Erin Condren Life Planners, Holiday Cards, Invitations Rock!

Sign up HERE to receive a $10.00 off coupon!! I LOVE Erin Condren customizable Planners, Calendars, Invitations, Accessories!!

 

 

Erin is a stay-at-home mom who came down with a terrible case of “cabin fever." So, on a tight budget, she began making note cards for friends, birthday gifts, new babies and hostess gifts…A friend then encouraged her to sell her designs at a “shopping party” at her home in June 2004 and the rest is history!  Erin promises to do her best to create new designs & products that will make your life a little less serious and a lot more fun!

 

 

With our busy and crazy life around here, being organized is imperative to my sanity! Erin's Life Planners are an excellent tool to keep my on-the-go family up and running!  Check out her site here ErinCondren.com - I'm sure you'll find something you'll love!! Don't forget to sign up on her site to receive a $10 OFF coupon for your first purchase! (No obligation to purchase, too! Gotta love that!)

 

Cheers ~ Jen

 

Using Vinegar for Green Cleaning!

Green Cleaning with Vinegar! 

(...and other around the house items!!) 

                     

 

White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical.

 

 

A few things around my home that I use distilled white vinegar to clean:

 

Clean and deodorize drains: Pour 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize the garbage disposal: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar in disposal. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.  To clean the garbage disposal:  Use white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

Clean the microwave: Mix 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Grease splattered oven door window: Saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.

Soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher: Pour a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and run it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

Mineral deposits from coffee makers: Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup or more of white distilled vinegar and run it through a whole cycle. Run it once or twice more with plain water to rinse clean. (Check the owners’ manual first.)

Get rid of fruit flies: Set out a small dish of undiluted white distilled vinegar.

 

Cleaning the grill easier:  Spray a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar on the cooking surface.  Clean your grill: Spritz white distilled vinegar over wadded up aluminum foil and scrubbing the grill vigorously with it.

Remove a label, decal, or price tag: Cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide off.

Kill germs all around the bathroom: Spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Remove grime, mildew, and scum from the tub, tile, shower curtain or door, wipe with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Rinse with water. Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.  Get rid of stubborn bathtub film by wiping it with white distilled vinegar and then scouring with baking soda.  Clean a scummy showerhead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water. Deodorize the toilet bowl: allow 3 cups white distilled vinegar to sit in it for about a half hour before flushing.

 

 

Thanks, Vinegar Tips  for helping me to become a more economical and environmentally friendly cleaner!

BZZREVIEW - Green Mountain Cofee® Fair Trade Certified™!

BZZREVIEW:

 

Green Mountain Coffee^® Fair Trade Certified^™!

October is Fair Trade Month!

Hhhmm...what is Fair Trade?  The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world's coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as "sweatshops in the fields." Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt.

What is the history of Fair Trade? The Fair Trade movement began in the late 1950s as alternative trade organizations (ATOs) emerged in Europe and the US to promote grassroots development through direct, equitable trade. These ATOs bought directly from Third World producers, eliminating the middlemen, and paid the producers a fair price while providing assistance in developing trading experience and market contacts. Such experiences helped producers raise their incomes while reducing their dependency on commercial middlemen. These first ATOs were primarily "Third World shops" which dealt mainly in handicrafts. Today, there are 3,000 of these shops in Europe organized in the Network of European World Shops, and about 100 in the US, organized in the Fair Trade Federation.

How did Fair Trade Coffee in the U.S. get started? In 1986, Equal Exchange was established to import Nicaraguan coffee as an expression of solidarity with the people and revolution of Nicaragua, after the Reagan administration imposed an unfair trade embargo. Equal Exchange became the only ATO in the US to focus exclusively on Fair Trade coffee, trading according to the international standards before there was a monitoring agency in the US. In the fourteen years since its inception, Equal Exchange has built a small but important niche for Fair Trade coffee, earning the respect and recognition of the specialty coffee industry and helping many farmers to keep their land during the low ebbs in the world coffee market. Other companies such as Peace Coffee in Minneapolis, Zapatista Coffee in Denver, Café Mam in Oregon, Café Campesino in Georgia, and Dean's Beans in Massachusetts have also been active promoting fair prices for farmers over the last five years, as well as promoting education about the coffee industry and the need for Fair Trade.

As a BzzAgent I received I received several FREE samples of Green Mountain Fair Trade Certified Three Continent Blend K-Cups to review.  This was a great tasting cup of coffee that will give you a whole new perspective of your daily cup of java! It's a moment to pause, reflect, and reprioritize.  From carefully sourcing and roasting the highest quality beans, to supporting small farms and protecting the environment, Green Mountain Coffee focus' on what's important...an awesome great cup of coffee that will change your day...but a great cup of coffee can help change the world!

UPDATE FROM THE HUSBAND!  "I always appreciate it when k-cups are light or medium roast but also Extra Bold, as this one is. Three Continents is a really interesting blend. It's smooth and bright, with surprising floral hints, tones of fruitiness, and a touch of earthiness. It's wonderful! I wouldn't expect to have so many flavors in one coffee!"

What's a BzzAgent and how do you become one? Comment below and I'll be happy to send you a link to join! Remember, it's FREE!!