April showers bring May flowers 😊

I’m thinking ….Let’s get excited about spring….but it’s still so cold! My blood must be super thin southern blood!  😂

Having said that, let’s spend these chilly days indoors and let’s start with getting the cob webs out of our homes. For us Savvy Snowbirds, our homes have been sitting empty for the past six months collecting dust.

Deep cleaning.

I started by getting my duct work professionally cleaned and disinfected. It’s nice to know that we are breathing fresh clean air! New air filters for the furnace ensures that dust and mites aren’t flying out of my furnace! YUCK!

In our lower level we had new broadloom installed while we were down south.  I had the carpets in the bedrooms professionally steam cleaned. We had renovations done and I am sure a fine layer of dust has settled into the fibres…..plus having them cleaned just makes the house smell nicer!

We had new windows installed. The exterior windows will be cleaned by the HOA…inside is on me. I used a home made solution using ammonia.  Ammonia is great for leaving a streak free clean. Windex is the worst if you ask me. I will put the recipe for The Consumer Reports window and glass cleaner, at the end of this post.  You can leave bowls filled with a bit of ammonia to absorb odours as well. Keep it away from pets and small children. The fumes can burn your nose and respiratory tract.  I like to place a bowl in each of the closets for a day or two.

By this point in our lives we all have our own cleaning routines. I won’t try to tell you how to clean your own homes. 😉 You can all probably teach me a few techniques of your own.

Spring outdoor decorating.

Nothing says spring like a pretty door wreath. There are so many out there to choose from. Check out your local Home Sense or try Amazon….lots to choose from 🌷

I am filling my two large planters with some pansies. They withstand the cooler nights and offer constant seasonal colour. You can prolong the life of your pansies by dead heading them regularly. This rain is a bonus…no watering required.

Indoor spring decorating.

Well….as soon as I find some decor I can start!! LOL. I have SO many boxes to unpack.  I have very little furniture at this point, and no vignettes  set up yet. I have some faux florals that I will place in the powder room and in the kitchen as well. I love fresh tulips. They immediately add spring to any room where you place a vase or large bucket of them. Tulips and daisies are my happy flowers. 😊

There is nothing nicer in the bathrooms than fresh, white towels with pastel details. I am adding a light floral scented soap in the powder room. For the kitchen sink I like to use grapefruit scented soap from William Sonoma. Aren’t these tea towels beautiful? Available on Etsy.

I planted some fresh herb plants in pretty pots. I love the smell of fresh basil and rosemary and it’s so convenient to have them at the ready for cooking especially for my cherry tomato recipe. You can get it HERE

Spring DIY

What a perfect time to make a DIY decoration. It is going to rain here in southern Ontario for the next few days. I am heading to BC tomorrow to visit Lauren. Hopefully the weather will be a bit nice there.

These hoops are available at Michaels. Add any type of greenery to the perimeter of it covering 1/2 – 2/3 of the hoop. Using clear thread or some fishing line hang any type of sign that resonates with you from the top of it so that it hangs in the middle of the ring.

This would be cute in your kitchen. Hang one on the front of a cupboard that you don’t often use. Mine is going on the wall behind my stove. Not a good spot if you have a gas stove though. 🔥 😉

Ammonia Window Cleaning Recipe taken from Cleverly Simple Blog

This window and glass cleaner recipe calls for 1/2 cup soapy ammonia, 1 pint of rubbing alcohol and 13 1/2 cups of water to make one gallon. Since I don’t want more than what I need (who needs extra containers laying around?), I cut down the recipe for a 32 oz. Windex bottle – a fourth of a gallon. Here are the new measured amounts:

• 1/8 cup (1 oz) soapy ammonia
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) rubbing alcohol
• 3 1/3 cups water

Soapy ammonia is basically 4 parts water, 1 part ammonia and a “squirt” of dish soap. In doing the math, here is my cut down recipe for what I will need to make soapy ammonia for a 26 – 32 oz. size bottle:

• 5 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons ammonia
• 1 teaspoon dish soap

This will make a bit more than 1/8 cup.  Honestly…if you could see how clean and streak free my windows are you would be completely impressed!!  I sprayed the solution on the window, washed them with a cloth then used a squeegee to remove the solution and voila!! They look great. I did any outside windows that I could easily reach. The rest will have to wait for HOA. I don’t do ladders! 😆