Simple Cleaning Tool - Bathtub

When I figure out a new solution to a problem, I feel like everybody else already knows about it.

I recently bought a pack of dish cloths that have netting on one side.  It is so nice to have the scrubber built right into the cloth and this works well in the kitchen for cleaning the sink, scrubbing baked/cooked on messes and counter tops.

But, then I found another great use for these cloths.   Since I want to be careful about scratching the tub when cleaning it, I thought the scrubber side of these cloths might be good for getting off the soap scum that accumulates.  In the past I have used a sponge that has a scrubber side.

The scrubber dish cloths work great!  First I spray some "Scrubbing Bubbles" bathroom cleaner all around the tub, let it soak in a couple of minutes and then do just a little scrub with the scrubber/net side of the cloth.  The tub comes out sparkling clean!  This was the easiest way yet that I have found to clean the bathtub.  These cloths are easier to clean than sponges because they just go in the washing machine and dryer.

Its a good idea to mark the cloths that are going to be used in the bathroom with a permanent laundry marker or buy a different color that would only be used in the bathroom.  I wouldn't want to use the same cloths in the kitchen or launder them together.

In case you are wondering, I found my scrubber cloths in the kitchen towel and cloth section at Walmart.

So there you have it!  Another exciting adventure at Homemaking Dreams!

March, 2013

Homemaking Tools - Floors

Since this is a homemaking blog, I thought it would make sense to actually post about homemaking every now and then!   I would like to occasionally show some things I use for homemaking.

So in order to do that, today I will show you the tools I use to maintain the wood floors in our home.

We live in a 1940s farmhouse with hardwood floors throughout.  Not one bit of carpet.  Our previous home was built in the early 80s, so had lots of carpet. When we moved here I had no idea how to take care of wood floors. I also never realized how much dust was accumulating on all that carpet until I saw first hand the dust bunnies that were dancing around on the wooden floors!

Here you have it. A broom, a dust mop, a flat mop with removable, washable cover and a small vacuum. The small shop vac is only used for sucking out the dryer vent and vacuuming off the A/C/Heater return thingie and things like that.

The little yellow vac is my main squeeze for floor cleaning.   I have had this one for years and used it for the few non-carpet floors in our previous home.  If I clean out the filter before vacuuming and then check it afterwards, I am always amazed at all the dust, etc. that it picks up. I don't understand where it all comes from, but the proof is in the pudding.

After a quick vacuum I will go around everything quickly with the dust mop. It allows me to get the edges and under things without having to move all the furniture. Of course if I was doing a more thorough cleaning I would move furniture, etc. 

After dust mopping, I can shake it outside and see even more dust bunnies that have been removed.  This one isn't too big and swivels every which way.  You can get the floor boards, under beds and all kinds of nooks and crannies with it.   I only recently started using a dust mop and I don't know how I ever got along without it.

The flat head mop is used in conjunction with a spray bottle of cleaning solution made specifically for wood floors. You just spray a little on the floor and mop. When finished, the removable cover is laundered in the washing machine.

Keeping the floors free of dust bunnies is a nonstop job.  I'm afraid I don't stay on top of it as I should.  I wear socks in the house in the winter time and if you saw the bottoms of my feet you would not be impressed with my homemaking skills!

But, quilting often seems more important to me.....

Glimpses of Home

We didn't use the gas logs at all last winter and not too much this winter. A recent cold, wet day was a good opportunity to enjoy the fire, with a cup of dark hot chocolate.

A thoughtful gift from a sweet daughter. A Primrose.   She is 4 months pregnant and was experiencing morning sickness all day long this past week.  Even so, she went to the trouble to think of me...

I've been on a candle burning binge lately. I have been pulling out all the candles that had accumulated and burning them in all kinds of containers. This one is stuck down inside a container that previously held an apple cinnamon candle that had been completely burned.

Some recent quilting.   A small dream accomplished.  Being able to quilt swirls.

Valentine Roses.   I am spoiled often around here.

Mama's African Violet.  I turned it around and found the side that had been facing the window to be full of blooms, even up under the bottom of the leaves.

More pictures of the Primrose.

Its Monday again. Another work week. The last week in February. Time marches on....

A Heart Strings Post

The nursing home where Mama was a resident has an annual remembrance service for all the residents who died during the previous year. Yesterday we had the privilege of attending this sweet service.

As each deceased person's name was called, their family was presented with a small gift:
 

After some music, words of comfort and refreshments, there was a memory balloon release. 

This is the Arican Violet that was in Mama's room that she loved.  Purple was her favorite color.  It now sits in my kitchen window and is blooming again.

Love u Mama!

About Once A Year

If we are lucky, about once a year we get some snow. Today we are getting a pretty snow, but since it was in the sixties yesterday the road and ground are very warm.  So, no accumulation on the roads. Just the grass and other things will get a little accumulation.

As I was sorting the children's fabrics in this box in the sewing room...

Outside it looked like this:

I gotta get rid of this pumpkin soon!

The flakes are huge and wet!

I won't be wearing these flip flops today!

No worries.  Around here it can be snowing one day and flip flop weather the next!  I love that we don't get too much cold weather.  There's just enough to be able to experience the seasons.

A Mile Stone

When I noticed that today is February 8th, I realized that today makes 25 years since the first day I started my job! Even though I would love to be a stay at home person, I thank God frequently for my job and the people I work for and with. Its been such a blessing to me over the years.

I couldn't resist showing you the lunch my hubby packed for me earlier this week....

I saw him putting some orange things in there and sure was hoping it wasn't carrots! Gotta love a guy who puts Cheetos and a yummy sandwich in your lunch, along with a cup of crushed ice that you can add Diet Coke to when you get to work. Isn't he the greatest?!

Here are a couple of pictures of my office taken last Spring.

By day I am a Paralegal....



At night and on the weekends I quilt and sew.  Here are a couple of my current projects in progress.
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I hope your weekend is filled with blessings. Thanks for reading!

Thrifting and Junking

I picked up a few things at a thrift store and the funky junk store a few months ago and thought I'd show them to you. When I see things I love that cost next to nothing, I just can't resist. This is why I try to stay out of those kinds of stores most of the time. Its hard not to, since they are within walking distance of my office, but the winter weather keeps me inside most of the time. The only thing is that in North Carolina, there are a few warm days in the 70s in the dead of winter. Its a shame not to get out and walk on those days (wink, wink). LOL

One of my favorites is this old cream with a navy stripe bowl.  Its small and so cute.  I love it.

I have a small collection of white pitchers.  Here's one.

This one is sitting in an old stoneware bowl,  The bowl was at the thrift store for about 50 cents I think!  The pitcher and all the others in this post came from the junk store.

This one is in the corner cabinet in the dining room.

Another 50 cent purchase from the thrift store.  Its a Fire King with the candle glow design baking dish.  I had this idea that at Christmas I'd give some vintage items as gifts.  I even bought these matching kitchen towels to go with the baking dish.

 But in the end, I decided to keep this dish because, 1.  I wasn't sure the recipients would understand why I was giving them a used gift and 2.  I kind of wanted to keep the baking dish for myself!.  I love dishes and especially vintage ones like this.

This is another white pitcher used for storing some kitchen utensils.

I found two galvanized metal watering cans with flower designs on them.  They were cheap and I couldn't resist the sunflower one....

or the Zinnias! This one is on top of a wooden cabinet in the sewing room. That's a sewing box beside it that contains cross stitching supplies. I picked up the spring artificial flowers to make a cheerful little corner.

Ice on the Pumpkin!

Its an icy morning here in eastern North Carolina! We have 100 counties in the state that stretch from the Smokey Mountains to the Outer banks, and 97 of them were under a winter weather advisory yesterday and last night.

Click HERE to see a You Tube video of wild horses walking in the snow right beside the ocean at Corolla, NC, which is on the outerbanks.  Amazing!  We didn't get a flake of snow, just ice. 

Yes, there is still a pumpkin in our yard. My hubby brought this huge, heavy pumpkin home in September. It looked beautiful in our yard for fall. But, he had knee surgery in November and was housebound for several weeks. It was too heavy for either of us to move and so I rolled it behind this tree so that it couldn't be seen from the road. However, I can see it looking out the kitchen window and noticed it had a glaze of ice on it this morning.
 

I like fall, so it lets me relive that season a little every time I look out the window!

The ice is covering everything else in the yard this morning too.

A good day for plenty of this:

 

 

I am thawing these tomatoes for vegetable soup:

I'll be simmering the soup, burning candles, drinking coffee and working in my sewing room today.

Oh yeah, laundry too!