Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts

Friday, February 7, 2014

My Linen Closet

Hey all, 

I wanted to give you a little peak of how I want to run this page. I want to show you how I organize my house little by little. Sometimes I have to buy new organizers, sometimes I re-purpose old organizers and boxes. it all depends on what I need. Though, I guess the biggest the thing to take away from these posts is that I don't spend a lot of money on organizers because I don't have it to spend. I slowly get the organizers that I do buy. Also, you don't need to completely remodel your kitchen or buy thousands of dollars worth of closet and cabinet organizers to be organized and have all of your products at your fingertips. 

So, I hope you enjoy this little little organizational blog. 

This is my upstairs closet, it was a mess before, but I forgot to take pictures of before, so you just get the lovely after. 

This is a multi-purpose closet for us. It holds our travel toiletries, our cleaning supplies, our bulk toiletries, our spare electronics, our vacuum, our extra towels and linens. 

To start at the top shelf, and work our way down....

Our top shelf has our box of toiletries, this was a hat box that I bought a long time ago for about $20.00 from Target. I have used it for a thousand different things and now it holds Ziploc bags of toiletries and my toiletries travel bags. Next, is the doggy travel bag that we have for Khaleesi. We have some dog travel bowls and poop bags in there right now, just to keep them out of the way and organized. Next we have an extra sheet, the other ones are in the laundry right now, and a small pile of bibs for the baby. 


The next shelf is the most used things in our family, so we put it at eye level, making sure that we can see and find everything quickly and efficiently, but also ensuring that the little grabby one doesn't get any ideas. 

As you can see, we have our stash of bulk toilet paper, and then to the right, we have an old utensil organizer that hold our air fresheners, our unique soaps, our light bulbs, our extra scrubby sponges, and extra travel tissue packs. Here is a closer look at that organizer:


To the right of that I used an old paper/magazine organizer to hold my husband's extra toiletries. I have his bodywash, and extra bottle of shampoo and an extra tube of deoderant.  Here is a closer look at that organizer. 


To the right of that is a huge row of lotions. I try a thousand different types of lotions, and there are all ones that aren't my favorite, but they're okay, so I will use them up to ensure I'm not wasting money. Then I have an old tote that has miscellaneous lotions, toners, oils and facial cleansers in it. Again, these are ones that aren't my favorite, but I keep them on hand in case a friend needs to wash their face or for when I run out of my good ones and I need to order more. Basically I will use them again sometime, but they aren't my favorite, but again, not wanting to waste money. Next, I have a huge pile of tissue boxes. And my bulk mouthwash. I have a little bottle in my bathroom, so we keep the big ones out here. 


On the next shelf down, I have several large totes, again, they are all mixed because I have collected them throughout the years. This first one has house cleaning supplies, stuff like Goo Gone or Goof Off, carpet powder, that orange cleaner for hands, and stove-top cleaner. 


Next is a box full of shampoos, conditioners, razor replacements, excess hair products, and my feminine pads, sorry if that is weird, but this is what is in my closet. 


Next is a tote full of sunscreen, Proactive, shaving cream and bug spray. Note: All of the green totes that you see here, I bought at Dollarama. Yes, 1.50 for a green tote that you can use anywhere. Great, I know. 


Next, I have this huge container of batteries. We have a little one, obviously, and so many of her toys are battery operated, not to mention my toothbrush, my face scrubber, Ty's flashlights, our remotes, and so many other devices in our home that are battery powered that it was just reasonable for us to have a ton of batteries on hand. This is actually an old milk jug, we had to buy a new one because every time we washed this one in the dishwasher it would deform more than it had before. This is the old milk jug without the lid on . Then next row is just my extra cleaning supplies. 

The next shelf down is a huge box full of dog equipment. Khaleesi went into heat last month, so in order to save us from having to buy another diaper for her so she could have a fresh diaper everyday, we bought some maxi pads and cut them in half and put them in her diaper, which is why the maxi pads are in there. This could be considered a RLH. If you want it to. But, this also holds the grooming supplies and diapers and poop bags. 
The next box is an extra electronics box. While my husband is home we share a computer, but when he leaves, he takes this white laptop with him. The rest is extra usb cables and internet cables and chargers and old cell phones that we have yet to sell or recycle. This just helps us keep all of our odds n ends electronics in one spot. 


Next is just my extra towels and my trusty Dyson vacuum cleaner. Note: If you want me to start doing reviews on household products I can start doing that. I love trying out new household cleaners and seeing if they work or not, so just let me know and I can try and help you out. 

The only two things that I don't have pictured are my plunger and my toilet brush. My hubby and I give the toilets a good scrub every Sunday to keep everything from getting too gross. We have found the best way to keep our space clean is to do little micro cleans between big ones. It turns a whole day of cleaning into two to three hours. 

That's it. This is my linen closet that was organized with odds n ends of totes and old boxes. it isn't the prettiest, but it works for our family. Maybe we will have the money to get more totes late on, but until then, we will be using this system because it works for us. Check back next Friday for more reduce, Reuse, Reorganize. 

Warm wishes. 












Thursday, February 6, 2014

Rub A Dub Dub This is the Baby's Tub

Hello everyone!

I wanted to share how we organize the baby's bath to maximize fun and minimize accidents and mess.

So the first thing that everyone who has a child knows about is that their reach seems endless, especially the more they grow. 

In our bathroom, the showers had shelves built in, but if you don't have this you can do one of two things:

1. Invest in shower organizers. You can do this in several different way. You can buy these organizers that attach to the shower head to hold all of your little one's products out of arms' reach. You can also get each family member a tote. Write your loved ones' names on a 3"x 3" piece of construction paper. Take some laminating paper, or even more accessible, some clear packing tape, and "laminate" the construction paper. Use a hole punch and punch one of the corners. Use a thin 6" piece of  ribbon, and tie the name tag to the tote. Store under the sink or on a shelf so that the name tags are facing outwards. This way, each family member can grab their own tote when it is shower time. This eliminates the toddlers getting into the razors and Nair and shaving cream, or whatever you have in your shower normally, and prevents your shower being packed with a thousand different products, hence leading to that shampoo bottle on your foot.

2. Go to the store and buy another tension shower curtain rod. This only works if you have a shower with square corners, not rounded corners. Put your tension rod along the back wall. Hang shower organizers with each person's name on them. You can use permanent marker for this, and it will last through the water in the shower.  This is only goo if your shower is a little wider otherwise you will be knocking your shoulders against the bins. This is a good idea if you have children though, because even when they start taking showers, they will still be lower than the totes, meaning you can just bring their toiletries down for them and then to clean up, just put the items back in the tote. 

For us, we have shelves in our bathroom, so this is how we organize Ella's bathtub. 

First, we have everything on the highest shelves we can put them on. We have the main shampoos/ bubble-bath mixed on one shelf. 



Next, we got this adorable little luffa for the baby. She loves it! She loves washing herself with it, and it does double duty as a toy and a washing tool. 



Next, we have a cup for rinsing her off and we have a large bucket of toys right next to the tub. This lets her play for a little bit before we wash up, and gives us a waterproof place to put her toys in. 











Having everything in it's place is the perfect way to feel great about your space and your home. 

I hope these suggestions helped you a little, let me know if you try anything. 

Leave any suggestion you'd like. 

Warm wishes. 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

DIY LIp Scrub


Hello everyone!

Have you wanted a lip scrub to exfoliate your dry chapped lips in the winter? What about all year round? Want to be able to go into your kitchen and find your lip scrub all the time? Then this is the post for you!

This is the easiest lip scrub I have found. I have been using it for a few months now and it is just as good as a store bought exfoliator, and you can eat it! It can even be organic if you buy organic ingredients. And the best part: these are items that are in more people's kitchen all year round. 

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. 

This is what you will need:

brown sugar
honey
white sugar, the coarser the better, but regular sugar will be just fine
olive oil, or your favorite oil (sunflower, walnut, flaxseed, grapeseed, etc
a small travel container, you can find these at Walmart and drugstores like Walgreens and Shoppers




One part brown sugar
Two parts white sugar
One part honey
One part oil

Mix together on a piece of wax paper and then pack into the tin

That is it! It's that easy!!! Your mixture should resemble building sand, crumbly but sticks together a little. 

I hope you enjoyed this very easy tutorial. 

Warm wishes. 

Veggie-Full Macaroni and Cheese

When I was young, I remember my brother being a picky eater. Everyone goes through that stage, it's natural, but now, when my baby is still little, I am trying to avoid that. I, even in my adult years, find myself not liking certain fruits and vegetables. So, in order to sneak a little more fruits and vegetables, I have started putting vegetables into my dishes that wouldn't normally have them.

Now, please don't get me wrong, I do not think that these dishes automatically become less fattening just because I fill them with vegetables. And understand that I am not a nutritionist. I am simply trying to add a little more nutrition into meals that my family enjoys. 

This is Veggie-Full Macaroni and Cheese



8 oz pasta (I used Scoobi doo, but you can use macaroni elbows or penne)
5 oz sharp or old cheddar cheese
4.5 oz peas
4.5 oz carrots, peeled and chopped
1 TBSP unsalted butter for the roux
1 TBSP unsalted butter for the casserole dish
2 oz shallots, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 TBSP flour
1.5 cups of 2% milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp mustard powder or Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 TBSP oil
1 TBSP grated parm

Serves 6

Boil your water. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Prepare the macaroni as directed on the package. Half way through the cooking, add in the peas and carrots. Finish cooking, drain and set aside. 

In a pot, melt butter for the roux. While the butter is melting, butter your casserole dish. When butter is fully melted and just ever so slightly bubbling, add in your minced shallots. Cook for 3 minutes then add garlic. Cook for one minute and add in flour, mixing into a lumpy paste. 

Trick: In order to use as little amount as possible, I use one pot to boil the macaroni mixture, then transfer that to the casserole dish. Use a whisk for all stirring. That way, when it comes time to whisk the roux, you only have to dirty one utensil, one pot, and one casserole dish. Alos, one knife and one cutting board, but things that that are very easy to wash. 

Back to the recipe. 

After the flour is mixed fully, add in the milk, whisking constantly. Once it is smooth and well blended, let it come to a small bubble.

Once bubbling, pour the cheese over the macaroni mixture in the casserole dish. Sprinkled over the breadcrumbs, the Parmesan cheese and the tablespoon of oil.  

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes on 350F.

Enjoy!

Hopefully, your picky eaters will enjoy this dish as much as my family does.



Warm wishes. 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Real Life for Real

Hello everyone! 

So, in learning how to care for two dogs, a baby, a husband, a car and a house, I have found several "life hacks" to baby proof the house, reduce the amount of space we use in the house, keep the car and the house clean, and save a little more time and energy in my everyday life, and keep my house running with everyone in the loop and everyone able to participate. These are things you can do in your everyday life. Some I have picked up from friends, some from the internet, and some have just fallen into place for our family. Maybe some of these will help you and maybe you can help me. 

Leave a comment, and if I try your suggestion, I will post a picture of it and let you know how it worked for me! 

I hope these help you. 

Warm wishes.