my shampoo

i have been trying out homemade shampoo the last couple of weeks. i am crazy, i know! But i love it and i doubt i will go back. i have always had ugly problematic hair. it is not very easy to style, it gets greasy (like, by the end of the day) and it is just blah. i have been hearing that i shouldn't wash my hair everyday for a while and i have a really hard time sticking with washing my hair less, because it is just gross. so, i decided to wash my hair WITH less, simplify.

i saw this post recently, but i had seen this baking soda/vinegar method first a few years ago and this is what i decided to roll with. you may find it weird, but i really like the results. if you decide to do this, you will need to stick with it for longer than a week before you abandon it.i will keep you posted on my own progress. here's the recipe:

shampoo:

1T baking soda

8 oz water

the end

just pour it into a squirt bottle, sqeeze it into your hair, work it in with your fingers and rinse.

conditioner:

1T apple cider vinegar

8 oz water

the end

work this mixture into the ends of your hair first and work it up to the roots. let sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

notes: 

- for me the shampoo lasts about 5 washes and the conditioner lasts 2 weeks.

-i add 3 drops of my lavender essential oil to the conditioner. it helps improve the vinegar smell and is also good for your hair. ashlee says rosemary oil is good for hair too, so i am planning on adding some rosemary to my next batch.

-i use squeeze bottles provided for me at the hospital at the births of my children :) for my mixtures, but you can buy ketchup/mustard squeeze bottles at the store. 

-the shampoo seems to be most effective right after mixing, so i am starting to mix half batches.

before and after: dining room shelves

here is a peek at our dining room. these 3 book shelves were left in the home for us and we decided that we wanted to change them up a bit. i really like the way they turned out. they really brighten up the room. at some point we plan on doing hardwood in the dining room, but for now this room is done.

 before: this before picture is a little lame, because we've already prepped for painting the shelves. it still gives you a feel though.

after!

hi, my name is penelope. i like to build things with clay. here i made and alien life form. i am also super good at making snake families with real life problems (like sharing toys with younger siblings).

 the very most exciting thing in my life right now is the existence of bounce houses. why have my parents kept quite about this wonderful joy for four whole years? i will never let them forget that getting into another bounce house is my life's goal.

 side note:the bounce house was part of microsoft's family friday. they do a family friday every month. it is so fun for the kids to go to bryan's work, have lunch and play.

28

a week ago i turned 28. for the big day; i got to sleep in and had breakfast in bed, we went to the home depot (our new favorite store-sigh), and we went to the amazing pomegranate bistro (did i mention that it is amazing?). we brought home a variety of desserts and after the kids were in bed we watched a movie. it was a good day. 

inspiration: yarn bombing

yarn bombing is something i've been thinking about trying out for a while now. in our neighborhood in san diego someone had set out turning all the stop signs into flowers with knit stems and leaves. i thought they were super cool, but when we moved across the street from anderson park, my mind was blown. someone (maybe a team of someones?) made socks for a bunch of the trees in the park. i think it's beautiful. this is the park i go to with the girls and i love the yarn work. a few blocks from the park this building has been bombed as well. amazing.

 

pinned: a reading corner

i have been thinking about how we will set up the kids' playroom. i am sure i want to do some kind of reading tent/corner in the playroom or the bedroom. i've been dreaming of this forever, but the space was always too tight in san diego for it to become a reality. here are some ideas from pinterest.

i know i pinned this one forever ago, but it might be my favorite and i would get to practice my ombre dying... fun! pinned

or this little hideaway could make use of the lower closet area. pinned

love the thinking corner idea and that HUUUGE pilla'. pinned

or a teepee style tent. pinned

here's another closet conversion. i love the light and the shelves. pinned

the house is ours

we closed today. isn't she beautiful.

our fourth

 we had a great fourth, any day that bryan stays home is a great day! we started the day with a yummy brunch at a pancake house. we went to the park by our house and played. the weather hasn't been great and our park days have been few and far between. it's supposed to be getting better-three cheers for that.

 after the park we went home and i don't really know what happened, because i was in a food comma for over two hours. around seven we went to the sammamish city fourth of july celebration. we got in on some great food, music, games and fireworks.

 elephant ears

isla freaked out when the fireworks started, so she cuddled with me the whole time. it was a good show.

boom!

pinned: house inspiration

papers have been signed, moneys have been paid and we are closing on our house on friday. while we've been waiting out this whole home buying process i have been searching the internet for fun decorating ideas. i have received endless inspiration for our new house from pinterest. here are a few of my favorites.

i like this for a kitchen nook, but on a smaller scale. pinned

entry with shelves ( i will probably do hooks and shoe cubbies too). pinned

i think i already shared this, but i just think it's such a nice living room. pinned

for this kids' toys i want to do fabric curtains to hide them. i also think the paint can and mailboxes are sweet! pinned

i've also checked out a bunch of books from the library to look through and dream. i am planning on purchasing the book decorate. i just love it.

phil and laurel

we flew to LA this weekend for my brother phil's wedding. it was a rushed weekend, but is was so fun. we got to see my family and most importantly, we got to see phil married to his sweetheart. the wedding and the reception were both beautiful. we got lost and stuck in traffic, so we were late to the reception, which was sad, but we still got time to celebrate the happy couple. here are a few shots of the weekend.

 penny, bryan and some of the group went to a dodger's game and got to see a fireworks show. i stayed to help my mom get ready for the wedding day lunch. 

 are they cute or what!

 my people at the wedding

 this picture makes me laugh. i really wanted to get a picture of isla with my parents and this is what we got...

 watching the airplanes

this was our first flight with the kids and they were both champs. snacks, headphones and new toys helped immensely. however, if they flight were any longer, we may have been in big trouble.