Vodka Does It All

by Mary Pereira

Whenever I think of vodka, Audrey Hepburn and martinis come to mind...but I never would have thought to use it as an all natural cleaner. Have you? Vodka is actually amazing at doing what most cleaners can't because it has evaporation power, it disinfects, it purifies, it removes dirt, odor and mildew, and so much more. Audrey would throw a cocktail party over this one. 

Pure Power

Vodka removes mold, mildew and soap scum from your shower. Put it in a spray bottle and spritz it everywhere and leave it on for 10 minutes, use a scrubbie and rinse. Viola! 

Now You See It, Now You Don't

Hand sanitizers are made with chemicals, but vodka will disinfect your hands without harming your kids. Here's how...

Mary's Homemade Hand Sanitizer
1 cup fresh aloe vera
4- 400 IU Vitamin E capsules (slice and squeeze out oil)
5 oz. Vodka

Blend together in food processor. Store it in a neat plastic bottle with a flip top. Keep refrigerated for longer shelf life. It feels great on your hands, all nice and cool.

Where'd You Get Those Peepers?

Clean your spectacles with half water and half vodka. Put it in a spray bottle small enough for your purse or pocket. Vodka leaves no residue, and it disinfects too.

Razor Sharp and Clean

Want your razor to last longer and super clean from germs? Soak it in vodka right after you shave to disinfect and prevent rust. Come back after 10 minutes, dry it, and put it away for safe keeping.

Say AAAAHHHHH

Make your own flavored mouthwash with Vodka. Do not swallow!

Mary's Homemade Mouthwash

16 oz. Vodka

1/2 oz. Peppermint* Essential Oil

8 oz. Purified Water

*other flavors include, cinnamon, anise, spearmint, vanilla

Place it in a beautiful bottle with a stopper. There are so many vintage decanters to choose from.

Got a headache?

Use half water, half Vodka in an old fashion ice pack in the freezer for moments like these

Refresh

5 parts water and 1 part Vodka will freshen up your clothes, curtains, upholstery, and the inside of your shoes. The smell of alcohol will evaporate in this amazing mixture, so don't worry about smelling like you just came from a bar. The smell of cigarettes will vanish too!

Reflect

Glass, chrome, mirrors, and crystal all can sparkle with a solution of half water and half Vodka. Try it...you'll love it!

Mom! Billy did it again!

Every kid goes through a Picasso stage of artwork on a wall. Try pure Vodka to remove even sharpie marker stains.

Lipstick and grass stains can be removed if you rub pure Vodka on stains before you throw the clothes in the washing machine. Be sure to let the Vodka soak in for a little while prior to washing. 

Clean your diamonds with pure Vodka.

Relax

Vodka will tighten your pores, beautify your skin as an astringent and kill any lurking germs. 

Mary's Refreshing Skin Tonic

8 oz. Green Tea (cooled down)

2 oz. vodka 

1 cucumber, pureed and strained

Let this mixture sit together overnight in your fridge. Use a cotton ball and feel the freshness

Time for a cocktail

Who better than Cosmopolitan to give you some ideas?

Have fun with all these experiments, be an adult when drinking alcohol,

AND Listen to the music!

A Fresh Clean Start for a New Year!

by Mary Pereira

5 Tips to Organizing Your Home

1.  Be Forgot & Never Brought to Mind...

Happy New Year, my Sweet Friends!!!!

The New Year brings to mind all the regrets we have and realizing what we could have done with our friends and loved ones. Were there people you meant to send Christmas cards or Birthday cards to last year but just didn't have their addresses? Do you regret not having spent enough time with everyone because of such a busy schedule? Well? C'mon Beloved, it's time to pull out your address book, planner, calendar, smart phone and computer. Call everyone you know, look up their contact info and their birthdays on Facebook. Start making some plans with the ones you love this year. Think back to what you wished you had done with them. This is a time to reflect. A new start and a new beginning for the future, so set your pace. Don't forget...there are plenty of apps to remind you of birthdays. It won't take long and it will be well worth it to your relationships for this coming year.

2. Storage Resolutions 

Time to make real RESOLUTIONS for the clutter in your home that you can easily follow through on by these quick steps. First is the fool proof rule to follow....If you haven't used it in a year, loose it!! Now go through your closets, drawers, shelves, boxes, attics and basements. Let's not forget, the extensions of our home, our cars and offices. Next, the words to keep in mind are PURGE & CATEGORIZE....Throw away trash, figure out what you need, what you want, what gets donated and what gets stored away. Don't forget to include family, friends and neighbors when separating what is to be donated. They will love you for thinking of them. 

  

Now is the time to organize the clutter of magazines and books scattered all over the coffee table, to deal with the never-ending clothes piled on the floor and the overwhelming excess of items on your counter tops. Use beautiful baskets, decorative boxes and trays for your Bathroom, Bedroom, Kitchen and Living space. They really make a difference.  

3. Wallflowers

Do you have plenty of wall space, My Love but none on the floor? It's time to create what I call Wallflowers and beautify your wall space with creative utilizations. Hooks, floating shelves, shelving units, grids, magnetic strips, filing boxes, hanging shoe racks and even mason jars attached to a wooden plank can have great character.

For the Laundry Goddess inside you

Look at the possibilities 

Grids enable you to make constant changes and adjustments so you will never be bored

If your thumb is green....just think of the endless propagation and space saved

Magnetic wall strips are my favorite new Wallflower

 See what I mean about the Mason jars...lots of character!

4. Buy One...Donate Two

If your home looks like an over stuffed closet...you might want to step back and take a good look. You may be shopping on an emotional level. Just like some people over eat, others over shop. As therapeutic as it may be at the time sooner or later the bulge catches up to you. So here is the plan, when you purchase an item, before it goes into the home, two things have to go out to the donation center. This will help to minimize the over growth of your home and it also feels good to help out others at the same time. 

5. Be Diligent 

I am not here to preach but I am here to help. One of the best resources for advice is the Bible...don't you know?  Here is one to Bless you in this New Year and throughout your whole life.  

The hand of the diligent will rule,

But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

Proverbs 12:24

Written by the wisest man in the Bible...King Solomon. Looking back at all of my own personal failures, I reflected on how I got there. I would have these awesome ideas, much like the New Year's Resolutions, we all have attempted. I was always full of fire and desire, but somehow fell short and lost interest. Turns out I was missing one key ingredient. Diligence! I would become lazy and therefore not finish what I had started. I did not follow through with my original plans and I always ended up doing more work to fix things afterwards. This Scripture rings true for me and I bet that if you keep the words...BE DILIGENT on the frontlets of your mind you will have success this year in keeping your home organized. 

Until next time my Friends. I will be thinking about you as I start to make all the changes in my life for the New Year. Keep a smile on your face, it's important to stay positive, have faith and be thankful for what you already have. Happy New Year! Remember, Cleanliness is next to Godliness.