Smell Good in a Mason Jar!

Anyone that has read my blog for a while most likely knows that two things that bring me joy are handmade gifts and Mason jars!  For Christmas Chuck's niece gave me a little of both. 

She filled these with wonderful, fresh things like limes, lemons and oranges.  She then added things such as mint, vanilla, rosemary and allspice.  Really the combinations are endless!

You simmer the contents of the jar and enjoy a wonderful smelling home.  I thought this was a great gift!  Not only was it homemade and in my beloved jars but it is a gift that won't clutter your space and later end up in the give away pile. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Pinned It, Made It: Drawer Organizers

As I continue to whip my home into shape I have found some great ideas on Pinterest. I recently saw this idea and the wheels began to turn. For my husband this is very scary! :) This picture is from Pinterest.

This is my version.

 

This is what I started with.  I can't believe I am even showing this.  I would clean this drawer out then it would almost always end up just like this within a couple of months. 

 

 

The first thing I did was pull everything out.  (Ignore my felt poinsettias.  The one thing I missed when putting Christmas away.) 

 

 

I then measured and cut out a piece of brown paper.  I put it into the drawer to make sure that I had measured correctly. 

 

 

Once I knew I had the paper the correct size I started to play with arrangement.

 

 

 

 

Once I had things where I wanted them I drew lines to know where the dividers would go.

 

 

This is the part where I failed to take any pictures.  Instead of cereal boxes I used cardboard.  Chuck happens to work in the packaging and shipping department so I have an unlimited supply of scrap cardboard. 

 

I cut cardboard to surround the entire drawer and then began to cut out the dividing pieces.  I wrapped them in scrapbook paper.  You could certainly leave them plain to be more cost effective.  I then put all of my dividers in and put the items back in the drawer before anything was glued.  Good thing since I decided to move the back where the thermometers went to the front.  I then just shifted everything back a little.  I also realized that it was going to be difficult to get the bottle opener out.  I added an additional piece of cardboard to that area to raise it up.  Once all of this was done the hot glue gun got a work out. 

 

 

Now I know that some of you are thinking that there is no way this is everything that you saw on the counter.  You are right.  I am doing some rearranging and will be moving some things to another drawer.  I am actually so happy with the way this turned out that I am going to do all the drawers.  Once they are done I will do another update. 

 

Please stop by and visit Tammy for some great ideas. 

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

 

 A freshly cleaned night stand and a new set of lamps gifted at Christmas.  Makes me smile every time I turn it on.
 

 

A cute helper getting drinks ready.

 

 

Getting back into the routine after a busy couple of weeks.

 

 

Plenty of giggles as ring around the rosie turned into the jump game.

 

 

Just to bring a smile.

 

A brave husband grilling out in the pouring, cold rain.  Hey, we can pretend it is summer, right?!

 

 

If you are interested I updated yesterdays post about the homemade fabric softner.

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

$0.67 Homemade Stain Remover *Updated*

I ran out of Shout which is a must have around here!  I haven't seen it on sale in a long time and when I looked for a coupon I didn't have one.  I was on my way to the store so I did a search and found this recipe.  My budget is super tight this month and I thought I would compare buying the ingredients to buying a bottle of ready made.  The ready made was $2.98 and I was able to buy the two ingredients I needed for $2.19.  I have been wanting to try this for a long time and this was just the push I needed to give it a try. 

 

 

It was super easy to make.  The total cost for all ingredients was $3.17.  I will be able to make 11 batches out of the 64 oz of Ammonia.  After I broke everything down I was able to make a 30 oz bottle for $0.67.  A savings of $1.81 on a regularly priced bottle.  Yes!  I think I can get this price even lower by getting my Ammonia at the dollar store,  watching for coupons and sales on dish soap and checking the price of baking soda at Sam's Club. 

 

Thankfully I hadn't put my old bottle in the recycle box I dropped off on the way to the store.  I was able to remove the label and reuse the bottle. 

 

 

Notice the Do NOT mix with bleach on the label?  As this has ammonia you want to be sure you don't mix this with bleach.  My sister once mixed the two together while working at Chick-fil-A in high school. It wasn't a pretty thing!

 

 

On the back of the bottle I wrote the recipe so I won't have to look it up each time I need to make a batch.  I have high hopes for this.  The reviews were good and the price is great.  I will let you know the verdict soon. 

 

**Update** 

 

Megan wore this shirt to the Children's Museum right after Christmas.  I used Shout on this spot and another one toward the top.  I spot at the top came out but not on the bottom.  I didn't realize the bottom spots hadn't come out until after I had washed and dried it.  It seems it always works out that way.  I wasn't very happy considering this was the first time she has wore the shirt.  I put it aside to work on getting the stain out.

 



 

Do you see the three spots in the corner?  They didn't show up very well in the picture, but believe me they were very noticable in person.  I sprayed them with the homemade stain remover and then let it sit while a load finished washing.  I sprayed some more on before putting it into the washer and washed as normal. 

 

 

No spots... yes!!!  So now I know this stuff is going to work great.

.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

52 Week Money Saving Challenge

A friend on Facebook posted this challenge. I thought it was a great idea and we have decided to give it a try.  I already have a jar in my baking cabinet for change so I decide to use another jar for this challenge. 
 

 

The first week was only a dollar so that was the easiest part of this challenge.  As it progresses that is when it will take some planning.

 

 

Currently the plan is to use part of my babysitting money.  I haven't crunched all the numbers yet as this week we will be getting our first paycheck with the new tax increase and yearly insurance increase.  Most likely it will come from the grocery/eating out budget. 

 

Here is a copy of the chart the if you decide to do this.  Some people suggested doing the challenge backwards since the end of year brings many expenses with Christmas shopping. 

 

Let me know if this is something you decide to do.  Maybe we can encourage each other.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Crock Pot Oatmeal

With our chilly mornings it is nice to have something warm for breakfast. I feed the kids instant oatmeal but personally I don't like it. It doesn't have the texture of old fashioned cooked oatmeal. I ran across a recipe for oatmeal in the crock pot and decided to give it a whirl.
 

 

1 cup steel cut oats

4 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TBS butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

 

Mix it all together and cook over night on low for 8 hours.

 

 

 

Before serving I added a dash of milk to each bowl and topped with a touch of brown sugar. The littles ate their oatmeal this way and for myself I added some raisins. 

 

 

This little guy thought it was yummy and so did I!

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Glue Holder

Are you ever working on a project and reach for a glue bottle and then have to shake and shake to get the glue out?  It happens all the time and it is so annoying.  My thought was why don't I store the bottle upside down.

 

Using some scrap wood Chuck made a holder for my glue bottles.

 



Now all of the glue will be at the tip ready to go.  No more shaking the bottles for me!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!