Homemade Fabric Freshener!!!!

This is gonna be a quick post. Im in the middle of trying to do my morning housework while the baby is asleep (sort of) and getting ready for an appointment later. So this is an EMERGENCY post as my neighbor had a smelly cat issue this morning, and it sounds as though Febreeze would be a big help :) I have seen a ton of recipes for Febreeze online, but Im shying away from any that involve vinegar. I didnt mind it on my floor as I posted yesterday, but on my couch??? Not so much. I messed around with some ratios and this is my favorite concentration. not to strong but definately fresh! Seriously This recipe works, I love it! My house smells like clean lavender scented laundry. My favorite!

My Fabric Freshener Recipe - 1 part scented fabric softener to 2 parts water

Thats it. simple. I will NEVER but commercial fabric freshener again. I buy the cheap fabric softener in lavendar scent and It worked just fine. Put it all in a spray bottle, shake and spray a mist onto fabric and sniff!

Homemade Household Cleaners

Ok, so I have been trying so different household cleaners for awhile now. a few I use on a regular basis, and a few I am trying for the first time. I'll start off with the things that I use on a regular basis.

Rubbing Alcohol - I LOVE to use rubbing alcohol to shine my metal sink, faucets and other metal items throughout the house. It sterilizes and evaporates immediately leaving a great shine. Simply put it on a soft washcloth (i use a baby cloth) and wipe the area to a shine.

Wood cleaner- mix 1 part oil (olive or even vegetable) to 1 part lemon juice in spray bottle. Shake well before use. Spray onto  soft cloth and rub onto wood surface. Cleans and shines.

Counters- I still just mix bleach and water. Let sit wet for 5 min and wipe off with wet cloth. Nice and clean.


Walls/cabinets/basebords- I just mix borax and water and wipe the area down. Works wonders.

waterspots on wood - toothpaste! let it dry and wipe it off.

I just tried these for the first time...

Floor cleaner. I usually just mix bleach and water and go to town. Mop & Glow if I need a shine. My husband is sick of the bleach smell and so I was serching for something else. I have a hardwood laminate floor in my house and I tried two types Borax and then vinegar lemon. let me tell you one thing before you read on. I HATE VINEGAR SMELL!! with passion. It makes me think of coloring easter eggs or eating fair fries...not something I want my house smelling like, but i tried it anyways...

Borax cleaner - 1 cup Borax to about a gallon of water. Mop as usual. I didnt like this one. I felt it left my floor very very splotchy. You could actually see the mop streaks on the floor. Not a fan and I wont be using this...

Vinegar Lemon- 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp dish soap. Mix in about a gallon or so of water. Mop as usual. I was actually pleasantly surprised. It did smell of vinegar, but the lemon covered alot of the smell and once it dried it wasn't noticeable at all. It cleaned very well. Left a pretty decent shine to the floor also. Dried quickly. I can't believe im saying this as much as I am against using vinegar in cleaning, and as much as the smell offends me.... but I have now used this more than once. I will probably continue to use it also.....

Dishwasher detergent

1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup citric acid.
OR
sub the citric acid with 8 packets of unsweetened lemonade (kool-aid or off brand)
Use white vinegar as the rinse agent

Citric acid costs entirely too much so I followed the second recipe. works well enough. Some spots on my glasses, but I have that even with the expensive stuff so no difference in quality as far as I can see. Now mind you that my dishwasher sucks so if yours is a good dishwasher and you try this let me know how you like it.
 
Anyone else have any good tips for cleaning? I'd love to hear you share!!!! The cheaper the better. Ha!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Ok, I came across this recipe for the first time in a cookbook I checked out from the library called Family Meals. There are plenty of variations online, including this exact recipe. I thought it was a really neat cookbook with unusual things that I hadnt even thought of. Its also the book where I got one of the recipes for marshmallows that I will be doing later this week
The ricotta turned out great. I wasn't sure it had actually worked until I was pretty much done with it. It is going to be used in a 3-cheese ziti that was adapted from a recipe my best friend Christy gave me. I'll post that recipe too, maybe tomorrow?

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt


tools needed

1 large nonreactive pot (meaning no copper or aluminum)
instant read thermometer
silicone spatula
colondar
cheesecloth (muslin)
large bowl
slotted spoon
storage container


Pour the milk and cream into the pot over med-high heat. Stir with spatula to keep from burning. Check temperature frequently and heat to just before the milk boils to a temperature just shy or 185 degrees.
Remove from heat and add vinegar. stir for 30 seconds, during which the milk with form curds. Add salt and stir another 30 seconds. Cover the pot with a dish towel and let stand at room temp for 2 hours. After the 2 hours have past place the cheesecloth in the colander and place it over the bowl. Using the slotted spoon transfer the curds to the colander. Allow to drain for 30 min. Gather the cheesecloth and twist to drain out the rest of the liquid. When the water that is draining turns to a milky color and the cheese starts to come through the cloth then it has been sufficiently drained. Remove the cheese from the cloth and store in airtight container in fridge. Use within one week.

Check temperature frequently. Remove from heat just before 185 degrees.

Curds will form quickly after adding the vinegar.

Make sure to store in airtight container.

Homemade Butter

I was actually giggling when I made this...seriously. For some reason I thought It was really really neat to watch it actually separate and form butter. My husband is pretty sure that I have lost my mind...
Anyhow this was really easy and it tastes like....butter!!!!

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

Pour whipping cream into a blender or food processor. Blend for 10 min. Make sure as the cream becomes more thick that it keeps blending. I dont have a food processor so i had to keep pushing mine down into the blender to ensure it kept moving. After about 10 min you will notice that the cream has begun to curd and separate into butter and buttermilk. drain off buttermilk into a cup and place the butter into a separate container. Use a spatula to press down on the butter to squeeze out the remaining buttermilk into the separate cup. Add salt to butter to taste.  Refrigerate. Retain buttermilk for pancakes, or other recipes :)  Too easy!

Plans for the upcoming month(s)....

So I have alot I'd like to attempt this month so stay tuned! First things first is the cloth diapering of my 11 month old. Wish me luck! My cousin mailed me out a few gbaby diapers and I think a few others and I think my husbands cousin may be sending me a few fuzzibunz to try out. The goal is to figure out which I like best, and then make the switch. Not only to I always try to be more frugal, but If I can be environmentally conscious at the same time, then that's the route i'm taking.
Izzie and I have made a few plans for her home schooling for the next month. I think I will post the completed lesson plan on here next week. One option was to focus on learning about different countries around the world "Around the world in 30 days" if you will. The goal would be to boost cultural awareness and acceptance through learning utilizing art, math, music, food, books, and games. Any suggestions are always welcome.
I'm going to go ahead and put it out there, Im also going to TRY to be pretty ambitious on the homemade front. I launched Little Bugs Boutique last week, and have a few example items up for sale on the facebook page. obviously i'm going to try to keep adding to that this month if our budget allows me to purchase a few supplies. Im also going to be trying a number of recipes for homemade items that I have come across and I'll go ahead and let you guys know how they all work out so if you'd like to attempt it also you can, of I can let you know how awful things turn out and try to spare you the trouble.  if anyone has tried any of these things already I would love to hear your personal experience.

All Homemade from scratch :)

dishwasher detergent
Household cleaners (I already use a homemade wood polish, counter cleaner, and stainless steel cleaner,
                               which I will also share)
Graham crackers
Ritz crackers
saltine crackers
butter
mayonaise
dog treats
croutons
marshmallows
ricotta cheese
cinnamon raisin bread



I feel ambitious :) Anyone else try any homemade recipes that are awsome? anyone ever make yogurt? Thants one i;d like to try too but im a little scared to.
I mentioned to my husband that if we had our own house i would love to have egg laying hens. just 3 of them. he looked at me like i was crazy. Its not the first time ive mentioned it, but i think he was surprised that i haven't given up on the idea.  He begged that i don't stop shaving my armpits, come to think of it, id save alot of money on razors......... hehehehe lol

Easy AND Delish Homemade bread

     

I don't have a breadmaker. I wish I did, but I don't. I love making a good homemade bread, and absolutely nothing can compare to the smell of fresh bread baking. The recipe below is the one that I learned on. It was the first bread I ever made by hand, and it is still one of my all time favorites! Its got a bit of a crusty top, but a smooth soft center. yum! 

Ingredients

3/4 cup warm water

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vegetable shortening

1/2 cup milk

3 cups flour (approx.)

In large mixing bowl, mix yeast in warm water, stirring until completely. Add salt, sugar, shortening, and milk. Stir. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix well using hands or a mixer with bread hooks. Add flour until a cohesive dough forms, and the dough "chases" the mixers. Put dough in a buttered bowl turning so the top of the dough is also greased. Cover bowl with damp hand towel and let rise for 1 hour. After letting dough rise, punch it down in the bowl, then place it on a flowered surface and knead well. Place formed dough into a buttered bread pa. Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes. Uncover and score the top of the dough 3 times. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes until browned.

Dont forget the basics....

 This past week I took a trip down memory lane. One of the most basic kids crafts/activities that there is. The pine cone bird feeder. My daughter, Izzie and her 2 best friends were so excited when we did these, I explained the project then sent them off in search of pine cones. When they got back and we were slathering on the peanut butter and making a huge birdseed mess all over my porch, the neighbor kids started gathering. They were asking what we were doing. Apparently most of them (not all) had never seen this basic project done. I was shocked. Me and my Izzie do this every summer. Its one way we ring in the warm weather, and bird watching season... I would never miss it, no matter how messy. The point here, don't forget the basics. Today is a day where memories are made. What kind of memories are you leaving your children?

The girls were so proud of their work!