My Little Musician

Here is is playing my old keyboard that I dragged out of my mom's house.

He loves it!

Josiah's 1st Birthday Party

OK, it's been over a week and I'm just now getting to this.
You know, when you have a million things to do around the house and you can probably name them all one by own off the top of your head? But you don't do them because you can find things that are a lot less productive but kinda insanely self gratifying.
Like...taking an hour of Josiah's nap to jot down all the homemade house cleaning products that I use on my blog, instead of getting ahead of my usual Friday clean day.
It's just one of those weeks! I've been using my time very poorly, but well worth it because I've been playing with my beautiful son who is now walking everywhere it seems!

Here's a video of Josiah walking!

A little off track, whoops! Alright I'll get to the point!(I told you it was one of those weeks! ;))

With this party, I wanted it to be family only. Maybe a few friends, but the ones who did come were my siblings bf and gf and our friend David(aka uncle Dave to Josiah). It was so fun!
I also wanted it to be cheap! We are on a tight budget and this was important. Somehow I made it work! My husband said that I went a little overboard with the decor and the details but, I loved doing it! Everyone thought that the house looked so pretty. Most decor I made myself with the credit help of pinterest and friend's blogs. The food was probably the most expensive because we ordered 3 pizzas from Walery's for dinner which I don't regret in the least! Plus I made some appetizer like food.

Before party pictures

Yep! I'm 1!

Playing his piano that Grandma Barrows got him, boy does that kid love to play! I'm kinda hoping that he gets mine, my dad's, and grandma Barrows musically talented gene.

I love his wavy curls! 

I wanted some kind of memoir for Josiah to have when he gets older. I had everyone put a thoughtful note on this piece of poster board for him.

I already had a dozen mason jars from canning last summer, so I just used some ribbon that I've hoarded and bought some cardboard decals of the little birds. I didn't want to pay $5 for small package of cardboard birds, so I traced and cut them out of pretty blue paper. I used regular plastic straws. I really wanted to find some paper ones, but I was running out of time and I didn't want to pay for however much they were charging.

 

I made some pom poms out of tissue paper to match the colors of his party and I made the banner out of scrapbook paper, ribbons and I traced the letters out of the cardboard lettering. Tracing and cutting took up a lot of time, but I think that it was definitely worth it considering the cost of those darn cardboard cut outs. I can use them over and over again now!

Here again with the banner, I borrowed the punch bowl from my mother and I actually bought the liquid dispenser thingy from BB&B with a $10 off discount. Lantern is from IKea($3)! Love that place!

I think that out of everything, Josiah loved the balloons the best!

And what's a party without balloons? ;)

And of course last, but certianly NOT the least(my fav part) the cake! I think that I made have went a little overboard with his cake, but it was homemade and I tried my best to make it sugar free for the guy. But I just had to put a little bit of oreos and gummy worms on top for the pics. I scraped the goodies off the top for him to dig into without me worrying about him being up all night from the sugar.

Yummy!

We all had a wonderful time with this kid and I can't wait to see all the surprises that he's going to present us with in the future!

Mommy and Daddy love you very much Josiah and we can't wait to see what God has in store for your life.

Love, Mommy

DIY household cleaning products

I really thought that I did a post on homemade laundry soap, but I guess I didn't. Oh well, anyway I'm posting my friend Britney's Recipe on the how to. She's the one who taught me and she's awesome! I hope she won't mind! Love you Britney! ;)
After saving money on making my own laundry soap I have been loving how much $$$ I am actually saving!
Most these ingredients are laying around your house already take a look!


• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Borax
• Essential oils, like tea tree oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, or lemongrass oil
• Castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's)
• Fresh herbs, citrus, or citrus peels
• Olive or vegetable oil
• Water


You may have to make a FEW purchases like the essential oils which can be a little spendy. But you only use a portion of that item and it lasts for many rounds of cleaners. You will still be saving money in the end AND be Eco friendly at the same time! Now who doesn't want that?!
I have recently started using these product ingredients and already I can see a slight change in my home. I feel better about the fact that instead of using bleach for disinfecting my child's toys(bleck!), I can use a natural oil that is plant based and not chemical based. I feel 100% safe using these products and don't have to freak out every time my son outwits the "child-safe" locks on my kitchen drawers. My list is still growing, and I'm still trying to use what I have, but this is what I have used and have enjoyed making and cleaning with them. Enjoy!

Fabric Softener

1 c. baking soda

2 c. hot water

1 c. white vinegar

Mix together, add ¼ cup to rinse cycle. Store in a mason jar with a lid, shake before use each time.

“Shout” Stain Remover                         

2/3 Dawn dish soap                                 

2/3 c. ammonia

6 tbls baking soda

2 c. warm water

Mix in a spray bottle, Shake before each use

Gentle(yet effective)Shampoo

12oz distilled water

4 tbls Castile soap flakes

1-2 drops of pure essential lavender oil

Boil water the allow to cool for about 10min. Pour water into glass bowl, add soap flakes. Stir until completely dissolved then add oil. Store in a shampoo bottle.

Note: product is not going to lather because it doesn’t have all the extra unnecessary commercial ingredients in it.

Antibacterial Spray                                    <Smells sooooo good!

1 c. water

20 drops of lavender essential oil

Tub Scrub                                    

1 tsp Dawn soap

10 drops of tea tree oil

1 c baking soda


Use ALL this and scrub your tub with a sponge or a scrub brush, rinse it all off and wallah!

Soap Scum Remover                  

1 c. vinegar-warmed                          

1 c. Dawn soap    


Notice I have Tub Scrub too? That's because the tub scrub is more intense for that once a month deep clean that I do. I lightly clean my shower once a week.                             


Hand Sanitizer                                                                                                 

Without Alcohol                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

1 c. pure aloe vera gel

1-2 tsp witch hazel

25 drops of oil - ^^listed above^^

All Purpose Cleaner

3 tbls vinegar

½ tsp washing soda

½ tsp castile soap

2 c. hot water

Grease Cutter        <For that greasy stove top that may need that extra kick in the butt.

2 c. water                      

¼  c. castile soap

10 drops of lavender oil

Bath, Sink, Tile Cleaner  < Skip the bleach, use this for your toilet too! 

2/3 c. baking soda               

½ c. castile soap

2 tbls vinegar

½ c. water

2-3 drops of tea tree oil

Liquid Hand Soap(Body Wash)           <love, love, love this stuff!  

2 tbls liquid glycerin                                       
Bar of soap(Mrs. Meyers is what I use)       

1 gallon of water                                             

Grate the entire bar of soap. Put water and soap shavings in a pot, add glycerin. Heat and stir ingredients on med/high heat till completely dissolved. After dissolved leave it for 10-12 hours. After it harden put soap into soap dispenser, store extra soap in a closed container.




These are all the products that I'm using right now and I LOVE them all! I know some people buy spray bottles but with me I'm trying to save! So I rinsed and reused the bottles that had the other products in them. 


Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!


I'll make tutorials on the more difficult ones later, and some before and after pics of how clean it actually makes your home!

Enjoy!
Love, Jess

I really do love Valentines Day!

This V-Day, I really wasn't expecting much. Our budget is cut pretty slim these days and we've been cracking down to get all our debts paid off before a certain time. Ben knows that I really like nice things, he knows that I like bouquets of roses, expensive dinners, and big surprises. He told me the day before that we were going to wait to celebrate because our taxes(which were suppose to deposit on the 12th) haven't come in yet and that he was waiting for it to go through so that we could spend a little of that money on our date. 

How did I feel? To be honest...I was not happy, I said that it was OK and that I don't mind waiting, but really, deep down I was bummed. I didn't like the idea of celebrating V-Day on another day, call me selfish and whiny but that's just how I felt.

Valentines Day came, I wasn't expecting my husband to come home from work during his lunch to make me breakfast in bed, he works really close to home now(which I LOVE!)so it wasn't to much of a bother, but just the thought of him thinking of me made my day! I also got a balloon, and an adorable soft teddy bear.

So after he left, I ate, Josiah woke up around that time so before he got to impatient I hopped into the shower real quick so that we can get ready for our appointment.

After running errands and getting Josiah down for his nap I was trying to get the house cleaned up. Knowing Ben, he like a clean house to come home to, and a nice hot dinner waiting for him. He then texted me to say that instead of coming home at 3pm after work he wasn't going to be able to get home till closer to 4:30. He does have to stay late sometimes because he a manager and all so that didn't surprise me. So then I went back to cleaning and tidying up our house. 4:00 rolls around and I get a ring on the doorbell, curious, I wasn't expecting anyone, so when I opened the door I was very surprised to see that it was my wonderful husband, dressed all nice complete with a tie that I bought him a couple years ago, and holding a single red rose asking me to be his Valentine. What a sweetheart, after some X's and O's, he says OK, you have an hour to get ready. Awesome! I go and get all dressed up and we head out(baby free) to Red Lobster, it was an hour wait but we were able to find ways to pass the time. 

The day of Love and Friendship, did you have a good Valentines Day? Did your Valentine do something special for you this year?

Balloon, Red Rose Bouquet and a Teddy Bear.
The roses in the background is what I decorate my table with, I  try to always have a bouquet of flowers(roses or any other kind) on my dining room table, I love how fresh and beautiful it makes my home.

My miscarriage story

I have included all the parts to my story.

If you want to skip it all and get to the point, just read the last one.

What doesn't kill me makes me Stronger

Taking it Day by Day

Be Positive

The Waiting Game

Still Waiting

There is a Next Time

There is a next time.

So I had my blood taken again this morning. My numbers have went from 1100 down to 600.
So yes, I have officially miscarried my baby, my OB answered all my questions.
I am mourning a little because I still had that little hope.
In about 2 weeks she wants me to take a pregnancy test just to make sure everything is out of my system.
After that, when my period starts she says that we can start trying right away. Because it was such an early miscarriage my body doesn't have much to recover from and that it sounds like from the cramping and bleeding that I had a week ago I passed everything and have been through the worse.
As long as I am emotionally ready she gave us the go ahead to try for another baby.

I think that we will try after my period, the thought of being pregnant and for Josiah to have a sibling he can play with so close in age was such a nice thought. We were already preparing for it and I would love to experience being pregnant in the summer time. Maybe have a fall baby?

Thank you all for your prayers and support. As we grieve for our loss I just ask that you all be respectful and not ask me how I'm doing in hopes that I'm going to tell you my whole story.
I will answer you that I'm fine, so please leave it at that.

Love,
Jess

Really? Some people!

Went Grocery shopping at Walmart today and what was an alright day all the sudden turned into an unnecessary emotional ride.

Walmart Cashier: I think you forgot something (she says while holding up Josiah's Organic snacks)

Me: No, I bought that about a week ago, you guys don't sell that brand of toddler snacks anyway.

WC: Are you sure? (As she calls up her supervisor)

Me:Yes, I am sure.

5 minutes later supervisor walks over and confirms that no, they don't sell that brand.

Really? Over $3 snacks?
I was surprised that she did call because the lines were so backed up with people wanting to check out and the couple behind me were getting frustrated of the wait because of the few WIC checks that I cashed in. Those of you with this program know that it's a long process.

I guess it wasn't the fact that she called the supervisor over, it was more like, how she did it. Her personality was LOUD and she had a bit of an attitude.
I understand the concept that tons of items are being stolen from Walmart everyday.
Everyone in line behind me just stared at me like I was one of those crazy, hoarding cat ladies. Pretty embarrassing if you ask me.  On top of that, Josiah was tired, needed a nap and nothing I was doing was keeping him quiet, he's turned into quite the screamer lately.
Well, in the end, I still smiled very fake like, my easily tampered hormones are still all over the place, and I just wanted to cry.
Today, was a difficult shopping day, and I think that I will wait for my husband to help me next time, he seems to help me keep my emotions under control a little better.

Tomorrow will be hopefully better. Taking another blood test to see what in the world is going on!
Wish us luck!

Love,
Jess