Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Whew!

What a crazy month - and its still not over yet!  With a family camping trip, my brothers wedding... sniff sniff (they all grow up sooo fast - 2 brothers down one left to go, anybody want to play match maker?), with my Grams & Gramps and of course my favorite Aunt in town, life has been in the fast lane! 

I forgot to mention we have found a home to rent in a nearby ranch! WE were originally looking to buy but as time pushed on and nothing came back, we prayed to find a place that was best for us ~ and tada! Would you believe it, right after we paid the deposit and the first month rent we received a call that we were approved on the loan? What were we thinking? WE decided to save up and pay cash on our first home.  In the meantime, our kids are about to get an experience of a lifetime! 

How was your Easter holiday?  I know I am going to rub elbows when I say this, but I don't believe in the Easter bunny.  Really, what has the Easter Bunny ever done for anyone?  So what exactly does the Easter Bunny spirit entail?  I told this to my sister in law and she threatened to buy a bunny and put in my yard just as the kids were waking up.  I told her it better poop chocolate or else it will end up as dinner.  Its safe to say, and to my disappointment, on Sunday morning ~ there was no bunny.

This year we kept Easter simple. We hard boiled eggs and made a mustard, honey & yogurt devil eggs.  We talked about what was so special about this day.  I was at the Alamo last thursday and saw $6 bonnets in the gift shop and pop guns for $5.  I brought them home as gifts for my kids.  Then it hit me - my church celebrates once a year a "Pioneer Day" to honor those who traveled in covered wagons across the prairies in pursuit of freedom from religious persecution. I could make a new (or return to an old?) tradition of Easter Bonnets or Pioneer toys on Easter, and then later in the summer on Pioneer day they would bring these gifts out again ~ they might remember the Easter story we talked about.  For me Christmas and Easter are not once a year and I want my kids to believe that too.  I hear that Easter is really the time frame Jesus was born.  Maybe that's why we are into a little gift giving, a mini Christmas soo to speak.  For me Easter is a time to celebrate the son of God who atoned for all the sins, pain, & suffering in the world, and who overcame death to fulfill the plan of salvation that we may have Hope in an Eternal Life ~ a purposeful life after death.

This year I posted on Facebook this General Conference message about Easter.
How did you celebrate?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Green & Clean Week 3

 Congratulations to Jen B.  
for participating in our giveaway last week during Week 2!

This week, in Honor of Earth Day, we are giving away an Eco-logical Ribbon Gift Collection Card 

"It's full of eco-sensitive products designed to decrease waste, use less energy, or reduce our carbon footprint in some other way. Items may be made from recycled, natural, or organic materials, manufactured using a renewable resource, or simply contribute to the beauty and well-being of the earth."  
AND 1 Lucky  fan/ follower will get this $50 Gift Card that Never expires!
How?
Share below at least one thing you are Doing or Planning to do to make to make the world a Greener place.
~Each comment is an entry, Unlimited entries~

What is currently available on this Ribbon Gift Collection? Check it out! Eco-logical Ribbon Gift Collection
Don't forget to check out our previous tips from Green & Clean Week 2 here and Green & Clean Week 1 here


ONE WEEK (& 4 days )LEFT!
** Bouncing Woolies has given us a 10% off coupon to share with you! **
Here is the link to her store & the coupon code is BWearth - Code is good until April 30th!
(Excludes Laundry Soap) 

** Purchase a Legacy of Clean™ Intro Bundle **
(from me or my team by April 29th)
get 2 Free Naturally FUNKies Dryer Balls from Bouncing Woolies.
(will Ship separately)
**Win A NEW Washer & Dryer!**
For each LEGACY OF CLEAN™ laundry care product (see the list on this post) you purchase from me OR each time you login to my website to make a purchase at Sears, my Partner Store - You get an entry.
Promotion begins Feb 1, 2011 & ends at midnight ET on April 30, 2011

& Don't forget to Check my Out my Current Giveaways here ~ and see what else you can win!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Green & Clean Week 2

So continuing from Green & Clean Week 1 . . .

Green Alternative to Dryer Sheets
 Dryer Balls are a great alternative to fabric softener or Dryer Sheets.  



I purchased 5 Naturally FUNKies (100% wool) from Bouncing Woolies in January to check and see what the hype was really about.  BW recommends ordering at least 4 if you are looking to see a difference in your utility bill.  Did I see it? With a household of 6, already washing in cold water, I didn't think I would see a savings.  
The next month bill came and we were surprisingly $15 less than the month before - and every month since then! According to BW "using 4 woolies in your dryer can lessen drying time of a large load up to an average of 15% and 30-40% off your small loads."  BW offers a great selection of fragrance & essential oils so you won't miss a thing.  If you are interested in trying out dryer balls for yourself, Bouncing Woolies has given us a 10% off coupon to share with you! The link to her store & coupon is at the bottom of the post! Enjoy!

Fabric Softeners

Mildly going green....  I personally choose to forego scenting my dryer balls because I do use the fabric softener from our store. Our Fabric softener has No phosphates or other unpleasant ingredients that could harm the environment (made from natural & biodegradable ingredients), safe for all washers including HE, works great in cold water, and dermatologist tested.  All in all another great Legacy of Clean™ product.  The fragrance from the essential oils carries over to the dryer and after the dryer balls have had their chance at the laundry - I have a light, clean & refreshing scent.  

If you are interested in a chance to win a new washer & dryer from Sears, don't forget to check my "Yikes" blog post for details in the giveaway ending April 30th at midnight.  My favorite things about our Liquid Organic Cleaners (& in particular our laundry products) is that I have rarely ever seen these products out of stock, I can personally schedule & customize them on my autoship (Ditto), and they are delivered within 3-8 business days. 


Greener. . .  IF on the other hand you would like to try your hand at a Do It Yourself, here are a couple of favorite home remedies;
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of Vinegar (the vinegar smell does wash out & the clothes do soften - Personally checked out)
Tea leaves in satchels & essential oils - Have not Personally tried.

I have to admit I am fairly lazy or sometimes too busy to make my own soap ~ but I don't mind sharing the "How to", sometimes I even forget to put the fabric softener in the wash.  The dryer balls keep the clothes cling-free and I realize I "forgot" my softener when I pull out the clothes and the "scent" is missing. 

More ways to be Green . . .  Consider putting up a dryer line in your backyard. I am actually looking forward to this in the near future : ) But to be honest, I won't be getting rid of the dryer either...  ; )




 Now for the Good Stuff....
Bouncing Woolies has given us a 10% off coupon to share with you! 
Here is the link to her store & the coupon code is BWearth - Code is good until April 30th!
(Excludes Laundry Soap)

Purchase a Legacy of Clean™ Intro Bundle 
(from me or my team by April 29th)
get 2 Free Naturally FUNKies Dryer Balls.
(will Ship separately)

I also have one more goody for you, 
who is offering a Coconut Lime Bar to a lucky fan/ follower. 


For a chance to win;
* Like Win Key Solutions on Facebook 
(Comment below that you "liked" the page) *
* Follow Win Key Solutions Blog 
(Comment below What product you would like to try?)
(Current # of GFC followers 144)*
* Like The Cupertino Soap Company on Facebook 
(Comment below that you "liked" the page) *
* Follow The Cupertino Soap Company's  Blog 
(Comment below What product you would like to try )*

Each action counts as an entry 
Make a product purchase - 2 entries per item
(comment w/ your email, Cupertino Soap Company or Win Key Solutions, & # of items & we will verify by ordering email)

(Winners will be announced  April 18th, next Monday)

*I will be using your comments to help pick out my Mother & Father Day giveaways in May & June*

Check back Next Monday for our Earth Day Giveaway . . .

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April Showers

So we have a couple of exciting changes that we will do in a couple of steps

Step 1:  We are starting over from scratch on our Win Key Solutions Fan page.  Instead of "Winkeysolutions.com" we will switching to "Win Key Solutions"  The old page will be permanently deleted on April 12th.

~ We still have at Gift card available from "What Up for Grabs", Come join the new fan page, then post below to let me know who to consider for the Fan Giveaway. Drawing on April 29, 2011 at Noon CST - runner up will be announced 24 hours later.... ~

Step 2:   We will have a closed group page to offer exclusive specials and notifications to Customers & personally Sponsored Business Owners (IBO).  ONLY those who have made at least one purchase in the current year or who is currently a registered business owner may participate.  We will also use it to announce our Customer Only drawings. Please Do not share any links or photos in the groups as they are protected by Copyright.  These groups are for your eyes ONLY ~ Thank you.

Step 3: We will be creating a Separate Blog for Strive 2 Thrive.  Our goal is to make the giveaways less confusing and the information made clearly available.  For example a Win Key Solutions customer may not be interested in Food Storage & Emergency prep.  Like wise a Food Storage enthusiast may not to talk about biodegradable liquid organic soap or organically farmed vitamins.  In return this will help us know who is more interested in what & of course make this more fun for you.  You are welcome to follow both blogs as it suits you!

Come follow the new blog for Strive 2 Thrive

Step 4:  I will be looking for a new blog template or redesign and would like to trade products for services ~ if you are interested please contact me via email link on the left.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Green & Clean Week 1

Here is a collection of blog posts & websites with some awesome info to start off our Earth Awareness Month.
(If you have used any of these suggestions or have some of your own - please share!)

Household Remedies & Tips;

~Who would have thought that  Dryer Lint was possibly more than a nuisance?
*As for me & my house I think our next batch of lint is going towards a future Cub Scout activity... and maybe some for the compost pile we just started...*

~Want some tips on saving energy when running your dryer? Wash the filter out with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least once to 2 times a year.
Don't forget to wipe the Thermostat or moisture sensor for to avoid running the dryer longer than it needs to. Try switching to the gentle cycle (uses less energy) & throw in some dryer balls for extra savings!  If you have the space - consider drying the clothes on the line & pocket the change!

~Frugal uses for Coffee filters from Econobusters

Friendly Insecticides;

~Household Ant killer
 In general cleaning regularly with a strong cleaner like vinegar or even one of our Liquid Organic Cleaners or L.O.C. products (which contains citrus) will do the job. I have also heard that you can also mix a spray with Orange Oil or Peppermint Oil as both are considered neuro toxins to them. In some cases insects exoskeltons are sensitive to citric acids and some essential oils ... Which may be why the Vinegar & L.O.C. have both been effective.  In my experience this works best when after your regular style of cleaning you spray the edges (like the baseboard or door frames) and you leave it to dry.

~What about Ant Piles?
Boil water & pour onto Ant pile - but becareful when near flowerbeds & gardens as I hear this may effect them as well.

Pour Grits on the ant pile ( apparently they will expand, similar to birds ingesting rice) this methods takes about a week.

Plant a Victory Organic Garden;
What is a Victory Garden? Follow this link to understand the history & why we should be planting Victory Gardens now.


Looking for a soil-less gardening solution? Check out these affordable hydroponic gardening kits

~Earth Friendly pest Control ~ Consider planting garlic, chives, & marigolds!



Green Eats;
Check out this blogger from Austin, TX who shares what she gets in her weekly local box & what she does with it (Don't forget to check out the tips on how to eat locally);

A Greenling Blog