A Sparkling Microwave

You're melting butter for a recipe, and you hear that telltale pop, your son is reheating pizza from yesterday and from the crackling sounds coming from the general direction of the microwave, you know that there will be tiny little tomato sauce splatters all over the inside when he's done. It's hard to keep a microwave clean! 

 

But never fear! Let me share my favorite way to get that microwave shining again! Just take a counter wiping rag, wet it, and wring it out. Place the rag in the microwave on high for 35 seconds, and then let it sit for a few minutes before you open the door. The steam created by the now-hot wet rag is helping to loosen the baked on food messes from the walls, ceiling, and door of your unit. When you take the rag out, be careful not to burn yourself! Now use the hot rag to wipe the inside out really well...it shouldn't take much elbow grease or any chemicals at all. As an added bonus, this is also an easy way to sanitize the rag! 

Lemons

Just a few quick lemon tips for today:

I've been doing a lot of cooking with lemons lately (mainly due to my current Mediterranean kick), and have a couple of tips to share should you find yourself doing the same:

*To choose a juicy lemon at the grocery store, pick one that is heavy for its size (color doesn't matter as much as the weight does)

*To extract the most juice from your lemon, roll on the counter with the palm of your hand to help burst the juice pods inside before you cut it. 

*If your lemon seems to be rather low in the juice department, you can try microwaving it for a few seconds before squeezing.

*When you squeeze your lemon into your dish (provided you're doing it the old fashioned way and not with a reamer), squeeze cut side up so that you'll see and catch any seeds before they fall into (and get lost in) your dish! - see photo ^

*When you're done using your lemon zest and juice, and are left with squeezed out lemon halves, use them (cut side down) to scrub out your kitchen sink. They make it shine, disinfect it, and deodorize it all at the same time! What a wonderful, "green" use for leftovers, don't you think? After you've scrubbed, let it set for a couple of minutes to really go to work neutralizing those odors, then give your sink a quick squirt down with your sprayer. Your whole kitchen will smell fresh! - If you've got a garbage disposal, send the rinds on down to clean and deodorize down there too (as we learned from Meli a couple of weeks ago!), otherwise send them out to your compost pile.

Hope your day is fresh and zesty!

Have any other uses for lemons? Please share them with us in the comments!

Fragrancing Your Home

I am convinced that I was born with acutely heightened senses. Things hurt my ears more than anyone else I know, I enjoy tastes like they are a symphony in my mouth (anybody see Ratatouille?), smell affects my judgment and enjoyment of things (or not) almost to a fault, and because of that (my sensitivity to smells), I want to keep my home smelling fresh and inviting. Because this is a constant mission of mine, I have several scent sources that I rely on. Besides the obvious candle, Here are my favorites:

This is a plug-in mini wax burner. It stays close to the wall and out of the way, lets off a little light, and is perfect for a small room like a bathroom or laundry room. Pros: fills the room with fragrance, acts as a night light, is easy to empty/refill because the top saucer is removable, doesn't take up counter space, and the melt lasts a really long time! Cons: It does take awhile to heat up and get going (maybe 45 minutes), so for drop in company, this doesn't do much.

Next up is a wooden block diffuser. If you like fragrance oils, but don't like the wooden sticks look or are afraid that it will get knocked over and spilled, here is your solution: This works exactly the same way, but you use the entire lid as your "wick". Because it's such a large surface area, this can easily become overwhelming in a small room, or even a bedroom. Perfect for living areas or basements though! Pros: no spilling, lasts a long time (maybe 6 weeks) Cons: is strong, so you must use it in a well-ventilated area.

This is the classic plug in oil warmer. I like this for rooms like a mudroom or laundry room where it's nice to have a continual member on your offense battling against unpleasant odors like dirty shoes, clothes, or pets. Pros: easy, and adds a continual light fragrance to the air Cons: doesn't look very pretty when it gets low, uses electricity.

Febreze Set and Refresh: super easy, super effective for very small spaces. It doesn't require any electricity, you don't have to keep adjusting it, it blends in well with a spa like bathroom atmosphere, and lasts about a month. Pro: cheap, does the job in small areas where unit can be close to the nose Cons: not super strong, hard to see when it's getting low.

This may be an old-fashioned method of fragrancing, but I love a good lamp ring and oil. All you do is place a few drops of your oil into the ring, carefully place it on a cool light bulb, and turn on the lamp! It is usually a very quick fix (i.e. drop in company) if you have odors you want to get rid of fast. When you turn off the lamp, the smell fades quickly too. You can change scents easily and often if you wish. Pros: easy, quick, instant fragrance Cons: a little pricey for the oils, but they last FOREVER, bugs can get caught in the ring and die (gross).

Above is one of my very favorite clean, calming scents: Lavender Chamomile from B&BW

So how do you fragrance your home? Do you have some favorite scents for Spring to share with us?

It's Spring, So Let's Talk Cleaning!

Cleaning. The word that makes us all leap for joy, no?! I do get anxious right around this time of year to spruce things up a bit around the house though. Getting rid of all the cobwebs, wool, and coziness of winter feels so refreshing, doesn't it?

Today I thought I'd share a bit about the cleaning habits that help me keep my home manageable, neat, and ready for company at a moments notice.

My overarching inspiration comes from The Flylady whom you can find over at Flylady.net. You will see some of her concepts throughout my routine.

Everyday: clean up hotspots (areas where junk accumulates: by doors, kitchen counters, around the phone, etc.) before bed. Don't go to bed with a messy house! These spots can be easily dealt with - with only one days worth of clutter accumulated...a whole week of neglect though, and the situation becomes dire. -

After Dinners: make a quick spot-sweep of the kitchen floors a part of your after dinner clean up routine.

Mondays: I dust the house with my Swiffer or feather duster (fast paced loud music helps this normally mundane chore go by much more quickly!), water house plants, change bed sheets.

Tuesdays: Vacuum the whole house and clean the bathrooms

Just implementing these few habits religiously, and of course training your family to observe the basic “when you use it, put it back” philosophy, your house can generally be kept in a presentable condition.

In order to keep laundry from accumulating, I also wash one load of laundry per day. Usually, I bring it to the mudroom even before breakfast. Then after breakfast, switch from the washer to the dryer. - I TRY (although I don't always succeed) to get a whole load taken care of (washed, dried, and put away) before lunch. You'll be surprised at how easily you can stay on top of the ever growing wash pile by just faithfully doing one load each day.

Also from Flylady: I will sometimes focus on one room or area for an entire week (Flylady's Zones) in addition to my usual routine, and do some deep cleaning little by little. For example, take the kitchen. Here is what zone cleaning the kitchen might look like:

Monday: Empty and clean out the fridge

Tuesday: Scrub down the cabinet fronts and knobs

Wednesday: dust and wipe baseboards and lighting fixtures

Thursday: Empty and re-organize silverware and junk drawers

Friday: Go through pantry and throw out expired food

I set my timer for some of these tasks, and just tackle whatever I can in a 15 or 30 minute window. Then I give myself a little reward break for 5-15 minutes: maybe a coffee break, some quick blog reading, or a brisk walk outside.

Lastly, since we were on the subject of the kitchen, a few things that I have found really help keep my fridge in decent shape is to:

*Wash and prep fruits and veggies right away, display certain items in a nice bowl or baskets inside the fridge so people can find a healthy snack quickly and with minimal effort.

*Store leftovers in small see-through containers. If you can SEE your options, you are more likely to eat them!

*Don't push things to the back of your shelves. Out of sight, out of mind...until they start to smell that is...

*Every time you plan to go grocery shopping, go through your fridge before you leave for the store. You might even find ingredients that you already had that you were going to re-buy! Throw out anything questionable, and give the inside of the fridge a quick swipe with a warm soapy dishcloth.

I hope some of these cleaning tips can help inspire you to come up with (or keep pressing on with) a cleaning routine of your own. A working routine looks different for everybody, but just having one is what will keep your house from going to the dogs!

Sorry, couldn't resist ;-). These are my two furbabies Chester and Caroline!

Do you have a cleaning routine? If so, I hope you'll share it with the class down in the comment section. We can all learn so much from each other!

Creative Bedding

***Lauren's got something wonderful cooking over in The Kitchen today! Be sure and check it out!
***Don't forget to enter our Living Graciously Giveaway!

Do you ever find yourself looking wistfully at those beautiful magazine pictures with beds all plumped and inviting? Then you go around the corner to your own bedroom and look sadly at your flat, boring, always-the-same bed? Well, today I thought I'd share a few ways to make your bed look a little different and exciting using what you already have. I hope it will inspire you to play around with your own pillows and blankets to make your bed fresh and new today - might even make you want to jump in right after you make it!

Ok, let's start with the basics: For a beautifully made bed, I recommend a comforter or duvet, two sets of cased pillows plus a set of shammed feather pillows, and preferably sheets that match (or at least don't clash!). Bonus points for accent pillows! Here is a basic plain-'ol-made-bed pic:

Yup, kinda boring.

 But if you have sheets that don't match, this might be what you need to start with. Pull your comforter up over your sleeping pillows like so:

 

 Then stack your support pillows on top (make these cases match your comforter), and prop your shams in front:

 But! Just making a few small changes will make your bed a little more interesting. Here, I just turned down the comforter so that the reverse side shows, added a throw at the base (invites naps!), and a rectangle throw pillow. Makes a difference, right?

 Here is a more modern idea. Looks kinda funny with my non-modern bedding, but if you have solid or geometric bedding, this look can be really crisp. Just stack all of your pillows on top of each other, add a throw pillow in front, turn down your comforter halfway, turn down your sheets and blanket, and add your throw in a more organic way.

 Then there's the "messy bed" look. I would've like my arrangement better with that front left pillow not so angled, but I didn't notice it until I posted the pics here! Oh well, you can still get the idea. I just layered the pillows all propped up in a different order on each side. Turned down the comforter and sheets, and turned back up the hem of the comforter for more layer/pattern interest. Added the throw haphazardly.

 There's always the neat, clean, classic layered pillow prop:

 And lastly, this is the way closest to how I usually make my bed: comforter turned down with a pleat (but with no reverse side showing), sheets turned down (I think that sheets showing is the most inviting look), sleeping pillows stacked, and shams propped w/ throw pillow in front, and throw on the corner of the bed.

 One last sideview

 I think it's really fun to switch things up when you make your bed from time to time - helps to keep your current bedding seem fresh and new a lot longer! 

Do you change your bed arrangements or generally make it the same everyday?

The Ritual of Bedtime

I'm not talking about putting your kids to bed, although we all know a bedtime "routine" is helpful in that department too, but I'm talking today about putting yourself to bed!

It seems, especially lately since I've been up every night working on this new blog, that I usually go to bed well after my sweet husband. I'm a night owl and he is not. This usually ends up as me tiptoeing around the bedroom trying to get ready for bed while not waking him up. Sometimes in the dark. Not fun.

Bedtime could be so much more! A peaceful ending to our day. A time of connecting with our spouses after all other distractions (phones, computers, pets, kids (!)) are put away. A time to rejuvenate our souls. Doesn't that sound nice? Why do we usually cannon ball ourselves into the pool of dreamland, instead of drifting peacefully into its warm waters? I think we're missing out on one of the sweetest times of the day here girls!

This week, I am going to try to make our late evenings a time to look forward to. What is it you love about staying at a B&B? Cold water and a chocolate by your bed at night? Warm fuzzy slippers set out for you? Crisp cool sheets? Why not try to incorporate some of those things into your bedroom at home? My game plan looks a little like this:
*By 10:00 have sheets turned down and pjs and slippers laid out on the bed (will probably try and do this after dinner). Place a bedside carafe with cool water on the nightstands.
*By 10:30 or 11, wash face, brush teeth, and change into pjs
*Spend time until around 11:30 connecting-making plans for the following day, giving back or foot rubs, and really seeing where the other person's heart is at.
*Walk the dogs, and drift into dreamland...

What are the late evenings like in your home? What would you like them to be? Did you enjoy your 30 minutes of pampering time yesterday?

Let's Talk About Dirty Laundry

How many of you llloooovvveee doing your laundry? Yeah. Thought so. Me neither. But, I have found a few things that have made this necessary, if unpleasant-at-times task, much more bearable.

*First of all: get a laundry sorter. You know the kind that has three separate compartments? They're great! We have one in our mud room for household laundry (sheets, towels, etc.), and also in our master closet we have three separate hampers(one for lights, one for darks, and one for delicates). That way, your family will sort the laundry for you as it accumulates. All you have to do is grab one hamper (or side of a sorter) and throw it in the wash. Time saver for sure...

*Next get a small basket or jar to put beside the hampers in each family member's room. You could even put a cute little "don't forget!" sign on them. The purpose of this is to remind them to check their pockets and empty the contents into the jar before they throw their clothes in the laundry. Again, saving you a step at the washing machine (and saving your clothes from old gum, chapstick, and receipts getting washed into them)!

*Lastly, a little tip for actually getting the laundry efficiently done: Sometimes, I'd put a load in the wash first thing in the morning, eat, leave, and totally forget that I had laundry getting stale in the washing machine when I returned home. Or worse...I would forget it overnight. Ugh and nastiness! Ever happen to you? So I had the idea of putting a tiny little lamp in the laundry room that, as soon as I fill the washer, the light goes on. That way, every time I pass the laundry room and see the light on, I'm reminded to go switch the wash over to the dryer. Once the clothes are done and out of the dryer, I turn the light off. - Because my laundry room is right off my kitchen, it's easy for that light to catch my eye all through the day. - If you have a washer and dryer on a floor different from that of your main living space where it's even easier to forget your laundry in progress, you could still use this concept by designating a "laundry light" somewhere within your main living area. Maybe on your kitchen counter, or your piano, or in a bookshelf? Only use that lamp (or nightlight, whatever) for your laundry. You'll still get the same reminder whenever you see it on. - Tada! No more stale clothes!

Linking to:
 Frugal Friday
 Friday Follow