to "try" and have a girl.  I know people mean well and don't necessarily mean to offend me when they ask if we were trying to have a girl as if there is some magic way to hold your mouth or some words to recite that will result in procreating a female human.  It just gets annoying sometimes.  I am extremely thankful that God decided to bless me with three boys and wouldn't have it any other way.  I think that maybe saying I wanted a girl would be like saying I didn't want my son(s).  Would I like to have a girl and be able to do all the girly things, sure!  So, should we have had a fourth child and it turned out to be a girl, I would be elated, same as if it were another boy.  


If we could have financially afforded to have more children I may have given the Duggar's a run for their money in the baby having department.  However we do not have a live, flourishing money tree in our back yard  and I am getting old not as young as I once was :).  


I hope one day to be a wonderful mother-in-law to my son's future wives. But this is fair warning to those said future wives....I will have years of pent up frilly, girly, things to get out and you will be my outlet!!


So, with that being said. I love my boys and all too soon my house will go from being "boy filled" to being filled with men.  And as my husband laughingly says, "God knew I could only handle one woman".  Guess he was probably right!!
 
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