Pinterest Friday....Fruit & Veggie Wash

I love this one! It's simple and quick. Jo-Anna over at A Pretty Life posted the way she washes her fruits and veggies to make sure they are super clean!

I love it because you just pop all your fruit right in a clean sink, filled with luke warm water and a cup of vinegar. Then a quick rinse and dry out on the counter.

Can I just say how I love using vinegar to clean...I guess it just makes me feel better that I'm not using chemicals. This is not to say that I never use cleaners. My bathroom cleaning is one area I can not do without some heavier duty sprays...makes me feel better!

I spend way too much time and waste way too much water washing each piece of fruit or veggies...this way I let them sit while I unpack the rest of my groceries.

So as you head to the grocery store or a local farmers market this weekend I hope this is a help.

Happy Friday! I will be spending my weekend crafting...with my new sewing machine! Yes that's right I finally decided on a machine and I love it! It took a few days to get a hang of it but it is great. And, I have a project almost complete...don't worry. I will be posting a tutorial as soon as I deliver it...it's a gift!!!!

Pinterest Friday...Art board

Some months back I posted some inspirations I had found on Pinterest and some other sites. 

{Check it out here}

A little of this, a little of that

I saw this as an easy solution to a huge problem we had...where to put all those wonderful art projects my kids create. Especially with the oldest in kindergarten, he was bringing home so many art projects!

And it was such an easy project!!!

The original post came from "a little of this, a little of that"

Head over here and check out some other cute projects. It could become as addictive as Pinterest!

Here is how mine turned out

I used two pieces of scrap 2x4 I had laying round...when I hung them I just put them side by side to look like one long piece. I painted them white, because that is what I had sitting around just waiting to be used. I purchased the clips at Target. They are magnetic silver clips that come in packs of two. I also bought a hanging kit for the back of the boards.

1. Paint

2. attach the hanging kit on the back of the boards

3. use wood glue to attach the clips

4. hang

 See, super simple!

Honestly, with the amount of papers and crafts that come into this house I think I may need to make another one...that way each kid can  have one. They get very upset when I rotate in new art work and have to take down old ones. I love that they enjoy seeing their work!

Happy Friday!

Sewing withdraw!

So remember  my post the other day about making gifts for my two friends who recently had little ones??
{If not check it out here...I am still infatuated with the fabric}
But the sewing machine I was borrowing from a friend is getting a little maintenance...this may or may not be do to the fact that it has gotten a good amount of use lately!
So I sit here with fabric to sew, projects to complete without a machine to do it.
And I search online for the perfect machine, so that I don't have to borrow any more.
{My friend who lent me her machine has gotten bitten by the sewing bug...yay another sewing buddy!!!}
So I search and I search, and I read reviews and I read reviews
There are just so many different machines and everyone has an opinion.

~confession...I do have two machines that I inherited...One is simply horrible and cheap, the other was older when I got it and I think has seen better days. the latter may get a visit to the repair shop and become a back up to whatever I find~

Until I come to a conclusion my projects will just have to wait.

Pinterest Friday...A Grate Cleaning!!!

Since we got our beautiful "new" stove five years ago the gray grates have been driving me. They get stained so easily...the cleaning was not so easy. No matter  how much I soaked, scrubbed, soaked, scrubbed with a Brillo pad (came close to scrapping paint off the stove with this technique so I put it away).
When I found this on pinterest I was so excited! No Scrub??? Was it too good to be true??? 

All you need is ammonia, large Ziploc bags, and a dirty grate.
So I figured I would give it a shot...what is the worse that could happen??? I might be out a few bucks, and have a kitchen that smells like ammonia {yuck}
Hint~make sure the Ziploc bag you have fits the grates. I made the mistake of  putting the ammonia in the bag first and then trying to fit in the awkward shaped grate....not a good idea. So  my suggestion is to put the grate in first then add the 1/4 cup of ammonia. Much easier...lesson learned!
After I put it in a Ziploc bag I laid them in a cookie sheet just in case there was leak. I was only able to do two at a time and I left them to soak over night.
Nothing says good morning like the smell of ammonia...just remember to open the bags in a well ventilated area. Our sink is not one of those types of places so this was a little difficult but I got through it!
Make sure you rinse and wash with soak before putting back on the stove.
Check out the picture above of the two grates...that is exactly what mine looked like. {never got around to taking pictures...mornings around here can be crazy} It was amazing. It has been sometime since I first did this and my grates are in need of some love again.

Remember how I said I could only do two at a time...well this is one that was never done.

Pretty bad I know.

This is one of the two I did do...and it has held up well.

Check out the post from The V Spot here

Then take a minute and browse the rest of the blog...I love her ideas, from diy to recipes so funny kids stories.

Have a fun weekend

we are off to reconnect with my son's wonderful kindergarten crew!

What's on your weekend fun list??

***Update~~Got a great idea from a friend...here's what she said on Facebook
Sarah 'Carter' Barnhart : Just a comment about your grate cleaning post! I do this too and LOVE it! I found out that it was faster to put them all in a trash bag and then sit it outside so my kitchen wouldn't get stinky. In the winter I stick the trash bag inside my empty washing machine (since my laundry is right off the kitchen). It's awesome!!

Thanks Sarah, what a great way to get it done fast!!! Don't think I can do the washing machine idea because ours in the basement but I love thinking outside the box to get jobs done!

Hand-made Love

So I have two amazing friends who recently had babies...
One a girl
One a boy
Which makes me very excited...
I love doing handmade presents especially for new babies.
I am all about the cute and simple yet functional...I never want to give a present that is just for show. My hope is that whether its a blanket, a lovey, or a burp clothe that it is used and useful for my friend and their new little bundle of joy!
But I have to say that I am running behind. Both of these bundles of joy have been around for a few months now and I need to get on the ball!!!!

So a sneak peak is in order!!!!

 

Aren't they just adorable??!!??
I love that I have a pile of pink and a pile of blue! Insert a squeal here!
I will be posting once the projects are done and delivered so stay tuned

OBX 2012

Now as many of you know, I am a born and breed Jersey Girl! This includes a deep love of the Jersey shore...not the MTV one {YUCK!!!!} the real one!
I love the sand, the ocean, and the boardwalk! Johnson's Popcorn, Kohr's brothers ice cream, and Shiver's candies!
But finding a place near the beach with a family of 12 is difficult in NJ.
So we decided to go south!
This past week my family and the rest of the Holland clan took a vacation to The Outer Banks...our first time.
I thought I would share some pictures of our week!

 We spent a lot of time in the pool! Lizzy and Jake just loved it! By the end our week Jake was swimming without his vest...he was very excited.

 The beaches are beautiful...but very different than the ones at home. Lots of dunes which makes it challenging to get on and off the beach. But that didn't stop the kids from having a great time. Between the sand playing and the waves and the really cool pelicans diving for fish just a few yards from us, we had a great time!

 One evening had just the perfect light for a photo shoot on the beach...we told the kids to not get wet, that didn't last long!

I even got in a picture!

 On the 4th of July we spent the morning at the North Carolina State Aquarium in Roanoke. Honestly, it was just too hot to go to the beach. We burned our feet the first day getting off the beach it was so hot and this day was even hotter. So off to the air conditioned Aquarium!

 The only thing Lizzy wanted to see were turtles...and she got them.

 These were just what Jake wanted!

 My sister-in-law set up a sweet candy hunt to help us celebrate the holiday

We were able to watch fireworks right from our top deck

 time to throw some snapps...remember those. You just throw them on the ground and they pop. It was a big hit with all the kids!

 Did I mention how hot it was??? Just check these pictures out!

 Jake and Jeff spent a lot of time in the game room...with Foosball and a few arcade games they were in their glory!

 One quick family picture before bedtime!

And our time has come to an end...it was fun filled and fast.

We can't wait to return and see more of what OBX has to offer!

There was just too much to do in one visit.