My spice drawer….yes I said drawer! lol

Here's one of my favs! Who can't stand the unorganized mess in their spice cupboard?? You know, moving everything around to finally find the one you need and you go to pull it out and everything falls out with it!! Haha, try a drawer!! I wouldn't have it any other way! ;)

My obsession with Duck/Duct tape! LOL

Anyone who knows me, knows that i'm a fanatic about anything zebra and pink!! So when i saw this zebra Duck (that's the brand) tape, i snatched it up!! I had no idea what it was for, but i bought it anyway-LOL! So as i was going through my lil office for Scentsy and Thirty-One, i decided to change it all over to the latter...and with that is their colors of pink and black! So what to do with the teal organizer?? The thought crossed my mind to go buy a new one, but i knew it didn't come in pink so while i was thinking about my dilemma, i remembered my ZEBRA TAPE!! Yep, i started rolling it on and loved it...so off i was to go find some pink tape! Here's what i came up with....

As you can see, i'm not quite finished yet, and as easy as this is to do...it is also time consuming too! But go ahead, give it a try and i promise you'll be hooked! I actually started searching my garage for other mismatched items that had gone into storage!! LOL!!!

And here you have my pen caddy....made from an old RX bottle!! I just used my sharp garage knife to cut the lip off at the top! 

Below is my new a trash can for my office in coordinating pink and white polkas! 

Do you love? Now go get creative!!! 

You can find at least 15 different patterns and solid colors of Duck tape at any craft store or even office supply and Target/Walmart, however not as many choices at the last two stores!

My all-natural homemade brown sugar whipped shea butter body scrub!

Boy do i have a treat for you!! So i'm slowly making my way to all-natural products by making them all myself! Did you know you can make anything from chapstick, body butter, hair conditioner, foaming hand soap. and much much more....all from natural products without ANY of that stuff you can't pronounce in it??   I am having the time of my life making all this stuff, and may even end up with an all-natural product line on Etsy soon!!

Safe enough to eat (although i wouldn't recommend-lol!) and leaves your skin feeling soft and silky! Oh it's just amazing! And if you like this, you will absolutely ADORE the body butter recipe too-feels like whipped silk-UGH-i just can'tt rave enough about it!! I use the same recipe but omit the brown sugar, and then used pure cocoa butter for this one---no need to add a fragrance or essential oil either cause it smells just like a chocolate bar! It's like a little bit of HEAVEN! I have a ton more recipes, including ones for homemade bar soaps, if your into that. But beware, this ain't your grandmothers soaps! LOL, i promise you will be blown away by what you can create! Stay tuned for more recipes and pictures of my homemade products as i make the transition to a GREENER home!!

Here's everything you need for this luscious homemade body butter scrub!! 

You can find all the ingredients at your nearest health food store OR by searching on the internet! If you would like a list of reputable websites, then just email me! Good luck!!

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Brown Sugar/Vanilla Whipped Shea (or Cocoa) Butter Body Scrub

1/2 C Raw Shea or Cocoa Butter 

1/3 C Carrier Oil (2 tbsp Sweet Almond, 2 tbsp Grapeseed Oil, 1 tbsp+ 1 tsp Safflower) mixed

1/8 tsp Vitamin E Oil

1 teaspoon Corn Starch (optional…makes the butter feel less greasy) 

Pure Essential Oil (Vanilla) start with a little and add to your liking

1/2 – 1 C Brown Sugar (make sure there are no lumps)

Place the Shea butter in a mixing bowl and heat in 15 second increments until soft (but not melted...Very Important!!) begin to beat with a mixer until the butter is creamy. Have patience…it may take a while for the friction of the beaters to soften the butter. Gradually add the carrier oil a small amount at a time and blend completely between additions. This is important or you will get lumpy butter. Add your Vitamin E oil in now. Blend in the cornstarch and then vanilla essential oil. Slowly start to mix in the sugar a little at a time until you achieve the desired consistency. Spoon into glass jars. Use a scoop to get product out so no water gets in and causes bacteria to form-this is because there is no preservatives added. I wanted to stay as close to natural as possible, and therefore the shelf life will be anywhere from 6-12 months...but i doubt you would have it that long anyway! Please be careful in shower, as the oils can make it quite slippery!

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Some random pics of my HAM!!!

All-natural way to get rid of pesky ants! ICK!

AAAACK, i despise ants!!! And i have been dealing with a full-on ant infestation in my home! Now mind you, even the cleanest of homes can have them but with this being the first summer in a new place, i wasn't prepared for an infestation!  I've always had a few here and there every springtime, but they have always been easy to get rid of too. Not in this house!! What are we living on an ant community? LOL! So not only are my 10 ant baits not helping, they are getting worse AND have even made their way to my kitchen countertops!! Blech, disgusted to see this when i woke up this morning!!! 


Ok, so this calls for the big guns-LOL-i searched the internet and came up with this amazing bit of advise....Peppermint Essential Oil! Aha, ants hate it and it's totally safe to use around my child-YAAY! What's even better? I actually HAD it on hand from my soap and lotion making! Well, i could not be happier with this solution! It works, and my kitchen smells like peppermint bon bon-YUMMY!!! I'm a happy mama right now!! Now this took care of the kitchen problem, but i still have a problem in my livingroom and since it's carpeted i was thinking of trying this solution in a spray bottle! I think it would be safe to spray around my doors and such, but since i don't know the effects on carpet yet...i will do a test patch and get back to you! 





Instructions: 
Clean bench tops and cupboards down really well, mix some warm water and about 5-6 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil, and wipe down with a cloth. Make sure and hit all the edges of your cupboards too! 


Ants hate the smell of it and it is also environmentally friendly, and safe for humans and children, and no residue powders etc to clean up. Add the big bonus is the kitchen smells fresh and minty. I found my oil at a health food store, but i also buy a lot of my essential oils online. Must be an essential oil and not a flavoring!


BTW, this is just the first day of trying this remedy but i was excited to share! I will update with anything else i have to add, soon! =)

**UPDATE-I spoke too soon, by evening they were back!! Grrr....i think the water was too diluted so i'm gonna give it a go with straight peppermint oil on a rag! I will update again soon....

Gabe Graduated Kindergarten!! Woop Woop

CONGRATS TO MY LIL MAN!!

Here's my baby, i mean 6yr old....graduating kindergarten!!! Notice him sitting down on the left-hahaha!!! What can i say, he does things on his own time and as sad as it was to watch him not participating in all the songs...he is his own person and i can only embrace that!! =)