De-Cluttering and Re- Organizing Your Home

Running a clean and efficient home doesn't mean that you have to spend every waking hour in an apron, clutching a vacuum cleaner in one hand, a mop in the other and a duster between your teeth. There are short cuts to keep it simple. Find the ones that work for you and use them to create a home that makes you happy.

But before you can start your need to clear the clutter. No one can clean a cluttered house. Go back to the ancestors, become a hunter/gatherer - hunt out the dirt and gather up the debris.

Recognize the signs:

     Is this your home?

•      Vistors are greeted with the words: "Lovely to see you. Excuse the mess."
•      The hallway is clutter with shoes, bags and debris.
•      Waste paper bins and the kitchen bin are full to overflowing.
•      The dining table is so cluttered it can't be used.
•      All the drawers are so full that they inflate like hot-air balloons when they're opened.
•      Boxes and bags of hobby equipment fill corners of the hall or lounge.
•      There are more than 3 garments in your wardrobe that you haven't worn the last two years.
•      The kitchen worktops are covered with "stuff."
•      The bathroom looks as though it's had a visit from the local football team.
•       The beds are covered with discarded clothes/books/magazines.

If you've picked even 3 of these boxes, your home is screaming for help. It's time to de-clutter.

Stay tuned to Pretty Bowtique Lady's Blog on how to de-clutter and re-organize your home

25 Things I Will Teach My Daughter

1. The most beautiful thing you can do is smile.

2. It's OK to think another woman is beautiful.

3. Make sure you life is actually as fun as your Instagram profile.

4. Don't regret the times you feel sad, how else will you appreciate the times you feel good?

5. Remember not everyone is going to like you and that's okay.

6. You really don't need another girl to go to the restroom with you.

7. Find friends who are OK with holding you hair back.

8. Be there to hold theirs too.

9. High school is not the best time of your life

10. College is.

11. Meet someone who makes you laugh so hard that you pee.

12. You are beautiful, know that so no one has to know it for you.

13. Make a bucket list.

14. Be blind to gender, race, sexuality, and religious beliefs.

15. If your job or success emasculates him, than you are too good for him.

16. Drink champagne and dance on tables.

17. Always say "I love you" before you leave.

18. Even if he buys you dinner, you owe him nothing.

19. If you can't wear sweatpants and no make up around him then he is not for you.

20. Take pictures of everything.

21. Save concert tickets.

22. You are your daddy's princess - make sure your guy treat you like a queen.

23. Just because you can fit into an extra small doesn't mean you should be wearing it.

24. I don't care how old you are - if you have been drinking call me and I will come get you and your friends, no questions asked. PLEASE call me.

25. People may not remember what you did for them but they will always remember how you made them feel.

P.S. - I really have been there and done that.......How else do you think I came up with this list.

Excited!!! - 1K on Instagram Giveaway

I'm so excited that I've reached 1000 follower on Instagram!

To celebrate I'm having a HUGE GIVEAWAY!!!

The winner will receive

• White/Yellow Mini Flower Headband
• White 3 Top Shabby Chic Headband
• Six Single Shabby Chi Fabric Headbands
• White/Gray 3 Top Shabby Chic Headband

To win you must follow at least on page - @prettybowtiquetoo on Instagram or @prettybowtique2 on Twitter or like us on FaceBook at PrettyBowtqiueToo.

Repost picture on your page with #pretty1K and tag my page.

The winner will be announced on 10/10/14.

To double or triple your chance to when repost the giveaway picture on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at the same time.

Thank you everyone!!!

You Only Live Once

You Only Live Once - YOLO - it's my personal motto, I even have it tattooed on my arm.

In May 2013 I lost one of the best people I ever met.

On Monday, May 6th, 2013 I was sitting in my job orientation for the hospital I was starting at. It was really boring so I decided to check my Facebook account. Someone had posted R.I.P "T" and I was hoping it was not the person I knew, I wanted it to be a mistake. As I scrolled though my Facebook it was a continued post from others.

I jumped up out of my seat and ran into the hallway to call everyone I knew back home in Missouri as I now live in Florida. No one was answering their phones so I called my mother to see if she knew anything to no avail. I found a little secluded area and feel to the floor crying like there was no tomorrow.

I couldn't get ahold of anyone and sadness continued to fill my heart.

Now, this was not the first death I've known but this one was so raw and extreme for me because T stilled had so much to give the world. He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to give more to the world. There was no way he could just be gone.

I eventually spoke with someone who told me that T had died in a fire and my best friend/sister was in the hospital with 3rd degree burns all over her body but luckily their two boys made it out of the house without a scratch.

I went home and the tears wouldn't stop, no matter what I did or what anyone said to me, my heart just couldn't take the pain. I had never cried so much in my life. I remember my son coming in my room and begging me not to cry because my friend would come back just like Jesus did. He truly is the sweetest kid ever.

Later that night I booked a flight back home to Kansas City, MO for the Wednesday because I knew once I left I wouldn't be back for a while and I wanted to spend that Tuesday with my children. I still hadn't talked to anyone in her family or anything to get any real details and I had no idea which hospital my friend was in. It wasn't until I was boarding the plane on Wednesday that my friends sister called me.

I hadn't seen them for a few years at this point because sometimes life gets in the way and you take people for granted and think you will just see them later which is why I didn't have any updated phone numbers for anyone. I did have my best friend's number but the voicemail box was full and she of course she didn't have her with her.

When I got to Kansas City I got a rental and headed straight to the hospital and when I saw her for the first time I was in shock. She was burned so badly I wanted the ground to swallow me up because the pain was to much to bare. I wanted to take her pain away, I wanted to be the one in that hospital bed instead of her. I slept by her side that night and every night for the next month. I had forgotten what a bed felt like. I went back to Florida once and face timed with my children everyday.

Everyday I felt so lost. I normally don't tell people that I am an RN when I go to any hospital because they act a bit different but with this situation I had to. I know that most burn patients die from infection and I refused to let that happen to my friend and she never got one infection and most of her nurses hated me because I on the MD's, ARNP's and nurses like there was not tomorrow. I didn't care, not one bit.

My soul has not been the same since.

YOLO - remember that and live your life because you never know what will happen next.

Flower Power Headbands

I've been working hard on the Fall 2014 Collection for Pretty Bowtique and the Flower Power Headbands are just ADORABLE!!!

I personally put made one for myself to ensure they were comfortable and they are. The soft felt lining on the Shabby Chic Flowers give great cushion the to head.

They are so stylish and fun to were.

This year's fall season is overflowing with these headbands and you don't want to miss out. They come in many sizes so get one for you and one for your little one. You find won't these anywhere but www.prettybowtique.com.

Find yours here.

Check out my little lady.

Frozen Fruit Pops

Make these fruit-rich treats with your kids as a weekend project, then enjoy them as a no-guilt snack after school or work for the rest of the week.

What do you need...

• 8 ounces strawberries, halved
• 1/2 cup apricot hector and 1/2 cup apricot nectar divided use
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extrast
• 2 medium bananas, cut into 1- inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the strawberries, 1/2 cup apricot nectar, brown sugar, and almond extract in a blender. Blend for about 15 seconds, or until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally. Pour into a small container with a pouring spout, such as a small liquid measuring cup or small pitcher. 

Put the bananas, lemon juice, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup apricot nectar in the blender. Blend for about 15 seconds, or until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally. Pour into a separate small container with a pouring spout.

Pour a scant ounce (scant 2 tablespoons) of each mixture into each of fourteen 2-ounce frozen pop molds or 2-ounce paper cups. Using the point of a sharp knife, make one quick, deep swirl in each. If the molds include tops or sticks, use those; otherwise, cover tightly with aluminum foil and insert a wooden pop stick in the center of each pop. Freeze for 4 hours, or until frozen solid. To serve, run the inverted molds under warm water for 15 to 20 seconds, or just until they loosed from the sides, or peel the cups away from the frozen pops.

Only 35 calories and NO fat, Woo Hoo!!!!