In Like a Lion

Snowed in, again!

Denver can't seem to make up its mind this winter/spring.  Two weeks ago we had a blizzard that kept us homebound for the entire day.  Last week it was bright, sunny, gorgeous, in the mid-60s... so wonderful.  Now, once again, we're under a winter storm warning.  It's been snowing since early this morning.  The amount we're getting isn't as much as last time, but it's blowing like crazy outside.  I'm hoping this whole "in like a lion, out like a lamb" thing is true, because I'm about done with winter!!  So the hubby and I have been super lazy again today, watching some TV and not much else.  I have to do some laundry, but we're doing some fun stuff too.  Matt's baking a loaf of bread and made us some brownie cookies earlier today... YUM!  I may try to do some laundry today, but that may also just wait till tomorrow.  Of course, tomorrow is supposed to be lovely again, so if I were smart I'd be doing chores today.

I've got to say, though, it's been nice to sit and relax today.  This last week at work has been insane, and  as much as I enjoy my job and my co-workers I've just felt overburdened by the amount of stuff I have to do.  I worked till 7:00 on Tuesday night, missing my yoga class, missing dinner, and feeling absolutely stressed to the max.  I've got to work on my work-life balance or else I'll end up one of those people who works 60 hours a week... and I'm not willing to do that!

But that's about all the updates I've got for now... nothing too terribly new or exciting.  Now, here's the reason you all tuned in, of course: a Pinterest post!


1. Sparkling Clean Washing Machine - Nailed it!

Being renters we've dealt with a lot of laundry situations over the years.  We didn't have an in-unit washer or dryer till we moved into this place - it was a major feature when we moved in here.  Finally, not having to trek a hamper of dirty clothes down the hall, not having to deal with quarters or inconsiderate neighbors who'd leave their clothes in the washer/dryer well past the cycle's end.  But the washer and dryer in this unit have both gotten filthy over the last couple years, and I finally had it.  So, I went to Old Reliable and found a DIY for cleaning out the washer.  So, remember... judgment free zone, people!  Here are the before shots:

Ugh, disgusting!!  What is all that crap?!

It's really a combination of grime and gross-ness, old detergent, lint, and dog hair.  SO. GROSS.

So I started the bleach cycle as the post instructed, then went away and worked on another Pinterest project (which I'll show you later!).  After the bleach cycle I worked on the vinegar cycle.  As the original post suggested I started wiping the inside and outside of the washer while the vinegar steamed.

Hot water + white vinegar = clean steam!

I used a large, plastic cup to scoop up the hot water and vinegar mixture and pour it through the different parts of the washer.  I filled the "cup" in the center, pulled the powder detergent drawer out and soaked it in the water, then then filled the liquid detergent spot (that nasty green spot on the left) with the hot water.  Then, with a cleaning rag, I got in it and started wiping.

WHAT IS THAT?!?!  DISGUSTING!!!

I don't get grossed out very easily but this solidified goo was a bit much.  Thankfully it came up really easily.

Whew, almost gone!

Even though it was a long process I am ecstatic about how clean my washer looks.  I can't see its innards, so I don't know if the process did anything for the inside of the machine, but the outside is sparkling clean!  Whoo hoo!

2. Yellow Armpit Stains - FAIL

That's right, folks, it's our first Pinterest Fail.  I'm not sure if it was me or not, but this one definitely did not work for me.

From my days at the good old BBW I have a handful of white shirts that I still love to wear.  On top of that, I have a bunch of camis and tanks that just need some love.  I've seen tons of Pinterest posts about getting rid of those awful yellow stains on whites, so I finally decided to try it.  They all seem so easy: Dawn, hydrogen peroxide, and a little elbow grease.

Let's get started!

Perhaps one of the big problems I had was that we don't have a dedicated laundry room.  Most of the time I do laundry in our dining room, using our table for folding and such.  I couldn't really lay wet, soapy clothes on our table, so I did the best I could on our breakfast bar.  My laundry brush was not helping at all, so I finally just ditched it.

Wet and ready to wash

I was really nervous when I saw how blue my whites turned from the Dawn.  But, I pushed onward!  Luckily I'd just washed my washing machine so I was hopeful that things would change after a wash cycle.

However, I was a little freaked out during the wash cycle when I peeked in the washer and saw that it was full of suds:

What the...

My fears were confirmed after the wash cycle.  I pulled my whites out and there were still those nasty, yellow stains.

Well... crap.

My last bit of hope went out the window after the dryer... and now my whites (including my favorite eyelet top) is still marred with ugly yellow pit stains.  Sigh.  I guess I can take some of that bleach I used to clean my washer and bleach those stains out!

Next stop, BLEACH!

3.  Plastic Bag Holder - Nailed it!

My mom always used to keep a garbage bag full of all the plastic bags we accumulated from our various shopping trips.  She always said that you'd always need a bag for something, whether a lunch bag or packing a box for mailing or whatnot.  Way to go, Mom, way to reduce reuse and recycle!  This was a habit I picked up from her, so I've always had bags of bags shoved into my closets or drawers.  I've needed a better way to store them, so when I saw this post about an easy way to do it I pinned it right away.  Then, when my disinfecting wipe container was empty, I did it!

While my washing machine was steam-bleaching I laid out my plastic bags (I was a little bummed that the container only held 12 bags, considering I have about 1200!).  The whole process took maybe 15 minutes and it totally works - win!

Ozzie scopes it out!

Mirabelle is curious, too!

Roll it up!

Ta da!

All done - no time, flat!

4.  Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup - Nailed it!

I can't take all the credit for this one, as Matt put the recipe together one day while he was off and I was at work.  But I'd been looking for a chicken tortilla soup recipe for a long time, and what a bonus - a slow cooker version!  The recipe was relatively simple, though Matt pointed out that the "prep" time is listed as 5 minutes and took him more like 15 minutes... since he had to chop up all the veggies.  But the final product was delicious.  When I got home I quickly shredded the chicken and re-added to the crockpot, then topped with cheese and tortilla strips and YUMMO!  Even better, it kept and reheated beautifully for lunch a day or two later.  This one's definitely going into the menu rotation!

Delish!

5.  Messy Up-do for thick hair - (almost) Nailed it!

I have always had super thick hair.  It's got a lot of natural wave to it, and it's exceptionally healthy despite years of coloring and styling.  I never really learned how to style it, as I've mentioned before, but especially never learned how to "do it up."  Other than a ponytail and the "messy bun" a girlfriend in high school taught me (oh yeah, and the Topsy Tail!  Anyone else remember that thing?!) I often just straighten it and call it good.  One of my goals this year is to learn some new styles for my hair, and using the trusted help of Kate over at the Small Things Blog I sought out one for my thick mop top.

On Friday this week I'd overslept... like, a LOT.  I'd curled my hair the day before (see the previous Pinterest post for that one!) and didn't have time to wash it and restyle it.  I'd watched the tutorial for this one once before, and decided to give it a shot.  It took a bit longer than I anticipated, and I had to use every single bobby pin I own (no lie, I had to dig into my makeup bag to find more!) but I think it turned out pretty awesome.

Slightly possessed? Yes, but the hair looks good!

I added a headband for a little bling :)

The "fail" aspect of it came at about noon when I noticed pieces were starting to fall.  Since I'd used every bobby pin to get this thick mess of hair up in the first place I had to pull pins out and try to replace them... which just didn't really do the trick.  By the time I got home from work it was a bit of a hot mess, but I think with a handful of bobby pins extra to carry with during the day that problem would be history.

So there's the Pinterest Fail or Nailed It post for you this week.  I'll be looking for some inspiration for next week... or maybe the week after, we'll see how busy we are!  I'm still hoping to get out and look at some houses next week, but we'll see.  They seem to be dropping off the market before we even have a chance to scope them out, which is really frustrating.   Fingers crossed that we'll actually get out and start looking soon... think of the Pinterest posts we'll have once we have a home to fix up and decorate!!

Until next time!