MamaWit 2010

I hope you’re enjoying the new year, maybe making some resolutions, sipping some hot cocoa, taking a break from “life-as-usual,” or just thrilled by the potentials each new year brings… that’s how I feel! In case you missed anything the first time around (or just want to review and reminisce!), here’s a roundup of  posts from last year. Enjoy!

Most Viewed in 2010:

1. Memorable Traditions
2. Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m…
3. Advent Picks
4. Stinky Mama
5. Discipline or Love

Most Commented-On in 2010:

1. Memorable Traditions
2. Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m…
3. Children’s Literature
4. Buckwheat Breakfast
5. Discipline or Love

And, just for fun, the 2010 posts needing some love (i.e. least viewed & commented on!):

1. Remembering
2. Running on Empty – and it’s one of my (Lori Ann) favorite posts of Saruskabeth’s, so definitely worth a click over!
3. Applebread Yum – how could you resist that delicious breakfast cake?
4. Tigger’s Playroom
5. Big Man! – warning: adorable photo!

Let us know if you had a favorite post (or favorite type of post) so we know what to share in 2011. Baby pictures? Recipes? Glimpses into our daily life? Lists of favorites? Late-night ramblings?

natural furniture polish

We just got our new, free, furniture: bookshelves! We’ve been using a shoe cabinet for over a year and a half now, so it’s nice to have a real place for books… somewhere they can actually stand up so we can see all the titles!

The shelves are old wooden crates, stacked with pegs. (The stools are old-new too, but they were bought v. free… mostly included cuz they’re neat, hand-made, second-hand, and they fold up!) The wood looked dusty, but after dusting and cleaning them all, they looked the same! That’s when I did research online and combined advice from several different sites to figure out a furniture polish recipe. It didn’t work, so I experimented until it did! Here’s the resulting recipe, which worked GREAT:

natural furniture polish recipe

2 parts vinegar + 1 part oil + 1 part water

I started with 2 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and 1 Tbsp water. I first cleaned the shelves with my regular vinegar & water spray, and let them dry. Then I stirred this furniture polish with a chopstick in a small bowl, dipped a clean cloth into it, and began polishing! You can’t really tell the difference until it’s dry, but then you can tell.

note: Test this out in a small area. If it doesn’t seem to ever dry, but always feels greasy to the touch, you may need to add more vinegar or try less oil next time. This formula was perfect for me. I’ve heard of people using apple vinegar instead of white and vegetable oil instead of olive. Let me know if you try it!

Before/after shots:

On the left side, I’ve cleaned and polished. The right side was cleaned but not polished.

1) before polish

2) after polish

LaJiao 辣椒

At a picnic, my friend was talking about culture in China versus America. I agreed with several things she said, but then was surprised, amused, and flattered by what came next! A rough translation:

“We like you, because you like spicy chili peppers. So it seems like you’re like us, like you’re Chinese.”

Oh! Well, thank you.