Springtime in the backyard

As winter melted away we began to see glimpses of spring. Yes, they were usually chased away by freak snow storms or icy winds, but I am going to go out on a limb and hope I don't jinx it-- I think spring is here to stay!

Our backyard has had quite the transformation in the last month. We added a fence for both privacy (fences make good neighbors!) and for the pups. They love being able to run. We added some deck furniture, flowers, a little garden and it finally feels like a place we can relax in. I love it. 

Before: 

After: 

Our front yard got a dash if color too!

Happy Easter!

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year.  Maybe it was because it has been so cold for so long... I really don't know.  We "egged" our neighbors on the Friday before Easter.  They have two sweet kids that we so enjoy and we wanted to bless them in a fun way.  We stuffed about 30 eggs with candy and little toys and hid them all over the front time.  Our timing was perfect as their daughter arrived home from school about twenty minutes after we were done.  She had so much fun collecting the eggs.  She ran inside to grab a bag and kept telling her dad she would need another one if there were more than a few more eggs!  It's funny how we are blessed when we bless others.  

Med Tech.  Clinical Laboratory Scientist.  Not many people know what we do and fewer still know how we do it.  We are the ones that are unseen and often forgotten, but we play a vital role in patient care, diagnosis, and treatment.  In fact, over 70% of a patients diagnosis comes from us!  From blood smears and differentials to electrolytes and hormone levels, and wound cultures to transfusions.  We do it all.  

I love my job and take great pride in my skills and my coworkers.  

This was my first year as a real Med Tech and therefore a "real" participant in Lab week.  [SIDE NOTE: I've been out of school for a year and been working at Eskenazi for over 9 months!!!  WHAT???]  It was a week full of fun (and treats!) that made the days seem to fly by.  We had pizza one day and Olive Garden another day, then of course leftovers for a couple of days.  We had contests like "match the pet to the tech" and a cookie bake off and of course prizes.  All in all, it was a fun week celebrating our careers and the way we care for patients.  

Green Clean Part II

Recently, I went from this...

...to this.

I haven't spent enough time with all of them yet, but I thought I would share a few of my favorites so far.  

Granite Cleaner:

I've been using this for almost a year now and it is great!  Hubby says it is his favorite too.  It's simple to make, smells good, works well, and is versatile   I use it for my granite counter tops, as well as general clean up on the tile and other hard surfaces (not wood).




o   1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (you may also use vodka)
o   3 drops of dish detergent
o   1 cup water
o   A few drops of essential oil (to help mask alcohol smell).
Recipe courtesy of Mama Cheaps


Window Cleaner:

Okay, this works GREAT.  I will admit I was thoroughly surprised.  I'm totally sold on this one.
o   Equal parts: white vinegar and water
o   1 tsp dish soap (preferably unscented if you plan to add essential oils)
o   10-15 drops of any citrus oil (I personally like grapefruit) or Lavender is always a great cleaning scent
Recipe Courtesy of bloom doula



Furniture Polish: 

So far so good with this one.  It works really well and is SO much healthier than Pledge.  I think it's a keeper for sure!
o   2 tsp olive oil
o   1/4 cup white vinegar
o   2 cups water
o   10-20 drops of Lemon, Lime or Lemongrass
Recipe courtesy of bloom doula




Poo-Pourri:
Okay, this was probably the one I was most excited about.  Have you ever seen this stuff?? It is seriously the greatest!  I first heard about it over five years ago and I don't know how we ever went without it!  Need to know more about it?  Check out their commercial here.  You wont be sorry.  You can pretty much use any type of essential oil combination as long as you have about 70 or so drops.  

o   3.5 oz. water
o   30 drops wild orange
o   30 drops lavender
o   30 drops lemongrass
o   1  4 oz. dark glass spray bottle
Courtesy of Little House on the Valley

Green Clean

I cant believe we are hopping forward into April already!!  Where has the time gone?  I feel like moments are rushing by and I can hardly catch my breath.  Do you ever get those moments where you are thinking ahead to the next few weeks and months and in your mind the year is already gone?  That's what life is like right now.  We have lots of things coming up... trips, visitors, meetings, work stuff, and house projects.  I'm trying hard to live in the moment and not for the next event on my list.  

With time whirling around me, I am still managing to plug on though my 2014 goals.  One of my goals is to be cleaning chemical free by 2015.  As some of you may know, I cleaned houses for a year when I lived in Georgia.  It was certainly not a "fun" job and I tried my best to move more into nannying and out of home care, but my time cleaning gave me an appreciation for "green" cleaning supplies.  Trust me, when you spend hours breathing in fumes and gagging on chemical odors, you learn to appreciate clean air.  I had several families that chose to use green cleaning supplies like Shacklees and Seventh Generation.  I was so grateful for that and I vowed that when I had my own home to maintain, I would do the same thing.  

Now, I'm still a huge fan of Shacklees but I started looking into home-made cleaning supplies, especially those containing essential oils.  I wanted to be simple, cost effective, and naturally CLEAN.  I didnt know much about oils but started using lavender water to clean counter tops about a year ago.  I've added a couple more lavender and vinegar base concoctions to our cabinet over the last few months and tried several variations of recipes.  Hubby was quite skeptical as his nose tells him that only that chemically smell is clean, but even he has come around and began to associate the sweet and calming smell of lavender and even the tangy smell of vinegar with clean [it can be done!].  

After a bit more research, and with hubby's reluctant blessing, I took the plunge.  I bought my first set of 6 essential oils: lavender, lemon, orange, eucalyptus, tea tree, and peppermint from Eden's Garden along with a Young Living Purification Oil for good measure.  I compiled all my favorite recipes from pinterest and got started.  My timing could not have been better as we have company coming to stay at the end of this week.  I cant wait to try out some new home-made cleaning products and let you all know how they work!  

Groove Book

Okay, I had to tell everyone about the coolest App I discovered a couple of months ago.  I'm kind of a memory junky.  I love pictures and scrapbooks of all kinds and have a stack of photo albums and a zillion framed pictures to prove it.  I print pictures ALL THE TIME which costs a pretty penny.  But for the most part, my iphone pictures have stayed on my phone which is sad considering my phone is my most handy and accessible camera for those spur of the moment photo opps.

Ronnie saw Groove Book on the Shark Tank in January right at about the time I started seeing it on Pinterest.  It sounded too good to be true:  $2.99/month for up to 100 4x6 prints bound in a cute book- THIS INCLUDES SHIPPING.  We took the risk and signed up and I couldn't be more pleased.  The prints were great quality (keeping in mind that these are low resolution cell pics that can often times be a tad blurry when you take them) and the price is unbeatable.  Trust me.

For those wondering how it works, all you do is

• Download the App
• Upload pictures from your cell phone
• And wait for your monthly close date!

A few days later, your book arrives!

The possibilities here are endless.  You can print last months pics, create a book for an event or trip, or print a theme book (all my puppy pics)!  Since all the pages have perforated edges, you can also tear them out for your own photo books or frames!  Another plus is once you create an account, you can access your account from other phones.  Ronnie did a book on his phone the month after I did mine on my phone.

We have been very impressed with Groove Book and are excited to continue receiving memories in the mail.

PS~ Let me know if you want a code to get your first month free!

Humble Hubby Brag

Just had to take a second to brag on my amazing husband.  He has conquered so many projects this week that I have probably lost count.  He has made phone calls, scheduled appointments, sat in meetings, worked on projects, and run errands all while continuing to clean up the house for me and take care of three little pups.  He is pretty awesome.  I dont know what I would do without him, especially on full weeks like this.  :)

Sulley and his Snow Spots

While the rest of the midwest is enjoying the "warm" weather (barely above freezing), Sulley seems to still be mourning the lack of snow.  He has spent all winter going outside in it and is willing to play a bit while Boomer and Mia try their hardest to avoid going out altogether   The snow has melted in the last few days and Sulley seems completely confused about where to do his "business" outside.  The poor thing doesn't seem to know what to do without a pile of snow to pee on.  As the patches of snow grew smaller and smaller, he diligently hunted them down in the far corners of the yard when he had to go.  Now, with no snow at all, he wonders aimlessly for a bit before reluctantly settling for soggy grass.  I think he will be the only one excited when the next polar vortex hits tonight and tomorrow.  ;)

This was on one of our -45 degree days when all the dogs had trouble with cold feet.  We passed the boots around all day.  

Big Dogs

Well, we seem to have adjusted to life in the dog house, though I had my doubts that we would get to this point.  Everyone seems to be a part of the "pack."  Play time can get a little rowdy with three little dogs especially now that the puppy can fully hold his own.  He gives Mia a run for her money when it comes to tug-o-war and chase.

Care Packages!

As many of you know, I have a love for snail mail.  There is nothing quite like getting a letter or package in your mailbox when you least expect it.  I just wanted to share a couple of the fun packages I sent out last month.  I had fun with them.

A box of sunshine

A "Heart Attack" for Valentine's Day