Big Bad Weed Killer.....

Hi Lovies,

It's that time of year....we spent hours in the sun digging, planting, mulching and watering in an effort to make our homes presentable and keep our neighbors happy only to have these nasty weeds poking up in the middle of all our hard work.

Time to bring out the big guns!!! The problem with common weed killers is the seriously harmful chemicals that are left behind after the weeds are gone, seeping into the soil, coating the grass and ending up on your children, pets and yourself..... A child and pet friendly weed killer made from safe and easily available ingredients is an awesome solution to a tricky problem.

 You will need:

White vinegar 

Salt

Blue Dawn

and a large spray bottle

Measure out 1 cup of table salt and add it to the spray bottle......

Add a 1/4 cup of Blue Dawn and then fill to 2 inches from the top of the spray bottle......make sure to tighten the top of the bottle tightly and shake to mix....the salt won't want to dissolve right away so make sure it is well mixed otherwise it will clog the spray tube and foil your plans and make a big mess...spray directly onto weeds in the morning after the dew has dried....

Let the sun do it's thing...spray every morning until they are dead...mine took 3 days to shrivel enough to pull them out easily.....

I have never weeded so easily in all my seasons of gardening....they just pulled right out with almost no effort......

So it's simple to make, low cost, kid and animal friendly,.....and it makes weeding a lot easier!!

Luv ya,
E.

A touch of spring....

Hi Lovies,

  I am so excited to share with you that my lilac bushes are in full bloom, they are an heirloom variety of dwarf bushes that yield a ton of very fragrant pale purple blooms that last for only a week before they start to turn. So the time to enjoy them is short and precious...

 Having said that I wanted to share my secret to keeping cut blooms at there best for longer....

  Starting with how you cut your blooms. Making sure you are using sharp shears start trimming from the base of a bloom under the Y of the stem at a clean angle being being careful to set them gently on a soft surface such as your lawn as you cut a bunch large enough to fill your vase with both blooms and foliage.......

 Gather your vase, super fine sugar, water serving spoon, shears and blooms in one place......

 Make sure to fill your vase no more than 2/3 of the way with clean room temperature water, it is important that the water is room temp or it will shock your blooms and shorten there vase life. Next we add the sugar, 1 heaping serving spoon of super fine sugar ( most table sugar is super fine ) and stir until completely dissolved...

  Now we cut the blooms....making sure to keep stems under room temperature running water cut at a clean angle... (see pic below)

  And we are now ready for the fun part.....arranging your blooms. Remove any leaves that will end up being under the vase water, this is very important as they will begin to break down and spoil your water causing your blooms to wilt and spoil sooner.....always remember to change your vase water daily, if it isn't clean enough for you to drink it's not clean enough for them either...

  Don't be put off by blooms being crooked or a funny shape they can give your vase a shabby quality and make it so much more interesting and beautiful than a perfectly round arrangement....the only rule you will need to follow is the "rule of odd numbers" everything looks more pleasing when grouped in odd numbers and flowers are no exception...remember foliage is your friend it can really help you fill any open spaces left by your imperfect stems...

  All that's left is to enjoy the intoxicating fresh cut flower scent that fills the room....lilac season is heavenly....

Luv ya,

E.

The Shabby Chic Chandelier...

Hi Lovies,

 I spent the better part of my weekend sorting through my home doing my "spring cleaning" and I came to the conclusion that I have a ton of stuff .

 My parents were the artistic type, they collected all types of things. Beads, ribbons, lace, buttons and trinkets of all kinds have a special place in my heart and when I come across them I cannot help myself but to give them a home.

 While going through my craft room I found quite a few things I had planned on doing and have never found the time. So seeing as it was such a gloomy day around here I decided to start one.

The Shabby Chic Chandelier

I started by gathering my inspiration materials together.....

To make the "chandelier" you will need...

Several yards of ribbon and lace ( I used sari silk ribbon and vintage lace )
Faux pearls or beads in different colors and sizes
4 yards of  elastic stringing or fishing line
Needles and matching thread
Large mason jar top with flat insert removed

  Start with cutting your ribbon to approx. 1 - 1 1/2 yrds depending on how wide it is...if it's thinner you made need less if it is thicker...well you get the ides. Now begin wrapping the mason jar lid with your ribbon....when you get to  the end tuck the loose end into the beginning (see pic below ) to give it a nice clean finish...if your ribbon is very slippery or thin you may want to add a dab of fabric glue to the ends to secure them....

  Next you want to start stringing your beads/pearls....Cut your string to the desired length, personally I like mine from the fingers holding it to the shoulder...this gives you lots of room play with. 

Next tie a knot onto one end of your string and thread one pearl through...now taking the loose end of the string and thread it back through thru pearl ( see pics below ) you now have a finished end for your string....keep stringing until you have approx. 6 in worth of pearls then tie off leaving a long tail for attaching to the base...I would suggest making 5 strings of varying length.

  The next step is the most fiddly...taking the long end of the string tie the pearls onto the base making sure to tie a double knot and then wrap the leftover string around the base repeatedly and finishing off with a tight double or triple knot...( see pic below )

  Now it's time to cut up the ribbon and or lace you will be adding to give the piece fullness....cut each piece of ribbon/lace to approx. 10-12 in. I would suggest 5 of each or 10 in total.Fold each piece in half and wrapping the loop around the base and pulling the loose ends through to make a loose half knot and pull tight....continue on until you feel your piece is full enough...

  Hang in there you are almost done...now tou want to attach 3 ribbons in equal spacing around the base (see pic below) you want to make sure you tie these on well as they are going to support your chandelier...

  Now bringing these 3 ribbons together tie them into a knot trying to get them equal in length so that your base hangs flat...

  I used a cup hook to hang mine from the ceiling in my bedroom but it would make a great conversation piece in a living room, bathroom or nursery...if hanging a nursery please make sure to keep far away from babies and small children as this may pose a large choking risk if damaged.

And you are finished!!

Fluff up the ribbons and lace and enjoy!!!!!

Luv ya,
E.

My me time.....

Hi Lovies,

 I am a Mama to 3 busy kids, wife to a man who has long and unpredictable work hours, a full time home based business and another one in the works (a post for a later time), friends, family, chores well you get the idea. My life is truly a balancing act...teetering on the edge of chaos most of the time.

 Again explaining my hectic life is for a later post but I wanted to share with you a secret I have found to carve out some me time every day.

 I know it makes me sound like a crunchy, hippie granola Mom but I tell you lovies I wear that label proudly.
Every morning I spend 20 minutes siting in the silence of my still sleeping house. Meditation has truly been my saving grace.

 Before you write it (and me) off just give me a chance to explain.....

 When I first started I was just sitting on my yoga mat breathing and feeling fairly silly, but I kept going and one day I realized I was actually doing it. And it was wonderful!! Think about it even if you are just sitting there breathing and thinking about how you want to spend your day is that so bad?

 At the very least you have 20 whole minutes of peace and quiet to start your day, and that is probably more than you will have for the rest of the day.

 The health benefits are undeniable. Changes in the health of people who regularly practice meditation are well documented by the medical community and it has millions of follows to back up it's claims.

 My mental, emotional and physical health has noticeably improved. I feel, think, sleep and look better than I have in years. Truthfully I crave the me time and miss it terribly if I skip a morning.


 Start in a comfortable spot in your home I prefer in front of a window as I find the sunlight soothing...

 Sit cross legged with your back straight shoulders back and chest open. Some people find sitting for long periods of time uncomfortable in that case it is perfectly acceptable to use a pillow or bolster...they actually make amazing ones just for this purpose...you can find some lovely ones here.

 Resting hands on your knees in what is called a Mudra, placing thumb to middle finger or palm up and open whichever you find comfortable....

 Take slow deep breaths through your nose. Concentrate on your breath, feel it enter and leave your lungs use the breathing to cleanse and center your thoughts. As a beginner I found counting helped me control the timing of my breath....in..2..3..4..out..2..3..4 and so on until you find a calming rhythm. Try to clear your mind of all distractions and only think of the good intentions you have for the day or ideally nothing...

 Some find guided meditation more comfortable  in the beginning...if you would prefer to try it I have found a fantastic beginner site freemeditation.com.

 Whichever way you decide to spend your me time be it meditation guided or not please try to take 20 minutes for yourself each day to center calm and heal yourself. Make a promise to yourself and keep to it even if it is hard to find the time.

Happy Mama's make happy families. You deserve me time...everything else can wait.

Namaste ( Luv ya )
E.

The most amazing glass cleaner...

Hi Lovies,

    Nothing bothers me quite like the smell of chemical cleaners, the fumey smell causes me to have a nasty headache and is something I try to avoid whenever possible. So I decided to share with you my recipe for all natural glass cleaner that smells fantastic and leaves your glass and mirrors sparkling!!!

  I start with a few basic ingredients, a glass measuring cup and a spray bottle....this recipe can be doubled but be sure to keep the 2/6/1 ratio for best results.

 Start with 2 Cups Cleaning Vinegar ( White Vinegar will do in a pinch )

 Then add 6 Drops of Essential oil to the vinegar...it is absolutely necessary to use pure essential oil any other oil will leave a residue on your glass and mirrors!!!

 Once you have poured the vinegar oil combination into the spray bottle, add your 1 Cup of spring water....use bottled or filtered water only as tap water is usually full of minerals and will not leave your glass at it's sparkling best.

    Screw the spray lid back onto the bottle tightly and shake well and label to avoid any mix ups...

    Spray directly onto glass or mirrors and wipe with paper towel or lint free cloth in a single direction either side/side or up/down to avoid streaking. The best glass cleaner you will ever use made from just a few ingredients most of us have in our pantry.

                                     Enjoy, reblog, tweet, or share the link if you love it.

Luv ya,
E.

A place to start...

                 

     
 Hi Lovies,

  My story is a common one...one very busy morning as I dropped my crying children off at daycare and drove to the job I hated in tears hurrying to make sure I was on the sales floor on time I realized that this life was just not working for us!!!! I was standing in my uniform rushed off my feet, my right shoulder covered in something stinky ( a gift from my baby girl ) a smudge of someones breakfast on my skirt and my eye makeup more than a little worse for wear and in truth I had an Ah Ha!! moment.

   It wasn't my job, my kids or my commute that were wrong it was how we were living in general. My husband and I were overextended emotionally, physically and financially. Hubby was working to pay the bills and I was working to pay for daycare and to fill our home with the best and shiniest things we didn't really need.

    So we made a decision that not everyone in our lives enjoyed. I quit my job to stay home with our kids. We cut back, WAY back and we made choices on what was important to us. We got simple. 10 years later we have 3 happy children, a home based business, and a warm inviting lived in home.

   We live comfortably on a small budget...and I have found some of the best recipes, techniques, ideas, and resources to fill our lives with little luxuries.

   I've decided ( with some gentle pushing from my friends ) to open a window into my life...so follow my journey see what  I find. What works and what doesn't and please feel free to email me with any ideas you want me to check out!!!

Luv ya,
E.

Fabulous photo of my lovely family taken by TDF Photography