Happy Friday, friends! The kids and I have been chipping away at our summer cleanout list and we follow one simple rule. A year after my husband and I were married, I cleaned out our whole house--all 1292 square feet of it--and was shocked at how much we'd accumulated in that little house in just a year's time. I then made up the "One Year Rule" which I still follow. If we haven't used it or worn it in the last year, it has to go! Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule like my wedding dress, the children's keepsakes, special china and dishes, etc. But I'm talking about the stuff that is supposed to be the everyday stuff that just isn't getting used like the kitchen gadget we ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: “Clean” Cleaning Products
Happy Friday! Are you fluffing your nest today too? We're getting ready for company this weekend so there will definitely be some fluffing going on here! Last week I shared about my Norwex cleaning cloths which I use on the daily with no spray or cleaning solution at all. They are amazing! But there are times in my cleaning when I need to use a spray with a paper towel or regular cleaning rag. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate most cleaning sprays on the market due to their strong smells. For years I was getting bad headaches very easily and one of the main culprits was my cleaning and laundry products because of the chemicals and fumes. For a while I just accepted it as part of the job. ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: The Norwex Mop
Happy Friday! I'm just jumping on quickly to tell you about a new cleaning tool that I recently purchased and can't wait to share. For the last couple of years, I've been gradually changing out my cleaning products to cleaner, chemical-free options in an effort to improve our overall health, especially in the areas of allergies and migraine headaches. I have landed on some pretty amazing products, and I'll be highlighting a different product each week in my FTNF posts. Ever since my sister introduced me to the Norwex products last year, I've had my eye on the Norwex mop! This mop is not cheap, but it gets rave reviews, so I've been watching for a good sale and finally jumped at a special ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Candlelight Looks Good on You!
My house really needs it's Friday fluff, y'all. It actually needs more than a fluff! Here's the rundown: The cold weather has meant the pets come inside at night and I feel like I'm cleaning a barn each morning. My husband has offered to buy me a pitchfork. Additionally, we have furniture being moved around, lots of laundry piles (both dirty and clean), and 3 curtain rods throughout the house that have been mysteriously ripped out of the walls. The latter was unsuccessfully blamed on the cat by the 11-year-old boy who is now no longer allowed to ride his hover board in the house (the wheels catch the bottom of the curtains and YANK!). Last night I got all the ingredients out to start ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Until Spring…
My front porch always starts looking pretty drab about this time of year, so I like to change out the wreath, give it a good sweeping, and put out a new doormat and flowers to spruce it up and hold it over until spring. It's still very much winter here, and I’m enjoying it, so I don't want it looking like Easter yet, but a little freshness and a little color give it a nice boost. It rained all day yesterday except for about one hour in the whole day. During the break, I ran out and quickly worked on the porch, getting it all done in less than 30 minutes. I've had this wreath since my last house--over 9 years ago! Some years I display it inside the house and some years outside. I ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Tips and Tidbits for Thanksgiving Prep
Good Friday morning! Fall has flashed by in a blur and Thanksgiving is less than a week away! I'm not hosting Thanksgiving but I did host our small group's annual "Friendsgiving" this week. Beside the usual weekly cleaning routine, here are a few extra preparations I worked into the week leading up to our little feast! Even though I'd put out a few fall-ish items at my front door early in the season, it was time to freshen things up a bit. My summer ferns were still looking too good for me to move so I left those, swept the concrete, added a fresh door mat and a couple more pumpkins from my son's pumpkin patch (more on his pumpkin patch soon!). I took one of my winter wreaths and added ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Staining the Picnic Table
Happy Friday, everyone! Today I’ve got a lot of cleaning to do on the inside of my house, but first I'm going to take you outside to share a little project I finished last week as part of my patio fluff. I stained the picnic table that my family gave me for Mother's Day! I used Valspar One-Coat Exterior Stain and Sealer in the color November Grey. It's an opaque stain. It is so true what they say about preparation being 90% of the job! I've learned from my many mistakes that it's better to go ahead and put the time into prepping a project to make it go more smoothly and end up with pleasing results. So the first thing I did was sand every square inch of the wood surface, smoothing ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Front Porch Patriotism!
I'm feeling extra patriotic with my nest fluffing today! The hubs pressured washed all the concrete yesterday and then I put back the furniture, flowers, and FLAGS! With the disrespect so many have shown our country's flag in recent years, I felt the need to go a little *extra* on the stars and stripes this year! So, we are waving it proudly with a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our America! Now that the front porch is ready, I'm heading to the back porch to splash a little patriotism around back there! But first, I want to acknowledge some other special birthdays today! My sister, Katie, was born the baby of us five on July 3. We kids were SO excited over her arrival! While my ... Read more