DIY Clothes Line Picture Frame

So I was at Hobby Lobby one day (freaking love that store!) and I saw this awesome picture frame that looked like multiple clothes lines and you clip in your pictures. Of course it was more than I'd ever want to spend on a picture frame so I set about making my own. I'll show you step by step how.

What you need 

 An old picture frame (nabbed mine at Goodwill for $6!) 

 Twine

 Tiny clothes pins (hobby lobby find)

 Hot Glue

Here is the frame I got at Goodwill. I really liked the picture so I think I may save that for another crafty moment! 

So the back was covered in paper so I used my blade and cut around the edges. 

Now it'll peel right up! Tada! 

After I peeled up the paper and found these little doo dads that keep it all in place. 

I used my hubby's pliers and set to bending them out of the way.  

Once the cardboard was free I dissembled the frame. 

I also took off the back wire cause I didn't want it to be visible. 

After I cleaned it off (shout out to Method Furniture Polish!) I wanted the paint the frame black, you can either not paint it or paint it whatever color you darn well please! 

I spray painted this bad boy outside and as it was drying (originally to my dismay) I found that the black paint wasn't staying put where the original gold pain was. But I kinda liked it so I took a tooth pick and started scraping up bits of the loose paint. It gave the frame a bit of a more distressed antique look. 

Once the paint was dried I plugged in my hot glue gun and set to work. I even bought out a ruler so it'd be nice and straight when I glued down the twine on the back of the frame. Make sure you keep the twine somewhat taught (legitimate fancy word!) so your line won't sag too much as you clip on you pictures. 

I went with three lines of twine for this particular frame size. 

Once your glue dries start pinning pins!

Now time to hang your frame! (Wish I had a better camera to do it justice) it's so cute in person! I love the gold detail on the edges!

Here is it's final placement! Haha! My hubs is already to do a whole wall in clothes pin pictures!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

So I have written a post about homemade laundry detergent concentrate and that stuff is great! But this stuff is my everyday laundry detergent.....not like I do laundry everyday (thank you Jesus!) I am not at the point in my life yet! Probably once kids come into the picture. Ok back on track! So this stuff is wonderful and still very thrifty! The cost compared to store bought detergent is waaaaay cheaper!

Here is the math

• Borax Powder $4 dollars 
• Washing Soda (NOT BAKING!) $3
• Fels Naptha Soap (I used to use Ivory then I switched) $1 per bar 

So it cost $8 for all the supplies and they will last several batches. You will just need to buy a bar of soap every time. 

So here is what you'll need 

Borax

Washing Soda (Not baking soda....there is adifference)

1 Fels Naptha bar of soap

Water 

Now I toss in some downy unstoppables just because I like the extra boost of awesome laundry smell! So this part is optional. 

So first you are gonna grate the bar of soap

I just grate straight into the pot. Saves an extra step. 

So next step you are going to add 4 cups of water. 

Just pour it in there. 

Now set the heat to low medium. It's important that you don't let the soap boil. You will end up with an icky mess. Also try to keep the bubbles down to a minimum. So don't get stir crazy (ba dum tisk!) 

Here is when I add the scent pellets (I just like the word pellets!) 

I do two capfulls. 

So now it's time for the soap to melt. 

See!! It's melting! Look at you making homemade laundry soap and saving your family money! 

So you want all the soap chunks to melt. I have rushed through and not let it all melt and it was a hot mess. Literally. And FYI the green color is from the pellets. It's usually yellow. 

So while it's melting I am gonna get the powders mixed together. 

You need one cup of both the washing soda and the borax. 

I like to take the whisk and crush all the clumps. Take that clumps!!!!

Once the soap is all dissolved I pour in all my powders

Then I let all of that stuff dissolve so there it's nice and smooth. No clumps or lumps are welcome here. 

So next I pour the mixture into a five gallon bucket.

I fill the bucket a little over half-way up with warm water. Let it settle over night and once it conceals put it in your containers. 

I get about two and a half jugs of detergent from this. You can add more water and stretch it out more if you'd like. 

Well that's it! After making this stuff I don't ever see how I could pay for store bought detergent again! 

My Start Into to Essential Oils

So here it goes. I'm officially on the essential oil band wagon. I was invited to an essential oil class earlier this summer and I was curious and skeptical at the same time if that's possible.....I say it is so there! Now before I get far into my oil spill (ba dum tisk!) let me first say that I still believe God gives us wisdom to take medicines and see doctors. I am not giving any "medical advice", just telling my story. So after a few months of Birth Control I started experiencing awful migraine and had headaches almost constantly. There was nothing that would bring relief. So I was up for any type of alternative treatment. A few weeks after stopping the pill (my husband and I felt convicted about the pill. I'll write a post on that later) I went to this essential oil class at my dearest friend's house. I of course knew I would still have headaches till the extra hormones got out if my system. I was tired of popping tylenons every day and the headaches were too nagging to not take anything. So one of the first oils introduced was peppermint. Woweeee! Do I adore peppermint oil!! Even on the day of the class I had a headache and so I rubbed some peppermint oil and my temples and at the base of my neck. Almost instantly my headaches was gone! Poof! It was hard to believe that a drop of oil could do what two or three pills could do! So after that I've been an essential oil believer!

So here is the type of oil you need to use. You'll want 100% essential oil. Not something mixed with a carrier oil (carrier oil is any non essential oil used to dilute an oil. Like almond, coconut, olive, jojoba, ect.) Some oils are too strong to put directly on the skin so you'll need a carrier oil to dilute it. Or if you have sensitive skin a carrier oil may be wise. 

There are three ways to use oils. Diffusion, topical, and orally. I use my humidifier to diffuse oils but there are specific air diffusers for aromatherapy. Topical is just simply applying the oil to your skin. And oral injestion is just that. I rarely use the injestion method because some oils are poisonous if taken orally and the taste if very bitter. Always always always make sure you do your research before trying a new oil. Some oils are unsafe for children, babies, and pregnant or nursing women. 

So after much research I went out and got some peppermint oil and lavender to start with. Those are two great beginner oils. They work for so many different things. A few examples, peppermint is great for stomach aches and menstrual cramps. Lavender is wonderful for allergies and skin rashes. It's a natural antihistamine and a drop of lavender oil under the younger is better than any allergy medicine out there! So I'll give y'all a list of the oils I use and what I use them for. 

Peppermint - (this bad boy is the bomb!) So I use this for headaches and body aches. A couple drops on your temples and on the back of your neck and you'll feel instant relief. Rub a few drops on pulled or sore muscles for relief. On your lower abdomen and lower back for menstrual cramp relief. 

Lavender - rashes, bug bites, acne, skin health, stretch marks, bug repellent, ear aches and allergies. For allergies I just do a drop of oil under my tounge and leave it there for about a minute. Then I get a big glass do water and chug. You don't want to get too much on your taste buds because it is very bitter and the taste last really long. Also you may be burping lavender for a couple hours afterwards. I have even gotten my hubs to do this for allergies and he was impressed. 

Clove -bug reppelent, pain relief. I use this for more deep intense muscle pain. It creates more of a heat feeling instead of the cooling effect of peppermint. And it smells so good!

Eucalyptus - bug reppelent, cough and cold symptoms.

Tea Tree - earaches, ring worms, cough and cold symptoms. 

Sweet Marjoram - menstrual issues and cough and cold symptoms. For the menstrual I rub a couple of drops in my lower abdomen and on the insides of my feet.  I'll tell you more about the feet in a second. 

Citronella - bug reppelent 

So here are some of the mixtures I've tried and they all have worked so well!

Earache - mix a couple of drops of lavender and tea tree oil in warm olive oil. Take a q-tips nod apply oil to the outer part of the ear. Don't go into the ear canal or bear the ear drum. 

Cough and cold aromatherapy - it depends on the size of your diffuser/humidifier. Mine is a smaller humidifier so I didn't about 10 drops of each - tea tree oil, eucalyptus, and sweet marjoram. I chose sweet marjoram because it was an expectorant and anti-sposmatic and its been know to help the respiratory system. Tea tree because it's beneficial to the respiratory system, helps with colds and throat infections. Eucalyptus because it's eucalyptus!! Its in cough drops right?! It helps with phlegmy messes, coughs and the flu. I actually used this mixture a few weeks ago. I had a horrid coughing fit while I was sick and it wouldn't stop. So I grabbed my phone and opened my oil app and searched my oil cabinet to see what I had. So a coughing spell over 15 minutes long calmed down after breathing in this aromatherapy goodness! I was impressed needless to say. 

Bug repelent - who wants to hose themselves in a sticky deet mixture?? I don't want to! I mix about 3-4 drop of citronella (this stuff is super strong and it makes me kinda want to gag....so don't use too much) about 8 drops of lavender, eucalyptus and clove oil. Tada! Now you've got a wonderful all natural bug reppelent! 

Ok one more thing about oils. Not still 100% sold on the vita flex chart but hey I do it anyways on occasion (as I mentioned earlier about lady time cramps and problems) Also I work at a neurology clinic so I see the positive effects of pressure points and vita flex usage every day. 

Here is an chart for your reference. So you apply the oil to the corresponding. Part of you body and that's that! I used my sweet marjoram oil on the female reproductive organs and it helped ease my pjs symptoms. So it's one of those things I use on occasion but not all the time. 

I hope this post gave you some good information and maybe peaked your interest in essential oil use! Hey anything to stop popping pills is always a good idea in my opinion. Just remember always do you research before using any essential oil. 

Ps here is the app I use

 The rocky mtn essential oil app

Iced Passion Fruit Tea Lemonade

Once upon a time I went to Starbucks and got their Iced Passion Fruit TeaLemonade and let me say it was the best drink I ever got there! But like most iced Starbucks drinks it was a little too pricey considering the cup was filled to the brim with ice....does that make anyone else mad?! So I went home on Pinterest and found this copycat recipe. I wanted to try it but it was a low sugar option that used sugar alternatives. Call me weird but I like to use plain sugar instead of chemical sugar. I'd rather have a couple extra pounds than be missing a couple extra brain cells cause I am drinking a science project. So I just substituted sugar for it the alternative sweetener. The final result tasted just like the fabulous Starbucks drink, but much more friendly on my budget! 

What you need

Tazo Passion Tea (8 bags) 

Lemonade (I usually go for tropicana but this stuff was all the store had)

Sugar (if you want a low calorie option try stevia) 

So you are going to make the tea concentrate by boiling four cups of water and steeping the eight tea bags. 

Boy does this tea smell GOOD! But be careful cause it very easily stains countertops and wooden spoons (lesson learned) You are gonna want this tea concentrate nice and strong. So just let the tea bags steep for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Next while the tea is still hot add 2/3 of a cup of sugar. 

Mix the sugar till it dissolves. 

Let the mixture cool. 

Once it's cooled down transfer it to a container and let it chill in the fridge. 

Once the concentrate has chilled grab you a glass and get ready to enjoy your yummy treat. 

I usually add a couple ice cubes, fill up the glass 2/3 full with lemonade and top it off with the concentrate. But if you like your less tart then by all means make it however you want to! 

Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza....Yum!

So like any other woman I love cheese and bread! Pizza is my hands down favorite food in the WORLD!!

So many options and varieties and they all involve gooey stringy cheese and yummy fluffy crust! Yes....I have a little bit of a thing for pizza. If it was up to me I would eat pizza every day! My waistline would hate me for it though. So to justify eating more pizza I decided to make homemade pizza! (Thank you Pioneer Woman once more for the recipe!) I figured with homemade I can make it was healthy as I choose.

What you need -

2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of yeast (active dry)
Salt
Sugar
3 tablespoons of Olive oil plus extra for drizzling

So get 3/4 of a cup of warm water (straight from the sink is fine) 

Add the 1 teaspoon of yeast 

Now here is my smarty pants homeschooler discovery! I remember ages ago in science for yeast to grow it needs warmth and something to feed on like sugar. So now I add a little bit plain sugar to my yeasty mixture and it helps the yeast get all bubbly! It almost makes the dough fluffier. 

 Ok thankful moment! My sweet Aunt Lisa got me this super awesome hot pink Kitchen aid stand mixer for a wedding gift and I use it almost daily! Love it!

So add the 2 cups of flour to the mixer. I use the dough hook attachment. (BTW you can totally do this without a mixer! Been there done that and it was still delish!)

Next I sprinkle in some salt

After about 10 minutes your yeast should be ready.

So mix all the wet ingredients into the dry. I usually use mix in the olive oil first.

The mixture should form a nice sticky ball of dough. 

Coat a mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl.

I like to heat my oven up a few minutes so the dough will have a cozy house to rise in. Don't forget to turn off your oven when you put the dough in! Been there done that too! I leave the oven door cracked a bit too.

A hour later your dough should be well over doubled in size (guess I forgot a picture of that! oops!)

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. I know 500 degrees??!! But it works perfectly!

I like to bake my pizza on a stone. Makes it nice and crusty! Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the pan then spread out dough to desired thickness. Now I only used half of the dough for this pizza cause it was just me (hubs was out in the field training so I had "sad eat past my limit" dinner.) So your crust will be much bigger.

Top how ever you want it and toss it in that 500 degree oven for 10 minutes.

So no final result picture because I got too wrapped up in an episode of Downton Abbey and didn't hear my timer beep. *sigh* So be warned, when your oven in 500 degrees five extra minutes can make you lunch very very crispy!

Zucchini Lasagna (Low Carb)

Lasagna is a go to comfort food. This is a spin with less carbs because you use slices of zucchini instead of lasagna noodles. It's my first time making it so it's experiment night for dinner!

What you need -

3 Zucchini peeled and sliced thinly
1 pound of turkey meat (you can use beef it you'd like)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I like Muir Glen Organic Tomato Basil)
15 oz of ricotta cheese
16 oz of shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup of grated parmesan (not that fake powdered stuff)
1 egg
3 cloves of garlic

So drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil in a large skillet and toss in those chopped garlic cloves. Let them simmer for a minute to get that flavor flowing.

After a couple of minutes add the turkey meat and brown it. 

Now here are the herbs I put into the browning meat. 

Pepper

Herbs De Provence (not sure what it is but I like it!)

Oregano 

Parsley 

Basil 

Salt (it's in the owl)

I just shake in a bit of each to the meat as it's browning. 

Next I peel and slice the zucchini. 

Look at all that yumminess! 

Once the meat is browned pour in the jar of pasta sauce and stir it in.

While that simmers mix the cheeses (leave out some of the mozzarella to sprinkle on top) an egg, some salt and pepper and then a shake or so of parsley. 

So before I set out on this expedition I read online that grilling the zucchini a little bit before you bake it will keep the lasagna from getting to watery (and it helped!)

So line the pan with the grilled zucchini. (BTW I made a smaller version since it's just the two of us) 

Layer the meat sauce next. 

Then layer with the cheese mixture.

Keep layering and finish with a zucchini layer.

Top with mozzarella and cover with tinfoil. 

Bake for 45 minutes then uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

TADA!!! And I must say it was very satisfying! Good taste and even the hubs liked it!