DIY Laundry Detergent

As you know I've been on this DIY cleaner kick.

Well, I have moved onto laundry detergent.

I wanted to do whatever was the easiest/cheapest.

Cheap & Easy? So not like me, right? :)

Don't answer that.

The recipe I found on Pinterest (did I mention I'm on Pinterest too much?) is from {One Good Thing by Jillee}

Here's what you need:

3 Tablespoons Borax
3 Tablespoons Washing Soda
2 Tablespoons Dawn Dish soap

Empty bottle to fill up with water

You pretty much just add 4 cups of boiling water and those ingredients. Then you fill the rest with tap water once it's mixed and cooled.

Since I had just run out of Tide and had the bottle left over I decided to just make it in the old bottle.

You use about 1 cup a load.
And it's very watering so don't be alarmed.

So far I'm liking it. 
I love the smell of Tide but I also looove saving money. :)

DIY Glass Shower Cleaner (and CHEAP!)

Lately I've been on a "make your own cleaner" kick.
Which means I've probably been on Pinterest too long.

However, I've actually started to taking action!
Which isn't always the case.
AND I already had this stuff around my house - LOVE that!

So here's what I've done:

According to {Life Crafts & Whatever} there is a a great DIY "SOAP SCUM KILLA"

If you have a glass shower door.
You need this.
Mine usually looks like its "frosted."
It is not.
I like to tell myself it is at times to avoid cleaning.

Anywhoooo.... the recipe is on her blog but if you're too lazy here it is again:

• It's equal parts Dawn (DISH soap - not hand soap) and hot Vinegar (nuke for 2 mins in microwave)
• Put it in a squirt bottle
• Spray on!
• Leave on for a few hours! (my whole upstairs did smell like vinegar)
• Then rinse off.

AWESOME-NESS!!!!!

It really worked.

Mr. Mal-licious & I just stared for a while in shock.

I think he was shocked because I've been telling him it was frosted glass all these years. ;)

**Side note: Don't use your hair spritzer bottle - it can't handle the hot vinegar and will be deformed forever like mine!

Cute wittle baby birds

We've had some visitors this spring for the 3rd year in a row.

My husband hated them because I wouldn't let him use the front door!

 But they were sooo cute and fuzzy.

 Then they got bigger... and used our front door as *ahem*... let's just say their "powder room."

So we had to throw out our wreath and scrub down the front door!

Some guests are so rude.
But still cute.

I guess they gave me an excuse to find a fun DIY wreath for our house! :)

Church Banquet

I know you've probably forgotten about me...
And I'm sorry I've been gone. :(
Life gets busy.

I'm pretty much just on Pinterest nowadays and I was searching for decorations for a church banquet I was doing. Which reminded me why I loved blogging. :)

Church banquet ideas were scarce.
A big banquet.
A tiny budget.

Here's what I came up with....

I bought white paper doilies and painted them various shades of teal & taped them together as a runner...

Flowers from a church member's yard in $1 vases...

Hershey Kisses while they wait for food...

Stole the youth pastor's commentary books (in 3 sizes) and wrapped them in pretty wrapping paper...

Made table numbers in card stock and some votives from a wedding...

Made "curtains" out of streamers in shades of teal...
 

Added lights for balloons in the "curtains"...

And there ya go!

A church banquet on the cheap with lots of color!

Bridal Gift!

My BFF's birthday was last month.
She's getting married so I got her a hanger for her wedding dress.
It had her NEW name personalized on it.

(Thankfully I took this picture right before I drove it off the roof of my car!)

However,
When I left to give it to her...
I left it on the roof of my car when I drove over!!!
I was pissed.
And...
I am too cheap to buy another hanger.

So I decided to be crafty and make it myself!
What do you think?

Source: Uploaded by user via Meghan on Pinterest

Thankfully, this one made it to her house this time!

The Lazy Lady's Soup

Since it's been a little chilly out lately.
We decided to make some Chicken Noodle Soup!
I picked out a Paula Deen recipe from Pinterest to try.
Surprisingly it didn't include butter. ;)

Ms. Deen's recipe is called "The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup"

I have named the way that I make it... "The Lazy Lady's Soup" :)




So here's my modified (aka LAZY) version.

Ingredients

Stock:

• Rotisserie chicken (from the store... easy!)
  
• 3 1/2 quarts water
• Sprinkle a little minced onions
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• Sprinkle a little minced garlic
• 4 bay leaves
  
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

(Or if you want to be realllly lazy... just buy chicken stock and skip this whole step!)

Soup:

• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• A little cream sherry (cuz that's what I had!)
  
• Rosemary spices
  
• Seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Pick off all the chicken that you want to eat. Put everything else in the pot. Cook about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken bones, skin, etc. from pot. Remove and discard bay leaves and anything else. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. (Again, if you just buy chicken stock you can skip this whole apart)

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, sherry and rosemary. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

I've started running..

I seriously never thought that would happen.
I HATE running.
But I had an "AHA" moment.
As Oprah would say.

My usual excuse is "I don't feel like it" or "the weather is bad" or "not today"
And then I realized...

I NEVER feel like it.

The sun could be shining,
birds singing,
perfect weather,
I'd still NEVER say... I feel like running today!

So since there will never be a perfect day... I'm just gonna do it!

Source: google.com via Mallory on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Mallory on Pinterest

Why can't sitting on your couch looking at Pinterest be good exercise?
I'd be ridiculously in shape.