Best of 2013

It's been a wonderful year! I started my current job at Trinity Bible College, gave birth to our son, celebrated our 1 year anniversary, started this blog and celebrated James' first Christmas - our first Christmas in OUR home! I think those might be my top five highlights from twenty-thirteen. Let's look at some other top fives!

Top 5 DIY projects

+Chalk Message Board

+natural cleaner using DoTERRA essential oils

+Old window turned wedding picture frame

+ iron on and hand stitched onsies

+ Dollar Store Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Top 5 Posts

1. Modesty

2. The Perfect Nursery

3.  Celebration

4. Birth Story

5. Krantz Wedding

Thank you for reading this year, I am excited to see where the blog goes in twenty-fourteen! 

Happy New Year!!

Make Up Microbial Contamination

I am always on the lookout for ways to make my family healthier. This one is specific to me, after checking out a few different sites I am pleased to say my eyes and face will be happier and healthier in the new year!

Did you know make up harbors microorganisms? It can be contaminated with the nasty, creepy, crawlies.. who wants to smear THAT all over your pretty faces??

 Mascara seems to be the one of the greatest causes for concern; one study found that within just three months of use, 40 percent of tested mascara tubes had some of the said "creepy crawlies" growing in them.

So what should you do? Replace your make up every three months! 

As far as your brushes go, clean them with a mild soap of your choice, olive oil and vinegar! Liquid castile is recommended, but I cannot use it since I am allergic! :( So I use a little squirt of baby shampoo. Before you begin, collect all the things you will need:

• dirty makeup brushes
• 3  small cups
• a plate
• clean towel (optional)
• olive oil
• castile soap (or any mild soap)
• warm water
• white vinegar

Remember to be gentle with your brushes. Don’t press the bristles hard, spread the bristles or pull on them! Keep in mind that you are only cleaning the bristles, you don’t want to dip the shaft of the brush into the water or vinegar since it may ruin the the glue that keeps the bristles on the brush.

1. In one of the cups mix warm water and soap to make a bath for your brushes.
2. Fill another cup with enough vinegar to dip the bristles of your longest brush.
3. Pour a small puddle of extra virgin olive oil on a plate.
4. Dip a brush in the oil and run it back and forth across the plate until it stops leaving dirty streaks.
5. Dip the brush in the soapy water.
6. Remove the brush from the soapy water and gently swirl it in the palm of your hand.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the brush is clean.
8. Gently squeeze the bristles to remove excess water.
9. Dip the bristles in white vinegar to sanitize them, then rinse them under a faucet with warm water.
10. If you want to clean the handle of the brush, wipe it with a moist, clean towel and allow them to dry!

My Winter Must Haves

1. Northface jacket

2. Pumpkin Pie spice creamer

3. Sally Hansen Salon nail polish

4. The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

5. Grey Riding Boots

6. Lip mask

7. Infinity Scarf

8. Simple, classy stud earrings

DIY Scented Wax Melts

My mom and I recently made our own wax melts for our warmers!

 

I love all of the uses of DoTerra essential oils and this was yet another way to eliminate some more chemicals from our home! DoTerra Oils are Certified Therapeutic Grade. You can safely ingest them, use them topically or diffuse them throughout your home. We use oils in our home for a lot of things, but compared to the things we COULD be using them for, our efforts are minimal. I put lavender in James' bath each night. Peppermint** makes my sciatica pain subside quicker than you can say "subside" and lemon and melaleuca are mixed with our Shaklee multi-purpose cleaner for a fresh, safe alternative to the neon-yellow bottle of Mr.Clean. 

**peppermint is an oil known for decreasing milk supply. As I am still a nursing mama, I do not use this on a regular basis. I use it when nothing else will ease my pain and I am near the point of not being able to function.

Ok, Back to the wax melts... my mom purchased some Organic Bee's Wax off of Amazon and we slicked our hair back into pony-tails and pulled our goggles over our eyes.... just kidding. 

We did however put the pellets into small bowls and melt them in the microwave... it took over ten minutes to melt one little dish worth and by the time my mom put her little bowl in, the microwave overheated and shut itself off.

In the future I will melt it in a pan on the stove!

I had already decided I wanted to do a Clove and Cinnamon scent, and I tossed in some On-Guard for it's benefits during cold & flu season. 

I dropped, mixed, smelled, dropped, mixed and smelled till I got it just how I wanted it and then poured the wax into an ice cube tray and popped it in the freezer! 

Easy as that! They did not last as long as I hoped, so I will be adding more oil next time (which would be easier if I knew how much I used for this batch... silly me didn't write it down!) I encourage you to make your own! If you have any questions about the process or would like information or to order some DoTerra oils let me know! I 'de love to chat! :)

Him & Her. Style & function.

I have had quite a few people tell me that our home is a perfect combination of my husbands and my styles.

He is a hunter, outdoorsy, practical guy. Things he brought into the home: antlers, decoys, a gun cabinet, camouflage, I would go so far as to say rustic items.

Enter wife.

Throw pillows, jewelry, items that simply serve as decor and nothing else. I love cozy, yet modern. Rustic, yet clean and and feminine, yet classy.

I am not all ruffles and he is not all cabiny. 

I would venture to say that most, if not all, bachelor pads are in need of a woman's touch and I have beyond enjoyed turning our house into a home.

We have animal portraits beside abstract art and we have ruffles next to antlers. We have carefully styled bookcases with decoys atop books, pinecones is nice baskets and old iron ducks perched on gun cleaning kits. The challenge of combining our tastes to create a home we both love has been a great one! Today, I took on our oasis, our escape, our bedroom [again]. (if you don't know me, or are new to these parts, you will soon realize I redecorate and rearrange monthly if not weekly)

Let it snow!

We have had snow for a few weeks now, but the temps were well below zero and the wing was a-gustin' so James was basically kept indoors except to go to the doctor and church!

After recovering from his upper respiratory infection, we bundled the little dude up in his adorable  monkey snow suit from Target and out we went!

Happy Winter! 

Happy Sunday!

the kitchen sink