Estate Sale Addict...

I think we have created a monster...our youngest boy has become absolutely addicted to estate sales. The first time we took the 3 lil' kids to one they were completely freaked to be looking through a dead person's stuff {much like me}. It took CP all of five minutes of being at one to decide he LOVES them, though. He has a good eye for bargains, too. We hit 2 sales yesterday, and he was crushed there weren't anymore. There were even tears over it. The promise of more sales in the future and a trip to the new house pacified him quickly.

We acquired some great finds at yesterday's sales. We purchased some photo lighting for our friend Kelly. Tyler found a rubber mallet to repair the dents in our metal sleds and some tool for car tires. I got 10 full place settings of fine Japanese china for $50. {I'd post pictures, but it's all at the other house}. We also purchased a fabulous vintage 50's hutch for our kitchen and a dresser.

{The original owner's pic of our new hutch. LOVE it!}

Obviously the lack of posting on our part shows how busy we have been with all this moving. It's such an exhausting process! Friday we spent the day cleaning the new house...using all our eco-safe homemade cleansers, of course. The kids had a blast playing in the backyard, while we scrubbed. We had to drag them away kicking and screaming. Same thing yesterday. I assume today will be a repeat story. 

If you have hard water or get lyme build-up on your faucets, I cannot say enough how amazingly hot vinegar works to remove it! Just pour the vinegar into a plastic bag (reused/recycled, of course), rubber band it around your faucet and let it soak for 15 minutes. 

Here are my other cleaning recipes: {I mix them in glass bowls and funnel the mixes into spray/squirt bottles.}

De-Greaser:                                                     All-Purpose Cleaner:                       

2c. hot water                                                     3 tbsp. white vinegar

1/4c. lavender castille soap                               1/2 tsp. washing soda

1/4 tsp. lavender essential oil                            1/2 tsp. castille soap

                                                                         1/4 tsp. essential oil scent of choice

                                                                         2c. hot water

Bath, Tub, Tile Cleanser:                             Toilet Bowl Cleaner:

2/3c. baking soda                                             1/2c. baking soda

1/2c. lavender castille soap                              1/2c. borax

2tbsp. white vinegar                                        1/2c. castille soap

1/2c. water                                                       1/2c. water

a few drops tea tree oil                                     10 drops tea tree oil

**these two I put into squirt bottles, as they are thick and it works better for cleaning**

That's all I've got for now. I'm getting the evil eye from Tyler to get my butt back to packing...

Slippery Slope...

Yesterday was an eventful day. We signed everything for the house and got the keys. We spent some time there checking things out, shoveling & salting, measuring rooms & windows, taking note of things we need to get before moving in...all the fun things one does with a new house.

We also hit a few estate sales in the area. I have to admit, I do find it sorta creepy to be going through a dead person's house trying to get the best bargain possible on their lifetime accumulation of household stuff. Death terrifies me, and I don't deal with it well at all. That being said, we got the find of a lifetime at one yesterday. TWO metal antique saucer sleds for $10. You know the sleds I'm talking about- Clark Griswold takes a wild ride on one in Christmas Vacation. Ever since the 3 lil' kids saw that scene, they have been begging for metal sleds. Now we have some. Tyler is currently at "Suicide Hill" in Elver Park with the kids taking a test run. They're trying to determine if the sleds need any "greasing"; like the Griswold's did to theirs.

{This one is not ours. It's an image I found on Google, since ours are at the sledding hill right now.}

Yesterday's estate sale haul also included an awesome {the kids say creepy} marble bust of a boy for $3 and a set of vintage TV trays for $10. Tyler purchased a fantastic birthday gift for Matt. Even I think it's awesome, although I'm not 100% sure his wife will agree. Sorry, Kel. Ty also got himself 2 gorgeous 1940's era Chinese silk ties for $3/each. 

In my continual search for green cleaning techniques, I came across a great drain cleaner recipe. If your house is anything like ours, there is always a clogged drain. This recipe actually works pretty well, too!

Drain Cleaner:

Pour 1c. baking soda down the clogged drain. Follow it with 1c. plain vinegar. Cover the drain with a drain plug, plate, etc. and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Flush well with hot water for 2-3 minutes. If your drain is really bad, you may need to do this 2x. 

Also, if you have hard water and get that annoying/gross lime build-up on your faucets or shower head, fill a plastic bag halfway with plain vinegar. Rubber band the bag around the faucet or shower head and let sit for 30 minutes. It will clean all that gunk right off. Easy fix, eh?