Shaklee Review of Naturebrite, Basic H, and Scour off

I have been postponing blogging about the Shaklee products cuz I wanted to make sure I came across as sincere as possible.

I have done a giveaway for Shaklee before and I mentioned then how good their products were.

Since then I have been using the products consistently for well over 8 months. I liked the products then and now...I LOVE them!

Like BIG heart LOVE them!

I knew the products were organic and knew that it would be healthier for our family, but all I heard was blah, blah, blah.

Not that I didn't want what is best for my family, I just didn't really get it. You know?

I did always think as I was cleaning my shower and the fumes felt like they were burning my nose hairs, lungs, and eyes, that this can't be healthy for me. But just came to the conclusion that it was just the way it was and that was the end of that thought.

So my sweet friend Debbie Clinton, who sells Shaklee, and who advertises on my site. Since I know her personally she asked if she could advertise on my site by paying me in products each month.

To me I thought, free cleaning products...SURE!

So I started using the basic H cleaner. I used this for a month, and then I realized that I haven't heard Romeo cough in quite a while.

Now let me back up a little bit. Romeo had a consistent bad cough. It was actually a croup cough.

And I KNOW a croup cough when I hear one. WildMan had croup no less then 20 times the first year Romeo was on this earth. We have been through the ringer with croup.

Romeo's cough was only once or twice a day, but everyday. He didn't have a fever, he wasn't losing sleep. He just had this random yet consistent cough.

Then with a month of using basic H as my cleaner...it was gone!

Crazy right?!

So I started thinking...is this what they were talking about with the whole organic better for you thing?

hey I am a slow learner people.

So I started adding more Shaklee products.

Now I can't say that we have had any other ailments that have gone away. But I can tell you that we didn't get the flu...so far...knock on wood. And Mr. Genius and I didn't get the flu shot!

So we know that the disinfectant works well!

All my married life I have been buying products with what ever was on sale and if it didn't work I just thought that it just couldn't be cleaned. There was nothing that could be done.

Then I used Shaklee, and I realized that I have just been using inferior products. Because let me tell you, Shaklee works people!

Now let me show you an example of how good it works.

You have all seen my painting projects I have been working on...what you haven't seen is the laundry room sink where I clean all of my paint brushes, rollers, paint pan, and any other tools that I needed cleaned.

After I cleaned the tools...I didn't clean the sink. Because doing the projects are much more fun then cleaning up.

So here was my sink...and the picture totally doesn't do it justice.

The rust, paint, and just plain nastiness greeted me every time I walked into the laundry room.

But the sheer grossness of this sink required more then one cleaning product.

First I used Nature bright which works great on your laundry too.

Filled the sink up with hot water then put a scoop of Nature Bright in.

I let it sit for about 30 minutes, then when I drained it...

Much better, but not the best it could be.

still some rust stains and there are some deep scratch marks. I think the previous owners were needing to get out some frustrations and had a sharp knife handy and had at it in this sink.

This is when I called Debbie, who has been using Shaklee for 14 years and knows her stuff. She told me to make a paste with with a little bit of nature bright and then pour a tsp of Basic H concentrate.

This paste also got nail polish off of Debbie's carpet!

Then I got an scrubby sponge (atleast that is what I call it) and scour off. First I put the sponge in the scour off.

Then dip the sponge into the mixture of nature bright and basic H.

The I scrubbed the sink and this was the result!

Isn't that crazy!

Remember we started with this.

To this.

So people needless to say I HIGHLY recommend Shaklee! If you have a question please contact Debbie she is a wealth of knowledge!

PS: I did get paid by products to advertise on my blog, and now because we are buying more and more products each month I am compensated in other ways, But I in NO way get any incentive for anyone else buying products from Debbie. This review was out of the my true opinion and that is it.

Thanks you guys, now go and get some Shaklee!

It's a zebra settee!

IT IS FINISHED!!!!

OK well just one of them is finished, but lets not dwell on that.

Let me start of my saying I have NEVER recovered anything before! Not even a simple seat cushion.

Nada!

Nothing!

Zilch!

I would not recommend for your first recovering project to be a settee, I would definitely go easier.

But like I have said before...I am a gluten for punishment.

First thing is that I learned A LOT!

Now I love trim and it ability to cover a multitude of sins.

I would love to get a pneumatic stapler before I start the next chair. 

That would make things a little more easier.

I do hope that my grandmother and great grandmother and any other great and grand mother in my family that had this chair once aren't rolling over in their graves due to what I have done to our family heirloom. But in my defense it was falling apart, the wood was chipping and there were some medallions on it and they fell off years ago and don't forget the fabric...that had definitely seen better days.

So enough talking lets show you what we've got.

Let me first remind you about what the chair looked like before.

And now with out further ado...TADA!

I painted the wood with my all time favorite color SW Halycon Green.

Then I added black glaze to show the detail better.

And when rubbing the glaze off some of the paint came off too...I liked it!

Then after some real debate I finally decided on a fabric that was nothing that I had picked out at JoAnn's. I decided to go a little more bold since I thought everything else in the room is going to be pretty plain.

I would say that black and white stripes are pretty bold. Wouldn't you?

Then for the trim, I went as thick of trim as I could get yet not look too awkward.

The trim saved me. Some places I cut the fabric too short or my staple gun wouldn't staple all the way down and you would never know with the trim covering it up!

For you really observant people, you have already noticed that I painted the mirror.

My goal is to make this room brighter...I think I am accomplishing it!

Let's review, here is the before again.

And the after!

Yippee!

Staging furniture

We have heard a million times that when you are putting your house on the market to stage it!

In other words make your home look like noone actually lives in it...while living in it.

I have to say it totally works considering we sold our house in 19 days and had 18 showings in the worst housing market a year and a half ago.

Although I would be totally lying if I didn't say there were not a few tears shed and a threat or two of living in a hotel until it was sold. I was after all potty training Wild Man and had a 18 month old that loved to pull every toy out and did I mention that Mr. Genius was out of town Monday-Friday? Yeah, not the fondest memory of my life.

Despite the bad memories, I am using the same mentality to sell my furniture.

Today I thought I would show you through today's process of selling a coffee table.


I guess I should first mention that after a winter break I am slowing starting to paint and redo furniture again!

Yes I am still working on my settees and going to finish my dining room.

But you see I ran into a problem...I ran out of money. :(

Until I find that money tree I pack away in the move I will be redoing furniture in order to get some more money.

Now back to staging.

First you of course need to pick your piece...

Here is the table before.

This was another craigslist find.

I immediately fell in love her legs... I have a thing for thick chucky legs.

Unfortunately I do not feel that same about my own legs. But I digress.

Yes, I sanded, painted, distressed, and glazed in my kitchen.

Why? You ask....cuz I am a gluten for punishment, that is why. But thanks for asking.

Then the night before I plan on taking picture I cleaned up the den...

And just 2 hours after the boys were up this morning, it looked like this.

Seriously, why do I bother.

So I enlisted in the boys to divide and conquer the two decks of cards all over the floor.

One picked up the Superhero cards.

And the other picked up the bug cards.

while being a pirate, I think it helps in the picking up process

Once the cards are all up, we compaired our muscle to move the current coffee table.

Then find all the treasures under the table that was just moved.

So that is where batman's cave door went!

Once that is all cleaned up, move over the newly painted coffee table.

And since you haven't polyed it yet...NO TOUCHING!

Decorated it a little and Shazam! You have a staged photo.

Now I have to ignore the open cabinets in the back and balloon string just sitting to the left of the lights and the random blue chair that I forgot to move on the left of the couch. But other then that it shows the table well!

You also should show some details shots to get the people thinking they can not live another day without this table in front of their couch.

So there you have it folks...the Katie way of staging your selling items.

If you were blessed with non messy kids it would be a much easier process for you.

But one thing is for sure it makes things sell faster if it is staged!

Now if anyone is in the Chicago area I am selling this for $150. You can email me at impatientlypraying (at) gmail (dot) com.

The point of no return

Last night I just got brave enough and I started ripping apart one of the settee's.

Today it looks like this.

I am scared people.

If I do not like it, I am stuck with it.

I have been taking pictures of the folds and stuff so that I can hopefully put it back on decently and I purposely didn't take apart the other settee so I can refer back to that one.

But I am still scared.

The amount of dirt and dust that I have breathed in when ripping out all the batting and fabric is giving me the hebbe jebbes.

Plus there are no less then 5,695,342 staples in this chair and some are so embedded in there I am having a bugger of a time getting them out. I hope you are not suppose to get all the staples out before you staple on the new fabric, cuz for some of them. It just ain't gonna happen.

Oh I hope this turns out good...only time will tell.

My newly painted dining room

First let me start you off with what our room looked like before.

Just a bland room.

The sad thing is this is the first room you see in the house from the front door.

Plus our foyer is really just a skinny hallway.

Remember...a table doesn't even fit in it.

With our foyer being so skinny I thought I would make it feel bigger by painting the dining room the same as the foyer.

So to Sherwin Williams I went and got my Blonde color and was ready to get my painting on. I also decided that I wanted to continue the board and batten that I have in the foyer too.

Unfortunately I looked in my wallet and noticed that I didn't have enough money to buy all the 1x4s to do the job.

Insert an adult woman having a big 2 year old temper tantrum right here. 

Image from here

Then I remember how the Nester did board and batten by getting her local hardware store to cut some mdf boards for her.

Image from here

Insert an adult woman doing the happy dance here.

That is what we did!

Mr. Genius went to the Home Depot here and got two Mdf board and got them to cut it down and it cost 25 cents a cut. The total cost was $79! If I got the 1x4's it would have been $140!

Score!!

And up they went...

And here it is all done with that painting.

Ahhhh, much better.

Please note the toys that were quietly moved right back under the table before a bite of breakfast was made.

But I would love to say that this is the after picture. But this would be more accurately portrayed as the during picture.

Today I went to Joann's and checked out a slew of fabrics.

I have been dying to recover my settees that were my great grandmother's on my dad's side.

Cuz let me tell you...these chairs have definitely seen better days.

But they have great bones.

I also want to paint the mirror white.

Well I actually already started...cuz I have a sickness.

I am also trying to figure out what I want to do with the corner cabinet.

The picture makes it looks all pretty and shiny. But let me tell you, in person it is in rough shape.

I can't decide on the color...white?... pale blue?... light green?...black? I just can't decide.

Also you may have noticed the new light fixture.

It was a craigslist find...I know...big surprise.

I love this light, not so sure about the color of the lamp shade. So we will see what I will do with that.

So there is it folks, my dining room in the during phase.

 

Before

During