Spring Cleaning... Lets make it fun!

I started my spring cleaning today. I always thought I'd be one of those people who do the deep cleaning incrementally, so I don't have to pack it in to one small amount of time. But alas, Procrastination and I are super good friends and March 20th has come and gone with my house still in dire need of deep cleaning. So might as well make it fun, right?

Ok, so there really is no way to truly make spring cleaning fun. But there are ways to make it slighly less painful. Here are my suggestions:

1. Put on your favorite up-beat music. Might as well dance around and sing while you clean!

2. Before you start, fill up an extra big cup of water so you keep yourself hydrated! Dehydration is the biggest culprit of making you feel sluggish and hungry. I'm using the giant cup with a straw and handle that I got from the hospital when I had my daughter.

3. Set small goals for yourself. They are easier to accomplish and won't make you feel so overwhelmed. For instance, I pick a project each week. This week I'm cleaning baseboards, doors, and door frames. I'm doing the downstairs today and the upstairs the following two days (I have way more doors upstairs than down). Next week I'm going to clean the windows. Yes, this will probably mean that I'll be spring cleaning well into summer. Oh well, at least my house will be slightly cleaner than if I never did anything.

4. Reward yourself for a job well done! When you've accomplished your goal for the day, treat yourself to a peice of chocolate or a glass of wine. What's that, you would have had that glass of wine anyway? Well, now you can at least justify it.

If you need ideas of what things need to be cleaned, here's a thorough spring cleaning checklist.

Happy Cleaning!

A Very Pinterest-ing Baby Shower

As you have probably seen on some of my previous blog posts, I am quite the Pinterest addict. I waste countless hours pinning crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes, as well as a million other things to my plethora of boards. I still dream of the day when something from my own blog will be pinned. When my best friend and I decided we'd throw a baby shower for a couple of our friends who are due for new additions in late March and early April, I knew I had some great ideas pinned already! Check out some of my Pinterest inspired items, and one I came up with on my own. I must admit, I have to work on my photography skills.

To make the Baby Kisses favors, I followed this tutorial. I filled mine with Hershey Kisses. The Cupcake gifts for the mama's were made following this tutorial, although I used a pair of newborn pants for one of them.

My Dollar Store cupcake stand; also, I used these helpful tips for better cupcakes.

For the vases I used a couple of Ball jars and one upcycled spaghetti sauce jar and just added a ribbon. The votive holders are upcycled baby food jars I saved from a shower I threw my sister almost 3 years ago! (I may have a minor hoarding problem). To remove the stubborn glue from the jars, I warmed them with a hair dryer to get the worst of it off, then used an S.O.S. pad to get the rest of the glue and any stamped expiration dates off.

It was just a small shower since this isn't the first baby for either girl. We also had a girl/boy/neutral theme since one mama is having a girl and the other has been told she has a 75% chance of having a boy.

I wish I would have taken pictures of the food. We had a lovely spread of sliders, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salsa, veggie pizza, and the most delicious strawberry angel food dessert I've ever eaten!