I Like to MOVE IT, Move it!

As of today, Prince Charming and I are exactly eleven weeks away from our first anniversary, which means that we are ten weeks away from finishing our lease on our apartment. For the last several weeks (who am I kidding?) several MONTHS we've been discussing what to do when our lease runs out. You see, we currently live in a town that PC has nicknamed "The Town That Goes to Bed Early," because even our Starbucks closes at EIGHT O'CLOCK.

So, we're doing what any sane person would do... Moving. To a land where Starbucks closes at 10 and Chick-Fil-A is abundant.

The unfortunate part of moving is packing - particularly since I finally managed to unpack the last of the boxes just a while back. Then, (Lord willing) we're only planning on living in the new apartment for 6 months before we attempt to buy a house.

Needless to say, I'm planning a massive organizational and packing attack since this may turn into TWO moves before the year is over. These are the things I've thought through so far:

1. Stock up on (and buy stock in) plastic bins and space-saver bags. Since there is a good possibility that many of our boxes won't be unpacked until the second move, I don't want to put everything in cardboard boxes (which are known to attract spiders, roaches, and silverfish). Additionally, the plastic bins will be easier to retrieve things from if I do end up needing things sooner rather than later.

2. Color code, color code, color code. I'm planning on adhering colored cards with a list of contents to each box, and sticking a matching colored sign to each door of the new place. That way, nobody will have to ask "which one is the office?" or "where's the linen closet?" a hundred times.

3. Mark the boxes to be unpacked first. It's no secret that my favorite color is red, so in addition to my color coding, I'll be packing all of my favorites (and all the urgent needs) in boxes with a red duct-tape stripe.

4. Prepare a first day kit. Before we even begin to get settled in, there are a few things that we're going to need: toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, bottled water, quick snacks, and a basic toolkit are all at the top of the list. These things will need to be carried in our car, and not packed onto the truck with all of our other boxes.

I'm already tired just thinking about all of the things I need to get done, but hopefully lots of advance planning will make the process easier...

And, hey, if  when I do get worn out, at least Starbucks will be open until 10!

P.S. If you have any brilliant packing/moving tips, please share them in the comments! :)

In Which I Nearly Go Off the Cleaning Deep End

As I've read blogs and scoured Pinterest over the last couple of months, I've noticed an increasing number of people making their own cleaning supplies. Laundry soap, dish soap, glass cleaner, sink cleaner, tile and grout scrub, toilet bowl rinses... You name it, there's a recipe (or five, or ten, or a hundred) online!

My first reaction was to laugh, because (let's face it) making your own soap fits the stereotype of homeschoolers perfectly. However, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why the concept was spreading so quickly. I quickly narrowed it down to two reasons - the first being that when you make your own cleaning supplies, you know what goes into them, and the second being that the economy is in pretty bad shape right now and making your own supplies is CHEAP.

So I sat on this revelation for a couple of weeks, and still silently laughed at people who made their own soap.

Then life happened.

I've always had pretty bad excema and recently it's gotten worse, so I started making more conscious decisions about what I eat, wear, allow to touch my skin, etc. this means that I'm happily going with less "toxic" choices as far as cleaning supplies.

Dustin and I also decided that we want to stop renting and buy our own house, which means that we're trying to be a bit more "frugal." When I first started researching the supplies I would need, I started with a window cleaner and realized that I could buy everything to make a DOZEN bottles of window cleaner for the price of ONE bottle of Windex.

I was sold.

Yesterday, as my sister looked on and laughed at me (I can't say I blame her... see above!) I tried making my own glass cleaner, which I also use on my laminate counters. It was super easy and quick, and I already had all of the "ingredients," so the only thing that I needed to buy was a 95 cent spray bottle from Wal-Mart.

Here's the recipe:

• 20 oz Warm Tap Water
• 4 oz Distilled White Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Squeezes of Dish Soap*

All you need to do is combine all of the above in spray bottle, screw on the top, and give a good shake to make sure everything mixes together. There's no fuss, no mess AND do you know what the best part is?

It works just as well as the name brand stuff if not better. Go figure!

Meanwhile, if you're looking for me, you'll probably find me looking up more cleaning ideas on Pinterest. :)

* I used Dawn, but eventually after I use up my stock I'd like to switch over to Method which is made from more natural ingredients

Dollar Store Decorating

I have a bit of a problem.

I've developed a complex from surfing Pinterest for too long. Looking at too many beautiful houses with perfect, polished decorations has made me nearly obsessed with my own decor, and I've spent many hours "Ooohing and Aaahing" over Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel websites dreaming of the day that I can afford to purchase their gorgeous furnishing and accessories (which, to be truthful, will probably never come).

Anyway.

The brilliant thing about Pinterest is that it's also the home of the Do-it-Yourself and/or Make-it-For-Less queens. That basically means that in addition to wasting time "pinning" and gazing at Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel websites, I've also been wasting a lot more time at the craft store... and the dollar store.

Yes. You heard saw correctly. The dollar store.


Granted, the dollar store and it's cousins "$1 Fun Finds" at Michael's and "The $1 Spot" at Target aren't exactly Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, but I've actually found some surprisingly cute stuff... or at least the supplies necessary to make some surprisingly cute stuff. Some of my recent favorite projects include:

Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror (On Dollar Store Crafts)

Glass Apothecary Jars (On Salt Tree)

Jute Covered Vase (On Teach. Craft. Love.)

Even though I feel like I'm wasting time on Pinterest some times, it's certainly saving me a bunch of cash on decor that I'll probably tire of within a few weeks. And that, my friends, is as Martha Stewart would say "a very good thing."

Are you the artsy DIY type, or would you rather spend the money at a home furnishing store? Do your home decor tastes change frequently, or are you set in your ways?

1, 2, 3, Cake!

I came across this recipe on Pinterest yesterday, and OH MY WORD, it might be the best thing since sliced bread. I've seen, heard, and read about a lot of different "One Minute Chocolate Cake" recipes, but the prep time for most of them is way longer than one minute and only makes one little cake. This recipe takes less than one minute to prep, and the mix will make dozens of little cakes. Intrigued? I was!

Start with two boxed cake mixes, one angel food cake and one of any flavor you desire. I used Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake and Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Cake mix. Cut open the packages and mix them thoroughly in an airtight container or large zipper bag (you'll want to do this to store the leftover mix).

Grab a tablespoon measure and dump (highly technical term) three tablespoons of your mixed mixes and two tablespoons of water into a coffee mug or other small microwave-safe dish. Give it a quick stir and pop it in the microwave for one minute. Got it?

THREE tablespoons mix + TWO tablespoons of water + ONE minute in the microwave = CAKE!

Now, you can definitely eat it straight out of the mug, but I decided to fancy it up a little. I drizzled some chocolate syrup on a dessert plate, placed the cake on top, and added a dollop of lite whipped topping and a sliced strawberry. Heaven. It's a miracle I was able to snap a picture, because this little cake didn't even make it out of the kitchen!

Give it a try, then leave a comment here. I'd love to know if you try another flavor of cake... I've heard that lemon or strawberry cake is wonderful, too!