New Year’s Resolutions and a cleaning revelation…

Cleaning first…

I was approached by CSN stores to promote their online store and review a product. Because the link they wanted me to provide tied in nicely with what I wanted to say I agreed. (Remember the B.A.T. post? And FYI I have that dresser set up and ready to be prepped for paint…did that yesterday.) Well I picked out a couple things (I had two gift-certificates).

         

OK – here is what I have to say…nothing takes the place of getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing the floor. I think we can all agree on this. BUT the steam mop is awesome! I can clean all my hard floors in record time and they are very clean. They say the steam also sanitizes and with pets and kids I like this. It doesn’t get into all the corners or edges very well but I’ve solved that problem by using my homemade cleaning wipes and wiping those areas by hand…or foot.

Homemade Cleaning Wipes

• Cut a roll of paper towels in half
• Put one half in a container that has a lid (I use a plastic coffee can).
• Pour in about a half a cup (or a few glugs) of your favorite all-purpose cleaner (I used Mr.Clean this time).
• Add a cup and a half or so of water and put the lid on the container and let it sit on the counter.
• Pull out the cardboard tube, put the lid back on and turn the container upside-down.
• In a half hour or so open the container and pull out a paper towel from the middle and wipe down whatever needs to be wiped! Easy peasy! (And makes it easier for the kids to help!)
• If the wipes are too wet let it sit with the lid off for a little while, if too dry add more water. You can adjust the amount of cleaner to suite you.

The Scotch Brite floor sweeper has a purpose too. Let’s pretend you just vacuumed the carpet and your somebody ripped out a dozen pages from a notebook, and you don’t want to drag the vacuum back out.  All those little pieces of paper are easily picked up with a couple pushes with this sweeper. Or you spilled something in the kitchen like potting soil…again, a couple passes with this and it’s all gone! I let it sit by my garbage can in the kitchen and it is always “right there”. It’s also cute enough that it doesn’t bother me. I was disappointed that it doesn’t pick up dog hair. I have a rug under my kitchen table that the dogs like to lounge on and it mostly just balls the hair up. To be fair I had read about this in the reviews, so it wasn’t a surprise.

On of my favorite cleaning tools is my Orek Electric Broom with detachable “dust buster”. I got it at a garage sale this summer for about $2.00. It was missing a filter and a charger. It was a gamble and I got lucky…Julie had a charger that would work and I taped up a couple layers of a used dryer sheet to make a filter. I looooove the dust buster handheld thingy. I don’t think I will ever live without one of these handy cleaning tools again. I use it to vacuum the steps and corners in the kitchen. I’ve even used it to vacuum my counter tops when I spilled oatmeal.

OK, the revelation part is that having clean floors makes the whole house seem cleaner! Maybe the rest of you already knew this but I didn’t. The floors were my least favorite job and I would procrastinate until I couldn’t anymore. Now I can keep up with them in no time and the whole house seems cleaner…and it’s easy!

New Year’s Resolution

I’ve been pretty successful with my resolutions in the past. Last year I vowed to “touch everything in this house and put it where it belongs”. I did that…it just didn’t stay there! I’ve realized that this will be ongoing…especially while I still have children living with me. This year I am going to fix up my bedroom. Sounds easy but it is quite the project. I need to:

• Caulk where the ceiling meets the walls.
• Sand down lumps in the ceiling where the previous owners did a bad taping job.
• Add baseboard.
• Add trim around my closet door.
• Come up with a color scheme.
• I have unfinished wood floors in there that need something…
• Paint the walls.
• Paint the ceiling.
• I would LOVE a new ceiling fan.
• Make a headboard.
• Make a dust ruffle

Well, you get the idea. And I want to do it all for next to nothing… cause I’m cheap thrifty! I’ve decided to tackle this room because we’ve lived here for over a decade and I’ve done nothing to it…and it is a room you can see when the door is left open. It’s embarrassing. And I’ve been spending more time in there over the past year or so cause it is a relatively quiet and comfortable place to read or watch TV when chaos (teenagers) is happening in the living room. Wish me luck.

I also want to find a shirt pattern that fits me and make shirts…this resolution scares me more than the bedroom…

Happy Crafting!!! (and cleaning)

What does tidy mean to you?

I’ve been wrestling with this one for a while. A few weeks ago someone who had never been in my house before called to say she’d be over in about 10 minutes. I calmly said “OK – sounds great!” and then I FREAKED!!! My house was NOT looking presentable. This was for a number of reasons…I have three kids, their friends, two dogs, a husband, a crafting addiction, and at that time a pretty busy schedule. I ran around and threw stuff behind any closed door that wasn’t already bursting at the seams. After my friend left I asked myself how I could keep that from happening again. What does tidy mean to me? Not perfect…tidy. I decided the kitchen floor had to be swept every day. The counters have to be wiped off after breakfast and making school lunches, and the kitchen table wiped down…RIGHT AWAY! We have a peninsula counter in our kitchen that is a magnet for all sorts of weird things…especially crafts. The various blankets and pillows have to be stashed from the couch, and the garbage can’t be overflowing. The shoes must be lined up neatly in the front entry and the jackets hung up.  Wet stuff (we have lots of snow) go onto the drying rack over the heating vent…not the floor. And I suppose I should swab out the bathroom as long as I’m trying to make new habits. And I’m trying to make the kids develop new habits too. That is harder on me than just doing it myself. I have to remind them constantly. I hope they start to hang their jackets automatically before I start to sound like a naggy nag.

In other news I’ve needle felted a bit -

and this little guy isn’t done yet but here’s a preview:

I also took apart my dishwasher and took this part off and cleaned it and put it back on. It’s a flow regulator thingy. (I always take pictures when I’m taking something apart so I can get back together correctly!) My dishwasher works like a brand new machine again! It was clogged with calcium! I just googled “my dishwasher doesn’t get my dishes clean” to get tips and how-to’s on what to do.

And, we decorated for Christmas! All done!!! Have a great weekend and Happy Crafting!!

Are you smarter than my husband?

This is what I’m currently working on:

Can you tell what it is? I’ll give you a hint – it’s backed by plastic canvas. I’ll let you in on the secret when I finish. When I showed this to hubbie he got the most confused look on his face!!! hehe. This is an idea that has been brewing in my head for a long, long time. Now I just can’t wait to finish!

In other crafty news yesterday the kids and I went to Julie’s end of the summer party and had a blast! You can read more about it here. Here is a picture of one thing I made at the party:

And last but not least I’m going to give you a cleaning tip. I am just too cheap to buy those disposable wipes like the Clorox wipes. So, I’ve started making my own. Here’s how:

1. Cut a roll of good paper towels in half. (An electric bread knife makes it EASY – otherwise use a serrated knife.)
2. Put one half away for next time and the other half into a close-fitting container with a lid. A Folgers's coffee container is perfect!
3. Add about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of your favorite all purpose cleaner.
4. Add about 1 cup of water.
5. Let it sit until the paper towels have soaked up all the liquid and remove the cardboard core from the paper towels and discard it.
6. You now pull them out from the center and clean, clean, clean!!!

I’ve been using mine for several weeks and LOVE them. Since it takes hot water so long to reach my kitchen sink these are just the thing to wipe down the counters. It’s a great way to get the kids to clean too. Just say “Take a wipe and wipe down the table”…etc…

Happy Crafting!!

Updated updates…

First thing I’d like to direct you to an awesome jewelry site that my friend Ona has! It’s called 2nd Street Glass! I am so jealous…she has a kiln and makes beautiful jewelry! Look:

Isn’t that pretty! I have kept in contact with only TWO friends from high school.  My husband…and Ona. She’s that awesome! I only wish we lived closer…Ona is the person who got me started papercutting! I’d have to thank Ona for starting me stamping too. I remember she came over when we lived closer and we stamped and colored like little kids. Since then we’ve both moved and have kept in contact via snail mail! I always look forward to her letters – which have been coming to my mailbox for about TEN YEARS now.  I just know we’d be playing with glass if I lived closer…sigh. You really should go check out her pretties…this pendant is only $20.00! Come on and give me some comment love so I can send it to Ona – she deserves it!

Now, remember this?

Well, now it is like this:

Isn’t that just an awful picture?! I had to use the flash…sorry. You can see the chair on the right is a little further along. I tied all the springs and then covered them with carpet. Yup – carpet. Carmen said I needed something stiff on there so the foam didn’t push through the springs…by gosh she was right!!! I happened to have some carpet left over from when we redid the boys rooms about 4 years ago...cause I hoard stuff like that…The walls have been caulked and patched and I’ve primed over those areas a few times. We also were gifted some wood laminate flooring that will go in here if there is enough left after doing the front entry. There should be plenty. There is still a long way to go in this room, but at least it is functional now. I seem to be having a hard time starting new crafting projects. I think I now know why…I don’t want to start…you know: find the right fabric, find the right thread, find the right pattern or figure out the pattern, find the paint, find the brushes, find the right paper… I think I’m going to start getting the “supplies” ready a day ahead of time. Like the night before I want to do something I go and at least start getting all that together. I’ll let you know how that goes hehe! Until Wednesday…Happy Crafting!!

Covered Jar Lids

I’ve started cleaning and it isn’t pretty. I tackled my closet and bedroom yesterday and spent hours cleaning and sorting – and I still have hours left. Good news is that I found the winter boots I bought my daughter a couple years ago! Really. Yes, it was messy – but the biggest problem is that I just haven’t gone through things for so long - the boots were in their original box – and I thought something else was being stored in it! You know – when you live with something for so long you quit seeing it? Well, it is time to look at everything!  But since it isn’t the first of the year yet I figured I can still clean in a haphazard way. One thing I’ve done is cover some jar lids. Click on that to get to a great tutorial by Folding Trees.

I’m sure she mentions this but make sure you use a thinner paper – double sided card stock just won’t cut it. I hope you have a great day and Happy Cleaning!

Tired

Are you tired? I sure am! Christmas was a lot of fun and not really over for us yet. Because of the snowstorm we had we never made it to our families homes yet. I don't know when that is going to happen. Next weekend is, of course, New Year's. We always have a party with an open invitation to family and friends to join us. Some years we have had quite a houseful and other years it's been pretty quiet - but we are always together. We play some games and eat a LOT of snacks!

Have you any New Year's Resolution ideas yet? I do. Last year I promised myself that I'd craft at least a little something every day. Even if it was just to draw a heart or a star or something. I really felt like pushing myself - no excuses. I've always felt that I've just never lived up to my full potential ya know? And maybe I never will - that's OK - it's the learning and the practicing on the way to my full potential that gets me all fired up! So I'll probably make the same promise to myself. I did keep the promise last year except for one day - my sister and her three boys came to visit and after they left I was - Just. Too. Tired. She has her hands full - they visited last night and by the time they left the youngest ate an ornament off the Christmas tree and the Christmas tree was on the floor. Really, I thought it was just very funny - cause I was expecting something to happen - and nobody got hurt and nothing got broken - so the humor could come through - guess you had to be there.

The other promise I want to make to myself is to touch every single thing in this house and put it where it belongs. The more I think about this the more scared I get. It's a good thing I have an entire year. I think it'll take that long at least! This means I have to find a "home" for everything. Get all the tablecloths together and give them a permanent home - that kind of thing. Pray for me - I need all the help I can get. I'll still be crafting - cause I just have to - and I plan to sew and make different things for storage etc... we'll see. It's going to be quite the journey!

Happy crafting! Have a great day!!

Clean your machine!!!

Let this be a warning to all of you – clean your sewing machine!!! Take a look -

Oh I know – OMG!!! This isn’t my new sewing machine – this is my original machine. I’m ashamed to say I never cleaned it properly. Oh sure I blew the dust out and ran the little brush thingy around but I never took off the throat plate and really got in there. Look closer at this -

Do you see all the crap fuzz in those feed dogs?! That is how I knew something was up. I was sewing my little draw string bags on my new machine and some of them got quite small. I couldn’t top stitch around the top because the machine was too big. Got the bright idea to try my old machine. Bingo! Just the right size. Then I wondered why the feed dogs weren’t pulling the fabric through. Even though I felt I didn’t have the time I decided to dig into the machine and give it a good cleaning. Geez. Should have thought of that a few years ago! The feed dogs were packed with fuzz. Once I pried it out and cleaned the rest up until it was fuzz free I tried to sew again. The machine works like it was/is brand new. I have to say that if that machine can take that kind of abuse and keep working it has to be a pretty good machine. It is a Brother Pacesetter by the way. I think it was $199.00 - on sale - about 5 years ago?

Here are a couple links to get you started on your cleaning -

http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/a/machinemaintain.htm

http://craftnectar.com/2009/03/09/spring-cleaning-for-your-sewing-machine/

By the way – I will be adding this cleaning task to the master cleaning list. I think seasonally. I’ll try to clean them more often – but at least I know it will get done seasonally! Good luck!

Lists, Lists, Lists!!!

Do you remember way back when I said lets make a cleaning list? Well, I’ve made a series of lists because sometimes the job of keeping a clean house can be overwhelming. If I make a list and check off chores as I do them I can be assured that these things get done at least four times a year. Do I stress out about getting everything done in a day? NO! Just take your time and go one chore/list/or room at a time. Some of this gets done more than seasonally – but sometimes life gets in the way -

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Cleaning List

Clean under and behind:

• Stove
• Fridge
• Dressers
• Range Hood
• Furniture
• Appliances on the counter (like the microwave)

Clean out (REALLY WELL)

• Fridge
• Freezer
• Pantry
• Shed
• Sewing Machines

Wash

• Windows
• Curtains
• Top bed blankets (You know like that special quilt that you don’t wash too often)

Wipe down

• Knickknacks
• Seldom used kitchen appliances stored in the basement
• Light fixtures
• Fronts of kitchen cabinets

Oil the woodwork

• Door frames (Especially wipe the tops – yuck!)
• Window frames (ditto)
• Shelves
• Furniture

Vacuum/ShopVac

• All parts of the couch Holy Cow! I just did this and it HAS to be on the weekly list instead! Ick!
• Basement floor
• Basement ceiling
• Steps to the upstairs
• Mattresses
• Under the beds

Sort and purge

• Last season’s clothes (Hint: we put all our clothes on hangers – I always put the clean clothes on the left with the hangers turned around at the beginning of the season – as laundry gets done I hang them back up only on the left - so at the end of the season if the hangers on the right are still turned around we didn’t wear those clothes – if it isn’t because it was too big for them/you donate it!)
• Tupperware and lids
• Kids toys (Do kids even play with toys anymore?)

Just Fall

• Rake and cover flower beds (with pine needles in my case)
• Get out winter blankets (I cleaned them last spring so maybe I just air them on the close line for a day)
• Locate winter wear and check it’s condition
• Empty and store flower pots
• Clean carpets

Just Spring

• Rake and uncover flower beds
• Wash and put away winter wear purge outgrown/destroyed snowpants (Yippeeee!!)
• Get dirt and start planting the planters!

Daily Chores

• Sweep
• Laundry
• Dishes
• Vacuum (yes, I do this almost every day)

Weekly Chores

• Clean bathroom
• Vacuum all parts of the couch
• Wash sheets
• Wash floors
• Dust (Just run a microfiber cloth over everything)
• Wash pet bedding (My 8 year old does this chore!)
• Wash living room blankets (We use these every day – like to cuddle up – again, the kids wash these.)
• Wipe ceiling fans

Monthly Chores

• Change the furnace filter
• Clean bathroom venting fan

NOTE: The type in blue has been updated since the original post.

And for crying out loud! Get the kids involved! Why did you have them? So you could wait on them hand and foot? NO! You’re trying to raise self-sufficient adults here. I used to think it was my job to do all the cleaning cause I’m the mom. And a stay-at-home mom at that. And it is usually EASIER to do it myself. Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t doing my kids any favors – how were they going to cope without knowing how to even run a washing machine? It starts with you teaching them how to do this stuff. Bonus: if they have to clean it they are less likely to make such a mess in the first place. My daughter uses way less towels in the morning cause she has to fold them and put them away now. Sneaky - I know!!

If you’ve gotten this far you must like lists as much as I do. Or you’re shaking your head wondering what this crazy woman is going to do next. hehe!! Well, I’ll be updating this list as things occur to me. Ahhh, I can sleep. A master list that’s in one spot that I can tweak… at last!!

Cleaning Schedule

Remember a while back I mentioned a cleaning schedule? Well, what I had in mind was a daily schedule. That’s not going to work right now. Life just gets in the way too often. So, I’m working on a seasonal cleaning schedule instead. I think we’ve all been conditioned to do our “spring cleaning” – but I find I do just as much, if not more, fall cleaning. Maybe it is in anticipation of being cooped up in the house for the winter. Maybe it is the cool weather that is more energizing. Anyways, this is what is on my list so far:

• Clean the grill
• Wash the windows
• Clean and sort out the shed
• Clean and detail the vehicles
• Rake the yard
• Clean under the fridge
• Purge summer clothes
• Turn the compost
• Clean the dishwasher

I’m sure my list will get longer and longer. What do you do for fall cleaning? Am I missing anything? I have little notes and reminders to myself all over the place – help!

Have a good weekend!!!

Great Tips and Tricks

I’ve always loved the idea of using “natural” cleaners – or better yet – make cleaners from things you already have in the house! I have been collecting different web sites into my favorites file and thought I’d share them with you.

Tips for using peroxide I haven’t done much with this – but can’t wait to try!! Cheap and easy my friend.

Apple Cider Vinegar I can testify to one use in particular – it gets rid of warts! My son had a wart on his finger and we took him to the doctor to have it removed. Cost – around $75.00. It didn’t go away. Then we purchased Dr.Scholl’s wart remover – it didn’t go away. Cost – somewhere around $8.00? Then we purchased a home freeze-off kit. Tried it numerous times and it didn’t go away. Cost – around $15.00? Soaked a bit of a cotton ball in cider vinegar – placed it on the wart – covered with a band aid and changed it every night. If it fell off during the day it wasn’t a big deal. With in a couple days the wart turned black and a couple days later it was gone! Sorry if this makes some of you nauseous but if you are dealing with a persistent wart you’ll understand how miraculous this is!!

Fels Naptha Soap Speaking of this – my friend, Carmen, made me a batch of laundry soap using this. It works just great! remember there are three boys and three dogs in my house. I can really testify that the laundry soap works. Also, it brings the price for detergent to about .03 cents a load!! And, as a side note – my son is highly allergic to poison ivy, I was pleased to see that this will take the poison ivy oils out of his clothes. I didn’t know that the oils can stay on his clothes for up to a year. No wonder he’d get random break-outs with no apparent cause!

60 uses for baking soda My favorite tip that I’ve used for years and years is to make a baking soda paste and let it sit on a stain on the counter for a while. (Kool aid just doesn’t wipe up with a damp cloth.) Anyways, after sitting there for a few hours the stain just wipes up. Magic!

White vinegar tips I like boiling this in the microwave – makes clean-up a breeze and gets rid of funny smells. Did you know that if you accidently reheat a chicken in there for a looooooong time it turns into something resembling black tar? OMG – that was nasty!

All these sites provide valuable information – and can help us keep our house clean and deodorized without spending a fortune! Oh-yes, I also like to visit tipnut.com – they have so many tips and tricks it makes my head spin!

Now, for you enjoyment I’m showing you a little video I’ve prepared using the pictures from my miniatures. Dumb and short – but amusing. I only spent minutes making this – because I didn’t even know my computer had this program. Anyways, enjoy!

Paper towel alternatives

I’m trying to use less paper towels. Those things are getting expensive!! And while some messes can only be cleaned up with a paper towel – lots of others can be cleaned up with a reusable cloth. I’m finding I’m happy with these Mr. Clean towels. They’ve held up well in the wash and dry really fast. I also got a Sham Wow! and wasn’t impressed until after I’d washed it. Then it started to work really well. By the way, you can sign up for a couple free Sham Wows here! Because you shouldn’t put any of these kinds of towels in the dryer I made up a few mesh bags. Got the mesh and zippers at the thrift store and used scraps of fabric to reinforce the sides. Now I just put the days wipe up towel in the mesh bag and launder it with the regular laundry. Having it in the mesh bag helps me to find it when I take it out of the washer!

Happy cleaning!!

Cleaning schedule for today -

Have you washed your window screens yet this year? WOW does it make a difference!! Just remove the screen (do I have to say that?) get a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush and brush them down (outside lol) - then hose off and let dry. Easy peasy. While I was at it I washed the outside of the windows on the side of the house that was in the shade. Then you can sit back, relax, and check that chore off your list!!

Cleaning Yuck

NOTE: Because the before picture was so disgusting my mom made me take it off the blog. It will however be available by request. Yup, 37 years old and my mom can still tell me what to do. Moms have power - must use it wisely!

I really can't believe that I'm going to show you these pictures - but if it can save anyone from making the same mistake I did - well. . . let me just say that if you have a weak stomach you should leave this page now. I. Am. Not. Kidding. !

Where to start. . . from time to time when I call my friend Julie and ask what she's doing she'll say she's cleaning her dishwasher. I kinda knew what she meant but never really went into details. Then my sister was over and saw the inside of my dishwasher and she said that she takes hers apart and cleans it. Hmmm. . . THEN I was reading Good Housekeeping I think it was and Heloise said she does a yearly clean on her dishwasher. Do ya think I should have gotten the message a long time ago! Nope. Then I was reading a blog and the author said she cleans the gunk from her dishwasher once a year or so. How long have I had my dishwasher? Well let's see, we've lived here NINE AND A HALF YEARS!! And I've NEVER taken it apart to clean it!!! It came with the house so who knows how long it's gone on like this! Sometimes my ignorance astounds me. I had noticed that it wasn't doing as good of a job as it used to. . . well, I decided to tackle the problem. Oh boy - remember when your kids would puke and you'd have to shut off your brain to clean up the mess. Well, yes, it was that bad. I just had to turn off my brain and go into auto-pilot. The only reason I'm showing you a before picture is because there is an equally amazing after picture. Only they are amazing for different reasons - ha ha! See that layer of black cruddy scum that is about 2 inches thick? That isn't supposed to be there! It was actually almost covering the grate where the water drains out of the dishwasher - I think. I almost thought the black crud was some sort of filter at first. In the after picture you will see the sparkly white thingy - well the disgusting black, cruddy, slimy and revolting thing was underneath it. shudder. You can bet your booty that I'll be putting this on the yearly cleaning list. It would be more often than that but to get everything apart I had to take out about 6 screws that were positioned in awkward places. Kinda like working under the sink.

The disgusting BEFORE picture -

And the amazing AFTER picture!

I almost hate to say that this is just one area of the dishwasher - when you do clean yours (and how can you not after seeing this?) unscrew everything you can and scrub - scrub - scrub! Just make sure you take pictures so you know how it all goes back together again!