January...a month in review!

As an add-on to my new year's goal of blogging, I have decided to post once a month, at the end of the month to recap what has taken place in our lives that month. One month in, and so far so good! lol We'll see how long this goal lasts...but as for now, here's my "January...a month in review!"

It's hard to believe that January has come and gone so quickly. It seems like just yesterday we were opening Christmas present, and watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve...

In terms of our goal setting, I'd say January has been a pretty productive month! We were able to cross off 4 of our 10 total household goals, maintain all of our monthly financial goals, and start the process of getting health insurance for Shaun! I'd say we're off to a great start! (Just incase anyone wants to keep us accountable, next month's major goals are book shelves in the library, passports for Shaun and I, and getting Shaun signed up for his GED and me signed up for my ESE endorsement test! We're aiming high!)

Aside from our goals, we've been blessed to spend time with family and friends and fellowship with our youth this month. Some of the highlights include, most recently, a trip to the Ice Den with the youth to go ice skating, a BCS win for my Bama boys (ROLLLLL TIDE!), sitting around the fire making s'mores and playing cards with my mom, dad, David and Amber and making plenty of time to have one "date night" each week (another one of our goals this year)!

Looking ahead into February we are excited for our first married Valentine's Day (i'm making Shaun a date box that has an entire box full of pre-planned dates, organized by month! thank you, pinterest!), our niece Alysia is turning 2 already, we've got two youth events in the works (Harlem Globetrotter's Ambassadors and a Game Night) and personally, I am looking forward to saying goodbye to our first FCAT test!

As I reviewed the pictures on my desk top that were waiting to go into my "Blog Pictures" file I found some random pictures that never made it into a blog this month, so I will take the opportunity to add them here. Silly, yes but I couldn't help but celebrate the big win for my Alabama boys one last time...the poster you see in the picture was made by my students as a "gift" to our friend Mrs. Keyes who is just as big an LSU fan as I am a Bama fan... and of course the picture of Shaun's cat is too humorous for words...if you've never met Splat, well, let's just say she is quite the queen bee and is typically less than impressed when Shaun messes with her! lol

We are so blessed by God to have the family, friends and co-workers He has given us to live, fellowship and work along side and we are so thankful that God has continued to show Himself faithful in our lives, as we trust Him to guide our future! May God be glorified in 2012!

Happy (almost) February, everyone!
-Kristy

A Trip to the Ice Den!

Saturday night Shaun and I, along with David, Jon and Amber had the privilege of taking some of our youth down to the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den to go ice skating and boy, did we have a blast! It was a fun time of fellowship and laughter as we watched each other try out our "ice feet," some of us with more success than others! But regardless of how many times we may have fallen, or stopped to rest our tired feet, we skated circles around the rink dancing with friends and laughing together!

To our youth...it's times like this that you will remember! Treasure the memories and the friendships! Shaun and I are proud to be your youth leaders!

Here are a few photos that highlight our night...

Here's to more fellowship, faith and friends!
...maybe not ice skating for a while though! I think all of our feet and ankles need about a year to recover! lol

-Kristy

Mardi Gras King Cake - Cupcakes!

So your probably thinking to yourself, "king cake isn't made out of cupcakes!" Well, as of this week, in our house, it is!

My dad's LJS store in Eustis was competing for the most festively decorated store in preparation for Mardi Gras and they asked for Shaun and I's help!

Before I moved to Mississippi I had never even heard of Mardi Gras, let alone celebrated it, but once I moved there I got a taste of the Mardi Gras "culture" and discovered how fun it can be!
For those of you, like me, who are Florida born and raised, trust me when I say Mardi Gras is not just about beer and beads! It's about SO much more!

So needless to say, I was a little enthusiastic about helping. I promised my LJS friends that I would attempt to make them a real king cake but as I thought about it, I realized:
1. I hate king cake.
2. It's hard to find and correctly use self-rising yeast in the FL humidity.
3. Cupcakes would taste better and be cuter too!

So there you have it, the cupcake king cake idea was born!

What does every smart girl do when she has a project idea? Well, go to pinterest of course! So after much searching and several great ideas, I combined what I saw and created this!

Clearly, it's not professional, but it definitely served it's purpose and was, from what I hear, a big hit!

Here's how I made it (it really is this simple, I promise!):
Prepare 2 store bought white cake mixes (mix in the eggs, oil, water, etc.)
Divide the cake batter into 3 ziploc bags.
Add green food coloring to one bag, purple to another and yellow to the last.
Cut the tip off of one bag and drop about one tbsp into a pre-greased cupcake pan, putting one tbsp of the first color into each cup.
Next, open a second color and add approximately 1 tbsp of that color to each cup in the cupcake pan and repeat with the last color as well.
You can choose to layer the colors or allow them to swirl. If you layer them be sure to level out the batter of one color before you add the rest. I chose to let mine swirl...here's how it turned out!

Once the cupcake pans are filled bake according to the settings listed on the cupcake mix box.
Next, once all the cupcakes have cooled you will need to get out a cookie sheet and a circular object (such as a mason jar or large glass) to serve as a place holder for the middle of your circle.
Place the mason jar (or whatever it is you're using) in the center of the tray you want your king cake on and arrange cupcakes in a circle around the center. Here's how mine turned out...

Once the cupcakes are ready to frost, you need to put a dollop of frosting on each cupcake so you can spread it around the entire circle easier.
I put all of my frosting in a ziploc, similar to the cake batter senario, and squeezed it out onto each cupcake. This proved to be a lot less messy!
Then you spread your icing around so the cupcakes are connected into a circle and add your sprinkles!
Now let me caution you...I could find purple sprinkles absolutely NO where!
I checked on pinterest and found a super easy recipe for homemade sprinkles and it worked like a charm! All you have to do is save a little of the food coloring that you already have for the batter (using red and blue to make purple) and add in as much sugar as you need sprinkles. Put a lid on the container they are in and shake away! If you need to use them immediately you can spread them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven that is already warm from baking cupcakes! They will get hard and mold together, but no fear, they are easily broken apart back into tiny sprinkle-like crystals!

I had a little bit of icing left over (from 2 jars) and quite a few cupcakes so I decided to try just one more decorating/baking technique that I am planning on using for a wedding shower soon!
I used the little icing I had left over and frosted the tops of each of the remaining cupcakes, then spread the sprinkles out on a cookie sheet and rolled the top of each cupcake in the left over sprinkles, adding tons of color to the top of those cupcakes!

 Cool, huh?! I was so pleased with how this little "experiment" turned out that for my brother and sister-in-law's shower I am going to make beach cupcakes and use brown sprinkles to make sand, just like this!

I suppose that's all for today! I would love to hear some of your creative baking/decorating techniques!

-Kristy

DIY Photo Canvas

So let me start off by saying this is probably the coolest project I have ever made! The best part about it is that it cost less than $5 to make!

(Yes, I know it is off center and is missing the rest of the pictures that go around it...I was just so excited, I got in a hurry to take the picture before I finished hanging the others!)

I first saw the idea on pinterest and followed the directions they gave, but have some suggestions for "next time" that would make this a WHOLE lot easier!

First things first, you pick out the picture you want and you put it on a jump drive.

Next, you drive yourself (and your jump drive to Office Depot).

In their printing section you have to ask for an "engineer print." The downside is that, unless you want to pay big bucks, they only print in black and white. I actually wanted my picture black and white but if you wanted yours in color that would have to be a decision you would have to make.

The very nice people at office depot will take your jump drive and open the picture for you to verify and then, WA-LA! just like that you have a 24 x 36 inch print! Ours cost $2.04 because the lady gave us a coupon code to use.

You will notice that there are lines in your picture...that is because they use the blueprint paper to print your picture. I promise, once it is on the wall you can't really even tell! And, hey, for $2.04 it doesn't have to be perfect!

The next step is to get some foam board. We happened to have ours laying around from an old project, so we didn't have to go buy one. However, to buy one all you have to do is visit your local hardware store. They come in REALLY big sheets that you will be able to use many times over and the full sheet costs around $10.

Crop your photo if necessary and measure.

Then cut your foam board (outside because it will make a HUGE mess...and I found that a steak knife is the easiest and cleanest method for cutting) to be about 1 1/2 inch LESS than the size of your photo. This is so that you can wrap the extra around the sides to give the official photo canvas look.

**If you would rather, the website I got the idea from suggested cutting the picture to fit the front of the foam exactly and painting the sides of the foam with black paint. To me, this was a little too time consuming and I liked the real canvas look better, but it's completely up to you!

Next, you have a couple of choices on how to make your picture stick to the foam. I used spray glue from wal-mart (some where around $2.50) and sprayed my foam and laid my picture on top of it. Then I turned it over and used packing tape to seal the sides down on the back.

After having seen the results of several "bubbles" from the glue, next time I am going to simply lay the photo upside down, place the foam on top and use packing tape from the back to make the picture stick.

Once the picture is in place, you are ready to hang it on the wall!

I just used some extra packing tape to create a sort of "handle" that would catch on a nail. The foam board is extremely light so you can pretty much attach it any way you'd like!

Now you can sit back and enjoy your new, expensive-looking wall art without breaking the bank!!

What other creative ideas do you have involving pictures in your home??

-Kristy

Homemade Face Scrub/Mask!

I am long over-do on some posts so please bear with me as I attempt to catch up! I am also writing with a migraine, so I apologize for any typo's now!

Now onto the exciting new homemade discovery I made for this week! Thank you pinterest for the idea!

This face mask/scrub can get a little messy and if you have overly sensitive skin, it may feel like a bit of a sunburn when you wash it off, but it is completely natural and therefore completely harmless! Of course, if you did feel an uncomfortable feeling you could always wash it off before the time limit is up!

Here's how it works:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp honey

Mix well until it becomes the consistency of paste. Apply to your face, obviously avoiding eyes, mouth, etc. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and moisturize with whatever you normally use!

If you want to really put it on thick you can double the recipe and it works just as well!

I loved the smooth, extra clean feeling it left on my face! So easy and it works so well!

I would love to hear your feedback!

-Kristy

Baseboards!

We're off to a great start on our goals for 2012 and we knocked one more goal off our list today! My awesome daddy-o came over and installed baseboards in our guest bathroom and laundry room and we are now one step closer to having a FINISHED laundry room and guest bathroom! Hopefully, maybe, possibly, one day they will be done! lol

Here's a couple of pictures of our new baseboards...yes, I am excited enough about these baseboards to post pictures lol! The only thing I have to do is paint over the screws! I think I can handle that! :)

How are your goals for 2012 coming along??
-Kristy

DIY Homemade Dryer Sheets

Here's my newest homemade, money saving project...drum roll please...homemade dryer sheets!

This is a pretty simple project as well and works like a charm!

Here's what you need:
Fabric Softener (for those of you who use homemade laundry detergent you probably have some of this lying around!)
A jar or container that has a lid that will seal (I recycled an old spaghetti sauce jar and it works great)
Some flanel or similarly textured material

Here's how you do it:

Cut your material into approximately 3x5 inch pieces (you can hem the edges or use pinking shears...I wanted to practice my sewing so I actually ventured a little from the directions and stitched two pieces together and that works great, and it's cute too!)

In your jar measure 4 parts fabric softener to 10 parts water. I just used a tablespoon and was able to use 10 tbs fabric softener to 25 tbs water.

Now you put your finished material squares down into the solution and place the lid on the container. Give it a little shake so the pieces are completely submerged and put on top of your dryer!

When you're ready to use them just take one out, ring out the excess liquid and place in the dryer! When the load is done simply put the sheet back into the container.

Refill with fabric softener and water as needed!

I would love to hear other DIY homemade, money saving ideas from you!

-Kristy

Lazy, Creative Sunday Afternoon!

I've had a ton of new "ideas" that I want to try, unfortunately the paycheck we are waiting on has put those projects on hold...so for now I am working with things we have around the house!

First up on the DIY project list is homemade hair conditioner...not for use everyday, but is suggested for once a week at most. It does such a great job you won't need to use it very often! This recipe is extremely simple! Here it is:

Homemade Hair Conditioner
1 tbs honey
3 tbs olive oil

Mix together and heat in microwave. Continue to mix together (as best as these two will mix). Wet your hair in the shower, just so it is completely wet but not dripping. Apply this warm mixture to your hair. Wrap your hair in a towel and wait 30 minutes. Rinse and shampoo as normal...no need for conditioner!

It's as simple as that and it makes your hair extremely soft! Love it!

What other homemade hair care products do you use?

-Kristy

Laundry Room Remodel

Here's the latest update on our laundry room remodel...

With the exception of having the sink hooked up, getting the shelves we need to put over the washer and dryer and putting in the baseboards, I believe our laundry room remodel is finished!

AND...here are the pictures to prove it!

If any of you have tips for hooking up utility sinks, I would LOVE to hear them!!
-Kristy

You Live and Learn

This week at the Beach's has been challenging to say the least (hence the lack of posts on here)!

We started off this week finishing up a remodel of our master bathroom and laundry room...neither of which are completely done. Many trips to the store looking for things we have no clue about topped with several sleepless nights (sleeping on the couch is NO fun!), throw in a 4th grade field trip and a busy week at school and a ton of not-yet-finished craft projects laying around the house and you get one tired, stressed out girl!

We also started out this week with many conversations stemming from our new year's goal list, and started looking towards our long term goals and the decisions we have to make now to prepare for the future. Is it a smart financial decision for Shaun to start his masters now? When and what is his new schedule change going to look like at work? How can we prepare for a full time church position? Are we prepared to stay and raise a family here in Lake County or is God preparing us for His mission field somewhere else? When, Lord willing, will our first little one come along and will we be ready?

**Sigh** and this is only the beginning...

To add to the stress of this week, it seems that the Lord decided that this was the time to answer one of my prayers of how I need to be more like Him...loving those who are difficult to love, which, for the record, is not an easy lesson to learn! He has been working on my heart for a while now, but this week it really seemed to hit home.

With all that said, we still have 2 unfinished bathrooms and an unfinished laundry room, a ton of unanswered questions, and a lot of learning to do but we have survived another seven days! God is faithful even when projects are too big to handle, when questions and planning become to overwhelming to take, and when lessons to learn break us down so we feel, at times, that we can't take another step.

After lots of prayer and learning lessons this week, I wanted to share a few things that my faithful Savior has brought to light for me:

No matter how far I may stray, He is forever by my side, holding my hand along the way. (I really didn't mean for that to rhyme.)

Not every day is going to be like Christmas, but that doesn't mean it is any less important. It is still a day with the opportunity to further God's kingdom, which we should take seriously.

We will never hold all the answers in life, and that is OK! All we can do is live each day one day at a time, seeking God's will for our lives and praying that He will open the doors He wants us to walk through and close those He doesn't, all the while preparing our hearts for whatever awaits us on the other side of that door.

Learning to love those who are difficult to love means getting let down sometimes, being hurt by friends every now and then, and sometimes feeling like you're about as worthless as the dirt on someone's shoe BUT it is a humbling reminder that God loves those who are difficult for you to love just as much as He loves you! Life isn't always fair, but God is always in control and He always loves His children! Even when we frustate Him, hurt His feelings, or let Him down. He still loves us! Pretty cool reminder and pretty humbling to think that we should love others with this same attitude/perspective!

To sum it up, God is pretty amazing and His faithfulness has carried us through another week! So here's to another and another and another...I am determined to make 2012 the best year yet!

On a side note, I was thrilled to celebrate another BCS championship for my boys this Monday evening and it's with this last thought that I will leave you...

ROLL TIDE!!

-Kristy

Keeping Track of Our 2012 Goals...

As the new year started and Shaun and I began to set goals for this upcoming year, I was determined to find a cheap, easy way to keep track of these goals and to place them somewhere in our home where I would see them often.

Here's what we came up with...

I printed out our goals, mounted them on scrapbook paper and ran them through the laminator. Using magnets I stuck them to the refrigerator and... WA LA! A dry erase marker allows us to check off any complete goal and/or add in any new goals we set throughout the year.

What are some of your goals for this upcoming year??

-Kristy

DIY Home Improvement!

SO...Shaun and I have been trying for the last year to get the house fixed up exactly the way we want it. One of the biggest obstacles standing in our way was our master bathroom. Because our house was built in 1950 and was a boys ranch home for many years, it has seen its share of wear and tear. Our bath tub and shower area in the master bath are living proof of that!

While meandering around today at Lowe's, we discovered Rustoleum for bath tubs, tile, etc. After 7 cans of rustoleum spray paint our bath tub is looking like new!

Another perk is that we had to put our new cleaning supplies to use to scrub the tub before we used the spray paint and once again they have proven themselves!

Here are some before and after photos!

The bath tub before my natural, homemade cleaners got a hold of it!

After a little cleaning...note the rust spots at the back end of the tub.

The tub after painted with rustoleum. The rust spots are GONE and the tub looks new! (even though this picture didn't turn out too well...)

The whole picture "before."

The finished product (minus the cleaning up!)

The pictures really don't do it justice! It looks almost brand new! Hooray for $20 worth of spray paint/rustoleum instead of paying for an entire renovation! Once we decorating we will be able to check this off our household goals for 2012!

-Kristy

Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies...YUM!

So last night Shaun and I were stuck at home board...wanting to go out on a date night, but no mola do to so...SO we decided to get creative and the results of our creativity were so yummy that I had to post the recipe!

We wanted something sweet to eat but don't normally keep sweets in the house so I looked up some cookie recipes online...then I remember all the Christmas candy I hid/put away in the pantry and decided to put some of it to use as well.

I borrowed a recipe for chocolate chip cookies off pinterest and adapted it to what we had in our kitchen! Here's what I used...

1 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all purpose flour
2/3 c cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
mint truffle hershey's kisses

Blend all ingredients to make a dough. It turns into a pretty solid dough so you may need to wash up and use your hands to knead it in order to finish mixing properly.

Once the dough is finished roll into balls approximately one inch wide and flatted on to the cookie tray. (It will make several batches, so don't try to put them all on one tray.)

Unwrap those mint truffle hershey's kisses that you got in your Christmas stocking (or the ones you bought from the store...they are all on major clearance right now!) and place two kisses in the middle of each flattened ball of dough.

Once all the kisses are laid out pick up each cookie, one at a time, and wrap the dough around the rest of the kisses so they are completely enclosed in the dough.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

I posted a picture of mine below.

Shaun also made his own "special" recipe because he doesn't like mint and he used every candy he got in his stocking (reeses pieces, m&ms, dark chocolate kisses, and twizzlers) and then added sprinkles. I would NOT recommend this recipe! lol Unless of course you have children and want to let them decorate their own cookies. This is a great recipe to do that very thing!

What yummy cookie recipes do you have to share??
-Kristy

Homemade Deodorant!

My other new experiment for the day was homemade deodorant! I can't decide which is my favorite...the toothpaste or the deodorant! This definitely gave me one of those "why am I just now finding out about this??" moments!

The first side note I have is that this recipe is made with coconut oil. I haven't been able to find it anywhere but the local health food store yet, so it was a little more expensive than I would have liked (no more than buying deodorant at the store) but it did cost almost $6 for the coconut oil itself. With that said, I should mention that this recipe makes enough to last the length of at least 3 or 4 regular deodorants and therefore outweighs the cost of the coconut oil. Finally, Wal-Mart and Target both claim to sell coconut oil in some form but both stores have been out of stock for a few days. Hopefully they will get "re-stocked" before it's time to make the next batch!

Anyways...moving on!

This recipe is super simple and (with the exception of coconut oil) made from really cheap products, most of which you may already have stored at your house! So here it is!

Homemade Deodorant
1/4 c baking soda
1/4 c cornstarch
5 tbs coconut oil
(If you want a certain smell to your deodorant, you can add a few drops of essential oil as well.)

Mix all ingredients together and store. Now, my coconut oil came with 10 tbs so I just doubled the recipe and put the mixture back into my nice glass coconut oil jar (after I had rinsed it out, of course!). You could also store this in an old tupperware, just like the toothpaste.

One thing that needs to be mentioned is in regards to the texture and application of this deodorant. Depending on how cold or hot you keep your house will determine the solidity of the deodorant itself. Don't worry...if you keep your house relatively warm and the deodorant is softer it works just as well! Similarly, if the temperature is colder in your house the deodorant will appear more like the texture of store bought deodorant.

To apply this deodorant, all you need to do is rub a little bit on with your fingers. It doesn't feel much different than store bought deodorant and dries quickly. Although it dosen't have a particularly strong scent, it keeps you smelling nice and fresh!

It was worked great for me so far! I have also read numerous blogs of people that have problems with sweating too much and having to use prescription strength deodorant and they say that this works better than most prescription strength deodorants out there!!

So what do you have to loose?? Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

Happy Weekend!
-Kristy

Home Toothpaste...of the peppermint and cinnamon variety!

Tonight I tried a new homemade recipe. I have only tried it once but I loved it so much that I decided it was ok to go ahead and post the recipes!

Both of these recipes are incredibly cheap and easy to make! I have to admit, the first attempt gave me somewhat of a headache as I tried to make the toothpaste work in a handsoap dispenser (as I had seen in a previous blog) but once I figured out that just wasn't feasible it all went quite smoothly!

So...here are the recipes!

Peppermint Flavored Toothpaste
2/3 c baking soda
4 tsp FINE sea salt (sea salt adds extra scrubbing power, but makes the toothpaste taste a little salty, so it's up to you wether or not you put this in...the recipe will work without it.)
1-2 tsp peppermint extract (or peppermint essential oil works too...I prefer the oil because it's better for you but it is pretty expensive. One bottle costs about $6 but it does last for a really long time. The choice is up to you!)
an old tupperware or storage container

Mix all the ingredients together and add water until you get the desired texture. Warning...add very little water then stop and stir. Repeat until you get the right texture. If you add too much water at once you will end up having to add extra baking soda and end up with a batch as large as the one shown in the photo...lol! Pour into a container to store.

Just a head's up...the toothpaste is not the exact same texture as store bought toothpaste and it has a different taste, mostly because of the salt. If you can get past the taste, I promise the benefits of having this super CHEAP toothpaste will pay off! It works as a whitener as well, and I promise you my teeth feel just like I had them cleaned at the dentist! This stuff is great!

Cinnamon Toothpaste
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp water
an old tupperware or storage container

Mix all ingredients together and store. Make sure you stir the mixture really well. If you don't, it will appear as if it needs more water when it really doesn't. Also, this recipe doesn't make a lot ( as you can tell by the amount of ingredients ). The recipe I made shown in the picture below is the recipe tripled. Since it's so easy and made out of cheap stuff typically found around the house, why not go ahead and make a bigger batch!

Lastly, after I had mixed both of my batches I used some left over sticker letters, a piece of computer paper and packing tape to make a label for each of the jars. Go ahead, call me anal but I like my organization! Incase you're wondering, the Ctp stands for Cinnamon toothpaste lol! I couldn't fit all of that on the small tupperware!

Happy toothpaste making! Enjoy that fresh, just-came-from-the-dentist feeling next time you brush your teeth!

As always, I would love to hear from you! Stories...Ideas...etc!

-Kristy

Christmas vacation has come to a close!

The close of Christmas vacation leaves me with some mixed emotions.

SAD to see the days of resting, relaxing and just doing "whatever" gone; to say goodbye to my sweatshirt, blue jeans and flip flops; to have to set my alarm clock for 6:30 a.m. *sigh* and to wave farewell to my new friend "free time."

HOWEVER...I am HAPPY to see the smiles on my students faces again; to get back into a routine; to see my friends and colleagues that I have missed over the break; and to have a reason to look forward to weekends again! lol

To fuel my excitement for getting "back to the drawing board" as some may say, I took a little time today to be creative (thank you pinterest) and create a project for my classroom. It didn't turn out exactly as I had planned, but I learned a few valuable lessons and ended up with a pretty cool new sign with my name on it that I can hang on my desk (that I never sit at) at school.

First the valuable lessons:
1. Crayons melt with a hairdryer. Something every elementary school teacher should have been taught in college. The possibilities are endless!
2. My computer (thanks to my mommy-in-law) has some really awesome teacher fonts. AbcBulletin types every letter with cute dots at the end of each line. Something every elementary school teacher should have been handed with their diploma (the font program, of course!)
3. And finally and perhaps most beneficially, my new homemade, all natural cleaning supplies work wonders on melted wax on all possible bathroom surfaces. That's right...the crayon wax made it onto the mirror, floor, sink, toilet, shower, etc. I think it even decorated my tube of toothpaste on the counter and my new cleaning supplies had it all cleaned up and smelling fresh in no time at all!

With all that said...here is my new "Mrs. Beach" sign for my desk!

Typically you are supposed to paint your name on first and let the melted wax drizzle over it; however, I still don't quite trust myself with a paint brush so this is what I ended up with! A learning experience if nothing else!

Anyway, here's to another new day, in the new year, and to getting back to work in style!

Stay tuned for my upcoming blogs on my next homemade, natural product...homemade toothpaste! You heard me right...i'll be trying my hand at the homemade toothpaste as soon as I can find a store locally that sells peppermint essential oil!

Happy almost Monday, everyone!
-Kristy

Dryer sheets that last as long as your homemade laundry detergent...

Just another handy tip for saving a few dollars around the house...

Once I made the homemade laundry detergent I remember saying to Shaun, "if only we could make the dryer sheets last as long as that detergent, we'd be in good shape." Well good shape here we come because I stumbled upon this extremely simple way to make those dryer sheets last longer!

Brace yourself, because once you see this you're going to be amazed! (and possibly ask yourself WHY you never thought of it...at least I did anyway!)

Are you ready for this?? Here it is...

You take your box of dryer sheets and a pair of scissors and you...wait for it...cut them in half. Yes, that's it and WA-LA you have twice as many dryer sheets that are sure to last you quite some time. When you're done cutting just sit them right back in the box and use a HALF sheet per load!

Now, if you're wondering if this still has the same effect on your clothes the answer is YES! The research I did informed me that most dryer sheets are created to be used more than once (who would have known) and by cutting your dryer sheets in half you are still getting just enough to keep your clothes smelling nice and fresh! (a couple blogs I read said they even re-use the half sheets, but I don't think i'm quite brave enough to try that...maybe one day!)

That's all for today! Leave me any homemade money saving tips that you have tried...I would love to hear about them!

-Kristy

The many uses of pictures and picture frames!

The many uses of pictures and picture frames! Ok, I must confess, these too are pinterest inspired ideas but since I have so many friends who refuse to jump on the pinterest bandwagon I'm posting these for you!

The first picture frame idea I implemented is the "I love you becasue" frame. It's simple. You print out a paper that says "I love you because..." and put it in a frame. Use a dry erase marker to fill in the blank as often as you'd like. I love doing this for Shaun now and am hoping to use this for my children some day!

Next, in attempt to keep us more organized I used a picture frame, with the help of a couple paint swatches from wal-mart (free, of course) to create a dry-erase family calendar! Since my kitchen is red and we are HUGE Bama fans, I stuck with the theme! It was super easy to make and will hopefully keep us all on the same page!

Finally, I used a ton of pictures I had laying around the house to give my coffee table a personalized makeover! My wonderful brother had the glass cut for me at Ace Hardware and it cost less than $10!
The only other thing you have to buy is glue dots or some form of raised dot to put to keep the glass from laying directly on the pictures. Again, something you can find at wal-mart!

I would love to hear more creative DIY ideas from you!
-Kristy

Reusable Swiffer Pad

I swear i'm not a post-a-holic! I'm just trying to get caught up on all of the things I shouldn't have waited until today to post! One or two more and I should be done for a while, just saying!

Another creative idea my free time over Christmas break led me to try was creating a reusable swiffer pad! It took me all of 45 minutes while I was watching a movie, and that was hand-sewing everything. If you have a sewing machine it should take 15 minutes max!

Now mine is definitely not as pretty as the one in the tutorial but it works just as well! All you need is an old winter sock (chenile works best) and some old fabric (I used an old t-shirt that was pretty thick material).

Here is the link to the tutorial I used:
http://www.sew-much-ado.com/2010/03/tutorial-reusable-swiffer-sweeper.html

It's super easy to follow and create your own reusable swiffer pad! All you have to do is slip it on your swiffer mop, mop your floor and throw it in the washer! Hooray for saving money!

What other ideas do you have for saving money around the house??
-Kristy

Shampoo and Conditioner...Goodbye oily hair!

This recipe for all natural shampoo and conditioner was difficult for me to want to try. Once you see the recipe you will probably understand why. It isn't something I will use all the time, but rather once a week or so. I researched it a lot and all the evidence I found finally convinced me to make some! It's really quite simple, extremely inexpensive and keeps your hair from getting oily so quickly. (FYI I discovered while I was researching that the shampoo and conditioner that you buy in the store are actually the very ingredients that cause your hair to be oily, causing you to buy more or a different kind of shampoo/conditioner. Smart on the sales side. Ridiculous for the consumer! I suppose such is life these days...)

Shampoo
1/4 c baking soda
fill the rest of the bottle with water
(approximately 1/8 of the bottle should be baking soda, the rest water)

Shake well. Massage into scalp and rinse thoroughly.

Conditioner.
1/4 c vinegar
fill the rest of the bottle with water
(approximately 1/8 of the bottle should be vinegar, the rest water)

Shake well. Apply to ends of hair and rinse.

It's as simple as that! Be sure to leave me your thoughts!
-Kristy

Homemade, Natural Cleaning Supplies!

Now for the cleaning supplies! I stumbled across a TON of different ideas so if you don't like any you see here check out pinterest.com or just google natural homemade cleaning supplies.

From start to finish today it took me about an hour to mix all the products, print labels, etc. Even better, all of the ingredients (spray bottles and funnel included) cost LESS than $20 and there is enough to last forever!!

All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp dish soap (the green works kind is the best and is made from plant extracts instead of animal fats, plus it smells better)
2 tbsp vinegar
Mix and let sit. Fill remainder of bottle with warm water.
Add a few drops of essential oil to scent, optional. (I used citrus cilantro from walmart and it smells great!)

Tub and Tile Cleaner
1 2/3 c baking soda
1/2 c vegetable oil based dish soap (green works, again)
1/2 c water
2 tbs vinegar
Mix baking soda, dish soap and water. Then add vinegar. Let sit.

All Purpose Cleaner - Citrus (used to cut grease and/or soap scum...that's the citrus at work)
2 tbs lemon juice
1 c vinegar
1 c water
1/2 tsp essential oil (citrus cilantro)
1 tsp cornstarch
Mix all ingredients in bottle.

3 Ingredient All Purpose Cleaner (for use on pretty much anything)
1 c water
1 c peroxide
1/4 c lemon juice

Air Freshener
1 oz rubbing alcohol (you can use vodka or gin if you like, we just don't have alcohol in the house)
6 oz filtered water
20-40 drops essential oil of any scent you'd like

*The essential oil can be purchased at wal-mart near the craft supplies. At our wal-mart it is with the glass vases, potpourri, etc. The small bottle will be plenty and only costs $2!

*The labels can be printed with a free download from http://vinniepearce.typepad.com/right_now/2010/08/flare-friday-.html
If that link doesn't work you can find them on pinterest under printable cleaning product labels!

*The extra bottles you see in one of the pictures (the ones that look like clear ketchup bottles) are homemade, natural shampoo and conditioner! Come back soon to find the recipes for them!

I would love to hear of any other recipes you know of or stories you may have of how these worked for you!
Happy cleaning supply making!
-Kristy

Natural, Homemade Laundry Detergent

Yes, it's just as good as it sounds and then some! This is by far the best idea I have stumbled across recently! All of the supplies cost about $15 and it is super easy to make! The batch I made is certain to last close to a year! Here's the recipe (I believe I first found it on pinterest.com):

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (save the scoop from the container to use with the finished detergent)

Grate the fels-naptha soap (hardest part, larger the grater the better) into a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag, dump the rest of the ingredients in and mix with your hands. Then pour into a container! That's it! You use 1 tbs per load.

I would recommend mixing it outside because it gets kind of dusty and if you get the right container you can even just mix it in the jar. I bought this jar at walmart for about $9! All of the ingredients can be purchased at walmart as well...you just have to look closely for some of them!

Finally, it is basically unscented so if you want your laundry to have a strong scent just use fabric softener! The best part is that our high efficiency washer loves it just as much!

I would love to hear about your experiences with homemade detergent and any other recipes you might have!

-Kristy

New Year, New...everything??

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

This year the Christmas season got a little crazy (when doesn't it?) and I was caught off guard when it came time to send Christmas cards and write our New Year's letter so basically, if you live close enough for me to hand you a Christmas card personally then you're covered but for the rest of you this blog post is for you!

Here's an update and overview from 2011!

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I guess you could say this was our "life verse" for this year in reference to the scripture.

 We started out this year facing a difficult and uncertain time in our lives. Among the rejoicing of our engagement and the excitement of planning our upcoming wedding Shaun and I began this year recovering the loss of a loved one and fearful of what lay ahead in regards to my dads health.

 In January my dad had open heart surgery to replace a valve in his heart and just a little over a month later had surgery again to remove prostate cancer from his body. This certainly wasn't the start our family wanted for 2011, but it was exactly what God had planned. We questioned, we cried and we lived by faith every day (which i'm certain is WHY God had this planned) as we heard doctors report after doctors report. Looking back a year later I guess you can say our family was living proof of Isaiah 41:10! God upheld us in the most difficult circumstances and brought friends into our lives whose encouragement and love truly help us through such a trying period of time. I am thankful today, and give God ALL the praise to be able to say that my dad is back to his normal self (as normal as he ever was, lol) playing basketball three days a week and running around mowing lawns and working himself to the bone and completely cancer FREE! Praise Jesus!

As we transitioned from this difficult season we were blessed (again, God knew just what He was doing and proved that HIS timing is perfect) to enter a time of celebration in our lives! Wedding festivities overtook what seemed like every minute of everyday and lead to one huge celebration of love as Shaun and I were married April 23rd! We praise God for the work He did in our lives to bring us to this point!

Shortly after the wedding Shaun had to start a new job and leave his Long John Silver's family behind as he was now related to his BOSS! He started a new job working part time at Fish 'n Chix in Umatilla and is loving every minute of it! We praise God for meeting our needs better than we could have expected! Not only is his new boss a Christian, but he strives to run his business as a ministry...the perfect job for Shaun! Of course, we are both still enjoying our teenagers at church where Shaun serves as Youth Pastor! Between these two jobs he stays one busy boy! Finally, in May of 2011 we were able to see God fulfill another one of His plans as Shaun graduated from the Baptist College of Florida with a degree in ministry!

To stay busy over the summer I took on teaching 3rd grade reading in summer school! What an adventure that was and it led into an exciting start to a new school year! God has certainly blessed me with a job that I love and with friends who I so enjoy working with!

This brings us to the next exciting event our family celebrated this year! (Remember what I said about God's timing being perfect?! He certainly gave us reason to celebrate after the trials of this year!) In October my baby brother (not so much a baby anymore) proposed to his girlfriend of several years, Amber Schultz! We are SO excited to be adding another member to our family and she is such a gift from God! They will be getting married in August of 2012!

Finally, as I reflect on the end of 2011 I have a couple of final stories to share with you. Shaun and I decided (after MUCH prayer and waiting) that we felt it was time to start trying to have a baby! I'll spare you with all the boring details and doctors reports, but the end result is this: the doctors have decided that I have a major thyroid issue. It was something I was born with and can do little to nothing about, but nonetheless it is keeping us from being able to get pregnant. After weeks of doctors visits I FINALLY, in December, got the right prescription to hopefully get this crazy thyroid under control so that maybe, hopefully, Lord-willing, one day soon we will be able to get pregnant. Until then we are trusting God and praying daily for our hope-to-be, soon-to-be, one-day-will-be baby Beach's!

I think that sums up the highlights (and low lights) of 2011! We were blessed to celebrate the holidays with both of our families (except our family that is currently stationed in Japan; Nikki, Dave and Alysia) and enjoyed spending quality time with all of them! God has blessed us with the greatest families, friends, church family and work families around! We love you all!

It's with this final thought that I will leave you...

Let's make 2012 a year of moving forward and not looking back; a year of celebrating our blessings in life; a year of being thankful, even for the little things; and most importantly a year of living faithfully sold-out to and for our Creator! May God be glorified in 2012!

Love,
The Beach's