simple life: soap making

here are a few pictures of some soaps i have been working on ... 

happy fathers day!

have a great fathers day today!

simple life: flowers

i wish i could tell you that i have this amazing knack for growing anything...

but i can't...so i won't.

but i do have a few things that have managed to survive. 

this little pot of floral loveliness i bought for $3.50 @ the farmers market wednesday.

(i know 2 days ago but it still is green & has flowers so i am excited!)

mimosa tree in our front yard.

(moved in 6 years ago, so i have to chalk up that it's living to the previous owners)

petunias that are on my front porch.

(2 weeks ago and amazingly still have blooms...my friend told me that these are hard to kill.)

here's another picture of the petunias.

simple recipes: strawberry shortcake

if your looking for something fresh, light and a bit of sweetness then this is for you!

strawberry shortcake

ingredients:

1 lb strawberries sliced thin

shortcakes

fat free cook whip

and woo-lah for about $3 you have a fun summer treat for the whole family!

simple cleaning tips: homemade laundry soap

ingredients:

1 cup grated soap

(fel naptha, ivory, old fashioned lye, any soap you want to use)

1 cup borax

1 cup purex

1 cup washing soda

• in a stainless steel pot add 8 cups warm water on medium heat
• add the 1 cup of grated soap
• stirring until dissolved (about 15 minutes)

(will bubble a bit)

• remove from heat
• add to soap mixture - 1 cup borax, 1 cup purex, 1 cup washing soda
• stir until dry detergent is dissolved
• add 3 gallons of warm water to the bucket
• add soap mixture
• stir well

• cover with a lid
• let sit for 24 hours
• will have a gelatin like consistency on the top after 24 hours
• stir really well
• pour into containers (recycled milk jugs, old laundry soap containers)
• shake well before each use
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup per load

(this laundry soap saves me a ton & it's not full of all those crazy chemicals)

simple weekly shopping list: 6/5/2011

i use price matching & coupons paired with fabulous sales to get the best bang for my buck! i generally just go to walmart to save time and because they have a great coupon/price matching policy.

(this is my grocery list for the week)

price match to aldi's

sweet onions $0.30/lb

price match to frick's

ronzoni garden delight pasta $0.99 ($1 coupon in the 5/15 ss)

the rest of the list not price matched...

marketside organic salad $5.98

milk $3.68

tomato plant $9.96

eggland's best organic eggs $3.29 ($0.50 coupon in the 5/1 ss)

(i know it seems like i don't buy a lot, but i stock up on things when they are really @ a great price, so since this week was a so-so week we will be eating from the pantry & freezer)

simple cleaning tips: easy microwave clean up

ok...confession time...

i hate cleaning out the microwave!

that is until my bff told me about a super quick & easy way to clean it.

place a damp washcloth in the microwave

microwave for 30 seconds

then wipe the microwave out

the steam from the washcloth loosens dried food.

honestly, it takes me like 2 minutes to clean out the microwave now.

and look!

all clean!

(my momma would be proud)