DIY Card Wreath

I finally got around to making a wreath, I've had the components for a few weeks now so I'm relieved to have it finally done and crossed off my list.  Originally I was just going to make the wreath with one embroidery hoop but I thought it looked to skimpy and thin so I decided to add in a smaller hoop to make it actually look like a wreath.  I also had a terrible time with the bow, at first I tried to tie a regular bow with two big loops, but after searching google for tips and untying and tying it numerous times this is what I ended up with.  It was quite simple to make.

1.  Get two hoops of varying sizes.
2.  Using twine tie it to the top of the big hoop then weave it in and out of the little hoop.  The first wrap the twine was really spread out, just so I could get the little hoop positioned in the center.
3.  Continue around the hoops filling in the gaps until it looks pleasing to your eye.

4.  Tye a bow, or at least try to.

5.  Place clothespins in the twine.  I didn't use glue I just kind of got the clothespins tangled up so they can be repositioned depending on how many pictures/cards I have. 

6.  Enjoy.

Infant Sensory Wall

So I've been struggling with the feeling that I am some how failing as a mother and should be working harder to stimulate Colby's brain.  I suppose it is partially my fault since I read lots of parenting books and a brain enrichment book.  I know deep down that just the fact that I worry about him means that I am probably doing just fine.  I also have heard of a few people having their kids in Montessori preschools and day cares.  From what I can gather these basically just involve getting the kids involved outdoors, textures, tastes, and talking through your day with them.  I thought I would give my hand at stimulating his brain with sticky textures.  He seemed to like the wall and the dog also liked the challenge of pulling things off.  (I taped up contact paper sticky side up to the wall under a counter and then I taped some strips of clear tape on the other sheet.  Many different objects stick to these and I taped tape sticky side out onto a oatmeal lid and he was really perplexed by the lid getting stuck to his fingers)

Dehydrated Apples

Earlier this fall I picked a ton of apples off of my neighbor's tree.  He was just going to throw them out since there were way more than he wanted.  After some research we decided that most likely it was a yellow delicious variety and they were really clean.  There were some spots from Asian Beetles, but I didn't find any worms at all.  Well, after freezing 4 bags of sliced apples for future pies, 3 pies, and a crisp I needed to use up the apples without going into a diabetic coma, so I decided to make some dried apples.  I googled it of course and it was recommended to use a food dehydrator because it would be  more energy efficient, but I didn't have one so I used my oven.   It took me about 6 hours from start to finish and I devoured all the dried apples within 3 days.  Yum.  Here's how I did it:

 1.  This nifty contraption is a life saver.  It peels, cores and slices the apples all at once.  It looks like a torture machine but was a great present from my dad a few years ago.  So I sliced and peeled the apples then placed them in a bowl with lemon water to prevent browning.

2.  I placed them on cookies sheets and sprinkled them with cinnamon.  There were a lot of variations from putting jello on to sugar, but they are delicious just with cinnamon. 

3.  Then I put them in my oven set at 150 or so with the door open.  I revolved the pans of apples around the oven and flipped the apples about every half hour. 

4.  It took my apples probably about 3 hours to get fully dehydrated.  They are done when they are bendy like leather but don't have moisture beads in them when they are torn. I stored mine in a bowl and as I said they were gone within a few days-but they should keep for several months if stored in a sealed container in a dry, cool place. 

Homemade Laundry Soap

Yeah, yeah, I know these recipes have been circulating frequently and you can google and find a bazillion recipes that are basically the same.  I've tried out the liquid detergent and it seems to work out really well.  I've read mixed reviews on the safety of Borax and the environmental harms but I'm sure the impacts are far less than the ingredients in store bought detergent. The laundry comes out clean but without the fragrance (lingering chemicals) from regular detergent.  It dissolves well in warm water washes and if it doesn't dissolve well in cold water you can shake 1 tablespoon in a jar with warm water and then put in wash.  I've read that the dry detergent works great for HE Front loading machines because it prevents a lot of build up that can come from using liquids.  I found all the ingredients in the laundry isle of the grocery store. 

Recipe for Dry Detergent:
1 Cup of Washing Soda
1 Cup of Borax
1 Grated Bar of Felsnaptha Laundry soap or bath bar soap like Ivory or Lever 2000

Mix all ingredients and use 1 Tablespoon per load.

Side Cabinet Redo Update

Here's an update of the cabinet that my husband helped me redo.  I originally bought the cabinet for two dollars at a garage sale.  At the time I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it had really good bones and was sturdy.  We spray painted it paprika, made a drawer, and bought new knobs...needless to say it is worth a bit more than two dollars now, but still rustic.  If only I had another piece of furniture to refinish, I must go garage saling soon. 

Homemade Knee Protectors

Recently Colby our almost 6 month old has started scooting and is on the verge of crawling which of course is reeking havoc on his soft smooth little knees.  I start him off on a blanket on the floor, but in no time he has scooted off of it, that is where these nifty little knee protectors come into play.  Please excuse my stained socks, these are from running in the rain in muddy shoes.  Basically, take an ankle sock, cut off the toe, and place where the heel would on your babies knees.  Pretty sweet!

How to Make Frozen Yogurt

Yum, I love Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt.  The best part about this recipe is that you can make it your own.  If you want to be healthy use yogurt made with skim milk-if you want to be a fatty-make it with whole milk (I always make it fatty)

Ingredients:
3 Cups of Greek yogurt
3/4 Cup of sugar or honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Optional:  Fruit

1.  Mix all ingredients together then refridgerate for an hour or so.
2. Place in ice cream maker-or if you don't have one place a small ziploc bag full of the mixture inside a bigger baggie filled with ice and juggle it around until it becomes solid.
3.  Enjoy.

How to Make Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a fad right now-it totes many health benefits such as high protein, low fat, and tastiness-well, I made up that last one, but it is pretty good.  Greek yogurt is also way expensive.  A while back I borrowed my mom's yogurt maker from the 80's and started making yogurt and eventually began to make this Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is great for dips, spreads, and frozen yogurt.  It has a creamy texture and flavor similar to cream cheese. 

Here we go:
Ingredients:
Yogurt

Tools:
Cheese cloth or a tea towel
Strainer
Bowl
Rubber band

Directions:  Place strainer over bowl.  Inside strainer place tea towel with edges of the towel draped over the strainer.  Spoon/dump yogurt into tea towel.  Gather edges of tea towel and tie closed with rubber band.  Wait a few hours and you'll have Greek yogurt.  The juices that are flowing out is the whey from the milk, according to my mom the whey is excellent for making bread with. 

Homemade Yogurt

Picture came from here

Yes, I know, it sounds quite daunting and strange to make your own yogurt, one would even go so far as dangerous; but basically making yogurt is science at work in your kitchen.  The way yogurt is made is by mixing milk with some bacteria that eat the milk resulting in a creamy tangy treat.  Yogurt at the store if you buy the expensive kind is simply milk and cultures but if you buy the cheapest kind if has gelatin in it to give it a thicker consistency. 

Ingredients:
Milk (Whole, Skim, 1% or 2%)
Plain yogurt with live cultures (Make sure it is plain and most yogurts have live cultures, just don't buy the kind with gelatin)

Tools:
Candy Thermometer
Big Pot
Smaller Pot
Spoon
Sink

1.  Bring the milk up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Do this by boiling water in larger pot on stove and fitting the smaller pot full of milk inside the bit pot, basically a water bath,  microwave it until it reaches 185-usually 7-10 minutes depending on the microwave, or you can heat it directly on the stove just make sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn.)

I made a slight mess-I scooped the skin that forms on the milk out into the water.

2. Cool milk down to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can either just put it in the fridge, set it in the sink surrounded by cold water, or just wait with it on the counter cooling.

Yogurt in sink filled with water and thermometer  for step 4. 

3.  Once it has reached 100 degrees add about 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt per cup and stir it in gently. 

4.  Now here comes the waiting part.  Place yogurt inside pot or bowl with lid and surround with water at approximately 100 degrees.  Check the water about every 30 minutes to an hour adding hot water to keep it near this temperature of 100 it can be slightly higher or lower.  Leave in water for 7 hours or so, the longer you keep it in there the tangier it will become. 

5.  Take out after seven hours and refrigerate a few hours before eating.

Ideas to make it delicious:  Add fruit, sugar, honey, granola or make greek yogurt or ice cream...posts to follow with directions for that.

Side Cabinet Redo

Earlier this summer on one of my secret garage sale escapades I found this little side table.

 It was just made of cheap plywood but sturdy.  It looked as if it had been used in the garage at one point and had holes drilled into the top as if it was holding a tool. 

The tag said $2 so I bought it.  Let me back track a bit...prior to this my husband said, "Don't buy any furniture,"  so I brought the table in while he was at work and hid it by the cat litter until the time was right to tell him I had purchased furniture against his wishes...long story short he noticed it after about a week-the cat litter is by the washer and dryer and he rarely visits those parts of the house, he was a bit perturbed but, hey it was $2 so he couldn't get too mad. 

Process:

1.  I filled in the holes in the top with some wood putty.  Then sanded it down when it dried and reapplyed another coat, sanding afterward. 

2.  I primed the whole thing, did a light sanding after ward with 400 grit sand paper and then spray painted the whole thing with a few light coats of Paprika spray paint. 

3.  I reattached the hardware, and wholla, a fancy new dresser-my husband has volunteered to make a drawer so the whole finished product picture will be postponed for a bit...

How to Clean Green

Around our house we generally try to go green when we can.  I'm sure I have a long way to go, but at least I'm making an effort.  Growing up my mom wasn't too much of a "clean freak".  The house was organized in its own cluttered way, but there were no ooey gooey messes around.  Most of the cleaning was done with simple soap and warm water.  These days there's starting to be a turn around from disinfecting everything to letting kids be around dirt to possibly help build up their immune systems-so I'll do what I can to keep a dirty house for my kid:)

General Cleaning Spray:  Get a bottle and fill it with 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar.  This will disinfect as it cleans and help eliminate odor.  Use it around the sink, bathroom, on stains, carpet, and windows. 

Scrubbing Solution:  Use baking soda to scrub stuck on messes on dishes and counters. 

Windows:  Use the vinegar spray with newspapers or paper towels. 

Garbage Disposal:  After you use a lemon put the rind down the garbage disposal and run it.    I usually use half or a quarter of a lemon.

Slow Draining Sink:  Fill sink with hot water from tap all the way then release open drain.  Do this a few times and it should work the soap and grime build up down the drain.

Stains on Kids Clothes or Diapers:  Place in sun for a few hours up to a day.  Most stubborn poop stains will be bleached out.

Stainless Steel Polish:  Clean surface and dry with towel.  Dribble some baby oil directly on surface or on soft cloth and rub all over.  Lovely shine without the harsh chemicals.

Stinky Clothes:  Soak clothes in washer with 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar.

Oil Stain on Clothes:  For this to work you have to do it right away.  I've found it you put Dawn dishwashing detergent on your stain and rub it around and then wash it sometimes this will get out the stain.

Stuck on Gunk:  Use boiling hot water to remove dried on chocolate and other gooey things from counters, plates, and dishes.

Wall Art

Well, once again I had the modge podge out yesterday so I decided to try my hand at making my own canvases.   As a first go, it wasn't too bad, but the finish product is a bit rough.  In the blogosphere-I really don't like that word, but I'll use it anyways-I read about using shoe box lids for wall art.  I basically modgepodged over the lids with newspaper and then applied a picture from a Mother Goose book.  I think it may be cool just to paint over the lids in the future. 

How To Grow A Pineapple-Or Try To

I am full of thrifty-ness and I feel a ping of guilt every time I throw something away that I know I could use down the road at some point.  Even worse than being thrifty is my strange feeling that plants deserve to live just like people and I feel like a murderer when I don't try to save a plant from winter or another calamity.  Due to this my house is filled with annuals that I couldn't leave outside to let die.  My cats also sometimes attack my Christmas Cactus plant and break off "branches" and these branches will sprout roots and grow if you soak them in water-therefore I have about three different pots of Christmas Cactus and the number is way down because I pawned a few off as house warming presents.  I discovered my feelings about plants were different from everyone else when I worked at a home with kids with psychiatric disorders.  This one kid was a hoarder and he took the trash out one day and returned from the bin with a little spider plant in a paper cup.  He had pulled it out of the trash with the explanation that it was going to die-the other staff were upset with him for taking things out of the trash, but I completely understood his drive to keep the plant and I let him keep it so it would grow and thrive.  Now onto the point of the post, my mom also has a green thumb and showed me one time how to grow a pineapple from the top of the fruit, and ever since then I feel guilty when I throw the gorgeous green top in the trash.

1.  Buy a whole pineapple from the store, cut off top.
2.  Peel the bottom layers of leaves off until you have a "bulb" about one inch long. (See Pic)
3.  Set somewhere dry like the top of fridge and let air out for a few weeks.
4.  Put bulb in water-like in a jar or cup and wait.
5.  In  a few weeks roots will start to appear and let these grow until they are at least an inch long.  Sometimes the bulb will rot off and usually if you can just pull off the rotten part and you will see the roots.
6.  Plant your new plant in a pot with well drained soil.  Don't over water or it will rot. In a few years you should be able to enjoy fruit although I have at least a three year old plant that has yet to produce, but it makes a good conversation piece.