Medicine Cabinet Face Lift

Well, technically not a "face" lift because I dressed up the inside of my medicine cabinet a little! I've been seeing some pictures on pinterest of cabinets and things that are dressed up for a nice surprise when you open them, and decided my plain, boring old medicine cabinet was the perfect place to give it a try! This little project took about 10 minutes, including a good clean out and wipe down of the cabinet. So here is the before:

The first step is to clear all of that stuff out of there. This is also a great opportunity to sort through your medicines and throw away anything that's expired (which was about half of what we had...oops).

I also removed the shelves and wiped everything down. Now we have a nice clean slate to work with.

The only thing I needed for this project was a pair of scissors and some contact paper. I found this pretty green paper at a yard sale last summer for $0.25 per roll. Of course, since it was green, I couldn't pass it up. I knew I would find somewhere to use it! If you haven't been so lucky at a yard sale, you can find this paper (and several other designs) at Dollar Tree.

I measured the inside of the medicine cabinet and cut a piece of contact paper big enough to cover the back & bottom of the cabinet. Then I slowly applied it to the back of the cabinet starting at the top and peeling off the backing a couple inches at a time (to make sure it didn't stick before I was ready). I just used my hand to smooth out any bubbles, but I think next time I'll use something flat like my library card. It worked using my hand, but I think a card would be easier.

Then I put the newly cleaned shelves back in. Oooo, pretty!

And then I just piled our stuff back in, after decluttering a little and tossing anything expired.

Wasn't that easy? This makes me want to brush my teeth all the time, just so I have a reason to open the cabinet. :)

Oh, I also tidied up our medicine section a little but putting all the jars in one box. This is just the cardboard box that velveeta cheese comes in. I thought about covering it with fabric, but I liked the brown with the green background (fun fact: my wedding was green & brown. it's one of my favorite combos!). It works great for what we have now, but there isn't room to add anything new. I'm hoping to find something a little deeper to use instead, but this will do the trick for now.

So that was my little 10 minute, $0.25 project for today. I know most people will never see it, but sometimes it's good to do a little something just for ourselves. Baby B agrees. Although he'll be disappointed when he finds out he can't eat popcorn yet. :)

Have you done any quick & easy updates lately? Do you have any surprise designs hidden around your house? When was the last time you fixed something up just for you?

P.S. The winner of my travel shopping bag giveaway is Anna! Congrats, Anna, and thanks to all who entered!
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Elderberry Syrup {and our natural medicine cabinet}

You guys know we try to stay pretty chemical-free around here, especially when it comes to our little fellas. A while ago I talked about how we ditched our conventional personal care products in favor of some safer alternatives, and then did the same with our cleaning products. But there's another big area we've also been addressing, and that's the actual medicine part of our medicine cabinet.

Not that we think medicine is all bad. It definitely has it's place and we use it when we have to. But before we go running to chemical products that suppress symptoms, we want to give our immune systems the best chance to fight off illness. So immune-boosting foods and supplements have been our first step. One of our very favorites is this homemade elderberry syrup. Elderberries are high in vitamins A & C, stimulate the immune system, are high in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory and antiviral. This syrup tastes pretty good so we have no trouble convincing Big Brother to have some, it packs an immune-boosting punch, and it costs a fraction of the commercially available stuff. Plus it's super easy to make!

Ready to make your own? Here's all you need:

2/3 cup  elderberries (available here)
3 1/2 cups  water
2 Tbs  ginger root (grated fresh or dried)
1 tsp  cinnamon
1/2 tsp  cloves (whole or ground)
1 cup  raw honey

We bought 1/2 lb of elderberries  and I think we will get four pints of syrup from it. Extra berries can be stored in the freezer to keep them fresh.

Natural Remedy Roundup (plus video tour of our DIY herbal "medicine" cabinet)

It's official. We've reached the time of year when we will have at least one runny nose in the house until spring. So I've been busy this week stocking up a few of our favorite remedies to help keep this bunch in tip-top shape. So today I just wanted to share all those favorites in one place, along with a video tour of my herbal "medicine" cabinet. I'll show you what remedies I make vs. which ones I buy, what herbs I keep on hand, and what I use them all for!

You can check out all my natural living posts here. 

Finding Room to Breathe

The other day I posted some pics and a few tips on pricing and selling. Now we're ready to take a step backward and look at how to cut the clutter and give yourself more room to move and breathe at home!

Sometimes the hardest part of having a yard sale is finding things to get rid of, and even more so convincing myself to get rid of the things I truly don't need. Last year I decided to throw caution to the wind and truly purge. I made myself let go of the things I didn't need, things I didn't like, things that took up more space than they were worth, and even things that I :might: need at some point in the future. Basically, if it didn't have a definable use to us right now or at a specific point in the futureI gave it the boot. It was nerve wracking. But in the end, it was so freeing. I don't miss the stuff and it is wonderful to have space back that was really being wasted before. If you're in doubt about selling something, try what I did - move EVERYTHING of even questionable usefulness to an out of the way spot (I used the basement) for a week or two. Anything you need or :truly: miss during that time can be brought back in. The rest of it goes. Here are some of my steps for a pre-sale purge. I find it easiest to go room-by-room so I'm not overwhelmed purging everything at once. It helps to even break it down more in some rooms - like tackle on kitchen cabinet or one dresser drawer at a time as you get a chance.

In the Kitchen

Go through all the cupboards. Sometimes I take everything out, sometimes not depending on how much time I have. Really consider how much you actually use each item. Here are some of my guidelines for kitchen purging, but they will probably be a little different for you. We all have different needs and storage solutions, but hopefully this will get you started on sorting out the things you can put into your yard sale. 

• I try to compare how much I'll use it relative to how much space it takes up. A mixer takes up a lot of room, but we use it all.the.time so it stays. Unlike a juicer which takes up the same amount of space but we would rarely ever use it. See what I mean? This also applies to the smaller things that clutter up drawers and cabinets. Every little bit of space helps!
• Get rid of the extras. I cut back on things I had a ridiculous number of like spatulas or slotted spoons. Let's face it - I probably don't really need more than two of most of those things!
• Most gadgets are just fancy knives and can take up a lot of space. Going through my drawers I would ask myself  "Can I do it with a knife/skillet/etc?" For me, I don't need to store a couple different chopping tools if I can do it with a knife. I don't need waffle makers and griddles if I can juts make pancakes in a skillet. There are some gadgety things that are truly useful for my cooking style, but for the most part I was able to get rid of those things (garlic presses, orange peelers, rice cookers) and I haven't missed them at all.
• One of my most revolutionary decisions was cutting back to one set of dishes. Dishes take up a huge amount of space - I had my open shelves AND a whole cabinet devoted to all kinds of cups, plastic and ceramic plates, square dishes and round dishes. I realized if I kept only one set of versatile dishes it would make much better use of the space. By keeping my white square set and plain glass cups I can dress them up or dress them down for whatever we need. Plus they look pretty on the shelf so it left my cabinet open for other things! I did keep a small set of plastic kids dishes from Ikea as well, but got rid of the other plastic and round dishes so things store together nicely.
• Clean out the pantry while you're at it! I like to use my purge as a chance to clear out any outdated food and organize everything in the pantry. You're whole kitchen will look and feel better once once everything gets tidied and purged. :)

In the Bedroom

• Go through the dressers and closets. Get rid of anything that doesn't fit you unless you will truly use it again (like maternity clothes or post maternity clothes). This is super hard to do, but if you're in tighter space like me it's better to let it go for now. Also get rid of anything that you don't feel awesome in. Two years ago I kept things because they technically fit, even though I didn't feel like they flattered me. This years purge came around and there they were - still tucked in the back corners of my drawer, never worn. It's better for them to go.
• Jewelry depends on how much you wear it I guess. :) I don't wear it very often so I had things I literally hadn't worn in years. I got rid of those (except a few things of sentimental value) and just kept the few things I actually wear.
• Extra bedding is the only other thing I can think of that's bedroom related. We always want to have enough extra sheets and blankets for a lot of guests, but there is such a thing as too much. Between our queen sized bed, twin guest bed, and pull out sofa we have 3 sets of queen sheets. If we have to wash a set, we usually wash them in the morning and put them back on before bed. As for blankets (I'm including throws, duvets, etc.) We want to have enough for 2-3 blankets for each bed, and one or two for each couch. And for us this is one thing where we would rather have a couple too many than not enough. We tend to have a lot of guests and want to keep them all covered! (10 pun points to Gryffindor!!)

In the Bathroom

• What about the towels? Seriously. How many towels does a person need? I honestly don't know. In my mind, we would only need two for each person in our family, and maybe five or six for guests. But then something in the back of my mind always says "What if there is a big mess and you need more? Or what if you clean up something really gross and want to throw that towel away - you'll need back ups!" But even with that could I need more than 2 or 3 backups? In 4.5 years of marriage I've never met either of those possibilities. And after 4.5 years of marriage I still have a closet stuffed with towels and, not one, but TWO rubbermaid totes full of towels in the basement. I need to ditch some of them for sure. How do you decide how many towels to keep?
  
• Before my last yard sale I also purged all our toiletries. And it has been great! We condensed all our shower supplies down to a single bottle each of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner. By choosing a product we both are happy with (Trader Joe's tea tree products) we cut most of the clutter in the shower. We also ditched extra products we don't really use or need - lots of lotions, hair products I haven't been able to use since I was pregnant because the smell still makes me sick, and lots of extra baby shampoos. Now we only have one set of products for all of us to use, and a single back up of each in the closet. I made the most of my toiletry storage space by building these shelves in the closet.
  
• While you're at it, clean out the medicine cabinet! Toss any out dated medications and replace your toothbrush. And if you want to snazz it up a little, try this! :)

In the Nursery

• I'm also looking for advice about children's clothing! I feel like we haven't had too many clothes for Baby B yet, but maybe I'm wrong? He has a lot clothes he never even wore when he was younger but he grew so darn fast! Here is how I've decided what to keep so far: When Baby B moves up a size, I put all the too-small clothes into a labeled tub in the basement for his future brothers. I would sort through them as I packed them. I would keep my favorites and the things he wore a lot, but limited it to a certain amount of storage space. For things sized newborn - 6 months I only kept half a tub of each. So far for things 9 - 12 months I have kept a full tub of each. As I'm buying clothes for Baby B as he grows, I'm planning to limit them to three drawers of clothes for now, which will fit into a tub when they move to the basement later. How much do you keep? Will he need more as he gets older?
  
• I also don't know what to do about toys, but I know that I don't want too many cluttering the house. Do you have a rule for toys? I feel like I need to get a good storage system of some kind, and only keep as many toys as fit. But for now, I just got rid of a few things we didn't really use.
  
• I also purged some larger baby equipment. I kept a few things like a carseat (but watch the expiration date!), bumbo seat, and small bouncer that could be used again for future babies. I also kept our nice, moderately sized high chair from Ikea that we use regularly. But there were several things that we just never really used that got the boot - the baby swing, a bigger fancier high chair, other bouncers, and a big play mat. We just couldn't justify storing those bigger things, especially since Baby B never took to them. 

In the Living Room

• Books are so hard to get rid of. :) I know I didn't get rid of as many as I should have, but I decided that I wanted to get rid of at least 10 and made myself pick out that many that I had to admit I either had never read, or would never read again! Baby steps, here. Baby steps.
• Next up are the movies. We didn't get rid of very many because we don't have cable so our movies get a fair amount of use. But we did have a few that we don't really care for, and a few more that we like but just never reach for that we got rid of.
• Have any games in the living room? Sort through those as well. We have collected quite a few board games, but really only go back to the same five or six to play. We decided it would make more sense for us to sell all the extras and just hang on to those few we know we will use. I think that would apply to video games as well!
• As for things like decor and knick-knacks, this is where I really use the method of clearing EVERYTHING out for a couple weeks to see what things are really worth keeping. It was really nice to have a trial period and see that I actually didn't miss a lot of the things I had been holding onto.

This is also a good time to go through your attic/basement/garage and see what you don't need filling those ofter forgotten corners and shelves. If you don't even remember putting it there, you probably won't miss it!

Hopefully this at least gets you started cutting out some of the clutter and freeing up some space around your home. And well on your way to having a yard sale of your own, if that floats your boat. I mentioned this the other day, but it is worth repeating - As soon as your sale is over, get rid of the left overs! I like to put out a big "FREE to a good home" sign during the last few hours of the last day. Anything left after that gets donated. Don't even bring it back in the house or you will be tempted to start pulling things back out to keep! If a yard sale isn't your thing, just skip ahead and take everything straight to a donation center. Now pat yourself on the back for cutting the clutter and giving yourself a little more room to breathe. :)

You can check out all my posts about having a your yard sale here and here, my yard sale shopping posts here, and my tips for yard sale shopping here.

****I'm sorry to say that I do sell gifts from time to time. If you see something you given me, please know that I am still very grateful. But I have to do what's best for my family at this time in our current home and season of life (which is always changing) which unfortunately sometimes means passing on things that do not currently fit our needs. I do apologize if this means we've had to give up some of the wonderful gifts we have recieved from friends and family.****

Simple Sanity

Do you ever have little things that just grate on you day, after day, after day, after day? Sometimes I'm so used to something annoying me that I don't even realize it is any more. I just grumble and move on without trying to find a way to fix it. But I've found that sometimes a really simple change can make things better.

One example was deciding to keep the diapers in the laundry basket instead of putting them in a drawer. Seriously, I got so annoyed that I had to open the drawer to get a diaper. It was so simple to decide to keep them in the basket when they come out of the dryer, and it saves a few drops of my sanity every single day.

We just recently made a few simple changes in the bathroom to save our sanity. I will say, it took us over a year of living here to realize how easy it would be fix these things. What can I say? We're just on the ball sometimes. Here are a few things we did:

1. Replace the toilet paper holder thingy ma-gig  -
When we bought this house we inherited two bad toilet paper holders. The one in the downstairs bathroom was broken so that if you pulled too hard it would fall off the wall in three separate pieces. We looked at replacements a while ago but were too stubborn to spend $30 on one. So instead I just worked on my unrolling skillz so that it worked okay most of the time, but it wasn't a foolproof technique so I was still unnecessarily frustrated on occasions. The upstairs bathroom had a holder that squealed so loud when you rolled it that it woke the baby. Literally. Enough said. That one came off the wall within a week of Baby B coming home and we just went with the super classy "toilet paper sitting on the back of the toilet" approach. Then one day we stumbled across this little guy at Ikea. For $4. What?! Um, I'll take two please! Both problems solved, just like that.

2. Replace the bins by the door -
We have very little storage in the bathroom. Just a medicine cabinet, the sink cabinet, and this shelf by the door. I had put these bins there when we moved in to organize things a little, but they stuck out too far (yes, for a whole year). Not a big deal aesthetically, but if you don't push them in just right they are actually in the way of the door. The door will somehow close just fine, but they totally block it from opening back up. Which happened twice in the last week while I was outside the bathroom (we have to keep the door closed. you'll see why.) Obnoxious. But as usual I was too cheap to spring for something new so I just bided my time...

...until I found these babies in the Lowe's Clearance sections. $3 for the pack. Sold.

I actually bought two packs so I still have two baskets left over. See how much farther back the sit? Problem solved. I also like that I can organize things better with these by dividing into four smaller containers. Things just got jumbled together in the bigger bins I had before. Now I'm thinking it would be nice to tuck another shelf in between the layers so I don't have to move the top baskets to see in the bottom ones. But that's an idea for another day. :)

3. Install a permanent curtain rod -
When we moved in we took out the glass doors (best choice we've made in the bathroom) and hung a tension pole. It fell down. A lot. Sometimes when we pulled the curtain open, sometimes when we hung towels over it to dry. And when it fell, it scratched the paint off the walls. This was so easy - we just bought these metal brackets from the closet section at Lowe's and used them with the rod we already had. I think it was like $4. Problem solved.

And while were talking about the bathroom, my mom got me this for my birthday. You know you want to use it.

Note to self:  Keep the bathroom door closed. Why? For one thing, I found out Baby B can open the toilet lid. And here's his other favorite past time....

Sigh. Such a funny boy. :)

Have you done anything to make life a little easier lately? Any time saving or stress relieving tips to share?

Kimberly's Kupboard GIVEAWAY!!!

We have a really fun giveaway for you today, courtesy of Kimberly's Kupboard! Kimberly's Kupboard offers a variety of all-natural herbal teas and salves that we love to keep on hand. The products include soaps, salves, teas, tinctures, and more! They cover everything from bumps and bruises, to pregnancy, to bug bites, to congestion and colds... there's something for everyone. Today we'll learn a bit about the company, share the products we use most, and you can enter to win on of our favorites!

We discovered Kimberly's Kupboard last summer at a local farmer's market and have been thrilled with the all-natural products she offers.  Being DIY-ers, I do sometimes make my own natural remedies (my go-to's are elderberry and echinacea syrups, and GOOT). Making a few of my own remedies has made sense, but the huge variety of ingredients I would need to make so many different remedies, plus the time it would take, definitely does not make sense for me. That's why I was so excited to find these products to fill in the gaps in our "medicine" cabinet! Thank goodness for Kimberly!

Here's a little bit about the mom behind Kimberly's Kupboard and the products she makes:

"I'm a stay-at-home mom of 3 busy, homeschooled kids. I love working with herbs and I am continually learning about new uses for them.  My driving  passion is for people to enjoy herbs and learn all about their wonderful benefits!"

"I wasn't looking to start an herb business, really. I had been making my Chickweed Salve for just our own use and had been extremely impressed with the results I was getting, so I developed more salves that had different purposes. One day, I just casually mentioned to a lady farmer who owned a little farm store that I was toying with the idea of making my herbal products to sell.  She immediately said, "Bring me some samples!". And so then it just took off from there. I designed my herbal tea line, my herbal salves,  the packaging and it just all came together. I'm finding that people are desiring to get away from conventional  medicine and back to the natural ways our predecessors used to treat their common ailments.  People are wanting a healthier, eco-friendlier and more affordable way to treat themselves.  I am so excited to be bringing the world of herbs to my customers!"

So not only will you get amazing, natural products for your home and family, you'll also be supporting a small business WHAM at the same time!

My latest box of goodies, including a free sample of her new white strawberry tea!

If you're looking for a good place to start with herbal products, my personal favorite is the one that started it all - the Chickweed Salve. We love having this on hand (I just had to order more because we lost ours on vacation this summer!). Our favorite use for this salve is summer time bug bites, but it's great for anything itchy like stings and rashes, too. We never leave home without our Chickweed Salve!

This Arnica Salve just came in our newest order. I've heard it's great for bruises, sprains, and muscle pain, so we're excited to give it a try for a certain rough-and-tumble two year old.

The elderberry infused honey is another favorite that we always have on hand, especially in winter. It's shelf-stable (unlike my elderberry syrup) which makes it great to take on our travels, plus it lasts a long time without spoiling. We'll have a spoonful when we're under the weather, and we've been loving it mixed in tea or spread on toast for an extra immune system boost. I haven't tried the lemon verbena yet, but after looking at this picture a few times I can tell you I'll be getting some with my next order. It calls to me with lemony goodness.

Next up is a little something I like to call "mama's tea." Because it's mama's so don't even touch it. I love peaches, and this White Peach Tea really hits the spot. It's light and peachy and wonderful. I like to add a spoonful of honey, because I'm a sweet-tea kind of girl. So yummy!

We just ordered this Breathe Easy Tea in my latest order. One of our boys get so congested when he catches even the slightest cold, and this is made with a blend of herbs that are supposed to help with both respiratory and sinus congestion. Here's hoping it brings him a bit of relief next time he's feeling ikcy!

There are a few other teas I'd love to try, like the Organic Allergy Tea, Immune Booster tea, and Very Berry Tea with Hibiscus (plus she has a mommy-to-be tea that looks great for all you pregnant momma's). I prefer the loose leaf tea, but you can also select pre-bagged... if that's your cup of tea. Just working on my mom-puns.

Breathe Easy loose leaf tea.

Besides these items, there are a whole range of other products I haven't tapped into but I'm planning to try. I'm super excited about the bug spray, oregano salve, handcrafted soaps, echinacea tincture, several items from the skin care section, and a sweet little herbal baby bath set (I'm thinking it would be a wonderful baby shower gift paired with a set of homemade flannel blankets!).

Now that you've seen our favorite products, it's time to win one for yourself! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a 2 oz tin of chickweed salve! And don't forget to stay up-to-date with Kimberly's Kupboard by following her on facebook, instagram, and pinterest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Happy Monday, friends!

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Goals for 2015

For some reason it always takes me a while to work out my goals for a new year. I think part of it is that I don't really know what kind of goals I want to set. How does a person narrow down all their hopes, dreams, and needs into a simple little "to-do list" for the next year? But I think I've finally decided what to work towards this year. I started by asking myself "what is one most important to me this year?" That answer was super easy - my family and their health & well being (physical, emotional, & spiritual). So I decided the best goals for this year would work toward improving the health of my family. And they had to be doable. So I decided to start with seven. Just seven new, healthy habits I want to start for my family. Less than one per month. Want to join me? Here is the list I came up with for 2015.

1. Family walks. Getting moving as a family will be good for all of us! This will be a much easier goal in the summer, but I'm making a point to get the boys outside to play in the snow or even ride bikes when the winter weather allows. I'm hoping when summer rolls around we'll either strive to walk 5 nights a week, or set a distance like 10 miles a week.