Justin Case You Gotta Clean The Closet

Minor problems here at Casa MacNaughton. We had a slab leak and the worst part was the damage wasn't enough for a complete bathroom redo. I really want to get rid of that jacuzzi tub. Anyway we did get new carpet in the master bedroom and the master bedroom closet.

I think I'm very good at de-cluttering. I especially try to follow the 1 in 1 out rule. You know - for everything you bring into the house, 1 thing must go.  HOWEVER, we ALL have room for improvement!

I Justin Cased myself!
EVERYTHING had to come out and live in the garage for a while.

Ignore Scott's pants on the top shelf. We do share part of the closet. 

Its not often you get a completely blank slate. I decided that the only things coming back in had to fit this criteria.
1. It has to fit and be comfortable.
2. It has to be in good shape, no buttons missing, not faded.
3. No duplicates (unless it black as in black pants, black shirts, work out pants, etc)
4. It has to be something I regularly wear.

And the big one
I have to LOVE it.


3 GIANT bags went to Goodwill. Things I still wanted to keep found other homes.

I was RUTHLESS!
See ya, Justin Case!

Justin Case You Don't Want To Know About That Pond Scum

That Lives In Your Jacuzzi Tub!
WHATTTT!!!!!

All my fans of Justin Case know that I'm not afraid to go where no woman (okay, or man) has gone before. You saw my dishwasher, my shower make over, the gross grout in this very bathroom, and my various closets, etc.

Beware the Jacuzzi Tub! Let's take a closer look.

Not too bad, you say. But what evil lurks beneath the surface of the jet system.
FYI - I HATE that tub. We are not a bath family. The sides are too high for all but the spriest among us. It's a definite hazard when family members come to visit. And its hard to clean. Since no one uses it, water just accumulates in the holes and gets very disgusting.

"What can I do?", say I, to my good friend Google. Other people must have this problem. Maybe somewhere out there are some kind of plugs. You know, so it can be converted to a regular tub. I never really found the answer to that question however...

Who knew that I should have been regularly cleaning out the whole system????
Not me! Nope, not once in 14 years has that been cleaned  out. I do run some bleach through there every now and again but never an official cleaning product.

Yoo Hoo! Amazon! Bring it to me. 2 days later. Let's give this stuff a try.

An Aptly Named Product For Sure!

I forgot to say the drain closer doesn't close. Hello Duct Tape!

I followed the instructions on the label. Fill the tub above the jets. Turn on. Add 2-8 oz of Oh Yuk. The bottle is 16 oz. I added almost 1/2 so probably about 6 oz. Run the jets for 5-15 minutes.

This is not for the faint of heart.

After 5 minutes!!! AGH!!!! This is sooooo gross!

After 15 minutes - WE HAVE POND SCUM!

Drain and Clean!

Round 2 Slightly less disgusting, but still disturbing!

Drain and Clean again. That's enough for us drought conscience folks!

The moral of the story: The things that clean, also need to be cleaned. 

See ya, Justin Case

*Disclaimer* I was not paid to endorse the Oh Yuk Jacuzzi Tub Cleaner. I found it on Google and I highly recommend it.

Bougainvillea, Morning Glory

Justin Case you think you are lookin' pretty - Ya can't strangle out my lime tree...

Math lesson:
Limes+tomatoes+onions+jalapenos=SALSA
Limes+sugar+water=Limeade (goes great with vodka)
Limes+rum+coke=Cuba Libra

Limes+mint+rum=MOJITO
Limes+limes= Limes HAHA!

I need those limes! Therefore its time to ATTACK those vines. It doesn't look too bad on the surface but the underside of that morning glory looks like whats under a Rasta's beanie. SCARY!!!!

Oh yea... we all wonder what those dreads look like under that giant hat. 

Let's get started with the "before" pics. 

Hat, gloves, glasses...Let's go!

2 hours later

Yup! That giant pile of dead waste came from this small space!

Don't be judging on the contemporary California Tan Lawn. We ARE in a drought and the soccer star needs a place to play. No new landscape for us right now.

Beer is ALWAYS good but somehow evicting Justin Case makes it taste that much better. Oh and a shower helps too!

See ya Justin Case!

Evicting The Demons

Sometimes its not about the physical stuff...

My boss, Mike Seymour, was in the San Diego UT today for his work with Stepping Stone, a drug and alcohol treatment and recovery center. I have come to learn Mike is a caring and generous man who is humble and genuine in his mission to give back.

Read all about it here:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/15/stepping-stone-san-diego-donors-success-story/

Justin Case the demons are at your door - people do step up.  People care. Help is out there.

Today Was The Day

to clean up the mess!
Tip Of The Day - Take on one section at a time.

This is my real garage. It has been like this for about 2 years since the last time I cleaned it. See, another one of my deep dark secrets is in FULL PUBLIC VIEW!

I was all set to settle in with the Sunday paper and a mimosa when I decided to take something out to  my table in the garage. It was supposed to be a spot to work on my jewelry but that never panned out so it has become a dumping ground of craft supplies, tutoring materials, house paint and obviously Kraken bottles. I was saving them to use my fancy bottle cutter and make candles but that was an epic FAIL! (they are very thick and to do it was taking more time than I was willing to invest).

A little over an hour and a very full trash can...Whoo Hoo!

What went, you ask? Dried up paint, old files from Little League, Ericson School Book Fairs, old tutor students and stuff that fell into the category called 'If I Haven't Used It By Now, I Can Buy It Again, If I Really Need It'. See ya, Justin Case!

But I couldn't part with my Bedazzler...after all Tana from national TV can't live without hers. You never know when something will beg to be Bedazzled!

Put That On Your Pizza...

And cook it!

What do you do with a giant basil plant that is going to seed? Don't save it Justin Case you need it another day.  Its time for an eviction. Cut that baby down and make some pesto.

Pesto is a matter of taste and proportion so since I did enough math today, I just gave it a shot and used the old eyeball and taste method. (if it looks like a good amount, put it in and taste it)

So I used all that basil*, about 10 cloves of garlic, 1/3 a jar of Parmesan cheese, all the pine nuts I had (about 1 cup), some salt and pepper and enough olive oil to get the perfect consistency.

*Helpful hint: rough chop the basil before putting it in the Ninja or your food processor of choice.

Basil is cheap, my friends. Plant another one.
In the words of Emeril Lagasse... BAM! Pesto Perfection!

Good bye- Justin Case!

The Black Hole

Do you have a place that you rarely look into? A dumping ground for things that don't fit somewhere else? ME TOO!!!

Its this cabinet. So in my best Evicting Justin Case mode, I decided it was time to investigate the black hole.

Books, Candles, School pictures, VHS Tapes

It was a mish mash of stuff. Tons of old school pictures - seriously after Kindergarten they should make school pictures packages with about 5 photos in them. I'll say it for all those thinking it right now. Only grandma and grandpa really want your kids school pictures. No one else! Both of my kids have that school photo album where you put each year's picture and some personal info sooooo ALL of those pictures had to go. Yep, I threw them away!

The whole cabinet got emptied.

Only the stuff I really wanted got put back in.

The rest went on Craig's list to find a good home with someone who cared.

VHS Tapes??? Unopened! We don't even have a VCR! 

Nice candles going to waste because the scent is overpowering

Unused glassware and china! If I forgot I had it, I obviously don't need it... Justin Case.

I'm a little lighter in space and a little heavier in the pocketbook. $$$$$
See ya Justin Case

Too Many Or Can't Get Enough?

...Mason Jars. 
Disclaimer, this post was inspired by a post on one of my FAVORITE sites - BuzzFeed. (www.buzzfeed.com) This is the original post.http://bzfd.it/1aC7VNL

I love a good mason jar project. I use them all the time for their original purpose - canning or for my homemade mango/pepper jelly. Get some here. http://etsy.me/1DczsRM

I use them for my toothbrushes. 

My Actual Toothbrushes

And mason jars are great to make a quick salad dressing.  Add your ingredients and shake away.

I typically have many on hand. I could use them for drinkware if I run out of Red Solo Cups at a party. Yeah, right..cause we always buy a new pack - Just in Case. 

The chandelier is creative for your country home in Red Neck Town.

Or hang them in your trees at your fabulous Back Yard Bash

Possible Fire Hazard

There are tons of cool projects - just Google or Pinterest it if you want to make some.  

But I'm not sure I can get behind the Mason Jar for Everything craze.

Like Bakeware?

Looks Too Perfect To Be True

Do they really need sweaters?

Keeping That Soap Warm

Or as wedding Invitations?

Bring Your Invitation - Its Also Your Wine Glass

Don't we all dream that the Mason Jar craze can help us be so organized?

Our cabinets?

Like this?

Our Salads?

Or This?

Our craft supplies?

Possibly This?

Our spices? How does this even work without a giant mess?

Seriously?

And would you trust your kids to get some pretzels?

Nope, Not me...

 You can even have your very own...

Mason Jar Manatee

Put it in a Mason Jar and BAM! You are instantly organized!