I feel that I need to warn you that this blog post will be all over the place. For the purpose of order, I will number my thoughts.
1. Still moving in
We moved into our house mid-August, and all of our boxes are unpacked. But I feel like we're still moving in. I think it's because we have less places to put our things in this house. The old house had lots of closets, and in places that made sense.
Also, we were able to grow into that house (in that, we didn't have as much stuff when we first moved in.) We went down a little in square footage here, but WAY down in storage space. So it's been a little bit of a challenge to get things in places that make sense. Let's just say, I feel like our house is going to be super organized even if it looks super messy on the surface.
One good thing about moving is that it forces you to deal with your clutter and pare down. We haven't done such a great job of this, but I'm in inventory mode right now. I'm on the brink of "just sell everything or give it away so I don't have to organize it!" Kennedy will be happy when I reach that stage.
2. BPA
We've been hearing about BPA for years now. Remember when you had a Nalgene bottle and then you were supposed to get rid of it because it had BPA in it? But you thought it was just a recommendation, so you still used it for a while? (And then all the Nalgene bottles that still had BPA in them went on sale for super cheap and you bought a bunch because
what a steal!) Joke's on you (and me.)
The more I learn about BPA, the more it creeps me out. Then I saw
this article a couple of days ago, and decided to take my life (and endocrine system) back! So I took all the tupperware out of our kitchen and replaced it with glassware. I got this 20-piece set at Bed Bath & Beyond, and think it will work well for us. And if I need a bigger container, I plan on using other glassware we have with foil or lids.
ALSO, I'm cutting back on using canned foods and plan on buying fresh foods as much as possible. Please read the article. There are many negative effects of BPA, and the scariest thing is that it can be passed through several generations. Ok, I need to get off the soap box now. Sorry if I ruined your day with this information.
3. Cheap photo prints!
I don't know if I'm the last person or the first person to figure this out, but did you know you can have photo enlargements made at Office Max for CHEAP? I happened to figure it out when I was calling around to find places that would print 11x14 photos quickly. Everywhere with photo centers (Wal-mart, CVS, Walgreens, etc) had a few days wait time, and the prints were like 8 bucks each. Sorry, but I don't spend 8 bucks on ANYTHING except food.
I happened to call Office Max to see if they did photo enlargements and they said yes, kind of. The prints aren't on photo paper, but are printed on a glossy card stock. And they actually print to 11x17 (and bigger) and can just trim the sides down. The cost? Somewhere around $1.50 each.
I had a few photos printed yesterday and I just emailed them to the store I was picking them up from, and then they were ready by the time I got there. The quality is excellent, and since I framed them, You can't tell it's not on photo paper. So score for that tip!
Living room wall, complete!
4. Another Christmas craft
Thanks again, Pinterest, for this wonderful idea!
I got these clear glass ornaments at Hobby Lobby for $4.00 (for a set of 12). Took out my acrylic paint from my craft closet and started dripping it inside the ornaments. I would drip a few colors, then swirl. These particular ornaments also have an iridescent finish.
The result was a beautiful, marbleized-looking ornament. I love it. It reminds me of sedimentary layers or agate (Science nerd!)
Ooooohh
Aaaaahhh
Gasp!
I plan on finding some colorful ribbon to tie around the loops, and maybe hang them in some windows.
Wouldn't you love to get a Christmas gift with one of these tied on to the package? It's a super cheap way to dress up some gift wrap.
These would also make great crafts for kids! A kids' Christmas craft that you actually will want to hang on your tree! Here are tips from me so you may learn from my mistakes experience.
1. Do small drips of paint, don't just squeeze half the bottle of paint into the ornament. The paint will move slower with small drips, but you won't be left over with a ton of paint sitting in the bottom that will never dry.
2. Slowly turn the ornament with paint in it, don't shake it. It will mix the colors and you'll end up having a bunch of brown ornaments. Ew. (Unless you like that sort of thing.)
3. If you have extra paint that is pooling at the bottom of the ornament, just turn the ornament upside down over the trash can and let the excess drip out. This will allow the ornament to dry fully.
That's all. Sorry for all the words.