Spring Has Sprung....

 Well....at least where we live.
The weather is beautiful. Don't be too envious though,
we will probably have more rain soon than most of you have all year.
 I guess it all balances out in the end.

Any way... this change in the weather
 is the cue for my O.C.D. side to reappear.

During the holidays, I kind of let things fly
with all of the baking and parties and such.
 After that I am focused on getting Eloise back on track
with a normal (our normal) school routine.

Needless to say things get a little out of sorts.

I've had a blast, but there comes a point
 when I have to stop and reevaluate my life,
 finances, and surroundings.
 I have to get back on the proverbial, "track".
The following are a few of my latest Spring cleaning projects :

I went through my cabinets and combined the leftovers
 from duplicate containers of spices and baking products.
 For example I had two half full canisters of curry powder,
so I combined them and threw the empty one away.
 All of the bags of pecan fragments
 got poured into a large mason jar.
 There is a lot less clutter (O.C.D. Me is smiling) and I am on a roll.

After I got everything in it's place,
 I noticed how pitiful all of my Sharpie/masking tape labels looked,
 so I fixed that.

;-D

 Ahhh...these labels are so much more aesthetically pleasing.

 I have also been experimenting with different recipes for

 environmentally friendly, cost effective cleaning products.

 The above pic is of some of the things I've been trying.

They are :

Glass & Mirror Cleaner (vodka  rub. alcohol)

All Purpose Cleaner

Veggie Spray (if you don't have organic fruits on hand)

I got the recipes (altered one) and artwork for labels from

 Amy Bayliss over at, "Cajun joie de vivre"

You can get to her here: www.amybaliss.com .

I noticed that Meboo also just posted a link

 on her blog, "Living The Good Life" .

Thank you Ginger for sending us this link.

I really like this site, because she is realistic in her approach.

 For example, she gives out recipes on how to make

 homemade chocolate syrup and spaghetti sauce,

 but she will also tell you that she uses store bought

 when she doesn't have time or doesn't feel like making it herself. 

She also tells you to toss any ideas that don't work for your family.

Amy Baliss also offers a lot of free printables

 like the cleaner labels (different styles available),

the signs for the baskets (below),

and much more.

**Her healthy version of Shrimp Scampi is delish**

 The above baskets are another idea we are going to try from the site.

They are for Eloise's abode.

I will be posting later with the results.

LOL!

 I recently purchased some water bottles that we can use.

 I cant stand to wash bottles with straws or squeeze tops

 or any other hard to clean mechanisms.

 These simply have a hole with a flat cap.

We don't use glass bottles, because for us they are impractical.

 I can't use the metal ones, because I can't see

  if they are thoroughly clean inside (O.C.D. strikes again).

 These are plastic.

 The label says they aren't made from the really scary harmful chemicals

 that bleed into your water (not an exact quote-my words).

So, now we simply fill our water filtering pitcher,

 then use that to fill our bottles.

 I feel good knowing that I'm saving money and making less trash.

 I stumbled upon this very huge, very pink bar of laundry soap at "Big Lots".

I decided to buy it since it was only $ . 80

When I got home I googled it.

It can be used in the same manner as the Fels Naptha.

Several sources report that it gets whites whiter.

The bar is ten cents cheaper than Fels and is twice as big.

I like the milder smell of the Fels,

but the Zote doesn't contain hydrocarbons.

I recently made a bucket of laundry soap with the Fels, 

so it's going to be a while, before I actually get to test the Zote.

I went ahead and grated it and stored it in a large jar. 

Spring cleaning is in full swing.

Hubby just sorted and cleaned his walk in closet,

now I'm going to shred some old mail to throw in the compost bin.

While I'm doing that I'm sending Eloise out 

to toss bits of dryer lint all over the empty lots next door.

I read that the birds love it for building nests.

Till Next time,

~Me~