Home Made Lemon Cleaner

Click Here For Recipe for HomeMade Lemon Cleaner



I found this recipe online and I thought I'd share it.

One Lemon makes about 4 tablespoons of juice.  You have to strain it before putting it into the spray bottle so your nozzel doesn't get clogged.

So, I've been using this recipe for the last few days, and I like it.  :)

So then I ran out of cleaning liquid in my Swiffer Wet Jet.  So I decided to make some more of this Lemon cleaning spray to use in the Swiffer.  I've used my own cleaning solutions before, usually vinegar and water, but I find that the solution beads on the floor, and it just didn't have the consistency that I was looking for.  So with this batch, I chose the lemon spray recipe with a twist.  First of all, I doubled the recipe because one lemon makes about 4 tablespoons of juice, and the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons.  Secondly, I used hot tap water so that the borax and washing soda would dissolve well and not clog the spray nozzel.  Thirdly, I added a couple of pumps of hand soap to just add a wee bit of soapiness to the solution.  (I saw this tip on an episode of "How Clean Is Your House?").  Fourthly, I added a few drops of LIME essential oil, which gave it a bright clean scent.

This solution has the consistency that I was looking for, and it smelled awesome as well.  Success!  :D

I share this because it's super cheap to  make!  Plus, it's not damaging to the environment, or to our children and pets.

Legalistic Logistics

I ran into a gal I went to bible college with yesterday.  She seemed really uncomfortable in my presence.  I introduced her to my beloved, and shared a bit about how we just moved into the area.  He left us to catch up a bit while he grabbed some dog food.  She asked if we were living together, I said yes.  She asked if we were married.  I said no.  She asked if we had separate bedrooms.  I said no.  Then I told her that my beloved embodies everything that most "Christian" men aspire to be.  Just then my beloved returned, and we politely excused ourselves.

I find that this is a topic that brings discomfort as well as MUCH judgement, fear and avoidance from a large segment of the Christian population.  Because of this, I have written some blogs about some different viewpoints regarding divorce, remarriage and such from an open minded, yet biblical perspective.

Here is a book report that I wrote in Bible College for Marriage and Family Class.

My blog addressing the question of remarriage being biblically ok or not.

And here is a blog I wrote which deconstructs the idea of marriage vows.  If you are a Christian who is struggling with the idea of unmarried people cohabitating as if they were married, this is for you.  :)

Marriage Vows - Biblical or not?

At the end of the day, I don't care what people think of me.  I have my beliefs and values, and I govern myself accordingly.  What people think no longer dictates the choices I make in my life.

I still have Jesus, people.  But I don't allow legalism to get in the way of enjoying the gifts that He has brought into my life.  Especially my Beloved.  :)

Au Natural

I don't know why, but I am continuously intrigued by all of the home made things that people are making for themselves.  I want to get in on the action.

I already make my own laundry soap.  Here is the recipe:

Heat up a big pot with 8 quarts of water.  Add a half bar, grated, of pure soap.

This can be Sunlight bar soap,

or ivory, or the equivalent of those tiny bars of soap from hotels.  LOL  I see americans using Felsnaptha soap, but so far, I haven't seen that anywhere in Canada....yet.

Then add a half cup of washing soda



 and a half cup of borax
.  Bring this all to a boil, then turn down and simmer until everything is dissolved and melted.



Then you add 8 more quarts of hot water.  And if you want, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.  This last time, I added Lime Essential Oil.  I swear to God, it smells like commercial soap!  All this time I had been using Tea Tree Oil, because I love the smell and it's anti-bacterial qualities.  But I love the Lime.  That was a winner with me. :)

This recipe makes enough soap to fill this many containers:



THEN...

I found a recipe for hair removal wax.  Now, what is THIS madness?!?!

2 cups of white sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice (I used a real lemon)
1/4 cup of water

Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until the mixture turns an amber brown.

Pour into a pint sized mason jar.  Let cool.

When you want to use the wax, put the jar into a bowl of hot water for about 20-30 minutes.

Put a little powder (or corn starch) on the area you are waxing.  Take a wad of wax out of the jar.  it should not be sticky, it should feel like silly putty.  Spread and smush the wax into the hair to be removed.  Rip it off quickly from one side to the other and it removes most or all the hair.  Perfect, and uber cheap.


I've also made lemon spray cleaner, lime fabric refresher, and home scents that I put into a fire safe container on top of the woodstove.

 

This particular pan I obtained from MCC (a local thrift store) for $4.50

More to come....

My Audience

Pageviews by Countries Entry Pageviews Canada 12 Russia 6 Spain 5 United States 2

It kind of baffles me that people in Russia and Spain are viewing my blog!  Hello from Canada! :D

Please feel free to drop me a line!

Family Christmas

Yep, so we've made it through another Christmas.

As a single childless person, it seemed to be a big job to finagle a way to get to the family Christmas. All the married with children coworkers get priority for holiday time and it can be expensive to get there, nevermind the gifts.

Then you meet "the one" (she said, sardonically) and now you have to juggle your holiday time between two families. Do we go go to my mother's or his on C day?

Then the kids come and it seems even more important for them to spend time with extended family over the holidays.

Then you get divorced. That changes a lot. You no longer spend time with his family, some you're glad about, lol... But some not because you miss them. So you juggle the children to ensure that both parents get to see the children equally. Then you try to fill the empty days with no kids. Parties? Home renos? Stay in bed with a bottle of wine and movies?

Then life moves forward. You meet someone new, with children, extended family, etc. So take the above and multiply it by 2 or more. How can you schedule everyone and everything so everyone gets to do everything? And on time? The answer is simple. You don't. You just do your best. Sometimes people are missing from events. Sometimes you're late. Sometimes you didn't get to make that dish you promised a month ago to bring. Or you did make it but in the chaos, you forgot it by the door, or you had a migraine and you're just barely making it to the event at all.

What I propose in the midst of all this is to chill. If everyone knows that the snacks are being served at 3, then serve them at 3. Even if people are late. The late people will likely appreciate that you didn't wait because they are late for a reason, reasons that are probably due to falling behind because of the juggling and the stress. The last thing they need is to feel guilty because THEY made YOU wait. They aren't expecting you to wait. They know the time. They know they are late. Don't text them a million times asking where they are. You'll just make it worse. They are doing their best to fit you into their very busy holiday schedule. You're lucky they are coming at all. Lol

Try to schedule a day or two over the holidays where you don't do anything. How can it be a holiday if you never relax? Take time for that. :)

I could write more but I must get back to my boxing day of relaxing. :)

I miss my kids. They are with dad today.

But I am with my Honey and three of his kids. He really adds so much value to our lives. <3

Revenge part 2

My advice to you, don't use your kids to exact revenge on your ex.  Just don't do it.

This is happening currently to someone I know.  It makes me want to puke.

When I was a kid, growing up in a broken home, my parents used to me to get to the other.  We (my sisters, brother and I) were pawns in their games.  Mom's games were less damaging than dad's, but still, games are games and they are harmful to children.  Not only that, but games destroy relationships with your kids.

Mom did things like always asking what dad had, if he got anything new, if he was seeing anyone.  She just had to know everything.  When he got a new girlfriend, mom asked us if she was prettier than her, and stuff like that.  But the saving grace is she would always qualify dad's questionable actions by telling us that dad loves us.  It didn't feel like it though.  It just felt like he was angry.

When my ex moved out, I understood my mom's mentality a bit more.  He didn't want to pay child support, even accused me of stealing from him (I took the child support amount out of our joint account.  I could have taken double that, but I didn't).  Anyways, he kept telling me how broke he was (with his 6 figure income), but then I kept hearing about his new leather furniture, and his microwave, and such.  I remember thinking, if he's so broke, how can he buy furniture?  But, I never once asked the kids to tell me anything.  I allowed them the freedom to talk about whatever they wanted, and when they told me about his new leather furniture, I just said, "Wow that's nice!  Is it comfy to sit on?"  I always wanted them to feel like talking to mom was a safe thing to do, and that it wouldn't result in me going off about how there was this financial dichotomy going on in the background.  They don't need to know that.  I made that choice because divorce is damaging enough, without adults adding their petty insecurity crap onto their little shoulders.  I know this intimately, being a child of divorce, so I don't do it to my kids.

Dad did more damaging things.  He told stories about my mom to create doubt in my mind about what kind of person my mom is.  He blamed her for everything, and took responsibility for nothing.  He kidnapped my brother, and then kidnapped one of my sisters, and had her hair all cut off.  He never paid child support.  He threatened to kill my dog.  There's just so much that he did to undermine our relationship with mom, that me and my sisters ended up rejecting him altogether.

I think Dad was trying to get back at mom for leaving him.  He wanted ultimate authority and control, and she took control back over her life the day she left him.  I think that pissed him off, and he still to this day, blames her (and now his second ex wife) for all of his troubles.  In his attempts to poison his kids against their mothers, most of the kids have nothing to do with him now.  THIS is what "revenge" will get you, a lonely life existence.  Estrangement from your kids.  Revenge backfires on you.

So, I know that ultimately, this current situation with these people I know will resolve itself.  It's like a bad movie being played out, where you know the end of the story already.  And you know that a few, simple moves could totally change the direction of things but that person is too proud to let go of their power.  Power that is slowly slipping out of their hands anyways, so they grab onto whatever they can, and blame and estrange their children in the process, attempting to make the other parent "pay" by limiting access to the kids.  Kids aren't stupid.  That parent will pay the ultimate price, just like my dad is now.  The other parent can suck it up, be the bigger person, and in the end, the children will gravitate towards the parent who is stable, loving, not vindictive or full of revenge.

Again, I'm telling you, the best revenge is to live well.  BE the stable parent.  Children gravitate towards that.  And you will lay the groundwork for a lifetime of trust and appreciate with them.  THAT is your goal.  You don't need to exact revenge.  Don't worry, your ex will likely hang him or herself with their own bullshit if they are one of those batshit crazy douchebags.

Trust me on this.  I've been there as a kid, and now that I'm the adult, I get to chose how things go within the four walls of our now peaceful home.

Heavens Tamergatroid! A story about one ex's revenge, and how to exact real revenge on your ex. LOL

I have a little story to tell you.  I tell it because most single moms will appreciate it, and send their prayers and positive thoughts to this woman I am about to tell you about.



My lovely boyfriend and I decided to go check out some local garage and yard sales today.  We saw a sign on the main street boulevard, directing us to a yard sale out in the country, not far away.  As we drove out there, we couldn't see any signs.  We did see a couple of balloons at the end of a driveway, and a woman in her car there, adding more, but for all I know, that could be a birthday party, or baby shower.  That's what people do around these parts.

So we drove on to the next town, and saw no other signs, so we turned back.  As we came up to that same driveway, we saw that same woman in her car by the balloons, so we pulled in just to check if she might know where this elusive yard sale might be.  She said, "Yes, it's here, my husband keeps taking down the signs.  Come on in, have a look around."  So we did.  She knew me by name, and I recall seeing her often over the years at the schools that my children have attended.  I didn't remember her name, we were never "friends" but I had seen her around.

So, she left for a few minutes, and came back, so she could ensure that the balloons were still at the end of her driveway.  She looks quite stressed out, to be honest, and then I decided to buy her car top carrier for my SUV for $15.00.  She asked how things were with my husband, and my boyfriend looked at me and laughed, saying something like, "Not too good I hope, haha."  I laughed too, informing her that I've been separated now for over 5 years, and this here is my wonderful boyfriend.  She shared that she's been separated for two years now, and they are selling the house, and he took all the stuff that had any value, and she's trying to sell off some of the little crappy stuff he didn't take that she doesn't need.  But he was sabotaging her by stealing her signage and her balloons over and over.

Crazy eh?

She also mentioned that he drives a gold van.

So, before we left, I exchanged phone numbers with her.

When we got back to town, the signage for her yard sale was gone.  We looked at a few other yard sales, then headed home.  As I turned onto my street, we saw a gold van pull in behind us.  We both saw it and thought, whoa, that's creepy.  LOL

Then I turned into the driveway, and the gold van turned into my next door neighbour's driveway.  My first thought was, "Pheww, it's only a friend of *Sally's.  No worries."  Until I saw him pull a bunch of balloons out of the van.  WTF?  I crept around the corner, and saw that he had a bunch of balloons and several yard sale signs leaning up against *Sally's garage, and he was taking it all into HER garage!  WTF?

So I called the woman, and informed her of all of this.  She said, "Oh that might be because Sally's mom is a local real estate agent, and he's probably storing all of our stuff in Sally's garage.

So, I called Sally, and informed her of these goings on.  She knew that the man was storing things there, but not about this stupid shit he was doing to his wife.  She said she was going to call her dad about it.

I followed up with the woman later in the day.  Her husband kept stealing balloons and signage all day. But she was determined.  She took a wheelbarrow, painted YARD SALE on it, and chained it to the end of the driveway, to a tree.  Meanwhile, she called the police, who came by the house where she was having her sale, and while they were there talking to her, the husband was at the end of the drive way, working away on getting rid of that wheel barrow!  So the police went and spoke with him.


Crazy, crazy shit, I tell ya!


But here is the moral of the story that I got from it.  Whatever your ex did to you, or is doing to you, it does NOT give you the right to do stupid shit back.  It doesn't make anything "Even".  It makes you look like a stupid, idiot moron!  And it can get you in trouble with the law.


If you really want to get even, to exact your revenge, I have the best solution for you.  LIVE WELL.  Nothing will piss your ex off more than to see and know that you don't give a shit what they are doing because you are too busy - having a great time in your new life with lovely people that think you're awesome - to notice what the hell HE (or SHE) is up to.

If your ex has turned into a bat shit crazy douchebag, the last thing your kids need is for you to do the same.  If your ex wants to hang himself (or herself) with his own bullshit, there's nothing you can really do about that.  If they ruin relationships with the children you had together, that's not your fault.  You can't control that.  What you CAN do is be sane and peaceful, so the kids have at least ONE parent they can lean on while they weather this storm.  Your kids need at least one stable parent.  Be THAT parent.  Again, that's the best revenge towards your ex, you don't even have to TRY to win the kids over, kids are intelligent, and they can think and reason for themselves, and they know the different between bat shit crazy, and stable/sane/peaceful.

Whatever you do, find other outlets (like a blog - lol) where you can let the hot lava venom flow out of you, and away from your children, and NOT at their other parent (don't give him anything he can use against you!).  If you give that ex spouse of yours ANY attention, any indication that they are affecting you at all, they will feel like they win.  They will feel victorious.  So, by staying peaceful, and stable, and living well, loving the people who deserve it, and not giving a fuck what your ex is up to, that will pretty much drive a knife into his gut if he's a batshit crazy douchbag.  And if he's not batshit crazy, well then at least you're not being that either, and you are enjoying life, and hopefully he is too. (Isn't that what you want for your children - for them to have a good relationship with their other parent who is hopefully stable and peaceful too?)

Live WELL.

Peace out! :)