We Like Making Our Own Stuff

This homemade body spray recipe is both simple to make and inexpensive. All you need are four ingredients and a little time. You will want to begin by eating some oranges.  In fact, make your whole family eat an orange, because you need some peels!  The peels will go into a pot with just enough water to barely cover them.  Be careful not to use too much water, or your orange fragrance will be too dilute. Bring the water to a boil, and then immediately cover the pot with its lid and remove from heat.  Allow the pot to sit for 12 to 24 hours. When you take the lid off the next day, you will see that a lot of the liquid is gone. If you dip your finger into the liquid, you may notice that it feels somewhat oily.  That's good!  It's orange oil, extracted from your peels. To get the most oil out of your peels, you'll want to squeeze the crap out of them.  Pour the liquid and peels into a cotton tea towel or jelly bag that you ...

If you've got kids in school, chances are mornings can feel a bit rushed.  But don't send the kids to school hungry.  Instead, fix them this quick breakfast wrap, perhaps with a few chunks of cheese or a side of scrambled eggs.  If you'd like, skip buying the packaged tortillas and make your own ahead of time.   PB, J, & Banana Breakfast Wrap Ingredients: 1 flour tortilla 2 Tablespoons peanut butter 1 Tablespoon jam 1 banana 1.  Spread peanut butter and jam down the center of the tortilla. 2.  Place the banana in the center of the tortilla, cutting the banana down to fit if necessary. 3.  Roll it up and eat! “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It'...

For the past few weeks, life has been pretty busy for me (see my belated announcement in the second half of this post--thought I'd build some suspense), and so my poor blog has been horribly neglected.  So now, I will dust off the cobwebs and sweep the dust bunnies out the door in order to give you my favorite DIY pins on Pinterest.  Just click on the picture to be taken to the pin. Incidentally, if you are on Pinterest and would like to follow my pins , I would be honored, and feel somewhat obliged to follow you back. DIY Cooking Homemade Cream of Wheat.  Yummy breakfast indeed!     Source: theelliotthomestead.blogspot.com via calendula on Pinterest   Homemade Pita Pockets taste so much better than store-bought. Source: underthehighchair.com via calendula on Pinterest   Homemade Mayonnaise is way healthier than anything you'll find at the grocery store. Source: realfoodkosher.com via calendula o...

This recipe for banana bread is an old one (those are the best kinds) that I have altered somewhat over the years I have been making it. It contains a secret ingredient that will create a moist and tasty banana bread--the secret is sour cream ! First, I will post the original recipe, which comes from an old church cookbook I have.  Incidentally, this is not the first recipe I've posted from this cookbook.  You can also check out my post on Refrigerator Pickles for another great recipe from this cookbook. Banana Bread (Original Recipe) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup mashed bananas 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups flour Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and salt. Beat again. Add bananas. Add baking soda to sour cream. Add to above mixture along with flour. Grease 2 medium loaf pans or a 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees until it loosens from side of pan and tests done. -Myrtle Kuehling Now, the original r...

I've been feeling, let's just say, not so beautiful lately.  You know, you hear people talk about that beautiful pregnant glow...well, I'm really not feeling that glow so much lately.  I feel more like a beached whale or a hog.  A pregnant hog. I wanted to do something to make me feel a little more pretty (prettier than a hog anyway), and I kind of felt like dying my hair, but I'm not crazy about the idea of inhaling that nasty dye smell right now.  I had done a post in the past called Homemade Hair Color , but I felt like trying something a little different this time.  Which is why I decided on trying henna. What is henna? Henna is a plant that has been used thousands of years to color hair and tattoo skin.  It produces a reddish dye that will only temporarily color skin, but permanently colors hair.  Henna is non-toxic and safe to use during pregnancy. Where can I get henna? If you are lucky enough to live in a warm climate, you can grow yo...

Make your own purse out of an old hard-cover book. Do you know someone with a purse fetish?  I do, and she just had a 50th birthday! It's my mom!  And she's a little devil who also happens to have a thing for purses.  And what kind of gift do you give a mom who has a thousand purses? After brainstorming for a while, I decided on a book purse.  I've never seen her (or anyone for that matter) with a book purse before, and it seemed like it would be a pretty simple project.  So, I dashed off to the thrift store in search of the perfect book, and found this one: At a few inches thick, it was a pretty hefty book; it was around 10 inches long and 6 inches across.  When you are deciding which book to choose for this project, just keep the user in mind and what they'll likely carry in it.  For example, I know my mom is going to want something a bit roomy and wide enough to carry her checkbook.  The book seemed a bit heavy when I purcha...