What I've decluttered Wednesday

I have neglected some things in the past few weeks, especially my jogging & decluttering. This is my decluttering excuse:



We have had 2 camping trips in the last 2 weeks (& have another one soon!), not to mention my son is starting school this week, so no extra time, but I am back in the saddle! I sold a large toy set through Craigslist today, this 2 foot high monstrosity of a toy :


... and I am Ebaying all the winter boy clothes that have been accumulating bins in the basement. I didn't have time to Ebay last year, but I don't have the space to not Ebay this year! Anyone need any boy's clothes? They are here! In addition to all the Ebaying, my friend is having a garage sale in 2 weeks, so I am joining her, and will be getting rid of even more! I am going to whip this house into shape this winter!

Handmade Insect Repellent

I have been buying natural insect repellent for years now, since we all know how toxic Deet is. I have been happy with the results of natural repellents, but in a bad summer we go through several bottles, especially since my husband works outdoors, and we frequently go camping. At $9 a bottle, that gets quite pricey for a family on a budget! I finally decided to research making my own. I started Googling and found many recipes, but they were all different. The 4 essential oils I saw again and again in the ingredients, were citronella, lemongrass, cedarwood, and lavender, so I ordered them. I ordered mine from Plantlife Natural Body Care, because I had a good coupon, but they have good prices & excellent customer service, but you can find essential oils like these in most health food stores. Since I wasn't sure how much of what to put in my spray bottle, I just added 10 drops of each of them, and poured vodka in the rest of the bottle. You can also use witch hazel or grain alcohol instead of the vodka. Rubbing alcohol is not as safe, and water will make the oils separate. It smells wonderful, I just tested it, and it works great! How do I know it works? I went by my raspberry patch (I always get swarmed by them there), and stood still. A mosquito hovered near my bare arm (where I sprayed), but didn't land, then finally landed on my shirt (where I didn't spray). I swatted that one, then another one came & did the same thing.

Camper decorating

I've been a busy bee, redoing things in the camper. I made covers for the upholstery, curtains, and a couple of throw pillows (i'm changing one of them). Here are a few before/after pics. You can click on them to see them enlarged.

The dining area...

I still have the 2 small side cushions to make covers for. I ran out of material before I got to them, and have to get more.

My husband's in the process of making a removable rail for the top bunk, so my son can sleep up there. I'll post pics when he does.


Rather than create a thermal lining for the curtains, I just reused the old curtains as the liner.


Cute, eh? I still need to sand/paint the cabinet fronts, and my husband will be putting in wood floors. We had just enough left over wood flooring from when we had it installed in our family room. It will look sharp!