The 1st Blooms~

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Our oldest came home for a visit, which is always a treat.  She and her sister had a great time Saturday evening dying Easter eggs.  Just goes to show...you are never to old to dye Easter eggs!!  It was fun seeing the two of them acting like they did back when they were 8 and 4!! LOL

Easter Day we enjoyed the service at church and then a home cooked meal on the grill with just the four of us.  We don't get to do it very often, as our oldest is in college, working and interning!!  We are quite proud of her however, as she will graduate in December (a semester early).

I was also excited to see that our tea roses are in full bloom!

They smell so good!!  Our knock-out roses are blooming as well, and our hydrangeas and peonies are just waiting to burst open.  I cannot wait.  I absolutely LOVE our backyard when everything first blooms.  The herbs and vegetables have been planted as well, and are already getting big.  The fish emulsion really does work!

We will be attending the Honors Breakfast and Honors Night tomorrow at our youngest daughter's high school.  I am sooo proud of her.  Despite the fight with migraines this year, she once again made the Honor Roll and will be receiving another Honor tomorrow night (we aren't sure what for just yet, however, she was named Jammin' Junior recently).  Will update tomorrow after the awards ceremony!

I'll leave you with something I heard the other day on the Nate Berkus Show.  He was interviewing Gretchen Rubin, the author of the Happiness Project.  She said, "the days are long, but the years are short."  Watching my two girls, now 21 and 17, dye Easter eggs this past weekend, I have to agree 100% !!!

Bringing a bit of the Pacific home~

A few months ago, I was in Sephora purchasing a few makeup items I had run out of.  I am a member of their Beauty Insiders Club, and had earned enough points for a  free gift.  I was hooked the minute the sales clerk told me the products were from an environmentally friendly company, and smelled like a holiday at the beach.  She wasn't kidding!!

Moisturizing body butter, leaves your skin silky smooth and smelling great!

This body wash smells heavenly, reminds me of days spent on the beach.

 I have now become a huge fan of this company's products (I've not been compensated in any way to say this, just love the products).  They are an environmentally friendly company and their products are made right here in the USA! They carry body washes, body butters/lotions, perfumes, soy candles in the most heavenly scents. 

You can check them out here.  You can find some great Mother's Day gift ideas there as well (for either yourself or your mother/mil).

Green Cleaning and Vinegar

Around our house we are trying to be a bit greener these days.  First up was tackling the shelves full of cleaning products.  While we had switched to more eco friendly cleaners (Mrs. Meyers, Seventh Generation, Method, etc), they do tend to be a bit more costly.  So, we started looking for alternatives.  I just recently stumbled upon two books with some great information regarding "natural" cleaning alternatives using vinegar, baking soda, lemons and salt along with tea tree oil and Borax.  I am looking forward to giving some of these a go.

With our daughter's recent issues with migraines and seasonal allergies, we are striving for a healthier/cleaner lifestyle.  Simple changes, such as buying lunch meats without nitrites/nitrates have made a tremendous different.  Also, we feel that by ridding our house of toxic household cleaners we can only be helping her and the environment.  And, I've found that some of the "home" remedies work better actually!  For instance, vinegar is a great fabric softener and lemons and salt do wonders for cleaning our new stainless cookware.  And, they are so much more cost effective too!

So, I thought I'd share the books with you...best part, I purchased them at our local Barnes and Noble for $4.49 each ($5.98 less my membership discount).  You can find them online as well.

The first,

 1001 Practical Uses...really!!!  This book takes you through a short history of vinegar, the science of its production, conversion chart for measuring, types of vinegar, and uses (laundry, outdoor, cleaning/odor control, cooking/recipes, health/personal care, pets/animals, home decorating/renovation-wow, who knew??!!

The second,

Natural Hints and Tips For the Eco-Friendly Household.  This book takes a look at vinegar, baking soda, lemons, salt, tea tree oil and Borax and their applications in the home and surrounding areas.

Both books are by Margaret Briggs (along with Vivian Head).

Even if you aren't into the whole "greener" lifestyle, these books really do offer some fascinating information.

Hope everyone is enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  It is a beautiful sunny, almost 80 degree day here (too hot already).