Natural Cleaners & Sticky Residue

I haven't bought a cleaning solution in years. Instead I make my own. It is so much better than using toxic chemicals and it's cheaper too. What do you need? Just baking soda, vinegar and water for an all purpose cleaner. Simple. I use it for cleaning everything. I did have my first problem with the solution when taking some old stickers off my daughters four wheeler. First layer came off fine, but there was a nasty residue that just didn't want to come off. I was determined to get it off naturally. The missing ingredient was coconut oil. Yep, sprayed on my all purpose cleaner then I put on some organic unrefined coconut oil (it has so many awesome uses!) and was able to scrape the old stickers off a lot easier! Yay!

{rubbed coconut oil on top of the sticker after it had been sprayed with the all purpose solution}

The four wheeler looks so much better without the outdated stickers. We were able to sell it at a children's sale for triple the amount we paid for it plus made extra money that was donated to the Children's Miracle Network. Awesome! It is so much fun finding great deals and making things look better for a small amount of money. I probably see too much potential in things sometimes. My husband thinks I need to downsize. Hmmm. Guess I should flip a few more things.

Back to the natural cleaners. With Kaelyn back in doors lately due to cooler temps, I found stickers being put where they really shouldn't be. And of course they are the STICKY stickers. The kind where only the top layer comes off. Urrr. Was not happy to see it on the door and window. We've had a number of them on the fridge. Kaelyn learned her lesson when I told her she had to take them off and she struggled for a long time. Out came the all purpose solution with baking soda, vinegar and water and it took care of the problem easily.

Yay for no more stickers! Boo for the snow that came. That's South Dakota weather for you.

Drastic temp changes.

Last week as I had posted, Wednesday did turn out to be a gorgeous day. 77!

Five days later...

34 degrees (that wasn't the low of the day) and it is snowing. Quite a bit more snow came today. Shucks. So looking forward to the warm weather sticking around for awhile. The one thing I want to stick!!! :)

I don't really measure the ingredients for the cleaning solution but it is close to this if you want to make your own:
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
fill the rest of a spray bottle with water

*try adding coconut oil for removing tough sticky residue

God is Good...

Always.

{image via google}

We were given the opportunity to see God's Not Dead last night. (Thanks mom and dad!) It was filled with great points about faith and evolution. I encourage all believers and non-believers to go see the movie if you get the chance. During the beginning I was thinking it was rather depressing and didn't really see why people thought the movie was so great. But the depressing part came from the people who didn't believe. They have no hope for the future and many are just plain evil... not thinking of anyone but themselves and their own happiness. It just seems to me that life with God is so much brighter, even if you are going through something bad, you at least have hope for better things to come; the living word is filled with encouragement and direction.

Have you seen the movie? If so what are your thoughts about it?

Spirit {art prints}

Hello all! Looks like we are blessed with another beautiful day. :)

The weather forecast for tomorrow is above 75! I sure hope they are right.

{Spirit Horse Art Print}

Just wanted to share that prints of "Spirit" are now available in the shop. I cropped off the pink painted portion from the original mixed media piece (shown here) so it would go with anyone's decor. Just in case pink isn't your color; not sure why that would be. Ha, ha!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Good in the Ordinary

There is something wonderful about good, ordinary days. That is how I would describe our weekend. We didn't do anything all that exciting, yet it was a very good weekend.

Kaelyn and I did more experimenting in the kitchen and the results were all good. One creation was a gluten, dairy, egg, and nightshade free pizza. It had been over a year since I've had a pizza due to our allergies/intolerances and last week I was really wanting pizza so decided to experiment and create my own that would work for all of us. It turned out surprisingly good and Kaelyn requested we make another, so we did. :)

Saturday was painting group. K was a little under the weather but woke up Sunday morning saying she wanted to go to church. :) The weather was GORGEOUS so after church we all spent time outside enjoying the warmth. No jackets and almost all the snow is gone. Yay! The snowstorm that was supposed to hit last Thursday and dump 6-8 inches missed us!

 So we had fun outside with Cal!

Hoping this week goes just as well.

Shine {New Art Prints!}

Last year it seemed my body was just in survival mode. I did not feel creative. All I wanted was to feel better. Although I got a few fine art projects accomplished, no new graphic designs were created for the shop. This year is different. Sure I've had some ups and downs with my health, but my creativity has returned. That makes me happy. My mind is bursting with ideas and plans on what I want to accomplish this year. Now to work in the time to get it all completed...

I've had a "shine" design idea in my head for awhile now and when one of my bible study groups decided to work through Philippians I saw my Bible bookmarked with the shine verse and knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I worked hard on this design. I seriously created over 50 roughs before I was happy with one. And here is the finished piece:

{Girl's Shine Like Stars Art Print available HERE}

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, 

in which you shine like stars in the universe. ~ Philippians 2:13-15

Everyone has the ability to do good in this world. We each have a special talent/ability that was given to us from God. It is up to us to do what God has placed on our heart. I believe that when we follow our heart we start to shine from the inside out. I hope this art print will be a positive reminder to everyone who reads it to do good and "shine". Even if other people don't see us shining from what we do, God will and that is all that matters.

{Shine Like Stars in the Universe in seafoam green available HERE}

A simpler version of the shine print that would work for all ages. It would be cute in a boy's or girl's nursery.

Another newish print from this year that came about from a custom request...

{Boy's Christian Word Art Prayer in earth tones}

 A few different color options are available in the shop.

{Grace of God Boy's Christian Art Print in teal available HERE}

Hope you like the new designs. Some new products and fine art are in the works! :)

Makes Me Happy...

I needed a break from work and decided to share some things that have made me happy this month.

 * {Warmer Days and a Cutie} This photo I took last summer is sitting on my art room table. First of all, he is such a cutie! Just looking at him makes me smile. Then the photo excites me for warmer weather to come. Our snow was almost gone this past Monday and then on Tuesday we got dumped on, about a foot of snow, not exaggerating. So looking at summery photos make me happy. :)

* {New Recipes} Last week I created a couple yummy recipes. Love when an experiment turns out. If you have followed my blog for awhile, you would know that awhile back I hated cooking/spending time in the kitchen. NOT my thing. But when you are given health issues to deal with and a very limited diet you have no other option then to spend time in the kitchen. I've learned a lot and now I know I can create in the kitchen, with food! I will be sharing recipes in the future.

* {Toothpaste} It has been months since I wanted to make my own homemade toothpaste. I finally did it early this week. So far I LOVE it. My teeth feel like they have just been professionally cleaned and it is all healthy, simple ingredients. HERE is the recipe I went by. After I use it for a month or two and if I still really like it I will be sure to share what exactly I used.

* {Bible Studies} We have been going to a Sunday morning Bible class for awhile now and have recently started going to a family bible study too. I leave both with an amazing, uplifting feeling. I believe they make me be and strive to be a better person. Such an experience that it is hard to explain. ♥

* {Things Kids Say} Kaelyn is so excited for her first ever sleepover. She planned it. She originally said, "Mom and dad need a date! I don't care what you do without me, just go." She's been on the countdown for awhile now and she can't wait until it happens this weekend. So I get a quiet night out with my man. Yay!

* {Health} No crazy stomach pains that caused me to curl up on the couch this week. Hurray! I thought I had been doing so much better and wham I tried some new foods, not knowing one was in the nightshade family. Nightshades HATE me. :( They make me feel like someone is tearing my insides out. Then I also find out things that are labeled gluten free aren't necessarily gluten free. So much of a percent is okay with certain labels and Celiacs have to know their special labels!!!! URRRR! Learning stuff the hard way. Makes me more thankful when things go smoothly.

* {Art Group} It is fun to get away and do fine art with no other distractions and have other supportive artists around you. It is a time set aside to do what I love.

* {Customers} So very thankful for all my customers. I have new design ideas for the shop and I can't wait to get them created!!! I also get so excited when I see photos come my way showing how people displayed my work. Makes me happy!

{First We Had Each Other art print in aqua and orange}

Okay, now I need to get back to work. Big sale tomorrow. 

Not quite ready... that doesn't make me so happy. Ha! Hope you all have a happy weekend! :)

Living Today {A Heart Wrenching Letter}

Several people I know have recently lost their life to cancer. It is scary. More are struggling with it. A young teenage boy from my town is currently fighting for his life. And we continue to pray and offer support when we can. Although the situations are so very sad, there is so much to be learned from these events, from the people who are struggling.
Some of you bloggers may follow Sweet Something Designs and know that Michelle recently lost her fight to the horrible disease. Or maybe a better way to put it is the Lord was ready to take her pain away and take her home, because she never gave up fighting. While scrolling down my feedly posts I came upon the sweetest letter Michelle's husband wrote to her on her blog. Here is the first sheet:

Please go HERE and read the rest of the letter.

My heart is heavy. Justin's letter made me cry. How often we focus our lives on things and thoughts that don't really matter... money, things, future goals, our looks, personal wants... One day not too far off we will be gone and these things will have no value. So should our motivation in life be any of this? Maybe one of our top priorities should be to learn from each other. To teach others to be better (in a graceful way). We should love one another and support each other through good times and bad. We shouldn't turn our back on those who need us. Sometimes we stay so busy that we are missing out on what is truly important. Tomorrow any one of us could be gone. Are you ready for this to be your last day on earth? It could be a loved one's last day... Do what you can today, for there may be no tomorrow.

Drawing in Progress!

If you didn't know already, I LOVE to draw!!! It is the one thing I feel confident at. I could draw all day but sadly it never seems to be at the top of my priority list. I don't know why. Maybe I feel like it is too much fun and I should be doing harder work instead? It is a good thing I'm part of an art group that meets once a month or who knows when I would make time for it. I'm starting to think my priorities need to change. :)

What are You Eating? {Peeling Back the Layers}

Three plus years ago if you would have told me I would mainly be eating only veggies in my future and no cheese, ordinary bread, pasta, popcorn, desserts... I would have laughed at you. But when my health took a drastic turn, and I no longer felt like myself and was scared to death of the cancer word coming out of my doctor's mouth I was ready to eat as healthy as I possibly could. After lots of research, trial and error, and a ton of time in the kitchen I am feeling soooo much better! Thank God for pointing me in the right direction and providing healing, healthy food!
One of the veggies I fell in love with are brussels sprouts. No way would I have touched them before getting so sick. Boy was I missing out on something good! But even with the good, one has to be very careful! Fresh veggies are hard to come by when living in South Dakota in the cold winter months. The best we can get for "fresh" brussels sprouts is from Green Giant. The package says you can heat them as is in the bag. Sounds good and easy in our fast paced world. Well, first of all I wouldn't heat anything in plastic and microwaves are another concern but that is a whole different story. Yes, I may have become a health food Nazi. ;) Anyway when I take these sprout gems out of the bag to cook on the stove I like to wash them again for myself. Here's why...

*** Warning! If you are about to eat you may want to read this/see this post later.

What is supposed to be ready to eat and easy to make in the bag is not so if you start peeling back the layers. Every package I get is similar to this. Some even much worse. You never know what you will be surprised with.

 Do you see the mold? There is also bug/worm like things on there and something that looks like eggs. Gross!!! These are all the bad pieces I pulled off.

 Closer views for ya...

Just to prove when I was making these, February 26 is on my phone, the enjoy by date on the package is crazy; these would have been totally disgusting to eat if we had waited until March 4th! With already compromised health I can't afford more health risks from eating foods that should be healthy for me. So I end up taking lots of time to clean and pick through the yucky leaves. It seriously takes me a good half hour for one bag. And I do this because I love them and they are healthy when you get to the good stuff.

 I always cut them in half before sauteing. This also helps to make sure I didn't miss something nasty.

 Heating them up with ghee, coconut oil and garlic cloves. Yum!

And I could eat the whole pan full in one sitting.

Being a gardener in the summer, I know how hard it is to keep the bugs and worms out of the good garden produce. It would take a worker far to long to inspect each sprout, I get that. But by no means should Green Giant's packaging make it sound like this is ready to eat. It should state to wash the sprouts well yourself even though they have been prewashed. When people are working hard to become healthier they need to know to clean all food thoroughly themselves because someone else isn't going to spend near the time cleaning food they aren't eating.

Hope you find this information useful and will share with loved ones.

Heavy Heart

I was planning on posting some art this week as it has been far too long but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Something else has been on my mind. Early this week we received news of my husband's aunt passing away. My heart sunk. She had just found out her cancer had spread and was given six months to live. Only a couple days after getting the news she was gone. When we heard she had six months I still had hope. Hope that God would cure her here on earth. I've seen a friend given no hope from doctors and God healed her so I was very hopeful. Maybe too hopeful as I have seen several loved ones lose their fight to cancer. My heart aches for the girls who lost their mom, the husband who lost his wife, the mom who lost her daughter, the young grandkids who lost their grandma... and though it is so sad I have to look at the brighter side. She is no longer in pain. She has gone home to the Lord.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

For those left behind...

"I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Death can really make you look differently at life... what is really important. Our time here is short.

A Fairy Party

Instead of spending much time on a special cake this year for Kaelyn's party I spent it on the invitation. 

From a designers standpoint that is by far the most fun. :)

Kaelyn was busy months ago working on fairy pictures for the walls. We added fairy balloons, fairy figurines (which she already had), fairy coloring/sticker books, and wands. Fairy success!

I made allergy friendly/gluten free chocolate cupcakes. Recipe is found HERE from The Renegade Kitchen. I made a couple tweaks, I doubled the batch, used half the coconut sugar and added a little stevia, plus added in a sprinkle of Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I then made the healthiest frosting recipe I could find... coconut, recipe also from The Renegade. I cut out the agave/coconut syrup part and I didn't have full fat coconut milk on hand so had to use light which made for a runnier frosting but worked fine. I can't give my input on taste since I was unable to try them at this time, but birthday girl gave them two thumbs up and wanted to eat them all, so they passed the test. :)

 There was lots of play time...

Kaelyn thought it would be fun to have help on her Valentine's box.

Last year we went with mini play doughs for her classmates, this year it was organic suckers which all the kids seem to love the fruit flavors. Kaelyn had her mind made up for how she wanted to make valentines so I didn't have to help at all. {insert happy mom that didn't have much time!}

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Be sure to hug a loved one and let them know how much you care about them today.

Six!

This past Saturday marked a very special day... Kaelyn's sixth birthday. Can't believe how quickly she is growing up. Her dad and I are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Some of her favorite things include creating art (she says she is going to be an artist and a mama when she grows up), family movie night, biking, running, eating kale chips (her favorite snack), playing with her mom and dad - preferably with her princesses or horses, and playing with friends. Although she can be super stubborn and hard of hearing when it comes to mom and dad's voices, she does have a soft heart and loves the Lord. She's always teaching us... whether it is to give freely at church or that we need more patience. :)

It has been such a good five years. I look forward to the new adventures this year holds for us. :)