Scary ABC's

Ok, so I can't find a way to steal a video off of my sis-in-law Katie's site, but I really wanted you to see this.  It's the last video on this post (the others are of my cute niece Claire, and my siblings-in-law).  

A little background--Breanne will tell you that her favorite song is the ABC song.  Lately, though, she's been singing it with a bit of a...um...twist.  She really really likes to sing it in her "scary voice."  And also featured in the video are her crazy glasses... she received these goggle-like things on Halloween from someone in the area.  She puts them on every now and then, and it makes me laugh.  So there you go.  Enjoy the scary ABC's.  :)

Making Baby Wipes

I've been meaning to do this post for a while now.  A couple of months ago, I got sick of buying wipes.  I loved the Target brand wipes for both their price, and their quality, but the drive to Target was just too much to justify, just for a box of wipes.  Especially since I never seemed to leave with just a box of wipes...  So anyway, with a little internet searching, and some help from my friend Heather, over at Want What You Have, I came up with this super-easy solution.  I'll be honest, ever since we received a box of Kirkland brand wipes for Christmas, I've felt spoiled, and might be a little bit sad to go back, but the cost savings alone is enough to justify it for me.  Hopefully this will help out some of you, too.

So here are your basic ingredients:

You need: 

2 Tbsp. Baby Soap, 

2 Tbsp. Baby Oil, 

2 1/2 Cups Hot Water, 

and a roll of Bounty Paper Towels (the really nice, thick, expensive kind.  Don't worry, they're still cheaper than a pack of nice wipes, especially since you get two packs of wipes per roll of paper towels).

You'll also need a container that can hold your half-roll of paper towels--mine is actually an old brown sugar container from a set of canisters we got at BB&B for $10.00, and it does the job perfectly.  You can use old wipes boxes, too, but you have to fold the wipes up the right way yourself, which is a big turn-off for me.

If your baby has a little bit more sensitive skin, as mine does, you may wish to switch to Coconut Oil (which seems to be in a solid state, actually), and I also switched to the Oatmeal baby soap, which is supposed to be gentler.

The first step is to cut your paper towels in half. This is the hardest part. I usually use my little hand saw, or a serrated knife. Choose a half to use for this set of wipes, and save the other one for next time. Then, after you've decided on your ingredients,  pour your hot water into a bowl (I just do it all in my measuring cup, for ease), and then you add your oil.  If you're using baby oil, you can just continue at this point.  If you're using coconut oil, you need to wait for it to melt, like I'm doing here.

Once the oil is pretty much melted, you can add your soap,

and then thoroughly stir it all together. I think the oatmeal soap is bubblier, for some reason.

At this point, you put your paper towels into your container, and then pour the mixture over it. Most of it should go into the center, but make sure to pour some on the top, and down the sides as well. I usually only use about 1 1/2-2 cups of the mixture (but make the whole thing so I get the right soap/oil/water ratio).

Now put your lid on, and flip the container upside down. Leave for 5 minutes and check your email, or my blog or something. :)

When you come back, you should find the paper towel center very easy to pull out, and when you take it out, it should start the wipes coming up for you!

Just continue to pull the wipes up from the center, and enjoy the cheap goodness of having done it yourself!  

P.S. Sorry about the sideways pulling-up pic--I can't seem to get it to flip, and I don't really care to figure out why right now.  Off to bed for me.

List of 100

Bold the items you have done:

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. 
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Not completely, of course, but some)
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma. (I want to, but I've never met the requirements for one reason or another)
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (I was published in a book, but I'm not the only author in it)
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury. (I was called like 5 times last summer, but every single case was resolved before it went to trial.  Lame.)
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. 
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day

...Only 41... sigh.  Someday I've got to make it out of the states so I can cross a few more of these off my list!

The Works

So when we moved into our house, I noticed that we had a bit of a ring in our toilet from the hard water. I assumed I'd be able to scrub it away with some comet or something... but I was wrong. I tried Scrubbing Bubbles, Comet, and a couple other cleaners we have hanging around here, but nothing seemed to work, even with serious scrubbing. So finally, last week, I was so sick of looking at my gross toilet (we've been potty training over here, and thus spending a significant amount of time in the bathroom) and thinking about how it looks like I never clean it, even though I do pretty much weekly, that I decided to do some research on the web to figure out how to make it better. Why I didn't think of this before is beyond me, but hey, that's the truth of it. Anyways, so everywhere I read online, they were raving about this product:




The Works.

So I broke down and bought some. Which was the first (very pleasant!) surprise: it was only 1.99 a bottle at the grocery store. I read that you could actually get it at the dollar store, but I didn't have the patience to go to another store. So anyway, I brought it home, and poured in on my toilet. As it spread down the sides of my toilet, I heard a slight fizzing sound, and when I looked at the ring, it literally disappeared before my eyes! Amazing. I didn't even have to scrub! Seriously, I am so excited. My toilet looks great. If only I'd figured this out back when I was puking my guts up multiple times a day... maybe I wouldn't have thrown up so much if I hadn't had to stare at such a gross toilet! :) I don't know why this makes me so happy, but I really am excited to have a nice, clean, non-stained toilet again. Yay!

Why God Gave Us the 3rd Commandment

Tonight on our way home from a party, Breanne couldn't help but say my name, over and over and over and over again. Every time I'd respond, she'd just ignore me and say it again. And there was no stopping her. It was very confusing to me, though, because she still did it randomly...

"Mom!" she'd say. To which I'd respond, "Yes, Breanne?" and she'd ignore me.

And then pause for a bit.

And then "Mommommom!"

and pause.

"Mommommomomomom!"

It got old really quick. I'd be more than happy to respond if she was actually talking to me, but it was just a game. A very distracting, slightly frustrating game. Cory pointed out that with all God's children, he can't help but think that hearing His name repeatedly for no reason must get old to Him, too. A very valid point, I'd say.

Surprise!

Who knew she was so close!?! And don't you just love Breanne cheering her on at the end? I know I sure do, even if she did kind of attack her... :) I think every time I need a good laugh, I'll just watch this clip. It makes my heart happy.

My Weekend Project

My bathroom before:

During:

And After!:

It's a little brighter yellow than I expected it to be, but I really love it! Especially compared to the weird white/blue/gray that it was sloppily painted before. Thanks so much for your help, Cory and Katie!