$5 Gift Card

First to comment and say "I Want It!" Gets a $5 gift card to http://www.prettifuldesigns.com
Happy Wednesday!

Faux Bois Prints

Who's lovin this style????

Make Your Washer Look Like New

8 years is my washers age. When we sold our house in November, the new owners offered us an additional $500 for the washer and dryer. We spent $600 when we bought them new. SCORE. The new owners are using the house as an investment property and since I was having a baby in 2 weeks and we had no where else to go yet, we decided to stay and rent. Baby is happy and healthy and growing and growing and we are still here! The house we are trying to get is...well...a mess but we are still hopeful it will somehow work out. That's another story....maybe I'll post someday on that.
Anyway, I'm particular about A LOT of things and I really want to have this place sparkling whenever the day comes that we get to move out. I like the boy scout motto--something about leaving things better than when you found it. Well that is certainly true for all of the renovations we've put into this place but I want it to be PRISTINE! I saw on pinterest how to clean a washer. I looked at the post and it took the lady several HOT loads, hours of soaking AND still scrubbing on top of that. I didn't feel like wasting that kind of time...so armed with an arsenal of chemicals and natural ingredients I tried to come up with a better solution but honestly--no luck. Then I grabbed a Magic Eraser and woila! Instead GRIME BE GONE. I put in a good 5 minutes of scrubbing the ring around the top and the thingy in the middle. Then I got a little crazy......I used the scrubber shone in the picture ($1 at IKEA--if you don't have one of these gems GET ONE! - you can find them in your local grocery store too. I also use these with a little Fels Naptha on my hubbies white collars and the icky discoloration comes out). The lady in the post I read used Q-Tips to clean all the little areas. I've done that before but have never been able to get everything--and it took forever. I used this scrubber and my the new owners washer looks BRAND NEW. No Joke! I couldn't believe I was able to get all the grime and annoying lint. I spent 30 minutes but I'm a little OCD and I wanted to see if it could really look like new. I cleaned the dryer too. I used the scrubber again and it worked like a charm.

The other tool I used was a crocheted dish rag. LOVE THESE. If you don't know someone who will lovingly make them for you then find one! My Grandma and my Sister both make these and I always think of them when I'm wiping my counters or kids faces.

TIP: So I'm kind of dumb sometimes. The first rinse with my rag I walked all the way across the basement to rinse it out in the bathroom sink. Then I realized--duh! The washer has water. I just pulled the knob anytime I wanted to rinse. Don't make my mistake! :) So if you want to clean off the grime and dust it will take you about 5-10 minutes. If you want to be able to eat off of it, plan for another 20!

I'm Addicted to Prettiful Designs - You can be too!

Get my new button for your blog. I bet you've all been loosing sleep waiting and waiting for this button to come out! :) It's on the right sidebar. Check out my new Moroccan prints too. Oooo and the bugs and the mustaches and....the list feels endless. :)

Oatmeal Pool

Last winter I was trying to help beat the winter boredom blues. I had a one year old who put EVERYTHING in her mouth. Playdough, painting, moon sand and any crafts were out. We were seriously BORED. I was going through my food storage and noticed I had a TON (well, really only about 15) canisters of oatmeal and they all tasted old-ish. I grabbed 4 canisters and the kiddie pool and dumped. 

My kids played for over an hour. I figured clean up would be horrendous. It WASN'T! I took their clothes off right there in the kitchen, poured the oatmeal from the pool back into the canisters and then swept up the rest and threw it away. It took about 3 minutes to clean up. It was worth 1 hour of giggles & smiles. 

Attention Germ-a-phobe Moms: I too am a germ-a-phobe but I realized I had a 1 year old who put EVERYTHING in her mouth (I've found her eating out of the trash can and licking up things off the floor!). I figured this was a heck of a lot better than many of the things she's put in that cute little mouth of hers. She ate oatmeal to her hearts content for about 10 minutes and then played the rest of the time. I actually re-used this oatmeal about 4 times for the same thing. They didn't really eat any the next times--just had tons of fun. Our pool got broken this last summer so we haven't done it since :( . I will be purchasing another pool this summer solely for this purpose:

Easy Dinner Tonight

Dinner Time. Kids and hubby have been sick all week--each with something totally different.I'm exhausted and hungry. We want to eat now. We decided on grilled cheese sandwiches. That sounded a little boring to me and luckily I remembered this little diddy my hubby's grandmother made for me one day when we went by to visit.

Ingredients:
Wheat Bread--white bread seriously doesn't taste as good.
Butter--If I die 5 years earlier because I eat butter vs. margin it will have been well worth it.
Shredded Cheese
Bacon Bits

Turn oven on to broil. Slather some glutonous butter on top. Add cheese--you really don't need that much. Add some bacon bits. Cook for about 5 minutes on cookie sheet.

It doesn't look that amazing but it really does taste great!!!

Our new dinner entertainment--gotta love Bumbos!

Body, Mind, and Soul Organizational To Do list

Someone asked me a while back to share some of my organization tips and tricks. I haven't gotten around to it because honestly I haven't been that organized. With 2-3 showings a week last year before we sold our house and having baby #3, life has been pretty hectic. In an attempt to get my life back in order, I created a new "fancy" to-do list. I previously had been writing out things to do for the week on a notebook page that my 2 year old constantly finds and scribbles on. :)
This new to-do list focuses not on just tangible things but focuses also on one personal goal a day, drinking enough water, and exercising. It also has a box to check if you achieved a 5 minute stretch of quiet to meditate, regroup, or just maintain sanity! My favorite part is a box at the bottom to write down the best thing that happened to you that day in hopes of being more positive and grateful.
Other items include a shopping list, meals (B, L, D), items to defrost (if you aren't a freezer meal maker yet - DO IT! :) ), people to call or email, daily tasks and places to go.
The list comes two to a standard letter sheet so you don't have room to list too many things and become overwhelmed. 
I hope you love my list but please do not redistribute or claim as your own. Please feel free to share this link with others. I hope it helps!!!

Click HERE to download PDF file.

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Cheaper IS better

So I dropped prices on my website so now everything (including Commercial) is now cheaper than my etsy shop!!!

Just thought you and your paypal would like to know. :) 

http://www.prettifuldesigns.com

1000 Sales = Super Sale!!!!

Oodalally!!! We reached 1000 sales tonight! To celebrate, I'm running a buy 3 Get 3 FREE sale now through the end of January!!!

Here's the nitty gritty:
Buy 3 items get 3 items free sale --Free items must be of equal or lesser value. Do not put free items in cart. Mention in notes to seller which items you want for free. Sale runs through end of January. Valid in Etsy shop only.

Want the sale to be even better? Like me on facebook and you'll see how. 

Happy shopping!!!

New Shop

I have a new shop!!!

The big differences between the new shop and my etsy shop are you can now DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY and items are separated from personal and commercial use so Personal Use Items are CHEAPER!!! Everything is still the same on etsy. Happy Shopping! http://www.prettifuldesigns.com/

Use coupon code NEWSITE15 for 15% off your entire order on the new website!!! Good through January 9th

How I Do Christmas

My new friend Emily asked me to do a post on how I do Christmas. Most people think I'm crazy and eccentric because all of my Christmas presents have been bought and wrapped for months. WHY??? Why not? I ENJOY the holidays. They aren't stressful. I spend so little on Christmas presents because I know when to shop and I shop all year long for what I think are the best presents. I am able to relax and enjoy all of the holiday festivities with my family. I even have all the craft projects to do with my kids organized in baggies and ready to be made. Sugar cookies are in the freezer all ready to be frosted. So....seeing as it is October, there isn't as much time to get ready but you can still use some of my tips to alleviate some of the stress this year and next year you can make it really easy on yourself.

1. Make a list of EVERYONE you need to shop for (don't forget co-workers, neighbors, old friends, that random relative, etc.)
2. Set a budget of how much you're willing to spend.
3. Divide money between each person/family. You may have to do some adjusting for a while to get it right. We try to focus on one family or person each year to spoil and get them something extra nice. We've also learned that something simple is all that is needed for other people--they'd rather you not go into debt for some present they won't even like. They just want to know you remembered them.
4. Start to list ideas of gifts to give each person (this is the hardest part I think).
5. Now start shopping!
6. Keep a list of how you're doing.
7. Once all presents are purchased--wrap. I love doing this early because I always forget a bunch of what I get my family members and it makes Christmas morning even more fun!
8. Purchase extra non-personal gifts like nice boxes of chocolates or nuts or gift cards for the people you forget (the first few years you do this you'll forget someone!)
9. ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!

Tips about shopping:
Right after Christmas (when most people don't have any money) are the BEST deals. I can't emphasize this enough. If you budget and plan, you can find the money to shop at this time. EVERYTHING seems to be on sale at rock bottom prices somewhere. I think most things are even better than black friday prices. Shop online or in store. Ask store clerks where clearance sections are. You may be surprised you never saw them before.
Other months I have found seem to have great deals are March (toys the month before Easter are cheaper and if you coupon, you can often find some great coupons) and September (lots of items go on clearance as stores prepare their shelves for Christmas).
 Shop used. Depending on the person and what you'd like to get for them, sometimes you can find AMAZING things used (or even brand new) on places like craigslist, local thrift stores and Yard Sales.  My husband found me a Kitchenaid mixer used only 2-3 times for at least half the price. It is amazing. For Christmas this year I went in with my in-laws on a loving family playhouse with 5-6 room sets and the car and people for probably 1/5 of what it is new and everything looks amazing! My kids will never know.

That's all I can think of right now. I hope this helps someone. The key is to plan ahead and avoid paying the high prices of so called "deals" at Christmastime and guilt purchases. The more you avoid the stores at Christmastime, the less you'll spend. TRUST ME! :) Let me know if you have any questions. My pregnant mind doesn't always make so much sense--even to me! :)

Christmas Nativity Clip Art

Marriage Helps

I'm no expert but I love sharing ideas that work for me in case it might benefit others. Here are a few things you can do to help enhance your marriage.

SUPER EASY IDEA #1:

Go grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Don't wait. Do it RIGHT NOW. Now write something that your spouse does that you love--could be something simple like: "I love your smile." or "I love it when you do the dishes for me." or it could be something romantic. Now go hide it somewhere only your spouse will find it. (I put notes in my husbands pant pockets before he wears them). Get in the habit of doing this once a week for a nice little treat for your spouse to know you care!

COMBINED EFFORT IDEA:

This is best if you get your spouse in on the activity. You'll be making a list. Title it something like this: "A guide to loving _____ (your name here)" or "The Things ______(your name here) Loves" or "I feel loved when:"

Then list everything you can think of that your spouse currently does and especially what you wish they would do. If you've never done this before, chances are your spouse will have no clue about some of the things on your list and you'll probably be shocked about their list. Be specific.

When I did this, I included a list of treats that would brighten my day (like hard Runts and Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream- YUM!) and also things that I consider Romantic. I was shocked my husband really wanted me to serenade him. I never knew!

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET IDEA:

So for most of our marriage, I had it in my head that whenever my husband did something I didn't like--i.e. leaving his socks on the floor, that it was personal. It was as if his leaving his socks on the floor was an expression of "I don't care about you enough to pick these up." I would get irritated over all the little things. Somewhere along the way, I decided to change my attitude. I somehow got through all the nasty little lies in my head and told myself the truth: "My husband does love me and he loves me a lot and he isn't perfect because look at how imperfect I am!" Once I realized this and got it into my head I started noticing all of the amazing things he DOES do! He does the dishes every night. He gets up with the kids more often during the night than I do. He gives me a break from the kids whenever I ask for it and he often encourages this. He DOES throw his clothes down the laundry shoot and only occassionally forgets a sock or two. He does try to bring home suprises to show his love for me. The list goes on and on.

I can't tell you how big of a difference this has made in our marriage and for me personally! Rarely does he do anything now that truly bothers me and if it does, I tell him and he usually tries to change immediately. OK, so maybe I have an amazing husband but I think most spouses would try harder and do better if we got off their case and let them be human. Accept your spouse for who they are. Love them despite their faults--you have plenty of them too! :) Forget about the little things that bother you. It may take time. Catch yourself the next time something bothers you and tell yourself to get over it. Once you've gotten over one issue, move on to the next. Make an effort to notice the good things they DO do and praise them for it. A LOT!

I hope these ideas help someone!

New Items

Halloween!!!

New Halloween Characters! More Halloween clip art coming soon too!!! Don't forget to check out my

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