Housewifery Tips Pt.2

"Have a Routine"

I cannot stress to you the importance of having a routine! If you don't have a loose structure of what your day will look like, odds are, you'll end up with a 3 hour lunch date, a new top from Target, and a Harry Potter marathon. I'm not sure how it happens, but I swear its like the Homemaker Paradox.

Of course, your day will not look like mine, and mine will not look like yours, so if you are like me, and you have a group of friends who also stay home, it can be really easy to compare routines. I have a friend who is a killer homemaker and still manages to be simultaneously reading 3 books at a time. Another friend who is a phenomenal Etsy seller, and makes time to read her bible an hour or so everyday. And another who works from home as a crazy accomplished graphic designer and finds time to constantly be bringing around homemade treats, gifts and flowers to all of her friends and family.

Looking at my list of friends in that way can really seem intimidating, but then I have to remember, we all have our strengths and passions. I could definitely be better at all of the things my friends strive at, of course. But if i'm so fixated on them, and the things that they do so well. I forget to keep up what's going on in my home, which is the point of my job, after all.

Having said that, here is a loose routine of my day to day. 

6:00am- Alarm goes off (lay in bed for at least 15-20min and decide how important it is that I get up…)

6:20am- Get out of bed and let the dogs out. Read a devotional, write in my journal. Then do some budget work. (I'll share more about this in future posts)

7:15am- Start on breakfast

7:40am- Time to wake up Justin, pt. 1

7:50am- Wake up Justin, pt. 2

8:00am- Have breakfast together

8:15am- Justin leaves for work, time to get ready for the day!

9am-ish- Make the bed, and tidy bedroom, clean up the kitchen, and run the vacuum through the whole house. Possibly start a load of laundry.

10am- Work on Etsy orders, or office organizing. If I don't have any of those to do, then I will work on other random "homey things". (Paint touchups around the house, water my plants, closet organizing, power washing the patio, mowing the yard, finishing laundry)

11am- clean the bathroom (Yes, I do this almost everyday.) Vacuum the floor and rug, wipe down the countertops, and toilet, and then mop. 

12pm- Get lunch ready! (I could be much better at this, FYI, so if you are starting to feel impressed, don't.)

1pm- Run errands (extra groceries, visit friends, bank runs, etc.)

3pm- Prep for dinner. (Great job so far Kaylan, you've earned a little T.V. time!) Since our kitchen faces the TV, i'll occasionally put an episode of something on while I prep dinner for us. Prepping doesn't take very long usually. Cutting potatoes, making dessert that needs to set, preparing the dressings, and thawing and marinating meat. Which usually leaves time for 1-2 episodes of something.

-no shame.

4pm- Down time! Read a little something, or blog, or pinterest!

5pm- (Technically, the time Justin would be getting off of work, but I have yet to see him by 5:30 in the 2 years we have been married.) Ready the house for Justin. I like to create an atmosphere that Justin LOVES coming home to at the end of the day. In order to accomplish this, I like to make the house super cozy and inviting! I light a candle or two, or turn on the diffuser with some essential oils, make sure everything is put away, the TV is off, open the back door and let the dogs run around and play outside while I smell up the house with some yummy food! 

6-7pm- Eat dinner and enjoy my evening with Justin! Clean up the kitchen. 

9:30-10pm- Read, and sleep! (I know that I am a granny when it comes to this, but I swear, my body just can't make it past 10:30…)

There you have it! Of course things are pretty loose, I still have coffee with friends, and love catching a matinee with my mom! And if I have a craft show coming up, forget it. All of this goes to crap while I bust my butt getting stock ready! 

There always seems to be a day a week, at least where I need Justin to grab food out somewhere because I get caught up with something, or whatnot. But essentially these are the things that I try and get done in a day. 

It's not about being perfect, or appearing perfect. Its about having a happy home. 

As long as no one comes over at 1pm and catches my in my pjs watching TV, i'm pretty pleased with myself. 

I'd love to hear about some of your routines! So don't be shy! 

Etsy | Instagram | Facebook

The Green Bathroom

So I've already shown you our Pink Bathroom, and the plans to renovate it. So I thought I would share 

our Green Bathroom as well! 

This is also the original tile, so we are keeping it as well. Luckily, it's a little easier to work with than

the pink. And also lucky, this bathroom is just a tiny thing, its only a 4x4. Maybe even a touch smaller.

Back in October when we were purchasing this house, it had come back on the inspections that this

bathroom was fine, but the sink was not bolted down… Yeah.

 So we've never really been able to use this sink, it's just kind of 'there'. 

And by happy blessing, Justin and I are FINALLY getting ready to be able to tackle a little bit of both 

bathrooms! So I decided to get a mood board, and game plan into action. 

Here's what we're thinking!

Main Inspiration- Amber Interiors Blog (bottom right photo)

Round Mirror-  IKEA $17

glass shelf-  IKEA $14

sink- IKEA $100

faucet- IKEA$79

Picture- Jo&June $14

Light fixture- Home Depot $35

Hexagon tile- Home Depot $11/sq. ft.

Baskets- Target $29 ea.

So, I am trying to keep with the initial theme of "Modern Bohemian" in here as well. We will have to 

rip out the small medicine cabinet, and replace it with the IKEA mirror, and rip out the existing tile 

and replace with the hexagon tile. Which I have been assured by my mom is "so easy!". And lastly, we

will take out the track lighting and put it into our walk-in pantry (waste not, want not).  I'm also 

looking for a small pattern rug to put in here, something really colorful. So of course, i'll probably be 

going to Jo&June's to look for one, they always have such great stuff! 

But, the thing I am most excited about in this bathroom, is the DIY pedestal sink! My brother and I are 

going to see if we can recreate one for less than $100. I love the idea of having open storage under the 

sink, I think the only thing that we will change is the thickness of the top, since we are doing a top 

mounted sink. We'll see how that goes. 

I'm also working on a DIY for some towel holders, so that's coming soon also! 

So, here goes nothing. Wish us luck!

(Also, If you're looking to see any behind the scenes, be sure to follow me on snap chat: ourlittlehive)

Etsy | Instagram | Facebook

Juicing Fever

So, I'm pretty much obsessed with our new juicer. I had no idea you could juice so 

many things! So if you have a juicer, or are looking to invest in one, (we purchased this one) then you 

will find after the first time you juice, that there is a whole compartment for just the pulp!

We've had it for almost 3 months now, and I still hate throwing it all out. It always smells so good, and 

its perfectly fresh shredded fruits and veggies (which aren't cheap). So I decided to do a little juicer 

recon, and see what other people do with their juicing pulp. Here are my 3 favorite ways to use it!

1. Use the pulp as fertilizer for your indoor plants, or outdoor garden!

So, this pulp is just full of nutrients, and my mom made the suggestion, "Oh if only you had a vegetable 

garden, you could put some of this in here like a compost, or fertilizer." And I thought, well, why not 

try it with all of my plants!

Just dig down a couple of inches, and place a nice chunk, maybe 3 or 4 Tablespoons worth, into the 

soil, get as close as you can to the roots, so they can soak in all of the nutrients. I water most of my 

plants once a week, so I did this on watering day when the soil was nice and dry, and watered right 

after I put in the pulp and recovered it with soil. I do it about once every 3 weeks, so once a month. 

And so far my fig has sprouted 4 new leaves! And my Philodendron is just as spritely as ever! (now, 

this could have nothing to do with the juicing fertilizer, but give me a break…I think its working.)

2. Popsicles

I know what you're thinking, what the heck right?! I know! I was hanging with my sister-in-law, 

Juliane, and she was telling me about these veggie popsicles that she had eaten. And it hit me like a ton 

of bricks! FREAKIN' JUICING POPSICLES!!! HELLO!?!

So, I bought this cheapy popsicle mold from Marshalls for $4, and after I made a batch of juice, I just 

froze the juice in here, and then ate them a couple days later! Genius right? I know. By the way, my 

dogs LOVED them! Also, not a bad snack for your kids in the summer.

(Here's my favorite, go-to juice recipe I got from my friend Sallie!)

Healthy Popsicle Recipe

(straight from your juicer!)

2-3 carrots

2 apples- cored

2 celery stalks

1 orange

3. Carrot Pineapple Muffins!

This is one of dozens, Pinterest is flooded with other recipes that you can make with your juicing pulp. 

I just took my favorite carrot bread recipe and added some of my own ingredients, and played with it 

until the consistency was right. 

Here is the recipe for these wonderful muffins!

(Gluten Free) Carrot Pineapple Muffins

          2C. gluten free flour (or for Paleo option, do 1C. Almond flour, and 1C coconut flour*)

            1/2 teaspoon salt

            1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

            1C. mashed bananas (about 3 very ripe medium bananas)

            1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar 

            1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

            2 large eggs

            1 Tablespoon vanilla

            1/2C. Crushed walnuts

            1/4C. pineapple

            2 apples (any kind, we like granny smith)

            3 M-L carrots

       Heat your over to 350 degrees. And grease your muffin tin, or bread loaf pan.

       Whisk together your dry ingredients, and then add in bananas, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

       In your juicer, juice your pineapple, apples, and carrots, remove the pulp from the composite bin*,

       take out 1 1/4C. of your pulp, and walnuts, fold in with a rubber spatula, careful not to over mix 

        your batter. Pour into prepared pan. And bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out 

        clean!

Let them cool, and enjoy!


**If you don't have a juicer, you can still grate the carrots, and just use applesauce, and buy crushed pineapple in a can. If you do, you will need 1C of carrot shreds, 1/4C. applesauce, and a couple Tablespoons of the pineapple. 

**Some of the pulp will have some large chunks, you can just remove these, unless you want to bite into a large hard carrot bit. 

**For Paleo option, I mixed my two flours because it helps keep the natural muffin texture, I tried using just almond meal once, and it came out really dry and spongy. 

Please share your favorite juicing recipes, or ways to use your juicer! I'd love to hear!

Etsy | Instagram | Facebook

rugs, rugs, rugs!

Rugs are literally my favorite decor item for any room. Everytime that I think, "What is this space in need of?" 99.9% of the time, the answer is, a killer rug! Its the difference between "hm, cute room." to "Wow what a great space!" Trust me. 

So, here they are, my favorite rugs. 

livingroom rug- Esalerugs $199 (new buyer, 35% off first purchase)

Kitchen Rug- Ecarpetgallery $84  (1/2 off sale!)

Bathroom Rug- Ecarpetgallery $74 (1/2 off sale!)

Enrty Way Kilim Rug- Jo&June $80 (black friday sale)

Office Rug- At Home $80  (outdoor rug, on sale! They are so much cheaper! and dirt doesn't stick to them!)

Total $517

• Wait for a sale! Every online store in history has a sale. And both ECarpetgallery, and Esalerugs have them constantly! Especially if you subscribe!
• Read reviews! Make sure in reviews that the shipping time is accurate and adequate. And some may have included pictures! I thought my kitchen rug was going to be red, and when it came it was pink! Luckily it ended up being a great surprise!
• Type in their hashtag on instagram and see what people think! Most businesses nowadays have some sort of social media page for their site. Ecarpetgallery does, and its actually a fun account to follow!
• wait for the right one! I know that it can feel like your room seems unfinished, and disconnected without a rug, but it's always better to wait for the right one, then to spend money and have one now, then to wait, save, and get the "right" one. 
• know the size you need. Make sure that you get one that is big enough! Pinterest is filled with articles, pictures and blog posts about how to get the right rug size for your room. Sometimes a room can look worse if it has a rug with the wrong size as opposed to none at all.
• make sure that they will go with your room even if you were to change it. Most every room I was torn between 2 colors (example, the kitchen: green/dark grey  the bathroom: white/light grey  the office: stained or painted concrete/wood floors.) So that way, even if you were to later on change the room color or vibe, you would not have to start all over with the rug. 
• buy ones that can go in multiple places, it will  keep them around much longer. (both runners could be switched, or placed in the laundry room, in the hallway, or at the foot of the bed in the bedroom.) (the living room rug could go in the bedroom, or the office.) (the office rug could go in the bedroom, or a future covered patio. It's white, so I could also someday put a smaller colored rug on top of it.)  (the desk rug could be used in a smaller bathroom, in front of the washer and dryer or in front of the back patio door.) 

I hope this post helps you with your future rug purchases!

Happy Rug Hunting!

Etsy | Instagram | Facebook