Vinegar manicure.... FAIL.

I rarely paint my nails.. Why? Because polish doesn't last through diaper changes, dishes, laundry, and bathing. It just doesn't. Well, the really cool shellac manicures do. BUT, you have to pay someone to do them, find childcare for said mani time, and they mess up your natural nails pretty bad if you try to take them off yourself. So I just go the way of natural nails usually. Until I came across this pin on pinterest. I thought, hallelujah, I can finally do it myself and it will last!

According to the instructions, start with clean, dry nails. Swipe a cotton ball dipped in vinegar across each nail and let dry before you polish. Then, polish as normal.

This is a week later. :( I love vinegar for all kinds of things but this is one area that I will have to give vinegar a big fat F. So, if you come across this pin on Pinterest, just keep on scrolling.

Canaletto Cowl... WIN

I love knitting. Love. I started knitting after I had hernia surgery (long story) and had to basically sit on my duff for 8 weeks. I was bored. I was depressed. I needed something to do. So I picked up some yarn, a set of needles, and a book. And an addiction was born. For my local friends, Bliss Yarns is the most amazing yarn store. All the ladies are so nice! They'll help you work through issues in your knitting, suggest beautiful yarns, and let you hang out and knit... It's what my heaven will look like. :)

So, I got tired of knitting scarves.. I love knitting them, they're fast and generally fun, but I was looking for a challenge. I found this beauty...

Courtesy of Tricksy Knitter

The canaletto cowl. She is lovely. I used Malbrigio Rios on mine. I did alter this pattern slightly. I took out much of the middle part in the interest of saving yarn. These are the rows I omitted:

Next row: *(K1, p1) 3 times, k16; rep from *.
Next row: *(P1, k1) 3 times, k16; rep from *.
Repeat these 2 rows 1 more time.

Work 6 rows in st st.

It turned out beautifully! It's fun and warm. And once you get the pattern down, it is incredibly easy! I am having so much fun knitting these days!

Here are pictures of my finished work! The light was odd when I shot these, the yarn is full of deep blues and greens.. But you get the idea. :)

Orange Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner.... WIN!

I can't remember where I originally saw this but I did find this pin that has the exceptionally simple recipe!

Thanks Kristacofarm!

So here's what you do... You peel an orange, hopefully you are using the fruit for a yummy snack. Or I have heard you can use any citrus peel. We just happen to eat a lot of oranges around here.

Press the peels into a clean, empty mason jar. Cover with white vinegar and let sit for 10 days to two weeks, shaking every day. Then, you strain the liquid into a spray bottle and discard the peels.

I like to add some citrus essential oils, whatever I have on hand, for an antibacterial boost. I also add rosemary essential oil because of it's antiviral properties.

It cuts through grease and grime of all kinds! I use it on pretty much everything in the kitchen and on bathroom counters. Not only is it all natural, it is CHEAP!

Enjoy! Are there any other all natural cleaners you'd like to see here? Drop me a comment and I will get on them!

I'm a WIN!

Apparently, I'm a WIN! I've been nominated for a blogger award! 

Thanks Manic Mama for the nod!

Here's what I'm supposed to do in order to claim my prestigious award....

So here are the Very Inspiring Blogger Award rules:

1) Display the award logo on your blog.

2) Link back to the person who nominated you.

3) State 7 things about yourself. 

4) Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.

5) Notify those bloggers of their nomination with a comment/link back on one of their blog posts. 

Here we go....

1) Done! See above!

2) This girl is my GIRL!! Love me some Manic Mama!! http://musingsofamanicmama.blogspot.com/

3)7 things? Let's see... 

I can bend the top joint of all of my fingers (which freaks my husband out, making it hilarous). 

I donated a kidney to my brother. 

I used to play violin. 

I cannot swim (and am deathly afraid of water... does that count for two things?? lol). 

I started selling Scentsy so that I could stay home with my boys (which may not be the best idea, working was far more restful.. haha).

Did Lishy actually answer all 7?? This is hard!!

I have become a total hippie! I make all of my own cleaning supplies-blog posts on those to come!

And, um, I met my husband because a friend told me not to come out that night because an ex was there... If I had gone home, I never would have met him. My sassiness got me a husband! LOL!

4) On to my favorite blogs! In random order!

Manic Mama

Counting Zzzz's

One Good Thing by Jillee

Wellness Mama

Kitchen Lab Project

Tula Flow

Frugally Sustainable

Single Dad Laughing

Iowa Girl Eats

The Spohrs Are Multiplying

Aaaaaand, that's really all the blogs I read..  So I'm not going to send you to blogs I know nothing about.

Next post will be back to Pinterest business.. I'm thinking perhaps a knitting post! Ooh!

Flavored water... WIN!

Pic belongs to ashallann.com

I used to drink tons of water... And I mean TONS of water. Somehow, I've gotten off track. Diet coke is my vice these days and I know how awful it is for me. So I am trying reeeeeeeallllly hard to slow down. I found this recipe for "sassy water" on Pinterest. There are a couple of variations, one uses ginger in addition to the other ingredients, some call for rosemary instead of the mint. Here's the variation I like best... It's just a cucumber, a lemon, and a handful of mint leaves. Slice the lemon and cucumber and toss it in with the mint leaves in about 2 or 3 liters of water. Let it steep for around 8 hours and start drinking! Here's the link to the site where I found the recipe! It is also pinned on my "Nature's Cures" board!

It is delicious! You'll want to make sure you dump the fruits and herbs about every 48 hours as the mint can begin to mold, which is not awesome.

I got pretty excited about this idea so I came up with my own little blend! I used sliced strawberries, blackberries, lime, and just a hint of mint. It is delish!! A bit tart from the berries and lime and very refreshing due to the mint! I would take a pic of my masterpiece but, um, my sd card seems to have taken a hike. So, while I am waiting for it to reappear (it will, we have a ghost in this house that moves things. I just know it!) I am borrowing pics from google and what I can snap that doesn't look horrific on my iPhone.

Alrighty, everyone head to the produce section and grab fun ingredients for your flavored water! Let me know what you think of it and what you create in your kitchen!