Spring Cleaning..

So Real Simple had an article on Back To Basics Cleaning in their new magazine that just came out...
So I thought I would give some of their suggestions a whirl.. I am a cleaning product junkie, as I think any clean freak is...and my friends/family that see the million different products that are under my sink always give me a hard time..so maybe I can simplify a bit..but only if these tips really work will I give up my beloved products!

Using lemons...

Cut a lemon in half and run it through the disposal... the lemon is suppose to clean it and make it smell great.. and smell great it did for even a couple days after I did it.. I will be using this little cleaning trick again..
To brighten whites add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle.. I thought this was interesting as I don't use bleach because Hailie's skin is so sensitive so I was curious to see if this worked.. after the 4th run to the washing machine to see if it was on rinse cycle yet and to find that I had missed it, I gave up on this one.. I mean what the heck..how are you suppose to time that one.. I give this tip a no go for me.. wasn't worth all the effort.

Using oils..
they suggested you use olive oil on a clean cloth to get extra sparkle on your stainless steel surfaces.. I usually use Method Stainless Steel Cleaner from Target with the special little cloth you can buy with it and I have been pretty happy with it but there are still some smudges on my fridge...so I poured a little olive oil on a kitchen towel and wiped down the fridge and my goodness gracious did it sparkle AND it stayed that way for quite awhile..this one is a keeper and now since olive oil is a staple in my pantry anyway I won't have to buy anymore Method cleaner so I am saving money too!

Using Vinegar..

They said to disinfect your dishwasher to pour 1/2 cup vinegar into the reservoir and run an empty cycle.. worked fantastic.. and I usually buy that dishwasher cleaner at the store so saving me money there too!

There were a ton more tips and I have a couple more on my list that I haven't had time to try out get, but check them all out online or better yet buy their magazine.. I love that magazine and let me know what tips you used that worked!

Spring fever....

So I feel my need for the spring thing coming on.. It all started with my vacum dying..
It died after almost exactly 10 years to the day.. we got it as a wedding gift..
the fact that I killed it by using it sideways on the stairs is neither here nor there... (whoops! I mean who knew?)
So what is a girl to do but go to Target of course...
I stood in that vacum aisle for eternity... vacums have gotten so much fancier..
I contemplated if the $400 Dyson was really worth it.. my decision..no it wasn't..
So a new fancier then my old one and only cost $80 vacum went into the cart...
What does that leave...ohhhh a little money to do some decor shopping..
Hey I saved myself $320 by not going with the Dyson.. I should be able to splurge a little right??

I found this cute green vase and then I saw the giraffe..both into the cart..
The giraffe was so cute, and if you remember since our trip to the park where we got to feed them, I have been seriously crushing on them.. So I think I have started something with this little guy.. there was a taller one I wanted too but I told myself to slow down and start with one... I played around with them a little on the shelf. I don't think I like those flowers..
I might get some big palms or something..what do you think?


then I found this really inexpensive glass jar and it was perfect for what I have been looking for to put the kids crayons in... not exactly a new concept in the craft/blog world but man does it really make a difference...keeps them so neat...
Oh and you can see that the kids put their favorite pencil sharpener from Paper Source that they got for Christmas right by their art supplies... They have so much fun with that thing..
I laugh so hard when I just randomly hear a pencil sharpening..

So it was a successful little Spring Update.. Tomorrow I will go into the cleaning part..

Conquering Thumb Butte!

starting our hike with our two favorite guides..Uncle Lance and Aunt Bonnie..


at the top...

it was beautiful and we had a nice picnic at the top...

we went as far as we could because it was closed due to the falcons building their nests...
our decent back down the mountain...
then it was off to have some ice cream at Goodwin Street Pharmacy! We deserved it!


their cone choices..hehe
then off to the park to play for a bit........
Nonie was so cute! She seemed to enjoy watching the kids play..

Fun Day! Thanks Uncle Lance and Aunt Bonnie!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?Well ours is doing pretty good...
So after a trip to Lowe's and specific instructions from the garden guy we figured out how to move forward with keeping our garden growing...

After "hardening" for the two days... we got to work...

New planters... check
Rocks in the bottom of the planters..check

Luke decided he needed a hard hat since he would be moving rock
soil on top of the rocks..check

Peat pots into the soil.. check

The kids were so excited about these plants that they wanted to try some more seeds...

Carrots.. lettuce..and peas.. check
We will see... stay tuned...

Familiar with this book?
My daughter is obsessed with it...
How much you ask?

She came running out of the house tonight while I was outside watering the plants screaming "Pinkalicious, I am Pinkalicious!"

I was pretty impressed that she put that outfit together from all of her play clothes by herself and it matched almost exactly to what Pinkalicious is wearing in the book down to her pink little fairy wings and wand...

Love you my little Pinkalicious..

Ice Cream Cones- Part 2

So my little man was ADORABLE tonight.. he knew that on my last post I didn't have a picture of the ice cream cones.. so while I was making dinner he was coloring and said he was making me a special picture..
When he finished he held it up and proudly exclaimed, "Look mom I made you a picture of the yummy ice cream cones we had, so now you have a picture of them to put on your computer"

Man I love that kid! The picture of the ice cream cone totally rocks too!

Grab your Pizzelle Irons Ladies..

What do you make on a perfectly beautiful spring day...
Well waffle cones of course..
Got my Pizzelle Iron out and got to work!

Found a really amazing recipe here of course..



So yummy with Dryers Berry Sherbet in them.. No final picture as they were eaten too quickly!

big brothers advice to his little sister..

Hailie came home quite upset that a little boy was being mean to her by putting wood chips down her pants.
As she is telling the story Luke is paying close attention and when she finishes just as I am about to say something, Luke says, " Well Hailie when I went to your Preschool there was a boy there that was mean to me, so you want to know what I did, I just went on the playground and found a special diamond rock and gave it to him, and you know what, he was my friend then. So maybe you should go on the playground and find a special rock and give it to him and then he will be your friend instead of putting woodchips in your undewear."

well said son...

crazy how they are having conversations on their own now and don't need mommy as much..sniff...sniff..

Where were we you ask??

why celebrating my brother-in-law Jeff's birthday by going to see an RC Plane show of course...

The kids had fun playing and hanging out while Daddy and Uncle Jeff talked planes

Then off to Luke's Air Force Base to watch the real planes...
I never found a sign for the base.. the elementary school was the closest thing I saw..
Luke got a kick out of seeing his name everywhere though..

The planes were really neat to watch and the kids seemed to enjoy most of it..
Hailie was a bit freaked out by how loud they were, but some really nice people behind us gave us some ear plugs for her and then she seemed better...

Then we were off to Grandma and Papa's for the continuation of the birthday celebration...

Here is where the party started getting a little rowdy.. ha..

Happy Birthday Auntie Becca, Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Amber!

(I see you in there Clint)

We were exhausted by the end of the day as you can imagine but had a nice time...