Deep cleaning

So I just recently switched to working 12 hour shifts which means that now instead of 5 days a week I'm working 3 so I've got 4 days off every week now! I'm not sure what to do with all this free time! My trusty fall back is to go shopping but I'm trying to be better about blowing money on stuff I don't need. Seriously I need less in my life. So shopping is out. So today I decided to tackle some of the projects I've been putting off since we moved in a little over a month ago. I wanted to clean my washing machine and dish washer. 

I started with the dish washer. I looked up how go clean your dish washer on Pinterest and most of the links were the same basic directions. So I filled a measuring cup up with vinegar and put it on the top shelf and ran a cycle with no soap. Then when that was done I sprinkled baking soda all over the bottom of the dish washer and ran another cycle. That's all! So easy and my dish washer came out super shiney on the inside! 

Next up was the washing machine. This was seriously gross. It has been since we moved in and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I've been using it anyway....

Gross right? There's a freaking dirt ring! Ick!

So anyway all of the directions I found online said to use baking soda and either bleach or vinegar. I try to not use bleach on stuff because I try to limit the chemicals I use plus it never fails I always always always get bleach on my clothes so I went with the vinegar. I let the washer fill with hot water and poured in some vinegar and let it agitate a few minutes then I just dumped in some baking soda and let it agitate again to mix it all up. The I let it sit. 

The tools I used. I'm real high tech. While the hot water/baking soda/vinegar mix was sitting I used the same water to scrub down the lid and corners and the dirt ring off the inside of the basket. It took some serious elbow grease but I finally got it all clean. Then I just closed the lid and let the cycle finish.

See? Sparkly clean washing machine! 

The same day I also pulled out the stove and cleaned all the grim from the sides and back. I'll spare you the pictures but trust me it was gross.  And there was this...

Yup that's a phone cord from a land line phone. It was wedged between the counter and the stove. Apparently instead of pulling the stove out someone decided it would be easier to just cut the cord? But this makes me think it's been a few years since the sides and back of the oven were cleaned. Gross. 

So that's what I've been working on lately. Exciting I know.

Running Cape Cod...

Literally. We ran Cape Cod. The entire thing. This past weekend I ran in the Cape Cod Ragnar race with my dad and 10 other people. It's a relay race that starts in Hull, Massachusettes and goes 192 miles to Provincetown, Massachusettes. Each person runs 3 separate legs. I wish I had taken more pictures! 

That was the view at exchange 6 which was where my van started our first legs. If I had been smarter I would have turned around and gone over the sand dune to take a picture of the Atlantic but instead I took a picture of this lovely marsh. Anyway the race started Friday morning and we finished late morning saturday. So we ran all night and there was some car sleeping involved. All in all a good time, we got these lovely metals, and got to meet some cool new people!

 

 

Our team at the finish! 

Gettin crafty

I've been really into wreath making lately. First I thought I'd try my hand at deco mesh wreath making. So of course first I watched about 10 different you tube videos on how to make them. Then I went to our local craft store to scope out the supplies. Turns out they have a wreath "designer" who will give you a demonstration on how to make a deco mesh wreath. Well. She was just a bowl of fun. Not. When I asked her about using 2 different colors in a wreath she looked at me like I had 4 heads and said she didn't think that was possible. Ha designer my foot. Anyway since I was going for summer I got red and blue mesh ribbon with some silver stars and went on my way. 

All of the tutorials I watched said to use pipe cleaners to attach it so I put the pipe cleaners on first. In the end I used only red pipe cleaners and I put them on the inside and outside loops. I redid it about 3 times before I figured out what I liked and I forgot to take pictures so this is my end result. 

Pretty cute right? Problem was it was so poofy that when I hung it on my door the screen door wouldn't close. Back to the drawing board.  This time I decided to try a burlap wreath. Again I watched some YouTube videos. Then I just decided to wing it. 

I looked for rolls of burlap but I could only find wired ribbon. At home I already had a big 2 yard piece of burlap so I decided to just cut that into strips.  I used another metal wreath form. I think it was 14 inches. For the first piece of burlap I attached it with pipe cleaner... But after that I got lazy and didn't even attach the pieces 

So basically I just looped burlap through each of the three sections of the wreath frame working my way back and forth across the frame and in between each loop I twisted the piece before looping it through the next section.

Once I had the whole wreath form filled with burlap I just went through and fluffed up my loops. I added some fun pieces... Since it's for summer I went with red white and blue for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day!  This is my finished project! 

By the way this past week I also painted our front door. When we moved in it was a lovely shade of... Grape... Which is not quite our style and currently the house is white with black shutters so I decided to go with a bright green. In my husband'a words "umm it's lime." But I love it and it's grown on him. So we are no longer the house with the purple door but the house with the line green door. I'm okay with that!