Tipsy Tuesday!

While mopping just a few minutes ago I thought it would be fun to do a link up called Tipsy Tuesday with the idea of sharing simple everyday tips with each other.

So, here's the deal, growing up I knew my grandmother was a pro at cleaning. I also knew she didn't use your typical mopping solutions. So I asked her recently what her secret is. She said, two tablespoons white vinegar to one gallon of hot water. That's it! Easy and CHEAP!



My uncle recently handed over his candle making business to my husband, which means we have tons of scents and essential oils on our hands. I thought I would throw my own twist into Grandma's secret solution. Last time I mopped I added a few drops of the honeysuckle scent. Boy did it smell heavenly in here! Today I added the juice of one lemon. It didn't smell as strong as I had hoped but I know lemons have cleaning power! Here is an article that has 6 reasons you should use lemon juice to clean your house. If you don't know about natural cleaning solutions you can make at home do some research about it on google. You'll find baking soda, white vinegar, and lemon juice as some of the most popular ingredients.

Do you have a tip to share with us? Make a post about it and add your link to the form below. I'm hoping to make this a regular Tuesday thing so look for the link-up next week as well. :)


 

I Want to Ride My Bicycle!

Source: republicbike.com via Mandy on Pinterest

 

Is this bicycle lovely or what? I've just started riding my bike again after having our son a year and a half ago. I guess I haven't ridden in so long because I couldn't take him along. We resorted to stroller rides around the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong I love to take him out for a walk with the dogs but walking can get old real fast.

About 5 or 6 years ago I started getting into biking. I'm not just talking about dilly dallying around town but FULL OUT mountain biking. I bought myself a real, fancy shmancy mountain bike. This thing was is the real deal. I spent my hard earned cash on a GIANT.

I went a few times with an old friend around our Lake Fayetteville trails and then once with my husband and a friend. Dallas and I had just started dating & he agreed to go on the adventure to impress me...I guess it worked! haha. So, we fell head over heals in love... yada yada... and my passion for mountain biking kind of got kicked to the back burner. And now I can't even imagine how I made it all the way around the lake, all 5.5 miles of dirt, rock, steep and not so steep hills, etc. Let's face it, I'm not in that sort of physical shape anymore. I don't look much different from what I did back then, except my hair is longer, but I am definitely not as strong as I once was. Go figure, you would think lifting a 30 pound child 30 times a day would maybe do something for ya but I guess that's just wishful thinking.

Lucky for me we just bought a bike trailer! Which means Noah can go with me now! Except we're definitely not going to be mountain biking (maybe I'll get to  slip away every now and then!). So, I'd like to find a pretty cruiser bike to ride around the neighborhood and save the Giant the embarrassment of riding on flat pavement rather than dirt piles and rocks ;-).

So the question is do I search for an old fixer upper that I can customize myself, although I am no expert at spray painting, or do I lay down the cash money honey for a brand new fully customizable Republic? I really could go either way. I think it could be fun to do it myself but also time consuming...

Wordless Wednesday - Friendship Bracelet Tutorial

Remember these?

Want to make one?

Here's the tutorial!

 

 

Saturday Snapshot

Hey y'all! I'm linking up with Kim at Yellow Songbird today for the Saturday Snapshot.

This is sweet baby Noah.

He is my one and only little boy. He's 17 months old and getting smarter every day. And despite the flower behind his ear he is all rough and tough, snails and puppy dog tails, boy. He tries to catch flies and picks up dry dead worms.

His favorite things are:

golf, playing it and watching it on TV with Grandpa,

Reading books with Mommy,

{If You Give a Mouse a Cookie; If You Give a Pig a Pancake; Big Red Barn; are just some of his favs}

being outside,

giving hugs and kisses,

airplanes,

wearing flip flops,

eating snacks with daddy before dinner,

and playing in the water...just to name a few.

He's super smart too. He knows what were saying and he mimics our actions. I can ask him to get a diaper and lay down for me to change him and he will. I discovered that way is a lot easier than just grabbing him and doing it. He used to cry about it but now he likes to take part in it! Just yesterday we were in the bathroom and I was brushing my teeth when I looked down to find him trying to file his toe-nails. I don't remember filing my nails in front of him before but I must have. His little brain is a sponge soaking everything in. I love watching him grow and learn!

So, that's a little bit about Noah. I love him. :)

Hope you  have a great weekend!

Saturdays are for Flea Markets

Last Saturday I spent the day with my mom and her two sisters. It is a very rare occasion when we all get to be together; maybe once a year, if that, so when it does happen it's oh so sweet. My aunt Wilma is the oldest of the sisters, I call her my eccentric aunt. She's awesome! She's sort of a health nut. You can usually find her at a health food/herbal store. My aunt Kaye, the next oldest sister is famous for her green thumb. On the rare occasion that we find ourselves at her house {we're all so busy} we like to look at all of her beautiful flowers. She's growing blackberries this year which means I'll be picking some for my blackberry lattice pie! Mmm. That brings me to my mama, the youngest of the siblings (8 in all, 5 brothers, 3 sisters), she's the sweet one. You can usually find her in the kitchen baking muffins or sweet bread. I aspire to be like all three of them.

Ever since I was teeny tiny those three women have taken me to flea markets almost every time we came together. I won't lie to you, I hated it to no end when I was little. I was fine when we first arrived, maybe even after the first hour, but what seemed like three to four hours later I swore that particular flea market would be the last I'd ever enter. I suppose it took a long while for me to like the idea of looking through people's old things. Now I love it and wish to do it constantly. I not only go to flea markets but also love to shop at goodwill. You never know what you'll find. Last time I was there I saw two gorgeous Fossil dresses in perfect condition with one problem, they weren't my size!

Last Saturday we decided to go to the Farmer's Market in Fayetteville, Arkansas {where I bought cucumbers, blueberries, and handmade earrings} and then make the drive to Prairie Grove for some 'flea marketing'. Before heading to Prairie Grove we made our way through some of the shops on the square. One of the shops we visited, The Mustache: Goods and Wares, is fairly new. I had never even heard of it.

{via}

& here's their website.

They have a wonderful selection of items including clothes {cute 40s & 50s style dresses with POCKETS!!!} fun and interesting kitchen wares, stuff for kids, and a bunch of lovely randomness. I love it. I bought a couple items for my bff who's getting married and a new water bottle for myself because my camelbak recently broke...yeah who knew?

Adorable isn't it?

Here are the earrings I bought:

I'm currently in a yellow phase, it's so bright and cheery I can't help myself.

After the farmers market, some shopping on the square, and lunch we went to Prairie Grove to find a flea market. We ended up going to Daisies and Olives.

I fell in love with this 1950's set of bobwhite dishes. They were a little pricey so I had to pass but aren't they cute?

Hey I learned something while we were there! Apparently this was a biscuit jar back in the day.

{that's what my mama told me}

And here is what I ended up coming home with: a pretty flower pot $1{bought at a goodwill type store on the way to the flea market}, watering can $?, small vintage cake stand $16, Fire King pie plate $3, vintage sewing supply box $5 {my mama bought for me}, and two birdies $4 {my aunt Wilma bought the one on the left for me}

I'm really excited to use this for my best friend's bridal shower Saturday!

I needed this for sure! Right now all of my threads are in a box and very unorganized.

I love birds and they seemed to be everywhere Saturday. I also noticed a lot of different dog book ends. What seems to be trending in the flea markets in your area?

When we had finished at the flea market we decided to seek out cobbler and coffee. Such a perfect way to end the day and build up lost energy. I don't know about you but flea marketing can leave you feeling exhausted.

Yes those are scratch off tickets on our table. And you know who won? That's right my mama, the sweet one. Not only did she win, she won twice. A total of 8 bucks. I think she's the only one that won because she could care less if she wins or not. :)

Do you like to go to flea markets? What are some of the treasures you have found? I'd love to know!

Father's Day Photo Shoot

yesterday i shared a couple diy fathers day gift ideas i found on pinterest. i finished the iphone card without any problems but the awesome dad photographs still have a few kinks to work out.

we had our photo shoot today at granny's house because her yard is super cute.

 well, i was hoping for better cooperation but i must say i'm delighted with the rather humorous shots little squirt gave me.

here are the three the made the cut. :)

he didn't want to hold the letters the way mommy wanted him to and that is just fine

because we can still make out what they are

and they still spell dad no matter how you look at it.

so there! ha! i win!

oh and we wanted to show some love to grandpa and papa but he won the battle on that front.

this is as close as we got.

maybe we'll try again next year.

and lastly, here's squirtles posing with his t-ball gear.

so. cute.

and now i have another problem.

the frame i bought is for 3x5 photos. and walmart doesn't print that size.

what to do what to do?! i'll figure something out.

i'd love to hear/see what you're doing for the dad's in your life. if you have a post about it leave a link in the comment section below! hope to hear from you!

xoxo

-mandy

Father's Day Extravaganza!

i think i'm more excited about this father's day than any other. thanks to pinterest i've found a fantastic tutorial for a card that absolutely fits my man's personality to a t. thats not all, i also found inspiration for the perfect gift! i can't wait to share the complete project with you. :)

if your guy is all about the apple products then this homemade card is for you...errr him. all you need for this project is black and white cardstock, spray adhesive, an exact-o knife {if you're a crafty mom & you don't have one you will find yourself needing one eventually, might as well buy one}, a cutting mat, and markers. easy peasy.

want to make this for your guy? here's the tutorial.

found it via pinterest.

prepare yourself for cuteness overload for this next father's day gift idea. now if i can just get noah to cooperate {& the weather}. i bought wooden letters {d & a} from hobby lobby and painted them my favorite color, teal. i also bought a picture frame so awesome that i can't explain it with words. you'll just have to wait and see. ;) i can only imagine the cuteness and hilariousness that will become of our little upcoming photo shoot.

found this picture on pinterest as well.

i hope these DIY fathers day projects have inspired you as much as they have me. now go whip up something special for the dads in your life!

mandy <3