DIY Disinfecting Wipes

Guys. Seriously. Stop buying disinfecting wipes and make your own! It is SO DARN EASY!

Commercial disinfecting wipes have harsh chemicals that, yes, kill germs, but are also killing our bodies. These storebought wipes are a huge health risk for you, your kids, and your pets!

 Homemade wipes can be used, washed and reused, the ingredients include vinegar and water, and you can make as many as you want for pennies! I use my disinfecting wipes for my microwave, oven, cleaning my bathroom, windowsills. Actually, I reach for them for almost every cleaning job. 

Ingredients
1 quart size glass jar
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
an old cotton t-shirt or pants

Directions
1. Cut your t-shirt or pants into squares. I like my wipes the size of a washcloth, but whatever you're comfortable with, go for it!

2. Pour your water and vinegar into the jar, twist on the lid, and gently shake to mix.

3. Now, individually stuff each cloth into the jar, allowing the water/vinegar to soak into the cloth.

4. When all the cloth is in the jar, twist the lid back on and place the jar upside down for 5-10 minutes, or until you see the liquid covering all the cloth.

5. Store your disinfecting wipes in a cool, dry place!

Book Review: Shopaholic Book Series by Sophie Kinsella

I just finished the "Shopaholic Book Series" by Sophie Kinsella, and they were an absolute delight to read! Each book was funnier than the last, and I found myself laughing out loud at something in all of the books.

A synopsis of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" from Sophie Kinsella's website.
"Meet Rebecca Bloomwood.

She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money.
She spends her leisure time … shopping.

Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something…

Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card?"

My thoughts:
I give this series a 10 out of 10!  The books are written from Becky's point of view, and she is hilarious! She does get herself in sticky situations, and, from her point of view, the way she handles those situations is very comical to read and imagine. Her thought process when she has an inner struggle with shopping is fun to read, and very relatable. I think we all try to justify indulging in something, and Sophie Kinsella captures the entire thought process perfectly. I know I was saying "Girl, I know how you feel!" to Becky when she caved, and bought a pair of shoes at 70% off(even though she swore off shopping because she was in mass debt.)

The other characters in this book add more delight to it! I enjoyed getting to know her parents, and her best friend. They let you see Becky through a different point of view, which gave Becky more personality and dimension. Since a couple the main characters were her parents and her childhood best friend, the books also had a sense of family, which I personally think makes any book, movie, or t.v. show that much better. In later books, she gets married and has a baby, which adds to the family aspect! Seeing her grow from a single, young adult to a wife and mommy lets you feel like you are growing along with her.

I tried to keep my review pretty general and to the point. This was my second book review I've ever done and I find them hard to write because I don't want to give anything away! I visited Sophie Kinsella's website before I wrote this and there is going to be another Shopaholic book coming out this fall! It's called "Shopaholic to the Stars". I can't wait!

What is the next book I should read? I love recommendations!

Peace & Sunshine,

3 Salads That Rock!

During the summer, I tend to eat more salads than most other things. For those of you that think salads can get boring, think again! There are hundreds of salad combinations out there! These are 3 combos that I am dying to try.

1. Emanuelle from Manu's Kitchen has a lovely sounding Lemon Chickpea and Sweet & Sour Aubergine Salad on her website! I've recently fell in love with chickpeas, so this salad looks yummy.

2. Gina at Skinny Taste recently posted a Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Chopped Salad. It never occurred to me to put those 2 summer food favorites together, and I love that she did! I cannot wait to make this salad.

 3. Jaclyn at Cooking Classy has a Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad that looks divine! This is a salad that I will make to impress dinner guests.

What is one of your favorite salad combinations?

Peace & Sunshine,

All photographs are courtesy of the blog owner associated with each recipe.