Welcome to my World

 So let me just say that I am on this DIY(do it yourself) kick right now.  Any way to make something myself and save money, I am all about it!  I have made the homemade laundry soap, and love that!  I paid not quite $20 for FOUR MONTHS of soap!  I estimate I saved $30-$50!  I have substituted vinegar for softener and saved another chunk of $$.  I also use vinegar as a rinse aid in the dishwasher...the jury is still out on that one. I have also been researching homemade body soap and shampoo recipes.  I bought some unscented castile bar soap and want to experiment making my own body wash. I also use quite a few baby wipes in this house even though I don't have any babies in diapers any more (PTL)!  I have seen this recipe for homemade wipes on different blogs and have wanted to try it, so I finally got around to it. The first thing I did was go to Big Lots and buy the containers... Then I admit to trying this recipe with cheap Sparkle ...

 It's always fun to make things in the shape of hearts!  Especially for Valentine's Day! The brown icing was specifically made for my hubby, not only to be more masculine, but because it is Peanut Butter Frosting !  He adores Chocolate and Peanut Butter anything!   It's also fun to make things for my new nephew (coming in march)!  I decided to tackle the Faux-Chenille Blanket as seen on my friend Jeni's blog. First I layered 5 pieces of snuggle flannel in a variety of bright colors (imperfectly as you can tell).  The bottom layer has to be 6-10 inches larger than the other layers.  I wanted my finished product to be 36x36, so the bottom layer was 42x42.  Then I pinned it with safety pins, so I wouldn't get continually poked (an idea I got from Jeni), and then I started sewing!  I marked a line diagonally down the center of the back and used that as my guide.  The rest of the seams I did by eye and tried to get them 1/2 inch apar...

I always get a kick out of the pictures my kids take with my camera's phone... Some days I find pictures of the dog scratching himself, or of matchbox cars, or dollies or random things like me cooking dinner, or the kids doing somersaults!  Here are a few of my current favorites:  

    Back on October 29 I posted about the Laundry soap that I made from this recipe .  I originally started out with about 16 cups of Soap (the above container plus the below container.)   Today I still have the above container that I haven't touched, and this much(below) left of the original container!   When I added them together I have this much (below) left of my original batch that I made TWO MONTHS ago!   As you can see, I have been keeping track of the scoops I've used. (the black marks on the lid) Conclusion After 2 Months of Use: I have used a little over half of the soap and gotten 125 scoops out of it.   Which translates to 250 Tablespoons or 125 potential loads.  I say 125 "potential" because I sometimes used a scoop and a half for really dirty loads. How did it work: I have not really noticed any difference in the way it cleans.  It seems to work great!   What would I do differently next time: 1.I would cut up ...

  So, this is Christmas, Nolt-Style...  Today Joanna "helped" me make some apple pies and then she had to sit and watch them bake (this only lasted a few minutes).  Her dolly and kitty had to watch too.  Here is a sneak peak at our pies.   And here is a sneak peak at some Christmas decorations around the house...  The banner above, was a pinterest idea, as was the front-door wreath...  The primitive wood nativity, that i love(above) and the Little People nativity that joanna loves(below)  Another pinterest idea (above)...chalkboard nametags...!  Ritz PB Crackers!(above) and Puppy Chow(below)  Monster Cookies (above) and Molasses Cookies (below) (Not pictured:Frosted Sugar and Andes mint) lol  Oh, and these buttery Press Cookies!  MMMM So, that is a little of Christmas with the Nolts....(Disclaimer: I could not have made all those cookies without Mom Nolt's help!!)  Can't wait to get together with Family and share...

We were gone most of last week and weekend at a Prison Crusade.  We had 6 services and were left feeling emotionally and physically drained while feeling spiritually charged.  We got home Sunday nite and spent the next day and a half getting laundry done and preparing to leave again! Tuesday afternoon my honey and I went on an excursion to St. Pete Beach, we found an awesome deal for a beachfront hotel on Priceline ($49!) We had a wonderful time relaxing in the 75 degree weather!  (This is why people flock to FL in the winter)   That evening we went to see Celtic Woman in Clearwater (Ruth Eckerd Hall).  Brendan had bought me tickets for my birthday (in October).  They sang Christmas music and it was FABULOUS!  They had a complete orchestra with them and I thought everything was HEAVENLY!   They only have three ladies right now, plus the violinist but it was still lovely.   They also sang this one...  Probably my fav...