How to make your own vanilla extract

Do you know what is in vanilla flavoring? That's a question going around social media right now and the answer is pretty gross. Vanilla flavoring is different than vanilla extract though, and the extract is far better for cooking and baking! Luckily there is an easy way to make your own vanilla extract and it only uses 2 ingredients. 

This is super simple to make, and it is a perfect gift for the foodie or baker in your life! If you get started now it'll be ready in time for the holidays.

Now this isn't going to be the cheapest recipe you make! Vanilla beans are not cheap which is why if you go in the store you will see that natural or pure extract is vastly different than vanilla flavoring in price. Different by about $8 for a small bottle, or more. 

You can find vanilla flavorings in the dollar stores. They taste fine so I'm not trying to talk you away from buying them if that's in your price range. However imitation vanilla flavoring is made with a secretion from a beavers anal glands. Yeah, that's as gross as it sounds!

Easiest way to preserve hot peppers

Ok, so in reality this is probably the easiest way to preserve any type of pepper, but since I mostly preserve hot peppers every year I'm going to focus on those! Why do I preserve so many hot peppers, you ask? Well, it's because I don't like them...so 'we' certainly can't eat them all during the growing season. 

My husband loves hot peppers though and by preserving them when their growing at their peak in summer, he has plenty for his pastas, pizzas and sandwiches all winter long. Plus, saving our own peppers means we don't have to pay a premium price for fresh peppers in winter! (I love that part!)

The easiest way to preserve peppers is to simply clean, chop and freeze them. Not only is it a super simple method for preserving hot peppers, but they hold up great to freezing and do not lose any color or flavor when thawed.

The easiest solar herb drying method ever!

I've always wanted to make a solar dehydrator. I've looked at solar dehydrator plans and kits but never really wanted to invest the money for a kit, or the time to build one myself. However, I love the idea of being able to dehydrate herbs without using electric. Plus, I dehydrate a lot of herbs in the summer and can always use extra space!

This past weekend I found a super simple solar method of drying herbs and I just have to tell you about it! Over the years I have used various methods of drying herbs including air drying by hanging, oven drying, microwave drying and my current favorite...using my dehydrator. 

That is until now, because I have discovered that the easiest way to dry herbs is to simply leave them in your car! Yep, that's really all there is to it and I stumbled upon this quite by accident.

Cheapest solar drying method ever!

Last weekend we went to the Renaissance Festival down in Pittsburgh. The parking lot was a huge field and all along the outer edges were Red Clover plants. The basic rule of foraging is to not take too many and ask permission. 

There really wasn't anyone around to ask, but this was a field they were slowly destroying by parking cars on it so I figured the unparked areas were fair game.

We were going into the festival and I was afraid if it was dark when I came out I would forget to grab a few, so I picked 1 perfect Red Clover blossom and placed it on my dashboard as a reminder. We locked up the truck and went into the festival for the next several hours.

Getting started with essential oils, frugally

I'm sure by now you've seen a billion testimonies about how essential oils are the best thing since sliced bread. People are talking about how they use essential oils for cleaning, healthcare, aromatherapy, pets, disease treatment etc etc. You've no doubt also taken a look at these products are realized just how much money it costs for some of these 'starter kits'. I've seen some that were almost $200! Ouch! So, how can you get started with essential oils without spending a ton of money?

There is a much cheaper way to get started with EOs! Not only is it cheaper to start, but you'll also find out if you really like and use them before you end up stuck with a 30 oil kit.

I simply started with a few individual bottles based on what I'm planning on using the oils for. I did some research and picked affordable brands that were well known to be high quality. I went with general oils like tea tree and lavender which aren't expensive to begin with. 

After I used those for awhile I added a 'set' of oils to my collection. As I got more experienced with them I branched out to more expensive brands, but let me explain my process so far....

Making campfire starters

About 2 years back I posted a tutorial on how to Make your own Fire Starters. The fire starters I made in that post were the small size. They are the perfect size for starting a fireplace fire. In the summer though, we don't use the fireplace but we do use the fire pit. Nothing says summer like a great big bonfire! 

I decided I better come up with a larger sized fire starter for the bonfires. If i didn't come up with something, hubby was going to continue to do it his way and that is a bad idea! (I'll give you a hint....his way includes massive amounts of gasoline and a big "Whoosh" as it ignites! Not safe!!) 

I dug around and found a few ideas to make much larger fire starters. These ones still use old wax and this time I'm recycling egg cartons and empty toilet paper tubes. Just like the first fire starters, these ones are really easy, and cheap. I'll show you how!

Cheap & Pretty Make up brush holders

I always try to do things cheaply. It's a curse really. Sometimes I come up with an idea and go "that will work" even though it isn't the most pleasing to look at. Such was the case with my makeup brush holder. 

At one point I got sick of my makeup brushes always falling to the bottom of my big makeup box. I had just read one of those 'A gazillion things to do with Crystal Light containers' posts and since it was fresh in my mind, I decided to use one of those! 

It worked just fine. It wasn't pretty, but it worked! Eventually though, I did notice how un-pretty it was and started thinking about what I could replace it with. I'm a dollar store junkie so it wasn't very long till I had come up with a $2 solution that looked rather nice on my dresser.

I cleaned my car (here's why you should too!)

I detailed the inside of my car today. It was the husbands idea. He's into the whole clean car thing. Like, really into it! I like having a clean car, but honestly it sometimes gets pushed aside amid all the running around I do. I mean, I've always been on board with having a clean car on the outside, but he's recently won me over to the clean side...inside the car too!

It just naturally gets messy in there! I don't think we're particularly rough on it, but we do eat in the car sometimes. (I do more often when I'm alone but shhhh, don't tell!) I drop kids off at school, work, practice, friends, grandparents etc etc.

It doesn't suddenly get dirty like some bizarre explosion, it's a slow buildup that often doesn't get noticed until its bad. Then he gets on my case about it and I finally clean it.

The funny thing is that even though I don't notice the dirt building up, I sure notice how nice it looks when it's clean! It's just so much nicer driving around in a clean car and it makes me feel just a little better as I go through my day. 

How to dye feathers cheaply

Easter is almost here and as I look at my list of crafts I want to make I notice one big issue, I'm going to need a lot of feathers. Not just any feathers though, multi colored ones! Some of these are very specific colors too. 

With 80 assorted poultry is residence I have plenty of feathers it's just a matter of getting them the color I want. Obviously I'm going to have to dye them, but how? So glad you asked, because I have 3 different feather dying methods that I decided to try out today.

5 "make your life easier'" Tips

I've noticed recently that there are a lot of little tips I know and do that I would love to pass on to you because I think they could help you too! As much as I would love to say "I'm going to do this posts every week...or month" or whatever...I know darn well it will get away from me and I will end up just giving up and forgetting about it. (see my chicken blog for examples lol) So, I am giving you the first installment of 5 Make Your Life Easier tips. This issue covers: 

1) Keeping your hands dry when doing outdoor chores in the snow/rain  
2) Pouring icing for smoother looking cupcakes 
3) Cute and cheap way to organize cupcake papers
4) Why that clearance item might no be expired
5) Changing in your pocket change the free and easy way

Keep boots dry with a pool noodle!

There is nothing worse then boots that feel damp inside! I really hate that. I have one pair that make my feet sweat like crazy. I have another pair that gets wet inside every time I wear them in the  rain. Yuck! I try not to wear them when it's wet out, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. 

When boots do get wet inside, it's important to allow them to dry thoroughly. Especially tall ones. Bacteria can thrive in moist dark areas like a pair of knee high boots. The best thing to do is to stand them up to dry them out.

DIY Foaming hand soap refill

I understand big business, really I do. Maybe that's why I think the whole 'foaming hand soap' thing is utterly brilliant. Have you bought one of those soaps? Shake the bottle a little. It's almost all water in there. The foaming mechanism is in the bottle top....there's not some special ingredient in the soap!

It's just really watered down, regular hand soap. Plus kids love using this stuff! It shoots out like the 'whipped cream of hand soap'. Pure awesomeness, right?

This stuff can be expensive though. Add that to the fact that a moms most uttered phrase is probably "wash your hands" and you can spend a good deal of money on something that gets rinsed right down the drain. 

Dip dyed Kool-aid hair

Last year I was dubbed the 'meanest mom in the world'. No kidding! I won that title by making my daughter abide by school rules. Of course "all the other moms let their kids do it!" My daughter wanted to dye her hair different colors using Kool-aid and I refused to let her. 

It was against school policy to have 'unnaturally colored hair' and I was against breaking the rules. So she didn't get to dye her hair even though many of her friends did, and I won my meanest mom title. Well, she graduated this year, so not only did I let her dip dye her hair....I did it for her!

How to dye hair with Kool-aid

It was super simple really....all we needed was unsweetened Kool-aid, boiling water, a few bowls and some paper towels. Oh, and a nice day so we could go outside in case there were drips! Didn't want to wreck the carpet, ya know?

Why I shop at the teen clothes store

Sometimes I feel a little silly shopping in places like Rue21. Granted I do have a teenage daughter so I could say it's for her. Except when I need to try something on. lol the thing is, not only do they have cute clothes (that are usually more hip than this 41 year old 'old lady' is!) They put their clothes on sale really cheap. Like $3 each cheap! 

This is awesome for my teenager but even better for me who can run through clothes like you wouldn't believe. Almost every week I wash a load full of hoodies....you know those sweatshirt type jackets? Yeah...those. I swear by the end of the week every single one has either chicken poop or fawn puke on it. Or a compost tea spill, or dirt, or....you get the idea.

Which brings me back to Rue 21 this week when I found out they were having a sale. I picked up 2 jackets for $3 each. I have to admit pink rhinestone skulls aren't really my style, but the chickens don't seem to mind. I also got some sweatpants for $3 each and a bunch of t shirts and tank tops. It's garden season and I need to look good while I'm digging! lol 

The only major problem in this plan is that these things often get confiscated by darling daughter. Then again.....normally I can't even get her to look at a sale rack, so maybe that should be my new goal!


~L

How to clean silver without chemicals

I hate cleaning silver jewelry and sterling silver tableware. All that rubbing, polishing and trying to get the tarnish out of all the nooks and crannies. Plus the smell and feel of silver polish...Yuck! I have looked for years for a better solution and nothing really worked as well as I'd like it to. Until now.

I finally found a great way to clean Sterling Silver. It's simple, cheap and does not use any heavy chemicals. In fact, you should have everything you need for this homemade silver cleaner in your kitchen.

Here's what I used:

• Glass baking pan
• Baking Soda
• Boiling Water
• Aluminum Foil

I'm a little bit of a fire-bug. We have a huge fire pit outside with a big burn cage and a fireplace in the house. I'm forever burning something. There is only 1 thing I don't like to burn and that is fire-starters. Well, not really all fire starters....it's the boxed ones we buy in the store that I hate to use. I just don't get it.

Why do I want to buy something just to burn it? I just see it as burning money! My husband loves the things and always tells me "just put a fire starter in there" as I struggle to light the fire, ripping up newspaper and cardboard to try and get things going. *sigh* It's a problem, really.

Truthfully, all that paper and cardboard isn't that good for the chimney. Apparently it burns at too low of a temperature and can contribute to buildup in the chimney. Those guys are expensive when they come out to clean the chimney! So it's best I burn as little paper as possible.

Make your own fire starters

I think I have it figured out though. I made my own fire starters! I used dollar store cotton pads and the wax I was going to throw away from the wax burner. You know how you use wax melts and after awhile they stop smelling? That's the old wax I used for this project! 

I also added the scrapings from some container candles that were too low to burn anymore. I put that concoction in a glass baking cup, melted it, dipped the pads and voila! They don't smell fancy, but they get the job done.

Growing Cat Grass

I was in the pet store the other day and saw some pots of "cat grass". They were $4 each. I looked inside the pots and read the labels. There was no dirt. It was nothing but wheat seeds growing in there (the label even said so!) Now I ask you, how is this worth $4? It's not! You can do it much cheaper. 

Growing cat grass is super easy to do, plus your cat will love it!

Of course if you want to grow cat grass for your cats you should probably go the whole nine yards and get a cute pot and put some dirt in there so it grows longer. It's still going to be cheaper than the stuff at the pet store, and will probably last longer.

Cats naturally like to nibble on greens. Growing your own cat grass keeps them from going after your house plants which may be toxic. 

According to Purina cats eat grass for the nutrients, laxative properties or to relieve an upset stomach. Providing cat grass keeps them from getting outside to get at regular grass which may have been treated with chemicals.

I dressed the dogs

I have a very sane reason for why I dressed the dog (this time! lol) It was cold out. Single digits, bone numbing cold. Actually, one night the wind chill got down to -20. Oh, did I mention we're in Western Pennsylvania right at the bottom of the snow belt? We get a whole lot more snow then our friends down in Pittsburgh. Sometimes as much as a foot more! 

Add the snow to the cold and you have one worried mama. I bundle up the kids and the little dog, but what to do about my snow loving Boxer mix? Large breed dog coats are super expensive, and she really only needs it for a few days a year so I hate to spend too much. 

So, what to do? Youngest son was throwing out some size 7 long sleeved T-shirts so I figured I'd see if one fit on Lulu and guess what....it did! 

I like the way the sleeves cover her legs without covering her feet. The shirt is snug without being tight, so it doesn't bunch up or get in her way...and I think she looks cute!

Lulu doesn't get dressed very often but Ashley is another story! I'm against spending huge amounts of $$ on dog clothes however, so my favorite shopping place lately (besides clearance sales at Petco) is 5 Below. I got Ashley this Snuggie brand dog coat for $5.

I like the fact that it has wide Velcro tabs, it's so hard to hook those small ones. She doesn't seem to mind it and I put it on her a lot in winter so ease of use is super important! She shivers a lot when shes outside in the winter, so she needs a coat every time she goes outside. Plus, I think she secretly likes dressing up. lol

~L