A lot of my time over the last few weeks has been filled by working to get everything ready for our accountant to do our business taxes. I switched accounting programs mid-year so it has been quite task to check and double check everything. To add to it all when I updated the new program in December it changed all entered checks to one payee and budget category. Finally, I have finished and have delivered the files to our accountant. Whew!
During this time period with all of the extra work I've been doing I have had little time to do much more than surface clean and do laundry basics. I'm still looking into the make your own laundry soap vs. well made plant based soaps. I bought all the ingredients for making my own laundry detergent this week except for the bar soap I need. I may just settle for a some from Trader Joe's but wanted to look around a bit first. I'm also considering adding some essential oils - just need to do a bit more research first.
My eldest daughter Kristin has decided to try blogging and her first blog entry happens to be about the challenges of a mom w/ lots of little ones being motivated to do the laundry. Her blog is located at http://purposefulhomemaker.blogspot.com/
One other sort of odd tidbit of note, I ordered a grow your own mushroom kit from http://everythingmushrooms.com and it arrived yesterday. We are attempting shitake mushrooms on a grow block in our kitchen. I'll post some pictures as they appear (that is a statement of faith!).
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Easy Ways to Freshen Up a Room for Very Little or No Money, Part 2
I wanted to mention some other ways I've found to freshen the look/ feel of a room over the years.
1. I know I have mentioned the smell of a room or home before, but I really believe it is an important element of creating a home. It can also be done for very little money and in a green way that does not put petroleum based artificial scents in the air. My favorite way to scent my home is w/ essential oils. You can buy small vials of essential oils at Whole Foods or any health food store. These oils can be mixed into old potpourri and placed in interesting containers or used in many other ways to release scent over time. http://www.repair-home.com/home_decor_scents.html is a site with some good ideas on creating a well scented home.
2. Rotate accessories according to season. Change out accessories as the seasons or holidays come up. Keep off season accessories in labeled storage containers in a closet storage room.
3. Change out artwork and pictures. Don't let you home get stuck in a time warp. Change out photos and make sure your art work is either classic or gets updated every once in awhile too. If your frames are out of date try spray painting them black to update them w/o buying new ones.
4. Use live plants w/ seasonal flowers to bring freshness to a room. Bulbs and branches can be forced by placing them in water and keeping them indoors for an inexpensive spot of color and sometimes scent.
1. I know I have mentioned the smell of a room or home before, but I really believe it is an important element of creating a home. It can also be done for very little money and in a green way that does not put petroleum based artificial scents in the air. My favorite way to scent my home is w/ essential oils. You can buy small vials of essential oils at Whole Foods or any health food store. These oils can be mixed into old potpourri and placed in interesting containers or used in many other ways to release scent over time. http://www.repair-home.com/home_decor_scents.html is a site with some good ideas on creating a well scented home.
2. Rotate accessories according to season. Change out accessories as the seasons or holidays come up. Keep off season accessories in labeled storage containers in a closet storage room.
3. Change out artwork and pictures. Don't let you home get stuck in a time warp. Change out photos and make sure your art work is either classic or gets updated every once in awhile too. If your frames are out of date try spray painting them black to update them w/o buying new ones.
4. Use live plants w/ seasonal flowers to bring freshness to a room. Bulbs and branches can be forced by placing them in water and keeping them indoors for an inexpensive spot of color and sometimes scent.
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