Our House in the Middle of Our Street

DIY Cheap & Green All-Bug Spray Who likes getting bit by bugs? Swatting flies? Getting gnats out of eyes and off your white summer clothing? No one, and specifically to this blog post, ME ! I am a living sugar-watered, sweet-skinned, bug buffet in the summertime. Bugs will come from miles around to bite me, and even wearing expensive bug spray FULL of chemicals, I come home with red welts all over! Enter The Queen of Clean . My hero (after you, Martha). If you don't have any of her books, I suggest the 3-in-1 (shown here) "How the Queen Cleans Everything" by Linda Cobb . Although bug spray isn't exactly cleaning anything, Mrs. Cobb's books are all about easy cleaning and household solutions, and since there is a section about gardens, picnics, and general summertime cleaning fiascoes , there's a small section on homemade bug spray ! This is her recipe. This is the only bug-spray that has ever worked wonders, and not only that, it seems to last longer tha...

There are a few changes taking place on this blog. In order to continue to have something ( anything !) to talk about, I've changed this blog to a "how-to" and review guide on anything from making cheap, easy, and chemical free bugspray (tomorrow!) to reviews on movies , books, even underwear ! Here and there will be my children exploring these things along with me, or, in a not-so-hidden-way of telling you that they're absolutely adorable without it becoming entirely a family blog. :) Here's one of those times... \ First: make sure puppies have adequate water in their bowl. Spatula required. Second: get down and dirty to inspect food. Interupt meal time if completely necessary. Last: ration.ration.ration! We don't want those puppies eating too much!

Drybees Organic Bamboo One-Size Fitted Diaper With Insert Included Seriously. Who can resist babies in diapers? Especially when they are super soft and cozy cloth diapers like these? I just can't stop taking pictures of them!(Don't want the review? Hop on over to BabyMast to see Lukka's photo-shoot of Mommy and Anikka!) Review: The very first cloth diapers I ever tried on Lukka were Drybees All-In-One (AIO) diapers. The reason I bought this brand first was because at the time there was no other place selling cloth diapers except Milkworks , and this was the only brand they had! (They now have everything from prefolds to fuzzi buns...except Bum Genius! Too bad, those are my all-time favs).  I liked them alright, except I found out that to get them completely dry, you had to put them in the dryer for two cycles. Not only does that not seem very cost-economical to me (the reason to cloth diaper in the first place for us!) but they still would be slightly damp and then start...

This movie was two things: incredibly long and absolutely amazing. Depending on which of those things interests you more will determine your own outcome of this movie. People I know who (I thought) would generally like the movie didn't like it for the main reason stated above. It's nearly 3 hours. To be honest, Stefan and I watched it in 1 hour increments over three days, and each day we were more excited to see it! This movie stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and Brandon Walters as Nullah. I was first told about it from my mom, who actually has very similar film tastes as I do, and she said it was really good...end of discussion. When I found out Baz Lurhmann directed it, I knew I had to see it! (Baz Lurhmann also directed Romeo + Juliet with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio and Moulin Rouge! with Nicole Kidman) He is one of my favorite directors and a celebrity in the movie world that I will go out of my way to see. The plot of the movie is that Sarah Ashley (Kidm...

I had first heard about this new book from Potter Craft while trying to win it from my knitting buddy, Christy Nelson . When I didn't get one of those 5 new copies, I knew I had to immediately borrow it from the library. Complete with about 50 pages of a visual tools glossary and templates, this really is quite the encyclopedia! I felt this was an excellent craft book because it wasn't just a 'project book'. A lot of craft books that are hitting the market right now are just a collection of about 20 projects to make, and a lot of them are the same in every book! This is more of a manual, carefully explaining each type of craft and the fine details that go with a step-by-step guide. It has everything from origami to making pom-pom animals, gilding mirrors and pressing seaweed and flowers! Of course, there are project suggestions, but the way her format is laid out, it lets the reader observe how something is done, and giving inspiration to tweak it instead of setting ...

The Peanut Lady is already 2 months old! I can hardly believe it! We had her 2 month well baby checkup and here's her numbers. Weight: 11lb 3.8 oz. (4 1/2 lbs gained since birth) Height: 22 3/4 in (almsot 4 inches already!) Head: 15 1/2 Dislikes: being cold, if even for a second while getting her out of the bathtub and into a kushy towel Likes: having her cheeks stroked and soft talking. This always makes her smile. Big Brother Update: He is becoming more accustomed to her. He still takes his big brother-ness seriously, loves to buckle her up in the carseat and even grabbing one side of the carseat and helping me carry her into the car (and then opening up the door for me, too!) What a dude. Cutest moments: When Lukka gets in his jammies and ready for bed, he comes and gives her a kiss. ::MELT:: Lesson learned: Two is always better than one.

Seriously. Check out that sweet curly hair. This is right out of the bathtub--after a sleep it turns straight, but hopefully when she's older it will stay curly! This is one of my favorite pictures of her. It isn't particularly cute, it's just hilarious. And that Little Red Riding Hood knit? From my NY friend Jess , knitter extraordinaire! LOVE IT ! (click on the pic for a close up of the funniest newborn grimace ever) Remember that Debbie Bliss baby sack I started way back when ? Well, other than sewing up the sides, weaving in the ends, and finding a zipper (sheesh, when I say all that it sounds like I still have a lot of work to do)...It's finished!! For you non-knitters, the hood looks goofy because it isn't sewn in yet...and I may or may not have screwed it up. That's always a possibility. :)