My $2 score

Goodwill Finds

So I was at Lowe's the other day getting paint supplies, which we haven't used yet but it's getting closer, and I wondered into the plant and garden section and happened upon their clearance area for plants. I, for one, did not know that they had a plant clearance area. It's mainly for plants that don't look their best, i.e. yellowing or browning leaves, so they mark them down for people like me who think that the plant still has a chance and doesn't mind trying to keep it alive and well. So for $2 buckaroos I brought me home a nice little plant with a few leaves that were browning at the tips. I was super excited about this new plant because Mia had just recently demolished my biggest avocado plant that I had been growing for the past 2-3 years (tear). I was also excited because this plant was the perfect size for the edible arrangements flower pot that I scored at Goodwill a few weeks ago for just a few bucks. So here is the newest addition to the Chafee tribe. I am hoping that it will have a long and happy life here at our humble abode and that Mia keeps her paws and teeth away from it!

Plant and pot get a new life

Repurposing Empty Jars

My goal is to eventually rid my house of the ordinary packaging that everything comes in from the grocery store. I would like to have my pantry all organized and labeled and well stocked in pretty glass containers that are more attractive and healthier to keep food in. With everything that we keep in our pantries now-a-days buying a glass container for every single item will get kinda pricey. Being the cheap person that I am I have started reusing any glass jars that an item comes in from the grocery store already, some examples are pickle and olive jars, coconut oil jars, jelly jars, etc. The most difficult part of reusing these jars is to get the sticky label off the front so that you can label it yourself with whatever item you decide to put in your currently vacant jar. The easiest way I have found to do this is with regular distilled white vinegar. You can buy a huge amount at any grocery store for less than $3 buckaroos. I place enough vinegar in a container big enough to fit my jar on it's side and have the vinegar touching as much as the label as possible. After a few minutes I of the label soaking I can easily use my fingernail or a scrubber to peel the soaked part of the label off. I then turn the jar around so that any part that hasn't been soaking gets a nice vinegar bath until I have peeled the entire label off. Vinegar is also great to use to clean out the inside of the jar if it still smells like it's last occupant. If your lid happens to have the logo or info that would prefer not to see, you can spray paint the lid or even use chalkboard paint so that you can switch up the contents with having to put on a new label.
Here is my most recent jar transformation.

Before

 

 

 

After

Mia is very protective of our lovely jars, now housing cashews and shredded coconut.

Hootin Hook!

So I went to World Market for the first time ever the other day and lets just say that I told Stephen that I was going to move in and change my address! I love it! There are so many things that I could bring into my home there but most of them will have to wait. I did however "splurge" (meaning I spent about $10 bucks) on a pair of cute earrings (obviously not house related) and a cute owl hook that I decided to put in the laundry room and use for the dog's leash. Here is a little glimpse at our new wildlife addition. These pics make the walls look yellow, which they're not, but they do have a yellow undertone to the tan paint which I really hate. I can't wait to get some nice color up on our walls!

Before

After

 

So lately I have been thinking more and more about taking the plunge and tackling the laundry room. I know you are probably thinking why start with the laundry room? It's not a room people see a lot and it certainly isn't in such a sad state that it needs fixing in any way, but I thought that it was a small enough area that I could tackle everything rather quickly and for not a lot of money. I pretty much know what I want to do to the room and I think it would be a good starter room for beginner DIYers such as ourselves. It will give us a chance to see how we do with planning and sticking to our budget and also will help us work out some kinks for when we go to do some larger projects like the kitchen. So if all goes as planned (which it never does, but one can still hope) I believe that I can get most of my little laundry makeover done for around $250-300 buckaroos. Hopefully I will come in closer to $200, but that really depends on how lucky I am with finding cabinets. Let's just say I will be making quite a few trips to the Restore here in good 'ole RVA.

12 Bees, I mean B-12

I got my B-12 patches in the mail yesterday!! I am super excited about it too, if you can't already tell! For those of you who are sitting there scratching your heads and thinking what in the heck is she talking about, well...I am about to tell you. B-12 is an important vitamin that your body needs, a lack in B-12 shows itself in many different symptoms which often means that a lack in B-12 is mistaken for something else. There are also different forms of B-12, one form is called 'human active' and other forms are 'not human active'. The problem with today's medical world is that they don't differentiate between the two, so if you went to the doctor today and got a B-12 test done, you would most likely have normal results, because the test is looking for all B-12 in the body, not just what you can use so most people are deficient in this important vitamin. Human active B-12 is only found in animal products, and since I am a vegetarian I don't get a lot of B-12, if any. And that is why I am excited to finally have a great, easy source of human active B-12 in the form of patches. I got them from The Raw Food World, which is a great resource for anyone looking to improve their diet or find unusual ingredients. All you do is stick a patch behind your ear and leave it there for a day and then take it off and put another one on. It is recommended that you use two a week. Since I am probably very low in B-12 it might take a week or two for me to start feeling the affects, but I am excited to begin this regime and plan to continue it throughout my life. Yay for B-12!