Monday, September 24, 2012

Mood for Fall

So I'm in the mood for fall... The weather here in California has not been listening to my pleas as of late. 
So for now I revel in the short walk to my car early in the morning when it's cool, crisp & the air smells like fall. It's my favorite part of working mornings, walking to my car in the coolness... 
I'm totally weird, I know!
Well, here are a few projects & recipes I've been eyeing. 
I just need to make some time to get them done. 
Source HERE
DIY Chevron Pumpkins
Source HERE
pumpkin_chai_cookies_9
Source HERE
Source HERE

Happy Monday All. Enjoy your fall day...

Much Love,
Sarah

Saturday, September 22, 2012

DIY: Home-made Laundry Soap

So as of late, I've seen a lot of "recipes" floating around the blog world & on Pinterest for making your own laundry detergent. I've wanted to try it for a while, but was a little leery for a few reasons.
I didn't want to make a batch that would fade my clothes... smell weird... 
or just plain old waste my moo-lah! Ha!
So when my friend Felecia told me about one that she made & was loving, I decided to give it a try! I'm SO happy I did! The batch is HUGE & should last me a year (or close to it). 
It smells great, doesn't fade my clothes & was so inexpensive to make. Great combo dontcha think?!?
Here is where I will show you how to make it yourself! Yay :) Lucky you! 
What you will need:
Yes, I realize the baking soda is upside down! The bottom was loose and I didn't want it to make a mess on my table!
1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle $3.27
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle $3.24
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. $7.52
2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- Found in the detergent aisle (we chose to do pink for the scent but the white would be just fine. You can also use Fels Naptha) $.97 cents each
1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda $2.12
1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional, just makes the soap smell great!) $4.76
This all cost me only $22.85. I went to Target first to buy all my items (Because Wal-Mart is the devil), but they didn't have all the items on my list which is why I had to bite the bullet & drive across the street to Wal-Mart. I was not a happy camper, Ha. Wal-Mart here in Stockton is not a good experience... That is all I will say about that! Anywho... Back to the lovely soap... :) 
I bought a clear 1 gallon jar to have out on my washer for about 5 dollars. This is obviously optional. I also mixed in a Rubbermaid container lined with a garbage bag for easy cleanup. 
Your only step is to grate the bars of soap. You should do a fine grate, but after grating 1 bar, my grater was getting clogged and my hand was hurting so I did a bigger grate on the 2nd bar. I have not noticed a difference thus far. Now just mix it all together. I found that layering the ingredients helped in the mixing process. I did about 3 or 4 layers total and mixed after about 2 layers. I used a wooden mixing "fork" (not sure on correct name for it, ha). I finished in about 8 minutes total. So easy! I filled my pretty jar to set out on my washer & used the empty plastic containers & a couple large mason jars for the rest of the laundry detergent. 
I normally will spend about $18.00 for 1 gallon of Tide & about $16/17.00 for 64 oz. of Mrs. Meyers Lavender scent detergent. I alternate between these two because I LOVE the Mrs. Meyers, but can't justify spending the money each shopping trip (am I the only one who thinks this?). 
The home-made version is only $22.85 & is well over 3 gallons. I've been told that it will last me a good year or even two, depending on how much laundry I do (I do a LOT). A years worth of laundry detergent for just over 20 bucks, that is a huge savings!! Worth your while my friends... And, I forgot to mention that you only need 1-2 tablespoons for a load! AMAZING! 
 Hope you all enjoyed this post & give it a try. Until the next time...

Much Love,
Sarah

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Welcome back to ME!

Well folks...
It's been quite a while... Around 2 months since my last post!
Ugh, where has the time went? I feel like it was just yesterday! I have been a busy little bee over here & have lots of new stuff to share. I promise I will be blogging more.
Now that things are settling down & getting back to normal.
"Talk" to ya soon!

Much Love,
Sarah

Monday, June 4, 2012

Beautiful Monday

Here are some beautiful pics I found to inspire me this week! Everyone needs a little inspiration on a Monday!
Happy Monday!
{all pics are from Pinterest and I couldn't find original sources}

Much Love,
Sarah

Friday, June 1, 2012

Food Friday: Dried Strawberries

Here we are again with a Food Friday! Whoo hoo to me, I've been pretty consistent with them dontcha think? If you missed last week's post click HERE. Today I'm showing you how to make dried strawberries. The other day I got a huge flat from the stand on the side of the road here in town. There are a few stands that are absolutely outstanding! This spot is one of them. :)
All you will need is:
Strawberries!! {How awesome and easy is that!?}
STEP 1: Pre-heat oven to 210 degrees F. Rinse strawberries and half or quarter them depending on size. 
STEP 2: Place on baking sheet and bake for 3 hours.
{I used an old, ugly one just in case they started to run... Which they did... Badly!} 
*Optional: season with salt and pepper {I did not do this}.
STEP 3: Let slightly cool and take off sheet. ENJOY!
Where I went wrong is I started these at 9:30 at night. I was exhausted by the 12:30 take out time. I took them immediately off the hot baking sheet and covered on a plate. These needed to air out a bit. When I ate them in the morning, a few were a bit soggy but still good. I recommend letting them cool completely before storing them :)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

DIY: "Ceramic Pen" Mug

OK... This is a super easy DIY. All you need is a Sharpie pen/marker and a plain mug... 
{or a patterned mug-up to you}

What you do... Write out a phrase, letter or favorite word on your mug.
Bake your mug at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Wha-La! You're finished {told you it was an easy one}!
Perfection on a mug...
I'm showing you a photo of the first one I made {slightly boring}, but the others are for gifts so I don't want to spoil the surprise!!
Not sure yet if this method is dishwasher safe, but I will try it out and let you all know! But you can never go wrong with a gentle "Hand Washing"-HA!

Have a great Tuesday PM

Much Love,
Sarah

Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to all you out there in Blogland...
I hope you remember those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom. 
Today I remember both of my grandpas and countless other friends and family members who have given so much to keep our country safe. A HUGE "Thank You" is the least we can do to honor them.
I remember being a little girl and any time I would be out with my parents and we saw a man or woman in uniform, my parents would make me go over to them and say "Thank You". Such a  small gesture, but as an adult I realize what a big impact it still has on me today... All politics aside, I have a huge respect and gratitude to all those who have/are fighting for our nation. 
Sooo... Go thank a soldier and enjoy time with those you love today!
 all pics via pinterest

Much Love,
Sarah