Kool-Aid Play dough

While the weather has been pretty nice lately we still get stuck inside sometimes. Some days it's a little too hot and humid to spend all day outside, some days we've gotta wait for the wee one to wake from her nap before any loud play, or outside play. Some days it's raining and we need to get our minds working on something other than "how to beat up your sibling without them crying". Enter play dough. My kids love to play with play dough but they often mix the colors (which bothers me and I don't know why) and they often don't get the lids on tight so everything dries up so quickly. While play dough is not expensive it's even more fun to make your own. I've looked for so many homemade play dough recipes and tried a few but none as easy or as fun as the kool-aid play dough. My friend Rachael sent me the recipe and I can't believe how long I waited to actually make it...we were probably busy playing outside or something...

So here's the easiest (no cooking involved) play-doh recipe you'll ever found that smells INCREDIBLE!!!
Kool-Aid Play dough
2 Cups of flour
1/2 cup of salt
3T cooking oil (I use vegetable)
1 pkg or KoolAid
1 cup of HOT water

Mix flour salt and oil
Add KoolAid to water and stir
Add Water to dry ingredients
knead mixture until it forms a soft dough (add flour if the dough is sticky)

I had to add about a half cup more of flour. It's not sticky anymore but still kinda flimsy and really squishy, I'm wondering if putting it in the fridge will help with that or if I'll need to add more flour tomorrow?
Store in sealed container in fridge for about a week or 2

And since no post is any good without a photo here's a shot of my little Hannah and I at church while the big kids were at Vacation Bible School.

Household Essentials

Got this great list of Household Essentials over at Pine Creek Style...my moms blog.

BASIC KITCHEN ESSENTIALS

Basic Set of dishes, service for 6-8 minimum, (up to 12)

set should include: Dinner plate, bowl &/or salad plate,

Coffee cup with or without saucers

Serving Bowls/Dishes in several sizes

Casserole Dishes with Lids, several sizes

(*Colors should blend nicely with your dishes)

Pitchers for Drinks 
Gravy Boats, 1 or 2

Sugar and Creamer containers

Salt and Pepper shakers or mills

Silverware, service for 6, 8 or 12

Serving utensils, to match

such as spoons, forks, serving spatulas

Drinking Glasses 6-12, in two sizes

Wine Glasses, 12-24 

(*You may choose to use different sizes, white & red wine glasses) 

Various cocktail & beer glasses to suit your needs

BAKING AND ROASTING PANS...

12-15" open roasting pan 

9x13 baking pan, 1 or more; metal, glass, stoneware

5x9 bread pan, 2 in metal, glass or stoneware

2 - 8 or 9" round layer cake pans

2 - 8 or 9" square layer cake pans

1- 8 or 9" round cake pan

1 - 8 or 9" square cake pan

1 - 9 or 10" tube pan

Bundt Style pan, 1 02 more

Cookie sheets, 2 or more

8-10" Pie Plates, 2 or more

Muffin/Cupcake Pan, 1 or 2

Springform pan, 1 or 2

2 - Pizza Pans

POTS AND PANS...

1, 2 and 3 quart pans with lids

2 or 3 quart with steamer basket and lid

(*Boiler insert would be great too!)

1 or more, 7-9" fry pan, lid 

1 or more, 10-12" fry pan, lid

6 quart dutch oven

Stock pots, heavy gauge with lids, 2 sizes

APPLIANCES...

Coffee Maker

Mixer, Stand and/or Hand

Toaster

Toaster Oven

Crock Pot

Tea Kettle

Electric Skillet/griddle

Waffle Machine

Blender

Food processor/chopper

 Grill Press

COOKING AND KITCHEN ESSENTIALS...

Heat resistant Spoons and Rubber Spatulas in various sizes

(*at least 2 of each)

Large Slotted spoon

Large Solid spoon

Cooking Spatulas, solid and slotted

Pizza Cutter

Pie Server

Desert Server 

Can and Bottle openers

Ice Pick

Wine openers

Corks for bottles

Cooking Bands

Gravy & Soup Ladles, various sizes

Vegetable peeler

Set of Knives, various sizes 

Steak Knife set

Funnels, various sizes

(narrow and wide mouth)

Measuring Spoons & Cups

Liquid & Dry measuring pitchers

Thermometers; cooking, meat, candy 

Graters of several sizes; 4 sided & flat

Tongs; for cooking and serving
Baking Timer

Shelf Liner: for cupboards, drawers...

(*also see "Cook with Style" section for more ideas)

Drink containers: 2 or more, various sizes

Long Handled Cooking Forks

Large and Small Strainers

Long Handle Strainer (spoon/dipper style)

Rolling pin

Pastry Blender

Pastry Brush

Cake/Cookie Racks (for cooling)

Potato Masher

Kitchen Shears

Knife Sharpener, Steel or Stone

Cutting Boards, various sizes

Whisks/Whips, various sizes & styles

Various sizes of containers/lids or jars/lids

Trivets for Hot Dishes, several

Pot Holders & Oven Mitts

1 dozen dish clothes

1 dozen dish towels

Dish Strainer: for hand washed items, traditional or cloth pad

PAPER & SUCH...

Aluminum Foil, roll and/or sheets

Plastic wrap

Zip top bags, all sizes

Toilet paper

Facial Tissues

Napkins

Paper Hand Towels

Paper Towels

Wax paper, roll and/or sheets

Paper plates

Paper or Plastic Cups, drinking and bathroom sizes

Plastic silverware

Coffee filters

Paper Coffee Cups with Lids for travel

Trash bags. various sizes

Store leftover grocery bags for later re-use

*save left over party supplies: plates, napkins etc. in an open basket for later use

CLEANING SUPPLIES...

Floor Cleaners

Dish Soap

Hand Soap

Hand Lotion for kitchen and bathrooms

Dishwasher soap, rinse aides and cleaner

Scrub pads

Sponges (*Personally, I don't care for sponges because of bacteria)

Disinfectants: for counters, cleaning etc.

Room Air Fresheners and Disinfectants

Window cleaners

Woolite (*see my section on "windows")

Laundry Soaps

Fabric Softeners

Downey Spray ( I use this to Iron clothes & linens) 

Bleach: regular and color safe

Spot Removers, rug and laundry

Furniture polish & wax
Leather cleaner
Scotch Guard ( or simular)
Fabric Freshener, antibacterial

Hope this was a helpful list! I loved reading it. This could be a very helpful list of supplies for newlyweds and new home owners.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ever wanted to know how to make your own | Laundry Detergent | and save some money? 

Below is a simple recipe that will get your clothes clean while saving you some extra cash too!

| What you will need |

1 - 4 lb. box of Borax

1 - 3 lb. box of Washing Soda

1 - 1 lb. box of Baking Soda

3 - Bard of Fels Naptha Laundry Soap

First you want to mix up your Borax, Washing Soda and Baking Soda in a large mixing bowl. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area. You don't want to be breathing in this mixture too much and the powder is very fine.

TIP... if you tend to get sensitive skin, BORAX may cause some irritation.

Next you want to grab your Fels Naptha and a grater...

Grate all three bars directly on top of the mixing bowl. I stirred after each bar. And don't worry about grating the whole bar. Just get down as far as you can and throw that last bit out. No need to accidentally grate your fingers.

 Mix all ingredients completely and store them in an airtight container.

You will use 1-2 TB. of this mixture with each load of laundry.

| Here is a close up of what your detergent should look like |

There are other recipes out there that are similar. They have the same ingredients but with different amounts. I have found that this recipe works best for us. So play with the recipe and find what works best for you. You could also use different bars of soap, depending on your sensitivity or scent preference.

Here's something funny...

As I was making this, my daughter walks up and says to me...

Cass - What are you making momma?

Me - Some Laundry Detergent.

Cass - Why are you putting CHEESE in it?

Me - (after laughing) That's not cheese sweetie, it's soap!

Cass - Oh, well it looks like cheese. It looks like you are cooking something to eat!

So cute. So the picture below is for her. HA! HA!

NOT CHEESE! Although it looks like you could grab a handful of it. Mmmm! LOL

♥ Guest Blogger ♥

Your going to Love this weeks "Guest Blogger"
Michelle at

Dilly Dally and Flitter

They say necessity is the mother of all invention. 

or at least creation. 

maybe modification. 

I am continually on the prowl for something new to re-create and re-purpose. and it's super bonus if it is from items I already have that might otherwise go to waste!

Sometimes I can make up something new, and other times I modify and tweak already discovered ideas to be what I want and need them to be to make my life easier and more efficient.

After having my three miniatures, I could no longer keep track of my head, much less my keys- so research, the need for 6 extra hands and the Dangle Bangle was born {Dangle Bangle: a stylish way to keep my forever disappearing keys right on my wrist}!   But of course the head keeps spinning for new stuff to make and do….and to keep track of all of it, the blog was born in January 10.   

I am so inspired by the creative bloggers, and small business owners out there, and so happy they share their talent and skills.  So much of the desire to create comes from the inspiration from others that create.  That's what makes this blogging underworld so unique and such a treasure!  There are new ideas and new friends every day.

I am a generally happy girl and try to find the perfection in the imperfection… and in the noise these boys make!   You never know what's just around the corner! It's true… you  never know what's just around the corner!  To me, those are words to live by!

Enjoy!

Water Bottle Storage... Really? Awesome!

Bottles are everywhere... I hate them.  I walk into the pantry and look at so many items that are in plastic bottles.   Now it's time for them to move on UP{cycled} to hold something else... and it's really so easy!

Cut off the bottom of any narrow mouth bottle.

(I save the bottoms too... they make the best little mod podge or paint trays).

Next dig up some corks around the house... or if you don't have any... get busy drinking!  I used my hand held straight edge razer to notch a star shape into the end.

Next dig up some corks around the house... or if you don't have any... get busy drinking!  I used my hand held straight edge razer to notch a star shape into the end.

I then pushed my peg hook into the cork (much easier with the star cuts! trust me!)

Here is your hook with it's cork addition.

I decided to dress up the ends  and attached a 1.5" grosgrain ribbon... (fabric would be great too!)

Insert the hook into the bottle mouth. 

OR you can attach the hook to the pegboard and then push the water bottle onto the hook with cork. 

This one is a 8 oz. Coke bottle (perfect for smaller items).

Here I used (left is the 8oz coke).  middle is a coffee creamer bottle (note it's a milky bottle not clear) and right is a water bottle (no ribbon attached).

I love the plain one... I cut the bottle along the natural wave of the grooves on the plastic.

Sit back and enjoy your new storage and be happy that there are a few less bottles cluttering the landfills...

Thank you Michelle for stopping by Trendy Treehouse. We love your project!

Spring Cleaning

I can't believe that I'm going to show you
what I'm about to show you.
I'm embarrassed.
It's gross.
But I have to believe that if I have these issues
then maybe someone else out there does too.
And if you had found a solution to something this awesome
I'd want you to share it with me too.

Enter, the pumice stone.
Great for getting rid of that rough skin on your heels.
We've all got it, don't be afraid to admit it.
BUT, that's not all...

It's also AWESOME and getting caked on gross stuff off your
bathroom tile,

toilet,
sink,
shower door,
you name it!

First put on some gloves
(especially if you're trying to get rid of the ring around the toilet).
Then get the pumice stone wet
and scrape till your arm falls off.
Then scrape some more.
Then the nastiness should be gone!
Enter my proof...

This is the sink in the kids bathroom.
The sink is at a weird angle so the water doesn't always go all the way down.
So, it just sits there.
It was already gross when we bought the house.
Sure, it got a little worse since we moved in.
But now it's better!!!
It's not perfect but much

MUCH

better.

I'm doing the happy dance because it's getting
the gross caked on gunk off the tile in my shower.
Oh and it does wonders on glass shower doors
that are coated with soap scum.

Okay, so maybe I'm the only one with these problems.
Leave some comment love and tell me I'm not alone.
I don't care if you have to lie!!!

But seriously go try it, it works!
It doesn't scratch the surface but gets all the nasty stuff out of there.
It even worked on a little rust spot that was on the kids tub
(from the previous owner).
You know ladies, the rust spots from
certain cans of shaving cream.
I don't use them so I know the rust was from someone else.

Anyway, that's my helpful tip of the week.
Hope you can have sparkling clean toilets,
sinks and tubs for your company!

Happy Spring Cleaning!!!

WooHoo!!

Flirty Aprons Review

Feminine, Fun & Full of Fashion!

Our Women’s Aprons are perfect to help today’s woman accomplish her daily activities while keeping her clothes clean, maintaining her style, and feeling beautiful. Women everywhere are reviving their style in the home and our high-fashion and vintage apron designs are helping women along the way. Whether you love our classic, sexy aprons in pink or our floral patterned feminine aprons we know you’ll find something you love.

★ I got this cute, stylish apron thanks to Flirty Aprons. This is one of the cutest aprons I have seen in a long time. It is very comfortable and stylish too! I love it! I got my “Sassy Black”apron just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Every year I bake bread and every year, I get very messy. Making bread from scratch can get dirty. With my Flirty Apron, I was clean from start to finish. And with its 2 pockets in front, I was able to keep my phone and lip gloss right at hand. My mom and other family members absolutely loved my apron and wanted to know where I got it. They loved the design and style. A great gift for yourself or a friend! I love my Flirty Apron! ★

Things that I love...

• Many uses ~ cooking, cleaning, gardening, crafting and more!
• Fashionable ~ many trendy patterns, ruffles, long straps for cute bow tying.
• Functional ~ keeps you clean during many tasks.
• Matching ~ get matching aprons for you and your children
• Men ~ great aprons for the man in your life.

Other great products by Flirty Aprons...

Children’s Aprons ~ Cute kids aprons. Perfect matching mother & Child apron sets. Little girls who like to cook with mom, play dress-up, do crafts, or just clean up around the house will love doing their little kid duties in this darling children’s apron. Everyone kid needs a children’s apron to keep their clothes looking great, and that especially includes all those little girls out there. Trendy fabrics and fun designs will make every girl feel special.

Men’s Aprons ~ Original, Sizzing & Sexy Aprons for Men. Men who like to grill, deep fry, or hickory smoke anything will love these high quality men’s aprons. From “Hotter Grills” to “Making Things Sizzle”, any guy will be able to find an apron that matches his personality. These are not only funny aprons, but they have a sturdy construction and three strong pockets that make these quality men’s aprons a new favorite.

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.