My 5 Favorite Fabulous Cleaning Products

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I really hate to clean.  I'll cook all day, fill the clothesline with laundry, organize and decorate, and I'll even pick up after seven people and a menagerie of pets and livestock.  But I hate to clean.  So when I finally find those rare products that perform miracles with little effort from me, I've got to brag on them.  So here we go...the cleaning products hall of fame at the Preppy Mountain Farmhouse:

1. Bar Keepers Friend:

This powder has been the only thing to clean the gray marks and yellowing in our new cast iron sink.  A little goes a long way, and it doesn't smell strong like bleach does.  Bleach products actually didn't work at all, but Bar Keepers Friend does.  This stuff is awesome.

2. the Works: Although no one wants to talk about this subject, I have to sing the praises of this product for cleaning old toilets.  We have had plumbers here to unclog toilets more times than I would like to admit, and then my husband decided he would purchase the necessary tools to get the job done himself.  One time when there was a particularly persistent problem (due to a softball sized wad of toilet paper discovered later in a pipe) Hubby used every tool in the book, and in the process, scratched up the porcelain in the bottom of the bowl pretty bad.  Additionally, we have hard water with sulfur and limestone in it, and that repeatedly stained the toilet as well.  I tried all kinds of products, but nothing got it really clean.  That is, until I gave The Works a try.  Now, with the exception of the scratches in the porcelain, the toilet is sparkling white again.  This cleaner really does work, and I always have a bottle on hand in the bathroom.

3. Lime-A-Way: Along the same vein, tackling the gradual yellowing of our new bathtub was also a problem until we started using this cleaner.  I can spray Lime-A-Way on those yellowed areas from our well water, let it sit for a few minutes, and then return and wipe it away.  Before I discovered The Works, I used this in the toilet too.  It helped to a certain degree, but never to my satisfaction.  It's terrific in the bathtub, however.

4. Fels-Naptha: Back in the day when I made nearly everything from scratch, I mixed up large batches of homemade laundry detergent.  Fels-Naptha soap was a leading ingredient, and I still have extra bars sitting around the house.  I have found it to be the best pre-treatment for stains on clothing.  I simply wet the bar a bit, and rub it on the soiled spots before I throw the items in the washing machine.  It really works on most anything I've come across in the hamper as long as the stained article of clothing hasn't previously been washed and dried.  This is simple enough for the kiddos to pre-treat their own clothing when those white uniform shirts come home from school with splatters of ketchup or tomato sauce all over them.

5. Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar: Finally, my go-to product for any number of things is organic apple cider vinegar.  This serves all kinds of medicinal purposes, of course.  But I also use a 50-50 dilution of it with water in a spray bottle to clean windows and glass, disinfect and clean spots on our wooden kitchen counter tops and those newly finished pine kitchen floors.  I've even used it on the itchy spots on our beagle when she just won't stop licking and scratching.  Any time I need to clean, disinfect, or treat something, and I'm not sure a harsher cleaner would be safe to use, I turn to pure vinegar.

So there you have it: my favorite picks for doing my least favorite life tasks.  If anyone has a tool or product that is fantastic at cleaning up dust and dog fur, I am all ears.  That is one problem in this old farmhouse that I just cannot seem to overcome.

 

A Girl's First Communion Party

 

Our youngest child had her First Holy Communion this past weekend, so we threw a small party with family and friends afterwards.  I let our daughter choose the decorations, and Party City was the place to shop.  They had all kinds of decorations in pinks, blues, and gender neutral colors.  We got a package of 3 of these Chinese lanterns which we hung from chandeliers in the rooms downstairs and the hallway.

 

They sold various sizes of these plates and napkins, plus paper cups for the children.

 

Our daughter was especially keen on the hanging cardboard Communion cutouts with shiny pink metallic string which we hung from windows and door frames. 

 

I saw some beautiful white cupcakes on Pinterest arranged in the shape of a cross.  Party City had silver cross cupcake liners and pink cross cupcake toppers, along with the silver tray, pink candy sprinkles, and silver shimmering food color spray for the top of the icing.  Ours weren't as pretty as the ones on Pinterest, but they did turn out better than they look in this picture, and they were all gone by the next morning.

 

My older daughter and I had saved a number of food pins to make for this party until I sat down and faced the reality that there was no way I was going to have time to make all that food.  I was barely home last week to get laundry done and the dog fur swept up.  So I resigned myself to the typical lunch time fare of deli meat/cheese sandwiches, fruit & veggie trays with dips, barbecue meatballs in the crockpot, chips and more dips, mixed nuts for those of us trying to stay away from carbs, and more deviled eggs (because our hens are still giving us a dozen eggs/day.)

 

But I did make this pink party punch that I saw on Pinterest that some cool mom made for her daughter's Shopkins party.  I forgot to take any photos before the party and then I had my husband go around photographing when the more popular foods and drinks were nearly devoured.  This is so simple.

Pink Party Punch

Mix 2 liters of Sprite, 2 quarts of pink raspberry lemonade, and 2 quarts of cactus twist sorbet.  That's it!

 

Eleven children were at our house celebrating that afternoon, and they all looked so awesome.

 

But that only lasted for about five minutes because everyone eagerly changed into play clothes for some light saber/Nerf gun wars in the yard and pastures.  You can't see him in this photo, but there was an escaped billy goat out there in the midst of these battles, just minding his own business and chowing down on dandelions.

 

We all had a great time, but the day was bittersweet for me as we watched our last child take her First Holy Communion with parents holding fidgety babies and toddlers all around us, and it hit me that this is the first time I was there with my arms empty.  And this would be the final time we would be experiencing this special day with one of our children.

 

God Bless!

 

Blogging on the Run

 

It's already that time of the year again.  That super busy time near the end of the school year when the children have their performances, games, recitals, field trips, and shows.  Even though we're not involved in quite as many sports and extra-curricular activities as a lot of other families we know, with five school-aged children, it still means a lot of time away from home.  And lots of time driving.  These final six weeks or so before summer vacation begins are extremely full, and most days on the calendar have no space left to write anything.  

So far we've already had a strings recital:

 

Our daughter and a friend played and sang "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.  She is our little diva and dreams of being the next Taylor Swift.

And we watched our older daughter attend her first prom this past weekend:

 

That was bittersweet because I just can't believe she's this old already.  And my husband and I realized it's been three decades since we attended prom---actually, it's been 33 years since we both went to our first proms.  But we didn't go together.  How is it possible that so much time has elapsed already?  Like a blink of an eye.

And this is what we still have left to attend/celebrate over the next five weeks:

1. Our final child's First Holy Communion
2. Four birthdays
3. A band concert
4. Two showings of a musical
5. Two art shows
6. Two choral performances
7. Four field trips that I know of now
8. A class yoga party
9. Two instrumental performances at nursing homes
10.  EXAMS

 

These are just the final performances, mind you.  It doesn't include the practices and rehearsals leading up to the days.  Even though I wasn't thrilled with her decision at the time, I'm rather relieved our teen daughter dropped out of track for the season or we'd be having serious overlaps on the schedule.  And our middle school son isn't old enough to compete at the meets for his track team, so that simplifies that.

 

So why am I telling you all of this?  It's my excuse in advance for not blogging regularly.  I might get little snippets of time to post a bit over the next month or so, but it probably will be sporadic at best.

 

 

And if you're like me and most of my friends right now, you probably don't have a lot of free time to sit around on the Internet reading blogs anyway.  But I'll be thinking of you, and we'll meet up again when we can.

Until then, Happy Spring & God Bless.

Easter Holiday Highlights

 

Nearly a week after the fact, and I've finally uploaded the Easter photos, collected the Easter baskets, and finished off the last of the Easter dinner.  Except for the colored eggs; there are still lots of those.  And the decorations are still up.  And I still have half a bag of Easter candy stashed away to use as bribes or rewards as needed.  Anyway, this is what Easter looked like at our preppy mountain farmhouse this year.  We didn't invite the hen above into our family picture with us sitting in our clean Church clothes; she photobombed it, and our son caught her.

 

We took dinner to our grown son's house the afternoon before Easter.  Our boys actually got to hold their nephew for once; usually they can't get him out of their sister's arms.

 

And his uncles adore him.  It is so much easier to keep a baby entertained when he has so many aunties and uncles around to make a fuss over him.

 

Our youngest daughter and I made dozens of deviled eggs over the weekend.  Our hens are laying around twelve eggs every day, and we have eggs coming out the wazoo.  I've been scrambling them and making custard and boiling them and even freezing them.  But we still have six full cartons in the refrigerator with another dozen or so that were dyed last Saturday.

 

These were just a select few that the children and their dad colored last weekend.  All of our hens lay brown eggs of various shades, and everyone wanted to make metallic ones, so we weren't sure how they would turn out.  Some looked golden, and others not shown here were a rather putrid brownish-greenish color.

 

I actually bought myself a new Easter dress this year from TJ Maxx.  Two of my adolescent photographers were trying to get me to pose in more interesting ways, but this was the only one I'd feel comfortable sharing.  No Kardashian wannabes here.

 

But we did have some kind of Spiderman-Samurai character running around our property searching for eggs.  I'm not sure what look she was going for; she's her own unique blend of some kind of wonderful.

 

And her ten year-old brother is his own blend of awesomeness too.

 

This guy showed up for the egg hunt as well, but all he was really interested in was eating the fresh green buds on the bush above him.

 

All of my kiddos still participate in our annual egg hunt, and their dad doesn't make it easy for them.

 

Every year as they get older and older, at least one of them says that maybe next year they'll just help hide the eggs, and not be a part of the hunt anymore.  But the next year comes, and whether they like to admit it or not, they still get excited about finding their color-coded stuffed eggs.

 

And I'm holding on to that for as long as I can.

I hope your weekend is your own blend of wonderful awesomeness.

My Favorite Hair & Skin Care Products for Middle-Aged Moms

Big Sexy Hair Powder Play is the dream product of all of us who came of age in the eighties.  Some of us spent a lot of money on root perms to give us the volume we coveted.  While I'm not looking for that much pouf nowadays, I do avoid having flat hair.  This product is AMAZING.  You sprinkle a little bit at your roots and fluff your hair with your fingers, and you've got instant lift.  It's small enough to carry in your wristlet for touchups.  But I've found that one sprinkling of it lasts for two days, no exaggeration.  What I would have given for this thirty years ago.

Aussie Instant Freeze Gel is a favorite of the adolescent boys in my house, but I use it too right after I wash my hair.  I just dab a little next to my scalp along the front of my hair so it falls to the side of my face and not straight down over my nose.  This gel really does freeze your hair and lasts all day long; a little goes a long, long way.  A 7 oz. container lasts us for at least half the year.

LACURA Q10 Night Cream is full of all those great ingredients that are supposed to slow down the aging factors.  I tend to have very sensitive skin, but this is one product I've been using for years with positive results.  Better yet, it's quite inexpensive; I find it at our local Aldi.

 

Cover Girl BB Cream is my favorite facial product that I use daily.  Since it contains moisturizer, toner, and sunscreen, I feel like I've got all the bases covered.  It's lighter than foundation, and the sunscreen isn't tacky, so I don't even feel like I'm wearing it.  Many days, this cream and some mascara are all I need for being out and about.

When I was a child, I would get eczema on my elbows and knees in the winter time.  Then for decades, I had no skin problems at all.  However, for some reason, my eczema returned a year ago.  The dermatologist said I have "discoid eczema" that starts out looking like small round red dry patches that resemble ringworm.  I know; how nasty is that?  They itch like crazy, but the more I scratch, the larger those patches get.  The skin can get calloused and rough and even bleed.  So I now use this Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream on all of my skin twice a day all year long.  It has helped immensely, and I seriously see a huge difference if I run out and have to use something else for a couple of days.  For anyone with dry skin issues, I would highly recommend this product.

I'm going to come clean and admit to you that I have an addiction...to chapstick.  I am miserable without some kind of lip balm on at all times.  Burt's Bees Coconut & Pear Moisturizing Lip Balm is my current favorite.  It contains coconut butter, shea butter, and of course, beeswax, and it feels and smells awesome.  The Easter Bunny brought my girls several tubes of this in their Easter baskets.

So these are my top six name-brand products that I've been using since I've hit my mid-forties.  I've begun using some additional anti-aging creams the past few months, but I'm waiting to see if I notice any real changes before I feature them.  The jury's still out.

What about you?  Any recommendations you care to share?

Oh, and just a reminder that the products shown in this post are affiliate links to Amazon.com.  If you click, it will take you directly to the product page.  Any purchases you make (on most anything) means a small referrer fee to me, at no extra cost to you.  Thanks in advance if you do.

On Break for Easter

 

We are officially on Easter break.  Over the next five days we'll be engaging in our Easter traditions and rituals.  We'll be watching the same Jesus of Nazareth TV series that I watched during Holy Week as a girl.  We'll be coloring and decorating our hens' brown eggs with Paas egg dye and vinegar, just as I did when I was young.  We'll be bringing in bouquets of daffodils from our yard, and we'll be ironing our semi-formal spring clothing for Church on Sunday.  We'll be whipping up deviled eggs and grating carrots for homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  The empty Easter baskets will be brought down from the attic and placed on the kitchen table Saturday night.  And they'll be full of spring gifts and candy when the children awake on Easter morning.  We'll get together with extended family, and we'll eat ham, roasted carrots and green beans, and rice pilaf for an early Easter dinner.  Finally, there will be the annual egg hunt in our yard with stuffed plastic eggs color coded for each child so that everyone gets the same number and everything is fair.  We might even squeeze in a game of tennis and a hike up the mountain before our usual routines begin again next week.

Most of all, we'll be celebrating our faith during this most sacred holiday, and we'll be grateful for warm spring weather since there have been some Easters we've had to wear our snow boots and winter coats to Church.  I'll be back on Blogger next week, but until then, I'm wishing you all days filled with sunshine, blooming bulbs and dogwood trees, and spring celebrations with friends and family.

BlookUp Will Publish Your Blog or Social Media Posts

 

Do any of you bloggers have concerns that your blog posts could disappear from the Internet and years of your heart and soul will be deleted along with them?  My blog has been like a new baby to me over the past two years, and I like to know that I have the contents of it in a hard copy sitting in my living room.  Also, in case I ever move on to other creative pursuits, it feels good to know that I still have the hundreds of pages of Preppy Mountain Farmhouse, and they won't be lost if I close my blog.

 

I went to BlookUp for publishing all of my blog posts, and they made it so easy to do this seemingly daunting task.  It didn't take me much more than an hour to choose the size, which posts I wanted to include (all of them, of course), where I wanted page breaks, and what to include as the cover photo and the bio on the back.  Their home page can be found by clicking here.

 

Before placing your order, you get the opportunity to preview the entire book online.  Then you can order a softcover printed book or pay only a few dollars for an e-book.  You can even choose to make your book available to the public and by choosing your price, you can sell it to others.  Each volume of my blog was nearly 500 pages (the maximum amount for one book), and it was a bit pricey, so I couldn't imagine anyone other than me purchasing it.  But if you have a smaller book or you choose to only publish certain posts by categories, you might want to place yours up for sale and see what happens.

 

You can choose any picture for your front and back covers; they don't have to be from within your blog.

 

At the back of the book they place a Table of Contents with each post title and its page number.  How handy is that?

 

I was thoroughly pleased with the layout and design and the quality of the printed pictures.

 

Since my blog is about my family, these two volumes will be the equivalent of two years of family scrapbooks that usually take me weeks to complete, and they end up more expensive than the BlookUp books, without all my commentary.

Shipping is free if your book totals around 100 euros, I think.  My books came by USPS within a week or so.  BlookUp will also print whatever posts you choose from your social media sites, if you're so inclined.  I haven't seen any of those in person, so I can't give my review on them.  But I do give a high recommendation for their blog publishing services.

Have a Wonderful Week of Spring, Everyone!