My New Love

So I've been humming and haaaing (not really a word) over getting a Kindle for about a year now.  Should I spend the money?  Will I use it?  Isn't better to just go to the library or buy used books and then you can loan them out to your friends, right?  Well yes, in a perfect world, of course!  I live in the real world with twin 2 year olds who don't like to be quiet and patient in a library while mommy picks out a book.  They don't like to wait aimlessly while I look at the book section at Target.  Plus where would I keep the books?  We don't have much extra storage space in our house to begin with, obvious answer: donate them.  Yes I'll add that to my list of things to do...lets see, it'll be number....85.  Yep, that'll work.  

I took the plunge and ordered the least expensive Kindle that Amazon offers and I have been crazy, head over heels in love with it since it arrived.  Its small and so light and doesn't have a bunch of extra bells and whistles, its simple.  Plus its very easy to use and buying a book is as easy as pushing one button.  I have an entire book store at my finger tips, plus an area to "store" books I would like to read once I am done with my current books (which will help me with my mommy-memory issues).  

Also, the Kindle is something just for me, its not a fun toy that my husband wants to steal away from me (like my phone).  It doesn't have any kid games on it or even any color which makes it very unappealing to my daughters.  Its all my own, a tiny little 5x8 retreat that I can slip in my purse and always have with me.  

**Amazon did not ask me to review the Kindle or even talk about it all, these are just my thoughts, but wouldn't that have been amazing?!**

Graduation

Well he did it!  My little brother graduated from high school and I don't think you could wipe the smile off of his face.  Or mine, or my mothers!  It was a sea of red but we were able to find good seats and actually see Joey throughout the ceremony.  Chasing around the girls during the whole thing wasn't a blast and a half, but it was worth it.  With almost 50 missed days of school and my mom meeting with counselor after counselor to make sure he was still on track was a challenge to say the least, but we made it and he's done!  Here's some pictures from last night's ceremony.  Also here is a link to his slideshow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNxR9TXQVo8

  Its hard to believe that my little brother is all done with school, 19 years old and ready to head out into the world on his own.  We've been through a lot together and I am very proud that we've maintained such a close relationship since my own graduation 9 years ago.  My girls are lucky to have him as their uncle and my Husband and I are lucky to have him as a brother.


Congratulations Joey!  This is your time now and you can do whatever you want with it!  I know you are going to do great things.   

Simple & Easy Banner

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Between a baby shower, my brother's high school graduation and two 2 year olds to chase around, its been pretty hectic and crazy around here!  I am putting my flair on my brother's graduation party by making a very simple & easy banner.  I got the idea from my good friend who was making a similar banner for a different occasion, so this isn't my original idea (even though I love it!).

Materials:
Paper plates of your choice
Cardstock paper of your choice
Stencils to cut out letters & circles *I am using a die cut machine*
Glue
Ruler

Step 1:
Measure the inside surface of the plate, mine measure 5.5 inches so I'll cut my circles to that size.
Cut

Step 2:
Decide how much big or small you want the letters to be, mine are 4x4 inches.
Cut

Step 3:
Glue down the circles, let dry for a few minutes
Glue down the letters

 Step 5:
You can punch holes in the paper plates so that you can string some ribbon through to hang up the banner or you can simply put some adhesive on the back of the plate (glue, double sided tape, etc) and just stick them right up on the wall.

I was pressed for time so I went ahead and stuck up my banner with double sided tape, simple, easy, affordable and a bit more personalized than something you would pick up from Target.

This is me and my little brother Joey, tonight is his ceremony, cannot wait to see him in his cap & gown with that diploma!

I hope you have fun making your own Simple & Easy Banner!

UPDATE: DIY Laundry Soap

I've been reading more about homemade laundry soap and really wanted to try the same recipe with a different soap so I could have a comparison.  I bought a bar of Zote Pink laundry soap last night and made a new batch of laundry soap this morning.  The difference was I didn't need to freeze the Zote and I only used half a bar.

I cut the bar in half, grated it with my cheese grater, mixed in the baking soda and borax and then mixed it up in my food processor to get it smooth.  I only need half a bar of Zote because its about twice the size of a regular bar of soap.

Once I was all done mixing everything up it looked like this:

My favorite color!  Score! (as a side note, I am no photographer so please excuse my pic quality)

I am going to do another 5-6 loads of laundry to see if I notice any difference between the Zote and Ivory soaps.

DIY Powder Laundry Soap

I have been wanting to try making my own powdered laundry detergent ever since I saw the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, http://moneysavingmom.com/ .  After reading through lots of comments and suggestions I felt ready to try it for myself.  

Supplies:
1 bar of soap (Ivory, ZOTE & Fels-Naptha)
1 cup of borax
1 cup of baking soda or washing soda

For my personal laundry powder I am using Ivory soap and baking soda.  I may change it if I find that I am not getting the desired cleanliness for my clothes.  I chose baking soda because its less caustic and acidic.  My daughter Katherine has very sensitive skin and I have to be careful with products that will be on her skin.  I am also going to add white vinegar to my wash/rinse cycle to help with brightening and odors. 

I put my bar of soap in the freezer for about an hour so that it would be easier to grind in my food processor.

I chopped and ground it up for about 1 minute

Once it was all ground up I mixed in the remaining ingredients and Sarah helped me mix everything up

I had a spare canister hanging out in my kitchen that could easily hold two batches and it has a tablespoon scoop that sits on the side so it'll work perfect!

I have washed 5 loads of laundry since making it Saturday, the water does not suds up but the detergent is completely dissolving, which is good.  I am putting the white distilled vinegar into my downy ball and that has been working just fine with no vinegar smell at all.  I just recently ordered some all natural/biodegradable liquid brightener to use so once I get it I'll be using that instead of the vinegar.  

Give it a try, its worth that at least :)

Just going to jump in!

I have been waiting and waiting to start my blog, I've been waiting for the perfect time I guess.  We'll there is no time like now!  I am just going to jump in and start.  I've always enjoyed writing and while I am not the greatest or most perfected in the skill of writing, its one of my favorite things to do.  I don't yet know what this blog is going to center around, I have so many interests like all of you.  Scrapbooking is probably the highest on the list, I work on my Project Life album by Beck Higgins at least 5 times a week.  I'll share more about her amazing product in a post all by itself.  I am not kidding, I feel like its been life changing for me.  Reading is on my list although getting to a store to buy a book and then actually finding the time to read it has been a challenge in the last 2.5 years...so I am saving up for a Kindle!  While I love the paper book where I can highlight and write notes, the Kindle will give me a chance to actually read a book again!  I also love to decorate and re-decorate my house that I share with my gorgeous girls Sarah & Katherine, my husband Jesse who tolerates (mostly) all of the curtains and our pug Miss Lucy (another thing my dear Husband tries to tolerate).

Another major project in the works that I hope to incorporate into this blog very soon is my Etsy site.  Hopefully (maybe) this will give me the kick in that you know what I seem to need to really get this thing off of the ground.  I love to create, I again am not the most skilled or patient or talented but I enjoy it and it brings me a sense of accomplishment.  I have all of the supplies to get started now I just need to find time and motivation!  Maybe today will be the day I make my first calendar, why not its as good a day as any right?!  I hope that anyone reading will enjoy my ramblings and sometimes ( I promise!) to post things that will actually be of some value to all of you.  Well there aren't of you of right now...but soon there will be, I just know it!