DIY Fairy Village...

We have had a busy two weeks that included packing bags for three different overnight trips so I was so excited that the forecast called for some rain. The PERFECT excuse to sit and be lazy, right? Radley is at camp this week so the girls and I had big plans for some "girly girl" time as they call it. Emmy got it in her head that she wanted to build a fairy village so we set off to do just that and I have to admit that this may be one of the cutest projects we've ever done. And y'all.... SO STINKING EASY which is always a win!

We started by gathering some supplies of things that could work for fairy village signs, houses, and decorations and then just went with it. Our supplies included:

{google images}

Wooden bird houses, acrylic paint, paint sticks, flower pot, fabric scraps and elastic...and yes, I just had these around the house. (You'll probably have to go purchase some cheap bird houses.)

The girls started by painting the paint sticks and choosing what they wanted each "sign" to say.

Using sharpies was much easier for them than trying to paint words onto the sticks.

This girl's handwriting has improved SO MUCH this summer and I love watching how proud she is of her work.

And Landry does a FANTASTIC job as well...

Once they were finished with their signs, we headed outside and found a flowerpot full of dead flowers because well, #texassummer. We just nailed the sticks to a piece of leftovers from another project but you could also use a tree branch and then I used a mallet to set the sign into the pot. 

We made some small rag garlands to add some fairy flair to the post. To make these just cut left over fabric in strips and tie around a piece of elastic. The girls did this without much help from me. 

We even had enough to string one between the branches for the "penthouse".

Emmy painted a birdhouse bank earlier this summer which made the perfect spot for the Tooth Fairy.

(Note: I have since cut the extra elastic)

and Radley painted these in 2009 y'all....they were just sitting in our garage, so.... 

WELCOME FAIRIES!

Pretty darn cute for a random rainy day activity!

Now we are just waiting for our first house guests!

Happy crafting y'all!

Homemade Laundry Detergent: The Update

I've had a few people ask me about the homemade laundry detergent we tried earlier in the summer and since we have hit the 3 month mark, I thought it was a perfect time to oblige. 

Bottom line is - we love it but it would be boring to just tell you that so here are the reasons why.

1. Price - y'all $30 for a year of detergent. Here is a comparison of day 1 and day 90(ish). That's incredible and we do A LOT of laundry. Especially in the summer because I can't stand wet towels and bathing suits to just sit around. For a family of 5, this stuff has gone the distance. I'm not quite sure if we will make the whole year, but this has definitely saved us money.

2. Cleaner washing machine - We have a front load washer and it constantly smelled. We would clean it, leave the doors open and wiped it down, but it always had this mildewish smell (gross, I know). But since we started using this - it's gone. We still leave the door open but the smell has vanished and that's a plus!

3. Less detergent - This coffee scoop holds 2 TBS which is the most we use for our loads of laundry. And the clothes are still clean and smell fresh. We've even cut down on the amount of softener we use because I put softener crystals in the mix.

4. Cleaner clothes - I really do feel like our clothes are cleaner. Our whites definitely look brighter than with regular detergent without adding bleach. 

I'm seriously a huge fan - so if you've been waiting to take the plunge I say go for it! Now, we just need to update this space...I'm thinking we take out the counter and make this the "control"station for the kiddos using the cabinets as a bench and cubbies. Who wants to come help with this space? Kim, I'm totally looking at you! 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I was on the Facebook last week and my friend Kristin (that I am still depressed moved to the faraway land of Belton) posted about making her laundry detergent. Pinny has been telling me for a while that this was a simple task but I kept ignoring her. Well, I was just dumb - ignoring my bestie like that. I mean she never fails to share the best secrets and tips with me- I should totally listen. And she has TONS and TONS and T-O-N-S of recipes and they are all (mostly) super simple.

This is what you need:

1 alb 12 oz box of Borax

1 box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

4lb of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

4lb of Oxi Clean

3 bars of Fels Naptha soap

Purex Crystals (optional) 

Total cost: $32.83

(This includes the optional Purex Crystals and I had to buy the larger containers of OxiClean and baking soda so that pumped my price up a bit).

I tried to get everything at Target but they didn't have it all (sad clown) so I headed over to Wally World - I'd just start there. I also bought a 2 gallon glass jar and a coffee scoop which I didn't include in the price above (that added $15).  Since I am a super visual learner, here are the individual pics of each thing with hand model Landry. :)

*Target carries glass jars made in the USA, so it may be worth a trip there. #Merica

The kids were so excited to make this stuff; it was almost comical. They love helping me in the kitchen but y'all, this was laundry detergent and they were PUMPED. They just thought it was so stinking cool. 

Now, lean in real close because I don't want you to miss these super difficult instructions.

Grate the fels naptha into a large bowl. 

Try not to skin your knuckles like Emmy.

Take turns - each person gets 10 grates. 

Mix everything in a giant tub. Lighting McQueen is also optional.

Things to note:

1. I think any bar soap would work - some recipes used Ivory soap, some used Zote.

2. I used the Purex Crystals because that's what most recipes referenced when people wanted to add a "scent" - I'm curious if Downy Unstoppables would work.

4. I estimated the pounds of oxiclean and baking soda because I purchased 5 lbs of each. 

4. I have done 3 loads of laundry with this and love it. For a giant load of beach towels I used the full coffee scoop (2 tbs) for kids clothes, I used half. 

5. I still used liquid Downy to soften the clothes

6. I have never felt more hipster, Donna Reed, super domestic goddess than I did after making this. I mean, it's like I invented sliced bread. 

And besides the fact that this claims to last an entire year (!), how cute does it look displayed? I have had this little iron recipe card holder forever, I just painted it blue, printed this scripture, added a pom pom from left over fabric to the basket, stuck on a chalkboard label and voila. 

Laundry is so much more fun!

If you want some detergent, let me know - I kind of want to try some more combos to see which ones I like best! :) What's your favorite laundry secret? 

If you're looking for more fun ideas, check out the summer family fun link-up!

Fixer {S}upper...

Can we begin with a pause for how clever the title of this post is. If I am anything on this blog, it is inconsistent. I label things randomly, and act like I'm going to start a new traditional post every other week, BUT... I think this one may stick. Probably. Maybe. 

Anywho. I love discovering a new recipe, especially when they are easy. And ESPECIALLY when they are tasty and loved by the whole family. I have two new ones to share with you that I found while hanging out with my online bestie, Pinny. 

First up...

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

from Skinny Mom

(I need to invest in some plain white dishes. I love mine, but the photograph horribly).

For all the step-by-step beautiful pictures, click on her link above. For a run down of ingredients and what I changed, read below. (By the way, she gives you the nutritional value... definitely start following her!) 

Ingredients

6 small red potatoes, cubed

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders

2 - 10.5 oz cans fat free cream of chicken soup

1 cup skim milk

1 cup water

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup celery (about 1.5 stalks), diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp thyme

10.8 oz frozen mixed veggies

Instructions

1. Place cubed potatoes on bottom of slow cooker and chicken on top of potatoes
2. In small bowl, mix soup, milk and water. Pour over chicken and potatoes. 
3. Throw in diced onion and celery.
4. Sprinkle with seasoning.
5. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
6. 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Place back in slower cooker and stir in frozen veggies. Cook for additional 30 minutes. 
7. Serve over biscuits

How did I "fixer {s}upper"... 

1. If you recall from my first round of power cooking - frozen onions are your friend. I used frozen onion and the pre-minced garlic to my liking
2. I am pretty sure I didn't use the thyme
3. I used fresh chicken, not frozen
4. I added frozen okra instead of mixed veggies because it's what I had on hand
5. To add a little crunch (and some calories), I crushed some ritz and mixed with butter and then placed on top of each bowl.

This was a big WIN in our house. Made PLENTY for left-overs and was filling but not heavy.

Next up... 

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos

from Crem de la Crumb.

Again, for all the step-by-step foodie blogger pics, click on her link above. For a run down of ingredients and what I changed, read below. 

Ingredients

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup original flavor bbq sauce

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 cup pineapple juice

t tablespoon liquid smoke

16 taco-sized soft tortillas

1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Optional: ranch dressing for dipping

Instructions

1. Mix bbq sauce, garlic powder, pineapple juice and liquid smoke
2. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot (does anyone else giggle at this? Where else would you place it? On the lid?)
3. Pour bbq sauce mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. (If using frozen chicken, you may have to adjust time).
4. Once cooked, shred chicken and place back in crock pot.
5. Lay tortillas on flat surface and sprinkle with cheese down each tortilla. Top with shredded chicken and roll tightly. 
6. Spray rolled taquitos with cooking spray and broil for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melty.
7. Serve with pineapple salsa (she makes her own, I used some from HEB) and ranch is optional (But is it? Really? Is ranch EVER optional?)

How did I "fixer {s}upper"... 

1. I am adamantly opposed to liquid smoke. Instead I used Weber Hickory Smoke BBQ - we had a jar in the pantry and it had "smoke" in the title, so I figured it would work. 
2. I am adamantly for pineapple chunks, so I used diced pineapples with the juice.
3. We used corn and flour tortillas. Both delicious.
4. We rolled our taquitos and then put them in the freezer to flash freeze them. They stayed in ziplocks until ready to eat and baked at 420 degrees for 15 minutes. 
5. Ranch was NOT optional. 

I can't give enough praise to this recipe y'all. First, by flash freezing them on Sunday, it allowed me to enjoy the awesome weather and hang with the kids for an hour or so when we got home. It was so easy to pull some out of their bags, spray with cooking spray and bake. 

Radley ate two taquitos and the girls each ate one... every bite. No complaints. It was the perfect mixture of crispy outside with gooey middle. They have already requested to eat them again tomorrow (and since I froze them - they are ready to go!)

No go fix{er} some {s}upper!

Any fun recipes I need to try?? Let me know!

**Edited I just saw that Andrea was hosting a recipe sharing linkup today...head on over there for more tasty treats!**

Weather and food - we are old.

We had another pretty awesome weekend. 

The weather was awesome, the agenda was clear, and the kids were cute. Radley's double header got cancelled because the fields were too wet. And while we love watching him play - we were happy to just hang out especially since he is recouping from strep.  Sadly, we had to miss a wedding that I was so looking forward to attending, but our time together was some kind of wonderful - the kind that pretty much leaves  us aching for more. 

Nothing special. Just us. 

We didn't do much of anything, really.

We enjoyed being outside. We cleaned up the backyard. We counted acorns. We took naps!! :) 

We did try two new recipes that are both now in the "Pinterest Win" category of life. 

On Saturday night, we tried Sausage and Corn Chowder from Dukes and Duchesses. 

I want to make this again right now. So easy. So simple. SO STINKING GOOD! Perfect for the fall. I'm not sure how it would freeze because of the potatoes...but we may try to do a big batch and freeze some. 

On Sunday, Ryan treated us to Crock Pot Balsamic Roast from Julie's Eats and Treats.

Y'all. If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I will NEVER lie about food. 

This was amazing. I basically would have put a straw in the pot to get every last bit of gravy.

What? Is that gross?

So that about sums it up. We liked the weather. The food was fantastic. And the company we shared was more than we could have dreamed! 

It's Fall, Y'all...

So today was some kind of wonderful. 

The whole weekend was a gift, but today was extra special. 

The rain put us all in a trance, so we slept late - Miss L until 9am! Enjoyed some fresh baked muffins by the King, and then it was time for some crafts! I bought these cute door hangers at HobLob about a month ago for the kids to decorate for Halloween. I thought it would be cute to make their foot print into a ghost, so away we went.

First up, Miss Landry...

(photo cred: Radley)

Then Miss Emmy...

(photo cred: Radley)

And then Mr. Radley King had his turn. He was slightly ticklish. 

We waited for their feet to dry then each kiddo added their personal touches. The finished products are pretty darn cute. And you would know that if I took a picture with my camera. But alas, I only snapped one with my phone, so you'll have to wait. 

I know - the anticipation is probably killing you.

;)

Ryan then got some great husby points and took all three kids grocery shopping while I finally decorated for fall. 30 days late. 

But now the house smells of all things yummy and it just seems so cozy around here. Radley produced actual tears when he got back because he wanted to help. Thankfully Ryan always "forgets" about 2 boxes up in the attic so the kiddos got to place a few things here and there, too. 

Then nap time called, I scheduled some blog posts, they slept, Ryan did something fun I'm sure. :)

And then... craft project #2 commenced. 

(Ryan was in charge of pictures which is why there are none except beginning and end)

Isn't he delightful!?! Super fun, super cheap, and super easy! 

Pinterest Win for sure! Ours is slightly different - we just used poster board for the hair, but we love it!

(Plus I'm sure it won't last until Halloween, so now we have extra supplies to make him over again!)

I mean, if this doesn't get us points with the HOA, I don't know what will!

After the door was finished, we ate dinner, played in our "centers" (Radley's room is the art center, Emmy's room is the home center, and the living room is the crazy center) and got ready for bed. 

Please note that these pjs are from last year...Emmy is wearing an 18 month; Landry 6-9 month and Radley a 4T. My children are small. 

And I love it that way.

We said our prayers and I looked up to see this sweet little child giving me one of her famous looks. I had to break protocol and snap this pic. 

Some kind of wonderful indeed.

(Double chins courtesy of Guercio genes)

;)

Pinterest WIN...

We have lived in our house for 3 years and 50 days and I have wanted to do some type of window treatment in our family room for 3 years and 49 days. (The first day I was worrying more about getting everything out of boxes).

And after all that time, I am happy to report that we now have window treatments!!!

I didn't want anything fancy. Or expensive. Or hard to make. So turned to my trusty friend, Pinny, and am thrilled with the results. Not going to lie - searching "DIY valences" was a bit overwhelming, but I found one that seemed simple enough and the rest is, well... pretty awesome. 

Step one: 

Gather supplies. I spent $29 total on everything I needed. The fabric I chose was actually one curtain that was on sale at HobLob. 

Step two:

Follow all of these instructions.

Can we pause for a second and reflect on the fact that this person just seems to have come up with this idea/process on her own? Like she was just walking through Lowe's and said... "I know, I need some polystyrene insulation - that will make the perfect valence."

I was really kind of impressed with my direction following skills. Unlike baking or cooking, I actually followed everything step by step.

And she, Diane over at In My Own Style, gave really great instructions. And awesome pictures. Seriously, if you are looking for a way to dress up your windows, this is your answer!

I maybe should have possibly attempted to iron this fabric first, but if anyone wants to judge my wrinkly window treatments, then feel free. 

I am mostly amazed that these are still hanging (I made them in early June and have just not taken the time to blog about it). I mean, they are held together with pins!

I tried to make my corners just like hers, but, well... 

Before:

After:

I know, right? I am OBSESSED!

(please be surprised when you get these for Christmas)

(please also don't stare too long at the picture because you will notice they may be hung a little crooked)

And since I sometimes like to pretend that people read this blog other than my mom, Cindy, Jenni, Katelin, and Ryan and that those same people want some "advice", here goes:

1. I am not exaggerating. This was freakishly simple. 

2. Maybe try to iron the fabric first ;)

3. Get more straight pins than she suggests - I used a lot because I wanted to make sure the fabric stayed in place

4. Wait for someone to help you hang them (as she suggests). I was a little stubborn and attempted it alone the first time and maybe have the scuff marks on the wall to prove it. 

5. If you ever come to my house, don't look at the back of these. I'm a messy crafter. 

6. At some point I am ordering this slip cover for the couches. (unless Gigi wants to order them for me).

7. I think my favorite part about this project is that when I get sick of the chevron, I just have to buy a few yards of something new and get a whole new facelift for the room!

:)