MAKE!

I'm the type of person who collects a lot of books, ideas, craft supplies and good intentions but rarely does anything with them. UNTIL NOW! Well, I've only made four things recently, but that's four complete projects and that ain't bad.

The first thing I made was a bit of embroidery on one of Milo's undershirt onesies. It was mostly just for practice, but I think it's cute. Perhaps I'll be ballsy enough to show it around here sometime.

The second was a rather neat looking sort of a table skirt for our coffee table. The table was part of our babyproofing, but Milo was commando crawling underneath it. I made the skirt thing out of the fabric and ribbon I used for our wedding vases. It was all fine & dandy until Milo learned he could just pull himself up onto the table. What a wiener.

The third was the bunting banner for Milo's birthday party. It didn't turn out the way I'd imagined, but once it was up I was quite pleased with it. I used fabric from an old curtain I found at Goodwill and bought the rope, which I intend to reuse for other things.



Thanks to a quick & simple set of instructions over on Instructables I was able to make a very nifty tote bag this afternoon! Woo hoo! Again, I scored at my neighbourood Goodwill. I seriously could not have asked for a better shirt! Does anyone know what Illegal Groove is? I added an extra touch by sewing a line across the corner of the inside of the bag as explained here on another Instructables project. (I tried to take a picture of mine, but couldn't get it to turn out) I'm not sure if it'll make a difference, but I think it makes the bag look a little more polished. The bag made it through the wash alright. I'll let you know how it survives its first trip out. Tomorrow (today?) we hit up the Trinity Bellwoods rummage sale. Yahoo!!

So, here's to completed projects and the confidence to just MAKE something.
Also, here's to naptime and Milo hanging out with Poppa so Momma can MAKE things. It's good for her soul.

Babytown

So, I think I'm going to start blogging periodically again.
Mind you, I'm sure in 2 years I'll have another chuckle to see this as my last post.

Milo is one now. Life is amazing.

A Use For Dishpan Hands

Did you cook a big meal or perhaps just leave the dishes to pile up for a few days?
After doing all that washing up you're going to need a treat. How about a manicure? Mmm... yes. But who's got time to soak their nails? After the dishes are done it'll be almost bedtime! WELL, dear lady (or gent), after doing the dishes your hands will be all soaked and ready to go! If you've got time you can give yourself a manicure while soaking your feet for the pedicure! Aw yeah.

I did this the other day. After putting the last dish on the rack I trimmed & filed my nails and painted them a very pretty pink. Lovely. My tooties will have to wait until next time.

First Formal Day as Mrs. Housewife

Today is my first official day as a temporary housewife!

I quit my job at the corporate office. Wow. Why on earth would I DO such a thing?? Decent paycheque, 3 weeks paid vacation, benefits, flexible hours, relaxed dress code, discount on books, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress... Ahh yes. Now I remember. I still get benefits via hubby, ditto for the discount, the flexible hours and relaxed dress code seem to be going over well with the new boss (moi) and wow... not much stress yet! Actually, that's a lie. The only thought in the back of my mind today has been "Money, money, money, money, money, money..." Sigh. Hopefully I'll be good with the savings I set aside for this little adventure.

Today I got up early-ish (9am!) and gently puttered around the house. Clean, clean, chill, chill, organize, chill, clean, chill, chill, clean, have a cuppa, shower, clean. Lovely. This will ramp up to a higher level of work and less chill time as this week progresses, but this was a lax first day on the job.

I love being in my home all day doing things. I feel calm and useful. My Husband will have an organized place to come home to at night with supper on the table. How lovely would that be? You come home from work and you DON'T have to cook, do the dishes, do the laundry, scoop the cat box, vacuum, dust, organize, run errands or tidy because... ahhh... it's all done for you! No, all you have to do on your time off is not be at work. You just come home and re-thefuck-lax. CHILL for once. Your home time is for you and not for your chores.

I will also be taking this time to do more art. I think I will start with some paper craft work and then look into some fabric work persnaps. We'll see.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my husband for supporting me in this. Kev, you're a dream come true. You're my dream come true. Thank you. I promise not to get too comfortable. :P

How long has that been there?

I cleaned out my fridge the other day. Ahh... It was terribly satisfying.

I started by doing everyone's least fave job: cleaning out the scary stuff. I was so brave and opened all the containers and cleaned them out. (my amazing husband usually does that for me.) I took everything else out of the fridge and put it on the counter. The crisper drawers went into the bathtub and were filled with hot water & a generous spash of bleach. I let them soak while I finshed up.
I then filled a spray bottle with 3 parts vinegar & one part water. You should generally use the opposite measurement when cleaning with vinegar to avoid damaging delicate surfaces. Chrome can actually be etched by vinegar left for too long, but we're talking hours of exposure. I sprayed the inside of the fridge like crazy and shut the door for a good 10 minutes. I wiped down any icky bottles or jars from the fridge while waiting.
I then took a bucket of hot water and a tea towel and rinsed the inside of the fridge and used another to dry it out. I used tea towels because they're big enough to get the job done quickly. (I love housework, but don't get me wrong; I'd much rather be lazing about on a Saturday afternoon)
I got to sort and organize as I put everything back (wonderful) and filled out a shopping list on the fridge door for later. I was able to take total stock of what I had, so I ended up using some things that would have gone bad because I'd forgotten about them! Yipee!
I did the same for the freezer, but I just used a slightly damp towel instead of spraying and dried it right away. You don't want to mess with the environmental balance in the freezer. ...just in the Arctic, right Mr. President? :(

Ahhh... Try it out, a clean fridge is a thing of beauty and a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Vinegar kicks ass and I will be talking about it a lot more.
For info on the magic and amazing talents of vinegar check out: www.versatilevinegar.org (my hyperlinks aren't working today, so cut & paste already!)

Dusting!

Swiffer cloths are washable! Toss them in the wash with your laundry!
If they're too icky to toss in with your clothes, put on a pair of rubber gloves, rub off the excess dust and then rinse them out a bit & hang to dry before putting them in your hamper. (I recommend this for ones used on the floor. They get gross!) They come out of the wash all fluffy and clean and ready to go. The ads say dust & toss because they want you to buy, buy, buy, but did anyone ever say NOT to wash them?!

I love my Swiffer cloths! They're fantastic for dusting just about anything & everything! (SO good for matte finish appliances!) I tuck one in my back pocket when I tidy and just run it over stuff as I go. I bought a box of a Life Brand ones a couple of years ago and I don't know that we've ever tossed one out.

The Swiffer sweeper is fantastic. It's got a universal joint on it and swivels all over the damn place. It goes places my broom can only dream about. (yes, even there.) When I really want the floor to look amazing I sweep, Swiffer and then mop. It's amazing what the broom misses. And no, I do NOT use Swiffer wet thingies. They don't have magic powers like the dry cloths. Just use a damp rag on the Swiffer sweeper. Jeez.

If you really hate dusting (or just never think to do it) and have a cordless phone, keep a Swiffer by the phone and dust while you chit-chat. You'll hardly notice you're doing it!

New Blog!

I love my home. We’re not the neatest people on the block, but we try. I love to clean, but I don’t do it as often as I’d like. Don’t ask me to come out for lunch on the weekends, I’m dusting! I might join you for brunch, but then please let me go-I have a floor to mop!

I wanted somewhere to post tips & hints that have helped or hindered me through my explorations as a wannabe housewife.