CRAZED MIND: Home and Garden

Showing posts with label Home and Garden. Show all posts

Cool & Clean

Today I was able to get quite a bit of housework done. Even though it was 104 in the house. How? Well a partnership actually. My kiddie pool and Shaklee Corporation.

No they did not get me a kiddie pool. But I did jump in and out of it all day long. Getting soaked, cooled off and them back inside to clean for awhile. Thankfully I did not have to 'bust a move' inside with the help from Shaklee products. I first made up some cleaner for the counters and such. I used the Basic H²® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. For all-purpose cleaning: Add 1/4 tsp. to 16 oz. of water. Ultraconcentrated – 16 ounces makes up to 48 gallons of super powerful cleaner when mixed with water. That is .21 cents a gallon for member cost. For windows and mirrors: Add 1-2 drops to 16 oz. of water. 1 bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex®. That is less than .01 cent for a 16 oz bottle. Amazing!

Photo from Shaklee Corporation at http://www.shaklee.com/category.php?main_cat=homecare&sub_cat=GetCleanStarterKit&type=sub

Then I had to do the dishes including some nasty pots and pans. Thankfully I used Scour Off™ Heavy Duty Paste to clean them up. And oh does my arthritis joints jump for joy here. No hard scrubbing to do. Sure did make it an easy and quick job. If you battle this disease then you understand how much a simple job as nasty pans can reduce you to tears. I am so happy that my wrist are not screaming out in pain yet my pots and pans are shiny once again.

My last job was laundry. It has piled up this week. The heat is great for drying the clothes on the line. In the time it takes to wash a load, the ones on the line are completely dried and almost feel like they have been ironed. But I was out of the laundry soap that I make up. So instead I used the Fresh Laundry Concentrate HE Compatible (Liquid). It only takes an ounce to do a load. That makes it only .40 cents a load. Not bad there either. And I loved the scent. It was like the ocean breeze was blowing in. I could feel the sun on my back from the open back door. The water running in the washer. And the scent from the Shaklee laundry soap.....made me sigh in relief. I never thought that doing laundry would feel so nice.

Now that was quite a bit of housework to do today. Between the trips to the pool, I had managed to get the kitchen floors pretty wet. So I popped out my Libman Freedom Mop and did a quick job of it. Yes, I did use the Basic H²® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate in the mop too. So versatile. And I did not even slip or slide.

I am proud to have the house clean again. And to have accomplished it in this heat. But I know it would not have been possible without my kiddie pool and Shaklee. I do wish to tell Shaklee thanks for providing the supplies. They were a gift from my recent California Dreaming visit with them. Oh and by the way....an extra bit of information. All Shaklee products are always safe, always work and are always Green!

A Day Filled with Promise

Gosh it is quiet here this morning. Well I guess not quiet as not stirring. Dear Hubby, College Girl and Granny M all still tucked away. The herd of dogs have been out and are now giving me a lil serenade of their soft doggie snores. Sitting here by the front windows I hear birds telling me to fill the bird bath and feeders. And the wind is creating music for me with the chimes on the porch. Not a bad way to start the day.

I am all cuddled up in my soft fleece robe and warm fur lined house boots. Dreaming of a cup of coffee but not ready to get to making it yet. Where are my coffee fairies? Could use a few around here. Other wise planning in my head the day ahead. One whole day to do as I wish. No commitments. Full of promise. Limits, yes....financial ones of course. Always there. But still ready to be experienced. So what to do?

Well my family likes to eat so I know I will have to make a couple of meals. And clean up from them. There goes a couple of hours. And not too pretty to look at right now. A bath would not be amiss. Deduct 30 minutes there. Going to sit here and goof off some as that is my daily fun routine. What do you say? Minus another 2 hours of my day? So 4 1/2 hours off of a 15 hour day. Not bad....round up. Still 10 hours to play with.

Image via Wikipedia

Of course I could weed the front flower beds, rake the front yard of weeds, put out the sticker killer that I doubt will work, cut back the limbs that need to be trimmed, rake the fallen leaves in the back yard and clean the porch. That would only take oh 4 to 6 hours of my day. And is needed. But gosh it sure does not sound like a day full of promise. Wait wait....look again. Yes it is work, needed work. But it is also preparing for those beautiful flowers that bloom in Granny M's flower beds. And it helps me enjoy those mornings of drinking coffee on the porch. I love the fresh look when it is all tided back up. Spring surely can not arrive if I do not prepare for her? So yes, let's plan a work day. So that tomorrow I can take a break. Sit and drink. Listen to the birds. And think of the chores to be done.

Can You Keep a Secret?

I love my Dear Hubby. You know I do. I talk about him all the time. And I try try try to make life easy on him. He works so very hard at two jobs. Doing it so he can provide child support to his two previous wives. It is important, that is for sure. But in doing all he does he gets very very very little comfort.
I try to do things for him. Like rub his feet with Avon Cracked Heel Relief cream. It makes them softer and heals them from all the walking and standing he has to do. I also try to keep his medication box filled. He doesn't have to think about what he has to take for his different ailments. Just opens his hand and pours what we call the old age breakfast into it. Not fun but needed. Oh, in the winter, when he is in the shower getting ready for work. I grab his uniforms and under clothes and run them in the dryer to get warm. Nothing like getting out of the shower and having warm and toasty items to dress in. Since we do not have heaters in our bathrooms it can get pretty drafty in this 100 year old house.
But, this year....I am not going to be doing that one anymore. Why? Have I had enough? Am I rebelling? Why would I not continue to treat a hard working man to a small creature comfort? Why?????

Well because I have a special surprise for him. I have an Infinity Towel Warmer from Warmly Yours to install in the bathroom. This is a plug in model so just a few screws and all, then it will be ready to go. I think he is going to be totally blown away with this. He will have his own spa treatment. Hang his clothes and towel on the Infinity Towel Warmer. Plug it in. Hop in the shower....and viola', instant happiness. There are 10 bars to hand his items on. And it only weighs 9 pounds. So I am not worried about it pulling out of the wall once secured there. There is also a 1 year warranty with it.
Now I am going to show you a picture of it. It is not hanging up here. Not yet. Remember it is a surprise for Dear Hubby. No telling anyone.....especially you two guys....Skyler's Dad and Captain Dumbass....yeah, I know y'all want one of these too! I am going to give it to him for Christmas. Install it while he is sleeping and have it there Christmas morning. Don't you think he is going to love it? I do!
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary Infinity Towel Warmer from Warmly Yours to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. But gosh, I thought this was amazing as it is. Lucky me!

Too Cold for this Poop

Well there is a chill in the air around here. And a lil more so at my house. Why?
Hubby angry due to lack of dancing girls in the house? Nah! I am enough girl for him.
Grandma giving the frosty shoulder since she can not smoke inside? Nope! She loves her front porch full of plants.
Well why?
Because I leave our back door open for the pets to go outside (in the fenced in yard) to do their "business". So the chill from outside comes on in. But we are willing to be a lil cold to help out our pets.

Image by phil dokas via Flickr

Now this would be okay if they were doing just that. But, NOOOOOO!
For some reason they have decided that the dining room floor is so much nicer for a bathroom facility. Why??????
I have no idea. But I need help from all of y'all smart people. What can I do to stop this.

Ok there are guidelines for this task.
1. Yes I have cleaned it up and mopped the floor (over and over again with bleach).
2. We are not killing any dogs at all.
3. I am a sucker and do not want to put the pets outside to freeze when it is cold.
4. I am cheap so nothing expensive to fix, replace or redo with--okay!

Clean Hands

Did you know this is clean hands week? Well I did not either. But I am one lucky lady! Because this week I also received the Shandle. You have not heard of the Shandle?

The Shandle is a handle that goes on the underside of the toilet seat so you can raise the seat without touching it. Thus less germs are passed on. But there is more. The Shandle also reminds you to Wash Your Hands!

With me helping out with Emma on her potty training right now this could not be better timing. Here is the Shandle that we received.

Cute huh? Well of course Emma was excited because we have something new. And she loves the Frog Bear character. It did not take but a couple of minutes that she was ready to use the Shandle and then of course we had to Wash Our Hands. Emma is currently using a potty chair at our house. And we have to empty the potty. Emma wants to lift and close the seat and flush the toilet when we do this. So I think the Shandle will make this easier for her to do. Also it is much cleaner too!

There are a few other tips I learned too.
The Shandle is made from antimicrobial treated plastic which prevents the growth of bacteria on the surface. That is a great extra.
The Shandle works best on flat bottom seats and is not recommended for wooden or padded toilet seats.

Now not everyone wishes to have a cute character in their bathroom. And I actually feel the Shandle is great to have weather you have children or not. We all know that men have to use the restroom and they do not wish to have to touch the seat either. So Shandle has decorative handles also. And they also have Halloween ones for those who love to decorate everywhere.

Help, No I Can Do It Myself!

I was visiting with a lady I work out with at Curves just the other day. She is a bit older than I and was telling me about when she fell and hurt herself. You see she lives alone and her children are not really thrilled about that. And I could see their point as I have my mom live with me. I feel better with her where I can help out. But my friend still enjoys her Independence and her children do not live in the area.

So I asked her how did she come to a compromise with them? And it was because she has life alert. And she did use it when she fell. I am so glad that she had thought that far ahead. But what would happen if she could not push the button? I imagined if she fell down in the house so badly that she could not even push a button because she was knocked unconscious. That thought scares me and I am sure it has come to her children's mind too.

Well my friend told me that there is a fall detector available. And it will alert emergency if they have fallen and can't push a button. She has that along with monitored smoke detectors and a big help button. Life Alert has found ways of improving her quality of life.

It is for in the home and has a fall detector that alerts 24/7 emergency personnel that they have fallen and cant even push a button. Life Alert has many different ways of working. And it seems that this smart lady is on top of all of them. I am so proud of her since she is working out so hard at Curves to keep up her strength. This helps so she can continue to live on her ranch and enjoy these years as she chooses.

Doggie Alarms

Well it is still hot here. In the 90's daily. So we continue to leave all of our doors and windows open for air flow. Yeah living without a/c sucks but it sure is nice not to have $500 electric bills too. So we make choices.

Since the house is open and we have a pack of dogs too there is much barking at all kinds of things. Like who is on the street, leaves falling, butterflies floating by and the all annoying cat on the other side of the gate where they can not get at. There is a fenced area at our 'back/side' door that the dogs can just run out and still be quite safe too. Covered by a 100+ year old oak tree, the side yard is still a way they can keep an eye on the house.

Now we do have keys for our locks but of course not using said locks since house is open. So our dogs have become our alarm systems. Well guess I am sticking to my doggie alarm system. But I sure will be glad when cooler weather arrives and I can close up the house again. To clean, sweep and mop! To not hear barking all night!

Time to Take the Bat Away

Does your mailbox look like this one?

If you live in the country like I do then it just might.

We have "lovely lil boys" around here who think taking a baseball bat to a mailbox is extreme fun.

Of course it does not make the home owner very happy!

So there are times you just have to go out and get new Mailboxes .

At least with these mail boxes you don't have to worry about being bashed or taken advantage of. That would be worth so much when those "cute loving boys" come around again.
Have you ever had this happen to you? What did you do? Is there a solution other than getting a post office box? I would like to solve this problem. And I know that kids get bored around here but I don't need my mailbox to be the result.

Help to find what We want

I was excited to find three buying guides online to help me know what I might be looking for. You know what I mean. You need to get something for your home or a gift for a shower and your not sure how to tell what is just right. Or what shows you why one thing is better quality than another. Well that is just what a buying guide does for you. Well here are four that will help you with your baby beds and linens, home furnishings and decor and mattresses.

Image by jamesjyu via Flickr

Baby Bedding and Linens Buying Guide
Home Furnishings and Décor Buying Guide
Mattresses Buying Guide
Bed Linens and Bed Buying Guide

And once you have found the perfect mattress then make sure to find the perfect bed linens to go with it. Of course it would match your other home furnishings and the decor of your bedroom too. We know that because you can use the buying guides to help you do just that!

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