My favorite time of day

As a relatively new, working mom, finding time to just enjoy my baby is limited.  I mean we play, 'sing', I nurse her, feed her, change her, read to her, but all the while something is slightly distracting me. The phone is ringing, the dogs need to go out, I can see the mess on the counter in the kitchen. I try not to mentally bring my work home with me but that happens occasionally too.
But, bath time is just for us. She loved to take a bath, a ritual I started as part of our nighttime routine around three months in preparation of daycare. (I know in theory she's a baby and not really that dirty, but I want to clean the daycare germs/ dirt off of her.) We get clean but that is a relatively quick process. The real fun is the splashing, the playing with ducks and her boats, looking up at the light in awe, see the dogs lay down on the floor next to us just to keep an eye on their baby. The whole experience is the most relaxing and enjoyable time of my day. Lill's fussy time is nighttime but as soon as she gets in her bath she's all smiles.

I know as soon as she goes to sleep I will clean what needs it in the house, do laundry, watch a show (if I'm lucky), and prep for the next day but, during those minutes in the tub, I don't think about any of that. I just try to enjoy the ducks as much as she does.

Pumpkin spice and all things nice

It's a little early for me but the mood struck me. Orange has entered my house and we are looking ready for fall. My garden flag is changed, my scarcrow out and my pumpkins on display. 

Whenever I take it my seasonal decor, I thin out my stuff or at least consider whether I want to keep it. Holiday decor is still decor, a reflection of your home and your style. Some things have sentimental value and some things are just for looks. 

Regardless, you need to decide whenever you decorate your house whether the items make you happy and work in your home. I also always rearrange when I put things out. That makes old things feel new. Hope my  little tips help when decorating for the next changing season. 

Dried Spray Paint Removal from Clothes!

I had bought a few new things around mothers day as a getting ready to go back to work present. I hadn't really bought new things in a few years and my resistance to maternity clothes had ruined some of my favorite items. my wardrobe needed a refresh. One thing I bought was a bright pink shirt that I LOVED for this summer.

Now it should be noted that during this time I was also wrapping up some projects that I wanted done before I returned to work. One included metallic spray paint. Now I have several pairs of painting clothes but apparently I decided to do a touchup in my new pink shirt, the first time I wore it.... and I got some on it.. and I didn't realize it until it had been washed and put away and I went to wear it again. So now I have a nice new shirt with dried spray paint. I wanted to cry but I wasn't willing to admit defeat.

There laid my shirt for two days while I thought about this. I looked up cleaning techniques in my good housekeeping stain removal book (thanks mom) but that basically told me I was out of luck.
I decided that the shirt was already ruined what could I lose? That's when I got out the acetone nail polish remover. I put some on a cotton ball and blotted it onto the paint marks in an effort to soften it. I only left it on a minute and then rinsed it really well with warm water. Then I made a mixture that I found on Pinterest that is 2 parts hydrogen peroxide, 2 parts baking soda, one part Dawn dish soap. (this was a recipe to get the organic stains off of the collar and underarm of white shirts for my husband. I have since used it on towels, clothes, anything with a stain).I spooned some of this mixture onto my shirt, over the paint, and began rubbing the fabric together with vigor. (on whites and more durable fabric I use a scrub brush but I was afraid to on this fabric). I noticed it start to lighten. I then took my fingernail and rain it in the grain of the shirt and after a few minutes of vigorous rubbing and scratching the stain came almost completely off!!!  This entire process took me about 15-20 minutes. Because I was concerned that the hydrogen peroxide would bleach the shirt, I then put it right in the washing machine. And guess what? The fabric color and texture is intact and there is such a faint mark from the paint that only I see it ( I asked my mother and sister if they saw any stains and they did not.) Its really really faint.  So that's how you save a brand new shirt that was tainted by a rushed mother who forgot to change her clothes before she sprayed.
 Hope this helps!

Tough Carpet Stains

I wanted to share my secret to nice clean cream carpets. It will come as no surprise to anyone that has used it , and honestly who hasn't, its OxiClean. But the application is the secret here.
Let me go back a few years...
My husband has a knack for making a mess right as I'm headed to a funeral. Tears his pants, breaks something and in this particular case, decides that I'm wrong and its fine to use shoe polish in the house. Well the top flies off of the liquid polish and there is a huge black stain on my cream carpet. Not in the corner or by the door, right in the middle of the room.  I was already in tears over the loss of my grandfather but now I was in tears over my less that one year old carpet.
What should you do when you get a stain- act fast. What cant you do when you are heading to your grandfathers funeral? Stop to clean your carpet. So I used paper towels to soak up some of the excess and I had to leave the stain to set.
In the following days I tried all the conventional carpet cleaners, I shampooed, I used resolve, Woolite, I used head and shoulders (another of my go to cleaners). I tried everything, nothing took it out. I was about ready to call the carpet company to get it replaced when my uncle suggested OxiClean, which I had tried but not the way he suggested.

He told me to make a small bucket/bowl of hot water. Like as hot as my faucet would get it. then add double the OxiClean to the amount of water as suggested on the OxiCleanbox. With a scrub brush liberally apply the mixture to the stain and scrub with all your might, in every direction (don't just go left to right or up or down.) It takes a lot of elbow grease, so be ready. Periodically with a rag/ old towel rub the spot to get the excess water/dirt/stain source out of the carpet. Continue until stain in no longer apparent. Then use a clean rag/towel to rub the spot of excess water. Let dry. Then vacuum.

Let me tell you - this works! It took black shoe polish out of cream carpet. It takes set pet stains out. Pizza grease from my husbands friends when watching football on our big screen tv. You name it, it takes it out.

So while this is probably a cleaner you have worked with before, I hope this technique helps keep your carpets looking great for years to come.

*I have no relationship with OxiClean, this is not a sponsored post.