Candy Cane Playdough

I am thankful that I get to hug my girls all day! My heart aches, I can't imagine such grief, and I pray that love will see us through these times.

Today, I made peppermint infused playdough for gifts, and for my little ladies that love it. I used a basic recipe and added sparkles to the white batch and peppermint to the pink batch. It was something to keep my mind off the news and to help me be present in the moment.

Homemade laundry soap recipe

It really works!!!! My quest is over for a perfect laundry soap recipe...for less than 2 cents a load...I'm sold.

I have been using this recipe since March and just today I am making a new batch. It cleans well and it has a fresh scent. My friend adds Pyrex crystals to her recipe for more scent.

Here's the laundry soap recipe:
1 box of borax
1 box of super washing soda
1 4lb box of baking soda or 1/2 big bag
1 small container of oxy clean
3 bars Feld-naphtha soap grated
1 big container to mix in- I mix it up in thirds so it combines well. I use the oxy scoop to add it to my laundry. 2 scoops per load does the job.

Let me know what you think.

Easter Challah Bread

This is a lovely bread that I made in Fall that will be perfect for Easter.  I plan on braiding the bread to have with dinner and using the leftovers to make perfect french toast.

Simply Healthy Challah Bread
There isn't any bread maker required for this lovely loaf of traditional Jewish egg bread. It's perfect for sandwiches or french toast for breakfast. I usually do not make bread from scratch, but this recipe from All Recipes-here,  is so simple and healthy that I may just bake some every week. The recipe made two big loaves and my family loved it.

Homemade Doll Car

My girls fell in love with a big plastic pink doll car at a big name store, but the problem was it was a big plastic pink car that cost way too much.  When we arrived home they decided to make their own with items from our recycled craft box.  I just love how creative my girls can be!

We used: a box for the car, canister lids for steering wheels, foil to cover side mirror, bottle cap for horn, wheels from plastic totes, ribbon for seat belts, cupcake wrappers for headlights, and the wind shield is a piece of clear plastic.  Hot glue holds everything in place.

So far our American Girls have traveled to China, Florida, and California in their new car.
Linked To:

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Hooter Hider Tutorial

If you are expecting or know someone who is, here is an easy gift you can make that will benefit any nursing mother.
Hooter Hider:

Here is the finished product, thank-you friend for modeling the hooter hider. Your baby can hide inside and discreetly get the job done.
1. Start with a yard of fabric and fold it in half.
2. Cut out a half circle for your head, but big enough to peak at the baby.
3. Surge or zig-zag stitch around the head circle.

 4. Next surge or stitch around the outside of the fabric.

 5. You have essentially made a big bib to nurse your child under.
Happy Nursing!
Linked to:

Homemade Sugar Scrub- Simply Healthy

                                           Simply Healthy

                   This is the sugar scrub that I made last night and it smells heavenly.

I love this stuff....this homemade sugar scrub makes my skin feels so smooth.  Jen, over at  Paint Cut Paste, shared this wonderful recipe with me and allowed me to share it with you! Her site is full of crafty kid goodness so be sure to check it out.

 Homemade Sugar Scrub:
Gather:

1/2 cup raw sugar (the brown kind)
joboba or sweet almond oil- I used olive because I so badly wanted to make this with out running to the store.
essential oil- I used lavender

How to make:
Just cover the sugar with the carrier oil in a jar, but don't fill it beyond that, then add about 20 drops of essential oil. Close the jar, shake, and enjoy!

Homemade Dog Biscuits- Simply Healthy

Here's a little known secret about me....after I was a reporter, but before I was a Mom, I started an all-natural dog biscuit bakery. I made doggie birthday cakes and biscuits for all occasions,  like the cakes shown above. Our most popular treats were "peanut butter barkers." Here is a "Simply Healthy" dog biscuit recipe that I know your four-legged friends will enjoy.

 Homemade Peanut Butter Barkers

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

-Combine together (add more flour if too sticky), roll out onto floured surface, cut into shapes with cookie cutter.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, turn off oven, leaving biscuits inside to harden and dry for 2 hours.

Taste-tested by these two cuties! These adorable pound puppies love to sleep on Olive's bed. I must say these two dogs are pretty smart as they join us everyday in our homeschool classroom!

 

Meet the rest of our family: A blue Betta named Alligator. I say to Jem every morning, "go feed your alligator."

 We also have a cool White's Tree Frog named Frosty, and two Green Frogs named Baby, and Micro. Frogs are actually a lot of fun to have and easy to take care of. Let me know if you want more info on frogs as pets.

Homemade Bubble Bath- Simply Healthy

We love to take bubble baths at our house! Here is a Simply Healthy recipe you can make at home with out Parabens and the other icky stuff that can be found in most products.
Lavender Bubble Bath
  1 quart Water
 1/2 cup Castile liquid soap (They have this at my Public's.)
  2 oz Coconut oil
  1 oz Glycerine (If you can't find this, use dove dish soap.)
  add a few drops of lavender essential oil and mix a little with your bath water. Enjoy!

                                                        Simply Healthy

Homemade Recycled Paper

Making Homemade Recycled Paper
Step 1: Shred about 2 cups of scrap paper and put in blender.

Step 2: Add about 1 cup of water.

Step 3: Blend well and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Step 4: Drain slowly through a strainer or wired mesh. Allow to dry in the sun.

This is a great idea for teaching the 3R's- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
I should add that our paper turned out thick. You can draw on it, but it would crack in tiny pieces when folded. It would make a nice embellishment to a card.

Simply Healthy- Homemade Fabric Softener

                                                                  Simply Healthy
Homemade Fabric Softener
Things you'll need:
large container
baking soda
distilled white vinegar
water
essential oil

-I use a large pot to mix the ingredients together.

-Add 1 cup of baking soda to the pot and then 1 cup of water to the baking soda.

-Add 6 cups of distilled white vinegar to the mix. The mixture will start to fizz, which will help to dissolve the baking soda.

-Add 6 more cups of water to the mix and the fizzing should stop.

-Stir to dissolve.

-Don't worry you won't smell like a pickle. Add about 15 drops of pure essential oil. Remember you can always add more if you want a stronger scent.

-I use my leftover fabric softener bottles to store my homemade softener.

When it's time to do the laundry, add 1 cup of your homemade fabric softener to your final rinse. I use this fabric softener ball when I do my laundry.  Just add the same amount to it.

I find that my clothes turn out just as nice with this recipe. It's a simply healthy alternative to store bought brands.
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Simply Healthy- Veggie Wash

Homemade Doll Sling Tutorial

Every child needs a cute doll sling for their special baby and they are simple to make.

Instructions:

Step 1:  Cut one yard of fabric in half lengthwise.  Fold the half lengthwise with like sides together (meaning the colorful fabric sides should be touching). I was able to make 2 slings with 1 yard of fabric.

Step 2:  Sew the open (long) side together, you'll be making a tub. Both ends of the tube should remain open.

Step 3: Slip the fabric around your child and take note on what length the sling should be. Slip one open end into the other open end. You may wish to trim excess fabric at one end. Sew across with a zig-zag stitch and close the sling.

Step 4: Slip the doll sling over your child, pull the fabric apart, and place your child's doll inside.

View from the back.

Olive said she was able to get her baby to sleep a lot faster with her new sling. I hope your child enjoys this cute project as much as my girls.

This post is linked to:  Handmade Holiday

Crochet Doll Tiara

I have been teaching myself to crochet thanks to Kira's help over at Just Like June. She has some great tutorials that have started me off the right path. To be honest, this is actually my second time trying to learn. The first time...I tried to make a baby blanket for Olive before she was born, but it turned into a baby cape!

I basically made 3 rows of single stitch, then somehow stitched 6 and connected it to every third loop...I'm just getting started, but the girls were happy that I was able to make something for their doll. Maybe I'll be able to make a blanket by Christmas...wish me luck.

Homemade Erector Set

All I have to say is HOORAY for Dad! He hit a home run with this idea for his girls.

 

 

They played for hours erecting shapes and forts out of scrap pieces of wood. Dad drilled holes into the wood and provided a bowl with screws, washers, nuts, a wrench, and a screw driver.

 

 It just goes to show that simply gifts are still the greatest. Dad showed them how to twist the nuts onto the screws and even build a small ladder. If your hubby has made a great Dad invention for your kids, please post the link in the comment section below. Dad invented, Mom approved!

 

Playdough under the sea

I found the perfect playdough recipe, it's just like the real stuff! Olive and Jem both agree that it's soft and easy to mold. They spent a good part of an hour playing with this new blue dough. They had a good time pretending that their little animals were under the sea.

Perfect Playdough
1 c. flour
1/2 cup salt
1 T. cooking oil
1 T. cream of tartar
1 c. water
Food coloring of your choice
Add-ins of your choice (i.e. spices, extracts, glitter, etc.)

Stir ingredients together into a saucepan. Over medium heat cook the dough until it pulls away from the pan. Lay onto a cutting board and knead well, it will be hot to touch. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Here is a fun chocolate playdough recipe from My Montessori Journey and Counting Coconuts has a variety of fun colors here.