Happy Easter! Perfect Dinner Rolls & Easter Basket Goodies

Happy Easter!  With all this lovely sunshine I hope you are enjoying some Easter Egg hunts.  This year, my great-aunt is hosting Easter dinner, yay!, so I'm off the hook for cooking the ham and all the sides.  I am bring the rolls.  Store bought rolls didn't sound so exciting.  My girlfriend Angela had brought over some rolls for my family, and they were soooo good I just had to make some myself.  These are the Perfect Dinner Rolls.

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


2 tsp. active dry yeast


3 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk


2 Tbsp. sugar
1

 1/2 tsp. salt


1/4 cup butter, softened


2/3 cup lukewarm water


1/2 cup lukewarm milk

melted butter, for brushing on top

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the melted butter) and stir until you have a soft dough. Knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — until you have a soft, smooth dough.  This takes about 5 minutes in a KitchenAid.

Set the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for an hour or so, until it’s doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough by knocking it down with your hands, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Lightly grease two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans and arrange 8 buns in each pan. Cover the pans and allow the buns to rise another hour, until they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the buns and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. Remove the buns from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Serve warm.

Makes about 16 buns.

*If you double the recipe, this makes a 9*13 and 8*8 pan.*

There are tons of pins on Pinterest about Easter basket ideas, like More than 30 things Other than Candy for Easter Eggs and I used them, because a 3 year old and almost 1 year old on candy can be scary.  A few hits in our girl house: lipgloss, bath poofs, socks, recorders, hair brushes and bows, and a preschool laptop.

The best tip I can give about buying things for Valentine's Day, or Easter, or quick little birthday giveaways: shop after holiday clearance for the next upcoming one!  By shopping Target and Wal-Mart after Christmas and Valentine's Day I was able to get massive savings on items not labeled for a specific holiday.  I mean, who cares that the Hershey Kisses are red, pink, and white?  Things like toiletries and make up are fabulous finds at $.50-$2.50.  I stocked up on Hard Candy lip glosses - $.25 each after Christmas and was able to use them for small gift ideas for Valentine's Day, Easter, and a birthday!

Good luck shopping!

How to Treat Jeans that Bleed Dye

I bought some lovely jeans recently, and found the hard way that they bleed dye.  Today I used the pin: How to Keep Your Jeans from Bleeding while doing laundry.  This pin was written by a beauty magazine writer who pointed out 5 new things to me:

1. Cheap jeans and quality jeans both bleed dye
2. Wash all your jeans before wearing them in cold water
3. 1 Cup of vinegar thrown in the rinse will help "seal the dye or lessen the amount the denim bleeds" - she got that from a denim source
4. If the bleeding is severe, soak your jeans in a bathtub of cold water and vinegar overnight, then rinse before wearing
5. Never put your jeans through the dryer (I will note: never put your nice jeans through the dryer)

Friday, March 29 - "To Die for Pot Roast"

Using my Homemade Ranch and Italian Dressing Mixes I was able to quickly whip up: "To Die for Pot Roast".  Yum-o!  And super easy, this should be in every household's cookbook!

"To Die for Pot Roast" serve with mashed potatoes and veggies
1 roast
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 dry Ranch Dressing mix
1/2  dry Italian Dressing mix
1/2 Cup water
*Add roast to Crockpot, sprinkle mixes over and then add water.
***Note: I added 1 Cup of water and will omit the salt next time in the dry Italian Dressing mix.***

Thursday, March 28 - DIY Dry Ranch Dressing Mix & DIY Dry Italian Dressing Mix

I wanted to make a roast for Friday night and try out a new recipe, I found one that needed two dry dressing mixes.  After having success making Dry Onion Soup Mix, I thought that I could try making my own.  Totally cheap, fast, and easy - all the ingredients were in my spice racks!

Italian - try without salt!

• DIY Dry Italian Dressing Mix

• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 tablespoons salt  
  
  
  DIY Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
  
  
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    
    
    3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Ranch

How to Style Eyebrows & How to Choose and Cut a Melon

How to Style Eyebrows is a pin that I really needed to find.  I have light colored, sparse eyebrows that happen to not grow back very well from a bad eyebrow waxing experience at 16 - I have to give some color to look like I'm not an alien.  Use this, love this, say no to alien face look  alike!

My second pin is: How to Choose and Cut a Melon, is awesome!  I've used it to pick some very juicy muskmelon (not cantaloupe!) and honeydew, and I know that I'll be using this all summer long.  I was surprised that it was easier to cut the rind off the melon before cutting into the melon, like I normally do.  The tutorial is for watermelons, but it can be applied to all melons.

Tuesday, March 26 - Swiffer Refill DIY

Check it out!  This pin actually worked, I'm totally shocked.  I saw the pin, DIY Swiffer Refill, I tried opening an emptied Swiffer bottle and it is difficult!  After reading this pin, I am sold and will never buy another refill again - go green and save green.

To do:
Place in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Use a towel, twist (it felt like I was twisting the wrong way) the top off.
Fill with cleaner of your choice (Orange Vinegar Cleaner!)
Replace cap and you're good to go!


**I'm sorry this post is late, we have a lovely teething baby in our household, and the saying "sleeping like a baby": is a lie.

End Nagging and Negotiating in 3 Words!

In case you can't tell, my kid is frickin' adorable.  There, I've said it.  Inside and out, she is golden and I know that while the Mister and I have put in a lot of work, her little personality is largely responsible for her awesomeness.  She's 3.  I did mention 3 right?  As in the trying 3's?  Yes, and she questions every little thing!  It's not even begging or whining really, just parroting everything all the time.  We try to be very patient, and explain, but honestly, sometimes I think she does it just to talk.  It's difficult at times.

So when I came across the pin End Nagging and Negotiating with 3 Simple Words I was intrigued and read the article from Positive Parenting Solutions.  I found that I could apply this technique to our little parrot who doesn't always wait and listen for the answers to her questions.

Basically when a child asks a repeated question, the parent asks "Did you ask_____?", the child answers, "yes", and then the parent asks "Were you answered?", and the child answers, "yes", and the parent can then just say "Asked and Answered" and that's the end!  If the question is asked again, all the parent needs to say is, "Asked and Answered."  It worked!

The writer said that it is important to: not change your answer, and to make it a family thing (both spouses).  This technique is supposed to work from toddler to teen and is very effective with children with autism, as it helps focus a line of thought.

Sunday, March 24 - Shower Curtain Rings Uses #2: Purse Hanging

I have a lot of purses, I take pretty good care of them and keep them for years.  They are loved, but not the space they take in my very cramped closet.  How to solve the problem?  Shower Curtain Rings to the rescue!  Using Shower Curtain Rings to Hang Purses is genius and I was surprised at how well it worked and how much weight the shower curtain rings could manage!  I put 3-5 purses on each ring, depending on weight and am so pleased that I was able to free up a Steralite tote in my closet!

Saturday, March 23 - Shower Curtain Rings Uses #1: Scarf Organizing

So, I've realized that my weekends aren't really mine.  Sorry, weekend posts might be lumped together on Mondays, just so I can have more family time on the weekends.

I'm trying to organize my horribly messy closet, it's time to go through clothes and donate, mend, keep, or trash.  I realized an hour into it that, this sucks.  Royally.  Hangers are at a premium and while I have been known to run to Wally World in pjs at 2am, I really didn't want to.  So how to condense to free up some hangers?  Enter Shower Curtain Rings, yay!  By Using Shower Curtain Rings as a Scarf Holder I was able to reclaim 4 hangers!  Woot woot!  Don't do more than 9 rings on one hanger unless your scarves are all lightweight, otherwise your hanger might break!

10 Awesome Ways to make Cleaning Fun for Kids

When my 3 year old started getting a bit too complacent about leaving messes for "mommy cleans up" I knew it was time to change a few things in our house!  10 Awesome Ways to make Cleaning Fun for Kids is a great list of ideas to help teach kiddos this responsibility, yes responsibility!  They live here, they use things, make messes, and learn through play gets messy!  I stress to my princess that we take care of our things so we can use them again and pick them up off the floor so they don't get stepped on and broken (this has happened).

Our favorite cleaning is vacuuming.  We have a child sized vacuum and a pink and white dust buster that is just the right size for a 3 year old.  Before we vacuum we pick up the toys, 'so mommy doesn't get them or bonk them'.  When we've finished vacuuming the room is perfect for somersaults, or for all the couch cushions and pillows to jump on while mommy vacuums all the crumbs!  Check out the list, and then get cleaning!

Thursday, March 21 - Grapefruit Mint Vinegar Cleaner

I've switched to household cleaners and now orange vinegar cleaners in my kitchen.  My first bottle just ran out and I was so excited to use another scent recipe for vinegar cleaners!  4 Vinegar Cleaner Recipes has some great ideas on how to minimize the 'vinegar' scent in vinegar cleaners.  I made "Grapefruit Mint" and it is a much more mild 'vinegar' scent.

Whenever my family eats citrus, I put the rind in a mason jar with a plastic screw on lid.  When the jar is full, fill with white vinegar and let it sit for at least 2 weeks, I may or may not add spices to add scent.  I pour it into an old 409 bottle and if there's still room after the vinegar (just the vinegar, no rinds) I fill with water to top it off.  I use it quite liberally around my kitchen and the bottle lasts 2-3 months.  Each bottle costs roughly $0.10, and I'm looking to switch vinegar cleaners for other household cleaners, like this and my Homemade Shower and Tub Spray.

Vinegar cleaners don't have to be so icky smelling!

Wednesday, March 20 - Binoculars

Guess what pin?  Toilet Paper Rolls Binoculars!  My princess loves these!  She wore them to the park, to the store, and while she napped.  We first painted them, then when dry, taped them together, and used a hole punch to thread yarn for a neck strap.

Wreath of the Month: Spring Burlap Wreath

My Wreath of the Month for March is a little late, but I think it's so cute!  Spring Burlap Wreath!  The nice thing about burlap is that it can be used for many different seasonal wreaths, and with this wreath my accents are removable, so I can just reuse the wreath and just add different seasonal accents!

Ta-Da!

To Make:

• Use the "scrunch and bunch" method, described in my Deco Mesh Wreath tutorial with your base and burlap. I still haven't used one of those wire wreath bases, if you do, just weave your burlap and fluff and rearrange afterwards.
• Add accents: bows, flowers,etc using floral wire.  I got my ornaments from Hobby Lobby.

Supplies

Burlap base wreath

Inspiration Pin

Flowers that can survive a Frost & How to Clean Up Carpet after Potty Training (Works for Pet Accidents Too!)

Flowers that can survive a Frost comes from local Utah radio station and was very helpful for me in picking flowers for my garden.  My girlies and I had a fun 2 hours planting pansies, primroses, and ranunculus plants.  The local scenery right now ranges from brown to gray, so bright yellow and green and red really perk up my mood when I step outside my front and back door.  I tried planting bulbs before winter, but they got confused and popped up before the snows - I'm not too sure that they'll grow properly, so this is a nice back up plan for some flower power!

How to Clean Urine Out of Carpet is a must pin for parents going through potty training, and for any parent or pet owner because every now and then there is an accident.  Using a stack of towels, baking soda, Dawn dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar you can clean you carpets as well as commercial carpet cleaner.  First blot the spot, apply a vinegar and water solution, blot the spot, sprinkle liberally with baking soda, work in with a brush or rag a solution of 1 teaspoon Dawn and 1/2 Cup hydrogen peroxide.  Allow to dry completely, then vacuum.  This was the easiest cleaning tutorial online I could find.                        

Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  Aren't my lucky charms cute?

No pinches today!

I was making stew for our St. Patty's dinner, when I realized that I was out of dry onion soup mix.  Sucks!  Shopping on Sundays is an emergency situation only, like coming home from vacation and having no food, being on vacation on the road with no food, or medical emergencies needing a pharmacy.  So, thank you internet!

Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix is 4 basic ingredients that most pantries already have, and is very inexpensive, seriously, I'm never buying the little pouches again!  This mix can last 6 months in an airtight container, so make some and you'll be set!  This is my version, adapted from food.com:

1 cube = 1 teaspoon bouillon granules

Dry Onion Soup Mix

makes 1 pouch

• 4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed (4 teaspoons granules)
• 8 teaspoons dried onion flakes, or dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (the original recipe calls for 'seasoned pepper' but this worked just fine)

***Sorry to be a bit late, but I'll be making this wreath for my March Wreath of the Month!***

Saturday, March 16 - L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray

I took 2 days for this post to give a more accurate review of this product.

I tried L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray as my pin for the day.  10 drugstore beauty finds better than department store buys lists this as the "it" hairspray and after reading online, it seems to be the case.  The hairspray is part of a larger European line and sadly not every piece of that line is available in the United States (I wanted to try the flexible hold that comes in a white canister).

I found that this product worked well, it doesn't make hair stiff or sticky, and for peeps with thin hair like me this is a great fit.  I like that there is no cap to remove or lose, and the spray nozzle doesn't get clogged or twisted in the wrong direction and you accidentally, but on purpose spray someone.

However, it stunk!  Stink, stank, stunk!  Many All negative online reviews were concerning odor.  I had to work up the courage to spray it a second time, and the second time I sprayed it, it didn't stink as badly.  I will try again, and if the smell is better I will keep it, if not it's going back to Wal-Mart!

This hairspray is salon priced, Wal-Mart is the cheapest at $12; that's a steep jump from my Rave $2 spray.

***UPDATE 3/19/13*** AFTER THE 3RD USE THE HAIRSPRAY SMELLS NICE, LIKE CHANEL #5!

Quick "Dressy" Napkin Fold

From my For the Home pinboard comes Napkin Folding Photo How To.  I believe that fabric napkins are truly a neglected household item, honestly, how much money is spent on paper napkins/towels in your household?  And its really sad that dinner table manners and settings (along with etiquitte) are a thing of the past, only brought out for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

We use fabric napkins, there's an everyday set and then the nice set for parties and holidays spent at home.  I usually just do a quick 8 fold pattern, so this pin seemed great and it quickly dresses up the table.  To use for party settings, iron after each fold.  This is a great improvement over trying to fold a napkin into a flower.

Open-Ended Painting

 From my Family and Kid Activities pinboard came the idea for Open-Ended Painting - it's on like 6 pins, so I'm listing my board rather than each individual pin.  The point of the activity is to have fun, and the purpose of "open-ended" is to put the focus on the process not the product of the activity.

I bought a lovely roll of art paper from IKEA, unrolled it and had a variety of sponges, paints, and brushes for my girlie and her buddy to use during their playdate.  They spent over an hour painting various surfaces and had a blast (except for when the buddy got painted)!  I also had a washing station and required them to wipe down before entering on the carpet, but that ended up as an extension of their painting, so I carried them in and used the kitchen sink to clean them up.

We used tempura paint I got at Hobby Lobby, and while it wasn't "washable" I mixed in Dawn dish soap and haven't had any laundry or wall paint issues that I couldn't handle.

Giant Bubbles and Homemade Wand

 Today the girlies had a playdate at the park: BYOB Bring Your Own Bubbles!  We tried making our own giant bubbles and it was a success!  From my Family and Kid Activities pinboard I tried out 3 different pins: Giant Bubbles recipe (with Cornstarch), giant bubbles and wand-making tutorial, and Omaha Children's Museum Bubble Juice Recipe (with Karo syrup).  My wand was made out of a wooden dowel, cotton yarn, and glue: this was my only cost for the day since all the bubble juice ingredients were already in my kitchen.  I didn't take any pictures while making wands, the wand tutorial is easy enough to follow, and while I made the wands child-sized, it is the same procedure to make adult-sized and it only costs the price of one more wooden dowel.

Winner!

I tried out two different bubble juice recipes because I didn't want to go through all the effort of the experimental bubbles, only to fail while at the park.  I was surprised to find that the Giant Bubbles recipe (with Cornstarch) was very reliable in producing big bubbles.  If you've never tried using cornstarch before, be aware that it clumps and will settle to the bottom of your liquid, so you will need to stir before and sometimes during use.  I cut the recipe in half and transported it in an old OXIclean container, there was plenty!  Giant Bubble Recipe:

1. 6 cups cold water
2. 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 
3. 1/2 cup cornstarch
4. 1 Tablespoon baking powder

Use when 'milky' looking, stir when it settles

Mix cornstarch and baking powder, add water and stir until no clumps.  Slowly stir in the Dawn.  Let sit an hour before use, and stir again.  **When you stir try not to create bubbles.** 

Karo Syrup, Dawn, Water = FAIL

Drug Store Knockoffs - MAC make up

My pin today Wet 'n Wild "Walking on Eggshells" trio claims to be the same as MAC "Shroom", "Cork", and "Naked Lunch".  I love these three colors, they are by far my favorite eyeshadows.  After using the Wet 'n Wild trio I found it to be a nice cheap alternative, but have three cons: the pigment is very shimmery in all the colors - even more so on skin, you must use a base eyeshadow to adhere it otherwise it creases and slips through the day, and I could not open the eyeshadow case!  It literally broke my nail, wrecked my polish, and took a knife to open!  It's a good cheap alternative, but I will still be buying the real deal whenever possible - but saving $38 on eyeshadow is really hard to argue with.  Gotta love Wal-Mart!

I STILL CAN'T OPEN THIS CASE WITHOUT USING A KNIFE AFTER A WEEK!

How to fix broken make-up

Before

My new favorite eyeshadow, "Naked Lunch", broke!  I've been trying to use it, but the clumps get in my brush then fall out all over the place.  Thankfully, I remembered today (after putting on my face!) that I had pinned How to fix any powder compact.  

Here's how to:

1. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol, the higher the percentage, the faster it dries.
2. Smoosh the make up with your finger to paste consistency.
3. Smooth it as best you can.
4. Let it dry!  Overnight is best.

After

If you're concerned about any alcohol on your skin or color change in your make up, don't worry because the alcohol completely dries and won't affect your face or your color.  You can do this with any powdered make up!

Make Pretend Make Up

I made Pretend Make Up using Nail Polish today for my big princess.  She loves them!  A few large make up brushes that I no longer use and glittery lipgloss complete her morning face routine - she is sooooo cute at 3!

To make your own "make up" wash and dry an old cosmetic container, then fill with nail polish and allow to dry.  Very easy and quick, I was surprised that the "face powder" make up was the most exciting because it looked like mommy's.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

Looks like I've been baking, huh?  Nope!  My final stab at homemade laundry detergent and it's powdered this time.  On my Homemade or Natural Remedies pinboard there are like 4 different laundry detergent recipes, and after comparing them, I made my own recipe.  I used Zote laundry soap bars, because I was gifted them, but you can use Fels Naptha soap bars instead.  There seems to be a few online reviews that state that Fels Naptha soap made white loads turn dingy, but the ladies in my local area that use it have no problems.  *Positive reasons for using Fels Naptha: it is found in every Walmart and most groceries, and if for some reason your clothing comes in contact with poison oak, ivy, or sumac Fels Naptha is one of the few soaps that can remove the irritating oils from fabric - normal detergent showed that it took up to 18 months of normal washing to remove the oils!*  Zote is a Mexican laundry bar that comes in white or pink and is usually only sold in latin areas.  My Rancho Market carries them and they go on sale for $.50!  Also, in my laundry recipe there is no OxyClean, I did this because I like to add it to the loads that I think need it, I don't think that my towels need OxyClean.

Kristin's Powder Laundry Detergent

3 Zote bars, grated
1 box Washing Soda
1 large box Baking Soda
1 box Borax

Mix in a large container, try not to inhale any powder when you dump in the boxes.  To use: 2 Tablespoons per load, or 1/2 a scooper from your old laundry soap - you can place it in the normal soap dispenser in he or regular washing machines.

I don't know yet how much per load it will cost, I'm keeping track, but this is what my batch cost me:

3 Zote bars ($1.50)  free
Washing Soda         $3.24
Baking Soda            $2.24
Borax                       $3.38

Total: $8.86

It made a ton!  I am using this cute IKEA bin to hold it all, and keep a little fork/spatula thingy to stir when needed.

Free Apps for Preschoolers

I created a new pinboard, Ipod Apps & Family Sites.  My oldest princess is very interested in computers and our smart phones, and while I normally just type into the App Store "Free Preschool App", it's nice to know which apps are good, so I don't have to waste my time (or when I actually buy them, money!).  I downloaded 3 new apps, Free App of the Day takes you to a website that features a tested app that is free and gives a detailed description and why it's any good.

I installed 'abc magic', 'abc magic 2', and 'abc magic 3' I liked them, even though to me it seemed silly, the focus is on phonics with letter to object and object to object sound recognition.  There were other focuses in this family of 'abc magic' apps, sentence building, spelling, etc.

I really like that there are no ads in these apps!

Get MAC make-up for Free!

My pin comes from My Style Pinboard, MAC make-up has to be my favorite brand of cosmetics.  I love the use of make-up as art and no other company has so many fun colors with such staying power!  If I decide to grace the world with my face in color, I want the effort to be worthwhile and to last!

MAC has a program called "Back to MAC", which is a recycling program.  Save any 6 plastic, glass, or metal containers from MAC and return them to a MAC counter in your mall or MAC store and you receive a lipstick of your choice as a thank you!  That's a $15 lipstick!  So each container is worth $2.50!

Capricious a 'Lustre' lipstick

Today was my first time using this rumored program, and I'm pretty excited because I use MAC for undercover concealer and powder - I didn't know before that they accepted the little plastic tubes from the undercover!  I've tossed like 8!  Agh!  Now I will be a free lipstick queen in a short time.  I have found that I like lipstick better than lipgloss because of lipstick's staying power, hair doesn't get stuck in it, and the tube of lipstick lasts longer.

18 Liquid Castile Soap Uses #9 - Foot Soak

From my Homemade or Natural Remedies pinboard, I'm continuing my 18 Liquid Castile Soap Uses with Foot Soak.  Just fill a bucket or bathtub with water as hot as you can handle and add a dash of liquid castile soap.  Soak feet to refresh, or to soften heels before pumicing and giving yourself a pedicure.  There are pros and cons to using liquid castile soap vs. epsom salts for feet soaking, but for me, in the future I will probably just use whatever's on hand since price and prep time are about the same.

Baked Potatoes and a Lemonade Bar

I rarely make baked potatoes, we are mashed people in our home, but for church I was asked to bake a dozen potatoes for a dinner party. "Sure", I respond while thinking, 'How do I do it again?'.  3 Ways to a Baked Potato was a nice refresher:

1. Bake a naked potato at 425 for 40-60 minutes for crispy skin.
2. Wrap potato in foil, then bake at 425 for 40-60 minutes.  Will have a soft skin and stay warm.
3. Rub oil on potato and nuke in microwave on high for 5 minutes, flip and nuke another 3-5 minutes.  If it's still hard, continue for another minute or until it splits.  Super soft skin.

For my Lemonade bar, I made cutesy labels using a new font from my Fonts and Printables pinboard.  From 15 Free Fonts I used "Strawberry Limeade" and loved it!  Very fun font!

For my lemonade, I used just plain ol' CountryTime powdered lemonade and let it sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours to dissolve and get rid of any icky taste.  My New Recipes to Try pinboard has many fruity lemonade recipes.  What I did was use frozen fruit (it's not yet Spring) and simple syrup (water and sugar boiled) pulverized in a Ninja blender - which was AWESOME!  Guests layered their own beverages with ice, fruit syrup, then lemonade and used paper straws to stir!

Cleaning a Glass Cooktop

My pin tonight comes from my For the Home pinboard, it's How to Clean a Glass Cooktop.  My photos didn't turn out as nicely as the articles, so to see the pics, please follow the link.  The articles instructions were a bit wordy and way too detailed, but don't worry, I got your back.

How to clean a glass cooktop, Kristin-style:

1. Wash off your cooktop with hot soapy water and a dishcloth.
2. Sprinkle wet cooktop with baking soda, no such thing as "too much".
3. Let it sit a bit, like 5-10 minutes, or until the next commercial break.  Sometimes, I just leave the washcloth on top of the soda to save myself 5 seconds.
4. Using a wet/damp washcloth gently rub cooktop with the baking soda paste in circles.
5. You should be able to see the baking soda turn an icky color, the color depends on what mess you made.  Mine ranges from brown, to black, and every now and then, green.  That's how you know it's working.
6. Wash off icky baking soda paste.
7. Done!  Repeat if necessary.

I did this tonight, but I was lazy.  While spraying down my countertops with my Orange Vinegar Cleaner I sprayed my cooktop, and then sprinkled my baking soda.  After it was done fizzing, I used my countertop cleaning rag to scrub it up.  It works for me!

DIY: Wedding Day White Teeth

I tried Dr. Oz teeth whitening to no avail, and while my teeth look nice, I want them whiter!  So I'm trying another pin from my Homemade or Natural Remedies pinboard - Wedding Day White Teeth.  It had a ton of re-pins and the ingredients and procedure looked user-friendly.

Use:
1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide
1 tsp. baking soda
Mix into:
a normal dab of toothpaste
and combine with:
1/2 tsp. water

Brush teeth for 2 minutes, once a week until desired color is achieved.  After desired color is achieved limit whitening to 1-2 times monthly.

It was runny at first, but then got foamy and a tad messy.  The taste was a little bit better than Dr. Oz's recipe, but was way salty and it did burn a smidge, especially on my chin!  I'll keep doing this and hopefully will have a positive result in time for my birthday!

Photo on left is my teeth after Dr. Oz, photo on right is after today's recipe.

**I have to figure out a better way to take pictures of my teeth, these look weird - sorry!