No-Sew Monday: How I Mop the Easy Way

Hi there friends!  Mondays are usually my “get the house looking the way it should” days.  I recently learned a new way to mop from my sister-in-law who is from Brazil.  They do a lot of things the easy way down there, and this is such a cinch I just had to share it with you! 

You’ll need two things to build your mop.

1.  A hand towel.  (You can also cut a bath towel in half…that would probably work better unless you can find a BIG hand towel.)

2.  A long foamy squeegee and a handle

Not sure what I’m talking about?  Neither do I!  Here’s a link for a better picture, and about what I bought at Lowe’s.  I got a nice middle length one.

About the handle:  I got a super cheap mop from the dollar store and had my husband chop it off and install it on the squeegee, but it’s not heavy enough.  It has too much bounce, so keep your eye out for a cheap solid handle!

Now you’re ready to build your mop!  Here we go!

Wet and apply your preferred mopping solution to the rag.  I use dish soap because that’s what I have.  Set the hand towel down on the ground, and diagonally lay the squeegee (foam side down) on top of the towel like so.

Then fold one of the edges of the towel over the squeegee like this.

Flip the other side of the towel like so, and you’re set!  Scrub in places that are really gummy, and swipe that mop all around your floors and you’ll be done in no time!  Just a warning, if you use a small rag like I do, the rag will slip and slide off the mop, but it’s easy to put back on.  I’m wondering if using a larger rag will help with this.  When you’re done mopping, throw that rag into the wash and you’ll have your mop handy for next time you spill peach juice all over the floor while loading the dishwasher need it. :)

Advantages to this kind of mop:

• Easy to get out if you spill while cooking.
• The floors dry SUPER quick when using this kind of mop
• You have a towel handy while mopping if you need to wipe a baseboard or a spot on the wall you don’t normally see.

I’d love to hear if you try this.  It’s pretty inexpensive, and super handy!

~Lynette~

p.s.  What are your favorite types of mops?

Favorite Things Friday: Studio 5 Videos

Hi there everybody!  Whew!  What a busy week.  We're already to Friday, which means it's time for me to share another batch of my favorite things.  At my house, I don't get TV.  Because we're renting, we're not allowed to put an antenna up on our roof, and we're too cheap to pay for cable.  Enter Netflix and finding stuff to watch on the Internet.  Keeps me plenty entertained.

This week, I've been checking out one of my favorite shows, Studio 5 (run by KSL).  Here's a couple of this week's favorites.  (And by the way, I just figured out how to embed a video.  Hooray!)

This one shows us how to get a fabulous pedicure using everything you have at home...AND it shows you how to prevent polish getting all over your toes...PAM sprayed on a cotton swab, and wiped around the nails.  Genius.

This video shows some fun braids that you can wear for fun summer hair.  It shows the waterfall braid that's the rage now, and it makes it a tad easier for those of us (me) who are beginners at the braiding thing.

Hope you are having a great day!  It's the weekend...already.  Enjoy!
~Lynette~

Why I Love Living In America

Happy 4th of July Everybody!

The past few days, I have taken some time to think about why I love living in this wonderful country, and how grateful I am for the people who worked hard to create this country, for the people who work hard to keep this country as it is, and for the God who made it all possible for me to be free.

I Love Living in America Because…

My husband could choose a career he loves

I can talk about what I want to to who I want to

Because I can choose to support my husband by staying home and taking care of our home

I can store extra food for my family when we need it

I can choose where I want to live

I can have as many children as I want

I can go to the church I choose

I got to choose the college I attended

I get to to make choices.

Happy 4th of July!

~Lynette~

P.S.  Why do you love living in your country?

Favorite Things Friday: Camelbak Better Bottle

I have to apologize about not posting yesterday!  I was running from 6am to about 8:30pm yesterday, and hadn't had a chance to get a post up.  I was taking care of lots of family business.

My goal is to post every weekday for a year.  We'll see if I can do it, knowing well that a day here and there will be missed because of life.  This week I have been running and running and not stopping.  I have loved having water with me all the time.  So, this week I love my water bottle!

Let me tell you the story about me and water bottles.  When I was recently out of high school, I needed a cup to drink out of that was spill proof for work.  I found a sippy cup with a straw and lid (with monkeys or something on it), much like this one, and bought it.  I took it to work, and dealt with comments and teasing.  I loved being able to "sip" it out of the cup.  I grew up a bit, got married, and got rid of the sippies.

I tried normal water bottles, but I can't drink in a moving car while my husband is swerving trying to make me spill or while walking if it's just an open mouth.  So, I found this bottle.  And love it.  It's a bit pricey for a silly water bottle, but it's worth it.  The Easter Bunny brought it to me. Seriously.  This week, I have loved having my water bottle with me.  This one is the .5L or 16oz. I've been eying a stainless insulated version of this one, but I love this one.   I just keep a pitcher of water in the fridge and I always have cold water available to me.  The wide mouth is large enough to put ice in the bottle to keep it extra cool when needed.  Enough said.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and 4th of July!
~Lynette~
P.S.  What has been your favorite thing this week?  Do you take a water bottle with you everywhere?  If so, what is your favorite?

Wish List Wednesday: Pin Cushion Organizer and Sewing Machine Quilt

I’ve been trying to get my sewing room/studio/spot organized and looking cute for the past few months off and on…but mostly off.  I’ve found some great projects that I would love to do that would make my sewing studio wonderful to be in, and organized enough to create in.

I love this pincushion/organizer/scrap bucket.  It’s weighted so it won’t fall off your surface!  I found it on Gwenny Penny, and she links it to the original tutorial.  She used a combination of ideas, so go check out her post for the details.  This would make a great gift for someone!

I have actually started this project!  I have wanted to make one for over a year, and finally sat down one afternoon to do it.  I quilted the large piece, and then ended up disliking it!  So, I’ve been unpicking it a few minutes at a time for about the past month.  I will show you when it gets finished, although it could be a few weeks! :)  Lynette at Get You Craft On shows us how to make the sewing machine quilt here.

I hope you’re having a wonderful day!

~Lynette~

P.S.  What have you wanted to create this week?  What kinds of things do you to do organize your crafting/sewing area?

Tutorial Tuesday: Jeans to Capris with Cuffs

*I apologize that I didn’t get this posted earlier.  I was busy helping family yesterday and today, and didn’t get this written as quickly as I wanted.  While moving all my files when I redid my computer, somehow I lost this tutorial’s p.ictures!  I searched on my back up discs and found them this morning! Phew!*
These pants are the ones I bought for $6.00 last year.  I embellished the pockets, and I love these jeans.  However, they were the ‘short,’ length.  The length worked alright for awhile, but they were a tad shorter than I liked.  So, I chopped off parts of the legs and converted them into super comfy capris.  Do you want make your own?  (It’s pretty easy!)
What you’ll need:
Pair of pants to make into capris
Capris to measure length by (or you can just try on and mark the length desired)
Sewing supplies (machine, scissors, etc. etc. etc.)

First, lay your pants out on the ground or a flat surface.  Lay a pair of capris that you like the length of on top of the pants.  (If you don’t have capris you like, try on the pants and mark them with pins or a fold where you want the pants to be).  Don’t stress about exaggerating the length for seam allowances because this is where your cuff will start.

Cut your pants to the length desired.  I used scissors because I didn’t want to get my cutting mat out, but if you want to, that’d probably work better! :)

I folded my pants so I could make sure the lengths of each leg were the same.  Just to be sure! :)

We’re going to want to use the bottom of your pants for the cuff so you have that nice finished edge.  Cut that to 4 1/2 inches.  (If you want a bigger cuff, feel free to cut it that way!)

My pants were bootcut, so it had a bit of a flare on the bottom of the pants.  I placed the cuff over the bottom of the pants, right sides together.  I pinned where I needed to take in the cuff so it would look right. 

I sewed so the seam was right next to the existing seam that was the outside of the pants.  You can barely tell I took the cuff in.

I turned the cuff inside out, cut the excess off, and used my “overlock stitch,” on the raw edges.  I also tried it on one of the cuffs with a zig-zag, and it worked great.

(A better look at the finished raw edge.)

Now, you’re going to take the cuff, and place the wrong side of the cuff on the inside of your pants.  Pin it so you have about an inch clearance. (I pinned where the edge of the cuff was on the inside).  Then sew with a zig-zag or overlock stitch around the leg of the pants.
*A note about pinning:  When pinning, make sure you line up the outside seam of the pants and the outside seam of the cuff.  The inside seam will NOT match up if you tailored the cuff to fit your pants.  Nobody will notice it, so don’t stress.  Just make sure you line up those outside seams!*

We’ve sewn one edge to the pants, but we have one edge loose.  Turn the pants inside out so you can see what you’re doing.  Pin the loose edge, and sew with a zig-zag or overlock all the way around your pants.

This is a view of the pants inside out once the cuff is completely sewn on.

Now turn your pants right side out.  They should look like the picture above.

Fold the cuff up, and tack it down using a straight stitch on each side. 
After washing these a few times, I’m thinking that I may want to tack them higher in the cuff so they don’t fold over in the dryer. I did mine below the yellow stitching on each side, so I would suggest maybe doing it a bit higher if your machine can handle it.
Trim threads (like I clearly hadn’t done yet when taking these pictures).

And done!  You have a comfy pair of capris for summer and got rid of the pants that were too short!
~Lynette~
P.S. What kinds of tutorials would you like to see?  Are there any tutorials you’d like me to try and I can tell you how it went?  Tell me in the comments!

No-Sew Monday: Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos by Our Best Bites

For our first No-Sew Monday, I will share another domestic love with you.  Cooking.  Easy Cooking to be exact!

If you haven’t discovered Our Best Bites, you definitely need to.  This blog teaches you tricks in the kitchen to make cooking faster and more efficient along with delicious home made recipes with simple ingredients.  They also have a cookbook which I recently purchased and love it!

(This was my plate…yummy!)

On Friday they posted about Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos.  They include their tasty cinnamon chips topped with strawberries and melted chocolate (they even give you a trick for making good melted chocolate).  I knew I needed to try them ASAP.  I made them on Saturday for Breakfast (minus the cool-whip).  Delicious.  And so, I share them with you today!  My husband liked them as well, but they should probably be a snack instead of breakfast.  Oh well, chocolate and strawberries were calling me at 5:30 this morning when I woke up and couldn’t settle back into a peaceful slumber.

---

Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos
Recipe by ourbestbites.com
*Proportions are up to you- make to taste!
–Baked Cinnamon Chips (Click here for recipe)
–Diced strawberries tossed with granulated sugar and left to sit for 10 minutes.
–Melted chocolate chips (use these proportions for dipping chocolate), ganache, or hot fudge
–Sweetened Whipped Cream, whipped cream from a can, or Cool Whip
Place Cinnamon Chips on a platter and top with diced strawberries.  Drizzle with melted chocolate and top with whipped cream. 

---

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hop over tomorrow to discover how to make capris out a pair of jeans.

~Lynette~

P.S.  Do you have a recipe you found online and had to try ASAP?  Share the link with me in the comments!  I love a brand new recipe and day of the year!