Homemade laundry Detergent (powdered)

Since I started making my own laundry soap, I have saved loads (pun intended) on my detergent bill! I simply make up my own powdered mix and use than in place of the store bought stuff. Here is how you can make an entire year (or if you are me, a year and a half) worth of laundry soap for under $50! With tide running about $22 dollars for a large jug, you will definitely be saving some money. (Can be used in standard and HE washers)

Here is what you will need:

A tub large enough to mix your ingredients

Storage container for soap (I have used large mason jars, the oxy clean containers, etc...what ever I have on hand! I have also used my giant tub)

1 big box of borax

1 big box of arm and hammer super washing soda

1 med-lrg box of arm and hammer baking soda

1 3 lb container of Oxy clean booster 

I large bottle of downy unstoppables (for scent. If you have sensitive skin, feel free to leave these out)

2-3 bars of grated laundry soap (I used Fels-Naptha)

Here are all of my ingredients, laundry tub not pictured

You want to thoroughly mix everything together in the tub. My tub looks quite empty because I already transferred the soap into my container at this point.

Here is the tub I used. I actually made this batch for a friend of mine who was getting married. She loved the soap and I decided to make a large batch for her as a wedding gift (you can say it, I'm awesome, I know! Oh thanks)! I hope that you all enjoyed this recipe and if you do give it a try, let me know your thoughts on it! :)

The best homemade pasta sauce

Made from freshly picked tomatoes, basil, simple herbs and spices, and a few other ingredients, this sauce is wonderful! It turned out nice and thick, with a great flavor :) ingredients:

15-20 lbs of tomatoes (I used Roma from the garden)

2 large white onions, diced

12 basil leaves, chopped 

10 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leavs

3 star anise

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

4 cans of tomato paste with herbs (6 oz)

2 cans of tomato sauce (29 oz)

Start off by blanching, peeling and seeding your tomatoes. This is the long part, so buckle up and enjoy!

Add all of those to a large stock pot, along with your herbs: Chop up your onion, Garlic and basil and add to the stock pot.

Add everything but the sauce and paste and boil, stirring frequently.

Your tomatoes will start to break up at they boil. If they are a little too chunky, you can mash them up with a potato masher. I prefer a thicker sauce, so I slipped this step. 

Simmer for 3-5 hours and then slowly add I'm the sauce and paste. Do not. Forget to stir! Simmer for about an hour and add to sterilized pint sized mason jar. Add a tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per jar to preserve the sauce and prevent discoloring. If preserving in quart sizes jars, add two tablespoons of lemon juice. This sauce turned out pretty thick, which we wanted so we are using pint sized jars, we feel that one jar will be more than enough for a meal. We usually use about 1/4 of a jar for each spaghetti meal we make! I usually warm up the dab of sauce with some plain tomato sauce. This recipe uses so much tomato paste that we can get about 4 meals out of each jar. If you want, you can freeze 1/4-1/2 cup portions of the sauce to use when your ready! I like to use my food saver and freeze 1/2 portions, lay nice and flat to freeze and when we want to use it, I take it out the day we are having spaghetti and put in the fridge or take out while Im boiling the water for the noodles and pale it in a bowl with warm water to thaw out. Cook in a sauce pan with water or plain tomato sauce.  There you have it! Condensed pasta sauce ;)

DIY glitter reusable solo cup!

For my best friends birthday this year, I decided to get a little creative and make something! I made a glittered up reusable red solo cup! First off, here is what you need: 

Reusable red solo cup

Mod podge

Extra fine red glitter 

Sealant (not pictured)

Here's the cup :)

And here's everything else :)

First off, you'll want to line the rim with some blue painters tape.

Next, cover the cup in a thick layer of Mod Podge.

And then, cover with glitter and shake off the excess. Do this to the entire cup until it is completely covered.

Now, let the glitter dry on for a little while. I let it sit for 20-25 minutes. After that, I covered it in sealant, making it dishwasher safe. One thing to be cautious about, make sure not to get the sealant on the rim of the cup! If you do, it's probably a good idea that you not drink out of it. She loved her present too, by the way ;)