Show Your Home Some Love

February. The month of love. You might be considering what to get that special person in your life. I recommend grilling a good steak at home and cuddling on the couch afterwards eating brownies and ice cream, but Valentine’s Day inspiration isn’t my intention for this blog post. I wanted to give February a different spin and offer some ways to show your house some love! Soon it will be spring and we will want to be outside as much as possible. Let’s take advantage of this indoor time period and show our homes some lovin’.

1. Clean the Fridge (and the Freezer, Too)

You’re about to have all sorts of fun produce to load up in your fridge, so take this time to clean out your frig and make it shine again. Think of the grapes, watermelons, lettuce that will soon take over your frig space! Plus ice cream and ice pops in the freezer. Make things easier for ‘Future You’ and make the space now. Pull out all of the drawers and racks and wash them. Clean the inside with a de-greaser or scouring pad to get rid of sticky residue. Replace that old box of baking soda with a fresh one and don’t forget to vacuum the condenser coils on the back! Your fresh veggies will thank you!

2. The Oven

If you can’t see thorough your oven window or if you’re getting used to that smell of food burning every time you preheat, then it’s time to clean your oven! If you have an oven with an auto-clean cycle, it’s important to wipe out any big spills first to prevent flare ups.
For manual cleaning, try using a natural paste of baking soda, water and liquid dish soap instead of harsh chemicals.
Be sure to wipe up grease and grime spills as soon as it happens instead of letting it sit inside your oven and get harder as time goes on.
Clean that thing now and it’ll be pristine and sparkly when you are ready to fire it up again.

4. Carpet and Rugs

Carpets accumulate a lot of dust, dirt and even fungi over time, all of which are unsightly, unhygienic and can be potential health hazards. Up to 80% of carpet dirt is loose and on the surface, and can be removed with regular vacuuming. Kinda makes you want to vacuum right now, right?
Let’s further extend the life and appearance of your carpets as well as banish those really stubborn bugs and stains with regular deep cleaning.
It’s well worth renting steam-cleaning equipment or hiring a professional carpet cleaning company to do the job.

4.Windows Inside and Out

Clean, clear windows make any room feel lighter and cleaner simply by letting more light in, and the more natural light you get, the less electricity you use! How’s that for a fun fact? Not to mention, the lighter the room, the lighter your mood!
When cleaning your windows, wipe the inside up and down, and the outside left to right. If you end up with streaks, you’ll know which side they’re on. Don’t forget to wash screens and sills/tracks.
Are your window coverings drab? Just run them through an air-fluff cycle in the dryer with a damp towel (to attract the dust) for 15 minutes, and rehang immediately.
For a quick, complete wipe-down of your window blinds, shut the blinds and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Then close the blinds in the opposite direction and wipe other side. Tada! A little cleaning makes a huge difference.

I’m all about a little bit of daily progress. Cleaning these areas will also help get rid of germs that might be lurking around from the January we just finished. I think it’s totally necessary to show our homes some love. What other areas will you be cleaning this month?

Happy Valentines Day,

Michelle Phillips

love

grateful & thankful

As Thanksgiving Day gets closer, I think it fills the heart to stop and consider all the people, things and circumstances we have to be grateful for. I’ve learned in my own life, when we stop and take time to be grateful, our mindset changes. One way I started purposefully putting gratefulness into practice is actually quite simple. I use the notes part of my iPhone and everyday (or everyday I remember!) I enter three NEW things I’m thankful for. This is something I’ve been doing for a few months so my list is long and only continues to grow. As I come up with three new things daily I’m thankful for, my mindset shifts to being grateful for everything that is in my life. A few items on my list look like this….

– A reliable, paid off vehicle

-fresh vegetables to eat

-children

-freedom to worship God

-hot coffee

-warm clothing

-art

-great clients

You get the idea. The crazy part is, everyday, your thankful list will look a little bit different. It will reflect how a portion of your day has already gone. For example, say you went to the DMV that morning, and the lines were low. I would be thankful for just that, “Short lines at the DMV!” It’s not rocket science, but there really IS something to be thankful for in everyday. Once we unlock our eyes to see this simple truth, our mind does a shift and realizes we really do have so much to be thankful for and it was right in front of us all along.

We hope you and yours have a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving Day!

We’ve got a lot to celebrate around here plus an Easy No Bake Pie Recipe!

June is packed full of good dates to remember. At our place, June is a monumental month for Trevor. First, we have Father’s Day, then it’s Phillips Tile & Stone’s birthday then we celebrate Trevor’s birthday! This month was spent celebrating the man who steers this ship. Thank you to all our past and present clients, and a shout out to all the future clients we’ve yet to work with. Happy birthday Phillips Tile & Stone and Happy birthday to our favorite, Trevor Phillips!!

9 years as a company and 35 years young.

Life by Chocolate!

To celebrate, I made this easy no bake pie. In which I’m calling Life by Chocolate

It’s the easiest pie you’ll ever make and everyone loves it!

Ingredients

  • 1 ready-to-use Oreo pie crust
  • 1 large box chocolate instant pudding
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 package Oreo cookies
  • 1 tub of Cool Whip
  • Hot Fudge
  • additional Oreo cookies for garnish

Instructions

  • Combine the large box of pudding mix and 3 cups whole milk. Stir together with a whisk until it is combined and thick. This will take about 5 minutes to thicken up.
  • Add the chopped Oreo cookies and stir together to combine.
  • Pour 1 1/2 cups of the pudding mixture into the bottom of the pie crust.
  • Drizzle with hot fudge.
  • Beat together the cool whip with the remaining pudding mixture and add this as a third layer to the pie.
  • Spread the remaining whipped cream on top.
  • Cover with the enclosed lid and let refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Refrigerating overnight is best.
  • When ready to serve, garnish the top with additional Oreo cookies and hot fudge.
  • Enjoy!

You are in for a real treat!

The Phillips Fam

DIY Green All-Purpose Cleaning Spray !

We all love a clean home! The same day I posted this, I had a friend request a blog post on the best way to clean countertops! I think it’s safe to say, we all want what is best for our families and pets. The green cleaning movement is well underway, and I have been on board for a good long while. Actually, it’s not a new movement if you think about it. Your grandparents cleaned green!

It’s incredibly easy to make your own cleaner! Like, so easy. One thing you do need to be mindful of while making your own cleaning agents is that most surfaces cannot stand up to harsh abrasives or acidic cleaners. So use lemon juice and vinegar with discretion! The recipe I’m sharing for this blog post doesn’t use those ingredients, so don’t worry. It is interesting to note that you could get rid of all your chemical filled cleaners and stock up on vinegar, baking soda, lemons and soap and call it a day. But I want you to have this recipe, so keep reading.

For most days, warm water and a microfiber cloth should be fine to clean those countertops. However, if you cut chicken on the countertops the evening before for dinner, just consider alllll the germs that need disinfected. Eww. Here is your all natural recipe to conquer dirt and grime. Germs be gone!

All- Surface Spray Recipe

2 teaspoons washing soda

hot water

1/4 teaspoons liquid castile soap

Once you’ve got your mixture together, put it in a spray bottle and fill the bottle with hot water. Shake the spray bottle until your washing soda is dissolved, and then add the soap. Go ahead and spray your countertops. Let it sit for a minute or two and then wipe off. There you go. No more expensive cleaners that are full of toxins. Nope. You’re now a green cleaning machine! Not to mention it only took pennies to make. Your next step is to take a picture of your clean area, because it might last longer. 😉

My kitchen isn’t always this clean, but man…I love when it is!