Update

Well, I am happy to report that the mouse stench is waining.  THANK YOU, LORD!  I can now do laundry in the basement minus the mask and without dry heaves.  The bad news is, the little critter is still down there.  Somewhere.  Decaying.  

ew.

When we actually GET to cleaning the basement and rearranging it the way we want it to be{which may be a VERY long time from now}, I'll let you know the total body count.
Moving on...

Check out this essential oil diffuser that I ordered from a friend a while ago.  She sells Young Living{which I love}, and it works amazing!  God's timing was sure perfect on this purchase!  He knew that I would need it sooner than later.  lol  I would LOVE to get the larger diffuser,  but I have to save up for it.  Until then, this travel diffuser works great!  It comes with little pads that you drop the oil of your choice on, slide it into the diffuser, and push the button.

Voila!  

Instant lavender fields.
Anywhere I want.  :-) 

Yummy.

Lavender happens to be one of my favorite scents/herbs, so that is what I am using now.  I can't wait to try more, though!  I really love citrus smells, so that's next on my list to order.  So fresh and clean!

Another thing that I really like about oils{the major thing}, is that diffusing them is completely safe for my family.  I have always been a 'yummy scent loving' kind of girl, but the fragrance in most candles, air fresheners, and perfumes have always bothered me and given me headaches.  Now I know why.  Anything with fragrance{ie perfume, cleaners, laundry products, air fresheners, etc, etc, etc}, contain pthalates, acetone, alpha-pinene, alpha terpineol, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, camphor, ethanol ...VERY dangerous chemicals linked to nervous system damage, depression,  headaches, birth defects, cancer, and kidney and liver damage.  To name a FEW.   

Thankfully, we have Shaklee-ized our home and gotten rid of all dangerous chemicals.  I even raided my husbands deoderant, shaving creams, hair gels, toothpaste, etc.  {He was not happy at first, but the more we studied and researched, the answer was easy.}  They all had harmful, unwanted, dangerous ingredients.  Check for yourself!  You will be shocked!!!   Who knew?  Eliminating these from your life will keep you healthier today, and more importantly, for many years to come.  We are all going to be exposed to some chemicals because we can't live in a bubble, but why make matters worse by making our homes breeding grounds for these terrible side effects?  Consider our dear children.  Babies and young ones breathe in faster and more rapidly than adults thus resulting in MORE toxins absorbed.   You can change your habits pretty simply and cost effectively , too!

BE A LABEL READER!

HERE is a great article explaining things in more detail. 

I also use essential oils to my favorite cleaner, Basic H.  It gives an amazing smell to my cleaning, safely!!!  :-) 

Ok, ok...I'm sorry that got so long, but it's so important for me to let you all know this stuff.  Just in case you didn't already! ;)   I'm excited to show you some projects in the works over here.  I was a MAD woman cleaning freak yesterday!  I actually managed to get quite a bit of laundry done{part of the plan, but plans don't always go as expected, right?}!  I also vacuumed like crazy, dusted, rearranged furniture, cleaned floors, and spray painted some clay pots with....chalkboard paint!  I absolutely LOVE how they turned out!

*clearly I write like a 7 year old on chalkboards*
forgive me.

I simply took old clay pots and spray painted them with three light coats of spray chalkboard paint, letting each coat dry in between.  Then, once I got the coverage I wanted, I took a piece of chalk and rubbed it over the entire surface to 'season' it so it wouldn't absorb the writing forever!  You can completely clean the surface for a shinier look or leave the surface chalky for a vintage look{like on the mint herb}.  I also added some moss inside to cover the dirt.  I happened to have some on hand and I thought it finished it off nicely.
My kind of project.
CHEAP.
FAST.
FUN.
:-)

Here is a sneak peek of the garage sale chair that my daughter is helping me redo.
We are having lots of fun together!

Here are some pictures I took of our yard today.  I am in love with the flowering crab tree!  We picked up the old school swing set on Craigslist last year for $200!!!  YAY!  Finally, our ducks are settling in nicely.  They think that Eleanor is their mother, and they follow her around faithfully.  It's so cute!  They were chillin' next to my basket when I came home this afternoon so I snuck around and took a pic.
I'm going to have a brag book of these babies pretty soon  if I don't knock it off!  So...if they think Elly is their mother, that would make me....ummmm....nevermind.

Now. Check out the view from the other side of our house...

It's a work in progress.

Just.

Like.

Me.

:-) 

Have a wonderful day.


"But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand."  Isaiah 64:8