There's Some Changin' Going On

There are some serious changes going on around the Lucus House, and any of you that know me well know that I don't really like change, and by "don't really like" I mean, I HATE. I live by a routine that can not handle being mixed up, if I do even one thing out of order my whole day is off (just ask my husband, I am a peach in the morning when things don't go according to plan). However every now and then I see a change that must be made, and it is a process, it takes too long, I should get help. However I am going to share a couple of them with you right here and now before I change my mind. I am not listing them all though because when it ends up here for all of creation to read, I pretty much have to stick to it. I'm not ready for that...I change in a very methodical way with no room for deviation...hmmm...perhaps that should change too...ugh. Enough about that, on to the good stuff.

The first big change is that I'm cleaning...green. I guess you would call it that, although I am always a little on the fence as to exactly what that means. I sort of shutter to use the term green for fear you will worry that my next big "change" will be a complete disregard for razors and deoderant. Please don't worry, that will never be the case - in fact, let's not say green; I'm cleaning cheap, I like that better. So, that means no more soft scrub, no more bleach, no more stainless steel cleaners (and let me tell YOU, have I ever tried me some stainless steel cleaners...none of them work), no more counter spray, no more wipes, no more lysol; nope I purchase nothing with a pretty little lable on it, and that is hard because oh am I a sucker for a pretty lable. You could sell me poop in a can if the packaging was correct, but I digress. I am now cleaning with baking soda and vinager. I got the idea from my highschool friend on her amazing blog http://barnettes.com/. She started doing it and explained to me how it all works. I was skeptical at first, but as soon as my husband bought me the 13lb bag from Costco and the gallon jug of vinager, I was committed. Funny thing is that I have yet to find something that this amazing concoction does not work on, and not only does it just work, it works better. The most exciting thing I have found is that the stainless steel in my house perhaps can be seen from space it is SO shiney!! The pro's out weigh the con's by far, and when cleaning my house I no longer have to carry 50 bottles. Just these two cute little items (I did have to make my own cute packaging, don't judge me). This is some good stuff! Thrifty living HERE I COME!



The next big thing to hit the Lucus house is, my brown thumb trying SO desperately to be green. See, I am an extremist. I either have a yard that looks like a tornado hit and we never bothered to clean up, or I think that I have to have a yard out of Better Homes and Gardens. There can be no middle ground. That is why I LOVE having friends that have known me for the better part of 25 years. My bestest Rosie told me that perhaps I could take it one step at a time and get a couple pots, and plant a few herbs as money allowed. That way I could get some pretty in my yard without having to sell organs to achieve my BH&G yard...WELL WHO THE HECK KNEW??? That was the most brilliant idea ever! So, with that amazing spark of information I headed to the Plant Farm to pick up some fun herbs. Then it was off to Joanne's to get a couple pots, and, possibly,a pink shovel and a pink trowel (that is what the fork looking thing in, right? I am SO new to this gardening thing)...okay and some flowered gardening gloves as well!! UGH! I can't be stopped...Dave Ramsey would NOT approve of my pink gardening tools...more on that later. Anyways, I planted 4 types of mint (WHO KNEW), and 4 lavender plants. I can't wait to see if they will actually grow, and more importantly, I can not wait to see if my conversation with our cat to not poop in my herbs lest he be covered in wet dog food and shut in the bathroom with our dogs, will do ANY good at all. Below are the fruits of my labor.







Now, should the reason you check this blog NOT be about my crazy life and aversion to change, and be about what I have been up to in the crafting world, I have included a picture of my latest creation (dont' worry, I'll keep you abreast of the plant life happenings and how my new found "cheap" cleaning methods are panning out, I know you were worried, I felt it). This pattern was SUCH a challenge for me to follow. I have never crocheted something so big in my whole life. It is a sleep sack (for photography prop use only) that took roughly 4.5 skeins of yarn and oh, about 5 full hours to complete. Now, in the future when I am not learning to decrease as I go along I will probably be able to whip these out much quicker but this one was a bear. Fortunately I had dreams of this little one going to my girl Didi (mentioned in the previous post) and being filled with a tiny, wrinkley, newborn little boy, to keep me going. However should you be a photographer, know a photographer, or just dream of your little one occupying one of these for pictures, let me know. We'll talk about making those dreams come true.