Smoothie Sunday

    Summer mornings. Damp grass. Warm breeze. Empty tummy. Fruit in the fridge. Let us make smoothies.

Healthy, delicious and easy. Seriously the hardest part is clean up. Hold that lid down folks!

 I'll give you a basic list of what I put in mine, but you can be as creative as you want. I hear peanut butter is a popular ingredient. *shudder* 

- 4 Ice cubes

- 1 Banana (broken up)

- 1 Cup of mixed fruit (strawberries and blueberries usually)

- 1 scoop of protein powder (or else I get cranky) 

- 1/2 cup of Oatmeal ( Trader Joe's multi-grain of rye, barley, oats and wheat) 

- Small handful of spinach or kale (Just Do It.)

- Juice ( I don't usually measure this out. Start slow, add more if necessary) 

Blend it. Pour it. Drink it. Use the energy from this glorious smoothie to put one of my cleaning tutorials into action. 

Camp Reflections I.

  This year I had the honor of serving as a counselor at a United Youth Camp.  Camp Cotubic sits just outside the cute small town of Bellefontaine, OH. You go from an old town square surrounded by grand old homes with American flags flying high and gardens tended, to fields and spotty cell service in about two minutes. Here is a place full of green and laughter surrounding a glassy lake that makes the breeze much cooler than it would be without.

  Every year when applying as a camper or a staff member, you are required to answer the question of why you want to come to camp. You have but a few lines to explain this. For some, I suppose, that is quite enough and that’s fine. For me though, I always struggle to put all of my reasoning into a brief explanation. It isn’t the food (though Pinecrest goers may argue), it isn’t because I get to see my friends or meet new people or do another high ropes course. I want to go because of the most overwhelming will to help tend the extensive garden that God has been growing since the dawn of time.

  While I am there to support the campers and cultivate their personalities, nurturing them and guiding them in a safe environment, they often wind up teaching me more than I could possibly digest in a weeks time. The best part is that they don’t realize how amazing and developed they are. There are these little moments when joy paints their faces and I realize that I have to keep going. I have no choice. They are my family.  

The Clutter Bust

 Hello readers! Just a quick thought for today. . .

   If I could show you my room five to ten years ago, you might puke, cry , laugh or some gruesome combination of all three. I was disorganized, messy and just had too much stuff. Stuff that I no longer even remember because it did not hold lasting value. When de-cluttering, here are some things to remember.


-      You are not throwing anyone away
-      Your value is not in your things. Everyone has things that they love, and they are fine to have, but your true worth lies within.\
-      Paper is your enemy. Receipts, junk mail, bills, notes, cards, catalogs ect. Create a filing system and get a shredder. Go through the mail immediately. Thirty seconds now saves you minutes later.
-      If you haven’t worn that shirt in a year. . .how likely are you to wear it in the next six months?
-      Question yourself. Why are you keeping this?
-      Go at your own pace. De-cluttering is a process. It shouldn’t be done overnight. 

• 
  
      Don’t let it scare you! Fear holds us back from way too many things, including our own space. 

33 Pieces

Minimalism is a very streamlined and basic way of living, and it inspires me. We don’t need or use half of the things we own.  This country conditions us to think that we do need these things. More is better. Bigger is better. Buy a 1.2 million dollar home and fill it with awful tasteless things and spend the rest of your life paying for them because they were on sale or because you can’t let go of the 80 macaroni projects your three children did.  Can I take the twenty dresses in my closet and give ten of them to a women’s shelter? Do I really need fifteen pairs of pants? Three pairs of black heels? We have way too much going on here.

That being said, whenever I come across a minimalist wardrobe, I am bored to tears. I see a lot of the same thing, black item, black item, white item, accent color, repeat. BLAH. I cannot picture myself being simplistic enough to be satisfied or happy by limiting my wardrobe to solids. I would do it differently.  I enjoy minimalism because there is no strict set of rules. You find a form that works for you.  A person with what I think is a bland ward robe is be perfectly happy with the items they have chosen, because it’s what works for them and what satisfies their desires.

 Here I have created my minimalist inspired thirty-three piece wardrobe. It completely fits my needs. Since I am a weekly church goer, I need more dress up items than the average bear.  The majority of the items, both dressy and casual can be mixed and matched.  I did not count items like socks, underwear/bras and two cami’s and a swim cover-up. Some of the items you see are things that I already own. 

-         Two skirts

-         Two knee length dresses

-         Two maxi dresses

-         One nice top

-         Three Cardigans (because I have ice water in my veins)

-         One tank top for working out or to put under a cardigan

-         One pair of yoga pants

-         One pair of work out shorts

-         One pair of dark jeans

-         Four pairs of shorts

-         Four casual tank tops

-         Two casual shirts

-         One hoodie

-         One obligatory Angels and Airwaves t-shirt

-         Six pairs of shoes (that for me, is a miracle)

-         One swimsuit 

So I showed you mine.  What about yours? Comments welcome.

Krazy Kitchen

  Since the bathroom tutorial was a hit, I figured the next area to tackle would be the kitchen. It is probably dirtier than the bathroom and yep, we make food there. 

You will need: 

·        Common Sense

·        Rubber Gloves 

·        Surface appropriate cleaner, polish  or disinfectant

·        Magic Eraser 

·        Cleaning cloths

·        Glass cleaner

·        Toothbrush 

·        Dobie

  Begin by decluttering the counter tops. Mail, coupons, notes, these things do not belong here! Use a junk drawer, desk area or better yet, throw the garbage away. Last option is my favorite. 

  

1. Again, work in a left to right top to bottom manner. Spray your counter tops with your surface cleaner and microwave with the glass cleaner to give it time to loosen things up. Use the magic eraser to wipe/scrub the counter top and wipe it clean with a cloth. Work in small sections, that way you are less likely to miss things. As you wipe clean the sections, thoroughly wipe down any appliances or knick knacks in them.  Be sure to reach down and take care of the front of your dishwasher as you come to it. Same when you come to the fridge, clean what you come to.  Clean any glass with glass cleaner. Other cleaners will make it streak. Yes you have to tell some people this.

2. The Microwave. What fun. If you don't use a paper towel to cover dishes now, you will after you clean a dirty stained microwave. As said in step 1, it is important to pre-spray the microwave. It makes wiping it out so much easier. Make sure to use glass cleaner in there. Work from the inside out. Most microwaves are above the stove, so if debris fall, it’s no big deal. If the microwave is not above the stove, you would want to clean it out first before cleaning the countertop below it.

3. The Stove.  This is my least favorite, I must admit. It can be very difficult to cut through the grease and dirt that gets on a stove. Even after you clean it, it will streak and look awful.  Many companies make very specific stove top cleaners. I would shop around, but there is always dish soap.

   So, apply whatever concoction you use on your stove and use a magic eraser or a dobie to scrub it like crazy. You need thick suds, unless you are using a creamy base cleaner. Scrub for a good thirty seconds to a minute and don’t just get areas where you saw spills.

   Rinsing can be tricky and cause a mess itself. I recommend getting a wet cloth or sponge to water down the scrubbing . Then dry and polish. You may need a few rags for this. Do your best. Polishing with vinegar works well. Use with a coffee filter and your flat top will sparkle!

4. Details, details, details. When you have more time to spend, these things are completely necessary. Empty the crumb tray from the toaster or toaster oven. I do this almost everytime, It just keeps things from getting backed up.

  Wipe down your cabinets with a decent wood oil or green cleaner as to not harm wood. So much dust, food splashes, finger prints and more are happening on your cabinets. Show them some love.

  Take a toothbrush and scrub the edge of where the counter meets the back splash. Yummy. Also, toothbrush the drains and around fixtures by the sink. You can also use it to detail the knobs of the stove, which should be periodically removed and washed.

  Baseboards light switches and door frames. Wipe them. They’ll love you for it.

5. Scrub that sink! Bon Ami and a dobie works best. If you don’t have Bon Ami, Bar Keepers will do. Rinse and dry, making sure to shine the chrome on fixtures.

6. Make sure to vacuum or sweep your floor before you mop or hand wash. If you have tile with grout in the kitchen, I recommend getting a mop with removable parts so that you can screw on a scrub brush. Grout gets so nasty.

   Go about your mopping business and have a ball. Another option here is to mop the whole house if you have hardwood everywhere and do all of your cleaning at once.

7. The time has come for double checking. Get eye level with your counter tops! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Bend down and look at them as if you were going to lay on them! A good percent of the time you will have missed a hardened food spill or crumb.

Well look at that….you did it! 

For Josh

You are a fantastical human being Josh "Broseph" Bowdler! Here, I got you these cupcakes.

So You Want To Clean Your Bathroom?

 So today has me cleaning, bustling about my own home and thinking of ways to simplify the way we live. One way to save time and frustration is to spend time on keeping things clean. We all differ in the way that we clean, what products we use, ect. I'm going to share what I think is the best way.  ;) Today's topic. . .the bathroom. Hair, dirt, moisture. Yuck.

You will need:

• Common Sense 
• Rubber Gloves
• Glass cleaner 
• Magic eraser(s)
• Method All Purpose Cleaner ( I prefer the mint scent) 
• A disinfectant
• Cleaning cloths 
• Toilet Brush    

Extra Helpful Items:

• Toothbrush
• Scrub brush 
• Elbow Grease 

Time: Depending on the size of your bathroom, around 20 minutes

1.Turn on the lights. Seriously. Even if you have sun light streaming in. Remove rugs, shake outside, vacuum or throw them in the wash. Empty trash. Vacuum or sweep the floor with the broom. You want to do this first because it makes things easier when you actually wipe or mop the floor. Dirt and debris sticks to water, and water is sure to splash while cleaning and get on the floor. It will make sweeping pointless, and can ruin your vacuums motor.

2. (Though optional, now would be the time to pre-spray all the bathroom pieces, including the vanity, tub/shower and toilet. ) Begin with the vanity and scrub the sink. I use a magic eraser and Method products on the vanity, since they are green and not murder on my lungs. Thoroughly clean the vanity before cleaning the mirror. If you clean the mirror before the vanity, you risk splashing on your clean mirror. Dry the vanity.

Tip: Shine your chrome and toothbrush around the faucets/fixtures and drain! Details like this make a room look so much nicer!

3. Remove shampoo bottles/soap/products from the shower area. You want to be thorough. So much builds up under those things!  Scrub your tub or shower in a top to bottom left to right manner. It saves time and ensures that you wont miss a spot. If you have a shower combination, scrub all the walls first before focusing on the tub. Rinse with HOT water and check with your finger for soap scum. If it's still there, it's not clean. You may need to re-scrub a spot or two. This is normal. Put products back in their places after you've wiped them off.

Tip: Toothbrush or scrub brush in the grout every so often even if you don't see mold or mildew. There are still tons of bacteria living in there. Toothbrush around the drain as well.

4. Moving on to the toilet. I recommend a mild disinfectant for the seat, lid and tank. You can use a stronger product in the bowl if you want. Use a curved toilet brush to scrub the inside of the bowl first, make sure to get under the lip of the bowl where dirt and mildew builds up. More detailed scrubbing with a toothbrush is necessary from time to time. Wipe the tank, toilet seat and base thoroughly. Flush.

5. You're almost done! Prepare a mop if your bathroom is big, or get down on those hands and knees. I love my hands and knees for the bathroom because you are getting closer to what is actually dirty. Do what makes sense. It's easier to see things. Spray a disinfectant on the floor and wipe. If you use a lot of hair spray, you'll want to use a scrub brush, or toothbrush any grout. That is the only way it's coming off. So much dirt builds up in those crevices. Start in a corner and clean your way out of the bathroom.

Tip: This is more of a command. Wipe behind the toilet!

6. Take a moment to check over and admire your work. You just improved your house!

  I can't stress enough the importance of details if you want things to truly be clean. Quick de-cluttering and straightening has it's place, but there must be time to focus on the nitty gritty. Not making time for these things just leads to frustration, poor air quality and bacteria build up. Next time we'll focus on the kitchen! Feel free to leave comments or link back. :)