So I have been a little lax on keeping everyone updated about our little slice of heaven. I have been getting some things done and refiguring how I am doing other things. In a nutshell, here is what has been happening:

1. I made more laundry detergent because I let both buckets run out. I hinted some time ago I was changing up the recipe for the laundry detergent and I will let you all in on the new recipe possibly this week.

2. I made my own eye cream! This is so amazing to me, I can’t even begin to describe it. I am super psyched about it though. I love it already and it was super simple. Again, I will let you in on that recipe soon!

3. I am getting one thing crossed off the bucket list: the front and back hallways are getting remodeled. Sheet rock has been torn off, some new insulation put up, new sheet rock put up, mudding and taping has been done, and some problems have been identified and dealt with. We did hire someone to do this and I am glad because this might have taken much, much longer if I hadn’t. The texturizing has been done and the primer is on. Onto to the painting!

4. In addition to #3, I now want a new floor. And I think I will be doing that.

5. We also got a new-to-us couch from my grandma’s house. I think it looks great, but to save it from certain doom, I will be putting a slipcover over it. New-to-us furniture for the living room was also on the bucket list so I am super excited about this!

6. I made more yogurt. I never thought I would get used to unsweetened yogurt, but I did. I eat it with granola in the mornings for breakfast and I love it!

7. I also made more granola. I cannot emphasize how much better this tastes that the store-bought version. I also can make a batch for $2.00 and fill three quart-size jars. A ten ounce bag at the store costs $4.00. Yikes!

8. I started shopping at Hy-Vee a lot more. For one thing, I am finding the deals there. Another thing, I am loving the Fuel Saver card. Loving it! I wasn’t thrilled at first, but lately I have been really liking it. I will always enjoy saving 32-39 cents off a gallon! The secret is not to buy junk just because of the fuel savings, but pay attention to what is on special and go from there.

9. I painted Jordan’s ceiling fan to match her room better. I spent $6.00 on two cans of spray paint and sandpaper to paint the blades. I also painted the brackets, but I used mineral oil to strip the finish off the brackets to paint them. So far I am loving the results.

10. I have been working on food storage and trying to marry that with our current food beliefs. We are going to more organic, natural foods and following the 80/20 idea. We have a few foods in our food storage that are very preservative laden as well as nutritionally void. I have searching with substitutes that taste great and are easy to make from scratch. So far, so good.

11. We are getting ready for graduation! We have the invites from Snapfish that were 50% off. We have been getting picture prints for free from several sites having only to pay shipping which is cheaper than printer ink and picture paper. I have been picking up thank-you cards and some decorations on sale and spreading out the cost.

12. I finally got some things fixed on my van like the sliding door and the axle shafts. Yes, they cost money, but much cheaper than buying a new vehicle!

For all of you who think I have all the time and must not sleep, you would be very wrong. Sleep is always a priority in my life. Otherwise I would not be functioning as well as I do. You all keep me motivated! I want to try new things and keep up what I am doing so I can tell you what works and does not work.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
Erica

Sharing is caring!