In the last few months, I've been working towards removing the use of harsh chemicals in my home in order to find more safe solutions. While it's a slow journey finding solutions that are affordable and effective, I do have one top-secret ingredient: Baking soda. Baking soda pretty much cleans and deodorizes everything. Here are some of the ways that I use it: Remove coffee stains - rub a water and baking soda paste on the inside of your white coffee cups to remove the brown ... [ Read More ]
6 Tips for Easy Spring Cleaning
While I'm not a huge fan of day-to-day cleaning, I absolutely LOVE spring cleaning. There's just something to refreshing about finally being able to get rid of all of those winter blues as you throw open the window and make everything clean and ready for the busy summer. But, of course, I don't just clean: I declutter at least one room during both my spring and fall cleaning sprees. Whether you're as enthusiastic as I am about cleaning this spring, or you're simply doing it because the place ... [ Read More ]
Create Your Own Fragrance
Spring is almost here which means that the flowers will soon be in full bloom, filling the air with sweet and fragrant smells that simply can't be matched. I am personally a huge fan of lilacs, as they always remind me of my childhood and the huge lilac bushes that still grace my parents' lawn. There's just something so relaxing about the scent, but artificial lilac perfume always tends to smell weird to me. Well, I found this fantastic tutorial on Fresh Bites Daily today that shows you how ... [ Read More ]
Is Learning How to Work a Skill?
I came across a fabulous article earlier this week posted on Mother Earth News titled "How to Work: The Most Important Self-Reliance Skill Ever" and wanted to share it with you. The article itself is fantastic and outlines some worth ethics and skills that all homesteaders really ought to have, as well as some tips and tricks. But, it got me to thinking. Is learning how to work a skill? And if it is, what does that say about our society? I feel like now, more than ever, hard work and good ... [ Read More ]
Tips for an Old-Fashioned Family Night
Technology can be incredibly useful and entertaining, but it's easy to become over-reliant on it. When was the last time your family sat down for a good old-fashioned family dinner and evening of entertainment that didn't involve a screen? Taking time to let your family reconnect is important, and that means stepping away from technology and having a good old-fashioned family night! Here are some tips for making the most out of your family evening together and for getting your whole family on ... [ Read More ]
Daylight Saving Time
Unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii, then you're probably still feeling the effects of Daylight Saving Time (DST), which officially started at 2 a.m. on Sunday and pushed all clocks in the United States forward an hour. As I was groggily crawling out of bed this morning I couldn't help but think: Why on Earth do we use Daylight Saving Time? What started it all? So, being a curious sort of person I looked it up and was rather surprised. When I was a kid, someone told me that Daylight Saving ... [ Read More ]
Best Free Cross Stitch Patterns
In some of my earlier guides for cross stitching, I mentioned that while there are plenty of beautiful patterns that you can purchase, you can actually find a lot of patterns for free with just a little bit of searching. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite sites for free cross stitching patterns with you! Each of these sites have different kinds of patterns and all of them are available for download in PDF format. Here are some of my favorites: DMC Free Patterns - These ... [ Read More ]
Cross Stitch Pattern Walkthrough
Last Friday, I posted a brief introduction to the wonderful world of cross stitch. I have a passion for handmade crafts, and needlework in particular is something I've always enjoyed. Cross stitch is one of those super relaxing crafts that doesn't require all that much thought and you can make just about anything. The above image is the pattern I'm going to walk you through today. It's actually the first part of a homemade baby shower gift I'm working on, and once the little guy is born I ... [ Read More ]
Beginner Basic Cross Stitch Tutorial
I love cross stitch. Maybe it spawns from an interest in old-fashioned skills and needlwork, or maybe it's because I have so many fond memories of watching my mother sit in her comfy rocking chair in the evenings, working on some needlework craft or other. Either way, I have a deep love of cross stitch, and I wanted to share with you a brief tutorial on this old-fashioned hobby! Cross stitch is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and cross stitch samplers like the one shown above have been ... [ Read More ]
5 Natural Ways to Relieve Stress
In this day and age, I think that everyone is a little stressed. Whether it's the little everyday things that just pile up, work-related stress, financial issues or anything else, stress can be extremely bad for your health--both mental and physical. While there are plenty of drugs and things that one can take to reduce anxiety and stress, I personally prefer home remedies and natural health for things like this. Don't get me wrong--modern medicine has its place, but I think ... [ Read More ]