Growing up, if we did something way out there, or completely not normal, we called it going off the deep end. Well, I've gone there and it involved bathroom products...wohooooo! Right?
The two products are some that we've had issues with quite a bit. With toothpaste, Josh has to have an SLS-free toothpaste to keep those cold sores away, and we were spending $5 per tube on Burt's Bee's toothpaste for him. Then for me, the deodorant was the issue. I have super sensitive skin and any deodorant I used, I would get irritation under my arms, no matter what. I had finally settled on Secret Clinical, and it was doing an ok job, but at almost $12 per stick, that's pretty steep!
Throw a little Simple Mom into the mix. Making my own toothpaste? I mean, seriously. WHY would I go and do a crazy thing like that? Thriftiness, I tell ya, I blame it on my mom for making my thrifty! Here is the recipe I use. Ok. It was a good thing for you all that I didn't write a blog about this in the first couple days of using this. It tastes nasty. Like, I gagged through the first few uses. But ya know what? I got used to it and we actually prefer it now. Our teeth feel cleaner, and after using regular toothpaste while traveling over the weekend, I realized that we were so used to that coating you get from normal toothpaste. I think I'll play with the flavoring next time and see how it goes, but at least it's cheaper and it works for Josh!
Next, since I had all the ingredients, I made my own deodorant. Here is the recipe I used (yes, I'm kind of a Simple Mom freak), and we both loved this from the get-go. Josh works a physically demanding job out in the heat, so he needed great protection from both sweating and odor, and this does it for him! Plus, I haven't had a single red bump since using this. It works great while exercising and there's no fragrance, which is generally what caused the irritation to begin with. We do keep it in the fridge for now since our house is warm in the summer, but it's no issue for us.
Hopefully this has inspired you all to go off the deep end. :P
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
A new baby
My old Brother sewing machine has been having issues lately, and I was using my mother in law's machine, but we have known that I needed an upgrade for a while. I did my research and decided on the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 to use and abuse next.
The husband and I made a weekend out of it, starting out at a bed and breakfast called the Traditions Inn in Columbus, Nebraska. How CUTE! The rooms were affordable and gave you that country feel even with the great downtown Columbus location. And the owner was just the nicest woman! We were late (thanks to trying to hurry and getting stopped outside of Albion...luckily it was just a warning!), but called ahead to let them know, and she was more than accommodating. We arrived around 9:30 and we debated between just grabbing a snack before bed and supper, but we realized that we were in the "big city" and could actually eat out at a nice restaurant late, so we went for that option.
Here is a sunset we enjoyed on our way there...the hubs even offered to stop for a picture!
And the super cut planter...need to figure out how to DIY that! Don't you just love the garden tool curtain rods in the breakfast room? I will do this in a mud room someday!
In the morning we headed to our first quilt shop, where I oogled over these gorgeous kaleidoscope quilts.
And then I drooled all over these antique quilts they had for decor. I love the little ruffle in the flower, and the yellow and white...how classic!
And then at the second quilt shop, I was told we weren't allowed to take pictures of the quilts unless we bought the pattern. :( Country Traditions Quilt Shop in Fremont was amazing and they had SO many quilts hung up! And SO much fabric...and SO many Pfaff sewing machines!
Here I am with the new baby! I was thinking about naming her Daphne, because it kind of goes with Pfaff. Ha...so funny. Anyway...She's awesome, and I'm loving having such an advanced machine. I've only barely scratched the surface on what she can do, but I'm hoping to hit one of the free owner's classes at the quilt shop sometime soon to expand what I can do.
I did buy one other little thing at the quilt shop that has made a huge difference in my sewing...fork pins! I am making this quilt from Moda Bake Shop for Lily, and she uses them in the tutorial, so it inspired me to try them out. They are SO handy, and so easy to use! I just love the look of a quilt with the seams pressed open, so now that I have these, I'll be doing that more often.
The husband and I made a weekend out of it, starting out at a bed and breakfast called the Traditions Inn in Columbus, Nebraska. How CUTE! The rooms were affordable and gave you that country feel even with the great downtown Columbus location. And the owner was just the nicest woman! We were late (thanks to trying to hurry and getting stopped outside of Albion...luckily it was just a warning!), but called ahead to let them know, and she was more than accommodating. We arrived around 9:30 and we debated between just grabbing a snack before bed and supper, but we realized that we were in the "big city" and could actually eat out at a nice restaurant late, so we went for that option.
Here is a sunset we enjoyed on our way there...the hubs even offered to stop for a picture!
And the super cut planter...need to figure out how to DIY that! Don't you just love the garden tool curtain rods in the breakfast room? I will do this in a mud room someday!
In the morning we headed to our first quilt shop, where I oogled over these gorgeous kaleidoscope quilts.
And then I drooled all over these antique quilts they had for decor. I love the little ruffle in the flower, and the yellow and white...how classic!
And then at the second quilt shop, I was told we weren't allowed to take pictures of the quilts unless we bought the pattern. :( Country Traditions Quilt Shop in Fremont was amazing and they had SO many quilts hung up! And SO much fabric...and SO many Pfaff sewing machines!
I did buy one other little thing at the quilt shop that has made a huge difference in my sewing...fork pins! I am making this quilt from Moda Bake Shop for Lily, and she uses them in the tutorial, so it inspired me to try them out. They are SO handy, and so easy to use! I just love the look of a quilt with the seams pressed open, so now that I have these, I'll be doing that more often.
Happy quilting!!
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