Shocked, Impressed, and Embarrassed

So I decided that I better start cleaning and getting ready for Christmas decorating since Thanksgiving is only 5 days away and I like to have the house all decorated for Thanksgiving! I had been jotting down some "thrifty" cleaning tips that I have found online and finally decided to open that gallon of vinegar (seems to be in every recipe for homemade cleaning products!) and tackle my blinds. It was simple: I mixed 3 cups of water and 1 cup of vinegar in a small bucket. I had an old dish towel that I chose to use for cleaning - and I cut it in half.

Keep in mind, I do vacuum my blinds or use that little terry cloth blind cleaner gadget to clean the blinds every so often. Well, you would think that I have never cleaned them after seeing what my rag looked like. I am shocked, impressed, and embarrassed!

Oh... And I should add that this method didn't cause any mess! Each blade wiped clean.

The top rag cleaned 13 blinds and 1 set of vertical blinds.
The bottom rag was never used!
Look how well the vinegar & water solution cleaned!

Let's Get Acquainted

Hello there and welcome to my blog! Here you will find a little bit of everything - recipes, crafts (for grown-ups and kiddies), tips for teachers, and tips for parents. Of course, every now and then I may throw in something totally unrelated to these topics - so you never know what you will find here!

So who am I? I'm a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, and new mommy - in that order! I just had my first baby - a precious little boy - on April 9th. I'm a former teacher. I spent 12 years in the classroom and have taught every grade from K-8. I spent six years teaching in the inner city and the other six in a quiet little town in suburbia. I hold a Master's in Education and still find myself in the classroom every now and then as a substitute teacher. Right now, I'm enjoying being a stay-at-home mom.