I did it. I gave into my desire for cute crocheted hats and over the past week and a half they have slowly been trickling in. I bought a cute pink one from bethjt.etsy.com for our baby before we knew if she was a boy or a girl (but it was SO CUTE and at a great price!). From TwoSeasideBabes.etsy.com I bought a hat for myself which is awesome and I can’t wait for the crisp German autumn to come in so I can wear it all the time and as a 1 time promotion Jessi, the owner of this shop, was offering newborn beanies for $1 with purchase so I bought a beautiful cream beanie for our little one (for ONE dollar!!) And then I asked Beth (of bethjt) to make a hat for Luke to wear this fall. It came in the mail on Wednesday and Luke had a great time putting it on and looking at himself in the mirror. And then yesterday, while playing outside he came running in the house and grabbed his sippy cup and his hat! He asked me to put it on him and he wore it around outside – so proud of his new hat. He received lots of compliments – and a few from the little girls in the neighborhood!
If you visit TwoSeasideBabes.etsy.com or bethjt.etsy.com on Monday Nights, they run huge promotions as part of the Homefront Street Team on Etsy. You can get great discounts and sometimes free shipping! (Most Homefront Street Team members participate in this Monday Night Madness so if you are interested in other Homefront shops, search on Etsy with the phrase “homefront team” to pull up Homefront items and be sure to read their shop announcements for promotions.)
Here are a few pictures of Luke trying on his new hat – we were in the car on the way to go bowling with daddy so he threw it on himself so he doesn’t have it on quite right but you can see how cute it is and can picture how adorable he looks wearing it around.

While browsing MSN.com this morning I stumbled upon 10 crazy “green” uses for vokda! Which made me think about all those emails I receive about old fashioned ways to use hydrogen peroxide or other uses for WD-40 so I went on a hunt through my inbox and found those crazy tips and I thought I’d share my favorites with you.

Vodka?
-Touch poison ivy or get a jelly fish sting? For those of you who take vodka in hikes through the forest or to the beach, pour some on your sting or where you touched the ivy! The vodka just might wash away those ivy oils that make you break out in an awful rash or take away some of that awful jelly fish sting. (Some say it has to be 100 proof to work and it’s a lot better than being pee-ed on, a la Chandler and Monica)
-Shine your chrome, porcelain or glass fixtures with vodka and elbow grease!
-A few drops along with a teaspoon of sugar can help your cut flowers last longer.
-It’s a bug repellent! Just put some vodka in a spray bottle and spritz your arms and legs while outside, or spray directly at bugs – and it’s DEET free!
-It can get rid of pesky harmful mold. Just spray vodka on mold, let sit 15 minutes and scrub

Hydrogen Peroxide?
-Soak your toothbrush in it to kill germs!
-Rinse your wooden cutting boards with it to get rid of salmonella and other bacteria.
-Fill a spray bottle 50/50 water and hydrogen peroxide to use as a disinfectant spray in your bathroom and shower stall!
-If you have a cold or plugged sinuses, use that same 50/50 mixture to pour in your nostrils, let bubble, blow nose – it should help you breathe easier (just don’t use the exact same mixture as your bathroom cleaner – I don’t want you spraying it up your nose!)
-Use peroxide to clean mirrors with no smudging or smearing!

WD40?
-Have a spotty shower door that nothing will clean? Try using WD-40!
-It protects silver from tarnishing.
-Keeps flies off cows (what??? okay – for those of you who have cows who hate those pesky flies, spray away!)
-Untangles jewelry chains (oooo, handy!)
-Removes stubborn dirt and grime from your BBQ grill.
-Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
-Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
-It takes away the sting from fire ant burns!
-Removed crayon marks from the wall (did you know that mommies out there?)

Hope you found these tips handy, helpful or at least a little bit funny. Have any other uses or fun tips for basic household products? Happy cleaning, breathing, untangling and de-flying everyone!

I thought I’d make a short list of some of the web sites I’ve recently found – maybe you’ll find a new favorite or two – enjoy!

Mommy Greenest Blog (from National Geographic’s Green Guide)

The German Cooking Glossary (on About.com) – this page is a lifesaver! I was able to figure out what EL meant (Tablespoon) and what a Backofen is (an oven – now that I tell you it seems kind of obvious, right?)

5 Minutes for Mom – a site filled with samples from the best mommy blogs, shopping links and tons of giveaways!

Inca Kids, A Fair Trade Store – I just discovered this site yesterday and I love all the products and the whole concept of this store. Here is the link to their FAQ page that tells you all about Fair Trade. All proceeds go to help impoverished families in Peru (and Peruvians are the artisans who make these products)

Craftzine.com – One of the coolest craft sites I have ever seen with links to recipes, craft processes (silk screening for example), craft ideas (what to do with all those plastic bags) and just all around cool information.

And in honor of Spring, I leave you with pictures of blossoms from my neighborhood. Happy Spring everyone and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. (To read a wonderful Memorial Day post from a military spouse, click HERE)