Air Freshener

I recently started using homemade air freshener. My first batch was sweet orange flavored, the second clove. This is a great air freshener to spritz throughout the house. The baking soda works as a deodorizer as well. The recipe is very simple and a great alternative to burning candles.
You will need :
1 spray bottle
1/4c baking soda
HOT water - use enough to fill spray bottle

approximately 1tsp essential oil of your choice (depending on how strong you want the fragrance)

Mix all ingredients in the spray bottle and shake well before each use. If you don't have essential oils you can use 1/4-1/2c lemon juice.
Amazon has a great price on essential oils!

Freezer Meals=Double Meals

picture from www.30daygourmet.com/

Doubling recipes is not a new concept, I know. But I feel compelled to post this because it has made my life so much easier lately. I have been doubling almost all the recipes that I prepare each night, then freezing the second meal. No joke. It's that simple. Freezer bags and a few extra ingredients of what we are buying already is all I need.
Unless a meal cannot go in a freezer bag (ie. lasagna), there is no need to buy disposable containers. Freezer bags lay flat and do not take up a lot of space.
Over the past two weeks I have frozen mexican casserole, chicken casserole, olive bread, sloppy joe filling, taco filling, brown sugar-glazed salmon, corn salad, and chicken salad. All waiting patiently in my deep freezer for a night that I don't have time to cook. It is so much easier to just double what I am already preparing than to prepare it a second time.
Let us know if you have any freezing tips to share. We will have more posts to come on freezing soon! Cut back on your kitchen time and let us know how you spent it instead!
                                                

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to Kelly Brownlow for winning the No Dining out Challenge. She will be rewarded a $25 gift card for Restaurant.com! Thanks to all who participated and be looking out for upcoming challenges and an awesome GIVEAWAY!

Change Is In The Air

We are excited about our blog's new look! Don't you think it's cute? We are adding cool new features everyday! Please sign up to follow us or click our button below to link us to your site. We will gladly link back!

Challenge 1

 Last week we mentioned that we would be issuing a few challenges this month. Well, the first is NO DINING OUT! This idea from originally came from www.couponingtodisney.com and we  added a few adjustments to make it our own. If you don't eat out very often try going ONE week without making ANY prepackaged meals. The Challenge will last for ONE week, Starting the 6am Sunday July 11 ending 9pm Sunday July 18th. Come on guys you and your family can avoid eating out for ONE week, right? To enter the challenge you must 1. be a follower 2. make a comment on THIS post. At the end of the week one lucky winner will receive a gift card to www.restaurant.com for $25. This is a great reward for taking a fast from eating out. This may be a BIG challenge for some, but just give it your best effort. Even giving up a few meals out would be great! We'd love to hear about the creative meals you planned. Also keep checking back we will be posting some recipes that you might be interested in this week!

Simplify July

For the month of July we will be issuing some challenges. On Friday we will announce the first challenge that will begin on Sunday, July 11. At the end of  EACH challenge a winner will be awarded a $25.00 gift card to restaurant.com. To enter you will need to:
1.sign up as a post follower (not to worry we won't overload your inbox!)
2. make a comment on the week's challenge. Good Luck!

Sheets!

Ok, I'll admit, this post is a little out there. I myself had serious doubts when I heard a new idea about bedsheets. BUT, it would truly save me some time, so I thought, why not give it a whirl? Here goes friends, we're livin' on the edge!
First, wash your sheets as usual (using your favorite homemade laundry soap, of course).
Next, take your sheets from the washer, and put them on the bed. Fitted sheet on like normal, then lay the flat sheet over as usual, just don't tuck it in. Leave any blankets or comforters off and let the sheets air dry. Wait a few hours. I like to do this in the morning, and then finish making it up before bed.
That's right, straight from the washer to the bed.
No dryer, no clothesline. I told you this was out there.
The washer's spin cycle removes all the excess water. I promise this really works, and you don't have to dry your sheets. This saves time, money, energy, and wear and tear on your bedding!
Kellye did this in the late afternoon and her sheets were dry in just a few hours. She, however, really lives on the edge!
Let us know how this turns out for you!