Lemon Vinegar Spritz :Clean:

Blogging from my phone since our W.  Weeksi is still down and .  Hourst expected to be back.  Dap uheroesSunday *attempting not to even think about it right now* Things have been crazy busy over here and I have definitely neglected my little blog. I'll be up early to get the movers over to the old house to pick up our really heavy furniture; Our dressers are made from really old, heavy wood and they are gorgeous but RIDICULOUS to move around even a couple inches much less up and down stairs! Once our dressers are here, I can FINALLY put away all these damn drawers I have sitting around throughout my new digs!!

I did get a chance to make a lil something-something today...It's an easy way to jazz up some boring ol' vinegar!! I use vinegar in a spray bottle to clean EVERYTHING. Especially surfaces that my children touch on a daily basis, you know, countertops, dining room otable, bathroom sink..etc... It's cheap and non-toxic - what more could you need? Now I don't mind the smell (it reminds me of coloring eggs for Easter) certain love bugs in my house run around saying, "Whaaaaat is that smell?!" Or "OMG What are you cooking?!" After I go on a cleaning spree. Silly man and kids.

I found a kickass DIY on One Good Thing by Jillee and I decided to try it out.

I bought a bunch of lemons and limes the other day with the intention of doing some fruit infusions to up my water intake. Well when I realized that they were shriveling up faster than I could consume them I figured it was time to put them to good use!

Chop the peel, throw it in a jar, add vinegar, let it sit. 

Now Jillee said she let it sit for 2 Weeks...I'm lucky to last 2 hours. Perhaps I'll give it 2 days. 

HappyCleaning!

Obsessedfest :New House Edition:

Okay, Okay – So I am tardy for the party again. My life this week has been boxes, packing tape and vinegar. As I mentioned in my last post, we are moving and I am so in love with our house I can’t hardly stand it!

I am so excited to linkup with Mandi from helloJAXON again – I love her blog and her style – You can tell from her blog that she is one cool chick who is more than likely a freakin’ blast to hang out with! I also love seeing her little guy grow up…he is just a month younger than my little Olivia and he is a peanut!

Now onto my list – I, like many, love decorating and making my home cozy, comfy and pretty so since I am knee-deep in foam peanuts, I decided to make my Obsessedfest list all about my new digs!

Here we go:

1) My New Backyard!

Fenced in with a built-in grill and a hot tub? Holla! Next spring I am plotting on slapping a little paint on the hot tub to freshen it up, as well as the grill. The grill looks like a bigger version of the kind you would find at a campground or beach so all we need is a couple of beer holders and the Officer and I can get our grill on! I am so excited to have a nice, open space for the kids to run around, do sidewalk chalk, go on adventures!!

2) My New Mantel & Fireplace

Can I get a HELLS YEAH??!! I can’t get my fall décor up there fast enough!! Fall leaf garland wrapped with white lights swirled between yummy fall candle and our family picture frames…ahhhhhh!! Then our stockings? Ugh I love it!! I don’t even care if we ever have a fire in the damn thing!

3) My New Kitchen

(don’t be intimidated by my awesome attempt at planning my kitchen out using Microsoft Paint…yeah I know I’m a total badass)

While it isn’t a big kitchen, it is more than enough for me! We have more counter space, more storage space, a new sink, gas stove and a glass door cabinet that I have NO idea what to put inside of it so that it looks nice and organized. I have been browsing Pinterest for ideas on what to do with that cabinet and the best pictures usually have bright, colorful dishes displayed…or all one color or tone. While I don’t plan on buying all new dishes, I know that this cabinet will either make or break the whole kitchen (for me at least) so I have to come up with something pretty looking and pretty cheap!

4) Hardwood Floors!!!

I will RUN, not walk, to buy new Swiffer pads and I don’t even care who judges my excitement!! My last two houses have had some weird textured vinyl flooring that was a bitch to use the Swiffer on so usually I would just skip it but I’m ready to bring it back!! Each bedroom has wood floors so I may just keep that sucker upstairs for easier cleaning especially since the kitchen is usually a vacuum kind of job, you damn crumbs. 

5) New Foyer and Banister

I love the dark wood and thick, cushy carpeting! The walls are a neutral chocolate milk color that is the absolute best! I love neutrals! The main entrance for us will be the side door but the front door leads out to a kick ass front porch…which leads me to…

6) New kick ass front porch!!

and it comes with a swing! The porch is huge and screams ‘front stooping nights with the Officer and a few beers’!! All it needs is a good cleaning and a cooler and we are set! We are also going to add a baby gate so we can let the wild monkey run free on the porch!

Dear Front Door, Don’t worry my friend…You will soon be adorned with some beautiful fall décor, hay bales, pumpkins and my favorite Country Pumpkin sign! <3, Me

And finally….

7)  My kick ass bathroom!!

The blue tile looks kind of obnoxious in pictures but I assure you, it is not obnoxious at all. It is what I like to call a “happy” blue…The kind of color you see and you instantly become cheerful and your mood brightens. The walls also have the same neutral chocolate milk color as the foyer/living room does. There is also new(er) floor tiling and a huge counter top and plenty of storage!

 

Well there you have it! Our new house. I can’t say it enough – I am in LOVE!

Goodnight!

Morgan

The Friday 10 :Linkup:

Week #2 for Linkup’s is here!

Favorite Movies? Easy peasy! Here we go – Countdown style…

#10: The Bond’s (Daniel Craig editions) – Um spy sh*t and Daniel Craig’s rearview. Yes please.

#9: The Bourne’s – Um spy sh*t and Matt Damon. Yes please.

#8: Sweet Home Alabama – Because I need at lease 1 chick flick on here. lol

#7: The Departed – Mark Walberg being a total dick alone is reason for me loving this movie.

#6: Date Night – The first movie the Officer and I ever watched in a theater – and Mark Walberg shirtless.

#5: Transformers 1,2 & 3 – The reasons why Shia LaBeouf was born.

#4: Wreck-It Ralph – Favorite Disney movie ever! It is such a cute movie and I love that I know all the actor’s voices!

#3: Stepbrothers – Will Ferrell and awesome quotes to last a lifetime…need I say more?

#2: Talladega Nights: If ya ain’t first, you’re last Ricky Bobby!

#1: Ironman – I joke that Tony Stark is Olivia’s real dad. He just might be – she is a cooper jumping ninja after all. RDJ’s deliciousness alone is reason to make him #1.

 

In other news…Has it really been an entire week since I have posted? Holy moly! Where did the time go?

Well I am super excited to announce that we are M.O.V.I.N.G! And get the keys tomorrow!! My kids finally get a kick ass backyard to play in (right now we live on a corner lot and the garage is where the backyard should be…the only yard we really have is a side yard which due to traffic and people’s INABILITY to keep themselves and their vehicles off of our property, is a death trap)

We do the walk through tomorrow and I have my camera all ready and waiting! Second to the big backyard, my excitement is beaming over our new mantle!! I instantly imagined what my fall décor would look like all over that perfect stone…Not to mention our stockings come Christmas!

I scheduled the movers to be here on the 21st of August so that will be our first official night sleeping over so I need to get busy planning, packing and moving our small stuff on over. I want to keep this move nice and organized so it is not a complete clusterf*ck like our last move *shudders in disgust*

Be back tomorrow!

The Friday 10 :Linkup:

Well, she has done it again.

When I saw Mandy’s from helloJAXON’s newest linkup for The Friday 10, I had to participate! It is such an easy way to open up, share something about myself and who doesn’t love making lists?!

While I did write this post on Friday, I didn’t finish this beast until Saturday technically so consider me tardy for the party.

1) Katy & Liv – Ever since I made my official decision to open up my own shop, I have never been happier. It just felt…RIGHT. Yes, I am very nervous and I’m trying hard not to let any negative thoughts creep up into my mind. I have been trying to channel a little bit of a certain HealthyDiva’s positive attitude and only think GOOD THOUGHTS! I figure if I make stuff that I love, that other people will love it too!

2) My Officer – He just melts my heart. My man is the most supportive, funniest, awesome-est person I could ever imagine knowing, loving and sharing a home with. I thank God everyday for bringing him into my life and pray for his safety every chance I get. Before meeting him, I never thought a man could love me or treat me the way he does.

3) My Babies – Eight years ago, I was pregnant with my first…However, at this time eight years ago, I didn’t know that I was pregnant with twins. I never quite knew how blessed I actually was at the time either. Kayden and Kaytlen are now 7 1/2 years old and about to start SECOND grade and I never knew my heart could be so full!! When I look at them, my heart feels like it could burst! Little Miss Olivia is my little blessing as well. She is our little .3% chance IUD baby (TMI lol) - I am so thankful to God for allowing me to be a mommy to these kids and I try to never take a day with them for granted. I will never be a perfect mom but I will always try to be a good one.

4) My Stepson – This young man deserved his own spot on my Top 10 list. Our relationship is wonderful and stressful. This has possibly been my most challenging relationship I have had to date. The sweet little boy who I wish was my own is leaving such an impression on me and I cannot even begin to describe my feelings towards him. Unfortunately, my heart is heavy for this little guy. He is living under a dark, horrible roof and we really don’t know if and when he will be able to get out from under it. Now I am no psychologist but his mother seems to have deep strains of mental illness. The house he lived in until he was almost six was disgusting and unlivable. There was dog urine running through the floor. Literally, from the first floor down into the basement. CYS has been involved more than once but has done nothing to help rectify the sad, unsanitary situation. There was so much crap and garbage in the bedrooms that you could not even see the floor. Now when he visits every other weekend, he reeks of filth and animal vomit. He gets sent to school with shirts too small, holes in his shoes and floodwater pants and believe me when I say the lack of proper fitting clothing has nothing to do with a lack of finances on her part. Now our relationship was strained because he didn’t look up to female ‘mother figures’ as positive role models or support systems in his life. He feared that at any time I would scream and yell at him or his dad for no good reason at all. The more time we have spent together, the better our relationship has become. I can only imagine what horrible things were said to him about me that just lead him to not like me…But he always warmed up to me after a day or so. We had him for ten days right at the beginning of summer vacation and he really, really opened up to me and I saw a whole new kid come out. The little boy, underneath all of the fear, got to finally shine through. He actually asked me if I have ever had to lie at school about a boo-boo I had…He said he had to before. My heart dropped and I was so sick to my stomach.  So…now I can only hope and pray each day that we eventually get full custody of him and raise him right so that special, fun-loving little guy can be loved the way he deserves to be loved.

(Okay, back to the fun stuff now, eh?)

5) Crafting – Seems obvious, I know but I feel so great when I am decorating and pretty-fying something! A little glitter and glue can really calm a girl’s soul sometimes! I am YEARS behind on my older kid’s scrapbooks but for Olivia, I swallowed my pride and bought an actual baby book and just filled that sucker out. It was kind of nice having events pre-filled and all I did was have to add a date but I of course add my own little touches to it.

6) Sparkling Water – The flavored kind, duh! I know, I know – it has fake sweetener in it but for whatever reason, I have just been hating our tap water! It was either the flavored sparkling or no water whatsoever.I really should just chill tap water and soak some fresh fruit in it to make a delicious and refreshing cooler…But I could only drink it that way in a mason jar with a fancy straw so I better put those up! (only kidding) (uh, who am I kidding, no I’m not)

7) Pinteresting-Sprees – Ah Pinterest….You make me feel good…then bad…then good again. You are like an unsteady relationship with the high school bad boy.

I just love (and hate) Pinterest. I have always been a fan of ripping out magazine pages and pining them up on a bulletin board (or just taped on my way) as a source of inspiration, motivation and/or reminders. Now will I ever actually complete or accomplish any of the ideas that I come across during my late night pinteresting sprees? Maybe, Maybe not. Either way, it is fun and I have no intention on stopping anytime soon.

8) Friends Reruns – Probably my favorite TV show ever and last year during my late night, pregnant insomnia, I discovered that from 11:00pm to 1:00am each night they run four episodes on Nick @ Nite…and usually they are in order. The Officer and I still fall asleep to it to this day. The night almost doesn’t feel complete unless I watch at least one episode! And yes, I am that annoying girl who can recite quotes from each episode! #noshame 

9) Chapstick and Mints – Do these need an explanation? Who doesn’t love soft lips and fresh breath?

10) Blogs – Back in October of 2009, I came across my first blog. I had no idea what I was looking at. “Pictures of food? Pictures of sweaty people? About Me sections? WTH???”   I soon started to understand what I had found and haven’t stopped reading since. I have never met anyone in “real life” that is a blog fan like myself – if I mention the word ‘blog’, most people look at me and say, ‘blog? what? huh?’ but I love the sense of community and it is very encouraging seeing the real-life friendships that have flourished all because of a blog or two.

I started with healthy living blogs and have ventured onto lifestyle, organizing/cleaning and mommy blogs. I always LOVE finding fun, new blogs to add to my daily roster of reading!!

Phew, well I am sure I will keep thinking of more things I can’t live without but this chick needs to take her happy ass to bed.

You Stay Classy San Diego  

xoxo Morgan

P.S. I am not one for proof-reading my posts so excuse any typos – thanks 

Obsessedfest :Crafter’s Edition:

When I heard about this linkup, I just HAD to jump on the bandwagon! First off all, I love love love Mandy’s helloJAXON blog. She is full of creativity, love for her family and adorable little boy and loves her some fun adult drinks (a girl after my own heart!)

So I am diving head first into my very first

My Week of Obsessions:

1) My very first Tutu & Headband order!

It is for my dear friend Courtney and I am in love with how it turned out! It is my ‘Orange Raspberry Sherbet’ and with the ribbon, it is ADJUSTABLE!

2) Martha Stewart Fine Glitter

OMGOOODNESS- this stuff is the BEST! I purchased it on Amazon.com in order to avoid the $9.95 shipping cost on the Martha Stewart website (Sorry, Martha – but really? When the shipping cost is nearly half of the cost of the item you are buying, it is time to walk away)

I have been decorating football shirts, crowns, you name it – I don’t know how I ever lived without it!

And I just had to OMBRE it up for our Obsessedfest host, Mandy! You know how much she loves her ombre!!

3) Halloween Cardstock

Halloween inspired cupcake flags anyone? The weather has been very fall-like over the past couple days which has me craving all things fall. While I am not ready to fully part with summer yet since it means the big kids will have to be getting back into school, that does not mean I can’t start prepping items for my upcoming craft shows!

4) My kickass hot glue gun

I truly don’t know how I lived without this sucker either! My good friend Terry bought me my first hot glue gun when I was helping her craft up some decorations for her parent’s wedding anniversary. And you don’t ever have to buy an expensive glue gun either!! I think she said this one was around $2.00 and this pack of glue was about $2.50. Totally budget friendly!

5) Tulle, Tulle, Tulle

I am getting started on my team color’s tutus and I am so pumped to see how they turn out. So far I planned for:

Steelers, Pens & Pirates

Penn State

Ohio State

Cleveland Browns

and 2 of our local school teams!

I also graduated from the “buying wholesale tulle off the big cardboard sheets” to “buy the tulle on the spool” – although the wholesale tulle is much cheaper, the spooled tulle is SO MUCH EASIER to deal with!!

Well, that is it for my first Obsessedfest linkup!

See you next week for more OBSESSIONS!!

Adventures in Making a Crown, Part 1 :Create:

I’ll be honest. I thought crown-making was going to be much easier than it has been. Granted, it hasn’t really been all to difficult…There have just been some unforeseen issues.

I purchased my crochet lace on Fabric.com which has an AMAZING shipping turnaround. I ordered several colors…

You can see there…brown, black, lime, white, pink and turquoise.

Lesson #1: Next time, I will just buy a neutral color – white maybe – and spray paint each crown separately. I would say paint them with acrylic paint but the spray paint is SO MUCH EASIER!

Plus, you can get different shades of (lets say) pink for different crowns by using different shades of spray paint (obvious I know) but it is harder to come by different pink shades of crochet lace unless you are a lace ninja… you can always use the spray paint for other projects  too so nothing ever goes to waste!

Lesson #2: Next time, I will try lightly ironing the lace out before applying the fabric stiffener. I know it make seem pointless because you are just going to crumble it up in the bowl anyways but I would just dip the fabric in the bowl and wipe off the access between my thumb and pointer finger to try and keep the fabric as flat as possible.

 

Next, measure and trim. I cut all of mine 15” and ended up needing to trim more off of each end due to fraying so they ended up around 14” each. It was a perfect fit for my 7 year old daughter’s head!

Gather your supplies – Grab your Stiffy! hahahahaha – yeah I know, I’m 12 again. Come on though, the company set me up by naming it that!

Now, pour…

Soak…

Saturate…

Squeeze out excess…

and Lay out…

See that white splotchy-ness on the black?

Yeah, that totally goes away once the stiffener dries!

I set mine out on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper…

And flipped them about 3 times over the next hour to prevent the stiffener from clogging up the lace holes…

Then just left them to dry overnight.

 

Part 2 (the fun part) coming soon!

<3

Morgan