It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like the Holidays

Let me tell you somethin'! My house smells AMAZING!! This is something that you can do any time of the year. But for some reason, I only think of this when October rolls around. Go figure.

I know what you are thinking right now, "What is that?!" It might look like something that a grizzly regurgitated, but it sure doesn't smell like it. The best thing about this, other than the smell, is that you probably already have these items on hand. 

You can customize this really any way that you want. The "recipe" my mother showed me years ago was just some water, and a couple tablespoons of ground cinnamon. I had an epiphany the other day, and realized that I could customize the scent. I am so proud of myself for thinking outside of the box, or saucepan.  In this case I used:

2 cups water

2 tblpsns ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground nutmeg

1 tspn ground cloves or 5 whole cloves

2 tspns vanilla extract

Just mix it all together in a saucepan, and turn the stove on low and just let it sit. Of course check it from time to time, because the water level will decrease. If it gets too low just add some more water. 

There are so many different ways that you can customize your scent. Aren't you excited? You should be! You can add apple or citrus slices, herbs like rosemary or mint, and a variety of extracts like peppermint, coconut, and almond. The possibilities are endless!!! 

Let me know how it turns out! I would love to hear from you!

I have a confession...

I have a confession to make. I am quite sure a good bit of you suffer from the same affliction. I. Am. A. Food lover. Ok I said it. Whew! That felt good getting it off my chest. Actually, any of you who know me, know this fact well. I have recently become obsessed with trying new recipes, and then taking pictures of them. Being that I have mush for brains half of the time, I make the recipe, marvel at it, and then EAT it! After I am full as a tick on a hound's neck, I realize that I forgot to take the picture.

Homemade pancakes... I was feelin' the love that morning.

Omelet with onions and peppers topped with cheese and salsa. If you like it spicy add some sriracha. Yum!

Chicken n dumplings. 'Nuf said.

Beef enchilaaaaadas and mexican rice dude (in my Cheech Marin voice)!

These are the few recent recipes I have made AND took pictures, before I devoured them! More to come...

I'm a Window Washer

After having Ava, understandably I was drained. It took some time, like 6 months to where I felt like I had some energy. I don't remember feeling this way with my firstborn. Shoot, I can't even remember what I wore two days ago.

With the weather being so beautiful outside yesterday, I decided to open the windows, turn the air off, and just feel the breeze. I. Was. Loving it. I looked out the window and I realized they were dirty, extremely dirty. Like extremely.

With all this new found energy I thought to myself, "I'm gonna clean these windows!"

I already had the supplies on hand, because I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them. I am working on that...

It really wasn't too arduous of a chore. I had to do it in stages considering Ava's nap and picking up Aiden from school.

I had two spray bottles, one that I filled with just plain water, and the other with half water, one quarter white distilled vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. It doesn't have to be exact. First, I sprayed the outside window with water. Then, I sprayed the window with the vinegar solution and wiped it with the rag. Afterwards, I sprayed the window again with water, and squeegeed it off. As far as the bottom part of the window was concerned, I just popped off the screens and did the same thing. The screens were not dirty, so there was no need to wash those. Thank God.

When it came to the inside windows, I used the Windex vinegar all purpose spray. It smells a lot better than making your own vinegar spray from home. I sprayed the inside of the window pretty good and rubbed it with a couple of paper towels. I needed to make sure it was good and wet so I sprayed it again, so that I could squeegee it. The squeegee just does something. It's magical.

The sun comes in with such vibrancy now. This is the perfect time to do this because the weather is just so, well, perfect!

Last night as I laid the kids to bed, I felt accomplished, but I was... tired.