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I've gotten into the Spring cleaning mode! Have you? I spent this rainy & cold weekend getting a head start on my Spring cleaning. We have a half bathroom in our basement that gets used quite often. But the tiles in it are old and no matter what we've tried (and let me tell you, we have tried!), getting the tiles & grout to look good was always so difficult. So I took to Pinterest to see what I could find! This attempt was pretty solid but would have worked better on grout that wasn't nearly as awful as ours was!
I think if this was used on grout that didn't have years of build up like this one, this mixture would be more successful! I recommend using a toothbrush to really get in there. Don't forget to make sure you have a fan on, or window open to help with the ventilation. Especially do this if you choose to use bleach too like I did. You don't want to be inhaling all of this for too long! So take breaks, get some fresh air and keep the cleaning going! For the original pin, please click here!
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Diana has shared her story with us as to why she participates in Relay for Life. After being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma last year, she is cancer free! Now, she's working with the American Cancer Society to share her uplifting & heartwarming story. Take the next 5 minutes to watch it, you'll be happy you did! "What's important is that you be the best person you can be in this world. You want to leave a positive influence on generations to come." Those were a few of the final words from a 2010 phone interview I did as a sports reporter for The Journal News with Clarkstown and Condors swim coach Keith Furey. Keith was a breath of fresh air for me as I embarked on an uphill journey in a very male-dominated industry after graduating from college. While other high school coaches harped upon my inexperience in the field, Keith immediately saw my potential. He took it upon himself the first day we met to teach me the ins and outs of the sport of swimming. In little time at all, I quickly learned that he was an icon in Rockland County; not only was he a “family” man, devoted to his wife, five children and grandson, but was an inspiration to the community as an entrepreneur of his own engineering firm, as a Boy Scout volunteer for Troop 79, and as a parishioner of St. Augustine’s. And in just a few weeks of knowing him, he shared his secret with me. In 2009, after experiencing persistent gastrointestinal issues, he had been diagnosed with cancer. After almost a year in remission, his cancer returned in August 2010 and was deemed widespread by his doctors. After meeting me though and learning that my dad was also a cancer survivor, he didn’t want to keep it a secret anymore. He wanted to share his story with the community and give others the strength to battle on. On April 25, 2011, my first article about Keith’s diagnosis - featuring anecdotes from his himself, as well as family, friends and peers - was published in The Journal News and received exceptional praise. It hit the community hard, to know that someone with such positivity was struggling with so much heartache. I witnessed Keith be a true hero the day of the boys sectional swim meet at Felix Festa Middle School. Besides working all day at his engineering firm, he had endured another cycle of chemotherapy and was still being fed medicine through a portable pump during the meet. Through everything though, his smile never faded once that day. My heart broke in June of 2011 when I was asked at work to write his obituary. Keith, at the age of 48, had succumbed around 2:30 am in his New City home, surrounded by his close-knit family. While my editor considered it an honor to be asked to do so, I was physically sick to my stomach. Sitting at my computer with tears rolling down my face, I had to find the strength to write about a man who had become my mentor and my friend. This past November, we found out from doctors that my younger sister Diana was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I began thinking about the journeys, both good and bad, that those around me with cancer had endured, including my dad, my mom’s friend, my best friend’s aunt, my cousins’ grandmother, and of course Keith’s. I could only hope that Diana would come out stronger mentally, physically and emotionally than when she went in, and thankfully she did. Her 20th birthday in March of this year gave us another reason to celebrate, as she was declared cancer-free after just 6 treatments by her doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Relay for Life is important to our family for all of these reasons. I relay for those who are still here to share their story - like Diana and my dad - and those who have left us too early - like Keith - to be a part of God’s bigger plan. Please join myself and my family and friends this year in our Relay for Life efforts and in support of the American Cancer Society. -Gina Pernicano For more information on preventative care, staying healthy, support & more, please visit: http://www.cancer.org/ To join Relay for Life, visit: http://www.relayforlife.org/  One of my favorite websites is called Swag Bucks. It's a great place to earn free 'money' for doing simple things! You can do different tasks like surveys, polls, watching videos, playing games or shopping to earn what they call swags. They have different special offers too where you can earn big swags! I once got 800 swags for signing up for a free one month trial with Netflix. So easy! You can then redeem your swags for prizes or gift cards! I've been doing this for a few years and I've earned a couple hundred dollars in gift cards. I try and redeem them before the holidays to places like Amazon or even just PayPal so shopping for loved ones becomes a little more affordable! They have lots of different gift cards & prizes for you to choose from! To start earning swags, click here!A beautiful story written by an Anonymous Relay for Life member!I am a Relay for Life participant for endless reasons. I have known, unfortunately, numerous family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers who have gone through personal battles with cancer. I have supported them in the ways I have known how to, and being a member of Relay for Life is on of those ways. I remember the night I found a lump in my left breast. I have always been really good about giving myself regular breast exams for years. This particular time, I was making popcorn in my kitchen when I chose to do my exam. I figured I had a few minutes to spare, so why not? And there it was, it was hard & very round. It was as though somebody implanted a marble for me to find in a sneaky game of hide and seek. I took a deep breath, grabbed my popcorn and headed to my computer. I'm not one to really look up symptoms online, I always end up diagnosing myself with 10 different tragic diseases within 5 minutes. Instead, I went to the American Cancer Society website for more information with what I should do next. Just as I thought, they had all the information I needed at the time. I made an appointment with my physician and when I saw him, I explained what I found and he gave me an extensive breast exam. He sent me to get an ultra sound a few days later. After my ultra sound, the breast specialist scheduled me for a biopsy for a week later where a pathologist would determine on the spot if the lump was cancerous, because they were unable to tell from the ultra sound alone. The breast specialist was amazing, so kind and was right there in my corner. She gave me her personal cell number and told me to call, regardless of the time, if I needed to talk. She made me feel like I wasn't in this alone. I am fortunate enough to say that my lump is currently not cancerous, although as long as it remains there, I'll get it checked regularly with hopes it remains just a lump. I am thankful that my lump is just that, a lump. But it made me realize that without extensive research that is greatly funded by the American Cancer Society, the quick process to find out what was going on could have been a lot ore difficult with unanswered questions. I am proud to say that I have found my own lump because I have been taught the proper way to do a self breast exam. But without research and the availability of information from doctors or websites like cancer.org, many might not find a lump in time. So that's one of the reasons why I relay. Because knowing the different cancer preventions, self exams and where I can go for more information & resources is extremely important. The American Cancer Society has done such a tremendous job with making sure so much information is available, that support groups and incredible programs are set up for those who need them. I'm proud to be a Relay participant knowing my donations are helping research, programs and support groups thrive! It feels great to be a Relay member, knowing I'm a part of such a great cause. -AnonymousTo learn more about getting into a healthy lifestyle, cancer screening |
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My name is Kristina and I'm the founder of Love Struck. Read about how Love Struck came to be, see how I make it happen or just read a random thought I just might have! Anything can happen at our blog & I wouldn't have it any other way! It's time to get Love Struck, and what better way to start than right here! Categories
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