Saving a Beloved Object from the Rag Pile: or, Upcycling old socks into doll pillows

My 5-year-old loves cats.  His favorite color is purple.  And he adores all things with fairies and sparkles.

 

About a year ago I stumbled upon a pair of purple socks that had cats adorned with fairy wings stitched into them.  When my son opened them as a gift, he told me, “Mama, these are the socks of my dreams.”

 

He loved his new socks. … Continue reading

How I Store my Essential Oils

How I Store my Essential OilsIt’s no secret that I use a lot of essential oils in my house. (You can read more about that HERE.)  I use them for making my own homemade cleaners (see my recipes for Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner and Homemade Scouring Powder) and my own beauty products. (See my recipes for Healing Skin Salve, Amazing Face Serum, All-Natural Homemade Deodorant, Homemade Bath Salts, and Fizzy Bath Bombs.)… Continue reading

Simplify Saturday: Create a Master Packing List

We recently returned from a two-week trip to visit family.  My husband was on the road for the two weeks before we left, and returned with only one day at home between his business trip and the departure for our family trip.  All that to say, the planning and packing largely fell on my shoulders.

 

While I spent some time the week before we departed preparing myself for the trip, I didn’t worry about packing. … Continue reading

Improve Indoor Air Quality by Using Natural Household and Beauty Products

Improve Indoor Air Quality by Using Natural Household and Beauty ProductsA new study finds that household products, such as perfumes, cleaners, paints, and so on, now rival auto emissions as the primary source of urban air pollution.  This is a big deal.  It means that the products that we are using in our houses – those products we utilize to clean, decorate, and maintain our homes as well as those we use directly on our bodies – are poisoning the air we breathe. … Continue reading

Another Go at Homemade Fizzy Bath Bombs

My 4-year-old has repeatedly requested that we make bath bombs again (you can read about our first endeavor HERE).  So when our friends suggested that we get together and make a batch, of course we said yes.

 

The bath bombs in the picture may not be the most beautiful (please remember they were made by young kids), but they are everything a bath bomb should be. … Continue reading

A Quiet Holiday at Home

We were planning to take a road trip out to California to visit my family for Christmas.  But between snowstorms in the mountains, sick relatives in CA, and our own exhaustion at year’s end, we decided we would be better off taking the opportunity to rest and spend time together here at home.

 

While we enjoy these big road trips (see HERE), we always come home exhausted; and often my boys have picked up a cold or other minor sickness while we’re on the road. … Continue reading

My Homemade Calendar Notebook

For two years now, I have made my own calendar notebook, which doubles as a journal/planner.  Like many people, I used to buy a paper calendar every year.  However, I never found a calendar that allowed me to do everything I wanted to do with it.

 

When I used pre-made products, something always felt problematic.  Sometimes there wasn’t enough space for each day. … Continue reading

Make your own Organic Cotton Food Wrap

Are you looking for ways to eliminate more plastics from your life?  Here’s a simple way to stop using plastic wrap as well as most plastic bags.  It’s an organic cotton food wrap.

 

You can use it to top a glass bowl.  Goodbye, plastic wrap.  You can also use it to wrap fruits and vegetables, cheese, a sandwich, or whatever else you desire. … Continue reading

Clay Diffuser Ornaments

A few weeks ago, a friend invited us over to make Clay Diffuser Ornaments with her and her girls.  It was a simple and fun project that has since brought wonderful scents throughout our home, as well as made wonderful gifts to give to friends.

 

You can use them in a closet, in the car, in a drawer, in the bathroom, or anywhere else you want an all-natural air freshener. … Continue reading

A 3-year-old’s Lesson in Spending

Last week my 3-year-old walked up and handed me his little car, “I’m ready to give this to Ari,” he declared.  (Ari is the grandson of our next-door neighbor.  When my 3-year-old outgrows his clothes or toys, we pass them along to Ari.)

 

“Are you sure?” I asked.

 

“Yes.  I don’t like it any more.  I shouldn’t have bought it. … Continue reading