Homemade dish soap

This is a natural dish soap in a concentrated form. I made this for the first time and OH MY Goodness it was so thick. It wouldn't go threw the pump. It was quite funny. So I suggest that if you are going to put it into a pump that you diluted this a whole bunch. Also i found the glycerin at Whole foods if that helps at all.

1/4 c. soap flakes (I use Ivory soap and grade it with a cheese grader)

2c. hot water

1/4 c. glycerin

1/2 tsp. of you favorite essential oil. I use lavender but there is anti bacterial stuff like tea tree oils.

1. dissolve the soap flakes in the hot water and let it cool. then stir in the glycerin and oil and let that cool completely.

2. Put into a squeeze bottle like a old dish soap. Remember that this is a concentrate so if you use it straight from the bottle only use about 3 tsp of it in a sink of water.

Apple Pie Jam

Well its coming up to autumn which means APPLES!!! Oh the possibilities when it comes to apples. I wont be like Bubba and go on forever about Apples. Just one little thing though. Apple Pie Jam!! it is soooo super yummy. When apples go on sale or at a good price buy a few pounds if you wanna can these suckers or better yet go to a orchard and pick some. I live in Nevada and there is no such thing here which is a crying shame. I have a recipe here thanks to Taste of HOme.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup water
• 5 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1 pouch (3 ounces) liquid fruit pectin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace, optional

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, combine apples and water. Cover and cook slowly until tender. Measure 4-1/2 cups apples; return to the pan. (Save remaining apple mixture for another use or discard.)
• Add sugar and butter to pan; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in pectin; return to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Stir in spices. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: 7 half-pints.

Editor's Note: The processing time listed is for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. Add 1 minute to the processing time for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (2 tablespoons) equals 76 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Apple-Pie-Jam

here is the link to this page if you wanted to browse more.

How to make Fairy Wings

So Halloween is almost here and what better time to start planning for that party or costume then now. I went to the library today and got all kinds of inspired to have a party. So I have to start thinking about what the kids are going to be and what kind of decorations I can do for cheap. One thing that only cost under a dollar is Fairy Wings. I made them this year for my wedding but I'm going to re use them for Halloween for one of the girls and I might make more. You can decorate them any way you like. I think these are so much fun, no only can they be fairy wings but shape them right and they can be all sort of wings. Here is what you are going to need.

4 wire hangers (get these free or really cheap from a cleaners)

2 eggs of Nylon stockings (got mine at wal-mart for 33 cents)

electrical tape ( just steal this from hubbies tool bow)

Nylon thread

acrylic paint (what ever colors you want )

Ribbon or if you want to sew shoulder straps use fabric of your choice

fake flowers

And whatever else you can think of to put on these wings.

1. Start with straighten out your hangers into straight wire (well as straight as you can get it.. )

then form them into wing forms. This is were you can get really creative. When you have to

two ends meet, tape them up to make it easier.

2. Take one stocking per wing form and stretch it over the wing and pull kind tight to get the wrinkles and make it smooth. Wrap the nylon thread around tight so that it will stick to itself.

3. Now with the electrical tape, tape together the two sides together then tape in the middle to join the two sides. Now you have a blank canvas to paint a decorate. Dont forget to attach the shoulder straps to the wings.

I have found white and black stockings also if you want to get a little more into it you can order different colored nylons and make them pink, blue or purple

Have fun and I will post more on cheap Halloween tips.

I believe this might be a winner. I like how the little quinoa have a little crunch. I will have to try other recipes with it.

The Land of Quinoa

Well tonight I am taking a plunge into the unknown world of quinoa. So foreign to me the automatic spell check even thinks its wrong. I am following the directions as it says and going to put a zucchini, bean, tomatoes and corn with onion and garlic of course, over it. The real test is going to be if the kids like it. If Mikie likes it then I know it is a winner. I'm eager to try something new that is really good for you. Even though this stuff is a little spendie just think of it as replacing the meat for a min. Ok wish me luck. I have borrowed a friends camera so I will take a pic and post that also.

Exploding Velvet

So it was my daughter's 10th birthday today and so she asked for a velvet cake.. Well I like to make cupcakes and try to be creative and so I go on to a web site to make it from scratch.(with out having any knowledge of what makes velvet cake velvet cake lol.. ) So I jump in feet first like I always do. Everything looks fine and dandy with the batter a little thick but who cares.. I put it in the oven and about 15 min later I hear the kids yell "MOM!!! The cupcakes exploded!" Low and behold I look in there to see what its all about and sure enough half were big bubbles and the other half already sank after exploding. I didn't have enough ingredients to make another batch plus that one took 2 bottles of red dye lol. So I had to make a chocolate cake with the cream cheese frosting. So lesson learned is.. follow a cupcake recipe and not a cake one and also with red velvet, sense you have to add the vinegar and baking soda in the end don't fill the cups 3/4 of the way full :) . I would have taking pics but I have miss placed my camera for a bit.

All Purpose Cleaner

I use this all purpose cleaner for everything from the counter tops to the stains in my carpet. Its all natural so you don't have to worry about it with the kids. In fact you can get them their own little bottle of it so they can help you clean.

Ingredients:

Mix 2 tbsp. of vinegar with 1 tsp. borax.

Fill the rest of the bottle with very hot water to dissolve the borax.

add 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. I use lavender.

Now I have to tell you that this is the only stuff that will not cloud up my granite.