Felecity W.
Ohh Science Diet gave my kitty the runs as well. We switched to an organic food called Spots Stew and they haven't had any problems, also their coats have gotten very shiny and healthy and they have had less hairballs...so that's an option.
You could always "trim" the hair around the tush so maybe it won't get as messy. I think groomers will do something like that
Posts by Felecity W.
You could always hang a light colored painting on a wall to brighten up a space. I also use alot of matted photoes in bright colored frames, since the matte is the same color as the wall it seems to brighten up the space more than a traditional photo without a matte.
Also glass top furniture helps make a space seem less cramped. Hope some of these help, I have a small house and they have helped us 
Congrats on the new place!
I like to leave my carpet powder on the floor for at least 30mins because I think the essential oils have more time to "soak in". Since I have a canister vacuum it makes the air smell good as well. Most powders you buy in the store will have directions on the container.
I have one of these lamps as well, and I have heard that you can put a few drops of essential oil on the lamp and it will heat up and disperse into the air.
http://www.amazon.com/Indus-Classic-Himalayan-Crystal-Pounds/dp/B000CDGR8Y
Update, the baking soda and essential oil works great as a carpet powder! It smells amazing, and I didn't have to use as much as I normally do.
Try an oil burner, you put essential oil (few drops) in the top and light a tealight under, as the oil heats it dissipates into the air and smells really good. http://www.spiritualscents.com/c-15-oil-burners.aspx
I also just made mixed baking soda with some essential oil and made my own personalized carpet powder to vac up. It's really cheap and easy to do.
Vinegar will neutralize most smells so I would suggest you mix half water and half vinegar in a spray bottle and just mist everything in your room, that should help. You will want to leave the window open though because it will be very vinegary for at least 10 mins.
Also just washing the walls and surfaces down should help.
I have 2 kitties and hate using chemicals so I try to clean as green as possible so far I use
Vinegar to mop and clean windows
Baking soda for carpets, and litter boxes
Lemon juice and baking soda to get stains out of porcelain sinks (smells great!)
Baking soda and vinegar in baths and counter stains
Hydrogen Peroxide to kill mold in tile grout or window seams
1/2 Vinegar & 1/2 water to neutralize cat spray smells
Baking soda added to laundry loads to brighten whites and neutralize smells
Baking soda and vinegar also works well as a laundry detergent you just mix half of each directly into the washer (my hubby only likes tide though)
Don't know if you would count this but I use rubbing Alcohol to get sticky stuff off items.
I always use just plain baking soda to neutralize any carpet smells and freshen the floor but I haven't tried adding essential oils yet, will try that this week!
I have also been wanting to try this green way of cleaning shower heads, but haven't had the chance yet.
http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/11/explosive-showerhead-cleaner/
I used to make a deodorant powder from 1 part baking soda and 2 parts cornstarch and it really helps in the summer, but now that I am really busy I just use natures gate deodorant in spring fresh. It works really well and doesn't have any of the icky stuff in traditional deodorant.
For an antiperspirant though I have no idea, but I have heard that using rubbing alcohol to swab your pits (NOT AFTER YOU SHAVE) will decrease the amount of bacteria present, thus resulting in a more pleasant smell. I do this every once in a while, and I don't smell most of the time I sweat.
When I was dating my husband we lived over 700 miles apart! I only saw him maybe once a month...We would talk on the phone every night though, so I double RawrRawr's suggestion to talk on the phone. I have to say, we had much more meaningful conversations when we were apart and were able to really learn about each other verse just spending face time. Also the time apart makes you really appreciate what moments you do have together.
I know you don't want to work, but it sounds like if you were more busy you maybe wouldn't have as much time to miss him. I am sure you could volunteer somewhere that would be happy to take a few hours a week. Somewhere like nursing home, hospital, or shelter would keep you so busy you would forget to be lonely.
When I shared a room with my sister she wouldn't clean up after herself either. I guess you have to decide whether you would rather pick up after her and have a clean room or live in a dirty room. Just curious, how old is your sister.
If you want your room to look cleaner and free of clutter I would suggest you first go through everything you own and donate anything that no longer fits or you no longer use. Then once all your clothes are sorted put all your winter clothes in a pile and all your summer clothes in a pile. Find some bins and put your out of season clothes away until you need them. I store clothes/shoes in bins like these under my bed, as well as the bigger bins on the very top shelf of my closet.
If you have a bookshelf that you and your sister share I would suggest dividing it, She can store her books and you could get some fabric bins in cool colors to keep all your stuff in. Not only will you be able to tell whose stuff is where but it should look cleaner. You can find fabric bins like this at the Dollar Tree for a buck each! You don't need one of these shelves either a plain bookcase works just as well.
If your parents will let you paint your bookshelf you could do this, you parents probably has some leftover paint somewhere.
When I was 13 I had some of these in my room, my friends thought they were cool and they are really cheap, you can also get these for $1 at the Dollar tree.
Thanks! I will try your tricks and see how they turn out. I may upload a tutorial in case anyone else wants to forage for food.
I have already begun gathering clothes that I want to try dying naturally. I found this great website that has step by step instructions (and pictures)!
Thanks for the advice on choosing dark walnuts, I noticed the more ripe they are the softer they seem. How did you dry the walnuts? Just air dry for a few weeks, or in the oven?
Ok, this may sound strange but apparently in Kansas there is such a thing as harvesting/foraging wild Black walnuts. I have never even heard of Black walnuts until I was running through a wooded area at my school and kept stepping on them, when I complained how my feet hurt my hubby told me they were walnuts. After researching a little I really want to try them.
Apparently they are difficult to hull and stain badly, has anyone had any experience gathering/eating Black walnuts and are there any tips you can give me?
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/black%20walnuts" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s74/jimkay21/title.jpg" border="0" alt="Black Walnuts Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/black%20walnuts" target="_blank"><img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/Camp2/100_3555.jpg" border="0" alt="Black walnuts Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>
p.s. that's not my hand just to show how the walnuts look before being hulled.
Check out these sites. I think the first one would be especially helpful.
http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/natural-egg-dye/
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-basics/naturaldyes.html
Check out these sites. I think the first one would be especially helpful.
http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/natural-egg-dye/
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-basics/naturaldyes.html