Hubby's pick

Just in case you were wondering....this is the warmer that my dear husband chose.... tee hee...   it's for his bathroom...   how cute...  (they also come in baseball, soccer, and basketball)

Scentsy Independent Consultant

That's me!

I'm officially a Scentsy Independent Consultant!   ...and I love it!  I love all the new stuff I've tried out, and I'm completely in love with my "Blizzard" warmer (the warmer of the month for December).

Here's a link to my website, where you can browse, buy, contact me to host a party...or,  hey!  Join Scentsy through me and be a consultant too!

www.scentsy.ca/debbierobson

Here's a picture of the Blizzard warmer....yes...it really does glow like that....it puts little snowflakes of light on your walls, it's beautiful!   .... I love it..and my house smells soooooo good!   Currently....like a hazelnut latte!

Image credit: Scentsy

What?!?!?!

No posts since October?!?!?!   Terrible! 

Well...here is our world in pictures :)

Off the list....on the list

From the Merry Trio pattern (link it last post).   My picture is terrible!...but it's a cute little knit.  If I had time I'm make them all!  

Next up, working on my Aria test knit.  I'm nearly done, and it is so cute.  This is just a wonderful pattern.   I love the designer and have many of her patterns, although, I'm such a sadly slow knitter that I don't have that many finished knits from them :(

After that, it's finish the Springtime in Hollis for Miss Pickle....seriously...there is about 5 inches of a sleeve...and then just the buttonbands left to do..... and it's been lingering for months!  

Perhaps then the cowl for me :)  and then it's on to baby boy knits :D

Milo sweater vests,  blanket buddy bunnies, and soaker sacks/tiny longies, oh and I also really want the turtle butt pattern!.

The checklist

I'm so far behind on so many things....  such is life.

So...here's my crafty checklist:

1. Finish Christmas ornament for swap, check out this cute pattern!
2. Finish Aria test knit (I love this one sooooo much!)  I'll post a link once the pattern is published.
3. Sew money envelope wallet for us - details of brainstorm below...
4. Sew snack bags for me, for Rammy, and more for Kara :)  cuz she said she liked'em
5. Sew crayon/art roll for Jared for his birthday (late!) - like one on pinterest with the broken link :(
6. Sew art pack/pencil crayon roll thingy for Sienna and Shauna for Christmas present extras
7. Sew interchangeable knitting needle holder for me  - still in planning stages
8. Sew baby boy diapers!!!  Yay!!!  We're having a boy!!!!

Ok...so that money system wallet...  I think maybe I'll make the envelopes with zippers...which might be a bit bulky but less than velcro...and seriously....I need a place for change in each of those envelopes!   Also... they will be deeper... with a seam along the bottom edge, separating the pocket part, from button holes...that I will string suede or leather strips through, to tie together inside a suede or leather outer wallet... will close with snaps... 
Sort of like a binder...where the envelopes are the paper....the leather is the binder...and the leather laces are the binder rings....make sense? no?  don't worry...I'll figure it out I'm sure....even if the first one is suuuuuuper ugly :)

Ok..and I'll need a pocket to keep coupons in...and a pocket to keep receipts in...I haven't decided if there should be a mini pocket on the back of each envelope to keep receipts for items purchased from that category...or if the receipts can just go inside the envelopes with the cash...hmmmmmm

Oh...and I did my meal plan for the WHOLE MONTH!

Knit time wasted!

Somehow it happened...I'm not sure when....but somewhere along the way I transitioned from being a very tight knitter....to being a very loose knitter (apparently).... now...I typically get gauge a couple of needles sizes down.
I have however...not yet learned to start my swatching a couple of needle sizes down...and arrrgh! that makes for a lot of wasted knitting time!

 File this under knitting lessons to self!

It's Monday....

...and I don't have a menu plan....

GASP!

I have spent the whole day cleaning the house and baking muffins in anticipation of our first small group night tonight though!...So...that's good right!

Perhaps it will be Tuesday Menu plan this week ;)

Circus bound

I'm now 90% sure that at age 18 she'll use all her babysitting money to buy a motorcycle, run away to the circus and be a trick rider!

Menu Plan Monday!

Super super simple meal plan this week.... basically working from pantry items....

Monday:  Tacos...yum!
Tuesday:  Out
Wednesday:  Beef w Snowpeas & brown rice
Thursday:  Honey Mustard chicken w peas & corn
Friday:  Hmmm...what's for Friday...hmmmm   PITA PIZZAS!!!!  Yum!

Irish Cottage anyone??

Soo...I thought perhaps it would be faster to crochet some longies...I used to be so much faster at crochet.... ha!  NOOOOO

 I'm so slow now...I think I might be faster at knitting (and I'm a slow knitter)....maybe it's the single crochet...I've never been a fan of the single crochet....  :(

... so... perhaps I'll work on speeding up my knitting.... I'm going to try to change how I hold the yarn when I wrap/throw...  I watched a Stephanie Pearl McPhee video...man she's fast... and you know...when I first started knitting and did all long straight needles...I just naturally used that method, and always thought I was doing something weird and wrong!!!   man...I like...trained myself out of it!

...now... I pretty much only ever knit on circulars.... so...I'm going to try it again... there are other videos that show her working on circs.....wish me luck....  I'll likely fail.....lol..but this is my current obsession.....

Monday Meal Plan!

Soo...I've still been meal planning...but I've been doing it a little differently.    We really found the need with me going back to work to have everything planned out and organized so that we both have access to our calendar all the time!   So, I've gone back to using the google calendars.   I just made another calendar in a different colour, and I'm planning my meals on my google "meal plan" calendar now.  It's wonderful!   I love that I can just drag and drop the meals to rearrange them if we switch nights, or if for some reason we don't use one meal I can just drag it to the next week (assuming it's a pantry/freezer friendly meal).

So, anyways.   Our meals for this week are again super simple

Monday - Swiss Chalet leftovers (yes please!)
Tuesday - Tacos with fixins
Wednesday - Honey Mustard chicken with Peas and Corn
Thursday - Harold's birthday!!! Woot!  Ordering in food of his choosing (likely Chinese from Dragon Boat)
Friday - Beef and snow pea stir fry on brown rice (yum...still garden snow peas that I froze)

I'm still decluttering too...although I kindof fell off that horse for a bit.  Now, I'm back to motivated and I've done a fair bit this week.   Silly though :(  I forgot to take pictures..... ... bah!  I can't believe I've posted our super humiliating before pictures for all the world to see!...  It's OK..I know.... no one reads my blog ....hahaha....

Baby bum balm

I just made a batch of baby bum balm.   I am soooo pleased!  I hope it works a great as it looks. (update:  yes it does...it does work wonderfully!)

I used this post for instructions, although mine is a wee bit different.

I used grapeseed oil, because that's what I had leftover from when Pickle was super tiny and all the moisturizers left her red and screaming....  grapeseed oil was all we could use on her.

I bought a 6oz block of beeswax from an Etsy seller for $10 including shipping, and some calendula petals from another seller for about $3.    Since I already had the oil I consider that free.    I'm always saving things...so those tins are leftover tins from actual Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm...which absolutely ROCKS and we've used it on Pickle since she was born..... it's $13 a tin.    I made my whole batch...equivalent to over 6 tins for the price of one.   I hope mine is good.   It's only got grapeseed oil, and the actual bum bum balm has several different oils, including coconut, and apricot kernal oil.     I suppose I could experiment sometime down the road if this first trial is at all a success.

So basically.... you make your infused oil....  cover the flower petals with oil...and let'em soak  (I did the fast method of putting it in the oven for a bit.  Preheat oven to 200F  and then turn it off.... then put your petal/oil mix in the oven and let it sit...for hours...I did overnight.

Now, for the actual bum balm making:

• grate one ounce of wax for every cup of oil you are using
• in a glass measuring cup (or whatever you're willing to give up forever) heat your oil/wax mixture on the stove in a small pot simmering water..... I used forks to keep the glass cup from touching the bottom...I need one of those wire rack thingies..
• Once wax is melted (this took a long while to get started, then went super fast) remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes
• Once 5 minutes has passed, stir in 8 drops of essential oil (Lavender) for every cup of oil you used
• Pour into your little containers, let cool,  enjoy pampered bottoms and extra money in your pocket  (to buy more yarn!)

 

There's the bum balm!  Upon first try...it seems a little less solid than the name brand....but better to be too soft than too hard right?  That's what I think anyways  :)  perhaps a wee bit more wax next time...or...maybe I just haven't waited long enough for it to fully harden.  :)  I am pleased!


Arrggg..I gotta say....formatting posts in blogger right now totally sucks :(  it was good for awhile...and now somehow something has changed...and tres frustrating again....arrrghhh!

Edit:  Nope...no need to change the amounts...the consistency is perrrrrfect!

She's my daughter....

Menu Plan Monday!

Quick and simple...

Ribs with Caesar Salad
Chicken Tortellini (CFTR - Healthy Family)
Honey Mustard chicken with Potatoes and Peas&Corn
Beef and Broccoli w Noodles (garden broccoli)
Not So Chili Pasta (CFTR - Dinner Survival)

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie...

Her first steps

August 8, 2011

Menu Plan Monday!

Whoa!  What?  It's Monday?!?!

 I forgot...

Ok...so..here's my boring menu plan:

Tuesday:  Amazing Chicken Stew
Wednesday: Beef Stir Fry with Garden Snow Peas (now frozen garden snow peas)
Thursday: Kraft Dinner - I'm totally serious...I crave this like you wouldn't believe!  Don't judge me!
Friday:  Peking Chicken - We didn't make this last week, so still have everything we need...   we substituted for the frozen Johnny Marzetti that we had..and it was Goooo Goooood!

...and a Tuesday edit to this post :)
I also have honey mustard chicken in the freezer...that I could make with some sweet potato fries


I'm linking up on Menu Plan Monday on "I'm an Organizing Junkie"   I'm in love with this blog.....in LOVE.

Declutter: Sideboard and kitchen towel progress!

I threw away a big bag of garbage...packed up some little baby bottles (I'm not throwing them away...cuz we want more babies! and they cost money).  

Before

After - one plant gone, a bunch of things put away and a place for the papers that need sorting

Before - baby cupboard

After - seriously...the sterilizer was still in there...haven't needed that in months!  This is all we still use! (other than the counter bottle station stuff...but that should go soon-ish too!

Ok...now I don't have a before picture for this...but...the calendar was here... I moved it to the front hallway to start on our "command centre"  and now I have place to hang the towels... seriously...this makes my heart sing!  The towels have been constantly falling on the floor.   Falling, or being pulled down by a little cutie!  So, we constantly have so many towels out, because we never know which one is for hands, which if for counters, which is for dishes, and which ones are filthy from being dropped on the floor and played with!

I know...our towels are dirty looking...well.. they are coffee stained... that's another thing on the list...

Had these command hooks in the junk drawer...sweet!   I love it!  It's making me ridiculously happy!

Opinions NEEDED!!!

Look what I found on Kijiji...for $60...yep..that's right...   $60

Seriously... $60 It's a Sklar Peppler, made in Canada...I don't know what type of wood

Soo...it's in fantastic condition..nearly flawless.   ...remember me saying I wanted a white table for this spot.  When I saw the add on kijiji I thought...perfect...I'll paint it. 
My husband, and his parents think I'd be NUTS to paint this... 


What do you think...   Paint it white?  Or leave it as is?   

Here are a few more pictures of the table in it's new home

It's new home

View from the other direction... looking from the kitchen to the front door

Loaded up...being used sort of how I want it...  one pair of shoes each underneath...one bag each on the shelf, and a container (hopefully prettier) for DH and I on top for keys, pocked emptying etc.

The picture I drew about how I wanted to use this space... 

So...please PLEASE leave a comment letting me know what you think I should do with the table...  and would it help to know that it's a Sklar Peppler?  Hmm...maybe...Ok..I'll go write that at the top too... . I'm not in the know...so I'd never heard of Sklar Peppler before. 

I was trying to find pictures of decorating styles that I love...but..I can't find them... you know...the white wood...with like pretty turquoise and stuff all over...  fresh...clean...fun looking type style...  I'm just not so much into the country wood.... but...this is so light...could it work?

Declutter: Front hallway progress

Before:  This gets regularly cleared and cleaned...but ends up looking like this at some point everyday... I SO want a place for these things to go..and belong!

So..this is actually the first thing I did...but it's not complete...because I think it requires a purchase that we don't have the money for right now...so we're making due...

Plus...if my plan just turns out to be another place for clutter to settle...then I don't want to have spent money on something that makes my problem worse!   So...this area is "on trial".   This lovely artists rendition...is what I imagine it looking like

I figure I can set up the stuff on the wall above the makeshift tv tray console table...and see how it goes...if we have some success...and a little extra cash...then I hope to get a table something like this one from Sears..it doesn't have legs..with space underneath it for summer sandles...but...it's pretty close to what I was looking for...I wish I was handy enough to build :(

Oh...and here's another small victory...The cupboard above the microwave...The cooking oils are up there (because that's one of the only places that is tall enough) and all our reusable water bottles and coffee travel mugs.    It doesn't look that bad in this before picture...but often  the mugs are falling all over the place because they're too packed in to stand up properly... 

Before

After

Declutter!

Under the kitchen sink...

Before:

After:  Ok...I know it still looks cluttered...but ....it's NOT!   I just need some containers to corral the cleaning products into their respective homes....right now having the ones I don't use much along the back, and the ones I use all the time closer to the front is making me pretty happy!

Onward!!!  I can't wait to clear out the whole house!