Cleaning Frenzy & My All-Time Favorite Cleaning Product

Do you ever just get into a cleaning frenzy? Well today that happened to me. It came in like the stomach flu (out of nowhere and lasted 24 hours...ish haha). I cannot even explain where it came from but it was like nesting all over again. I also used to get into these intense cleaning moods when Aunt Flo came around, but she hasn't been here in over a year (which has been the best thing ever) so it can't be that. Anyway, I was productive today (even though Tenley tried so many times to thwart my plans) and it was really grand.

Now I basically just want to show off what I accomplished before telling you about my absolute favorite cleaning product. I'm so in love with it that I actually get excited about cleaning when I get to use this. (Truthfully, I like cleaning anyway but it isn't always exciting). I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. I just used my phone because, well, it's quick.

As you can see, we take St. Patrick's Day quite seriously in our house.

Home Sweet Home

I even cleaned the microwave!

On the top right, I'm using a metal paper filer to store my pans, cutting boards, anything thin.

Stove top so clean you could lick it! (But don't)

Green is so cheerful!

Also, for those of you who teased me about our many hand soaps, as you can see, I cut it down to one for now.

Now on to the bedroom!

There are few things more comfy than new clean sheets and pillow cases. I just love how clean they smell and feel especially. (Can you feel when your sheets are clean?) Plus we (meaning I haha) pulled out a different cover for our bed since we used the last quilt for like 7 months and were overdue for a change.

This is a crappy picture (our bedroom lighting is horrendous) but I am so proud of how organized this whole thing is! Look for my post two days ago if you want to see how I organized inside some of the drawers. I hate folding clothes, but I LOVE how they look all folded!

Our very crowded but very organized closet. My sweaters are color-coordinated and my dresses are now arranged by occasion. 

Anyway, on to the good stuff. 

This is my all-time favorite cleaning product for the kitchen. They are called Brillio pads and they are stupendous. Basically they are steal wool covered in special soap, but make scrubbing a breeze and make cleaning old stains and grease a piece of cake. I get sad when I run out of these guys. I feel like a friend has died. I only have two left now. Brillo pads, not friends. 

They also come in pink!

Aren't they awesome? I am showing you the back of the box because at the bottom it depicts their many uses in the kitchen. Apparently I've heard they can scratch up certain surfaces like non-stick pans, but most of my cookware is pretty well-used anyway and I have never had an issue with them. Please don't sue me if they ruin something in your kitchen though. Now I will try to convey the awesomeness of these things through photos.

Before:

Notice the streaks and spots and grease stains. So splotchy.

And after!!!!

*Chorus of angels*

As you can see, the streaks and spots are gone and the pans look almost new (besides being a little tarnished, which I think is beautiful--I love tarnished things). These pads do things that regular soap and water can't even begin to. 

I sadly do not have a before pic for this one, but you know how baking pans always get so greasy and spotty in the corners especially where they are harder to scrub? Well guess what? Gone. All of it. With just a little elbow grease and a Brillo pad. 

This is a dumb picture because you can't even tell how sparkly clean they are, but just imagine how they were straight out of the package and there you have it. 

Look at this glittering stove top. I removed all the knobs and burners (clearly), but the thing looks beautiful and is now all smooth. I get so excited just looking at this!!

And last, but not least, check out how white my sink is? I also used the Brillo pad to scrub this. And for some reason, white stone is really hard to clean. Marks do not disappear easily. But using the pad is a thousand times easier than just a sponge or brush. 

So as you can tell, I am in love with those things and the best part was I cleaned the stove, dishes, pans, sink, and more with just one Brillo pad! How awesome is that? My kitchen is sparkling right now (which is a rarity) and though it will be destroyed again in a few days, I have a lot of peace of mind for now knowing my home is clean. You know that phrase, "Happy wife, happy life"? It's true, but besides that, I made up a similar phrase today: "Clean house, happy spouse." (Genius, I know). I might just coin that. Now go out and buy some Brillo pads! I think you can buy them in bulk at Sam's and Costco. That's what I would do if I had a membership. They're pretty great!

I hope you have a clean and orderly day! ;)

What is your absolute favorite cleaning product?

Do you have a specific tip for cleaning kitchens or organizing bedrooms?

Homemade Facials & A Semi-Crisis

A few things. Thing number one, my blog is having an identity crisis. It's not me, it's my blog I swear. We simply can't agree on anything right now. Mainly appearance-wise. This font or that one? This color or that? There are just too many things. So if you either have a suggestion or see something you just love or hate, please comment and tell me! I love opinions. I am an opinion leach. That sounds disgusting. An opinion vampire. Let's just say I eat opinions for breakfast, then let them digest, and finally make my own decisions based on the ideas of others. 

Thing number two: I tried a homemade facial today. Honestly, it felt awesome but I can't indefinitely conclude that it did anything. I took photos just in case to record this momentous moment (seriously, it's like the third or fourth facial I've ever done) so you can see for yourself and decide if it did anything.

At any rate, I had fun doing it and it was really simple.

Needed: 

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. baking soda

It looked like this no matter how much I mixed it. Stinking honey. But it worked out fine. 

Before:

Don't forget to put you hair up! For real. 

During: (After you've plastered it all over your face)

It looks like a troll sneezed on my face

It did NOT taste good thanks to the baking soda

Side Profile

Pause a moment to check out this cutie while waiting for the facial to "soak in" ;)

After rinsing it off:

That's it, folks. I saw ones where you can substitute an avocado or egg yolk in, and while I happened to have both of those things on hand today, I wasn't in the mood for cracking an egg on my face (though admittedly, the honey and olive oil looked and felt pretty much the same as an egg). 

Happy day! 

What do you think?
Did the facial do anything at all? 
Do you have a facial recipe that seems to help your skin? 
(Also, don't mind my lack of make-up. I didn't go out today so I was kind of like whatever.)

Excess

More than ever before, I have noticed that I have a lot of clothes. Like, a lot. Enough that I'm sure I could wear a different shirt every day for a year without duplicating. I've never counted, but I'm fairly certain that is a true statement. 

Let me just make one thing clear. I am not fashionable. I don't really try to be. I dress for comfort and if I happen to look stylish I can pretty much guarantee it's an accident or someone else picked out the outfit. I think being fashionable is fine of course, but in all honesty it ranks very, very low in my priorities as well as on my list of important traits. Like somewhere between having matching socks and choosing a brand of shampoo. For me, clothes are just something I wear because one, it's the law (at least where I live...) and two, I hate being cold. But if you peek into my house at any given hour of the day (which I strongly advise against doing), there is a high probability I'm in pajamas, a long shirt, or more likely, just underwear because of breastfeeding and laziness and it's my house and I prefer being comfortable. 

Fashion can require a tremendous effort--especially if comfort is as much a priority--and the only times I make a real effort to dress to impress is when I know I am getting my picture taken (family photos, for example), I am going on a date with Dalin (let's be clear, that doesn't mean "fancy" just stylish-ish), or when I am going to church or the temple (because those are important places and deserve a little extra effort). 

But anyway, let's take a little look into my wardrobe so you can see what I mean about having plenty (also, I'm showing off how organized it is because I just reorganized today). 

These are my shirts. My long-sleeve shirts. Just my long-sleeve shirts. Do I need more? Nah, I think I'm good. I even have a few in the dirty laundry and added a few more to this drawer after I took this pic. If we're analyzing my color choices, it would seem that I have an excess of blue and gray. Mostly gray. When I looked that up to see what it might mean, I learned that gray became fashionable in the 18th century (so, at least I would have been considered fashionable then...). Gray also is the color (or lack thereof) of conformity, boredom, reflection and uncertainty, secrecy, old age, and poverty. Hmm. Well those adjectives all really suck and pretty much are the opposite of me since I'm supposed to be red or yellow personality-wise, but it's okay because in my heart I know I wear gray because it makes my blue eyes kind of pop. I don't think I'm boring (correct me if I'm wrong though). 

Anyhow, that was a tangent. So let's move on to part two of our tour: my t-shirts. 

I think I'm good there, too. By the way, these are only my "nice" t-shirts. My fun shirts (like the ones you get as souvenirs from colleges and vacations and such) are mixed with Dalin's in another location. 

Now if we're analyzing my short-sleeved shirts, it's apparent that I own a lot of white....which is peculiar because I do not wear white all that much. I like white just fine, but I'm a professional at ruining white shirts so I only wear it when I'm feeling dangerous. Or when I think I'm probably not going near food or drinks or spit up that day (so never). I do like white though, I just don't get around to wearing it that much. I'll work on that. 

Part three of our tour is button-up sweaters, shawls, shrugs, that kind of thing.

Again, what's with all the gray and white. Not sure, but I have a sufficient amount of sweaters, wouldn't you say? I love these sweaters but I don't wear them nearly as much anymore. Time to fix that, too. 

And last (for now), button-up shirts.

As is obvious, I have a respectable amount. The only trouble is, I NEVER wear these. I don't like button-up shirts much at all. Much like polos. Reasons: The collars and the buttons. I do not like how I look in them and I just do not care for them in general. My mom does, which is why I have these in the first place. The only button-up shirt I wear regularly is my chambray shirt, ironically not pictured here because it's in the dirty laundry bin since I wore it recently. But yeah, button-up shirts--not a terrific thing to buy me if you hope to see me in it.

One thing I noticed about my shirts (besides that I have every color imaginable) is that very few of them have logos or patterns. I pretty much just have a ton of plain, one-colored shirts. Kind of lame, but I'm over it. I also noticed, or rather, felt justified in my attempt to not buy clothes for a year. So far so good and I must say, I have not regretted it yet. Even when I've seen something cute and been tempted, I've realized later (when I've completely forgotten the item) that I obviously survived without it and I'll continue to survive. And I've saved a significant amount of money, too, so that's been wonderful of course!

In summary, I'm doing fine in the shirt department. So unless you (I'm talking to you, Mom and family mostly) find a really, really cute shirt that is not a button-up, not a button-up sweater, is not gray or white, and is easy to nurse in, I would probably reconsider. The only things I actually need (meaning want because I definitely don't "need" anything at all) are dresses. A girl can never have too many dresses. Especially a Mormon girl because thanks to church, they'll get plenty of use out of them. Just remember that nursing friendly dresses are a huge plus since I'll probably be breastfeeding on and off for the next ten years while we are growing our little family. Something to think about...

By the way, as I reorganized, I filled a large bag with shirts and sweaters and stuff to give away. And I still have way more than I need. I'll have to go through again in 3 or 6 months. Now just wait until I show you my skirts, pants, and pajamas (that is, if I get around to it)...I have plenty of those as well. Again, dresses or maternity clothes (for later) are what I'm into. Or stuff for a nine-month old (and up) girl because Tenley has loads of outfits for 6 months and down. And my baby is already six months! Yikes, time sure flies. 

What color or shirt-style does your wardrobe mainly consist of?

Is fashion important to you? Why or why not?

Would you rather be comfortable or stylish?

Do you get dressed right when you get up or, like me, are you in pajamas or less most of the day?

Chair Up-Cycle

I'm writing this post because several people have asked me what I did to give some old chairs a new look, and it was so easy, I just had to share!

When we got married, Dalin's Grammy gave us some awesome, sturdy antique chairs to go along with our antique kitchen table--which was fantastic--especially because I love antiques. We used the chairs for a year as they were, but then I got a little bit tired of looking at the worn pink velvety fabric mixed with maroon-brown. Pretty, right?

So I decided I would give them a make-over with the help of my mom when she came and visited me last December before Christmas. The first thing we did was choose colors. My favorite colors are aqua blue, green, and mustard yellow, so that was easy. We went to Lowe's and with the help of someone in the paint section, chose a can of primer and had them mix three sample sizes of our chosen colors, which were only $3 each! They looked just like the ones in the picture below.

Once we had our paint samples, we drove the Home Fabrics store and chose three different fabrics that would go well with the colors I'd selected and also look good with each other. We bought a yard or so of each, and then headed home to get to work! (We had also picked up a small, inexpensive staple gun while at Lowe's). 

At home, we took the chairs apart one by one. We flipped the chairs over and removed the screws to release the seat part, then I started priming the base of the chair. I set my mom to work, re-upholstering the seat. We decided to leave the pink fabric on underneath ours for extra padding. 

Here is the before picture of two of the chairs. The seats didn't match which annoyed me a little (especially since they were two different shades of pink)--though of course the covers I chose don't technically match either ;)

I covered the kitchen table with brown paper and started painting the primer on (you can see the chair in the background that I set on the stovetop to dry is fully primed). I'm not gonna lie--just priming kind of took a while, but my mom and I were excited to see them done, so we spent all evening and late into the night priming and painting.  

Here I am, just about ready to start painting the first chair! (Also, I was one month pregnant here btw)

Here is the final product! The aqua chair:

The green chair:

The mustard chair:

We keep two sitting at the table (because that's all we have room for really in our tiny kitchen) and one nearby for when we have someone visiting. Also, notice how nice our newly stained kitchen table looks! My mom did that for me while she was here last December since I was pregnant and the fumes can be dangerous. I think she did a pretty marvelous job! 

What do you think of our project?
Could we have done anything differently?
Do you have any old chairs or furniture to up-cycle/paint/re-upholster?

Let me know if you decide to do it yourself!

If I Had Three Wishes...

If I had three wishes (and I wasn't allowed to wish for more of course) I think I'd wish for the following:

1. A free ticket to the Celestial Kingdom with my family, all-inclusive. Okay, we're going to assume that is against the rules, too, and at any rate, I wouldn't want to cheat my way in--I'd want to earn it of course. So my real number one is: 

1. A comfortable home on the lake or ocean with enough space for my six or seven children and for guests. And if it can be included in the same wish, a car and a boat that fit all of us. All I want is to be surrounded by family in a place I love. The very idea fills me with happiness!

2. The ability to apparate/disapparate. This would be really convenient so that I could live where I want but pop in on family members at their request. Obviously I'd also be able to side-along apparate so Dalin and Tenley can come with me. We could have breakfast with my family in New Hampshire then apparate to Idaho for dinner with my in-laws. Plus, plane tickets and long car-rides for vacations and visits would be a thing of the past. Darn, why can't this be real?

3. Money sufficient for our needs (and that of others). I know it is selfish of me to wish that we didn't have to work, but I would like nothing more than to spend all day with Dalin and our children. Sorry that going to work gets in the way of that...but the only other reason I would wish for money is because I would love to have the means to secretly help families and people in need. I would want to do it all in secret so people wouldn't specifically only be thankful to us but to God. Also, people wouldn't try to mooch off of us. Still, we would be very generous. Nobody has ever gotten poor from giving too much. 

As nice as some of these things would be, I'm incredibly grateful for what I have now and wouldn't give it up under any circumstances. 

What is something you would wish for? (I want to hear your personal wishes, not world peace and whatnot, though that of course would be wonderful.)