Potty Pail Sprayer

Remember how hormonal sad I was a couple weeks ago when I couldn't find the right parts to make my own diaper sprayer? Well, I was tired of spending money on something that wasn't working, so I caved and bought a ready-made kit. I read reviews for several different brands, but settled on The Potty Pail Diaper Sprayer Hose because it had such good reviews and is a WAHM/WAHD company. It arrived quickly, came completely assembled, and included simple instructions. It took me about three minutes to install from start to finish. No joke. Do you know how much time I spent at the hardware store trying to make this myself? Hours. I kid you not.

Here is my pretty new sprayer. See? It even came with a hook to hang it. Love it! I've already used it on a diaper, and to rinse out the toilet after cleaning, and it worked like a charm. Living in a rental, I really like that it came with everything completely assembled, so when we move again I can just take the whole thing with us and replace the original toilet hose. I would absolutely recommend it.

Note: I paid full price for the product, and I'm not getting paid to review the Potty Pail Sprayer, I just like it so much that I wanted to share. :)

What's for Dinner?

At my house we are having Beef Stew and freshly baked Artisan Bread. Yum!

Mini Caramel Apples & a Feature

Warning: The following post may make you smack your head in a why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment, then run to the store against your will to copy this idea. Please use caution while proceeding.

I have a confession. I'm in love. I'm in love with this idea, and with Christy's blog From Glitter To Gumdrops. Mini caramel apples? Of course! I like caramel apples, but I won't eat them because they're too difficult/messy to eat on top of being too much sugar for a whole apple. Enter these single-serve caramel apples, and I'm in heaven! If you love apples, guess what? She has a whole WEEK of apple recipes! The recipe for Kristen's Toffee Apple Dip looks awesome.

In case apples aren't your thing, she also has a ton of great handmade gift ideas. I'm seeing a set of these face plates in my future!

Edit: I'm having trouble with mushy/broken off pretzel rods within minutes after inserting them, so traditional sticks might be necessary. : (

Nylon Hose Barbed Tee in 1/4"x 1/4" x 3/8"...

is sadly missing from the hardware shelf. In fact, I can't find one online either. This makes me sad. Very, very sad. Nearly sad enough to cry. In fact it isn't the first not so sad thing to make me cry lately. Maybe my 17 month menstrual hiatus is reaching its conclusion (that's also enough to make me want to cry). That may be too much info for many of you, but oh well. It's completely natural, and I'm a bit on the over-sharing,"crunchy" side anyway. Sigh. I needed that specific size barbed tee for the construction of my DIY diaper sprayer. Perhaps I can find a 1/4"x 1/4" x 1/4" MIP, then get a 1/4" to 3/8" MIP thingy? I don't know if I'm using that terminology correctly, but it makes sense to me at this moment. The search continues...



P.S. I need a nap.

Smart Boy!

My 10 1/2 month old son just used his first sign! I asked/signed if he wanted "milk," and he smiled and signed back "milk!" I'm so excited and proud!

Shared with:

Project: Used Washer & Dryer

I'm slowly plugging along on my 10 in 10 tasks list, and the other day I tackled hooking up the used washer and dryer we bought from the Habitat Restore. (Side note: if you've never been to a habitat for humanity ReStore, then go NOW! It's like the G-Dub of hardware, building supplies, furniture, and appliances.)

The washer was hooked up with the only hitch being that the hot and cold water valves are backwards. I can handle that. I'll switch them at some point.  It was the dryer that gave me trouble. Did you know that all electric dryer plugs are not created equal? In fact, electric dryers aren't even sold with cords anymore. Whaaaat?

Yeah, you heard me correctly. Apparently new builds (1999 and later) have a 4-pronged outlet, whereas prior to that, buildings had these 3 pronged outlets. Bummer.

As it turns out, it's not such a big deal. A little google here, a little hardware store there, and I replaced the old cord pictured above, with this cord.

I followed the instructions here to remove the old plug cords and bonding jumper, then reconnect the 4 new cords. It was very simple to do, but to be honest, plugging it in once it was all done scared the crap out of me, so my wonderful husband plugged it in, and pretended to be electracuted saved the day.

This is the back panel with the new wires all connected. Normally the cord would be fed through the bottom, but my grounding wire (green one) wouldn't reach the grounding screw if I did that, so I had to improvise.

Yay, new cord installation complete! Laundry may commence!

Oh, that is-until I realized that the dryer wasn't doing a very good job of drying.

 Haroomph!

Today, while imagining pitching the dryer out the window, I discovered a small puddle of water coming from under the dryer. Umm...that's not good.  Upon further investigation, I found this stuffed in the outside vent:

A plastic bag?! Hello! Can you say fire hazard?! Ugh!

I'm grateful that I noticed the puddle and never left the dryer running when I wasn't home.

Now everything is reconnected, the fire hazards are removed, and it is drying like a champ!

Lyndsey and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

We all have these days, right? Well, today was my turn. First, I change the wee one's diaper, and notice he has a little chafing on his thigh, so I let him air out for a few minutes. Naturally, he poops on the carpet when I'm not looking and smears it all over and eats some. Yum. Mommy is extremely grossed out, I immediately put him in the tub, and he manages to smear poop all over me. I clean out his mouth, rinse him off, but of course out tub doesn't drain very well, so he's sitting in poop soup, which is completely pointless...he grabs his toys and pulls them into the poop soup along with him. Aghhhhh! I spray him down, and transfer him into the kitchen sink to really get him clean. As I finished getting him clean, he spits out more poop he somehow hid in his mouth. Ugh! Round two of mouth cleaning, tooth brushing, and rinsing.

Sigh

There was more, but this is already too long.

10 Tasks in 10 Days: Round 2

Challenging myself to complete 10 tasks in 10 days a couple months ago really worked out well, so I'm going to do it again, starting tomorrow.  By September 14th I want to have the following completed:

1.  Kitchen unpacked
2. Master Closet organized
3. Furniture in their proper places
4. Washer & Dryer set up
5. Office unpacked
6. Take pics of projects/thrifty finds
7. Baby-proof rest of house
8. Go for walks every day (weather permitting)
9. Burn all photos to CD
10. Hang Pictures and Art

I better get started! (Yeah, I'm cheating, I'm getting a head start today) : D

Happy September! & I was featured!

Happy September everyone! It's official, we have moved! We are so excited to be in our own place again! Living with family has its benefits, but also its drawbacks. Once we're all settled in I will start posting again more regularly. I have tons of thrifty finds and projects to share.

By the way...



my comment was featured at White House Black Shutters. Yay! Check her out!