Bunk'd

Let's take a quick walk down memory lane, shall we? When we first moved to our house, we had two extra bedrooms because it was just us three... but that soon changed and one of our extra spaces changed from a guest bedroom to a space fit for a princess. 

We put so much time and effort into making that space perfect for our little girl. Ryan spent an entire weekend painting the walls and hanging the railing and was so excited to show me when I got back from a work trip. I loved every inch of that space - the antique windows I found in Brenham, the custom sign above her bed, that magnetic bird to showcase pictures... every little thing was perfect. 

Well a short year later we found out we were expecting and we kind of needed that crib for the new baby but Emmy wasn't quite ready to be out of the crib (who am I kidding... I wasn't ready for her to be out of the crib) and while I can't quite remember why or how, the Munsons had an extra one laying around. So one weekend, we got busy again and the room had another update... she came home from a weekend with Gigi and Pops as big girl with a big bed.

She eventually outgrew the crib so we handed it back over to the Munsons and her room turned into this... 

And it stayed like that for all of 5 minutes before we were at it again and flipped it one more time. We loved the idea of the girls sharing a space, freeing up an extra room to contain all the toys and an overnight guest if we needed it. 

This has worked well for us and them - I'd say they like sharing a room at least 90% of the time. But as they've gotten older, they could use a bit more space in their room. Whether it's when friends are over, they want to study or just need some alone time to do what they want. So our Spring Break consisted of creating this... 

and it may be my favorite version of this room ever. 

Also, the girls loved it, too... 

They love their gallery wall, easy access to their jewelry, the clean bulletin board and mostly all that floor space!

I love that the same space can serve so many different purposes. Seriously, if you are thinking of making a design change - just go for it. Small changes can make a HUGE difference and they don't have to kill your bank account OR your sanity! Sadly, the next change to this room is going to come when they really don't want to share a space anymore. Until that day comes, they have to settle for being bunk'd! 

DIY Fairy Village...

We have had a busy two weeks that included packing bags for three different overnight trips so I was so excited that the forecast called for some rain. The PERFECT excuse to sit and be lazy, right? Radley is at camp this week so the girls and I had big plans for some "girly girl" time as they call it. Emmy got it in her head that she wanted to build a fairy village so we set off to do just that and I have to admit that this may be one of the cutest projects we've ever done. And y'all.... SO STINKING EASY which is always a win!

We started by gathering some supplies of things that could work for fairy village signs, houses, and decorations and then just went with it. Our supplies included:

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Wooden bird houses, acrylic paint, paint sticks, flower pot, fabric scraps and elastic...and yes, I just had these around the house. (You'll probably have to go purchase some cheap bird houses.)

The girls started by painting the paint sticks and choosing what they wanted each "sign" to say.

Using sharpies was much easier for them than trying to paint words onto the sticks.

This girl's handwriting has improved SO MUCH this summer and I love watching how proud she is of her work.

And Landry does a FANTASTIC job as well...

Once they were finished with their signs, we headed outside and found a flowerpot full of dead flowers because well, #texassummer. We just nailed the sticks to a piece of leftovers from another project but you could also use a tree branch and then I used a mallet to set the sign into the pot. 

We made some small rag garlands to add some fairy flair to the post. To make these just cut left over fabric in strips and tie around a piece of elastic. The girls did this without much help from me. 

We even had enough to string one between the branches for the "penthouse".

Emmy painted a birdhouse bank earlier this summer which made the perfect spot for the Tooth Fairy.

(Note: I have since cut the extra elastic)

and Radley painted these in 2009 y'all....they were just sitting in our garage, so.... 

WELCOME FAIRIES!

Pretty darn cute for a random rainy day activity!

Now we are just waiting for our first house guests!

Happy crafting y'all!

Homemade Laundry Detergent: The Update

I've had a few people ask me about the homemade laundry detergent we tried earlier in the summer and since we have hit the 3 month mark, I thought it was a perfect time to oblige. 

Bottom line is - we love it but it would be boring to just tell you that so here are the reasons why.

1. Price - y'all $30 for a year of detergent. Here is a comparison of day 1 and day 90(ish). That's incredible and we do A LOT of laundry. Especially in the summer because I can't stand wet towels and bathing suits to just sit around. For a family of 5, this stuff has gone the distance. I'm not quite sure if we will make the whole year, but this has definitely saved us money.

2. Cleaner washing machine - We have a front load washer and it constantly smelled. We would clean it, leave the doors open and wiped it down, but it always had this mildewish smell (gross, I know). But since we started using this - it's gone. We still leave the door open but the smell has vanished and that's a plus!

3. Less detergent - This coffee scoop holds 2 TBS which is the most we use for our loads of laundry. And the clothes are still clean and smell fresh. We've even cut down on the amount of softener we use because I put softener crystals in the mix.

4. Cleaner clothes - I really do feel like our clothes are cleaner. Our whites definitely look brighter than with regular detergent without adding bleach. 

I'm seriously a huge fan - so if you've been waiting to take the plunge I say go for it! Now, we just need to update this space...I'm thinking we take out the counter and make this the "control"station for the kiddos using the cabinets as a bench and cubbies. Who wants to come help with this space? Kim, I'm totally looking at you! 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I was on the Facebook last week and my friend Kristin (that I am still depressed moved to the faraway land of Belton) posted about making her laundry detergent. Pinny has been telling me for a while that this was a simple task but I kept ignoring her. Well, I was just dumb - ignoring my bestie like that. I mean she never fails to share the best secrets and tips with me- I should totally listen. And she has TONS and TONS and T-O-N-S of recipes and they are all (mostly) super simple.

This is what you need:

1 alb 12 oz box of Borax

1 box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

4lb of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

4lb of Oxi Clean

3 bars of Fels Naptha soap

Purex Crystals (optional) 

Total cost: $32.83

(This includes the optional Purex Crystals and I had to buy the larger containers of OxiClean and baking soda so that pumped my price up a bit).

I tried to get everything at Target but they didn't have it all (sad clown) so I headed over to Wally World - I'd just start there. I also bought a 2 gallon glass jar and a coffee scoop which I didn't include in the price above (that added $15).  Since I am a super visual learner, here are the individual pics of each thing with hand model Landry. :)

*Target carries glass jars made in the USA, so it may be worth a trip there. #Merica

The kids were so excited to make this stuff; it was almost comical. They love helping me in the kitchen but y'all, this was laundry detergent and they were PUMPED. They just thought it was so stinking cool. 

Now, lean in real close because I don't want you to miss these super difficult instructions.

Grate the fels naptha into a large bowl. 

Try not to skin your knuckles like Emmy.

Take turns - each person gets 10 grates. 

Mix everything in a giant tub. Lighting McQueen is also optional.

Things to note:

1. I think any bar soap would work - some recipes used Ivory soap, some used Zote.

2. I used the Purex Crystals because that's what most recipes referenced when people wanted to add a "scent" - I'm curious if Downy Unstoppables would work.

4. I estimated the pounds of oxiclean and baking soda because I purchased 5 lbs of each. 

4. I have done 3 loads of laundry with this and love it. For a giant load of beach towels I used the full coffee scoop (2 tbs) for kids clothes, I used half. 

5. I still used liquid Downy to soften the clothes

6. I have never felt more hipster, Donna Reed, super domestic goddess than I did after making this. I mean, it's like I invented sliced bread. 

And besides the fact that this claims to last an entire year (!), how cute does it look displayed? I have had this little iron recipe card holder forever, I just painted it blue, printed this scripture, added a pom pom from left over fabric to the basket, stuck on a chalkboard label and voila. 

Laundry is so much more fun!

If you want some detergent, let me know - I kind of want to try some more combos to see which ones I like best! :) What's your favorite laundry secret? 

If you're looking for more fun ideas, check out the summer family fun link-up!