Mediocrity

I recently read an article called "What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life." Wow. You don't often see articles like that. I knew right away that this woman must know me. She IS writing words from my very soul after all.  We live in a very loud, very fast world.  We constantly need more, and we need it now. We add things to fill our schedules and busy our lives in hopes that it will pay off in the end. We read endless blogs of people striving to climb higher, reach further and chase down our dreams. But, what if our dreams are right here. What if the thing that makes us truly content is right in front of us,  but we can't see it because it is covered with what we think we should be doing.

I love being home. Love it. Not in a agoraphobic sort of way, but in a way that brings me peace and happiness. I love taking care of my family and my home. I love home. Unfortunately, we live in a place where that surely isn't enough. Don't you want something bigger, something more?? No. I really don't. I have tried many times to go out and do bigger and better, and all it does is cause a riff in my heart. I feel like I am doing these things for the greater good, but in reality it makes me stressed. And bitter.  I don't need to go out and climb mountains. I don't need all of the big bucket lists, and things you must see and must accomplish.  I want to live slowly. I want to not fill my days with stuff that really doesn't matter.  I want an amazing cup of coffee and the windows open and to just be.

Oh and maybe another cat. :0)

Goodbye

See you..... Later. Those were my last words to a dying man. A friend. Family. As I walked away I knew I wouldn't see him again. I really hoped at our last meeting, I would have something better to say. I wanted to tell him I loved him. That I was so thankful for his friendship to our family. That he and his wife were the best kind of neighbors we could hope for.

A few minuets earlier, his wife asked him if he knew who was visiting. He simply said "Jenny." I'm thankful for that. He knew I was there.  As I was leaving, I said "Well, I will see you... Later." He just nodded. I know he didn't have the strength to say anything more.  So I left. I felt at the time maybe I should go back and say something. Anything. But I didn't. And maybe that's OK. I pray that he knew by my presence how I felt about them. I was there that day because I had picked things up at the store for them. I had brought dinners, and flowers and asked a million times, "what else can I do?"  I was there because I love them, and I am comforted by "See you.... Later." Because I know that this isn't the end. This isn't goodbye. It's only see you later.

Clean Up

Thanks to Pinterest, I have removed "most" of the chemicals from my cleaning up. It saves money, and it is better for us. My absolute favorite so far has been the glass cleaner. It cleans so well, and doesn't leave streaks whatsoever.

Glass Cleaner
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 t. castile soap
2 c. water

~ Mix in a spray bottle and clean away!

My second favorite is the All Purpose cleaner. It works very well on stuck on food! I use it on, well everything. It is All Purpose, you know....

All Purpose Cleaner
 1/2 t. washing soda (found in laundry isle)
2 t. Borax
1/2 t. castile soap.
2. c water (I use warm to help dissolve everything)

~Mix in a spray bottle and clean away! 

In order to make and All Purpose cleaner into and Antiseptic cleaner is to add 1t thyme or lavender essential oil... Remember NOT the scented oil like you find at Walmart, it needs to be actual essential oil. I haven't actually done this yet, but will as soon as I remember to pick some up.

Now, onto floors. I. Hate. Cleaning. Floors. Seriously, it is my worst chore ever. I don't mind the vacuuming/sweeping part, but mopping. UHG! I hate it..... Because I hate it, I don't do it nearly as much as I should. My friend posted about a floor cleaner that she thought was just wonderful, so I thought I would give it a go. I basically have new floors! I could NOT believe how well this cleaned. I have a white tile floor, and my grout is well, disgusting. It's pretty dark, and I hate it. I am pretty positive that after a few mopping sessions, it will be completely clean. Even with no bleach! I was really, really amazed by this.

Floor Cleaner
1/4 c. white vinegar 
1 t. liquid dish soap 
1/4 c. washing soda 
 2 gallons tap water, very warm 

~ Place all the ingredients into a bucket and mix well until sudsy, and mop away.
*You will need to go over with a plain water mop after or it will leave a bit of a film. Worth it! Seriously clean!

I think that is it for now. Happy Cleaning! 

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder
5 teaspoons paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt to taste

This makes enough for about 3 pounds of ground hamburger.  Add about 1/3 cup of water and enjoy!

Be Royal!

We just won the World Series and it is so awesome! The last time was 1985. I don't remember specifics of the last time we won, but I do remember all the hoopla! I am so excited to be able to share this with my kids. They called off school tomorrow so we are going to the big parade and celebration. It is going to be a madhouse, but totally worth it!

New Recipe

I bought some boneless ribs because they were crazy cheap. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. Hubby is the one who usually does ribs, but I wanted to give them a go. I decided to  make BBQ Ranch Ribs in the crock pot. I really hope they turn out! This is a Pinterest recipe, so we shall see how it goes.

My menu for this week is still in progress. I will have to come back here and update it.

Menu November 2nd-November 8th
Monday ~ BBQ Ranch Boneless Ribs
Tuesday ~
Wednesday ~
Thursday ~ CFA
Friday ~
Saturday ~ Get Together
Sunday ~ Hubby Grills.

My Kitchen

When we moved into our house, the kitchen had the original 1970's wall paper. It was the first thing to go. I've always wanted a red kitchen, so that's what we did. Here we are 10 years later, and I still love the red, but I have been wanting something just a little different.

I love the way gray and yellow look together. I painted my cabinets yellow a few years ago, and I love them, but I really want to incorporate gray in. So I decided to paint the walls yellow, but leave 1 red accent wall and I will paint the cabinets gray. Stay tuned for pics. :)