Snapshot On The Spot: Fresh Flowers Refreshens The Home

I thought I would share this flowers that I bought today.  I missed putting fresh flowers in the house and now I got the chance to grab a bouquet from the grocery store.  The flowers were not that expensive compared to others.  Maybe because they are just the common types.  But still, they look beautiful to me.  Putting fresh flowers in the house makes our homes look refreshing and relaxing too.  It doesn't matter if the flower arrangement is not that great.  I love flowers anyway.

Wordless Wednesday: Formal Dining Room

Home Routine: Laundry

Routine at home like laundry is usual.  I do the laundry Mondays and Tuesdays.  I picked these days because they are the days that I feel the blues.  So I just want to stay at home and do chores basically washing the clothes.  I seldom do the laundry on a Saturday because my family do weekend travels frequently.  So I do not have enough time to do the chore on Saturdays or Sundays.  

Before washing clothes, I segregate them according to the level of dirtiness, colors, type of clothing, and owner.

1.  Firstly, I wash dark colored, heavy, and medium soiled clothing together.

   Example:  Jeans and dark colored towels.

2.  Secondly, I put my hubby's shirts in the washing machine.  Because none of them are critical with discoloration, I wash the shirts together.  But I wash separately the ones with delicate fabric (it doesn't happen very often).

3.  Then thirdly, I load my clothes all together (pants, blazers, shirts, dresses, sweaters, underwear except the bras, skirts, shorts except the denims, and pajamas).  My clothes are not really dirty.  So washing them together in a Easy Care cycle is okay.

4.  Next I wash my darling daughters clothing.  Her clothes don't have threat of discoloration so I put them all in the washer.  But if she has new clothes, I wash them first to clean them and to check for discoloration. 

5.  I load the whites in the washer last because I put bleach sometimes.

If I change the bedding sheets, I load them in the washing machine after the jeans and towels.  It takes hours to wash and dry clothes because of the cycle duration.  And because I have other stuff to do in the house, I forget that it's time to load the next batch in the washer or dryer.

Weekend Snapshot: Rods And Curtains

As mentioned, I am focusing on home decoration this year.  It has been two years and I haven't done anything for my home.  My attention was completely with my bundle of joy but now, I can say that it is time to do a little home make-over. I do not have great skills in home decor but I am trying to do my best here.  First, I bought some curtain rods and curtains.  Curtains makes a room look a lot different.  As you enter the room, you feel lighter and you will see it even neater.

So today I asked my husband to hang the curtain rods in the master's bedroom and in the guest room.  The master's bedroom has two windows and the guest room has one.  The dining area has two windows too.  But I only bought three curtain rods because I want to start with the bedroom windows first.  Looking at distance and height to see if they're proportioned is more difficult than drilling holes on the wall.  My husband tried his best to make it right.  And he did a good job.  :)

I picked these curtain rods because they look pretty to me.  What attracted me to these rods was the crystal thingy on the ends.

Still Needs Some Checking

Like I said before, I did try cleaning our dishwasher with the dishwasher cleaner that my father-in-law recommended.  Sure does the appliance got cleaned.  The limes and soap scums had been removed from the racks and the inside of the dishwasher.  Now the thing is, the cleaning is just for the dishwasher itself. On the other hand, I loaded dirty dishes in there and tried to run a cycle.  The dishes got very clean but the utensils did not look good.  There's still something stuck on them.  White film.  

My father-in-law said that there must be something in the water.  He asked if my husband has been checking the water heater.  Because the water heater, he said, should be checked periodically to see if there's something wrong with it that affects the running water in the house.  

As of the moment, I am sticking to running the dishwasher in Normal Cycle with lesser detergent.  Ah, what a pain. 

Wordless Wednesday: Kissing Doves

Cleaning The Dishwasher

We were having this problem with our dishwasher that it leaves soap scum on the glasses and plates after dish washing.  I was very upset about it.  My father-in-law recommended a dishwasher cleaner that he used and he said it was very effective.  Because minerals in the water build up in the dishwasher overtime, it will affect the performance of the appliance.  It may lead to films and soap scum on glasses and plates.

So I bought one from Walmart and tried the cleaner today.  Surely the dishwasher got cleaned and the racks felt smooth when I pulled them out and pushed back in.  My honey was surprised to see how clean the inside is.  Now we can't wait to try it. But we have to wait 'till the dishwasher is full of dirty dishes and silverware before we turn it on.  As soon as we do, I will let y'all know about the result.

How about you?  What dishwasher cleaner do you use?  Any tricks?  Tips and recommendations are highly appreciated.

Garage Door Didn't Open

My darling daughter and I went to the library this morning for the Toddler Story Time.  I take her there every Fridays because it is a one of the good ways to help develop her social skills and get her interested with books.  After the Story Time, we stopped at Walmart to do some grocery shopping.  I bought cold stuff like milk, juice, and kids yogurt.  Then we went home after.

At the turn going to our house, I got used to pushing the button of my garage door remote controller in the car.  But suddenly, it didn't open.  I tried again.  Didn't open.  I thought the batteries of my garage door remote control was drained.  So I entered the code in the panel.  Still the garage door didn't open.  I tried a few times but had no luck.  When I called my honey, he told me to try inputting the code again.  There was no response from the garage door. 

The front and back doors are locked in the inside (they have dead bolts).  Windows are locked too.  I had no choice but to go to my cousin's house and had the cold items temporarily placed in her fridge until my honey comes home.  He got home early and found a way to get in the house.  When the everything was fixed, my darling daughter and I went home.  My honey said that the garage breaker got tripped.  One reason is when there's an often power outage due to bad weather conditions.

It was really a disappointing and scary situation.  Thanks God it's fixed.  But there's another problem that needs a solution very soon. 

Didn't Have Time To Prepare Dinner On Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day celebration was really simple this evening.  My husband and I with our little one had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I only baked a some cupcakes for dessert.  Baby girl helped with the preparation in the kitchen.  She liked being a helper, you know.  After a big dinner at El Rodeo's, we went home bellies full and ready to relax.  And then, I didn't know that a surprise Valentine's Day gift was waiting for me.  :)

  

If you don't have time to cook or prepare something on Valentine's Day, just reserve a table at your favorite restaurant for your Valentine's dinner date.  Sometimes that's all it takes to take your stress away.

Wordless Wednesday: They're Just Very Beautiful, Delicate, And Sweet!

Weekend Snapshot: Our Dinner

Spaghetti, salad, and Smirnoff

My honey loves to cook.  He is the one who usually cook our food for the week.  His specialty is spaghetti and barbeque.  This evening he made us some spaghetti. It's really, really good with matching garden salad and garlic bread.  Of course, Smirnoff tops it all.  :)  I like to drink sometimes.  It makes me relax at the end of the day.

Wordless Wednesday: It's The Love Month

Not Really Boring For Me

Sometimes boredom strikes to a stay-at-home wife and mom like me.  There are days that I have to stay home with my child and do chores.  But after that, I want to do something else that is worthwhile.  

When I got here in the US for the first time, it was really boring for me.  So I searched for friends online.  Gladly I met new friends and they suggested some money-making hobbies on the Internet.  Besides blogging, I Earn money by solving quizzes and trivia at www.Quiivia.com.  I find solving quizzes very challenging.  The site has a variety of quizzes and trivia that will make the mind think hard.

Thanks to my online friends who helped me how to make money online even though I am a full-time wife and mom.