How to Make Your Own Air Freshener

I can't believe it's already Thursday! This summer is flying by so fast!

Today I want to share with you how to make your own air freshener!

Air fresheners aren't cheap at the store and who knows what kinda junk we're spraying into our house when we use it. That freaks me out a little.

I love doing this because it's cheap, it's chemical free, and I can make the scent all my own.

{Here's what you need}

Distilled Water

Essential Oil {your favorite scent}

spray bottle

I put about 3 cups of water in my bottle.

 I like my air freshener strong so I usually add between 30-40 drops of the oil into the bottle.

My favorite right now is Jasmine :)

The NOW Essential Oils are my favortie brand. I get mine at GNC. I've also found them at a few different health stores.

 After you add your oils, just give it a good shake and you're ready to go!

I even stuck a handy dandy label on mine. Ooooh :)

Thats it! I usually give the bottle a good shake or two before I use it just to make sure the oil is distributed throughout the water!

Do you make your own air freshener?

What's your favorite scent?

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you enjoyed!

I'm linking to these parties!!

Jennifer Rizzo

The Shabby Nest

Recipe Trial Tuedays: Taco Soup

Hey everyone!!

I am so sorry I've been MIA lately! My summer course is finishing up so that's  what I've been focusing on lately!

But I'm back...with a super good soup recipe for you! :)

This recipe is SO easy! The hardest part is cooking your hamburger meat...seriously.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (I use the leanest possible)
1 (1.25) package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 oz) can mild chili beans
1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can rotel-mild
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (1 oz) package ranch salad dressing mix

I'll admit it...I'm not a huge fan of food that comes out of a can. If I need to use it, I'll try to find an organic version of it. I made this at my mom's house so I used what she had on hand. It's still soo good!


While the ground beef is cooking, I go ahead and drain the corn and pinto beans, and add everything {except taco seasoning} together in a big pot!

After the meat is cooked, drained and rinsed, I add the taco seasoning to the meat and cook according to directions.

Then I add the water and meat to the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

{I made double!}

That's it! It's so easy but so good!

I like to add sour cream and cheese to mine. Yum! :)



What's your favorite type of soup?
Are you a soup eater in the summer?

Cleaning Your Refrigerator Coils

Happy Tuesday!!

If you follow us on Facebook, you might have saw that we were painting our living room and kitchen. This was a impromptu weekend project! I love the way it looks now. I'll post some pictures for you soon!

While we were moving things around, I noticed the back of my fridge was GROSS! There was so much dust!

I vacuumed the covering and used my favorite natural all purpose cleaner. I let it dry thoroughly while we finished painting the kitchen and living room.

{Isn't my screwdriver too cute?!}

When I got the covering off, I discovered MORE DUST! I honestly didn't know the fridge coils got so dusty!

Gross!

Then I vacuumed all the dust off the coils. I eventually had to get out the thinnest hose attachment to get further in the back.

Here's the after!

The covering looks a lot better too.

I know it's not perfect but it's soo much better! My fridge started working better immediately and that makes me happy!! I'm adding this to my cleaning schedule to do every few months.

Do you clean your refrigerator coils on a regular basis? Can you tell a difference with the cooling of your fridge?

Thanks for stopping by!

DIY: Etched Glass Jars

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday!

How was your weekend? I spent mine just hanging out with Leroy before he went to work and finishing up some school work. Noting too exciting. Sometimes those are the best weekends! :)

Friday, I guest posted for Bonnie at House of Grace! I love her blog; she is so organized! I did a DIY tutorial for etched glass jars and I wanted to share it with you too!

I love the etched glass look but did NOT want to pay someone to etch a jar that will hold my Q-Tips and cotton balls! I did a little investigating and figured out how to get the same look on my own!

 

First, decide what type of jar want to etch and what you want to put in it.

I got this jar from Hobby Lobby. It was super discounted because there were a couple of little dings on the lid. I got it for about $1.50. Score!

 

Make sure the jar is thoroughly cleaned and use your favorite glass cleaner to get off and fingerprints or smudges.

The first thing we’ll do is tape off the area we want painted. I used Frog tape. It seems to work better than regular blue painter’s tape but use whatever works best for you!

 

I wasn’t too worried about my tape; I just eyeballed it. You could always get a level to make sure everything is nice and straight.

I

Next, we’ll put the lettering on the jar. I wanted my jar to hold Q-tips. I started with the middle letter of the word to make a sure everything was centered.

My favorite letters to use are the cardstock stickers. They’re thicker so their easier to put on and also to remove.

I used an etching cream from Hobby Lobby and a sponge brush to paint the etching cream on.

{I recommend doing this part outside or in a well ventilated area. This cream is strong!}

Now is the waiting game. There is usually a drying time on the back of the etching cream. I think I just ran to the grocery store and then finished the project after I got back.

After the jar is completely dry, rinse it under some warm water in a stainless steel sink. The cream may stain other types of sinks!

Go ahead and peel off the tape and stickers.

Give the jar one last rinse off and you’re done!

Here’s the finished product! It’s subtle but I think it’s really cute! This project would be great for things like sugar or flour…the writing would really pop!

I hope you enjoyed it!

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I'm linking to these parties!!
Mommy by Day Crafter by Night
Jennifer Rizzo

Recipe Trial Tueaday: Smoothie King's {Angel Food}

Hey guys!

I can't believe it's already been a week! This summer is going by so fast and that's not good! :)

I know Recipe Trial Tuesday is usually me trying out new recipes and letting you know how I liked them. I've actually had this recipe for a while and I make it all the time! It's easy, nutritious, and yummy!

Somewhere, I came across Smoothie King's Angel Food recipe. This smoothie is my FAVORITE! My husband and I used to grab a couple while we were out to hold us over until the next meal or to satisfy a sweet tooth! But it was adding up and I figured I could make the same exact thing for CHEAP if I was willing to put in a little research! It was definitely worth it. I love that I know exactly what's going into my food and I can add my favorite natural protein powder!

I thought you'd really enjoy it so I wanted to let you know about it! :)

{I've had this recipe for a WHILE. I'm not sure where I've found it, but I eventually memorized it. If this is your recipe, please e-mail me and I'll give you credit! :)

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup strawberries

1 medium banana

2 tablespoons instant milk

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar {Sugar in the Raw}

protein powder

1 1/2 cup ice

1-2 drops vanilla

That's it! Pretty simple, huh?

Just add your strawberries. I like to cut my up a little but you don't have to!

Then your banana!

Now, add your sugar and instant milk.

I also add a quality natural protein powder. I usually make this smoothie for breakfast so that protein powder is especially important!

I like to go ahead and blend all the ingredients first!

The last thing I do is add my ice and vanilla!

And you're done!!

 

I hope you enjoyed!

What's your favorite smoothie? Do you use smoothies as your "go-to" breakfast item?

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Removing Water Rings!

Happy Friday!!

Do you have any big plans for the weekend? We are going fishing! I'll let you know how that goes! LOL

So, I was making our bed and guess what I found?

Water rings...on one of our brand. new. nightstands.

Really? Ugh.

(I was dusting the ceiling...that's why it looks so dusty!)

I got out my all purpose cleaner that I make from Basic H.

How cute it the bottle? :)

I sprayed the nightstand and scrubbed just a little to get the ring off.

There ya go...it's gone!

This stuff really never stops amazing me. I can't get over something so inexpensive can work so well!

I love Shaklee!!

I hope you enjoyed and have an awesome weekend!!



Recipe Trial Tuesday: Ranch-Style Fajita Wraps

Hey guys!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend and a great Father's Day!

It's time for the 3rd Recipe Trial Tuesday!

This week we had Ranch-Style Fajita Wraps! That just sounds good, doesn't it?

I got the recipe from Heart Healthy Online. You can find the recipe here.


 I already had everything on hand, so that was a huge bonus! I love it when that happens.


 First, I went ahead and made the salsa. 

I diced up 2 seeded tomatoes

Then I added 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper and 1/4 cup red onion.
 
I also added some minced garlic and salt and pepper.

The recipe also called for cilantro. We do NOT like cilantro around here! So I axed that stuff!

That's it for the salsa. I stuck this is the fridge while I finished everything else up.

Then I cut my chicken into strips and seasoned them with garlic powder and chili powder.

I sliced up some bell pepper.

Then just cooked them together for a few minutes.

I did drain the chicken and bell peppers since there was a little juice in there.

 Next, I added the ranch salad dressing and mixed it all up really well.

Then I just added it to my tortilla and top with the salsa and shredded cheese.

**I did warm my tortillas up in the oven for about 10 minutes**

I served mine with a side salad.

Um, THIS IS GOOD! This is definitely a keeper for me! It's so simple and it has lots of veggies in it! And Leroy approved, so I can't beat that! 

  

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you have any good recipes, send them my way!!

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