{ lovebirds }

My heart was bursting with LOVE last night, not just because of a dare to create something about a love, not just because I was scrapbooking one of my favorite photo’s of the hubs and I; but because I was doing what makes my heart sing and my mind zen….  Playing, creating and most importantly memorykeeping, journaling, documenting our story, in this case my love for the hubs.

The Dutch Dares Design Team all documented their loves, with amazing pictures, journaling and techniques. Everyone is welcome to join in, play along, but our Facebook group is dutch oriented so you might need the translation button depending on where you are from.

 

 

{ toilet fizzie bombs }

I made my first batch of fizzies bombs this month to compliment my new cleaning routine of our toilets (alongside the thieves all purpose cleaner). Yes these are fizzie bombs for the toilets not for in my bath!

 

These are tossed in our toilets every evening for my daily morning scrub (it literally fizzes the gunk from the toilet bowl, I know gross and of course no one has so much gunk you can see it come off, but just imagine it) or when it needs to smell a bit nicer in between, I have 2 teenagers after all …

They are super easy to make, cheaper than the ones you can buy in the store and who doesn’t want a natural alternative to clean their home!
I mean seriously products with skulls, flames or that state you need to call your doctor if you drink, inhale or get this in your eyes is just not ok….
All the ingredients that are used for the toilet fizzies are regularly used in the kitchen although I would not eat hem in this particular state 😉

 

Tools:
Mixing bowl
Misting spray bottle (which is a better option than just pouring it in there trust me on this)
Silicon mold (cute shape is optional)
Latex gloves and mask (optional)

Ingredients: 
100 grams Citric Acid (NL = Citroenzuur)
50 grams Baking Soda (NL = Sodium Bicarbonaat)
30 drops of Young Living Essential oils (3 kinds; I used Thieves, Lemon and Peppermint for this batch)
water (in the misting spray bottle)

Instructions:
Mix the 2 powders with a mixer
Add your choice of YL Essential Oils and mix again
Slowly spray the mix whilst mixing until it has the consistency of wet sand
When the mixture has the right consistency add it to the mold shapes, press firmly to get the air out and keep adding to the shape until a bit under the rim
Leave to dry for 6 hours.

My personal tips :
Don’t fill the molds to the rim as it does swell up a bit whilst drying (trust me on this)
I recommend firmly pressing again the mixture again after 30 min.

They are fun to make in different shapes, I made 2 batches so I would have enough to fill the mold.

 

{ resistance is futile }

Another year older, but he just keeps getting cuter! Happy birthday to my dear sweet husband, he’s had a rough 2,5 years but held his own and things finally fell into place this month.
So this year I told him there’s no escaping it, we are celebrating your birthday because we are getting that second wind in our backs, things are looking up and life’s too short and I like any excuse to hang the decorations and eat cake. So I’m off to bake one for him !

 

{ 14 going on 24 …

My oldest boy turned 14 today, bigger than me, same shoesize as his dad, where did the little baby go ….

Happy Birthday Michael, keep making us laugh with your witty jokes, try to be less angry at the world, enjoy life and work a little harder you can do it all although you might not think so now !

{ 11 going on 13 … }

He’s all set to go to secondary school, and he’s only turned 11 …

My little bubbly boy is growing up way too fast, getting his hair chopped off was the first sign of that. He wanted big boy hair not the surfer dude hairdo I loved so much.

He loves reading, swimming, minecraft, youtube films on gaming and bouncing on the trampoline that about sums up his days this summer.

Happy Birthday to my sweet bright bubbly boy !

{ happy anniversary babe }

I still think he’s the most exciting, fun, and cutest guy I know. Sometimes I think he’s an ass, but that’s just little things now and then. In the last 25 years I have never for one second wondered if there is a better man out there, I hit the jackpot and that feels good !

 

13 and lovin’it

My oldes boy loves being older, thinks he’s so wise but has so much still to learn as he’s only turned 13 ….

We try to teach him all he needs to know about life, love, school and all things inbetween.
He usually gives us the look of yeah right what would you know about that you are ancient … but he gets it most of the time.

The first half of middle school has been quite a challenge for him, school sucks in his opinion and although we were helping him through it he had a hard time accepting our help. We’ve sent him to homework classes and that seems to be working (although they do & tell him exactly the same as we were doing) his grades are improving and with that his happy bubbly personality is reappearing.

Sweet Michael, please show the world what a wonderful, funny and happy boy you are, enjoy and embrace puberty and it will be a rollercoaster ride that you can look back on with a smile !

 

{ all about the minions }

Dude #2 turned 10 and he loves the Despicable Me movies so a theme for his party was soon found.
I made sweet Minion birthday cakes, angry minion cupcakes, decorated cookies with edible minion prints and of course the M&M’s and skittles were sorted in matching colors.

{another teenager in the making }

He can never wait until tomorrow as he always believes that what is coming then is the best ever.
I repeatedly tell him to cherish today and tomorrow comes by too quickly…

He’s turned 10 today, going to the final grade of our elementary schoolsystem after the summer. He’ll be really young when he goes to secondary school but doesn’t care. He loves to be around older kids and wants to be treated like a 12 yr old …

Sweet bubbly boy you want to be grown so fast and me, I want to enjoy the little boy in you for a bit longer than you do …

{ 1/2 birthday }

Half birthdays are celebrated in our house, sometimes I’m lazy, sometimes I bake a cake. Today it was the latter, happy 1/2 bday dude !