How to Make Paprika and Poppy Seed Soap

Hi my name is Lisa and I am a soapaholic. I seriously love, love, love handmade soaps and lotions.

Since we are fans of hygiene, and I found a very past its prime bottle of poppy seeds in the back of the pantry, I thought I'd make myself a little Happy Mother's Day to me gift of poppy seed soap.

I also turned to my spice rack for non artificial soap dye. Paprika works for dying Easter eggs, let's see if it works for dying soap red (it does! The soap does not turn our skin colors either.)

How to Make Quick and Easy Paprika and Poppy Seed Soap - Artificial Dye Free!

How to Keep Dogs Out of the Garden

I took advantage of an actually-feels-like-Spring day to clear the flowerbeds of leaves and weeds. Like most DIY projects around here it:

1. Snowballing into another project - Operation: Keep Lacey Out of the Flower Beds

2. Required a  trip to the store for supplies.

Why I Bought a Condo

Looks like a free standing house, acts like a condo. The best of both worlds!

Husband and I were renters for a long time before we even considered buying a house. We were busy with lot of outside activities and knew that once we bought a house, we'd be married to the extra work and expenses it takes to keep a house running.  Our landlord never raised the rent which was another incentive to stay put.

Cheap rent that allowed us to buy off a bunch of bills and have money leftover for fun things kept us there longer than most of our relatives thought we should. I lost count how many times we were told we needed to buy a house to "be happy." One well meaning person not so subtly showed us house listings no matter what truth (not now) or excuse (We didn't realize we aren't happy. We were pretty happy on the awesome beach vacation we paid for in cash last summer) we gave him. 

Eventually our schedules calmed down. Husband and I decided it was time to go house shopping. Especially since my steady diet of DIY shows and shelter magazines had me itching to paint/remodel/decorate my home  in any way I wanted and without asking the landlord's permission. The idea of living somewhere where we could banish the white walls Husband and I rented forever influenced us to create an accent wall like this:

My Latest DIY Project!

Sometimes putting off a Must Do that's on your To Do list for too long bites you in the hard drive.

Welcome to my latest (and unwanted) DIY project!

This is my computer and very messy desk.

Yep. That's my computer, or as I like to call it the brains of this blogging outfit.

Instead of buying a whole new computer, Husband and I replace or upgrade the parts as needed. Sometimes we swap components between the two of us because he and I build our computers to do slightly different things. If we can't use it, we donate the old parts to a local charity that uses them to build Linux computers for the undeserved.

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Once upon a time, all we had were design magazines. Each month, readers held their breath and hoped their snail mailed questions and comments where answered and printed in the magazine. It was hit and miss, mostly miss. If you saw an appliance you like in a kitchen tour and it was not given promotional consideration in the article, there was no easy way to search for it, let alone find a place that sells it.

The Internet and its design blogs changed all that. We can easily search for and find what we like, and have our questions answered. If you see that beautiful dishwasher you want to own (yep, mine is still broken) on a blog, a quick Internet search finds it and tells you where you can buy it.

And there was much rejoicing!

Although after you buy the appliance from the store, you’re still kind of stuck when it comes to asking the store for help designing and decorating the room around said new appliance.

Until…

Appliances Online 

How to Make a Simple Shelf with Recycled Fence Boards

Hands up. Who does not want more storage space in their bathroom?

Anyone?

I thought so. Me too.

I keep an extra bottle of shampoo, toiletries, etc.around because if I run out of something it is when I am in the middle of using it. Keeping an extra on deck also allows me to buy the plant based items we like to use when they go on sale for Earth Day. I buy them now and save them for later.

I need a place to store/hide/stuck this stuff in my small house, preferably in the bathrooms where I will be using it. It should be accessible but also hidden because no one needs to stare at my big bottle of castile soap waiting to be opened.

I have just the place – over the bathroom door.

To keep this year’s DIY New Year's Resolution, I’m going to use what I have on hand first. 

I hung a pair of plaster corbels from our old place in the master bathroom because I didn’t know what to do with that wall (I still don’t.) They aren’t working as little display shelves. I think they will work better as shelf supports.

I will use the second corbel to make an over the door shelf for the master bathroom.

We're Kicking the Flavored Creamer Habit

I like to say I am the cream in Husband’s coffee but that isn’t entirely true. For the past year or so Husband used flavored creamer in his coffee, which is fine because I don’t like third degree burns from swimming in his coffee cup every morning.

April's One Small Green Change is Husband’s. He is going to give up flavored coffee creamer with its questionable ingredients and extra packaging (while recyclable it is still an extra thing to deal with.) This won't effect me either way because I drink my coffee black - like my heart.

We try not to buy products containing high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils to try to keep the health conditions affecting our older family members at bay for as long as possible. Although realistically no matter how well we eat and take care of ourselves, that stuff may happen because genetics are well, genetic. Our goal is if it happens, it happens when we're 90 or so.

How to Make Air Freshener Spray the Natural Way!

I put new unlit soy candles in my bathroom to work as an air freshener. Once the smell of the essential oils in the candle fades, I burn them (attended) after dinner to remove cooking smells and for overall candle light goodness.

I’m sure you are aware of those times when a bathroom air freshener needs a little  immediate help to clear the room of…uh…um…odor.

I don’t like most commercial room sprays because they smell as a fake flower factory exploded in my bathroom. Moreover, that’s what they make those room sprays from – a fake synthetic chemical concoction. Boo. Hiss.

Does a room freshener exist without the synthetic ingredients?  It sure does if you make it yourself!

And at a fraction of the cost of a commercial air freshener spray to boot!

  

DIY Air Freshener Spray

19 DIY Dog Beds

Lacey has a dog bed in almost every major room in our house. That way, she has a safe spot to go to if she gets anxious.

Most of Lacey's beds are the pillow type like the Molly Mutt bed (you can learn more about it here)  Her Molly Mutt bed is a DIY bed for nonDIYers. It comes with a interior mesh zippered bag you stuff with whatever you have on hand to make the mattress (we used an old king size mattress pad and my husband's old race t shirts) zipped into a cute cotton cover.

The cover zips off for easy cleaning. Love that!  (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

The floor pillow we use as a dog bed in the living room has seen better days. I think Miss Lacey can use a new bed with a little more style. Do I see a fancy DIY dog bed in her future?

Probably.

Let's look for some inspiration!

Pamper Your Pup with a DIY Dog Bed

Our Fearful Dog: Some Days I'm Not Sure How to Help Her

I am flattered when people complement Husband and I on the lengths we will go to rehabilitate a dog with behavioral issues. Sometimes they use nice words like Miracle Worker.

I feel weird about that because I do not think we perform miracles. I think it is more Husband and I being too stubborn to let a pup wallow in fear and act out because of it because we know they have an inner awesome they haven’t discovered yet.

 We read tons of dog behavior books. When we take classes, we pester dog experts with tons of questions. We put together a team of professionals who know more about dogs than we ever will to train us AND our dog. Husband and I aren’t afraid to be wrong and we often are.

The green collar is a calming dog collar. It has mother dog phermones, lavender, and chamomile essential oils to help Lacey stay calm in stressful situations. Our behaviorist recommended it because it goes where Lacey is when she is stressing unlike the phermone plug ins I used with Blitzkrieg. 

The collar lasts 30 days. I bought mine from Amazon here.

Besides teaching basic manners and obedience, our first task is for Lacey to learn it is her humans' job to be the leader and protect the pack, not hers. She does not have to bark and act like a tough girl because she is scared and thinks she should “get them before they get her." Once Lacey learns that, then and only then we will teach her jujitsu and allow her to eat any robbers that try to break into the house while we call the police but this is a long ways away.

Do Low Flow Showerheads Work?

I learned not to be picky about showers. When I was a kid, my family had a camper. Piddly water pressure and sprays from the showerhead were a given.

It prepared me for renting apartments. Showerheads in a rental fall under You Get What You Get and You Don’t Pitch a Fit.

I didn’t give the piddle showerheads that came with our condo a second thought because showerheads are supposed to stink, right?

While cleaning the linen closet, I found a new in the box showerhead. Then it dawned on me. I can change my showerhead to one that works. Maybe I can get one of those fancy water saving showerheads while I’m at it!

I’m a real rocket surgeon. I know.

Why Won't My Dishwasher Wash Dishes?

Who knew a high efficiency dishwasher is also high maintenance? Since high efficiency (HE) dishwashers use less water, the water heat up cycle is shorter than a standard dishwasher. That means an HE dishwasher needs hotter water going into the dishwasher than a standard dishwasher, which heats a boatload of water first. A plumber told me if I turned up the heat on my hot water heater, I would get rid of the grit on my clean dishes problem.

Husband wryly observed we could save either water or natural gas but not both.

Yeah, yeah. All is not lost. I can hand wash dishes. Having a house with

 a dishwasher made me realize how much I hate hand washing dishes.

Then there is the dishwashing detergent. My dishwasher likes either the very expensive (Seventh Generation) or the very cheap (Aldi) detergent. I switched between powder and liquid for no reason other than availability or price. The dishwasher was happy. I had clean dishes. That makes me happy because I hate hand washing dishes.

All of a sudden, my dishwasher decides it doesn’t like the liquid detergent. It left food stuck randomly to “washed” dishes and silverware. Gross.

11 Painting Tips and Tricks

Friends invited Husband and I to an apartment painting party to prep the place for a new tenant.  While we painted and before the pizza guy delivered we traded painting tips and tricks. Some you may know, others you may not. Feel free to add your tips in the comments section below!

1. Check for lead. If your home was built or painted prior to 1978 (when the US banned lead paint), it is a good idea to test the surface with a lead testing kit (you can find them here) before sanding or scraping peeling paint. If the test is positive for lead paint check HUD's Field GuideLead Paint Safety at to learn how to do the work safely or consider hiring a pro.

2. Prep it. Preparing the walls for paint is not as fun as diving right in there with a brush, but it will make the project easier in the end. Fill cracks and holes with spackle, let it dry and the sand it smooth with a sanding block, and then wipe the area with a lint free rag. If the walls are dirty, wash them down with water and dish soap,  and let them dry before painting or priming. Scrap and sand peeling or chipping paint. Mask off moldings and any area you do not want to paint  with painters tape. Not sure what type of tape to use? Check out my painter's tape vs masking tape post here.

 Painting the window molding would be a crime against architecture. We masked it off with painters tape to avoid accidents when cutting in around the windows and fireplace.

DIY Dog Tail Coat Rack

 I have dog.

She has lots of stuff.

Most of  Lacey’s stuff is for taking walks. Her leash, towel, et al is in the drawer of a small step stool by the front door.

In theory.

Most days it looks like this.

 Clutter makes me cranky!

All that junk spilling up and over the step stool means I can’t use it to see out of the peephole in the front door.

That. Short.

Husband thinks this is hysterical.

I think it is time Lacey supervises her first DIY project.

How to Organize Dog Leashes

Guest Bedroom Inspiration

I have a May deadline for my craft and guest room project. Why May? Because we have friends coming back to visit us and I am embarrassed they had to sleep in The Room Where Furniture Goes To Die when they visited last summer.

Embarrassment lit the fire under my keester to do something with this room other than be overwhelmed with indecision, slam the door shut so I don't have to look at it, and bury my face in a bowl of freshly popped Amish popcorn.

I'm hitting a roadblock because the smallest bedroom in the house has to function as both my craft room and as a guest bedroom. To jog my brain in the Not Screaming in Panic direction, I am treating this room as two separate spaces. I did a virtual shopping spree with items I like for each room. I did not pay attention to eco friendly materials or price. I picked out a bunch of stuff I like without rhyme or reason. Then I edited my selections. I tossed the items that didn't go together and created a retro mod craft room inspiration board. I followed the same procedure for a guest bedroom.

Washi Paper Easter Egg

Spent more than two seconds on Pinterest (give me a follow please?) and you will find a super cute washi (pronounced wah-shee) tape something or other. I learned about washi when I visited Japan.

My hostess made and gave me a washi paper Easter egg because I spent Easter break in Japan. Fun fact: I had two Easters that year because I flew over the International Date Line on the flight home.

What is Washi?

Garage Door Dining Room Table

It is no secret that I am not in love with my dining room table. It needs refinishing or repainting or hacked to pieces with an ax to fit my design aesthetic.

But I don't own an ax.

Husband won't let me replace it because he spent his kid life eating around that very table. I respect that and  use a table cloth instead. It looks much better and is way cheaper than buying a new table. It is less work than refinishing or repainting it too - for now.

I use this tablecloth all the time.

My mom embroidered this tablecloth before I was born. 

That doesn't stop me from window drooling shopping over new tables. Especially when they are made from repurposed materials.

Washi Tape Dog Treat Box

Introducing the newest must have accessory for spring – the washi tape dog training treat box!

Husband said he was surprised I waited two whole days after we adopted Lacey to make her something. What can I say? I’m a maker.

I asked Lisa to reuse this photo of me because I am sometimes a little shy when she pulls out her camera.
You can read my story here.

Finally Curbside Recycling!

Hey, waitaminute Ms. Green Blogger I thought you already recycled?

Yep. We do.

We bagged our paper, glass, metal, and plastic, stuck it in the car trunk, and drove it to a city dumpster because the paid subscription service was so unreliable even die hard greenies gave up on it. The freebie dumpster option worked OK unless we got busy and the recycling piled up or I forgot to drop it off at the dumpster while running errands. I can't tell you how many times I drove around town with trash in my trunk until I remembered I had trash in my trunk.

Not to mention the other items we collect and drop off for recycling at local stores:

1. Plastic cosmetic tubes can be recycled at any Origins store or counter
2. Hard plastic bottle caps can be recycled at any Aveda store
3. Batteries can be recycled at Easton Town Center (local folks) and any Batteries Plus store
4. CFLs can be recycled at any Home Depot store
5. Lithium ion batteries (for tools) can be recycled at any Home Depot store
6. Eyeglasses can be recycled through the Lion's Club (your eye doctor may have a bin in their office.) The Lion's Club regrinds the lens and gives the glasses to needy people.
7. Number 5 plastic can be recycled at Whole Foods through Preserve's Gimmie 5 Program

This isn't as crazy as it sounds (I hope) because I combine trips to a city dumpster with recycling items one through three at the mall and do a little window shopping while I'm at it (I leave my debit card at home to make sure it is just window shopping and not buying out Celebrate Local.) I don't often have items four through six, item seven is new for us. The city recycling program takes #5 bottles but not #5 tubs.

Meet Lacey

Pitter patter pitter patter romp romp romp.

“BARK!”

Say hello to our new dog Lacey!

Hello, my name is Lacey. 

She’s recycled :)

Lacey is an 11 month old fearful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Dachshund mix. Look at the long and luscious legs on this girl!

Cooking Carrot Soup with Power Tools!

I believe power tool projects are cheaper than therapy.

Some of you tell me your fear of chopping off a body part is why you do not try using tools, you have a husband/son/brother/father to do it for you, or the garage is a foreign land because it is dirtier and unheated unlike your kitchen. I can totally relate. I’d rather spend more time in my heated kitchen than my unheated garage during the winter too.

Although I have secretly grabbed and sterilized a power tool from the garage to help me with a cooking project.

True confessions time. When I bake and puree fall pumpkins (read how on my food blog Lazy Budget Chef here) the rind is so hard to cut I usually grab my rotary tool from the garage and use it to cut the pumpkin in half. It was my dirty little secret until now because every cook I know can cut a pumpkin in half with a standard chef’s knife. I had a case of Really Stupid Lazy Budget Chef over it.

How to Install a Toilet

We have a little Water War waging in our otherwise happy family. I bring up switching to a more water efficient toilet and Husband shoots me down on principal. In his mind water efficient toilets don’t work. If we had a toilet that flushed like one of those giant barrels at the water park that tip over and drench everyone with a bazillion gallons of water that might just satisfy him.

Before we go any further let’s do a little toilet water usage history lesson:

10 More Ways to Use Orange Peels

I always look forward to the winter citrus season so I can stuff my face with sweet juicy oranges.  I always end up with many orange peels. I can’t compost orange peels but didn’t want to throw them away. Orange peels have to be good for something.

That’s when I did some research and found out orange peels are very useful. I posted about 10 Easy Ways to Use Orange Peels (you can read the post here) and I started to put those orange peels to good reuse. Since that post I experimented, researched, and found 10 more easy ways to reuse orange peels. 

  Save this idea to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

If I don’t have enough orange peels for a project, I either store orange peels in a container the freeze or let the orange peels dry on a tray for a few days (no oven or dehydrator needed!) and store them in a jar in my pantry until I have the amount I need.

Retro Mod Craft Room

One of the projects on my DIY list is do something with my craft room/guest room/furniture graveyard room. I want the room to function better as my sewing and craft room and be inviting or at least not horrendous for my guests who sleep there. I have friends coming to visit from Germany and would like to have the room done before they come.

My current design process for this room isn't working. I walk into the craft room, look at the jumble, think about rearranging the current furniture and take measurements. Then I get upset because everything can't move where I think I want it. Finally I run out of the room screaming and stuff my face with chocolate.

Rinse, and repeat several days a week.

My problem is I'm to married to the furniture that is in the room and most of it isn't working. I decided to take a different approach to decide how I want this room to function and look like. I did a virtual shopping spree for the entire room. What would I choose for my craft room if I didn't have to worry about budget or size or hefting furniture up a flight of stairs?

Since I use this room mostly for crafting and sewing, I focused on that function for my mood board. I'll make a guest room mood board later. Then I'll see if there are elements I can marry from the two boards to come up with a workable plan.

Industrial Chalkboard Table

How I envy Lilyfield Life! She found a dining room table in her neighbor’s garbage and snatched it up before the trash truck could take it away to the land fill. She worked some magic with chalkboard and red paint (two of my favorite things) and turned that trashy table into this industrial beauty.

Can you believe someone threw this out?!

I wish Husband would let me do the same to our dining room table. It was his parent's table and has seen better days. He won't let me paint the beat up old thing time warn patina. We compromise with an small army of table cloths.

What do you think? Painted wood tables - yay or any?

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I Marched in the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Parade

My feet hurt. I was tired. My hands in their it-was-supposed-to-be-colder-than-this fleece gloves were starting to overheat. My frustration grew. I could not always hear the cadence from my band to stay in step due to the drum corps in front of us, the echo from the buildings, and the parade announcers over the loudspeakers. Out all of the parades I have ever marched or will ever march, this parade had to be perfect.

Then I saw it. I sucked in my breath like an excited child seeing for the first time what Santa placed under the tree on Christmas morning.

The Presidential box.

I am marching as an ally in the Lesbian and Gay Band Association (LGBA) marching band. Two hundred and fifteen people strong we are the largest civilian marching band in the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Parade.

Everything I was feeling vanished except patriotism, pride in my band, and the profound responsibility that I am there for something greater than myself.

  

Photo courtesy of MSN

Painted Thrift Store Bathroom Mirror

My upcycled mirror!

You know you nabbed a good thrift store find when two strangers walking into the store compliment you on the beat up mirror you are carefully loading into your car trunk.

True story.

With a little spray paint love, this pealing gold paint and not in a good way mirror is going to add a little more fun and a lot more less builder standard to my guest bathroom.

I bought the mirror last fall to replace the giant builder mirror in the bathroom. Builders use these giant mirrors to make bathrooms look bigger (with varying degrees of success) and to sometimes cover up quickly done or not painted very well walls (as least this is what I am finding in my own home. *sigh*)

I'm giving the new bathroom faucet a thumbs up in this photo NOT the enormous mirror.

Let’s paint this guy!

DIY Goals for 2013

It's a new year and time to make those yearly goals. Last year I was waaaay too ambitious with my DIY goals. I made 30. I didn't leave room for life getting in the way and boy did it. I only finished 12 of my 2012 DIY goals.

I supposed I could cheat and make my missed 2012 goals my 2013 DIY goals but there are a few items I'm not sure if I want to do like building a fireplace mantel. I want to live sans mantel for awhile to test the waters.

Crazy, I know.

This year I think it might be best for me to make a few more general goals than a long list of specific goals. That way, if life gets in the way or I get my fantasy dream job as a Caribbean beach Quality Assurance Tester which requires Husband and I to dump everything in snowy Ohio for warm beaches, I won't feel like such a big fat failure at the end of the year because I didn't meet a long list of goals. I'm the Queen of Overscheduling. *royal wave*

General 

1. Concentrate on projects using the items I already have.  I'm not saying I won't buy any new materials or components to complete the project if that's what the project requires but I really need to knock the growing list of projects off my Someday list.

2. Find/create storage. We're pretty good about purging and donating the stuff on a regular basis so things don't pile up.  But there are some things we like to keep around, like say food but only one designated cabinet in the kitchen for it. I have some stuff stored in plain sight (aka no place to call home) as a temporary thing for far too long.

One Small Green Change: Down Winter Coat

I came home from 40 degree (F) Washington DC (more on that later I promise) to -9 degree Columbus. BRR! The light winter jacket I've making do with this year because my good wool coat is a bit too snug (ahem) just isn't going to cut it no matter how many layers I wear under it.

I need a new heavy winter "play" coat. Something I can wear sledding, skiing, and trudging through snow to the mailbox. Wool is warm and more eco friendly but once it gets wet, you stand a good chance of getting hypothermia on the toboggan run.

In my opinion a wool outer layer isn't practical for a winter ski coat since shushing snow can soak your coat.

Who am I kidding? My ski coat gets wet more from falling and skiing on my face in spectacularly graceful ways than from kicking up snow and outperforming Shaun White on a snowboarding half pipe.

Anyway. I need a new warm heavy winter coat that isn't too bulky to play in the snow. If it can be made from more eco friendly materials that would be awesome. I want this coat to perform well and last. I am willing to pony up the cash for that (although if I can get it on sale that will be the icing on the cake.)

Homemade Shaving Cream FAIL

I saw I had all of the ingredients to make the homemade shaving cream for sensitive skin post I pinned to my Pinterest boards (give me a follow, pretty please?) I also got Husband's OK to give it a try. He has sensitive skin and unfortunately the only type of shaving cream he can use is full of synthetic ingredients - natch. If this works for him, it is one less of the few synthetic ingredient things we have to deal with.

I heat and mix the ingredients together. My shaving cream looked more like thin soup than creamy shaving soap. I figure the next step in the blender will take care of that.

I grabbed an empty mason jar from the cupboard and filled it with the shaving cream, screwed the blender bottom onto the jar, and popped the lot onto the blender. I'm using a mason jar on my blender until I remember to order a replacement glass top for my blender. The glass blender pitcher broke when it flew out of the cabinet to attack me and fell to its death on the floor.  

A large mason jar fits on a blender in a pinch

How to Make an X Ray Lampshade

The poor little lamp on my sewing table has been making do for far too long. Husband brought it home from his old job because his boss was going to throw it away because it wasn’t her style anymore. I temporarily plunked a too small lampshade I had on the lamp and put it on my sewing machine table.

After 8 years of temporary, it is time to put a proper lampshade on my lamp. It is a recycled lamp so it makes sense to top it off with a recycled x-ray lampshade.

I'll show you to make it. It is easy!

Ohio State Michigan Barn Wood Welcome Signs

My Texas brother in law has a house.  He and his family are very welcoming people they don’t have an official sign to welcome everyone into their home.

I decided to rectify that. I made him a University of Michigan welcome sign because my brother in law is a big Michigan fan. How I don’t know. He was born and lived in Ohio for most of his life where you are supposed to root for Ohio State University from birth. I guess he gets away with it because his family does not live in Ohio anymore.

While we are talking team rivals, I figure I should even things out on the sports front and make an Ohio State University welcome sign for Mother and Father in Law’s new house while I was at it.

How to make a Barn Wood Welcome Sign

How to Make Kitchen Sink Cabinet Storage Shelves

I don’t have a lot of storage room under my kitchen sink. A slide out trash can (love, BTW) fills the right side of the sink cabinet. The garbage disposal fills the upper air space on the left side of the sink cabinet. Soaps and cleaners, and extras on deck hang out on the left side of the cabinet and are in the line of fire when the garage disposal violently decides it doesn’t want to connect to the waste water pipe and floods the cabinet with water and food goo.

After trying to dry out a cardboard box box full of dish washing powder three times in two days, I figured it was time to install shelves under the sink to keep my extras high and dry.

Keep reading! I'll teach you how to make my wood crate shelf.

I couldn’t find what I wanted in a store. Then I remembered I have mad DIY skillz and a bunch of wood. DIY to the rescue! I designed and built a under sink shelf from an old hot sauce caddy.   

Husband likes hot sauce so much we got a Dave’s Insanity sauce gift pack like this as a wedding present. True story.

Nine Christmas Time and Money Saving Tips That Will Save Your Sanity (and Money Too)

During one of our first Christmas Eves I had a meltdown. Husband waited until the very last second to purchase and wrap gifts because we were waiting on payday (we run a cash only house with the exception of our mortgage and car payments.)

We stayed up until the wee hours of the night wrapping gifts. Wrapping gifts less than 24 hours before the paper is ripped off seems pointless. Not to mention, I try to keep Christmas Eve low key and chill time to gear up for the happy Christmas frenzy the following day. 

I knew things had to change unless I wanted to ruin every single holiday for the rest of our lives with an annual argument.