Greatness

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

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I really wish I was artistic. I feel like the things I try to create are never "good enough." I haven't taken an art class since elementary school, so maybe that has something to do with it - maybe my skills are just rusty. Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better about my lack of artistic ability.

If you want something abstract, like a finger painting, then I'm your girl. But if you ask me to draw and/or paint something specific... there is a high probability that it won't look anything remotely close to the original.

When I draw on the board for my students, I forewarn them about my drawing skills, and tell them they aren't allowed to make fun of me. I usually draw stick figures. I think my favorite classroom drawing is when I show them how Germany was split up after WWII. My Germany is perfectly round.

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See? Germany looks exactly like a circle. You see it, right? Yeah, I don't either. But it gets the point across in class. And because it is so unlike the actual map, my students actually remember how Germany was divided. A couple of my AP kids actually asked me to use my "map" to sign their yearbooks 2 years ago. Yep. My students are awesome!

If I could choose one thing to be better at, I think I'd love to be a better artist. Or at least to be someone that believes more in their capabilities. Maybe that's it... Maybe what I really wish I was great at was believing in myself.

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What do you wish you were great at?

Flashback

This week I'm back in the classroom getting things ready for the upcoming school year. Officially, I don't have to be back until Thursday, but I've got a ton of things to get done, so I'm heading back early to hopefully get a decent head start. The kiddos will be back next Thursday, and my fingers are crossed that I'll have everything done that I need to before they return.

Anyhoo, I was browsing through some of our old photos that are stored on our computer and came across this one from 2005....

Yep, that's the Hubby and me at our Senior Homecoming Dance. Don't ask me why I chose to wear orange. Honestly, I grabbed the dress as a joke to make my mom freak out. But when I walked out of the dressing room, we both loved it!

Although I was technically 17 at the time this picture was taken, I thought I'd go ahead and take the time to answer yet another Thirty Things question:

#4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Seemed fitting, right? I should probably mention that Dan and I weren't dating until our senior year. We had only just met each other in junior year, when I was 16. So here it goes...

1. Try to find a sport or activity that you love to do. Since you're not playing softball anymore, you're not going to want to be as active, and later it's going to bite you in the butt.
2. Quit worrying about your weight. You are healthy and beautiful.
3. Remember how you told mom that you didn't care what kind of car she got you for your first car as long as it wasn't a "puzzle" car? (Basically a car that's been through a wreck and has "new" parts in multiple colors.) Well, she didn't get you a puzzle car. But, she got you a purple tank.
4. Pay attention in your history class! It's going to come in handy a few years down the road, both in college and in your career.
5. You know that guy in your History class? The one that you talk to outside while waiting for Mr. Russell to come back from the bathroom? Yeah, him. This time next year you'll be dating him. And you two will eventually get married. Sure, there will be a time or two when things will seem impossible and the two of you have to walk away from each other for a little while, but you'll find your way back.
6. When you go prom dress shopping with Granny next year, you're going to get frustrated with her. She's going to get on your last nerve. You'll have a near breakdown in the changing room. But savor every moment of it and try to make the best of it. Trust me. You're going to look back on this day when you're trying on your wedding dress.
7. Quit making fun of mom for not remembering French or Math. You're not going to remember them eitehr once you're out of high school. And you're future students will remind you of that fact - quite often.
8. Start saving money now! Google 'Dave Ramsey' and listen to what he has to say. It will save you from paying "stupid tax" later on in life.
9. Stop taking so many pictures of everyone else, and get in front of the camera. You're going to regret not having your own memories of high school.
10. Try new foods. Trust me, I know how hard it is. But the sooner you start trying new things, the sooner you'll learn to expand your taste buds.

I think this sums it up pretty well...

It's crazy to think that I'll be turning 24 this Saturday! Although at times I wish I could go back and change certain things about my life, I know that ultimately, I'm happy with where I've ended up. That's not to say that there aren't things that I could and wish I could improve on, but overall I think I've been pretty blessed.


So now it's your turn. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your sixteen year old self?

Cats Meow: Kisses

I'm not sure if this is typical cat behavior or not, but Periwinkle likes to give us "kisses." Well, I guess technically she thinks she's cleaning us. But we like to think we're getting some lovin' from our cat.

Sometimes they come out of the blue. But usually you have to work for them. First you have to pet her. Then, you nuzzle your nose on the top of her head. After you've done that, she might lift her head up. If so, then you tuck your forehead under her chin. And, if she is so inclined, you might get a kiss. A sand-papery kiss.

I managed to catch it on film using my cellphone the other day. Usually it comes out all blurry. But you can actually see her tongue on Dan's forehead if you look close enough.

Dan is the one who gets multiple kisses in one sitting. Mainly because she works her way to the hair line when she kisses you. Being that my hair is long, once she gets to it, she stops. But since the Hubby has short hair, she'll just keep going and going and going...you get the picture.

This particular day, she decided to keep going towards the Hubby's nose and lips. She started by sniffing them both out. When she got to his mouth, she gave one small kiss.....

...and then proceeded to bite him! Crazy cat!

Anyone else have a cat that likes to give kisses? I know dogs are infamous for it, but I've never seen cats do it.

Fridays Letters

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Dear school district, thanks for giving me the opportunity to work so much this summer. One, it helped fill up some of my free time. And two, all that extra money made for a nice back-to-school shopping trip (after we set some money aside for our debt snowball, of course). Dear Hubby, thanks for enduring 9 hours of clothes shopping. Dear self, I'm definitely impressed with how awesome your attitude was during said shopping trip. You didn't let the fact that your size is hard to find affect you like you typically do. You even managed to crack a few jokes! Dear Tyler, I'm so glad you had fun at the zoo! Dear random zoo kid, the fact that you saw bamboo at the entrance and insisted that there had to be a panda hiding in there - adorable! Dear Lowry Park Zoo, although I think on any other day I would have loved you, the fact that everyone in a 50 mile radius seemed to be at the zoo on the same day made it very crowded. Not to mention it was really hot & humid outside. The upside: it only cost $5 a ticket. Maybe that's why everyone and their mother were there.... Dear Bachelorette, I can't believe I actually picked the winner! That's never happened. Now, my fingers are crossed that you guys actually make it. Dear Design Star, still not sure if I'm happy with Danielle winning. Yes, she was my early favorite. But I really liked the concept of Brittany's show so much better. Dear Big Brother, thanks for once again becoming my summer addiction guilty pleasure. Dear brain, I know that school starts in less than a week. That doesn't mean you have to dream about it every night leading up to it. Dear London, I'm looking forward to the opening ceremonies tonight! Dear family/friends/Hubby, I will be glued to my tv the next two weeks watching Olympic coverage. You have been warned.

Anyone else looking forward to the Olympics? Or am I the only person who is addicted to television?

P.S. I'll be back in about an hour with another post. I just couldn't wait until next week to share some adorable pics of the Hubby with Periwinkle. :)

Scary

#2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

So I almost didn't write this post. I honestly thought about lying and telling you I was afraid of things like spiders and snakes. But I realize that that isn't the point of this challenge. The point is to open up and be a little more transparent. I think too that so many bloggers only post the "pretty" stuff online, and sometimes you have to post the "real" stuff too. So here it goes...

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Death

I think it's common for people to worry about death. And a part of me thinks it's a healthy thing because it makes you cherish the time that you have and not take things for granted. But its not just my own death that I fear. I also fear the death of my loved ones. Even the death of my cats. The idea of them being in pain and then me being alone... I try not to dwell on it, but sometimes those thoughts creep in. I think this fear started to manifest itself more because of all the crime solving shows I watch.

Falling

Compared to the first fear, this one seems silly. But I seriously hate the feeling of falling. Falling dreams are my nightmares. Even being threatened by the hubby to be thrown off the bed or couch sets off my anxiety about falling - and that's only a couple of feet. I'm pretty sure it all started in 2nd grade on a family trip to Disney. My older cousin convinced his mom (my aunt) and me to go on Tower of Terror. He told us it was a haunted house. I believed him. Needless to say, because of that experience, I refuse to go on rides that I can't see without some major convincing. It's because of that ride that I hate the feeling of falling. 

Being a Parent

Being responsible for the life of someone else is a big deal. Even though I'm an aunt to many kids, I teach teenagers, and my friends are all starting to have kids, I still don't think it has totally prepared me to be a mom. It's one thing to take care of them and be able to return them to their parents at the end of the day or weekend, but when they're your own kids, you can't do that. They are there to stay. I think I'm also afraid of the unknown world of pregnancy. Sure I've read a ton, and I've heard many stories from friends and family, but I know its just one of those things you have to experience in order to fully undertand it. Dan and I have talked about starting a family in the near future, so I'm sure the more we talk, the more nervous I'll be until it actually happens.

What are you afraid of?

Cats Meow: Close Up

So I realize that by posting these pictures some are going get the impression that I'm some kind of crazy cat lady. And you know what? I'm okay with that. 

But please understand that I was going a little stir crazy last week hanging around the apartment all day, every day, with little to do. I can only stare at a computer or television screen for so long before getting bored. And when you're bored, you come up with silly ways to entertain yourself.

My silly way? Taking close up photos of the cats while they were sitting on my lap.

That nose has woken me up on more than one occasion... Cruz LOVES to nuzzle my face in the mornings. Its his way of telling me that I need to get up and feed him.

Periwinkle didn't get to escape the torture getting her photo taken.

I just love her eyes! You may have seen this same photo on Instagram - the effects just add to the intensity of her pretty green eyes.

Anyone else take random photos of your pet's features? Or am I the only crazy cat lady out there?

Accomplished

#16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

1. Taking 3 AP classes in one school year and surviving. I watch my students struggle with just one AP class, and I realize what I managed to do as a high school senior was no small task.

 

2. Graduating from college. I'm the only person in my family who has a 4 year degree. My mom has a 2 year degree. My dad served in the Navy for a few years and eventually went to community college, but never finished. Only one of my siblings went to junior college, but dropped out with one semester left.

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3. Graduating from college debt free.I didn't realize how big of a deal it was until afterwards when I started to hear about high school friends dealing with student loans. I realized it was an even bigger deal once I had to start helping the hubby pay off his student loans. How did I do it? Well, I qualified for a Bright Futures scholorship which would pay 75% tuition at the university level. My first year at community college, the scholarship decided to pay 100% tutition for community colleges, since their cost was roughly 75% that of university rates. The entire time I was in college, I worked 25-40 hours a week at a medical office. My paychecks went directly to textbooks. By the time I was at UCF, I could afford to pay the remaining 25% out of pocket. My parents made a deal with me that if I would pay my tutition my last two years, they would buy my textbooks. Scholarships, parents, and hard work. Graduating debt free is possible.

 

4. Moving out of my parents' house and living on my own for a year. Honestly, growing up, I never thought it was possible. I watched my siblings move out and struggle to pay their bills every month. Sometimes they would even have to borrow money from our parents to get by. All of my siblings, at some point, would be forced to move back in with our parents. I always told myself that whenever I moved out, it would be for good. Being able to live by myself, without a roommate, and managing to live rather comfortably... I'm pretty proud of myself.

5. Marrying my high school sweetheart. When we first started dating, I was doubtful that we would get married. Sure, I dreamed about it. But there was always that voice inside my head that reminded me that high school sweethearts rarely make it in the end. 6 years later, we became Mr. & Mrs.

What do you feel some of your greatest accomplishments are?

Predicting the Future

Okay, so I know I've been slacking. But I promise, one of these days I'll finish this challenge!

#22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

I figured for each year, I would give you the actual year (to help make you feel old), how old the hubby and I will both be (to help make us feel old), and some of the things we hope to accomplish by that time. 

 

5 Years From Now.....

The year will be 2017. I'll be 28 years old, and Dan will be 29. We'll be celebrating 12 years together, and 6 years of marriage.

• Debt free (everything except the house)
• Living in/owning our first house
• Hubby will have finished paramedic school
• First baby born, maybe number 2 (or even 3) on the way
• Not sure if I'll be a stay at home mom or still working in the classroom
• HAPPY!

10 Years From Now....

The year will be 2022. I'll be 33 years old, and Dan will be 34. We'll be celebrating 17 years together, and 12 years of marriage.

• Raising our 2-3 children
• House paid off
• Maybe upgrade to a bigger/better house and rent out previous house
• Graduating with my master's degree
• HAPPY!

15 Years From Now.....

The year will be 2027. I'll be 38 years old, and Dan will be 39. We'll be celebrating 22 years together, and 17 years of marriage.

• Teaching our oldest child how to drive
• Deciding if teaching is what I want to do until I retire, or if I want to seek a new career path
• Now that we're debt free and had some years to save, perhaps we'll start to travel more and hit up some places on our travel bucket list.
• HAPPY!

I really have no idea what the future holds for us. Sure, I can dream. But I also know that God has his own plan, and sometimes my plans aren't the same as His. So, even though I love to dream about what the future looks like, I know that regardless of what it actually turns out to be, we'll both be HAPPY!
So, if you look into your crystal ball, what do you see in your future?

Friday's Letters

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Dear bird, I don't think the dolphin appreciated you stealing its fish. Dear Hubby, I'm sorry I was cranky while we were both trying to figure out how to hang a curtain rod for the first time. Dear curtains, thank you for keeping the sun out of our eyes on the mornings we want to sleep in. This may pose a problem though once school starts back up and I actually have to wake up at a normal hour. Dear restaurant-that-will-not-be-named, the hair in my food really grossed me out. However, I'm impressed by how well it was handled by both the servers and the manager. Oh, and my table really appreciated the apology complimentary dessert. Dear Hubby, I loved our late night conversation the other night; it's been a while since we sat up late and just talked. Dear golf cart trails, you looked like the perfect route for a bike ride. Instead, you and your under-the-road-tunnels seriously kicked my you-know-what. Dear Hunger Games, you turned out to be a better book than I thought. Still not sure if I buy into all the hype (still think Harry Potter is better - sorry!!), but at least now I'll know what my students are talking about. Dear Summer, where did you go? Dear classroom, I'm really looking forward to some of the projects I have in mind to make you look pretty & functional - crossing my fingers that I can get it all done in time!

P.S. I had to share this really funny comment the Hubby made the other night. I was sitting on the couch reading the Hunger Games, and he leaned over the back of the couch to give me a kiss. I decide one kiss isn't enough, and pull him closer for another one. He looks at me and says, "Is that 50 Shades under that cover?" I seriously could not stop laughing! Maybe it was a had-to-be-there moment, but I couldn't resist sharing.

P.S.#2 I should probably share the fact that I refuse to read 50 Shades of Grey for many personal reasons. And they're the same reasons I won't be going out to see Magic Mike. I've talked about these things many times with the Hubby, especially since many of his coworkers are currently reading 50 Shades. Maybe this is why I think the above comment was so funny to both of us.

P.S.#3 I know... I'm going a little crazy with the P.S.'s today. But, I just had to share a little story about today's picture. The little boy in the picture is the son of our friends. He was a premature triplet! He and his identical twin sisters were in the ICU for months. One of his sisters had to undergo open heart surgery about a year ago. We all praise God that they are all thriving now and are currently going through the terrible terrific two's! (The image was edited by a friend of ours from the Hubby's former church - the same friend who made our wedding cake.)

The End Is Near...

Where did July go? More importantly, where did summer go? Seriously. I feel like school just let out like a week ago. And here it is, the middle of July, and I have to report back to school in two weeks. Two weeks! It's sort of bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm going to miss being able to sleep in and work on little projects around the house. But, on the other hand, I'm glad that I'll be back into a somewhat normal routine.

I went back into my classroom for the first time this summer on Monday. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I'm planning on doing a rather large paint project in my classroom. 

I'm hoping my mom will be able to get a day off of work to help me with the large majority of it. I promise to share pictures of the finished product. I'm just crossing my fingers that it'll actually get done. I'm planning on spending some time over the next two weeks cleaning up and organizing my classroom. (Let's just say, spiders have made their homes in every nook and cranny....)

Anyways, the main reason of this post is not to share the fact that summer is almost over. I'm pretty sure everyone has realized that already. The main reason for this post is that as summer comes to an end, so does the frequent posting on this blog. If last school year is any indication, I'll only be on here a couple times a month. As much as I love being able to post daily, I know that it will be practically impossible to maintain that while also keeping up with lesson planning, grading, and actually enjoying life.

Now, that isn't to say that I'm going to disappear completely. I started this blog a little over a year ago to be able to share projects with our family and to also share the things we learn about both life and ourselves along the way. I'm still planning on finishing the Thirty Things challenge, though I'm really doubting that I'll be done by the start of school like I was planning. And I'll try to keep up with the Friday's Letters posts, because I think they are a great way of wrapping up the weekly happenings. 

I really do love being able to express what I'm thinking and feeling on this blog. It became a bit of a mental break from school stuff last year, and I'm hoping it'll be the same sort of escape this year. So please don't feel like I'm totally disappearing. It's just that writing blog posts won't be on the top of my priority list for a little while.

Cats Meow: Yawn

Or maybe it's more of a "ROAR!"

Periwinkle and Cruz were both snoozing on the guest bed one afternoon. I ran to grab my cell phone because they both had their eyes closed and looked pretty comfy. By the time I came back, of course they were both awake. And as I snapped this picture, Cruz decided it was the perfect time to yawn.

Challenge Favorites

The last Pinterest Challenge (hosted by Sherry, Katie, Kate, and Michelle) was amazing! I feel like these challenges are great ways for smaller blogs - like this one - to get more traffic (450+ pageviews for one post?! New record!). Not only that, it takes the inspiration level to new heights. It's one thing to see things on Pinterest. But to see that other people have tested out those pins and to see that it's actually possible to recreate these amazing projects is inspiring.

So I thought it might be fun to do a quick recap of my top 5 favorite challenge projects that I came across and share them with you for some weekend reading. Let's get started!

I think my hands down favorite project is from one of the hosts of this season's challenge, Michelle. I absolutely LOVE her mod podged Atlanta skyline. Reminded me of our trips to Atlanta. I may have tried to convince the hubby that we needed one just like it. And he may have said I was a little crazy.

How pretty is that table? Maria from Our Lake Life hand painted the inlay on their patio table.

This faux-pallet art is so simple, but that's what I love about it. Some wood, paint, a stencil, and a little sanding. Check out Sam's instructions over at The Junk House.

We've all seen the EAT kitchen signs that have been popping up all over pinterest and etsy. But I love how Kara created a WASH sign for her in-progress laundry room. The metallic finish on these is gorgeous. I might just have to get crafty and make a similar project for our tiny laundry room.

Last, but certainly not least, Diane at In My Own Style shared her tips for creating a cute chalkboard sign for any event. Now I'm wishing I had an event to test out this project myself!

Did anyone else participate in the Summer Pinterest Challenge? What were your favorite projects? I for one am seriously looking forward to the next one!



Friday's Letters

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It's time again for our weekly recap. So, without further ado...

Dear Pinterest Challenge, Wow! Over 450 pageviews! Dear Periwinkle, I'm glad you appreciate the newly organized guest bedroom closet. Now that there's an actual floor in there, you seem to like your new sleeping spot. Dear Reese's Klondike Bar, you were amazing! Dear hubby, thanks for keeping me motivated about going to the gym. And thanks for staying on the program even though I think you're way ahead of me when it comes to running. Dear mom, sorry your flight home got delayed. But, I'm not sorry that I laughed when you said that your new hip set off the metal detector. Dear apartment complex, I'm glad we finally figured out what happened to the rent that was given to you. I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief. Dear passport agency, still waiting for my marriage license to be returned to me; looking forward to breathing another sigh of relief. Dear hubby, sorry I woke you up, but thanks for taking care of me when my stomach decided to rage war against me in the middle of the night. Dear Sea World, I'm looking forward to having fun today and checking out the new Turtle Trek. Please don't disappoint. Dear weather, I know this is Florida and afternoon rain storms are typical this time of year, but could you keep it to a minimum today?

Character

I forgot to write up a post in advance for today and tomorrow. I'm working this week with a small group of teachers from around the county helping to develop a new character education video series that will hopefully be rolled out across the district in the Fall. I thought I might be in the writing mood when I got home from today, but I'll be honest... I'm simply drained. I'm excited about the work we're doing, but by the time I get home, I'm tired of thinking. I'm tired of processing ideas. I'm tired of rewording things so that they are easy for the masses to understand.

So, forgive me. I'm going to be a little MIA for the remainder of this week. Tomorrow is the last day of the workshop, but Friday we're suppose to be going to Sea World with friends one last time before the hubby's annual pass expires. I'm hoping to get another Friday's Letters post up for this week, but I'm not even sure I'll get that done in enough time.

But, I'll leave you with this. Its something that has been echoing in my mind throughout this week as to what our purpose should be when developing this character education program.

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Pinterest Challenge: Cleaning Techniques

So, this time around for the Pinterest Challenge I couldn't decide on one pin I wanted to try. (To see my previous Pinterst Challenge projects, check out these posts here and here.) Instead, I tested out a couple of pins. All of the pins that I tested had to do with "miracle" cleaning solutions. Basically, you use simple everyday ingredients that you find in your pantry to clean your house rather than the fumey store bought cleaners. Since I've been on vacation the past two weeks, and home by myself while the hubby is at work, I figured I'd try some of these ideas and see if they were worth incorporating into our cleaning routine. But, before I share my adventures with Pinterest cleaning, I thought I'd share this funny pin:

Source: someecards.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Isn't that so true? Anyways, on to the cleaning, shall we? First on the agenda was cleaning the dust on the ceiling fans around our apartment. The hubby pointed out a couple of weeks ago that they were collecting, and I decided it was finally time to get on that. I should point out that I hate cleaning ceiling fans. First of all, it requires me to climb up on something so that I can reach them, and even then I'm on my tippy toes. On top of that, the dust gets everywhere! I don't know about you, but typically our ceiling fans are right above our sofa or bed, and having to clean dust off of two surfaces isn't my idea of a good time. Well, in comes some pinspiration: pillow cases!

Source: realsimple.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Why didn't I ever think of that?? Brilliant! First let me show you what I was starting out with. This is our master bedroom ceiling fan.

Check out that dust! I've seen been guilty of much worse. I stood on our bed and was barely able to reach the fan blades. But this process was so simple! Basically all you do is slide the blade inside the pillow case. Then, as you're pulling it off, use your hands to help guide the pillow case to the really dusty parts. I used my fingers to help get the dust off of the metal pieces that connect the blade to the motor (is there a proper name for those??). And let me tell you, this worked great! Very little, to almost no dust fell onto our bed. There were some tiny particles that fell, so guard your eyes, but otherwise, I'd say it was a total success. Here are the after shots...

And the inside of the pillow case...

Yuck! But, I'm just glad that it's no longer sitting above our heads. That was just the dust from one fan. I went on to clean the living room fan as well, which was dustier than the bedroom fan. Total time for both fans was maybe 10 minutes? Figuring out how to reach the fan blades took the longest amount of time.

The next pin that I tested out had to do with the tub in our master bathroom.

Source: thecraftpatch.blogspot.com.au via Hannah on Pinterest

This one honestly seemed too good to be true. Just combine equal parts Dawn dish soap and vinegar, combine in spray bottle, spray on tub, wait 1 hour, and wipe/rinse clean. So, I clicked on the pin to take me directly to the instructions to make sure the pin was right. The funny thing about the pin is that it's from The Crafty Patch's Pinterest Tested series. After seeing her success story, I finally had the courage to test it out myself.

So this is what I was starting out with...

Of course Cruz had to get in on the action too!

I used an old Shout spray bottle that I washed out. And I didn't exactly measure equal parts - I just sort of eyeballed it. Then, I followed the steps: spray, wait, wipe. I decided to do what was done in the pin and only spray half the tub to see the impact. Here are the results...

What a difference! It really could not have been any easier. The bottom of the tub just required a little wipe down. The sides, however, required a little more scrubbing. But I think that has to do with the fact that the spray slid down and didn't really stick on for the full hour. And, I can't forget to mention the smell. I don't know about you, but vinegar isn't exactly my fragrance of choice. Otherwise, this cleaning concoction really did the trick! I will definitely be doing this one again.

Although I didn't take any before/after shots of these two cleaning solutions in my own apartment, I still wanted to share these pins and let you know that they both worked really well for me.

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Hannah on Pinterest

If you happen to follow the instructions for cleaning your washing machine, my only tip would be to turn off the machine (for mine you have to push the knob back in) once you've filled it with water and which ever chemical you're using. I forgot to do this step, and after 15 minutes, my top-loader started to drain for the next "cycle" even though the lid was still open. Oops! Live and learn, right? And the dishwasher directions worked perfectly the way they are.

Well, there you have it. I didn't create or cook anything this time around, but I think testing out pins counts for the challenge as well, don't you? Hopefully my experience with these "miracle cleaners" gives some of you the courage to try them out in your own home.

I want to say a big "Thanks!" to the ladies who hosted this edition of the Pinterest Challenge.

Of course you have Sherry and Katie, and this time around their partners in crime are Kate and Michelle. Be sure to check out their blogs to see their projects. And don't forget to link up your challenge project too!

And if you're new here, feel free to stick around a while. You can find out me about me and my stories here, here, and here. Also, I'm currently participating in the Thirty Things challenge which will give you a bit more insight into who I am and what makes me tick. I'm glad you stopped by!