A sign from one of our previous visits greets us outside our mountain accommodations. This Summer, on our way to Canada, we stopped at my aunt and uncle’s home for a few days. They have just under 50 acres in the lower Sierra Nevada mountains and it’s relaxing and gorgeous up there. This beautiful lily grows on a vine and hangs upside down over the water. Their property runs along a creek of...
Our loft – the high ceiling extends across the living room – very bright and spacious! A big plus of our apartment is the loft, but it also poses a challenge. When my son started crawling, climbing and walking, we needed to figure out a way to childproof our loft. A baby gate at the top and bottom of the stairs prevented him from going up and down on his own and (potentially) falling...
The best thing you can do to optimize your WiFi is to put your router up high and unobstructed. [Nevermind the boxes – we’re moving!]WiFi is a serious issue in my home. With my sleep-crippling Netflix addiction (Orange is the New Black!), my husband’s obsessive compulsive email disorder, three teenagers (each with their own Internet fixations: Tumblr, Twitch and YouTube) and a toddler...
DIY soap dish hack with twigs, twine and saucer. This soap dish hack takes a thrifted china saucer and adds a handmade rustic wooden soap holder to keep the soap from getting gunky. I was using some candy dishes originally thrifted for my wedding reception as soap dishes, but they broke. You might argue that part of the reason I hack is because I’m ‘picky’…but I don’t...
Citric acid for many uses. This time in my series on the versatility of common household products…citric acid! Citric acid is a crystalline powder that is most often sold for use in cooking, cleaning, caning, and gardening. It is a low cost product and a little goes a long way. It can be used straight or mixed with water or other substances depending on its use. Citric acid for cleaning I’ve...
Alcohol Vinegar Tea Tree & Lavender Spray I like a clean house, but I don’t like harsh chemicals. I used to use whatever all-purpose disinfectant spray was cheapest. As I became more aware of the toxic effects of household cleaners, I started to phase them out of my home. Now, this alcohol vinegar tea tree & lavender spray is my main, multipurpose cleaning agent. This spray is a...
ANTS and baby powder. This morning I woke up to the word “ANTS” written in baby powder on the kitchen counter. This was after I woke up in a wet spot in my bed from a leaky diaper, or as we call it in our home a ‘pee bum.’ And, that was after I got up in the middle of the night to take care of a pee bum. Hello, Monday! Now that the diapers are in the wash, the sheets go...
Vinegar for cleaning. Notice the cut lemon, also for cleaning. Distilled white vinegar is a mixture of acetic acid and water. It’s cheap and effective for many uses. I use it to cook and clean in various ways. [Notice the cut lemon in the picture above, which is also useful for cleaning.] Vinegar for cleaning The most common way I use vinegar is mixed half and half with isopropyl rubbing...
A multi-purpose household product. This is the first post in what I hope to make a series of posts on the versatility of certain common household products. Baking soda is super versatile. I use it to bake cookies, clean my kitchen, scrub my face, and even alleviate heartburn. And, for most of the things I use it for, it’s the cheapest, easiest and most convenient way to get the job done....
Half a cut lemon rubbed on a dirty surface cleans it right up! I recently discovered that you can use lemons to clean. Unlike many other natural cleaning products, lemons are cheap and easy to find. They are also versatile and can be used on many surfaces without risk of damage. Cleaning with lemons is quick and easy. Simply cut a lemon in half and rub it on the surface you wish to clean. You can...