Happy Birthday

Happy 20th Birthday to my brother-in-law. Welcome to your twenties

Homemade Cleaners

I came across these recipe's for homemade cleaners on the blog jollymom. I haven't tried them yet, however I would love to give them a try soon, especially with spring cleaning coming around.

Glass Cleaner
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp dish soap
10-15 drops essential oil
Spray Bottle

All Purpose Cleaner
1/2 tsp washing soda
1/2 tsp liquid Castille soap
2 cups hot water
10-15 drops essential oil
Spray Bottle

Disinfectant
Hydrogen Peroxide
10-15 drops essential oil
Spray Bottle

Hardwood Floor Cleaner
4-5 Tbsp Murphy's Oil Soap
2 Cups Water
Spray Bottle

Furniture Polish and/or Stainless Steel Cleaner
2 cups oil (vegetable or olive)
1 squeezed lemon
15 drops of lemon essential oil

Air Deodorizer
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp vinegar
2 cups water
10 drops essential oil
Spray Bottle

Crib Rail Protector Tutorial

I found this idea on Navigating the Mothership and thought it was so cute and easy to do, and definitly had to save it to the bookmarks.

Crib Rail Protector Tutorial

Supplies: 2 yards fleece fabric and decent scissors. That's it. Seriously.

Step 1: Wash fleece fabric. Drape it over your baby for peek-a-boo purposes a couple of times.

Step 2: With fabric folded in half, drape the fabric over front rail (the longest length of fabric should be parallel with rail). You want to leave about 10-12" of the doubled fabric hanging down in the front; enough so that the strips will be long enough to tie.

Step 3: Using your trusty scissors, snip away the extra fabric along the front bottom. The fabric will extend too far along the top of the crib, but that's OK. It will all get figured out in time, my grasshopper.

Step 4: Starting at one end, line the fabric up with the first slat opening. Cut the fabric from the bottom up to the base of the crib rail. Take care not to cut above where you will tie it. Do the same on the back side.

Step 5 and 6: Tie the front and back flaps together TIGHTLY with a sturdy double knot. Move on to the next slat opening and repeat step number 4.

Step 7: Keep going until you reach the end of the rail.

Step 8: Snip away the strips of fabric in between the bows.

Step 9: Trim up the bow ends to make them look uniform and neat.

Step 10: Repeat steps 2-9 on both side rails.

Picture Courtesy of Navigating the mothership

Updated 101 in 1001

This is my second version of 101 in 1001. I finished most of the things on my original list sooner then I had expected and so I decided to make another list.

Not familiar with the 101 Things in 1001 Days project? Check out this website.
The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of effort on your part).

Start Date: November 14, 2011
End Date: August 10, 2014

Marriage & Family
1. “Date night” with Hubs once a month (18/33)
2. Have a baby
3. Celebrate 2nd Anniversary
4. Talk to home every weekend (40/132)
5. Visit Halifax for my brother's grad (Completed June 2012)
6. Buy a 2nd house
7. Get pregnant
8. Celebrate our 1st Christmas in our New House (Completed Dec 25, 2011)
9. Go on a vacation with family

Mind, Body & Soul
10. Lose 10 lbs (Hope to do so by May)
11. Learn to cook a new healthy meal
12. Complete some form of exercise at least 3 times per week (Completed Jan 2012)
13. Read at least one book per month (11/33)
14. Give up soda for a week
15. Learn a new recipe and cook it at least once a month (9/33)
16. Get a hobby (Does going to the gym count??)
17. Have a bubble bath (Completed Dec 21, 2011)
18. Get a library card
19. Spend a day at the ocean
20. Declutter (Completed Jan 2012)

21. Go on another trip
22. Do something for myself at least once a month (18/33)
23. No dessert or cookies at work for 2 weeks
24. For one week, go to bed at 9:00 p.m. just to read
25. After baby, get back to pre-pregnancy weight
26. Go for a walk with Hubby every night for a week
27. No eating after 8:00 p.m. for a month

Home Is Where the Heart Is

28. Get spare rooms organized (Half way there)
29. Buy a dresser for spare room
30. Hang wedding pictures
31. Cook our first turkey (Completed December 24, 2011)
32. Get a new dresser set
33. Reno the main bathroom (Completed March 2012)
34. Empty entire fridge, clean it, then put everything back in (Completed Jan 2012)
35. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
36. Defrost freezer twice a year (2/6)
37. Repaint shed
38. Buy blinds for the house

All Work, No Play
39. Get a new fridge
40. Get a new dishwasher
41. Stay on top of the house cleaning (23/33)
42. Start a wedding planning business
43. Help Hubs achieve his work goals

44. Get a new job, closer to home or clerical
45. Take another course at work
46. Learn to speak Spanish

Hit the Open Road
47. Take a spontaneous road trip
48. Travel to Hawaii
49. Visit Newfoundland
50. Visit friends in Winnipeg
51. Go camping at least once each summer (2/3)
52. Have a picnic in the park we got married
53. Visit the Buchart gardens in the winter
54. Visit Hubbs friends in Alberta

I ♥ Food
55. Update my recipe book with new recipes (At least once a month (18/33)
56. Try a new restaurant (Completed December 19, 2011)
57. Try making a new cultural food (Completed Feb 2012, Make Vietnamese Pho Soup)
58. Don't eat out for an entire month
59. Make homemade pasta
60. Put new recipe's on the blog (3/3)
61. Make tapas

Friends Are Forever
62. Email my best friend once a week (8/146)
63. Send Christmas cards each Christmas (2/3)
64. E-mail friends at least once per month (3/33)
65. Catch up with an old friend
66. Have a party or dinner party
67. Send birthday cards to all friends/family in 2012

Pinching Pennies
68. Save for another house
69. Set up retirement savings

Cha-Ching
70. Make a budget
71. Put more money on the house
72. Put more money on the car payment
73. Save for a rainy day

Pay It Forward
74. Donate to charity
75. Volunteer for a good cause
76. Buy something from a thrift store that supports a charity
77. Donate money to a children's charity (3/6)

Just for Fun
78. Go skiing
79. Go to a hockey game
80. Go to the fall fair
81. Buy a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and carve it
82. Rent a hotel room for a night to get away
83. Take more pictures
84. Have a Christmas cookie exchange (1/3)
85. Buy a new Christmas tree and decorations

Hobbies & Skills
86. Blog once a week at least (19/33)
87. Learn to cook more things
88. Get some family tradition recipes
89. Make a scrapbook
90. Read a book a month (11/33)

Capture the Memories
91. Get wedding album (Completed May 2, 2011)
92. Print photoes of each year's events and put in photo album
93. Get photos printed to hang in home
94. Take more pictures
95. Complete 101 in 1001
96. Send more pictures to family

No More Procrastinating
97. Lose some weight
98. Deweed garden
99. Start an excercise routine (Completed Jan 2012 with gym membership)

101 in 1001
100. Start a new 101 Things in 1001 Days list once this one is completed
101. Get friends in on this project

Baby Related Page

As you may have noticed, I have decided to add a Baby Related Page to my blog. No I am not expecting, nor are we planning on a child in the very near future. However, I am at a point in my life were Hubs and I are talking more kids (Hubs has a daughter from a previous relationship) and I have to admit I've been more into thinking of baby related things. If I come across a cute idea on another blog, I\ve been saving it to my favorites. From now on I'd like to post these ideas and thoughts to my blog.

Sometimes the grass is greener....

On the other side, and sometimes it isn't. Hub's brother came to stay with us in January and after a couple of trying months he just moved out yesterday. I haven't really blogged about it because I felt it was a personal issue and didnt really want it being out there. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother-in-law dearly, however I cannot live with the guy. He's just days away from turning 20, and is in need of learning about the real world and keeping house. Thank god he worked and paid rent while he was living with us. Back to the reason why I decided to blog about this issue.....
The brother-in-law has been on his own for exactly 24hrs and already he is near broke (as in maybe $20 in his bank account) . I have no clue how he can be broke already, based on what his expenses were after he paid us rent.... he must of went on one heck of a spending spree to furnish and fill his new home.

All I can say, is you don't always realize what you got till its gone.....

Happy April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good-humoured or otherwise funny jokes, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc.
Little known fact: Traditionally, in Canada, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool" and taunted "April Fool's Day's past and gone, You're the fool for making one".