Well, I've been a bad blogger lately. :-( I've been discouraged with my quest to make everything homemade because I've found that I'm allergic to some of the items I've made. I suppose that's why I haven't written lately. I have this problem with store bought items also. It's very frustrating! I have very sensitive skin and can only use certain soaps, washing powders, lotions, etc. As a result, I'm going to have to do some more research and see if I can find alternatives to some of the items that I'm allergic to and replace them in the recipes. Just for the record, the rest of the family is having no problems with any of the homemade goods. I hope for those of you that have tried this recipes that you are not having allergies too. If I can find some alternatives that are for allergy prone people like me, I will post them too.
On a different note, 2012 ended with my husband finding out he is diabetic. Two weeks later, I found out I am diabetic also and have hypothyroidism. Not good! I wasn't really surprised because I had blood sugar issues when I was pregnant with my last son and the doctor said then that I'd probably get diabetes in the future. My dad lost his leg to diabetes so I know this is not something to take lightly. It's going to be very difficult for us to change our habits so I ask for your prayers for this new journey we are beginning. Old habits die hard!
I think my biggest struggle is going to be exercising consistently. We've done good off and on at different times in our marriage, but you know how that goes. Inevitably something happens to get us distracted and then we fall off the bandwagon. I actually love to walk....outside anyway. Not a big fan of the treadmill. But I do love being outdoors. Something about being in nature always makes me feel closer to the Lord. However, we live down south where the heat and humidity abound about 9 months out of the year. :-( I guess I should move to Montana!
I'm going to try a a two step approach to exercising. I'm getting up early in the mornings to do zumba and then walking in the evenings. I never realized how uncoordinated I was until I started trying to do zumba. I think I'm going to really enjoy it though, once I learn the moves. You don't know funny until you see a big fat woman trying to do these dance moves. :-) Micah said I was cute! Ha! He needs to have his eyes checked! Babies are cute! Puppies are cute! Me doing zumba? Not cute! But a necessity if I'm going to get control of my health.
Exercise is good for so many things, including lowering blood sugar. My hope is that I can get my diabetes under control and then not have to take the metformin for the rest of my life. My blood sugar was not really bad, so I think with exercise and watching what we eat, I can do it.
If you would be so kind as to pray for us, I would greatly appreciate it. Satan is already trying to derail my efforts but he will not prevail. Micah and I both have gotten a cold this week. It's hard enough for me to breath normally when doing zumba. You should try it when your nose is so stuffy that you can't breathe at all! On top of that, my back was in such a kink this morning when I woke up, I looked like the hunchback of notre dame. I was determined to continue though. A couple of ibuprofen and one zumba workout later, I was able to stand straight again. I may not have done as well as before on the movements, but that's not the point! Don't let Satan win. He doesn't want us healthy and serving God. But thankfully my God is more powerful than Satan and he will give me the victory!
I've been inspired by several friends lately that have had great success with weight loss. It's such an encouragement to see others who have gained the victory in the fight for their health. I know I can do this with God's help and your prayers. Phillippians 4:13-"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." Thank you, in advance, for the prayers. Gonna need lots of them!
God bless,
Carrie
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Courting Cate by Leslie Gould-Book Review
Cate Miller's mother passed away when she was very young so Cate took over the mothering job for her younger sister Betsy. Having to grow up fast to take care of the home and her younger sister made Cate a little more feisty and outspoken than the average Amish young woman. She has pushed away those who have shown interest in her and now that Betsy is old enough to court, most men don't give Cate a second look. Cate has given up hope that she will ever find love and is content to surround herself with good books and live life helping her father.
The problem she encounters is that her Dat makes a rule that her younger sister Betsy cannot court or marry until Cate does. This upsets the young men in their community because Betsy is cute and sweet and loves to flirt. So the young men of the community and her sister come up with a plan to "help" Cate out without her knowledge.
Pete Treger enters the picture. He's not from the area but comes to town to work for Cate's Dat. Cate finds herself drawn to the handsome stranger but is hesitant to trust her heart again. After overhearing a private conversation, she is truly confused. She is hurt and plans on cutting ties until her sister confesses a "secret" to her which throws everyone's world into chaos. As usual, Cate puts the needs of her sister first and begins a difficult journey in a life she did not want.
However, she finds that God had a plan in all of it and Cate comes to appreciate the lessons she learned from the hard times.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Sunday, December 2, 2012
A Home in Drayton Valley-Book Review
I'm a sucker for a good love story. I especially like Christian romance books. If that's your cup of tea then you will love this book...A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
The story begins in 1880 in New York. People had traveled to America in hopes of starting a new life. Tarsie Raines had come as a child and been in the city for 12 years. She befriended Mary Brubacher, a young woman with two small children and a husband, Joss, that had a bad drinking and gambling problem. Mary was also very sickly. Tarsie tried to help Mary with her home remedies, but the polluted air in the city just seemed to be making Mary more and more sick. When Tarsie came across a brochure about land in Kansas, she was convinced this would be the perfect solution for her friend. Not only would the clean, fresh air help Mary's breathing difficulties, Joss would be further away from the bad influences the city had on him.
Mary agreed to try to talk Joss into the move, but he wasn't interested. That is, until he got in trouble with his gambling debts. Suddenly, getting out of town didn't sound so bad after all. Mary insisted that Tarsie come with them and Tarsie agreed. Mary was her closest friend and it sounded like quite an adventure. She no longer had anyone keeping her in New York and Kansas sounded like a wonderful place to start a new life.
The group travels by train initially and then switch to a wagon train for the final leg of their journey. There are some unexpected turns in the trip and they are left having to make difficult decisions. Nothing turned out quite like they had planned, but they learn to adapt.
The thing I liked so much about this book is that it's not just your typical love story. It delves into deeper issues that you wouldn't expect... issues of addiction, prejudice and prohibition are all interlaced, and of course, spiritual issues are included too. It makes for an interesting read and I hope you will check it out.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Friday, November 23, 2012
Pleasure In The Simple Things
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with many happy memories. Of course, with it being Thanksgiving week, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the things I have to be thankful for. There are many. The older I get, the more I notice that the things that make me the happiest are the simple things in life.
Yesterday was such a beautiful day! After stuffing ourselves, we spent the afternoon relaxing with family and friends. We played yahtzee. My dice were not cooperating with me but I didn't care. We went for a walk down the drive. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. The leaves are changing colors right now and it was so beautiful and peaceful. It was as if God was taking a stroll with us. :-)
Today we decided to teach our youngest son how to play Go Fish. Oh my goodness! He is so cute trying to hold cards. Then my husband wanted to teach me to play Texas Hold 'Em. Let's just say professional poker playing is not in my future. I had so much fun though.
I've caught myself several times in this last week watching my boys playing together, talking, wrestling, snuggling . It doesn't matter how old they are getting, I will never tire of watching them. This time is so precious.
The holidays are bittersweet for me. I know for many it is a difficult time of year. I think of all those that are no longer here, wishing they were here to share this time with us. But I am so grateful for the years we had together. We will see them again some day.
This has been a pretty difficult year for us in many respects. But even with that, I still think of the many, many blessings that we have been given. I am so grateful for all that God has entrusted to me. So whether I'm singing hymns with our sweet, sweet church family or sitting in my recliner crocheting while my hubby is watching the football game or watching my little one picking wildflowers and adding to his rock collection, or watching my oldest salivate over homemade pumpkin bread, I choose to rejoice. Life is good, God is great and I am one very blessed individual. :-)
God bless!
Carrie
Pumpkin Bread(my mama's recipe)
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 cups sugar
Mix all these together. Then add:
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups pumpkin
Mix together and then bake at 350degrees for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. (I bake mine in a bundt pan).
This is so good. It's very moist and one of our family favorites. I hope you enjoy it!
Yesterday was such a beautiful day! After stuffing ourselves, we spent the afternoon relaxing with family and friends. We played yahtzee. My dice were not cooperating with me but I didn't care. We went for a walk down the drive. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. The leaves are changing colors right now and it was so beautiful and peaceful. It was as if God was taking a stroll with us. :-)
Today we decided to teach our youngest son how to play Go Fish. Oh my goodness! He is so cute trying to hold cards. Then my husband wanted to teach me to play Texas Hold 'Em. Let's just say professional poker playing is not in my future. I had so much fun though.
I've caught myself several times in this last week watching my boys playing together, talking, wrestling, snuggling . It doesn't matter how old they are getting, I will never tire of watching them. This time is so precious.
The holidays are bittersweet for me. I know for many it is a difficult time of year. I think of all those that are no longer here, wishing they were here to share this time with us. But I am so grateful for the years we had together. We will see them again some day.
This has been a pretty difficult year for us in many respects. But even with that, I still think of the many, many blessings that we have been given. I am so grateful for all that God has entrusted to me. So whether I'm singing hymns with our sweet, sweet church family or sitting in my recliner crocheting while my hubby is watching the football game or watching my little one picking wildflowers and adding to his rock collection, or watching my oldest salivate over homemade pumpkin bread, I choose to rejoice. Life is good, God is great and I am one very blessed individual. :-)
God bless!
Carrie
Pumpkin Bread(my mama's recipe)
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 cups sugar
Mix all these together. Then add:
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups pumpkin
Mix together and then bake at 350degrees for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. (I bake mine in a bundt pan).
This is so good. It's very moist and one of our family favorites. I hope you enjoy it!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Free Books
Thank you to all of our military past and present and their families for their service to our country and the sacrifices they have made. Happy Veteran's Day!
I promised some info on free books the other day so here you go....I love to read! I love free stuff! So when Micah told me about a program he had signed up for where you get free books, I thought this sounds too good to be true. It's not though. It's free to sign up. The only requirement is that once you read the book you have to write a review of it and post it. :-) Don't fret about the reviews either. There is nothing to them. You don't have to write it a specific way. There are no special requirements that you must have in the review. You just have to put a note at the end that you received the book for free in exchange for writing the review. They don't care if your review is favorable or not. You could hate the book and write about that. LOL!
If you like to read, I definitely suggest checking out these programs. You even get to pick out which book you receive. There are all varieties of books. My favorite is Christian Fiction. Once you've submitted your review to them, then you can sign up to get another free book. I'm going to sign up myself now that I have my own blog. (Until now, I've been doing it for Micah's blog. :-)
Here are the links for the free programs:
http://booksneeze.com/
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/
http://www.dorrancebookstore.com/doborete.html
I thought I'd post a copy of one of my reviews here to give you an idea of what they're like. But I want to emphasize there is no right or wrong. Do your own thing with it. :-) Hope you check out this program. I've gotten several books now and have totally enjoyed it!
This book was Whispers in the Wind by Lauraine Snelling.
Twenty year old Cassie Lockwood has been the star of a Wild West Show since she was very young. Traveling from place to place with the other people in the show has given her a sense of family, especially after her parents deaths. The show is all she has, that is until she finds out that it is bankrupt. Her “uncle” has been managing the money, but failed to mention to anyone that things were not going so well. His announcement that they were breaking up the show and all going their separate ways was a shock to all.
Cassie does the only thing she knows to do. She gathers her belongings and along with two close friends from the show, Chief, and Micah, sets out to find the valley her father had always talked about. It had been her father's dream to settle there some day and raise horses.
After many days journeying, and many lessons on how to fend for herself, Cassie and her party arrive in the valley, with animals and wagon and one additional person, Runs Like a Deer, that they picked up along the way, with them. Imagine her surprise to find a family already living on the land. Mavis Engstrom, her daughter and two grown sons have been living in the valley for years now and developed the land into a working ranch. Cassie's arrival creates a difficult situation for Mavis and forces her to uncover some long buried secrets. Between the distrust from Mavis's eldest son and the tension in town towards Cassie's Indian friends, she's uncertain what she should do. She learns though, that God has a way of working things out in His timing. We just have to listen to the Whispers in the Wind for they will guide us each step of the way.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
I hope you all have a blessed week!
Carrie
I promised some info on free books the other day so here you go....I love to read! I love free stuff! So when Micah told me about a program he had signed up for where you get free books, I thought this sounds too good to be true. It's not though. It's free to sign up. The only requirement is that once you read the book you have to write a review of it and post it. :-) Don't fret about the reviews either. There is nothing to them. You don't have to write it a specific way. There are no special requirements that you must have in the review. You just have to put a note at the end that you received the book for free in exchange for writing the review. They don't care if your review is favorable or not. You could hate the book and write about that. LOL!
If you like to read, I definitely suggest checking out these programs. You even get to pick out which book you receive. There are all varieties of books. My favorite is Christian Fiction. Once you've submitted your review to them, then you can sign up to get another free book. I'm going to sign up myself now that I have my own blog. (Until now, I've been doing it for Micah's blog. :-)
Here are the links for the free programs:
http://booksneeze.com/
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/
http://www.dorrancebookstore.com/doborete.html
I thought I'd post a copy of one of my reviews here to give you an idea of what they're like. But I want to emphasize there is no right or wrong. Do your own thing with it. :-) Hope you check out this program. I've gotten several books now and have totally enjoyed it!
This book was Whispers in the Wind by Lauraine Snelling.
Twenty year old Cassie Lockwood has been the star of a Wild West Show since she was very young. Traveling from place to place with the other people in the show has given her a sense of family, especially after her parents deaths. The show is all she has, that is until she finds out that it is bankrupt. Her “uncle” has been managing the money, but failed to mention to anyone that things were not going so well. His announcement that they were breaking up the show and all going their separate ways was a shock to all.
Cassie does the only thing she knows to do. She gathers her belongings and along with two close friends from the show, Chief, and Micah, sets out to find the valley her father had always talked about. It had been her father's dream to settle there some day and raise horses.
After many days journeying, and many lessons on how to fend for herself, Cassie and her party arrive in the valley, with animals and wagon and one additional person, Runs Like a Deer, that they picked up along the way, with them. Imagine her surprise to find a family already living on the land. Mavis Engstrom, her daughter and two grown sons have been living in the valley for years now and developed the land into a working ranch. Cassie's arrival creates a difficult situation for Mavis and forces her to uncover some long buried secrets. Between the distrust from Mavis's eldest son and the tension in town towards Cassie's Indian friends, she's uncertain what she should do. She learns though, that God has a way of working things out in His timing. We just have to listen to the Whispers in the Wind for they will guide us each step of the way.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
I hope you all have a blessed week!
Carrie
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Two Favorite Recipes
Sorry I haven't been keeping up lately. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I thought I'd share a couple of our favorite recipes. If you're like us, we get tired of the same 'ol, same 'ol. Because of that, I'm always looking for new recipes and I love getting a new cookbook to try new things. :-) I have the boys rank recipes from one to ten(ten being great). I write it on the top so I can remember how much we like a new one. I have gotten some of my best recipes from sharing with friends and family and them with me. I've never understood people who want to keep ingredients secret. If we find one that we think is awesome, I love to share. Anyway, with that being said, here are two of our favorites.
This first one is a new favorite for us that we tried the other day. It is another one that I found in the recipes from my grandmother's recipe box. I have no idea if she ever fixed this, but it was in her stuff. LOL! If she was like I am, I have a lot of recipes that I haven't tried yet. Hopefully, she did make this one because it is a definite keeper for our family! I had thought when reading the ingredients that it would be similar to a homemade hamburger helper. WRONG!!!! It makes hamburger helper look like dog food. Micah hates hamburger helper and he loved this! Hope you do too!
Chili Mac
2 lbs. ground beef(or half beef and half pork sausage)(I did half of each)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups of elbow macaroni, cooked acc. to package directions(wait about twenty minutes after starting the chili part before cooking the noodles)
shredded cheddar or jack cheese
In a large kettle or Dutch oven, brown the meat, green pepper, onion and garlic. Drain excess fat. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, water, chili powder, salt, cumin and cayenne. Cover and simmer on low heat 30 minutes; stirring occasionally. Prepare elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Stir macaroni into chili. Serve in bowls; garnish with shredded cheese. Yields: 10-12 servings.
The second recipe that I want to share is one I got out of an old Taste of Home magazine. Years ago I used to have a subscription and have several favorites from that time. :-) This is one of the quickest, simplest and tastiest recipes I've ever gotten from a magazine. Just a note about this one...it is not pretty looking. The only thing of color in it is the green onions. But do not let that fool you! This has an incredible flavor to it that I think you will love.
Hurry Up Ham and Noodles
5-6 cups egg noodles, cooked acc. to package directions and drain
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the whipping cream and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ham, Parmesan cheese, green onions, salt and pepper; heat through. Add the noodles and the sauce/ ham mixture together and heat through.
I hope you enjoy these two recipes as much as we have. I have a couple recipes from other days if you're interested, check them out too.
I hope to post some info tomorrow on how you can get free books. It's rare to find something that is really free anymore. We came across a program that gives you free books and all you have to do is write a review about it after you've read it. You get to pick which books you want to review too. But enough about that for now. Tune in tomorrow and I'll give you all the details. :-)
Blessings to you all,
Carrie
This first one is a new favorite for us that we tried the other day. It is another one that I found in the recipes from my grandmother's recipe box. I have no idea if she ever fixed this, but it was in her stuff. LOL! If she was like I am, I have a lot of recipes that I haven't tried yet. Hopefully, she did make this one because it is a definite keeper for our family! I had thought when reading the ingredients that it would be similar to a homemade hamburger helper. WRONG!!!! It makes hamburger helper look like dog food. Micah hates hamburger helper and he loved this! Hope you do too!
Chili Mac
2 lbs. ground beef(or half beef and half pork sausage)(I did half of each)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups of elbow macaroni, cooked acc. to package directions(wait about twenty minutes after starting the chili part before cooking the noodles)
shredded cheddar or jack cheese
In a large kettle or Dutch oven, brown the meat, green pepper, onion and garlic. Drain excess fat. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, water, chili powder, salt, cumin and cayenne. Cover and simmer on low heat 30 minutes; stirring occasionally. Prepare elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Stir macaroni into chili. Serve in bowls; garnish with shredded cheese. Yields: 10-12 servings.
The second recipe that I want to share is one I got out of an old Taste of Home magazine. Years ago I used to have a subscription and have several favorites from that time. :-) This is one of the quickest, simplest and tastiest recipes I've ever gotten from a magazine. Just a note about this one...it is not pretty looking. The only thing of color in it is the green onions. But do not let that fool you! This has an incredible flavor to it that I think you will love.
Hurry Up Ham and Noodles
5-6 cups egg noodles, cooked acc. to package directions and drain
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the whipping cream and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ham, Parmesan cheese, green onions, salt and pepper; heat through. Add the noodles and the sauce/ ham mixture together and heat through.
I hope you enjoy these two recipes as much as we have. I have a couple recipes from other days if you're interested, check them out too.
I hope to post some info tomorrow on how you can get free books. It's rare to find something that is really free anymore. We came across a program that gives you free books and all you have to do is write a review about it after you've read it. You get to pick which books you want to review too. But enough about that for now. Tune in tomorrow and I'll give you all the details. :-)
Blessings to you all,
Carrie
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Carpet Care
My sister in law asked me about a cleaner for carpets. I knew I had saved some, but I had to find them first Maigan! lol! I've found several that are supposed to have great results. All are made with simple ingredients that you probably have in your home already. I do want to say that I have not yet tried these. I do feel pretty confident that they must work because I read a bunch of reviews when I was looking for them. Almost all were positive results. They use some of the same ingredients that the other homemade products I've posted already use. With each homemade product that I've tried, I've had very good results. All that being said, however, I cannot speak from first hand experience on these yet. :-) If you try them, please write and let me know your experience with them, good or bad. My goal in all of this is not necessarily to be the "go to expert" on all of the homemade products, I simply want to find alternatives to the expensive cleaners we buy in the stores that work as well, are cheaper and safer than the brand names. If others can benefit from our research, I'm thrilled to share what we find.
1) Spot Cleaner for Carpet
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup warm water
Put in spray bottle and spray directly on the stain and let sit for a few minutes. Use a damp cloth to rub stain.
For tougher stains found two more solutions:
2) Carpet Cleaner Solution for Tough Stains
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup borax
1/4 cup white vinegar
Mix to make a paste. Use fingers to rub into carpet and leave for a few hours. Than vacuum over several times.
3) Second Cleaner for Tough Stains
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Mix baking soda and vinegar(this will fizz quite a bit at first). Add water and stir. Put in spray bottle. Scrub with a brush. Wait 5-10 minutes and blot dry.
4) Carpet Deodorizer
2 cups baking soda
10 drops of your favorite essential oil
Mix together. Sprinkle powder on carpet. Let sit for 30-60 minutes and then vacuum.
5) Steam Cleaner Solution for Steam Cleaning Machines
1/4 cup lemon scented ammonia
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 teaspoons dishwashing soap
a little less than one gallon of hot water
Mix together and add to the solution compartment on your steam cleaner.
I can't wait to try these! Between having a new puppy and our foyer having carpet in it, we have lots of spots that need cleaning! Until I can afford to rip up the carpet in the foyer and replace with something more visitor friendly, I will continue trying to keep it clean. I'm hoping to try these this week since I have a couple of extra days off. I'll give you an update when I do to let you know how they worked for me.
UPDATE ON THE DRAIN CLEANER:
Along that same note, I did use the drain cleaner yesterday and had pretty good results. I'm shedding hair worse than a cat so our drains seem to constantly be stopping up. Our drain was not totally clogged yet, just very slow draining. After using the drain cleaner, it drained much more quickly, but was still a little stopped. When it is totally unstopped it makes an awful sucking sound. ( It scared Samuel half to death the first time it happened! lol! He was climbing up the back of the wall trying to get away from it. ) I think I'm going to do another round of the drain cleaner to see if it completely clears. Like I said, it drained out much faster, so it did work, but I like it when there is NO standing water at all. I'm hoping with a second application that'll do the trick. Remember that this mixture is also used for drain maintenance about once a month. I think once I get it totally unplugged and use the cleaner as maintenance, we probably won't have the problems we've been having the last few years.
Happy carpet cleaning! Hope you have good results. :-)
Have a wonderful week!
God bless!
Carrie
1) Spot Cleaner for Carpet
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup warm water
Put in spray bottle and spray directly on the stain and let sit for a few minutes. Use a damp cloth to rub stain.
For tougher stains found two more solutions:
2) Carpet Cleaner Solution for Tough Stains
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup borax
1/4 cup white vinegar
Mix to make a paste. Use fingers to rub into carpet and leave for a few hours. Than vacuum over several times.
3) Second Cleaner for Tough Stains
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Mix baking soda and vinegar(this will fizz quite a bit at first). Add water and stir. Put in spray bottle. Scrub with a brush. Wait 5-10 minutes and blot dry.
4) Carpet Deodorizer
2 cups baking soda
10 drops of your favorite essential oil
Mix together. Sprinkle powder on carpet. Let sit for 30-60 minutes and then vacuum.
5) Steam Cleaner Solution for Steam Cleaning Machines
1/4 cup lemon scented ammonia
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 teaspoons dishwashing soap
a little less than one gallon of hot water
Mix together and add to the solution compartment on your steam cleaner.
I can't wait to try these! Between having a new puppy and our foyer having carpet in it, we have lots of spots that need cleaning! Until I can afford to rip up the carpet in the foyer and replace with something more visitor friendly, I will continue trying to keep it clean. I'm hoping to try these this week since I have a couple of extra days off. I'll give you an update when I do to let you know how they worked for me.
UPDATE ON THE DRAIN CLEANER:
Along that same note, I did use the drain cleaner yesterday and had pretty good results. I'm shedding hair worse than a cat so our drains seem to constantly be stopping up. Our drain was not totally clogged yet, just very slow draining. After using the drain cleaner, it drained much more quickly, but was still a little stopped. When it is totally unstopped it makes an awful sucking sound. ( It scared Samuel half to death the first time it happened! lol! He was climbing up the back of the wall trying to get away from it. ) I think I'm going to do another round of the drain cleaner to see if it completely clears. Like I said, it drained out much faster, so it did work, but I like it when there is NO standing water at all. I'm hoping with a second application that'll do the trick. Remember that this mixture is also used for drain maintenance about once a month. I think once I get it totally unplugged and use the cleaner as maintenance, we probably won't have the problems we've been having the last few years.
Happy carpet cleaning! Hope you have good results. :-)
Have a wonderful week!
God bless!
Carrie
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