August Done! List - Update

Last night, my computer died. Well, I don't know if it's really dead, but it won't charge. That's not usually a good sign... Hopefully the nice people at Apple will tell me it is a quick (and cheap!) fix... I had been thinking this would happen soon, but thought I had another few months.

So what better time than now for a no-picture post?!

If you remember, back in August I created my August Done! List, inspired by Becky from CleanMama. Now that August has come and gone, here's my update.

 Done! August To-Do List:
• Clean out my personal email DONE!
• Upload all iPhone pictures & videos to an online storage site DONE!
• Backup all family pictures & videos to an online storage site DONE!
• Create a warranty binder
• Finish and order one Blurb album

As you can see, I didn't accomplish all that I had hoped. A big reason for that is I had been working on one item that I had been keeping a secret:


• Launch Bella Carta Boutique on Etsy... DONE!

Last week, Bella Carta Boutique went live on Etsy, and I was elated. I had worked so hard to get my business online, and to see it actually happen... to type those words in an email to my friends and family... well, it was one of my proudest moments.

Having a small list of goals for the month was exactly what I needed to keep me focused. I'll definitely be doing this again.


The two items I didn't get to? I'm OK with that. They'll be part of my September Done! List. 

The items I did get to? I'm so happy they're done. 

If it turns out that my computer really is dead, I will be even more thankful I chose August to backup all my pictures!!

Happy Friday, friends!

Green Cleaning

I loved 'being green', before being green was cool. I was an UVM grad, after all, and Vermont has always been a little ahead of the curve when it comes to the environment. While we have always used green cleaning products in our home, we've also been guilty of using some very not-green ones.

When I was pregnant with A, I went through and cleaned out every toxic cleaning product I could find, and vowed that during my maternity leave, I'd make a whole slew of all-natural cleaners that we'd use exclusively after the baby was born. Ha! That did NOT happen. 

This past weekend, I set out to finally check that item off my list. I had pinned several natural, homemade cleaning recipes for future reference, and was so thankful I did that. I've listed the original sources along with the recipes, below.

INGREDIENTS

• White Vinegar
• Washing Soda*
• Castile Soap
• Essential Oils
• Baking Soda
• Ammonia
• 6 empty spray bottles
• Labels

*I, of course, didn't look to see what I needed before I started this project. Luckily, I googled Washing Soap, and found out that you can make this from baking soda (original post here).

I purchased these bottles the week before, so that I'd have fresh bottles to work with, and this sample pack of essential oils.

RECIPES

One thing of note before beginning... the reviews of the plastic bottles all recommend waiting for your mixture to cool completely before attaching the spray-component. So while these are all relatively easy to make, I did wait almost 6 hours for them to cool before using them.

All-Purpose Cleaner (original post here)
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Washing Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Castile Soap
• 2 cups hot water

I was impressed with how well this worked. I definitely thought it cleaned just as well as my other all-purpose cleaners.

Grease Cutter (original post here)
• 2 Cups water
• 1/4 Cup Castile Soap
• 10 drops lavender oil

Again, impressed with how effective this was. I've never used a specific cleaning product just for grease, but it really did a great job on the stove and countertops after a weekend of cooking. It also smells pretty good, too!

Tub & Tile Cleaner (original post here)
• 2/3 Cup baking soda
• 1/2 Cup Castile Soap
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 Cup water
• A few drops of Tea Tree oil

This may be my new favorite cleaning product. I was literally amazed how well this worked, and how well it smelled. The recipe above does not make a lot, so the next time, I would double it. The bathroom is a place I tend to use very abrasive cleaning products, and honestly felt that this was just as effective. The best part was that the bathroom smelled of Tea Tree Oil instead of cleaning products, afterwards!

Glass Cleaner (original post here)

• 1 cup Water
• 1/4 cup White Vinegar
• 2 to 3 drops Dawn Dish Soap

I didn't use Dawn Dish Soap, since I only had Castile soap. This works well, although you have to wait for it to 'evaporate' a bit from the glass. At first it looks a little hazy and dirty, but within 30 seconds the glass was clean and dry.

Miracle Stain Remover (original post here)
• 2/3 cup Dawn Dishsoap
• 2/3 cup ammonia
• 6 tablespoon Baking Soda
• 2 cup warm water

 Warning: this makes ALOT. more than could fit in a 16oz spray bottle. I recommend cutting the recipe in half.

 I haven't had to use this yet, but I'm sure A will find a reason for me to try it soon! I promise to post about how effective it is, especially since this is the product I'm most skeptical of.

Linen Spray (original post here)
• 2 tablespoons Vodka
• 10 drops of essential oil
• 1 cup warm water

Love this! Easy to make, smells great and dries quickly. I give our couch and rug a quick spray every other day to avoid the dog-smell that sometimes takes over the house. This works very well, and I'm not worried about A being on the couch immediately afterwards since it contains no harsh ingredients.

I didn't realize it when I purchased the spray bottles, but they were also the perfect size to store in my wooden create (purchased from Hobby Lobby years ago)!

Love that my new products also have cute new storage :)
Would love to hear what kind of green cleaning products you are using in your home!

Happy Thursday, friends!

Linking up with A Bowl Full of Lemons

Christmas in September {Holiday Traditions}

 

Last summer, I stumbled across a post about a wonderful holiday tradition: giving your child(ren) one book, everyday, beginning December first and continuing until Christmas Eve. A Christmas Book Advent Calendar... what a great idea! I'm an avid reader, and hope that A loves to read as much as I do. His book collection is massive, and we have books in almost every play-space, the diaper bag, and in the car. I immediately started looking for Christmas books anywhere I could find them, and slowly started growing our collection.

Although A was a little young last year to understand the meaning, he smiled at a lot of the stories, and C and I loved reading them to him. We plan to continue the tradition this year, and thankfully, will not need to buy a lot of new books. There are few that we plan to replace as A gets older, but many of them will last for several years - if not through his entire childhood.

I was so thankful that this idea was posted over the summer, so those of us who were interested in starting this tradition with our own children, would have enough time to gather all the books before December. I thought I'd pay it forward, and share the books we purchased last year!

A few of these books were purchased from Borders during their store-closing clearance, and a few others were purchased through Totsy, Gilt or HauteLook flash sales. Below contain links to the books through Amazon. Amazon occasionally offers 4 for 3 promotions on children's books (buy 4 books, and get them for the price of 3). I took advantage of that promotion a few times to finish our Christmas collection. And of course, if you are an Amazon Prime Member, you can take advantage of free shipping on most (if not all!) of these books!

Elf on the Shelf

You are my Miracle

Merry Christmas, Stinky Face

A Christmas Prayer

Duck & Goose, It's Time for Christmas

Bear Stays Up for Christmas

My First Christmas

Merry Christmas Touch & Feel

Christmas in the Manger

Can’t Wait 'Til Christmas

Snowmen at Christmas

Llama Llama Holiday Drama

Fly Santa Fly

BOB: And 6 more Christmas stories

Olivia Claus

Merry Christmas Little One

Max's Christmas

The Finest Christmas Tree

Christmas is Coming, Marley

Merry Christmas, Storybook Collection

When Santa Turned Green

Great Reindeer Rebellion

Cold Paws, Warm Heart

The Night Before Christmas

Not that I want to wish Fall away, but I am already looking forward to re-reading these stories to A again this year!

note: this post contains affiliate links

{Bathroom Renovation} Progress Update

I mentioned yesterday that we're finally making progress on the bathroom. I couldn't be more excited! After 3.5 years of living with our current bathroom, we're ready for something clean and updated.

Here's my original inspiration board. Although we're still undecided on a wall color, and have changed our vision for the vanity, I think the bathroom will still end up looking pretty close to what you see below.

 

A few weeks ago, I also shared what I thought would eventually become the vanity. Here it is again. We're going to see this in person next week, just to make sure we love it. And if we do, it's coming home with us!

via

This weekend, we also purchased this bathroom mirror from Wisteria. I had saved this mirror long ago, always picturing it in our new bathroom. Wisteria was offering 20% off their entire site this weekend, so the price of the mirror was brought down to $80. Because it was an over sized piece, I had to pay $35 additional in shipping. But for $115, I think this mirror was a steal.

via

These are the two types of tile we're considering. Both are tumbled travertine, in Walnut. The difference is obviously the shape - the first one is 6"x6" square, and the second is 3"x6" subway. Originally we pictured the square on the floor in a staggered pattern, and the subway in the shower, also staggered.

via

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After seeing some of these pictures on Pinterest, we're now thinking of maybe doing herringbone floors, and a traditional subway tile pattern in the shower.

Source: grayowldesign.files.wordpress.com via Jillian on Pinterest

Source: atlantahomesmag.com via Jillian on Pinterest

 
It seems so real now!

:)

Monday Ramblings

Happy Labor Day!

• While catching up on blogs this morning in Google Reader, I couldn't help but be surprised how many bloggers were posting on Sunday. Usually, Sunday is a pretty quiet day in blog-land. A few hours later, I realized it was actually Monday. So here I am, just now writing my Monday post!

• Last week I launched my labor of love, Bella Carta Boutique. I spent so much time focused on the launch, that I lost sight of my other responsibilities. I forgot to pay a bill (thankfully we were able to submit a payment on the due date), forgot to send out a birthday card, and forgot to call and cancel a doctor's appointment. I'm so excited that Bella Carta is up on Etsy, but I'm even more excited that I can get back to my day-to-day stuff. This weekend I cleaned the house, caught up on laundry and wrote out my calendar for the next month. I'm trying to make a concerted effort to pre-plan my blog posts, too, so that I don't have to play catch up at night. Let's see how that goes!

 • I may ruffle a few feathers by saying this, but I really dislike election season. I love the United States, and that we live in a democratic country where we get to elect our officials, but, I don't like the atmosphere it creates. Everyone is on one side or another, people argue about the issues at hand, and honestly, it all makes me uncomfortable. I realized this weekend that I dislike election season even more now that I'm a mom. We read everywhere about bullying and respect, and how important it is to teach your children those things. And then, we turn on the TV, and the two men vying for the next Presidential seat are doing just that. Making fun of each other, being mean and undermining the others' values. I realize the Presidential race is a far-cry from bullying in schools, but shouldn't Obama and Romney play a little nicer? After all, the President is a position that children aspire to. When the entire country tunes in to the Republican or Democratic convention (including teenagers across the country, who probably have to watch for a school assignment), what should parents be saying to their kids? It's OK that the Presidential candidates are rude to each other, but just so you know, it's not OK for you to treat others like that.

• A few weeks ago, we picked up A's big-boy bed. I realized yesterday I never shared a picture of it, or my inspiration board for his room. I'm only sharing the bed today, but the inspiration board will be up soon!

Here was my original inspiration photo for the bed...

Source: bhg.com via Jillian on Pinterest

And here's the Land of Nod version, retailing at a mere $549...

via

And here is my Craigslist find, an antique, for $125!

• We're making progress in the bathroom! Tile samples came this week, and we absolutely loved one of them. We bought the mirror, picked out a vanity and tried to narrow down our to-do list in order to get this done Columbus Day Weekend. I'll be sharing our purchases later this week.

• I'm pulling out the fall decorations today. While September 2nd may seem a little early, a cool, rainy day on a long weekend seems like the perfect reason to start!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Linking up with Debbies Doo's

Bella Carta Boutique LAUNCH!

Today, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Bella Carta Boutique!

What began as a favor for my closest friends, quickly blossomed into something much bigger. Bella Carta was born from a love of design, and the joy that comes with creating something unique and memorable.

Bella Carta officially launched in January 2010, but getting a website up and running seemed like such an overwhelming task that it always sat on the back burner. This year, I made it a New Year's Resolution to get get Bella Carta's website up. I've worked many late nights the last two months to pull this off, but it has all been worth it. I count today as one of my proudest moments.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the designs on our site!

I'd love for all of you to come visit at bellacartaboutique.etsy.com!

I'll be posting on the blog when I release new designs or am running a promotion. And any bloggy friends or readers that are interested in any of my current designs, or creating a custom one, please email me for more information. bellacartaboutique {at} gmail {dot} com

XO

Birthday

Today I turn 31. Happy Birthday, to me!

When I was younger, I can remember counting down the minutes until the exact moment I was born. I'd use that time to think of all that had happened the year before, all I was thankful for, and all that I wished for in the year ahead.

This year, I'm thankful for...

My childhood... it was full of laughter, full of love, and many happy memories.

My awkward teenage years... I spent a lot of time figuring out who I wanted to be. And while some things didn't turn out the way I planned, I do have the life I always dreamed of.

My high-school self... I wish I could tell you so many things, but most of all, I would tell you that you can stop trying so hard. There are some pretty incredible things to look forward to, and they all happen because you are you, and not anyone else.

My twenty-something self... all of those wrong guys led me to the right one, and I'm so thankful for that.

My parents... for always being a wonderful example of love, for encouraging me, believing in me, and becoming my best friends.

My brother... for 25 years with the funniest kid in town. Thank you for always keeping it fun, and for helping me take myself less seriously. I miss you everyday.

My Otto... for making me a mom, for making me smile, and for teaching me unconditional love.

My husband... for fulfilling the dream of marrying my best friend, for being my biggest fan, my voice of reason and for loving me with your whole being. Thank you for being you.

My son... for showing me a love that I've never known before, for the joy you see in everything, and for your contagious laughter. In 16 months you have taught me more than I could have ever imagined.

My married-into family... for laughing with me, for crying with me, and the endless support in-between.

My friends... for being there when I need you the most, for making me laugh, and for showing me that family is much bigger than I ever thought it could be.

This blog... for the sweet friends I have made in the last two months, who comment, encourage me, and inspire me daily.

XO