simple Analogy

Everything I Know About Cleaning Stainless Steel Sinks...

... I learned from my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law has been a professional housecleaner for over 20 years.  It was a little intimidating as a new bride, having her over.  I thought she'd be looking for the spot of dust that I missed or the crumb that escaped the vacuum cleaner.  But you know what?  I never once saw her look out of the corner of her eye to see if I had dusted the ceiling fan (which I only do about one a year) or run her finger over the mantle (I DO dust that weekly).  She's the kind of mother-in-law that let's you be who you are without trying to improve you.

I asked her one time how she kept her stainless steel sink looking so shiny.  If you have a stainless sink, you know how dull they can get after a while.  She gave me her trade secret, and you know what?  It works like a charm.  Yes! I'll share!

First of all, scrub your sink with the cleaner of your choice.  I like to use Soft Scrub with Bleach.  The combination of grittiness and bleach removes bacteria and any stains.

This is what my sink looks like after it's been scrubbed.  Clean, but dull.  Now for the trade secret...

lemon oil

Give one swirl of lemon oil around the sink and wipe the entire surface with it with a paper towel.

Now look how shiny!  You can even see my son's head reflected as he peered over the counter. 

Landon:  Um... mom, what are you taking a picture of?

Me:  The sink.

Him:  Why?  (This must be read with the right inflection of voice - one that conveys the thought that that is the weirdest thing to take a picture of.)

Me:  For my blog.

Him:  No comment, just a quick raise of the eyebrows.  Turns and walks away...

Anyway, the oil not only makes the sink shiny, but also gives it a protective barrier from liquids and other things it comes in contact with.  Just look at that water all beaded up!

It doesn't last forever, so you'll need to do this a couple times a month.  But really it is an effortless fix.  And it smells good too!  One bottle of lemon oil will last you a year or more.

Enjoy your shiny sink!

Is It Possible...

...that anything is better than Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs?  I don't think so!  They make me want to go out and buy up all the clearanced ones I can find.  I'm going to have to show some self control.

...that you can feel older just by checking to see if your son has a fever?  Yep.  I reached out to see if Landon had a fever, and felt not only a hot cheek but also a few days worth of stubble.  It wasn't peach fuzz; it was man stubble.  Yep, old!  That's me!

...that anything is harder to find in a local brick and mortar shop than washi tape?  No!  It's all over Etsy and the web, but local?  S-U-P-E-R hard!  However if you're looking for some in the Houston area, I found a supplier!  Archiver's in Katy has a fairly good selection.  I went a bit overboard as you can see.  Note:  When asking for it, you might have to describe it!  It's other monikers are:  paper tape, trendy tape, tissue tape.

Looking Past

Sometimes when you're sick it's hard to look past the end of your red nose and pile of kleenex and find the good in life.   My grandparents came into town for the weekend from Colorado.  This is a rare treat.  What is even more rare is that Landon shares the same birthday as my mother-in-law and my grandpa!  Yes, rare indeed.  So this last weekend was to be one of great celebration - a triple birthday party.

Only I was sick.  So I stayed home from going out to dinner on Friday hoping I'd be up to going the birthday party on Saturday.  And then I stayed home Saturday from the party hoping I'd at least be able to see my grandparents on Sunday.  And then I stayed home Sunday and missed them all together.

The pity party was looming before me.  So instead of giving in to it, I changed my attitude and looked for things to be grateful for...

 

THE FINER THINGS

 

1.  That my selfish desire to see Oma and Opa didn't overcome my good sense to keep my germs to myself.

2.  That the rest of my family was healthy and able to spend the weekend with them.

3.  A nice long talk with Oma on the phone - the next best thing to seeing her - and her comment on how fine a job we are doing as parents.  That was nice to hear!

4.  Sweet pink flowers from Joel.

5.  Purple tulips and homemade chicken noodle soup from Mom.  Did you know that if you put a shiny penny into the water with your tulips, it'll keep them from getting droopy?  I read it somewhere last week, and it works!  I guess that's something else to be thankful for.

6.  Wonderful husband and friends who pinch hit for me in the nursery on Sunday and Tuesday Bible study without even a little hesitation.  Thanks everyone!

7.  Homemade Get Better Sorbet from Megan.  I've never even heard of such a thing, and there it was in my freezer!  Grapefruit, lemon, honey, and cayenne.  Yummy/soothing down my throat into my tummy and then the afterburn.  Quite a new experience!  You're a pioneer, Meg!  And tonight when I start my bout of coughing, I'm going to see if the cayenne will burn it away! 

8.  Emails to see how I was getting along.

9.  A short conversation with Opa, who said he was sorry he didn't get to see me, but "when you're sick there's nothing you can do.  BUT if I come down again and don't get to see you, I'll be MAD!"  He's so cute!

10.  That Joel and Landon have not gotten sick.

11.  A beautiful quilt to curl up in.

 

THE BASER THINGS

 

1.  Kleenex with lotion

2.  Nyquil

3.  Netflix

4.  A piece of the birthday cake

5.  A comfy couch

6.  Chicken sausage and potatoes - Yum!

7.  MEDICINE!!!  Hopefully I'll be on the mend SOON!

Little Bit of Randomness

Every now and then I like to read some random.  And every now and then it's fun to write some random.  So here we go...

* If you have to drop a glass bowl on the kitchen floor, it's a good idea to have it entirely filled with the cheesy contents for lasagna.  When it breaks, the glass doesn't splinter into a million pieces.  It gets weighed down under the plop of heavy cheese and stays within a reasonable radius.

* If you need more cheese for your lasagne, the Walgreens around the corner carries cottage cheese.  Just check the date!

* If you want something fun to do, try the Instagram app.  (That cute little picture up there was altered using it!)

* If your washing machine starts making sci-fi music sounding noises, I hate to tell you, but it's probably gonna need to be replaced.

*  If you want to read up on sewing with knits, Made by Rae is the place to be.  Knitereview is going on right now.

* If you want a picture of what homeschool looks like on a cold day, I'll tell you:  everyone on the couches in the living room, with mugs of hot cocoa, under blankets, learning about the War of the Roses.

* If you need a boost of vitamin C, the oranges are particularly good this year.  At least the batch I got.

*  If your iphone is looking a little drab, try this or even this!

* If you need a very sentimental gift for your sister, try cinnamon sticks.  One of my new favorites.

*If your hair stylist breaks her foot to smithereens, you can get by a couple months without a haircut by wearing your hair up or in a pony tail.  It's been a long ponytail winter!

Christmas Card

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, "Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you;  yea shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."    -Luke 2:6-14

 

Wishing you joy this Christmas season and a happy New Year!

I Won, I Won, I Won

After five years of blogging and being the giver of giveaways, this is the first time I have won something!  That something happens to be from one of my favorite blogs - Dear Lillie.  I just sigh when I look at her beautifully decorated home!  Her shop of the same name is filled with lots of lovelies.

source

This lovely will be making it's way to my couch!  Thanks, Jennifer!

Wrap, Wrap, Wrap

The house is emptied of all male inhabitants right now.  I've got Christmas tunes going, and the dining table is littered with scraps of wrapping paper, jute, and hemp.  And burlap shrapnel.  That stuff is everywhere!

So I'm taking a little break from my present wrapping to announce a little present for one of my readers.  The Giveaway Day scarf is going to...

Carla G. who said:  Jingle Bells would be my favorite song... Thanks for a chance to win this beautiful scarf! :)

Yeah, Carla!  I'll be sending you an email soon!  Thanks to all who stopped by for the fun!  Ok, back to wrapping...

Giveaway Day 2011

***This giveaway is closed***

It's Christmas time, and it's also Giveaway Day with Sew Mama Sew!  The two go together so well.  If this is your first time to stop by, welcome!  I hope you'll take a little time to look around.  We just finished up a month long Gift Wrap Party, so if you need some inspiration, there's plenty!  If you're a regular, you're probably wondering why I'm posting this on Tuesday instead of Monday.  Let's just say that this weekend was CRAZY busy and Monday got away from me.  Anyway, let's get on with this giveaway!

My offering this year is a yummy teal infinity scarf.  Using a lightweight cotton blend knit, this scarf is oh so soft and warm without being too hot. The seams are hand stitched with gray embroidery thread for added visual interest.  The teal color will brighten up even the coldest of winters. Wear it looped twice around your neck for a relaxed look, or three times for a more chunky tailored look and a bit more warmth.  

Here are the giveaway details:

• Open to international entries.
• Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song.  (Mine at the moment is "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" by The Drifters - oh and the Michael Buble version.)
• Only one entry per person please.
• Make sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
• A random winner will be chosen on Saturday, Dec 17th.
• The winner will be notified on the 17th and will have until Monday, December 19th to reply.
• If no reply is received, I'll choose another winner.

Ok, that's that!  And good luck to you all!

This year's Giveaway Day is much easier to navigate.  The giveaways are organized into the following categories:

Handmade for the Home

Handmade Baby + Kid Items

Handmade Bags

Handmade Accessories

Sewing Supplies

Other Non-Sewing Craft Supplies

Each category has pictures and links to all the giveaway offerings.  Love this!  Now you can click over to the ones you're interested in!  So go take a peek at the other goodies.

I Will Be Participating

This week has been spent celebrating a certain 13 year old's birthday (yes, I have TWO teenagers now), arranging Christmas music for the church cantata, and practicing said music.  Not much crafting, but I wanted to pop in and say that it's almost time for Sew, Mama, Sew's annual Giveaway Day.  What another giveaway?  Oh yes!  I love this holiday tradition.  Make sure you stop back by on December 12th to enter.

Here's a hint...  It's a winter accessory, cozy, warm, and goes around your neck...  Bet you can't guess!  Ok, maybe you can, but you'll have to wait till Monday to see it.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Just Feeling Chatty

Pinterest.  Store and organize all those ideas/images that inspire you on a virtual pinboard and keep track of where you saw it - brilliant!  Only why do you HAVE to have a facebook/twitter account to sign up?  I know!  I'm in the dark ages with that, but really!  I got my invitation to join pinterest MONTHS ago and it's still sitting in my inbox.  The email that I sent them about this has never been answered.  So, I just keep bookmarking.

Looking back through the last few posts, you probably think this blog 'o mine is turning into a watercolor blog.  I am having a lot of fun sketching and painting, but don't worry - I'm still crafting and sewing.  It's mostly been Christmas stuff which must stay under lock and key for the time being.  

I can't wait for the cooler weather to get here.  I'm really wanting to make some of my favorite pumpkin bread, but it almost feels sacrilegious to make it until there's a bit of coolness in the air.  Speaking of baking, Noah and I made some chocolate chip cookies from this book.  Best ever - REALLY!

Random?  Sure, but sometimes random is good.  It helps you get all the little things off your mind so that you can focus on bigger and better things.