Spring Cleaning: Advice From the Experts

So I got a little behind in my cleaning- after a few days, I am officially pooped.

So I will keep cleaning into next week and continue sharing as I go.

I originally posted this last spring, and think the advice is so good that I'm sharing again!

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A few weeks ago I asked you to share your best cleaning tips and tricks in order to enter the Shaklee giveaway. Y'all had some good stuff. Makes me want to kick my spring cleaning behind into gear! (check out the original comments here)

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- Ditch the paper towels. Use newspaper when you're cleaning your windows for a streak free shine. Use a mixture of vinegar and water to make homemade window cleaner.

- Oven seen better days? Sprinkle baking soda in the over, spray with water and let sit for about an hour. Go back later and wipe it out with a wet rag.

- Baking soda does the trick on faucets too.

- Cleaning is good for you. You burn 119 calories vacuuming, 102 calories washing the windows, 78 ironing, and 85 dusting.
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- Nasty microwave? Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of water and microwave for 10 minutes. Let it stand for 3 minutes and then wipe down.

- It was pretty clear from your comments that cranking up the tunes makes cleaning go faster.  

- Take one room at a time and make a plan! One reader suggested making a list or a diagram of how you're going to tackle cleaning. Start in one corner and work your way around. 

- Go through all your clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. and take out any items that you haven't work in the past year or season. As you go, label bags with "toss", "Goodwill", "giveaway," or "repair."

- While you're at it, transfer winter clothes to the back of your closet to get ready for the warm weather.

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- Treat yourself after each room. What a great way to stay motivated.

- One reader takes everything out of a drawer or closet and goes to town!

- Make sure you clean everything in a room BEFORE you clean the floor. That way you catch any dirt or dust that's fallen along for the way.

- Cleaning is a family affair! Get the kids and hubby involved. Besides, you didn't make the mess alone.

- I love what one reader said, to never let your house get so bad in the winter that spring cleaning becomes overwhelming. If you're doing a major overhaul or just sprucing the place up, spring is a great time to throw open the windows, get rid of the clutter, and start fresh!

 

Shop Sale This Weekend

So it feels good to be back! I've had some time to get back in the shop, and I've got the creative juices flowing for some new ideas!

Use code "wknd15" for 15% off this weekend.

Plus, I'm so close to reaching 400 sales! I'm ready to celebrate with some free gifts for those that help out!

Friday Favorites

I'm trying something new: favorite things Fridays! During the week I find such good stuff out there and come Friday I want to share!

I was inspired to start these posts by my friend Erika.

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And speaking of Erika, I'm loving her new color block totes found in her shop, Rouge and Whimsy.

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Naomi featured the most amazing ginger apple spice waffles on her blog, The Incomplete Works of Anslem.

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I adore everything about Olivia's blog, Love, Life, and Pictures. She is such an amazing photographer, and each post is filled to the brim with beauty!

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I'm excited for more of Allison's guide to cross stitch on Little Lovlies! I'm just beginning and would really love some more help!

*** Worthy of the Prize talks about how to make Easter all about Jesus over at Cap Creations! *** What have been your favorite things this week?

Spring Cleaning: Bedroom

The bedroom wasn't too difficult. Mostly just clutter control.

- washed linens and made bed 

- emptied nightstand drawers, threw lots of stuff away, cleaned drawers, put items back (fun fact, hubby has three flash lights and a head lamp in his drawer...I guess you never know)

- sticky lint rolled lampshades (lots of dust and cat hair)

- dusted and organized tops of nightstands and put books back on the bookshelf

- dusted dresser

- purged old lotions and potions

- got rid of a few jewelry pieces (shop my jewelry box anyone?)

- dusted antique tray and bowl

- reorganized perfumes

- emptied each dresser drawer, wiped out drawer, replaced items

- purged t-shirts, socks, and undies

- organized jewelry box

- continued to purge closet- 4 big bags to take to Goodwill and counting!

- somehow I forgot to vacuum so that's on the list

And some tips:

- Don't cut corners. If you're going to the trouble of spring cleaning, clean everything (so spot left un-dusted!)

- Open the windows. Things always feel better when the breeze and sun are filtering in.

- Look at each item in your closet and think hard about the last time you wore it and the next time you think you will wear it. Donate if your answers are "forever ago" and "never." Donate if your answers are "I'm not sure" and "maybe someday." Donate if your answers are "last week, but I didn't feel good in it" and "meh."

Do you have any bedroom/closet cleaning tips?

Spring Cleaning: Bathroom

I hate cleaning the bathroom. It gets so gross and never stays clean for long.

But this week I attacked it and came out victorious.

The details:

- scrubbed shower and toilet (outsourced to hubby)

- pulled everything out of every drawer, cleaned drawer

- purged makeup (find out when to throw away here)

- threw away old or never used lotions and potions

- everything back in with a home

- washed walls (I use a lot of hairspray...)

- emptied counter top and cleaned

- cleaned mirror

- scrubbed sink and fixtures

- cleaned each item before putting it back on the counter

- emptied cabinets and ruthlessly went through storage bins and baskets

- purged old or never used items

- grouped similar items together into baggies (chapsticks, dental floss)

- refolded towels and washcloths

- Swiffered floor

- mopped floor using an all natural floor cleaner (a mix of vinegar, water, and dishwashing soap)

- hand scrubbed hard to reach places

The bathroom after.

And me after.

And some tips:

- Use non-toxic cleaning products. It took me a long time to clean everything and I was in the bathroom with the cleaning smells for a while. You don't want to be breathing in bad chemicals! We use Method brand products and love them.

- Try natural homemade cleaning products. A great list can be found here. They're safer and cheaper.

- Be ruthless and throw, throw, throw. If you have to ask yourself "why did I buy this?" "when did I buy this?" or "when was the last time I used this?" it's time to go.

- Make organization make sense to you. Yes, the drawer I showed you may look a little crazy, but I need to have everything at hand that I need to get ready in the morning. I don't want to waste time looking around. And if it's not easy for me to put right back, I'm more tempted just to leave it on the counter.

Do you have any bathroom cleaning tips and tricks?

Spring Cleaning: Starts Today

It's spring break around these parts. I closed up the residence hall on Friday and said goodbye to my last few students Saturday morning. I have since held in the urge to run around the empty building, thankful for the peace and quiet.

This week I have a big to-do list at work, and an even bigger to-do list at home.

I'm going to spring clean the heck our of our apartment. Evey last inch. No space is safe.

Some things I hope to accomplish:

- Organize organizational systems (it's amazing how all the bins and baskets just become catch-alls for who knows what)

- Dust everything

- Continue to purge my closet

- Thoroughly clean seldom cleaned areas in our house

- Clean our the craft room so I can get back in the craft room

How am I going to accomplish these things this week?

By taking one room a day and attacking it.

On the schedule:

Today: bathrooms

Tuesday: bedroom/closet

Wednesday: kitchen

Thursday: living/dining room

Friday: various other nooks and crannies (closets, laundry room, etc).

Saturday: craft room

I'll share my tips and tricks along the way!

I've got the windows wide open (a luxury while campus is quiet) and I can't wait to dive in!

Featured Sponsor: Pig & Paint

Well, hello there! My name is Alison, and I am SO excited to be here at Along For the Ride. If you can picture it, I’m doing a happy dance right now, which is sort of like the running-man meets the cabbage-patch in fast-forward with a lot of random high-fives and fist pumps.

I’ve been following Laura’s blog for several months now, and consider it an honor to be able to partner with such a wonderful woman of God. I hope those of you reading this will continue to enthusiastically support the great work she is doing by spreading the love of Jesus, one inspiring blog post at a time.

I write a blog called Pig and Paint, where I feature my adventures in foodie-ville (Pig) and home décor-mania (Paint). I’m married to a faux-hawked, man-cessory rockin’, face-melting-guitar-solo-playin’ worship pastor, who’s pretty much brilliant in every way. He makes weekly appearances on my blog. I work full-time for a great company in the wireless telecom industry overseeing marketing and communications, and am consequently a weekend DIYer. So, to those of you who feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day -- I can relate!

My husband and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area – literally a stone’s throw from Napa. We are parents to a hilarious boxer dog and a crazy parrot (anyone want a parrot? Just kidding…maybe). My inspiration for food and DIY creations stems from a deep-rooted stubbornness that lives somewhere between my liver and large intestine, and gently encourages thoughts like, “Surely, I can make that,” and “How hard could that be?”

Famous last words, right? Well, it turns out practice does make perfect, and while I won’t lie and say that everything I create is a touchdown, my batting average sure has gotten better. {Football’s the one where they hit the ball and try to get it in the basket, right?}

My two favorite projects to-date are my Capiz Shell Chandelier and my Painted Rug. Both were definitely worth the effort and saved me a TON ‘o money – and that’s important to this Costco-loving cheapskate…not that Costco has anything to do with this. I just love Costco, and that is all.

On a food-related note, I’m kind of crazy about eating arepas right now. My latest arepa creation involved A LOT of chipotle peppers in adobo. I will neither confirm nor deny that my love for food recently led to a jeans-not-fitting-incident, which was both tragic and hilarious.

So, swing on by Pig and Paint – the door is always open! Many thanks to Laura and her fabulous readers for allowing me the opportunity to hang out with y’all today! God bless!!

Alison

Juicy Christian Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Juicy Christian charm giveaway is...

Mindy Harris from Marigold Road!

I'm emailing you right now!

Saturday is Crafty Day

I've been thinking long and hard about my Crafty Saturdays, and unfortunately with my busy schedule these days, it's been hard for me to keep up.

So, even though it makes me sad, I've decided to discontinue Saturday is Crafty Day.

But, there are so many amazing craft parties out there that you should link your amazing projects too (and trust me, they're always amazing!!).

Below is a list of that I've kept. I haven't checked them recently, so forgive me if there a few parties that no longer happen.

Monday
Making the World Cuter 
Keeping it Simple
Sumos Sweet Stuff
Between Naps on the Porch
Trendy Tree House
The Girl Creative
Lowercase Letters
Cottage Instincts
The DIY Show Off
Skip To My Lou
Mad In Crafts
Miss Crafty Pants
Polly Want a Crafter
Friend Making Monday
Life Made Lovely Mondays
C.R.A.F.T.
All Thingz Related
The Girl Creative

Tuesday

Coastal Charm

Silly Little Sparrow

Hope Studios

Chatting at the Sky

Wednesday

Tea Rose Home

The Trendy Treehouse

Blue Cricket Design

Someday Crafts

Women Who Do It All
Sew Much Ado
The Stuff of Success

Thursday
Fireflies and Jellybeans
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Somewhat Simple
Beyond the Picket Fence
House Of Hepworths
Tales From Blogeritaville
I Should be Folding Laundry

Friday Shabby Nest Fingerprints On The Fridge Simply Designing Chic On A Shoestring Decor Mamma Fun To Craft It's A Hodge Podge Life Kojo Designs Frugal And Fabulous Design Thanks, Mail Carrier Toddler Awesome On the Verge The Little Things We Do Southern Reflections

Saturday

Tatertots and Jello

Funky Junk Interiors

A Vision To Remember
Craft Envy
One Crafty Mommy
A Little Lovely

Sunday

Following The Footsteps
I Heart Naptime
Under the Table and Dreaming
Tools are for Women Too
Think Pink

Do you host a craft party? Link it up so that Crafty Saturday linkers have some other places to party!

Thanks for sticking with me through over 60 parties! I look forward to seeing your crafty ideas around blog world!

Filling in the Blanks

Joining Lauren at The Little Things We Do today.

1. My favorite color is    green and yellow, most preferably together, all the time .

2. My home decor color palette includes   green and yellow in the kitchen and then a variety of pretty colors throughout. We have a really open living room/dining room/kitchen so the colors kind of sprawl everywhere. We also have lots of black holding things down  .

3. Other people always tell me I look good in the color    , well people tell me I'd look good in color period. I really don't like wearing colorful things!

4. The color I detest is    orange and pink. Ick.

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be   gray, brown, navy, white, and other neutrals. I also have a pair of bright yellow shoes.

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is   pink. It's just not for me.

7. The color of my favorite dress is   navy with perfect little rosettes all over the collar. It's classic and sturdy (which is a phrase I just made up for my style preference) while still being feminine.

Featured Sponsor: Juicy Christians + Giveaway

I'm so excited for you to meet my featured sponsor for the next few weeks, Juicy Christians! Such an amazing testimony and really gorgeous jewelry. 

My favorite piece:

sing vintage charm

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My name is Nathifa Davis-Sligh and I am the owner of Juicy Christians, a faith inspired and inspirational jewelry company that allows believers to express their faith in style.  I am a new mom to a wonderful little boy, a wife to a wonderful man and a lover of Christ!  

Most people want to know what being a Juicy Christian is all about.  We're about being full of flavor for Christ and being bold enough to share it with the world.  We want people to know that even through all the hard experiences in our lives we know that God has an awesome plan for our lives and that we are meant to live an abundant life. 

That's the amazing thing about our jewelry. Everyone can relate to at least one of our pieces.  They speak to the stories in our lives. That is why we love what we do. Our work began in 2008 out of the sheer will to spread words that bring life to others. We are inspired by our faith, our love for fashion and interior design, and by the experiences of those close to us. Our hope is that by wearing our jewelry, you will remember the promises of God for your life. We hope others ask you about what it means to be a Juicy Christian. We hope that you use that door to share the story of your relationship with Jesus Christ with them. 

So, we invite you to fall in love with our pieces; we invite you to become a part of the Juicy Christians family; but most of all, we invite you to let our jewelry help you boldly share your faith with the world.


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Juicy Christians is offering one lucky reader a charm of their choice. 
Visit their shop and let me know which one you'd pick! Giveaway winner will be announced Friday.

Not Even Poets...

My friend Lani sent me a beautiful card this week, a writing prompt from Love Feast as part of their 365 Gathered Thoughts.

I took the challenge thinking it would be easy.

It is anything but.

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."

To understand her words, I first wanted to understand a bit more about her.

To some it may seem that Zelda Fitzgerald lived a Jazz Age dream. The wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, she was a writer, a celebrity, and, as her husband coined, "America's first flapper."

She was also the victim to a domineering husband. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and died as a patient in a mental hospital fire.

There's no telling what her heart held.

After reading her bio, I'm not sure where this leave me.

Hopeful or heartbreaking.

But as a kind of poet herself, I have to believe Zelda meant this for a happy ending.

This quote reminds me of Mary Poppins' bottomless carpet bag. One definition is a bag that appears small yet holds an endless amount of items.

This has to be our hearts. Able to be filled and filled again with cherished memories and stories. Able to hold so much good and grace and love that no amount of sorrow could ever shut it up.

I owe it to my endless heart to fill it to the brim, and then fill it again. 

To push in as many celebrations and loved ones and pretty things as possible.

To seek beauty and to find a place in my heart to take it with me.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear what this quote brings to mind for you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is how I celebrated. 

A maple donut with green sprinkles and a big glass of milk. Please know that I bypassed three yellow plates so I could put my donut on a green plate. I just had to do it.

I celebrated my 27th birthday yesterday. It was quiet, kind of how I like them. 

It's quite amazing when you think about all the stuff that is packed into one year of life. 

All the times of joy. And the times of sorrow.

For me, birthdays slip in silently. For some reason I start telling people I'm a year older than I am after my half-birthday, so it seems like 27 is kind of old news.

I remember longing to be 25. I thought that was the most perfect age. But I think the Lord is reminding me that every age is perfect. Every year holds beautiful things and hard-to-swollow things. Each year makes us stronger.

The age you are is exactly where you're supposed to be.

Lately

 my new favorite blanket

Lately I haven't felt like writing. I haven't felt like spending time on twitter or Facebook. I haven't felt like returning emails. I haven't felt like creating anything (I think there's an inch of dust on my glue gun...unheard of!).

Lately, I've felt like curling up with a blanket and a cup of tea, listening to music, reading, napping, being quiet.

Because life right now is anything but quiet, and at the end of day I don't have much else to give.

I hope you'll forgive me, or at least stick with me through this season.

I hope you'll be patient with me if your email goes unread for a few more days or your giveaway items sits on my craft desk until the weekend.

I just need a bit of time to get myself going again.

My Faith Story

[This was originally written as a guest post for The Pless Press.]

When I was asked to share my faith story, I was thrilled.

But that was about a million months ago, and I'm just sharing it now.

Writing my story got buried under other things for a few reasons:

Yes the holidays were busy

Then my shop was busy

And work was busy

Also life at home was busy

But the real reason was that I got a bit overwhelmed with it all.

Share my story of coming to Jesus, 

asking Him into my heart, 

recognizing myself as a sinner in need of a savior, 

watching my life take dramatic steps forward 

as I chose to be dependent on the Lord?

Whoa. That's a big story.

But when I think back, becoming a Christian was so simple. Following Jesus, although I am challenged by Him daily, is the most natural, most organic thing that has happened to me.

Our hearts were created to yearn for Jesus.

And that's exactly what mine did.

found on flickr

I grew up in the Catholic church. I was baptized as a baby, went to mass and Sunday school each week, and tried my best to connect to God through religion.

Although I grew up hearing about Jesus, I can't say I really knew who he was. 

It wasn't until I went to college that I started to seeking Jesus for myself, on my own, with my own questions and frustrations. And I started to get real answers.

I was exposed to the character of Jesus. I learned who He was and why He died: for me.

I became a Christian my freshmen year of college. It was during a Sunday service at a local non-denominational church. I remember sitting down during worship because it was all too much. I started to feel the weight that "religion" had placed on me. I started to cry and open it all it to the Lord. 

I just wanted Him. 

Simply Him.

Like I said, asking Jesus into my heart was easy. I had been doing life on my own for so long, making excuses for so long, being strong for so long. Letting go was so easy.

Please know, though, that being a Christian is not easy. Anything but, actually.

Renee Swope wrote in her book, A Confident Heart:

"Salvation is a one-time decision, but finding satisfaction in Christ and living in the security of His promise is a daily process."

It sure isn't easy. It's a process. Daily.

She goes onto to say,

"Learning to live in the security of God's promises is a daily journey of dependence."

I think that quote sums up my faith story. 

My story started with parents who heard God's call to raise me in a loving home and church.

It proceeded with tough questions and one simple answer: Jesus.

And it continues with a daily process of finding my joy and my definition in Him. Of falling and getting back up. Of constantly seeking His will and learning to be completely dependent on the only one that can fill me up to overflowing.  

Tonight

Tonight I'm snuggling in with a big 'ole ice cream sundae, a cozy blanket, and one of my favorite books.

I haven't read it in such a long time, I think I owe it another read.

Goodnight!

Saturday is Crafty Day #63

Hello again!

Sorry many great projects were linked up last time...I can't wait to see what you've been working on these past few weeks!

A few of my favorites:

wall art from Ashley's Dandelion Wishes

bento bag from Sage Endeavors

fabric organization from I "Shir" Can Craft

scripture pillows from All Things Beautiful

Your turn!