homemade.

it's not so much a new year's resolution as it is an effort to be more frugal and more conscious of the products my family is using. for the last couple of months, i have been washing our clothes using detergent that i made myself. in addition, we have been running our dishwasher with detergent that, again, i made myself.

if you do a quick google search or waste away on pinterest, you'll see that there are a lot of products - that you use on the regular - that can be made at home. i remember growing up that my mother used distilled white vinegar for everything. sure, our home smelled like a pickle, but my mother was proud of the fact that our floors were spotlessly clean and not one single chemical-laden item was used to clean it. i know we all have our tried & true products that we turn to when it comes time to clean, but making your detergents & cleaning products at home isn't just better for you, but it's better for your wallet, too.

back to the two products i've been using...

i made homemade laundry detergent sometime back in late october/early november. i can't remember when. i followed the recipe found here. i'll admit, my husband & i were both skeptical. but, let me tell you, we'll never buy store bought detergent again. not only is the homemade stuff fine for our front loading, high efficiency machine, but i believe - with my whole heart - that it's better for us. i've even noticed a change in my skin since switching from store bought to homemade. i'm still using store bought dryer sheets, but next on my list is to make my own fabric softener. good thing a sweet blog friend wrote about the recipe she found here. {and, now that i've posted that link, i'm going to make the fabric softener today.}

seriously, y'all, you'll spend maybe $10 to buy all of the ingredients you'll need to make the laundry detergent. and, it will last you for a while. trust me. and, while you're at the store buying the borax & washing soda for the laundry detergent, you may as well buy some citric acid {like fruit fresh} or 15 packets of lemon kool-aid {and kosher salt, if you don't already have some in your pantry}. you know, so you can make homemade dishwasher detergent, too.

ah, homemade dishwasher detergent. i've been using it since about mid-november or so. i have a love/hate relationship with it, but i'm not going to budge. i did end up buying some finish tablets to use in the dishwasher {i love those things!}, but they are expensive and i really needed to give homemade dishwasher detergent a fair shot. i followed this recipe. i think when i make it again i'll tweak my recipe. some recipes call for two packs of kool-aid, some call for 15. another thing? you have to pre-rinse/wash your dishes. call me lazy, but i never did this before. oh, and instead of using some fancy rinse aid i just pour some vinegar into that part of my dishwasher. overall, making your own dishwasher detergent is certainly cheaper than using a store-bought brand. there is some debate about what the citric acid will do to your silverware and what the borax will do to your plumbing, but so far, so good.

next up on my list is to switch out a lot of my cleaning products like glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, etc. with cleaners of the homemade variety. got any good tips or tricks? what about a favorite cleaner recipe? please share them with me!

I HATE LAUNDRY

There's a load in the washing machine waiting to be moved into the dryer, but the dryer is full because I had to wash my daughter's sheets. The laundry basket is full of clean clothes that are waiting to be folded and, currently, there are two baskets of clean, folded clothes sitting in my bedroom waiting to be put away.

Have I told you lately how much I hate doing the laundry?

I realize it's necessary to wear clean clothes, but come on, people, give me a break. I know we don't wear THAT much clothes throughout the week. It's OK to use the same towel a few times before putting it in the hamper. It's not OK to wear a different set of pajamas every night. Yes, it's important to wear clean underwear everyday, but if you took a bath the night before I don't think you really need to change your "unnawears" the very next morning while getting ready for school. Oh, and if you insist on making your OWN pile of dirty laundry (right next to the clothes hamper, I might add), then please make sure you turn everything right-side out & be sure to pull your underwear and your socks out of your pants instead of pulling them all off in one swoop. The same goes for your pockets - empty them! It's never fun to find out that a tube of Chapstick has melted all over the inside of the dryer or that the tissue you used on your runny nose was shredded in the wash and coated every dark article of clothing in the washing machine. But, if you happen to leave spare change, dollar bills or anything of value in your pockets then please consider it gone forever - finders, keepers!

I may wash, dry & fold the laundry, but it's your responsibility to help put the clothes away. If you can't do that, then why should I waste my time washing the clothes for you? I don't enjoy spending lots of time in the laundry room. No, I don't. There are a million other things I would rather do with my time...trust me. No wonder my mother showed me how to wash and dry my own laundry when I was in elementary school. Guess what kids...your time is coming...

THAT WAS THE BEST SLEEPOVER EVER!

I'm on the assumption that the number one sign of sleepover success is a room that looks the same as my daughter's did (see above) the morning after she had six of her friends spend the night for her birthday. And, to think, we spent the morning of the sleepover cleaning her room and putting everything in it's place. I mean, I don't mop before we have friends over for a cookout, so why did I ever possibly think that it would have been necessary to reorganize and power clean an 8 year old's bedroom just hours before her friends showed up??

Budget be damned...I want clearer skin!

Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I have pretty decent skin. No, I'm not being stuck up, I really do have nice skin. I've been told that by friends, family and aestheticians. But, I want to take care of my skin and get rid of these pesky blackheads and make my pores appear smaller.

Once upon a time I was a faithful facial girl. But, that was many, many, MANY months ago back when I really didn't give a damn about dropping between $60 to $80 at a time to have someone professionally clean my skin. Ah, those were the days! Yeah, those really were the days because I would also treat myself to a pedicure, too. But...

Here I am, a 30 something mother of two who has semi-sensitive and slightly temperamental skin (I fluctuate between an oily/normal to dry combo...it's fabulous to have a shiny ass nose and a dry, flaky chin...at the same time...not). I think I take good care of my skin. I wash and moisturize faithfully every day. I use sunscreen. I'm brand/product loyal and I've been using Philosophy's skin care line for YEARS (and trust me, I've used many skin care lines over the years including Proactiv, Dermalogica, Biore, Neutrogena, Bliss, Joey New York, L'Oreal, Cetaphil, etc...yes, I'm a beauty/skin care product whore!). Anyway, tonight I was in bed watching QVC and (yes, I actually got up out of bed to type this but that's a whole 'nother ranting blog post in itself) and they were talking about the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush. I've seen it before on QVC and in the Bliss catalogs I receive every month. I've even seen the cheaper knock-offs in the discount stores. I've always wondered how well the Clarisonic cleans and whether or not it's really worth the money -- the Clarisonic, which is made by the same people who make the Sonicare toothbrushes (funny, I use a plain jane manual toothbrush), retails for damn near $200.

Wow. $200. $200 for a spinning brush that will supposedly help me clean my skin even better than I am cleaning it now -- or so I think I'm cleaning it.

I read the testimonials, I saw the photos and, I'm almost ashamed to say, that I finally succumbed to my curiosity and I just ordered the sucker from QVC. Thank goodness for the four payment option! At least this makes my new $200 face brush a bit more budget friendly and I don't have nearly the amount of buyer's remorse I would have had if I had purchased it outright for the full price.

So, here's to cleaner, clearer skin -- you had best believe that I'm going to charge that sucker up once I receive it and use it faithfully two times a day. And, hopefully, my new $200 friend will make my skin look as if I'm spending $$$ every month on facials and other beautification rituals.


OH - and the best part?? I bought this at QVC online via Ebates so I get 3% BACK of the total amount I've spent. Yes, that's right - 3%. It's not much, but it adds up. It actually pays to shop! Wait...what's that you're saying? You're not Ebating? Well, then you need to click here.

Seriously - sign up, it's free and you've got nothing to lose and only money to gain! You get paid quarterly and I've already earned two checks totalling nearly $150. Don't believe me? Then click here to read a post I made about my first Ebates check.

I love my man!

Should I feel bad that today is the hubs birthday and he's currently in the laundry room scrubbing the tile and grout?

Nah.

I don't think any woman should feel bad for a man that's actually doing some housework. And, let me clarify that yardwork does not constitute as housework and neither does taking out the trash.

So, on that note...

Happy birthday, honey!

The house that Method cleans

Nathan over at Method Lust is having a contest and I entered it.

The House that Method Cleans

Here are the pics I entered for the contest...enjoy!

Check out Method products...they rock!

Sinu-what?

I just got over a sinus infection. In fact, I took my last antibiotic on February 8th. Obviously, the z-pack didn't do jack because here I am a little more than a week later and I feel something coming on. Could it be my sinuses again? Is it possible that the antibiotics didn't do their job. Possibly. Am I going to spend another $20 on a copay just to get a prescription for some $20 antibiotics again? Probably not.

After talking with my parents tonight, they suggested that I:

1. Keep my cats out of the house -- um, this is not an option and, as far as I know, I am not allergic to cats.
2. Use a warm compress on my face for 20 minutes three times a day -- again, probably not going to happen because I'm not THAT disciplined (besides, I'd look like a jackass at the office when I'm sitting at my desk with a washcloth over my face)
3. Start using a neti pot -- a neti what?

The third suggestion intrigues me. My parents told me that they found some product at Costco today for sinus relief. SinusAid, SinusIde...I couldn't quite make it out and my father wasn't too sure about the exact name. My guess is this:

http://www.sinucleanse.com/index.htm

I figure it's worth a shot -- well, at least that is what my brief rundown of the website tells me. Of course, this warrants yet another trip to freakin' Wally World. Ugh. But, if it means my sinuses get bathed and pampered then I guess it would be worth it, right? I'm a bit skeeved out about intentionally pouring water in one nostril only to see it come out of the other one, but I guess I'll get over it, right?

Anyone out there have any experiences with neti pots or sinus cleansing? Anyone have any other ideas besides asking for yet another prescription (because I'm not good at remembering to take medication)?

I just want to be able to breathe again.

Ridiculous

Since I'm home today with sick kids...well, one who is legitimately sick and one who is isn't really...I took the initiative to get the laundry caught up and get all of the folded clothes put away. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but for those who know me or for those who are exactly like me, then you know that it's not the process of washing clothes that bothers me -- it's the act of folding the clean clothes and putting them away that I don't find entertaining.

So...

All washed clothes has been folded and put away except for my husband's pile because I r-e-f-u-s-e to do it. I feel that putting away his clean laundry is the least he can do. So far, he's got two piles of clean laundry in the bedroom and both are about 2.5' high. Yeah. It's sad.

Anyway...

Earlier this morning I cleaned out my daughter's dresser drawers. Currently, I have two bags full of clothing that I'm hoping to pass along to a friend tonight...I just hope his daughter (who is a year younger than mine) can fit into the clothes. Upon cleaning Malia's dresser drawers, I learned that she has enough clean underwear to last about two months. Yeah. That's a lot of panties. She is also set for the remainder of the winter and should not have any problems once we transition into spring & summer. The girl has clothes...tons of clothes! (I suppose that's my fault, but that's not the point of this blog entry...)

I haven't had the motivation (yet) to get into my son's dresser drawers. I know he's pretty well stocked as far as clothing is concerned. I just don't feel like going into his room to mess with the dresser -- there's only but so much laundry I can take in one day!

With that said, I do have a ginormous pile of boys clothing that I've been needing to list on eBay. I have found that I do better reselling his clothing than I do my daughter's clothing...probably because he's been growing faster than she has been lately...who knows. All I know is that I'm glad that the laundry is pretty much caught up for the moment and that all folded laundry has been put away (or sorta put away in my husband's case).

Now I just need to find the motivation to get dressed and venture out with the kids to the grocery store.......ugh.

It's a home day, but not by choice -

I'm at home today.

I should be working.

I really should be working. However, even though I am afforded the luxury of bringing my children to work with me from time to time, well, let me just say that having kids under foot in the office is not fun whether they are sick or not. Malia stuck it out yesterday -- thank goodness for the sleeping bag, pillow & DVD player that I keep stashed in my office. However, I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with any vomitting spells at the office...she waited until we got home. *sigh*

So, here I am at 8:50am sitting at the computer wondering what the heck I'm going to do today because very rarely am I home during the week. I really don't like missing work (contrary to what some might believe). I suppose today is as good a day as any to just clean. Really clean. Put things away, dust things, fold things, vacuum things, mop things kind of clean.

Yuck.

Just the thought of all that cleaning is making ME feel sick. ;)

The vomit monster has reared it's ugly head -

First of all, let me start off by saying that hearing your child puke up corned beef & cabbage at 10:30pm on a Sunday night is NOT a fun way to end the weekend...especially when that particular child actually enjoyed eating corned beef & cabbage and will probably never, ever touch the stuff again.

Second of all, I would like to say that the sight & scent was awful. Pure awful.

Third of all, the wretched stomach bug appears to have paid our family a visit and it is my hope that any more bodily expulsions are few and far between and are not inflicted upon anyone else in this household. I can handle one puking child, but having two at the same time isn't fun...been there, done that.

Where's my can of Lysol?

I have decided...

That I am buying myself a new dress for the formal we are attending on Saturday. I think.

In all honesty, I really DON'T need a new dress -- I have two perfectly good (black) dresses here at the house that I can wear. All I need to do is have both dresses dry cleaned. The dress I really, really, REALLY wanted to wear I've worn only once. Back in 2002. Even back then I had to have the dress altered in order to fit my body (I guess I gotta thank years of competitive swimming for my semi-broad shoulders and expanded rib cage??).

I tried on the dress tonight. I knew what the outcome would be. I mean, the last time I needed a formal dress I tried it on and it the fit was no bueno. The dress needs to be altered AGAIN in the same place it was altered the one and only time it was worn! It's also in bad need of cleaning. Had I planned a bit more efficiently -- wait, I only found out about this formal last week -- then maybe the dress would have worked. Of course, it's still quite the possibility if I can find a combo tailor/dry cleaner who would make the dress work for me. Hmmm...it WOULD be nice to wear it again. It's so damn pretty. Hmmm...

Well, maybe instead of buying a new dress I'll just see what can be done about this one. I just hope that whomever can do the rush job can take out the freakin' chocolate stains on the back of it. Yes, chocolate. That's what I get for asking my somewhat ding-dong of a husband to help me zip up the dress. I mean, really, what are you thinking? You're going to eat a chocolate covered pretzel WHILE you zip up my black and WHITE dress?? Yikes.

Oh, gee...now that I've typed that my indecisive mind has once again toggled back and forth from buy new to redo to buy new again. Maybe it's in my best interest to just buy a new dress. *sigh*

Gosh, I was skinny back then (about 20 pounds lighter than I am now...seriously) and so tan. But I lurves that dress! *sniffle*

Kitchen pics!

I know...finally. Some more kitchen pictures. Hooray!


Installing the glass mosaic tile...the kind of tile we used were face-mounted tiles, I believe it's what they are called. They were single tiles "glued" to a paper front and once the tiles were pressed into the thin-set mortar you moistened the paper to reveal a 1' x 1' square of mosaic tiles. Adam said it was a pain in the you-know-where. The first wall he did (shown above) gave him the most grief...he cursed out that wall many times that night. It was quite entertaining if I do say so myself. Ha ha ha.



The finished product a day after Adam grouted the tile backsplash. He was so thrilled with how well it turned out. I really like the color of the glass mosaic tile...it matches with the walls in our kitchen beautifully. (I know, I know...the Gizmo can opener has GOT to go, but Adam won't part with the freakin' thing!)



A closer look at the tile. Yes, our family likes carbs...it is one of our most favorite food groups! :)



It's not professionally done -- my husband is a bricklayer by trade people, not a tile installer -- but it still is wonderful nonetheless. I'm so happy!

A view of the backsplash by the stove/micro...I love how the tile sparkles in the new under-the-cabinet lighting Adam installed yesterday. That portion of the kitchen was easy for him to wire. He's installing the remainder of the lighting under the other half of the cabinets tonight....I just heard him call something in the kitchen a "bastard." Something in the installation must not be going as he wanted...

For more kitchen pictures, check out this link: http://stutteringshell.blogspot.com/2009/01/heres-what-i-owe-youwell-sorta.html

All in all, what started out as a garbage disposal gone bad has turned into a really wonderful project. We spent some money we didn't want to spend, but I think the value of what we've done with our kitchen full outweighs the *whispering* credit card bill. Ssssh...spare me the lecture. Besides, it's 6 months no interest...how could you NOT go for it! :)

Kitchen progress

So, it's now been four whole days since I've had a working kitchen sink. It's starting to get kind of annoying. While I'm thankful that everything else in our kitchen is still accessible and working, it really is difficult to work in a kitchen without a sink. Before, we were still able to at least run the dishwasher but Adam turned off the water supply to the kitchen last night because he had to redo the plumbing underneath the sink in order to accomodate the deeper sink and the new garbage disposal. *sigh*

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I just want my kitchen back!

I suppose, however, that this kitchen renovation is going a lot smoother than originally planned. And, just knowing that we can get this done and NOT have to worry about the kids (since they are with my parents) has been quite a big help, too. I couldn't even imagine taking on such a project if the kids were at home. They practically live in our kitchen!

Anyway, Adam and I went to The Tile Shop yesterday at Lynnhaven. We brought a piece of our existing granite tile in order to find a suitable match for it. Also, we needed to find three 12"x12" tiles to closely match the granite tile because Adam found out that he was 3 tiles short to complete the job in the kitchen. We had agreed that our "bar" area would just have ceramic tile since there wasn't enough granite to cover it as well. Well, upon entering the store, we were greeted by Jason who helped us out with everything. The best thing we heard yesterday was, "We have that exact tile here in the store!" Adam and I couldn't believe our ears! Seriously?! The Tile Store had our tile? Sure enough...they did! It wasn't from the same run number (duh!) but Jason told us that the granite we had was probably some of the most popular...or was it the most common (I dunno)...but, irregardless...they had our tile! This meant that we didn't have to use ceramic for our bar area...hooray! And, to make things better, they also had matching end-pieces and corners! Hot diggity dog!

While at the store, we also chose our glass mosaic tile for the backsplash. It wasn't the color I had originally fallen in love with online, but I think it's going to look beautiful just the same. The color worries me just slightly since our kitchen walls are painted a turquoise blue color (it's "Embellished Blue" by Behr), but the eat-in portion of our kitchen has a darker blue colored ragged onto the walls (a la moi!) called "Surfer" (also, by Behr). So, I think it will be fine. The glass tile I saw online was actually MUCH, MUCH lighter in person and would not have worked at all. Adam chose a coordinating mortar color (something to go with the granite and also the mosaic tile) and then Jason totalled up our purchase. A good portion of our purchase will be shipped to the store on Wednesday so our kitchen will be complete by next weekend!

I've taken a few pictures here and there and I'll get those posted soon. I'm just excited that we're actually doing something substantial to our tiny kitchen. Maybe I'll even spend more time cooking in it once it's finished....ha ha ha, yeah right, who am I kidding?!

Another year...another dollar...

So, what big plans do I have today with my sweetie? Well, let's see...last night before we headed out for dinner (we had Mexican...mmm) we ran the dishwasher. As Adam went to get the dishwasher detergent out of the cabinet he noticed that there was a leak underneath our sink. Grrrrreat. The garbage disposal had a hole in it and, well, I think you can imagine what the cabinet space beneath our kitchen sink looked like. Ew.

Thank goodness New Year's day isn't like Christmas day and stores are all open and ready for shoppers. We made a trip to the Home Depot and bought a new garbage disposal. We upgraded from 1/2 HP to 3/4 HP...don't ask me what that means. I'm just excited about getting a new garbage disposal. I don't know the life span of one, but the one we're replacing is original to the house and our house was built in the late 1980s, so.....

Well, while at the Home Depot we also bought a new sink and a new fixture for the sink. Adam had his eye on a very pretty black enamel sink, but I talked him out of it and we settled on a $99 stainless steel sink that gives us a bit more room since it's 8" deep (our current sink is only 6" deep).

So, Adam's in the kitchen as I type this. He already took out the bottom of the cabinet...MDF and water don't have the best of relationships...and he's replacing it with some plywood. If the "OW!" I just heard means anything, then he must be wresting with the garbage disposal right now...you know, getting the old one off. I'm supposed to be helping. Ha ha ha.

This is all quite exciting although it was money that neither of us really wanted to spend, but I think this has motivated us now to replace our kitchen countertops and I think we may start that project this weekend and take advantage of the time since our children will not be at home (allowing us more time to spend working and getting the project done faster). We have some granite tile in the garage...or maybe it's marble...that we plan on using as our new countertop. I am envisioning a glass tile backsplash that runs from the counter to the bottom of the upper cabinets, but we'll see about that. After all, this kitchen renovation is on a tight budget...a really tight budget.

I need a holster for my Lysol can...

'Tis the season for viral illnesses and the most dependable of all the viral illnesses is the wretched stomach virus. At least it seems that way in our household. Without fail, one or two of us always come down with it this time of the year.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot at work yesterday morning, my cell phone rings and it's Nurse Nancy at the kids' school. Sure enough, Malia is sick. She didn't even make it off of the school bus before she got sick. I show up at school and she gets sick again. Poor thing. She looked awful.

Once we get home she gets changed and snuggles in her bed to watch "Milo & Otis" and seems to do well throughout the rest of the day. She managed to eat lunch (gotta love Amy's Organics Mac & Cheese!) and drank water and nibbled on crackers throughout the day. Dinner didn't set too well with her...I think she just didn't like Adam's concoction...but she made it to bed without incident.

This morning was a different story, however. As I type this, her bed linens are in the wash and her mattress has been hosed down with Lysol (as has everything else in this house that will stay still long enough for me to spray it). She's snuggled up in my bed watching "Max & Ruby" and, hopefully, will be better by tomorrow so she can head back to school and I can head back to the office.

purging and reorganizing...

So my Spring cleaning has come a bit too late in the year (or maybe it's just early??)...but I'm sitting in my computer room trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the mess I have made in here. This space should be our formal dining room, but considering we are not formal dining people we made this into the computer room/office/catch-all room. It's been everything from the junkyard to the play room. There has been a couch in here and a foosball table in here. Right now, all that's here is a big ole mess.

I've never known what to do with this space. I mean, I know what I want to use it for, but getting it laid out how I want it and making the room how I want it have been challenges since the day we moved into this house.

What I do know is that I don't want to paint it. Three years ago, Jennifer Finch who owns Jaden's Dreaming Tree came over and painted a huge Hatteras mural on two walls. She eventually went on to paint in M & A's bedrooms, but both bedrooms have been painted over since. At any rate, the mural is fabulous and I love it and it goes so well with the "beachy" theme that our house has (ok, so maybe it isn't so beachy cottage-like, but it's my version of a beach cottage, ok?).

Here is a link to the picture of our room (this is the corner...you can see the itty, bitty Hatteras lighthouse):
http://jadensdreamingtree.com/seaside/3.jpg

Jennifer has two more pictures of the room posted as well.

Right now I have a computer armoire that has to go. I originally wanted it, but the dark cherry wood just doesn't go with the room. It matches my college diploma's frame, but that's about it. I'd really like to get a new armoire that is a whitewashed wood style, but with the finances being what they are I am going to have to continue to settle for the old computer desk that came from my now EX mother-in-law. I don't think it has any bad ju-ju surrounding it, but maybe a good cleansing ritual wouldn't hurt. I have two bookshelves from Ikea that are not the most spectacular, but they do the job. I also have a small shelving system and small cabinet from Target. In the corner I have an old white cabinet (again from the EX MIL) that holds all of my scrapbooking/crafting supplies.

Ideally I'd like to put a chair, table and lamp in here for reading and just to make the room more cozy, but again with the finances being what they are I probably shouldn't. Besides, Christmas is around the corner and I'll just move the chair out of the living room into this room when we put our tree up.

I suppose it would help to show pictures of the room and how it's laid out...but with the state it's currently in, I'm not going to do that. I do have my pride, ya know! So, for now I guess it's just a work in progress...one that I hope to figure out really soon.

Is there a method to my madness?

I am stoked. I just found a blog that is 100% about Method. I have been buying Method products off and on from Target for a while now. I love the products and love what they stand for. True, my house isn't 100% green or eco-friendly, but I'm on my way. If you're curious, really, give Method a try. They aren't just glass cleaners and laundry detergent....they're (as cliche as it sounds) so much more!

It's fall cleaning time!

I hate to clean. I hate it very much. But, I do keep a relatively tidy house...as best as I can do with two kids, three cats, one husband and a full-time job.

I'm excited to say that this Thursday I will have someone coming to the house to do a good cleaning. It's going to cost me a bit more than I was originally expected to pay, but the best part is that she is green/eco-friendly!

http://rebeccarodgers.net/index.html

I also scheduled a carpet cleaning. I absolutely despise my carpet, but I can't afford to replace it just yet either with new carpet or wood or laminate flooring. So, if I can't replace it, I may as well give it a good cleaning. I have a steam cleaner of my own, but that is just another chore to add to my list, so I called the people at Chem-Dry to come out. I saw their ad at Home Depot over the weekend and also got a newsletter from them in the mail. I haven't had them in my home since 2004 (no, that doesn't mean it's been that long since I've cleaned the carpets...gross...there have been "others" who have cleaned my carpet since then).

So, even though I'm going to be shelling out some cash I'd rather not spend this month, at least it's going towards my home and making it better. And, just knowing that the two companies I will be dealing with have my families health and well-being at interest gives me peace of mind.