project cleanse: clean foods

clean out our fridge & bodies, replacing them with clean foods

Over the past few weeks my hubby & I have been trying to detoxify our bodies. We have both been doing our research and really looking at the food we put in our bodies. We made a step into the organic world this month with purchasing a "1/2 farmers bundle" from a local farm.

Here is what our bundle included:

1 whole free range chicken

3 lb boston pork roast

1 lb pork sausage

1/2 lb pork links

4 pork chops

1 lb bacon

3 lb beef roast

5 lbs ground beef

4 steaks

18 brown eggs from free range hens

This is the Sunshine Harvest Farm's website if you are interested.

We have also been striving to make better dairy & produce chooses. When it comes to dairy we have been purchasing a container of greek yogurt along with a container of vanilla yogurt {that has no fake sugar} and mixing them together with fruit. With produce we are trying to bye organic if the fruit/veggie doesn't have a outer skin {ex. apples, peppers, carrots} since there is no barrier against the pesticides. These are just a few of the 1st steps we are making to lead a healthier lifestyle.

We are certainly learning when it comes to clean foods, but are loving fueling our bodies with good sources of energy. I'm thinking about making this into some sort of series on my blog. What do you think?

project cleanse: bedroom closet

organize & clean our bedroom closet

We enjoyed a crazy weekend that made it impossible to progress on my project cleanse, but I'm back again with a cleaner bedroom closet. For the past few weeks {more like months if I'm being perfectly honest} I have been wanting to switch out my thick cozy sweaters & warm boots for floral skirts & bright flip-flops. The weather has not been cooperating how we would like it to be. This time of year we are supposed to have blue skies, warm sunshine beating down with us, and our boats in the water. This spring has been a different story, but we are finally getting some warmer temperatures. We certainly did break the record books this year, and not in a good way.

I am somewhat on the tall side, but I'm not quite tall enough for the shelves in our bedroom closet. To prevent me from just throwing various items on the top shelf, I used two clear containers to I could still see that was in them. It makes organization much better when there really is no excuse to make a mess of my closet anymore. On the second shelf I got 2 more linen baskets {same as the ones for the hall closet}and labeled them with jeans & sweats.

Finally there are some spring clothes in my closet. I did the whole switch-a-roo and put away my winter clothes to make room for my summer ones. I don't care that it might dip back down in temp a little, but I am determined to start wearing florals and bright colors again.

project cleanse: apartment clutter

clear out our apartment of clutter

Spring is finally here, for good this time fingers crossed. I have felt that 'spring fever' for the past few weeks well lets face it months, but it’s hard to act on it with this winter weather we have been experiencing. Finally we are getting some consistent spring temps, and even summer temps tomorrow with the temperature in the 80s. It seems like a life time ago that the 80s were in our weather forecast.

With this spring weather I have been in a mood to clean out our place and rid it of extra clutter. I see some trip to goodwill in our not so distant future. There is nothing better then a clean house that smells fresh with new spring air.

Even if the temps are still a little low and you can’t open the windows to let in the fresh air, you can still have that fresh spring-breeze smell. I have always been a fan of candles, but after a whole winter season of burning them I am in the mood for something a little more fresh.

Before the temps started to rise I took a trip to B&B Works and made a few purchases that instantly made our apartment feel fresh, and not like we've been breathing the same stale air for the past 6 months. I got a few of their wallflower air fresheners for our bedroom & family room in scents like, fresh cotton, blooming lilac, green grass, peach bellini and first bloom.

Another reason for having a small place when you first get married: it only takes 2 good air fresheners to make our place smell like spring has blossomed.

So if you are still waiting for those spring temps to find you, you can make your home feel like spring has blossomed.

Next week...it's spring time for our bedroom closet.

project cleanse: hall closet

organize our hall closet

Organization makes me a happy girl. I feel more relaxed and way more on top of my game when the 
things around me are organized. Ever since I moved in with my hubby 6 months ago, we have been filling up our hall closets, and even though they span the length of our hallway, we still have managed to fill them full. I spend too much time jumping up and down to try to get a better look at what’s really on them, and I end up pulling down a whole shelf’s content to see what is all up there. This had to end.

I first emptied the entire content onto our family room floor. I decided on what type of storage would work best for us and I measured the shelves, estimating how many storage baskets we would need. I don’t know about you, but when I can make something both organized & cute, I am all for it. I sped off to one of my favorite stores {The Container Store} and was instantly in ‘organization heaven’. I picked out these gems and labeled then to match the content of our closet. What do you think?!

There is just something so satisfying about opening up our closets, seeing everything organized in it's own place, and enjoying the benefit of it being cute while also being functional.

Next week, I rid our apartment of clutter.

project cleanse: bathroom cabinet

minimize the products in my bathroom cabinet

If you didn't see the introduction/game plan for my new 'project cleanse', check it out here.

It’s no secret that I love trying new products, make-up trends, and enjoy testing out new finds. With that, I also have sensitive skin so not every product will work well with my skin type. Over the past few years I have accumulated quite a cabinet of make-up, skin care, and body products, but I hadn't really noticed until I moved from an expansive bathroom to a more modest room with ½ the amount of storage. In all honesty, it was the best thing to help my growing product collection.

On November 26^th, I decided to take a stand and not allow myself to purchase any new products until I used up at least 20 products from my cabinet. This would include everything from body lotion & face wash to nail polish & hair products…. It really made me focus on what I have and clean out what I don’t use.

I utilized an app called Wunderlist to keep track of everything. I could have kept track on a piece of paper, but paper lists always seem to get lost in my life.

In the end, it took me almost 4 months to complete my 20+ list of emptied products and I have to say it really makes me think when I want to purchase a new nail polish or face cream. I ask myself: first, do I really need this, second, do I have any other products similar to it {making it unnecessary} and third, how long will it take me to use it up. These steps have really helped me to minimize the products in my bathroom cabinet, and also helped with my budget.

Now I have room for more right? Just kidding

Next week...I attack our hall closet.

project cleanse

{just including a picture from last year's spring season. maybe this will inspire us to keep looking ahead,

seeing as though we haven't seen a hint of spring yet}

I have too many things for a 1 bedroom apartment. I think know my husband would agree with that statement, so I have decided to do something about it. A few months ago I set a goal for myself to clean out my life. It seems that our society is a little too focused on material things and we sometimes get too caught up in having the latest technology, or a closet filled to the brim with clothes that hardly see the daylight {just speaking for myself there}.

I decided that instead of just talking the talk, I would walk the walk, do the work and enjoy the benefits. Here is what I will be doing to cleanse my life and do some major spring cleaning:

This is a 6 part series {I might not go in this order} but you will see me go through them all, one each week
1. minimize the products in my bathroom cabinet
2. clear out our apartment of clutter
3. organize our hall closet
4. clean out our fridge & bodies, replacing them with clean foods
5. organize & clean our bedroom closet
6. go as el natural as possible

Can you tell that I am one of those total 'spring cleaning' sorts of people. There's nothing better that opening up the windows, clearing out the stale winter air, and cleaning out the cobwebs from our lives.

So every week I will share one cleansing project with you! Hope you hop on for the ride!

Are you a spring cleaner? Let me know what you do to cleanse your life.

our apartment: before & after

I still can't believe that I am showing you our messy place, but this was how it really was. Yes sad to admit it, but it was. Our place was totally disaster with me still moving in, boxes piled higher than the couch, organization got awry, wedding gifts everywhere....

With a little elbow greasy and many hours organizing, I got this place in shape and finally made it the 1st home I have always wished for. Instead of cluttered, disorganized, and overwhelming we now have orderly, decorated with our wedding gifts, styled with a few new decor additions, and a relaxing place to unwind and relax.

I was able to organize my desk into a work place for me to accomplish my creative-type tasks. We hung our wedding guest book picture frame along with embroidery hoops filled with fabric that matches our bed quilt {graciously made by B's mom}. We got a few cozy decorations to make our place feel more cozy. Holiday decorations filled our apartment during our 1st holidays as a married couple.

Every day married life feels better & better, our relations grows stronger with each struggle & celebration, and the love for my husband grows more & more.

apartment accessorizing: lighting

I wrote them down, mapped them out and was off. I was on a quest for apartment accessories, particularly lighting, nightstand tables, or an entryway table for the apartment. I had almost given up hope after 1/2 a dozen thrift sales with no new items in tow. I was moments away from throwing in the towel when I spotted it.

A thrift sale with about 8 different lamps, from floor lamps taller then me, to an almost matching set of white lamps that were screaming 'Emily take me!' I noticed that they would need a little work, but I would much rather add my own stamps to them. I love taking something worn down and making it new, so that's what I did all afternoon. A few yards of fabric, my trusty glue gun, a can of ivory spray paint and with lots of patience I set off to make these lamps a little more apartment ready.

 

 

 They started like this with their white pain chipping away and covered in a light layer of dust from the months of neglect. After a good cleaning and a few coats of paint they looked brand spanking new again and ready for some stylish lampshades that would match our apartment. The color of our walls in the family room is a very light sea foamy blue, and that goes perfectly with our brown coach. The whole color scheme of our kitchen/family room is sea blue, tan & brown. The color scheme of our bathroom/bedroom is cranberry, tan, cream & brown.

So when it came time to pick out the fabric I knew exactly what I was looking for. You can probably guess which two lamps will be in the family room and which one in the bedroom. These will add a nice touch of color and help to incorporate our themes while doing their real purpose, adding light to our rooms.

I have a few yards of extra fabric and have some ideas in my head about how to use them but I could use a few suggestions. One of the first things people might think of is pillows, but seeing as I just bought a few of those to make resting on the couch a little more comfy I want to use it else ware. I plan to make some wall art with the fabric, but I'm looking for a few other ideas.

Any suggestions? How would you use the extra fabric in your family room/bedroom?

very own crafting room

It's always been a dream of mine to have my very own room entirely devoted to my left brain. A room that is filled with my raw materials that could be transformed into something amazing. A few weeks ago this dream began to take form and I was well on my way to my very own crafting room.The past few evenings after work have been spent doing hours of cleaning, vacuuming, and moving around furniture. The other night I made more than a dozen trips up and down 2 flights of stairs carrying many heavy armfuls of scrap booking/crafting supplies up to my new room. This room used to be my sister's room, but she moved out a few months ago and I have been blessed enough to turn it into my very own crafting room.

There isn't really time at the present to start any projects, but soon I will be hard at work with: scrap booking, card making, a few sewing projects, and some other ideas I have been anxiously awaiting to try.

before and after: magazine organization

over the past few years i have obtained a plethora of magazines. some are real simple, some are scrapbooking ect, some are rachel ray, some are better homes & garden. they needed a better space than in a pile on the bottom shelf of my craft corner.

so on a some what spur of the moment trip to the lovely IKEA yesterday, i stumbled across the answer to my problems. these inexpensive but stylish kassett magazine files helped to transform my messy sheff into a clean-cut and organized shelf with easy access to all my favorite magazines in their respectable places. organization certainly makes my world go round.