Made in the USA: Bison Dog Collars

I bought this made in the USA dog collar for my sweet boy, Rothko,  at Petco several months ago. I love the colors in it and it seems to be comfortable for him. It is from a company called Bison, which is located in Colorado. 

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Cleaning a Washing Machine

When we moved into our house we decided to buy the washer and dryer from the previous owners. One: it was way cheaper than buying new ones and two: it would have been a pain in the ass to move them upstairs (that is where our washer and dryer is).  Since we moved in I said I should clean the machine. I had not done it yet. I finally did it a few days ago. Man, I am embarrassed to show some of these photos because I can't believe I went this long without cleaning it. Never again.

My machine is an older, top loader. I got in all cracks and crevices that I could. There is a space between the outside of the machine and the barrel that just collected all kinds of grime as did the middle of the machine. I used cleaning wipes and cotton swabs to clean those areas. It was long overdue.

I used The Laundress Machine Cleaner that I have had for years, not sure if they even sell it anymore. If you know me or have been following along for a while you know I LOVE The Laundress products. I also used vinegar and baking soda, which is a very common thing to use. You use equal parts vinegar and baking soda (1/2 cup), run the washer on the hottest, longest cycle. Some sources say let sit for an hour and agitate. 

For the dryer I just wiped it down. Although I get lint out of the lint trap after each use, there was lint pieces in the bottom and side of the lint trap so I removed that as well. 

This took some time to do, but man am I glad I FINALLY did it. I never felt like my clothes were dirty after being washed and cleaning the washing machine isn't always something you think to do.

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Valentine's Day Cards

I like to send Valentine's Day cards out every year because I think they are fun. This year I went with the new Rifle Paper Co. Valentine postcard. I sent all the Valentine's cards off to Loveland, CO so they could have the Loveland postal mark. I did this last year too. Some people have already gotten their cards, but I sent one to myself and still have not received it. Maybe today or tomorrow. I decided to use the new love stamp to go along with the Valentine theme. I know it is more expensive than a postcard stamp, but I was willing to pay the $6 more to have the new love stamp. Here are the cards. I kept the message simple with a Pablo Neruda quote. 

Valentine's to Texas Children's Hospital

For the last couple of years I have been making and sending Valentine's Day cards to Texas Children's . I think it is a fun thing to do and I am sure they LOVE receiving them. I dropped mine off at their building on Braeswood and Greenbriar where they had a box set up. As some of you know Texas Children's has a special place in my heart because this is where my brother was being treated for his cancer. He is now at MD Anderson. 

If you get a chance in the next day or two send some love to the children. It is SUPER easy. Go to this link: https://waystogive.texaschildrens.org/valentine fill out the info (no credit card necessary) and choose which card you like and a child at Texas Children's will receive it. How cool is that?!

Here are some photos of my crafting. This particular day is was beautiful out so I did it all outside. The wind messed me up a couple of times, but I still think they turned out ok. Maybe next year I will have a crafting party to make cards to send to the kids.

Small Pantry Organization

I always forget to take/post before and after photos. Here is a small organization project I did at my house. Ever since moving into our house almost a year ago, I never did anything with the pantry like I had planned. I really wish it was a walk in pantry, but I have to work with what I got. I have only had one "true" pantry since I have lived on my own and that was my very first apartment in college. The pantry was super tiny. The pantry we currently have is deep, so you can't really see the items in the back. I have been wanting some pull outs for it since we moved in. 

I decided to go with the Elfa shelving from The Container Store. It is SUPER easy to install. At the beginning of the year they always have a sale on Elfa shelving and this year it happens until February 11 with 30% off of Elfa. The gliders don't utilize the space in the best way possible as there is extra room on the sides, but it works just fine for us. We don't have a ton of pantry items and we can always put items on the side if need be. I love that I can pull out the drawers and actually see what is in there. 

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