painting the bathroom cabinet

We have slowly been remodeling our downstairs half bathroom over the past couple of years. The latest was that we painted the cabinet. We learned that it isn't real wood, so we couldn't sand and stain it. We just had to prime and paint. This is how it turned out.

So far I like it. I still need to work on the hubby for changing the sink, counter and floor though. Baby steps, right? lol

The room has come a long way however. This is a picture we took when we bought our house 3 years ago. As you can see, we also have painted, changed the mirror and put all new bronze fixtures in throughout the bathroom. I really like it since we made those changes.
I guess I never took a picture of the yellow flower border that was up near the ceiling so I can't show you that :)

This is the before picture of the cabinet. The counter is actually a light cream color. The pictures make it look more pinkish I think.

Here is a picture after we primed it. Then we painted it. Initially, we painted it a very bright white. It was too white. So we took the paint back and had them mix in some colors to soften it.


The end result:

We also added new lighting. I really like how it turned out. We used to have those ball lights that the builder put in with the mirror behind it. I never liked those!
It matched the light fixture that we hung in our entry way.
I love doing home improvement projects. Do you? Do you think our bathroom remodel has been an improvement so far?

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great day!

Rebecca

Homemade Natural Baby Wipes

I have been hearing about these natural baby wipes for awhile now from a few different people, so it was finally time for me to try them too! I made them a few weeks ago now, and so far I really like using them with my kids. Here is how I made them:

First, I took a Bounty big roll of paper towel and cut it in half. I was told that other paper towels won't work for this. The Bounty are nice because they are the half sheet size:
The edges got frayed a bit but that didn't seem to matter in the end.

Next, I poured 2 cups of water into a bowl. I used filtered water.
I have heard to use hot water so they don't mold. I didn't because I didn't know this at the time and haven't had any issue with that.

I added 1 tsp. of Shakleebaby Gentle Wash and 1/4 tsp. of Shakleebaby Massage Oil. I have also heard of people using natural baby oil or almond oil in place of the massage oil.

EDIT: In place of the Shakleebaby Gentle Wash you could also use the liquid Dish Wash Concentrate which smells really nice and fresh OR the Basic H2 organic concentrate.
Both are complete safe on baby skin. (and yours!)
(sorry for this picture being sideways!)

I looked all around for a container that would work for my wipes. I found these but any similar type and size container should work.


I washed the container, put the paper towel in and poured the water mixture over the top.


Then I put the cover on and turned it over for about 15 minutes to let the paper towel really absorb the water mixture.


Next I took the cardboard roll out from the center.
And then they were ready to use!


I really like how they smell and LOVE knowing that I am not using chemicals on my kids bottoms. I wasn't sure if the paper towel would be too rough on their delicate skin, but it isn't at all.

Here are the two Shaklee products that I used:

We use the Gentle Wash every day during bath time and really love it. Here are a few facts about it:

99% natural
76% certified organic ingredients
pediatrician tested
PH balanced
Hypoallergenic
No parabens or SLS
No artificial color or fragrance
No 1, 4-dioxane or formaldehyde

And here are a few facts about the massage oil:

99% natural
99% certified organic ingredients
pediatrician tested
Hypoallergenic
No parabens or SLS
No artificial color or fragrance
No 1, 4-dioxane or formaldehyde

I always feel good using Shaklee products, especially with my kids. The science and quality behind each of their many products is outstanding and something I trust. I grew up with Shaklee as my mom has been using their products for 37 years and I am so excited that I can now make these baby wipes to use with my kids!

I hope this information was useful to you. Thanks for reading and don't forget about my Organize Now party that starts on Jan. 5th. There is still time to check out the book and get yourself organized for the new year! I can't wait!

Have a healthy rest of 2011! Looking forward to what's in store for 2012! :)

Rebecca

Winter Pictures

Sorry that it has been awhile since my last post and of pictures of the boys! I know many of you are interested in current pictures so I put a few up. The beginning ones are of us trying to get a decent one for a Christmas card. As you can probably tell, that is much easier said then done with a 3 year old and 16 month old! Here are a few of the blooper shots.

This one is actually pretty nice of Benjamin. He loves the camera:)








Andrew loves to hug his brother...
He also loves to help me in the kitchen. Our apple pie was yummy!




we made Thanksgiving cards for their grandparents.relaxin'


Benjamin being silly!



all they need is their morning coffee and newspaper and they could be middle aged men. lol




We had a lot of fun at my business customer appreciation open house last weekend. Here is the Shaklee table that I set up. I am already planning for next year.
after the open house, our friends The Roth's stayed for dinner. We exchanged presents and everyone had a lot of fun.

"let me out!"


Benjamin and I enjoy the parent/toddler classes. Here are a few pictures that his teacher took.



Go Pack!
The boys love to "help decorate" and redecorate our little tree. I think next year we may get a real one, but this year this one was perfect. :)
Andrew doesn't always like to take his naps. The other day, he finally passed out half way up his bed! I guess he was so exhausted that he didn't have the energy to get all the way back up. We put pillows and blankets on the floor so when he finally woke up, he didn't fall and get hurt. It was so cute!
Thanks again for reading and keeping up with my blog. Remember my Organize Now party starting in January. I hope you'll join me in getting organized. I am so excited about it!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Holiday season and New Year too!!!

Rebecca