{Homemade Cleaner}

As Spring cleaning is in full swing around here, I wanted to share our super-thrifty homemade cleaning solution! My husband started making this about a year ago and it is hands-down the BEST surface cleaner I've used! From counter tops to mirrors and even to sticky residues that only come off with rubbing alcohol, this stuff is tough. For just pennies per bottle, it also saves us a bundle on cleaning supplies! And an added bonus to making your own cleaner, you can scent it according to your personal preference.

Happy cleaning!

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

1/2 tsp liquid laundry detergent or soap
3Tbsp vinegar
2 cups water
2-3 drops essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus (optional)

Heavenly Dreams

I just wanted to share this little tip with you today, in case you are looking for a fresh way to bring Spring to your home. I recently tried a version of it and was really pleased with the results.

To bring a lovely hint of lavender into your bedroom, simply launder your sheets with Meyers lavender detergent and then throw in a lavender sachet or two when you transfer them to the dryer. Voila! It's as simple as that and I bet you sleep like a baby!

I only included the lavender sachets when my sheets went in the dryer because I have a brand new bottle of the detergent we currently use and did not want to spend money on something I didn't need. The results were still a welcome hint of relaxation as my head hit the pillow, and I'm sure including step number one would only increase the luxurious aroma.

Happy Spring cleaning!

image/via

Crushing on Mrs. Meyers

A few weeks ago, desperately in need of hand soap and surface cleaner for the kitchen, I snagged a few of Mrs. Meyers products at Whole Foods. Familiar with the products, but a diehard fan of all things Method, I had never actually purchased any Mrs. Meyers goods. Boy was I missing out!

I've never had any complaints about my Method pink grapefruit cleaner, but the Lavender scented Mrs. Meyers is out-of-this-world aromatic. So much so that when Chris used the hand soap for the first time he couldn't get over how great it smelled. I am definitely hooked!

And a huge plus to these products, they are all natural, scented with essential oils and all liquid products are biodegradeable.

Happy cleaning!

image/southernstuf

Sick Me Out!

I am generally an extremely clean person. Though I must admit, I completely shocked myself when the other day during yoga class I realized I have never actually cleaned my yoga mat. This realization came to me as I was in what should be a relaxing child's pose and it hit me, "Hmm, my sweaty feet touch the same surface I am resting my forehead on." {Insert intense shudder!}

I immediately went searching for the best way to clean my mat and found it to be suprisingly simple! Thank goodness because I don't have time to mess around with timely cleaning techniques! It turns out yoga mats are machine washable, as long as they don't go through the spin cycle. Though for routine cleanings you can simply make a mixture of one part warm water and three parts gentle cleaner such as Woolite. After applying the solution to your mat, gently rub with a soft cloth or sponge, rinse and hang to dry. And voila, you've got a clean and appropriately sticky mat!

Needless to say, I will be making this a regular part of my yoga practice!

image/wellbeingdawn

Gratitude With Paninis

I am convinced that the best way to end a lovely weekend is with a lovely meal, which is exactly what we did:)

We got so much accomplished this weekend! Chris is well on his way to being finished with our table, our curtains are up, the fridge is full and spotless, laundry is done, Chris even cleaned the shower(my most dreaded chore!)and I am so ready for Rebecca to be here on FRIDAY!!

Because Chris has been working so very hard to get my projects done the last few weeks, I want him to know how much I appreciate him! One of the ways I do that is with good food, so last night I made paninis and a salad for dinner and topped it off with blueberry shortcakes:)It was delicious!




This is about the extent of what Abby accomplished all weekend...laying around:)



Hope you had a great weekend!

Merry Monday:)

A Nice LONG Weekend!

I just love when the weekend seems to keep going and going! I ended up getting off work at noon on Thursday! What a nice boss I have:) And I was off Friday!!

The last 2 1/2 days have been filled with cleaning and organizing every room, closet and crevice, painting, shopping for stuff for the apartment, fun with the family, great food (you know how I love great food!), making money from Craig's list (we finally sold our dining room table!), and of course, fireworks! I am so pleased with how the apartment is coming along! More to come on that tomorrow:)

Here's a peak into our weekend so far! Hope you had a lovely 4th!!

We're off to Ikea...again:)

Patience, Perseverance and Balance

Can you believe it is already Friday?! Hooray!

I think the Friday excitement gets my brain juices flowing because I have a lot on my mind today.

First of all, this whole 3 day work week is fantastic! I definitely could, I SHOULDN'T, but I could get used to this!

Secondly, I was cleaning the apartment last night...

Wait-let me insert something quickly. I cleaned before we left for Napa and somehow, being home one day, our house is a disaster! Seriously, did clowns invade the place?? Somebody explain to me how this happens! I am pretty sure it has to do with us being crazed and not able to unpack, but still, it is ridiculous!

Anyway, as I was cleaning and putting away birthday presents, it became quite clear to me that we have officially outgrown our apartment! I should clarify, we have outgrown the kitchen. It's not like we have a small place. It is 1100sf, but the kitchen is the only room that is comparatively small. It also happens to be the room I need the most space in! Figures:) I could also be getting very ansy to move into a house...

So we have offers on two houses and have been waiting for the bank to accept one of them forever!! We knew it would be like this, but I am getting so impatient! I want cabinet space and a big pantry:) Ahh! Patience...

I know that it will happen when it is suppose to, but I am not a very patient person:) You would think I would have learned to be. After all, Chris and I did get married on the week of our 5 year anniversary:)

On another note, my Dad has agreed to run the marathon with me in December! Yay, I am so excited to have someone to race with! Although this means that I can't wimp out. Not that I planned on it but, eek!

While we're on exercise, I want to share my current enthusiasm. As many of you know, I absolutely LOVE everything about fitness, nutrition and good health. After all, I did spend 4 years studying it:)

This last weekend was a reminder of balance. I am a firm believer in the importance of exercise and healthy meals, but throughout the last few years, I have also come to realize how important it is to enjoy food! I am a very goal-oriented person and can be very hard on myself, but while I believe being disciplined is a very important thing, finding a balance is equally important. While we were vacationing, Chris and I enjoyed some incredibly delicious and, well, "indulgent" food. But ask yourself, how fun would a trip to Napa be if you couldn't enjoy the delicious foods they have to offer (a good glass of wine or a wonderful cheese). The key is portions. I don't make it a normal practice to eat these things on a daily, or even weekly basis, but there is definitely a time and a place:) Just wanted to remind us all to enjoy life and savor every last moment(and incredible bite!).

Lastly, fitness has got me thinking about a person whom I greatly admire for his philosophy and incredible passion for health and balance. This person is Dr. Kenneth Cooper and he happens to be a phenomenal example of these things. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to intern at the Cooper Aerobics Center last year and see first hand what this means!
http://www.cooperaerobics.com/home.aspx

“Fitness is a journey, not a destination. It must be continued for the rest of your life.” Dr. Kenneth Cooper

“It is easier to maintain good health through proper exercise, diet, and emotional balance than to regain it once it is lost,” Dr. Kenneth Cooper

Wishing you love, happiness and good health always!

On Weekends...

Weekends truly are the necessary boost to get you through another week. While they are all marked with varying themes, each holds a possibility of rest and rejuvination.

This weekend was filled with some of my favorite components:) After an early run Saturday morning, my Mom and I were off for a half-day of coffee, shopping and catching up! Can it get better than that? After lunch at Pita Pit (mmm...) I met up with my Hunny.

We got a call from Emily's Mom earlier in the week asking if we would like to help with the wedding invites because Em and Mark were flying in from Chicago for the weekend! So the rest of the day was spent doing just that. We had so much fun and I was so happy to spend the afternoon catching up on wedding details with her. I must give kuddos to the guys because they were pros at the invites. In fact, they may have contributed more than we did! What can I say, we were busy chatting, though we did make a sandwich run for them:)

Sunday morning was brutal for us, as we got home late and lost an hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings! This is, in my opinion, the one and only negative thing about this season. Although I was pretty pleased when the sun was still shining in my kitchen at 7pm:)

Cleaning and laundry (7 loads to be exact!) took up most of the afternoon, but I am always relieved to have a few hours to catch up on these things. As a reward, we got frozen yogurt with Brad and Laura after dinner:)

I am now ready to begin a new week with a clean house and renewed energy!

I am trying to spread my enthusiasm at work today, so I brought some homemade apple spice muffins:) So far, it's working!

Happy Monday!

It sucks to be a Sickie!

So this afternoon I have finally come out of my sick coma, to find my house in utter disarray! Let me explain my dilemma. I have been sick since Monday. I hate being sick. You know the kind of sick where you feel like if you get out of bed, you might fall over from being so dizzy and never get back up? Yeah, I was that kind of sick. Yuck!!

I am very lucky to have a husband who is so gracious and nurturing and completely takes care of my every need while I am in this condition. The only thing is, he is not exactly blessed with a former girl scout's keen sense of leaving the kitchen, living room, den, etc. exactly the way he found it! It really doesn't bother me that much since I am clean-freak enough for the both of us. However, this morning I was finally able to get out of bed feeling decent and I walked into the kitchen to find dishes in the sink, a used pan on the stove, garbage overflowing, etc. Haha! Trust me, I don't mind cleaning up when Chris was so amazing to me while I was sick, I just find it very comical that all of the time I spend organizing and cleaning can be destroyed in matter of days! I pray we have lots of girls:)

On to other things. This past week was so jam packed with so much activity, I felt as if I hadn't blogged in 2 weeks, when in fact, it has only been a week! You all know Halloween was last Friday~Happy late Halloween by the way! I hope you all had a fabulous and eventful day/evening! We certainly did. We spent Thursday night doing the typical festivities: carving pumpkins and making caramel apples! It was a great, relaxing night, but the real fun started Friday.

My dad (step dad for all who aren't familiar with my family dynamics) turned 65 on Sunday! He kept saying he didn't want anything and didn't want to celebrate. Well, little did he know, we already had something planned! His daughter and granddaughter, who live in Oklahoma, flew in on Friday to spend the weekend with us! He was definitely surprised! We spent Halloween at my parent's having chili and cornbread...Yum! His party was on Sunday, but Chris and I spent most of the weekend there. It was so fun to be with my family and to top it off, it rained almost the entire weekend! Talk about a perfect Fall treat! The only bummer is my dad had a terrible cold on his birthday:( You can tell in this picture. Sad!
So,we have a new president. I think I will leave it to Chris to blog about this topic. He is far better at discussing these things and I don't know that I have the emotional energy to write about that right now. Though I will say, while Obama was not my choice for president, I will respect him and hope that he ends up doing some good for our country. We all know it needs some help!

Lastly, I am so very happy that it is November. First of all, I can officially start listening to Christmas music without being a total weirdo and secondly, our new Whole Foods opened this morning!! You don't understand, I am so ecstatic to finally have one five minutes from my house! Actually, there is one more reason I am glad it's November. We are leaving for a four day trip to Chicago next Thursday to visit my family! I can't wait to meet my new sister, Madeline!!

Lots to look forward to! Stay warm and check out Diana Krall's Christmas CD! I am also totally hooked on Hot Apple Cider Tea by Republic of Tea!!

Lots of love,
Kate