Spring Deep Cleaning: Bed

Now that we are out of the RV, I have an entire apartment to take care of. Luckily, Mr. Man is pretty clean, so it is usually just basic upkeep chores like running the dishwasher and wiping counters.

The oak pollen this year has been horribly high. I have never had oak allergies until now. I ended up on a regimen of Zyrtec in the morning and Benadryl at night, so I could sleep.

I bought some pillow protectors to go under our pillowcases, washed the sheets, vacuumed the carpet and ran the a/c to get as much pollen out of the air as possible. It definitely helped. The oak is winding down now, so I figured it was a good time to deep clean and get the rest of the pollen out.

First, I stripped the bed down. I tossed the pillows into cold water on the gentle cycle, with less detergent than normal, an extra rinse, and an extra spin. Then they went into the dryer on fluff air.

While the pillows were washing, I prepared the mattress by sprinkling baking soda all over it. Before I put the mattress pad back on, I vacuumed the baking soda off, making the bed smell fresh.

The mattress pad, pillowcases, pillow protectors, and sheets all got tossed in the wash once the pillows were in the dryer. I added a bit of vinegar during the rinse cycle to make sure all the detergent was rinsed out.

The pad, protectors, and cases were all thrown in the dryer while the pillows rested on top, airing out more. Then the pillows went back in protectors and cases, and the mattress pad went on the bed. The sheets were put on the bed damp, an idea called Monday sheets. The fan was turned on and I went to prepare stuff for the slow cooker.

Once the sheets were dry, I made up the rest of the bed. I can't wait to sleep in the super clean tonight!

Nail Varnish Review: Cover Girl Outlast Constant Candy

For Christmas, my mother put nail polish and a pot of nail glitter in my stocking. I only just got around to using it.

Constant Candy

Cover Girl's Outlast line of polishes say they are the color and top coat in one. I used a clear base/top coat from Dollar Tree underneath the polish, followed by two coats of the Constant Candy. As its name implies, the color is a pale pink, reminiscent of cotton candy. It goes on smoothly and makes for a very nice, even color. I used top coat on one hand and not on the other. I can't tell the difference between the two. I think this would be a great color for anyone who works in a conservative environment!

The best part about the nail polish is that it is made in France. It comes in a square bottle, which is apparently similar to Chanel polish. For anyone who doesn't have the money to spend on that, this is an excellent option.

On my ring finger, I used Pure Ice Nail Glitter, followed by three coats of top coat. The glitter is extremely fine, and like most glitter, messy. The color is great. My mom did a great job picking colors that go together. I think this combo would be great for Valentine's.

The nail polish can be found at any drugstore. The nail glitter is from Walmart.

With topcoat, left, without topcoat, right

Sweaters and Blankets and Space Heaters, oh my!

Without wifi, my usage of phone data skyrocketed and I have had to back off on my internet addiction. Unfortunately, that included blogging. However, Mr. Man solved my plight by lending me his iPad.

Since I last wrote, we have painted some sort of sealing goop onto the roof. It did a fabulous job, so the RV is nice and dry now. Which is good, because right after we did it, it poured for days, causing flooding.

The rain also brought cooler weather with it, so I grabbed all my warm stuff. I get cold easily. Right now I'm in a nest of blankets with the space heater running. It's probably 60 something outside.

Mr. Man and I moved almost everything out of the apartment. We will finish that next weekend and then we will have the two cats living with us as well. That should be interesting. At least I will have company during the day.

Pineapple on a Patio

Back in August, Mr. Man and I went to Dallas with some friends. While we were there, we bought a pineapple at the Farmer's Market. The pineapple sample was really good, so I decided to try to grow a pineapple from the top.

After getting it to root successfully, I finally potted it this weekend. We brought it back to the RV.

We also bought an indoor/outdoor rug from Camping World. After all the rain, we decided we wanted to try to prevent mud at the doorway. So, today I set up our outdoor patio area with table, chairs, and pineapple. Mr. Man says he will work on getting the awning down.

And the rains came down

Texas has been in a drought for most of the year. The weathermen like to panic about this, but it's pretty normal. My mom told me it would rain in September. Here we are in September and it is forecast to rain all day. Normally, I would celebrate the rain, but there's a problem.

The RV has a leak. Actually, it has two. One is a hole somewhere on the roof. Mr. Man got up early this morning when it wasn't raining and tried to fix it. The fix lasted through one rain shower, but not the next. The other leak is in the bathroom. The seal on the vent in there is leaking. It's almost directly over the toilet, though, so it's not a big deal.

The other one has a pot underneath it, happily collecting drips. I'll empty it when it gets full. Luckily, I have a rain jacket and boots, so I will stay dry no matter where the rain is.