Let's Meet on Monday: Favorite Cleaning Supplies

After an autumnal-weekend, today is looking like it's going to be another rainy, inside day. We're expecting company on Wednesday, so it's a great day to stay home and clean! With cleaning on the brain, I thought I'd ask about some of your favorite cleaning supplies. Are you a 'brand-loyal' type of person, or do you switch it up from month-to-month?

My all-time favorite cleaner is Shaklee's Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste. It's non-toxic, smells amazing, and works wonders on hard-to-clean surfaces. I especially love it for my kitchen sink and shower.

We recently became a relatively 'paper-free' home, mostly meaning we've switched to cloth instead of buying paper-towel and napkins. I found some great Martha Stewart brand cleaning cloths at TJ Maxx. They're made for glass, and I've been amazed with how great they work. I know there are other similar products out there. (Try these)
So, do you have any cleaning favorites? Spill it...I'm off to clean up!

Let's Meet on Monday: My Movie Mixed Personality

We played hard outside this weekend, and allowed our worn-out selves to enjoy a couple of movies after sundown. Most often (ok, always!) my sweet husband allows me to do the movie-choosing. I pretty much like two kinds of movies: romantic comedies and comic-book-action-hero movies. We watched one of each this weekend, and I loved them both!

Leap Year was a sweet movie, and one I wouldn't mind owning. It was clean (rated PG), funny, quirky, and made my heart skip at all the right times. Our movie library is quite small, and I can't tell you how many times I've watched Sweet Home Alabama and Pride and Prejudice. I could use another chick-flick for those lazy Sunday afternoons in February. (When I'm not feeling particularly creative!) This one is going on my Christmas list.

Can I tell you how much I love the X-Men movies? I never get sick of them. Many people who know me in real life are surprised to find out about my soft-spot for super-hero movies. These ones are my favorite. Wolverine is the perfect mix of dangerous bad-boy and virtuous defender. I'm sure Brett is thankful for my fondness of something in the action genre!

Do you have a favorite type of movie? Are your interests surprising or predictable?

Let's Meet on Monday: The big 3-0 (and a little something for you!)

Giveaway is now closed!

I turned 30 this year. For some this is a traumatic milestone, but not for me. I am anticipating a fabulous fourth decade of life. I love the season of life I am in now. My days are filled with just enough of the unexpected to keep me on my toes, and just enough of the expected to make me feel 'at home'.

In celebration of my 30th birthday, I set a few goals for myself. In the coming year I plan to read 30 books, write letters to 30 influential people in my life, and memorize 30 Bible verses. The reading portion of my little plan has been the easiest. I love to read, and with this goal I have been more intentional about spending time with a good book.

Right now I am behind in my memorization and letter-writing. I have a terrible time with memorizing anything. I typically don't remember much about what I've read, heard, seen...where was I going with this? (*wink*) I wanted to challenge myself because I know it's not going to get any easier to memorize scripture as I get older. To be honest, writing this down now is giving me a boost of motivation to continue on!

As far as the letter-writing goes, I plan to complete a majority of these over the summer. I love to get real pen-and-paper mail. I believe it to be so special partly because it is a seldom-received treat and partly because it takes time and thought to produce such a gesture.

How about you? Are you a goal-setter? Have you had success or do you eventually abandon ship?

I realize this is a new blog, and I am excited to have a few followers already. If you're still reading, THANK YOU! And, how about a little giveaway? Leave a comment for one entry, and become a follower for another entry. (Be sure to tell me in a second comment if you follow!) I'll pick a lucky winner Wednesday morning.

In homage to a little show I like to watch, 'Want to know what you're playing for?' I will send you a little package of goodies from my Etsy store. Good luck!

Let's Meet on Monday

Part of the fun of blogging is finding ideas and inspiration from other creators, moms, writers, thinkers and doers. But, I also find it endearing to learn about people...what they like, how they live, who inspires them, how they have grown, what they are learning...I could go on and on.

In light of these observations, I've decided to start a weekly 'column' called Let's Meet on Monday. I'll do my best to give you a deeper glimpse into what makes me tick. I'll share stories behind my favorite (meaningful) things around my house, thoughts on motherhood, favorite books, and anything else that strikes me as significant on a given Monday. I am hoping this will give me an opportunity to share more about 'me' and less about projects and creative ideas. While I enjoy talking about decorating and creating, I hope you come to know more of me than just my aesthetic taste.

So, Let's Meet on Monday! See you next week!