Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mommies and Money
I don't know about you, but I love finding way to save a few dollars here and there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a cheapskate, but I do LOVE to save money! I have two tips today for saving a little bit of cash and it has to do with diy home cleaners... ha!
My two favorite things for diy cleaning and quite frankly sanity savers sometimes: Vinegar and Baking Soda. Why? Because they are SO versatile, and live in almost every kitchen - if you don't have it, your neighbor probably does...
One use for vinegar is as a laundry softener - works great! Just add some to the water during wash or rinse and your laundry will be nice and soft without using dryer sheets or any other brand name softener.
Another nice attribute of vinegar is its aromatic properties.... lol! yes! Ignore the aroma you smell out of the bottle and add it to the water of your laundry to cut any mildew smells, urine, chlorine, sweat, anything! This stuff is fantastic for taking care of foul odors.
Baking soda is also good as a deodorizer. Sprinkle a little bit of baking soda in sweaty shoes before bedtime, into the garbage can, down the garbage disposal (I have poured vinegar, then sprinkled baking soda - sometimes added a bit of lime if I have one), and of course the fridge- anywhere that needs a little bit of extra help.
Baking soda may also be used to soak up spills. I'll give you a personal example: I spilled a full cup of coffee on my bedroom floor yesterday morning and couldn't find our carpet spray. After blotting the carpet with towels, I sprinkled baking soda all over the wet areas and by the time we were home from church, the coffee had been absorbed and all I had to do was vacuum up the baking soda! The only marks left on the carpet are the areas that didn't get baking soda. I love it!
There are many more uses to both of these products, including dishwashing and house cleaning. I'll fill you in on those another time. My son is calling.
So, the next time you need a clothes softener, a deodorizer, or an absorbent, look through your cupboards for your vinegar or baking soda! (By the way, both of these can be purchased bulk at your neighborhood box store - another way to save!)
My two favorite things for diy cleaning and quite frankly sanity savers sometimes: Vinegar and Baking Soda. Why? Because they are SO versatile, and live in almost every kitchen - if you don't have it, your neighbor probably does...
One use for vinegar is as a laundry softener - works great! Just add some to the water during wash or rinse and your laundry will be nice and soft without using dryer sheets or any other brand name softener.
Another nice attribute of vinegar is its aromatic properties.... lol! yes! Ignore the aroma you smell out of the bottle and add it to the water of your laundry to cut any mildew smells, urine, chlorine, sweat, anything! This stuff is fantastic for taking care of foul odors.
Baking soda is also good as a deodorizer. Sprinkle a little bit of baking soda in sweaty shoes before bedtime, into the garbage can, down the garbage disposal (I have poured vinegar, then sprinkled baking soda - sometimes added a bit of lime if I have one), and of course the fridge- anywhere that needs a little bit of extra help.
Baking soda may also be used to soak up spills. I'll give you a personal example: I spilled a full cup of coffee on my bedroom floor yesterday morning and couldn't find our carpet spray. After blotting the carpet with towels, I sprinkled baking soda all over the wet areas and by the time we were home from church, the coffee had been absorbed and all I had to do was vacuum up the baking soda! The only marks left on the carpet are the areas that didn't get baking soda. I love it!
There are many more uses to both of these products, including dishwashing and house cleaning. I'll fill you in on those another time. My son is calling.
So, the next time you need a clothes softener, a deodorizer, or an absorbent, look through your cupboards for your vinegar or baking soda! (By the way, both of these can be purchased bulk at your neighborhood box store - another way to save!)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Whew! time to breathe...
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| Rachel's necklace using washers and beads |
It's been a while since my last post, I have to write an update on everything going on!
I finally put the finishing touch of ribbon on the booties and delivered them to their new owner, baby Keely! they turned out very cute, if I do say so myself, although I didn't get a completed pic to share. Maybe I'll get one with her wearing them...
Audrey's boa scarf turned out well, and I think she liked her necklace and her purse - again, didn't get pics of everything, you'll have to take my word that they all turned out so cute!
I have finally figured out what was going on with the leg warmers! Two things: I was getting mixed up and knitting the wrong direction and I was forgetting to knit the alternate round! Once I figured out my mistakes, I whizzed right through the pattern and now the second leg warmer is half completed. wahoo! I guess I can cross that one off of my blog along list! Although, there is a second pair that I want to make that is already in my ravelry queue - I'll add that!
oh! and I found the easiest pattern ever for a stuffed toy! you basically just knit a square, then seam off the head, arms and legs, and stuff! adding whatever tail or ears are appropriate for the animal - the first I made was a bunny, all I have left to do is finish the ears and attach!
I've also started a pair of socks. I'm using two patterns, as the original pattern I found was too confusing, and the second pattern I found online to help me understand the first, is vague. Putting the two together, I think I can knit a simple pair of ankle socks! I'll keep you updated and post pics in my next blog.
So, my list for the blog-a-long (which I've kind of already started) consists of a few specific things I would like to make, and will choose the pattern along the way. What I want to make this year - not in order:
- socks
- baby booties - jelly beans
- baby maryjanes - ravelry pattern
- red and black striped hat for my older son - ravelry pattern
- hat for younger son
- scarf, headband and gloves combo (for Gramma)
- blanket for my older son (multiple patterns in different squares)
- a toy
- leg warmers
- sweater
- fingerless gloves
- shawl
- something lace-like (Larisa shawl or Just Heavenly shawl)
- bag or purse
- baby blanket
- gifts, gifts and more gifts
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