Clutter Busting Challenge-Week 4

Week 4 of the Clutter Busting Challenge!!!

Monday May 20th: 4 long sleeved shirts & 4 camis that I plan to sell at a garage sale or donate

Tuesday May 21st: Several maternity items going back into storage



 

Thursday May 23rd: 3 items of clothing I want to sell/donate & 4 things to throw away!

Friday May 24th: Junk from Cora's room

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Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: Looks great!




















On my reading pile::: "For Women Only"

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - BBQ chicken pizza on the grill
Tuesday Asian chicken salad
Wednesday - Dinner w our small group. I am taking Ham & Swiss sliders!
Thursday - Beef enchiladas from the freezer

Today's To Do list:::

• Laundry
• Pay bills
• Continue decluttering
• Work in yard if its not too wet from the Thunderstorm overnight

My "project" of the week Month::: Our master bedroom. I cleaned my closet last week & decluttered. I would really like a make-up/hair table in my room. But not sure where to get one? We'll see-it might take awhile for me to find the right one!

What I plan to cook for my freezer::: I made Swedish meatballs on Sunday for the freezer

Looking around the house:::  I'm writing this later today than normal. So both girls are awake. Mae is watching cartoons & Evie is in my lap bc that's her favorite place to be ;) The thunder storms seemed to have passed.

Highlight of the past weekend::: Getting things done in the yard on Sunday

Looking forward to this week::: Thursday- getting pedis w friends

Bible verse, Devotional::: From Probverbs 31 daily devotional-
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
Dear Jesus, forgive me for being quick to judge and assume the worst about the man in my life. Please teach me to slow down and listen to him, and [if married] to trust in his love. In Your Name, Amen.

From the camera:::


MaeMae helping us in the yard :)



Evie girl is getting so big!

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
2 c. broccoli, chopped
1 c. quinoa
2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese
1/4- 1/3 c. sour cream

-In a large sauce pan combine: broccoli, quinoa, broth, garlic & S&P.
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes w/o lifting the lid.
-Stir in cheddar cheese & sour cream.

 

 

 

I grilled chicken breasts & served along side of this. You could always cube/shred chicken and throw it in when  you add the cheese & sour cream. We all really liked this quick, light dinner.

 

Warning: The broccoli gets quite soft. I normally wouldn't cook it this way but it was quicker & saved me a dish to wash. Plus, Cora will only eat broccoli if it's soft.

Clutter Busting Challenge- Week 3

Week 3 of Money Saving Mom's Clutter Busting Challenge. This week I was organizing my room. Sadly, I easily found items to throw away. My room feels so much lighter. I wish I had taken the time to do this a long time ago! I don't know why I let these old items stick around so long!

Monday May 13th: 10 old Tshirts & 1 pair of pants

Tuesday May 14th: Old, clumpy  nail polish

Wednesday May 15th: 5 purses

Thursday May 16th: 15 camis, 2 long sleeved shirts, 2 pairs of slipper & 1 pair of shoes

Friday May 17th: Finishing up my bedroom= 3 books that are just going back into boxes for future use, 2 bracelets, 1 Olive Garden pin, a ring box & deodorant I didn't like!

Pinterest Projects- 45 Uses for Vinegar Part 2

I recently found a site via Pinterest w/ 45 home uses for vinegar! LOVED it. Be sure to read my "Part 1" post here.

Vinegar Failures: Here are 3 uses of vinegar that DID NOT work for me. I thought it would be just as useful to see my failures. Let me know if these worked for you. Maybe I was doing something wrong?
6. Tidy up a toilet Pour a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar into the bowl. Let sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with a toilet brush and flush.
I'll spare you a picture of my toilet but trust me this did not work for mine. ;)
13. Banish weeds. Pour white distilled vinegar on the weeds growing in the cracks of your walkway and driveway. Saturate the plant so the vinegar reaches the roots. I saturated some dandelion weeds that were growing in my mulched area. It didn't seem to do much- just a little bit of burnt/dead area. But it didn't kill it completely so it was still hard to pull. So in my opinion it was just a waste of vinegar b/c I used a lot!!!
43. Unclog drains. For a natural, nontoxic way to clean clogged pipes, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar, down the drain. Let the products bubble and foam, then flush the pipes with a pot of boiling water.
My shower drain was clogged so I tried this method. I saw no improvement at all! So I had to pull out the Drano- which did the trick. I want to try this on a different drain that may not be as clogged.


41. Restore showerhead pressure. If your showerhead gets clogged with mineral deposits, soak it for 15 minutes in a mixture of ½ cup vinegar and 1 quart water.

Before=Ewww

After= So much better!
 I did add some baking soda so the vinegar solution would fizz- that seemed to help.

4. Kill bathroom germs. Spray full-strength vinegar around the sink and tub. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.                                

When I was reading up on vinegar I learned that it is antibacterial! So I made a squirt bottle to keep in the bathroom for when a certain lil girl "misses" when going potty!

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather:::



















On my reading pile::: "For Women Only" & 1 John

On the menu for this week::: I have No idea- Better get working on this...
Monday -
Tuesday -
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday -
Saturday -
Sunday -

Today's To Do list:::

• Laundry
• Pay bills
• Grocery store...can we make it one more day? I really don't want to go today...

My "project" of the week Month::: Our master bedroom. This week I plan to organize my closet.

Cooking for my freezer::: I'm not sure- maybe more mini muffins for Cora or individual meals for Ken's lunches.

Looking around the house::: Quite. Chilly. Lots of laundry, which is the norm when we are gone all weekend.

Highlight of the past weekend::: We had a great weekend in Valpo.
Friday I went w mom & my mother in law to dinner & opera house for a Mother's Day event. Saturday Ken & I went to 157 to celebrate our anniversary :)

Looking forward to this week::: Warm weather returning! Walks, trips to the park & working in the yard!

Bible verse, Devotional::: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

From the camera:::

Today we celebrate 7 blissful years of marriage! So blessed!

Clutter Busting Challenge- Week 2

So far I am NOT having any problems finding 7 things to throw away every day! Love this challenge.




Monday May 5: Bathroom Drawers= Old travel bag, foot scrubber, Toilet paper holder, old make up, broken bracelet & Olive Garden name pins. Uh, haven't worked there for 3 years why did I still have those???



Tuesday May 7: Bathroom drawers= gummy cough drops, shoe inserts, old razor, make-up sponges, bath salts & old lotions & room spray.



Wednesday May 8: Bathroom= Gross bath toys, old razor charger & razors, after shave that Ken didn't like & miscellaneous things from my make-up drawer.



Thursday May 9: Living room= Diapers that Cora puts on her babies, 2 trinkets she never plays with & old magazines & phone book.



Friday May 9: Cora's room: 8 items she doesn't play with!

Pinterest Projects-45 Uses for Vinegar Part 1

I recently found this site  via Pinterest w/ 45 home uses for vinegar! LOVED it. I have since tried a few of the uses & plan to try more in the future:::

 38. Clean the dishwasher and coffee pot. Reduce soap buildup and food residue by pouring a cup of vinegar into your empty dishwasher or coffee pot once a month and letting it run a full cycle. My mother-in-law told me this years ago when my coffee pot stopped working. I tried it & it fixed the problem. I do not do it once a month and this reminded me it has been awhile. So I ran vinegar through my coffee pot!
    
23. Steam away a microwave mess. Fill a small bowl with equal parts hot water and vinegar, and place it in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. As the steam fills the microwave, it loosens the mess, making clean up a breeze.   


OMG- So embarrassed to show you this!  But Hey, let's just blame the newborn I have. She hasn't allowed me time to wipe out my microwave?

I used a Pyrex bowl w/ equal parts vinegar & water. Cooked it for 3 minutes & wiped out. All the gunk came off so easily! Looks great, Right?

9. Wipe off a dirty faucet. To get rid of lime buildup, make a paste of 1 teaspoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Apply to sink fixtures and rub with a cloth.

Embarrassed again :/ I admit I have tried & tried to get my sick clean. I wipe it down daily from hairs, tooth paste etc. But I can never get the brownish stain out. (My mom actually got it really clean when she was here w/ Commet. But I ran out & didn't want to buy more) I tried just Vinegar & Salt but that didn't seem to do the trick. So I then added baking soda & let it sit & bubble for about 5 minutes. I scrubbed really hard & rinsed w/ warm water.....



Another Before picture

Best part? Cora could help me! When I use chemicals to clean I don't even allow her in the bathroom. She loved helping me!

Turned out great!

Sparkling!!!!

       26. Rinse fruits and vegetables. Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to one pint water. Use the mixture to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly. The solution kills more pesticide residue

Just so happened I got strawberries super cheap a few days ago & hadn't gotten them washed yet. So I tried this tip! Cora was again helping me & she was worried the strawberries would taste sour. (B/c she smelled the vinegar & saw me put it on the berries)

But they passed her taste test. "Not sour, Mommy!"



I didn't see this particular idea on the list. It came to me as I was reading up on vinegar. B/c I do not have a dishwasher it's hard to get Cora's sippy cups clean. I usually soak them in dish soap. But this time I tried hot water & vinegar. To no surprise- it worked awesome! :)

Happy Homemaker Monday

The Weather::: Looks perfect!




















On my reading pile::: "For Women Only"

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Nachos
Tuesday - Chicken crescents & green beans
Wednesday - Not sure yet!
Thursday - I'm out of town so Ken is on his own!

Today's To Do list:::

• Meeting at church
• Weed flower bed
• Laundry

My "project" of the week Month::: May= Our master bedroom
Ken put in a ceiling fan, I got new bedding, moved Ev's changing table & cradle out. I also moved all the furniture around & vacuumed all the dust bunnies w/ my new awesome vacuum.
I still need to organize my closet & set up something to do my hair & make up in our room.

What I plan to cook for my freezer::: Last week I meant to do mini muffins for Cora but made cookie dough & Chicken enchiladas instead. So hopefully this week I'll get some mini muffins made!

Looking around the house::: I was up at 5:30 & Cora at 6, Evie is still sleeping. My house looks great.

Highlight of the past weekend::: Taking a 3.65 mile walk on Sunday w/ the whole family, even Bailey :) It is a beautiful walk up on the river bluff. We walked 1.8 miles, stopped at a park so Cora could play & then walked home.

Looking forward to this week::: My mom coming for a quick visit, hearing my friend speak at "Listen to your Mother" & Ken & I have an anniversary date planned for Saturday evening! :) I am going to have a blessed week!

Bible verse, Devotional::: From yesterday's service: "God doesn't want 10% of your money- He wants 100% of your heart."

From the camera::: I learned a new way to wear Evie after she really started disliking the old way. I guess she's getting older & wants to see the world around her ;)

Pinterest Projects~ Mother's Day Craft

On Friday we attempted this Mother's Day craft. It was a lot of fun. Cora & her friend Kyleigh, whom I was watching for the day, really enjoyed this one :)  Messy finger paint & stickers? How could I go wrong?

I sure hope Grandma Stoney doesn't see this post & see her Mother's Day present from MM ;)

Clutter Busting Challenge- Week 1

Money Saving Mom is doing a series called "Clutter Busting Challenge". Each week day in May she is encouraging her readers to find at least 7 things to throw away, donate, sell, recycle etc. Initially, I thought "Oh man, I just went through the house looking for things to sell at the garage sale. I'll never find 7 things everyday!!!"
But then I realized that is why this is called a "Challenge". So every day in May I hope to find 7 things to Get Ride Of! Most items I'll be throwing away!  Instead of posting every day I plan on posting a recap of the week on Fridays!
Here goes Week 1:::

Wednesday May 1: My junk drawer= Old phone cord? What? Baby gate attachments, old blender papers, kitchen cabinet handles. I can't believe this stuff has been in this drawer for so long!

Thursday May 2: Under my kitchen sink= vases, old curtains from when we bought our house, old vacuum attachments, lunch sack & a bag full of bags HAHA + an old mop
 

Thursday May 3: Rounding out the kitchen= Old white board that I can't write on, Dog treats that Bailey doesn't like, old pens & paper, old remote, & basting brushes that leave "hairs" on food!!!

2 on 2~May

Evelyn is 3 1/2 months old! She rolled over {back to front} for the first time this weekend. But just a few times since. I also moved her into her own room this past weekend. I didn't know how she'd do bc until Saturday night I had never ever laid her in there. Ooops! But she is sleeping good in her room. Thanks, noise maker :) I've noticed her 0-3mo clothes are getting small on her :( Time to swap out for 3-6mo I guess!

Cora is loving the spring weather that we've been blessed w the past few days. In fact, yesterday when we were outside she said "This is a lovely day!" :) Cute, huh? We've been walking to the park every day!

In the stroller! Ready to Ride!