EARTH DAY BLOG HOP

First off, I owe you an apology.

I have been remiss in my posting. I have good reasons.... all of which are too long and boring to get into. Basically, it has to do with the house and all that is going on. I will post on our work, later.

Yesterday was my 3rd son's birthday. We enjoyed the day with him. I will post about that, later, as well.

But, this post.... THIS POST is about an Earth Day Blog Hop.

This blog hop is hosted by one of my new blogging buddies over at A HOME MADE BY KIKI.

In just a bit, you will want to go over to her place to start the hop. Let me tell you why.

Kiki, is involved in Shaklee products. You can get lots of stuff through her...... including household cleaners. What is cool about this blog hop is that there is a give-away! There are a few things you need to do. They will be posted throughout, AND recapped at the end.

BUT, you have to go see Kiki at the link I posted up above. You have to read the posts in order..... you need to get your letters. Collect all your letters, in order, and enter for a grand prize.

I know.... prizes. That is exciting, isn't it? The grand prize is a $30 Paypal deposit into your account.*

REALLY.... THIRTY DOLLARS!

AND, for commenting on this post, you have a chance to win the sample that I am highlighting here. FIVE people will be chosen through random drawing. *

*This give-away is only good for US residents.*

ALSO, you can get a free Shaklee membership with a $30 purchase. PLUS, Kiki has an unadvertised special. You can email her for details at: healthy-solutions@hotmail.com. (OK... so I'm challenged and don't know how, or if I should, hot-link an email address, so you just have to copy and paste.)

Now.... I'm not a tree-hugger, by any means. In fact, I generally prefer the burn, in my nostrils, of bleach, verses some healthy, organic, or some other seemingly *innocent* cleaner. To me.... the searing stench of product is DOING something.

However, I AM cheap. (That is a post for another day. I used to claim I was frugal.... nope.... gotta admit it.... I'm cheap.)

So, here is what I want to show you. It's a concentrated cleaner that you add to water and.... well, you clean with it.

First off.... LOOK HOW TINY THIS VIAL IS! That is why I held it up like this... compared to fingers..... well, this is tee-ninecy!

In fact, small vials need little packaging..... like this. This is what I'm using: the Basic H2. It takes 2 drops for 16 oz water.

ONLY TWO DROPS!!! That's quite a bit of cleaning solution!

Remember that I like "the burn?" Well, if you don't, then this is for you. There was absolutely NO smell.... a bit sad.... the head-rush is kinda cool. BUT, if you are into that sort of "no-odor" type of thing. LOL! (What is really funny is that my hubby is shaking his head because the "No-Smell Rule" is Life Rule #1.) I really can't explain WHY my eyes are rolling up in the back of my head.... except to say I was REALLY trying to smell something.

OK.... here, I've sprayed down my mirror in the dining room. I mean, to wipe down a sink or a counter.... well, I can do that with water. But, a mirror? Well, let's see how it goes.

If you look on the right side of the photo below, that is the frame of the mirror. I am actually pointing into the mirror, looking at the reflection of the window looking out to our backyard. There are NO streaks. And, please believe me when I say that I did not scrub, retouch, or go back with a different glass cleaner. Nor did I use a microfiber rag, newspaper, or lint-free cloth to *buff.* Nope.... just a regular rag.

All-in-all, I'm OK with my experience.

Will I become a member of Shaklee? I don't want to say "no" right off the bat.... I just don't know. Right now, I still like to feel the singe of my nostril hairs.

What am I getting for this? Nothing.... except a link to my blog from the person in front of me. I get no money. I only got that tiny vial of concentrated cleaner. However, I DO like free stuff. So, I will be reading these blogs to submit my own entry.

How do you do that? Well, let's cover the steps:

First, start at A Home Made by Kiki.

Next, hop your way, in order, through the blogs.

Be sure to record your letters from each post. MY LETTER IS THE LETTER "r." Keep them in order.

You *must* become a follower, via Goggle Friend Connect, of Kiki's blog. A *follow* to my blog and a shout-out on your facebook page can snag you some extra entries.... so leave me a comment as to what you did..... and THAT gets you an extra entry, as well.

NEXT, go here: www.thenesteffect.com. (Don't forget to keep getting your letters.)

Finally, take your time. Get to know these folks. Enjoy learning about some Shaklee products. You have until midnight (ET) on April 30th to get your entry in.

I hope you will join us for this Earth Day Blog Hop. I think it's gonna be fun!!!

Have a great weekend, and if I don't talk to you, remember:

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON!!!

HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY!!!!!

ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY 2011

Howdy, y'all!

My name is ~LL~. Welcome to my blog.

A few years ago, I participated in UBP. I had forgotten about it this year, but was reminded by a dear friend of mine. SO, here I am..... excited to make some new blogger friends.

I have 4 boys ages: 5, 7, 10 and 11. I am a certified teacher, but have been staying home since "the baby" was born.

My hubby and I were high-school sweethearts. We have actually known each other since 1st grade. We have been married almost 20 years.

I live in North Texas.

Grab yourself some sweet tea and browse around. I hope you find something, at best, inspirational. At the very least, I hope you are entertained. If you will scroll down a tad, you will see in my right sidebar a list of some of my favorite entries.

Leave a comment and I promise to come check you out!

HOARDER'S HELL

More pictures..... and words.

Yesterday, I happily opened up my windows, began to water my yard, sat at the computer, and listened to the kids playing outside.

After about 30 minutes, my older two came in for a bit. #1 warned #2 that his floor was wet, but he didn't know why. Well, the report of spills always perk me up a bit, because none of the kids have learned how to properly clean up spills.

I went to investigate.

It was no spill.

It was a busted water pipe.

The pipe was between the front bedrooms (my older children's rooms) and..... well...... I feel like I am in Hoarder's Hell.

Really.

Parts of my house I have seen on TLC.

See for yourself.

OK, so this was discovered in #1's box of "treasures." (They have to share toys, but they each have a box of stuff that doesn't have to be shared.... their treasures. Well, here is a treasure.... or it was.)

Yes, it is slime. Note how it says "non-toxic."

I think not.

Water damage. :-( This is #2's bookshelf that has since *almost* collapsed. It leans. To the right is #2's bed frame. I really hope it isn't damaged too badly. It was my Daddy's bed, and then my bed.

This is one of the legs of the aforementioned bed frame. :-(

#4..... playing like this is normal.

The hallway.

The dining room.

The dining room table.

The dining room floor.

The living room. Note the piano.... see the nicks? Yeah, #4 chewed on it when teething. None of my other kids ever felt the need to eat the piano. :-(

The living room (from the front door).

DS #1's bedroom.

DS #1's bedroom. The small, rectangular hole is where the pipe was replaced. The bigger hole? Wet wall.

DS #2's room.

DS #2's room. Note the back corner.... another hole in the wall. The wall to the right is shared with DS #1.

Master bedroom.

Master bedroom. There is a hope chest under that giant teddy bear..... WHICH, I might add, hubby gave to me for my 16th birthday. (The bear, not the hope chest.) See the bare floor of the hallway?

The other side of the bed in the master bedroom.

DS #1 and #2 and Moose. The boys get to fall asleep in my room. One of them will be sent to the couch when I go to bed.

So, I will admit that *some* (about 10%) of this hoard is..... um..... naturally occurring..... meaning that it was already there.

However, I hope to take advantage of this. I have said, for awhile now, that if I were moving, it would be easier to clean certain areas and things. Well, this is 'bout as close as I can get without actually doing so. I hope to get some good cleaning done.

We will have to replace a set of shelves and a dresser. We might even replace the beds with smaller beds to give the kids more space. BUT, that happens after the insurance adjuster tells us how much they will kick in.

On the list? Besides new furniture - carpet. I will also get closets cleaned out because I have the time.

HAHAHA! Not really. I have no time, but I will do it. Hubby, as with the last water leak, gets to sit this one out. He WILL be able to talk to insurance people and help move furniture back, but he missed out on the fun of calling insurance, filing the claim, calling a plumber, moving the furniture, and just the overall experience of my hysteria..... poor man.