Spring time?

It is almost April and this past weekend we had a snow unlike any other snow we had all winter. It was beautiful, but I couldn't help but sigh since we are 20 degrees below the average temperature for this time of year in Nebraska. I am so looking forward to planting some herbs and having a small garden when the weather warms up...but it's snowing again as I type! Brrrr...

On Friday, Jake and I spent the evening at the Barrick's helping them paint the their hallways and main room. It's always more fun (and more efficient) to do that kind of work with multiple sets of hands.

DIY Cleaning Supplies

I never thought twice about cleaning products…until I became a home owner. There are a few reasons why I looked into creating my own cleaning supplies:

1. I keep the majority of my cleaning supplies underneath the kitchen sink. Whenever I opened the cabinet to get a bottle of cleaner, I would hold my breath because the smell of the harsh chemicals were so strong! This just didn’t seem right...


2. I started reading the labels. The contents of commercial cleaning ingredients are a little worrisome and may leave somewhat of a footprint on the environment. Why would I want to clean with something that says, “Chemicals in this product have been known to cause cancer in the state of California”!?!


3. I strongly dislike shopping for cleaning products. If you go to the cleaning aisle at the store, there are tons of different options and different solutions for everything and they aren’t cheap!


So, in an effort to live simply…I decided to make my own cleaning supplies!

So far, I have created my own laundry soap, automatic dishwasher soap, dish soap, all-purpose cleaner, and bathroom disinfectant. As I continue to phase out my commercial cleaning products, I am planning on making toilet bowl cleaner, oven cleaner, kitchen floor cleaner, scouring powder...and the list goes on.

Once you make your first homemade cleaning product, I think you’ll be hooked. I always add a few drops of essential oils into my cleaners and the aroma of lavender or lemon or eucalyptus is heavenly! It definitely beats the smell of chemicals. Also, lots of essential oils have bacteria-fighting qualities that aid in the cleaning process!


Here are more great reasons to make your own cleaners:


·Cost – You can buy a jug of vinegar and a box of baking soda for less than $5.00. This will be a lot more versatile and last WAY longer than your standard chemical cleaner.
·Environmentally friendly
·Sustainability – Get out of the cleaning aisle at Walmart and make your own! It is gratifying to make it yourself and gain some independence from consumerism/advertising
·Knowledge of ingredients – I stopped taking vitamins because I didn’t know what was in them. Now, I no longer have to wonder about the contents of my cleaners! I can pronounce the ingredients and count them on one hand.
·Personal development – I am a learner. Making your own cleaners involves a little bit of research and resourcefulness.
·They work! Don't be brainwashed into thinking you have to have the best of the best chemical cleaner to get the job done.

I suggest the book The Naturally Clean Home...it is where I have gotten the majority of my cleaning recipes. Or check out this cute collection of recipes off of Etsy. Eartheasy also has a really great article on non-toxic cleaning. It even includes recipes and substitutions.

Home Improvements: Main Bath

My husband, Jake, is such a handyman! I couldn't brag on him more. He just has a wealth of knowledge on how to fix/update our house...from plumbing to dry-walling to electric! I love seeing him in action, and it is great on our budget. Slowly but surely we are updating our house that was built in the 50's. This winter our big project was the main bathroom. The project has been finished for a while now, but the before and after pictures are definitely worthy of posting!! The only salvageable piece of this bathroom was the porceline bath tub. It sits on the right wall, but because of the angle it is not in the picture.

Before..

After!

Since this picture was taken I have also done a little decorating.

 Now that Spring is here (today is the first full day of Spring! YAY!), we are hoping to get busy on the house! I can't wait to do the master bath and the kitchen! Jake has also been working on the yard (front and back). More details and pictures of projects to come!

On the road again...(more like, in the airport again!)

Our most recent adventure included a trip to Orlando and Knoxville. Jake's job has taken him on a 22 day business trip to these two places plus St. Louis. The great thing about that is we have family in all three places! So, I got to meet up with Jake, John and Alma for the weekend in Florida, then we took a short flight to Knoxville and spent time with my family. Since Jake was working and Caleb was in school, I spent the days hanging out with mom and dad, but in the evenings we all got to be together. Since Jake and I live a thousand miles away from our family, I really cherish every moment I have with them.

Of course, I only pulled my camera out one day and that was the day we hit the beach!

The day after I came back to Omaha, my Dad flew into town on his own business trip! It was great to be able to spend more time with him. I introduced him to a Stella's burger and the Omaha zoo! This gorilla was such tough stuff!!

Top 10 Healthy Habits

One of my favorite websites to visit is www.drmitraray.com. Mitra Ray is a wife, a mom, a biochemist, a public speaker, an author, and a health activist. Her website is a great resource for information and answers on a practical, healthy diet and real nutrition and beauty. I love her mission statement right on the front of her site: "Educating and inspiring people about how plant-based whole foods create simple and sustainable vitality."

So as I was perusing through her site, I found this list of Top 10 Things to do to get healthy and I thought I would share since we could all use these tips. I was also really excited to see that she even recommends Juice Plus as one of them!

The top 10 things you can to do to get healthy now:

Take 10 deep breaths filling air from the diaphragm up and exhaling completely, whenever you feel stressed. Drink 3 liters of good clean water everyday in addition to any other beverage you have Eat a whole food based supplement (www.juiceplus.com) Get at least 8 hours of sleep each day, and maintain a consistent bed time and wake time at least 6 days a week. Start each day with a green drink Make breakfast and lunch your biggest meals, preferably between 10 am and 4 pm when your digestions is strongest. Eat something raw from the plant kingdom at every meal and make it the biggest part of the meal: vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains should be the bulk of what you eat. Get outside and move a little bit each day Eat animal products sparingly; eat processed foods sparingly Think good, healthy thoughts.

For more details on each tip and to get Mitra's green drink recipe, click here.

Check out her Q&A page to see what she says about all-natural facials and skin care, sweetners, raw food, sunscreen, health issues, and more!

I was so excited to find that Mitra also answers questions specific to Juice Plus. She talks about Juice Plus and detoxification, gluten, safety, vegan and organic, nursing mothers, fitness, and my favorite topic: nutrition and pregnancy!

Dr. Mitra Ray discusses the keys to longevity - and demonstrates

her point using an apple and some lemon juice

kom-BOO-cha

As I was finishing up my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and gawking at the prices of some things I would love to try, I discovered this drink and I had to share it with the world! It's called Kombucha and it's an organic, raw, fermented Chinese tea with live cultures. While the tea ferments, nutrients form like enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, electrolytes, etc. It is supposed to support cell integrity, digestion, metabolism, and many other things listed on the back of the bottle.

I love the ingredient label.

Ingredients: organic raw kombucha, pure unsweetened cranberry juice, and 100% pure love!!!

Who knows if this tea really restores vitality like it states; it is really tasty with only 30 calories and 2 grams of sugar/serving. I tried the cranberry flavor and it tastes like a a mix of Sprite and Cranberry juice! I'll take a flavor like that minus all the sugar any day! Cheers!