Home improvements!!!

My wonderful husband had to listen to me whine all last winter about how I had no light in my kitchen. He decided that he wasn't going to listen to it again, now that it is getting much darker outside. So, last weekend, he fixed the problem!!!





This is my newly updated kitchen! If you look at the ceiling on the right, that one little recessed light is the only light I had! It was horrible! We added a few cheap under-the-cabinet lights last year, but, you get what you pay for! They sucked, and didn't last very long. Last weekend he installed a range hood with 4 lights, the 3 red pendant lights above the bar, and the track lighting in front of the cabinets. I can see!!! I have such a wonderful husband!


And just because she is so darned cute... here is a picture of Lily that I took this morning. 4 months old already, can you believe it?!




We still haven't gotten the first snow of the season... it has been raining a lot, but it just isn't cold enough yet. I really am wishing for snow now that the leaves have all fallen from the trees. Patience is difficult this time of year.

I am officially never buying store-bought laundry detergent again. I am so happy with my homemade detergent, it even works well in my High Efficiency washing machine! The clothes feel softer and cleaner than with regular detergent, and I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not loading up my family with all those unnecessary chemicals. I haven't tried the vinegar as a fabric softener yet, because with this soap the clothes are already really soft, but I will give it a try with the next load of towels I wash, just because I am curious. I am still doing my cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, and I am really happy with the change. Are any of you using natural cleaning products, or do you have any recipes for them that you want to share?