Monday, September 24, 2012

How to Remove Yellow Armpit Stains

Let me start off by saying that I am rather embarrassed to show you this photo.
This is one of my all-time favorite shirts. It is 100% bamboo cotton and feels so amazing. It is light weight and breathable and works great for layering. One problem:

Yep, that's right. The dreaded yellow pit stain. I have an excessive sweat problem (no, really, I sweat ALL the time, even when I'm cold...) and, sadly, I have a LOT of white shirts that have suffered this fate. Most of them have been tossed in the trash or cut up for rags or projects. Some, (like my awesome flame-sleeve shirt from High School) were rather painful to part with. Others, like this amazingly comfy shirt, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of. I have spent many times wearing shirts like this and trying to keep my arms at my sides, or wearing extra layers to hide the dreaded pit stain. This particular shirt has looked just like this for more than 4 years. So sad! :(

I came across a few things on Pinterest to try to get rid of deodorant stains (as that is what the yellow stain actually is), but they all did little to nothing. I tried straight bleach. I tried White-Brite. I tried Rit dye (yes, they sell white dye). I tried peroxide and baking soda. NOTHING worked.

Then I found a few blogs that suggested adding dish soap to the peroxide/soda mixture. I tried it. Didn't work. So lame! So my shirts sat in my closet, longing to be worn, along with a grease-stained dress shirt from Riker's side of the closet.


Now here's the kicker: I always use cheap dish soap. It cleans, I don't care. Lately, I have been buying Ajax just because. It is relatively cheaper, but I figured it would work better than the super cheap brand. Riker always gives me a hard time because it doesn't SAY that it fights grease on the bottle (this coming from the man who INSISTS on Bounty paper towel, Huggies diapers, and top quality toilet paper. And to be honest, don't tell him I said this, he has been right so far), so how well can it actually clean?

I found another Pinterest tip for another project that REQUIRED Dawn dish soap and no other brand. I thought that was stupid, but I picked some up anyway as Geordi had dumped 3/4 of my dish soap on the kitchen table and I needed more soap.

With my ultra-concentrated de-greasing Dawn in hand, I figured I would start experimenting with things to see if it was really all it was cracked up to be. I think I have been converted! I used 1/3 of the soap I normally use for dishes. That right there convinced me. Then, I figured, what the heck, I will give this peroxide/baking soda/dish soap thing a try again.

...Dude.

Wait, let me show you the original again, for reference.

This poor shirt has suffered needlessly for FOUR YEARS!! I am going to go crazy on my white shirts tomorrow! Plus, it even removed the grease stain that has been washed and dried multiple times and then sat in the back of my closet for over a year.
So, I know you want to try this too now. I guess I can share my secret with you :)

I mixed 2 T baking soda, 3 T hydrogen peroxide, and 1 tsp DAWN dish soap in a small bowl. I spooned it over the stain, scrubbed it like crazy with a scrub brush for about 2 minutes or so (didn't damage my soft shirt at all) and let it sit for about an hour. The blue shirt sat for 1 1/2 hours since I washed it in a separate load, but it didn't affect it at all. Then I laundered it normally.

As a side note: this mixture wound up being more than I needed for both shirts, so I would probably halve that for 1 or 2 items. I think tomorrow I will wind up using it all, if not more, but I have 5 or 6 shirts to treat.

Have fun rescuing your favorite white shirts!!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Egg Salad Sandwiches


Egg Salad Sandwiches
Adapted from allrecipes.com 
Serves 6

12 eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 dash chipotle pepper
12 slices whole wheat bread
6 oz cheddar cheese
6 pears, sliced

Peel and chop eggs. Mix mayo, barbecue sauce, mustard and chipotle powder in separate bowl. Add eggs and stir to combine. Serve on bread with cheese slices and pears.

Tomato Basil Quiche

I made this recipe for dinner tonight and I can't get enough of it (honestly, that happens every time I make it). It is SO good! It is adapted from a recipe found here.



Tomato Basil Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust
Serves 6

1.5 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1.5 cups milk
5 eggs, beaten
large handful fresh basil, chiffonade (fancy word for chopped in strips)
15 grape tomatoes (I greatly prefer this recipe with sun dried tomatoes, but I don't always have them on hand)
4 oz log chevre, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
2 bunches asparagus


In a 9-inch pie pan, combine butter and flour and mix with a fork. After mixing well, use your hand to form a ball in the pan and then press into pan. Bring it up on the sides and pinch the top (with your finger or a fork). Evenly spread the cheese, tomatoes, and bail over the crust. Then mix eggs and milk and pour gently over filling. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until filling is set. Serve with steamed asparagus spears.

Monday, September 17, 2012

How to Remove Spray Paint From a Mirror

I got a great deal on a dresser/mirror set for Tasha several months ago (by great deal, I mean the neighbors were getting rid of it and let us take it for free) and figured the easiest way to update it and hide the stains/scratches/etc was to spray paint it (I tried gel stain first and it was a depressingly utter disaster). I know, I should have taken before and after pictures and I fully intended to take a before picture and kept forgetting as I started, head-first into each project (it's a curse, really).

Anyway, I got the dresser and nightstand all done and got lazy with the mirror. I didn't bother taping it at all. I just laid some paper over the mirror itself and figured that would do the trick....

Nope.

Here's what happened:

 The majority of the mirror looks like that (although the edges look even worse from the epic gel stain failure).


I tried to scrape the paint off with a razor blade, and, although it did the work on the gel stain (and took forever), the amount of spray paint and the size of the mirror made the razor essentially useless.

Luckily, Almighty Google came to my rescue and led me to Young & Crafty, where a similar case of laziness (though not as severe as mine) had led to a mishap as well. She recommended nail polish remover. I was skeptical, as was she, but after a LOT of scrubbing and a couple of ventilation breaks, the mirror looks brand new! Hooray!

















And here is the finished product hanging up in Tasha's room. She loves it and I am so glad to have it finally done and put up (it sat in the back yard for nearly 2 months! eek!)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Organize My Life! (or at least all my daughter's hair accessories)

This one is my favorite so far
Anyone that is friends with me on Facebook has seen all the cute hairstyles I have done on Tasha's hair over the last year or so. What they haven't seen is the massive amounts of hair accessories that have taken over my bathroom (mine included!). All that girly-ness has been grating on Riker, although he has kept it to himself for the most part. Luckily, he doesn't spend that much time in the bathroom, so the 3 cupboards, a drawer and a medicine cabinet filled with all of my magic tools, gels and sprays doesn't have THAT much time to irritate him... until it adds up...

So...

I decided that I was going to buy Tasha an accessory organizer. They have been all over Pinterest, but I was too lazy to make some cute, fabric/batting/ribbon board. I found one at Walmart the other day, but wasn't really impressed by it. Plus it cost $10! Seriously, I know I could make one for less than that (but how to do it and still be lazy? lol).

Here's my inspiration:


Here's what I came up with:


It wasn't nearly large enough to hold ALL of our accessories, but then again, I still haven't figured out the best way to include all of the little clipies and rubber bands we usually use. Either way, this gets most of the bulk out of my bathroom.

I only spent $3 on this to buy the white knobs. The rest I did using supplies I already had laying around. Want to see?

Here we go!


I started with a shelf from an old broken bookcase (yes I have a pile of shelves in my garage) which I had spray painted to match Tasha's dresser
a 2 pack of cabinet knobs
two coordinating ribbons at least 3/4" wide.
sticky velcro
scissors
hot glue gun
sharpie


For fun, I drew a bunch of scrolls on the board with a sharpie. I think they turned out really great, but you can't really see them once you put all the ribbon on.

You attach 3 or 4 strips of ribbon to one half of the board, wrapping the ends over the edges and gluing them in back ONLY. Attach the knobs to the opposite side of the board. I added an additional strip of ribbon to the knob half, but in loops for the headbands. Because Tasha has so many elastic headbands, I cut the top ribbon and attached sticky velcro to both sides.


There you have it. Not the most detailed tutorial, but I didn't take a lot of pictures in the FIFTEEN minutes that it took me to make this. Hopefully it gets the job done!


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Granola

I love granola and just about everything I can put granola on. I DON'T love how high in calories it is. I make my own in an effort to limit the calorie intake (and to ease the strain on my wallet from eating so much granola!).

Granola (adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com)

5 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a baking stone).

Mix half of the oats, nuts, coconut, and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Process in the food processor until coarsely ground. Add in the remaining oats. Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts stir in the vanilla. Pour the hot liquids over the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.

Spread mixture onto prepared pan in one even layer. Bake for 75 minutes, stirring halfway through.

The granola will be soft still, but will become crisp as it cools. Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Makes approx. 10 cups.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tara's Pancake Mix

Growing up in an LDS ward in Utah, there were a lot of Pancake Breakfasts at the church. I mean a LOT. For many years, I had to choke down the nastiness that is Krusteaz pancakes. (ugh I still shudder). Luckily, one of my parent's friends hated them as much as I did and set out to create a large bulk mix that wound up being used at every church breakfast since (that was over a decade ago). I have since modified his recipe to my own personal taste (the original used just plain white flour and sugar) and scaled the recipe from it's original 5 gallon bucket size, to one that fits perfectly in a Tupperware container in my cupboard.

Tara's Pancake Mix (adapted from Jon Buxton's Pickle Barrel Pancakes)

5 c white wheat flour
2 1/2 c red wheat flour
1 c oat flour
1/2 c flaxseed meal
4 T baking powder

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in an air tight container in a cool, dark place.

To make pancakes:
to 1 c mix, add:

1 egg
1 T oil
1 c milk
2 1/.2 T honey

makes approx. 12 pancakes and serves 3-4

My kids love to top these with unsweetened applesauce. Sometimes I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder and they are good enough to eat plain. We have added chocolate chips, cocoa powder, fruit, and/or nuts. This is an incredibly adaptable mix.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Homemade Peanut Butter

I have a confession to make: I LOVE Alton Brown. I think he is funny and he has so many great food tips. If you don't know who he is, you should definitely watch this (or at least the first 2:22):


I have yet to have a single AB recipe let me down. The best thing about Alton is that he heavily promotes making everything yourself. And I mean everything! In fact, my mayo recipe is based off of his recipe. Now, I am going to share with you my adaptation of his peanut butter recipe.

  • 16 ounces shelled and skinned peanuts, raw or roasted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Place the peanuts into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to processuntil the mixture is smooth, 2-4 minutes. Stir in honey. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

The best part about making your own peanut butter, you can flavor it however you'd like. Plus, you can use this same method to make almond butter.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I came across this blog post one day that really opened my eyes to the ickyness that is microwave popcorn. I have never really cared for microwave popcorn (especially that nasty "butter" crap) and really liked using the air popper I had, until my ex made off with it in the divorce (in his defense, it was a present for him). I considered getting a new one, but didn't want to store yet another appliance. Pinterest to the rescue! Now I know that I can just make my kid's obsessive popcorn dreams come true, in the microwave, without a bunch of artificial crap, in a PAPER BAG! Now, you can too!

Go to the grocery store and locate a package of cheap brown lunch bags and a bag of plain ol' kernels:

I have purchased Jolly Time, Great Value and no-name bulk with great success with all of them. You COULD buy name brand (Orville Redenbacher, etc) if you want, but I find that the cheaper generics work just as well.  You only need 1/2 c per bag, so this bag will last you for a while!

Here comes the magical part:

Put the 1/2 c popcorn inside the paper bag and fold the top over twice. Don't seal it with anything, it will be just fine on it's own. Now set it UPRIGHT in your microwave and run it for 3 minutes on high.

Ta-da!
 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuVGSsauPhM/T9LVOm7lycI/AAAAAAAAAMw/mjBaOQ8Czt0/s1600/popcorn.jpg
Perfectly naked popcorn. Just the way I like it! If your kids insist on butter, just melt a couple of tablespoons and drizzle over the top. Or, if you like it seasoned, try a few of these ideas:

  • Mexican: Add chili powder, hot sauce, and salt.
  • Garlic and Onion: Shake in onion powder and garlic powder — hold the kiss.
  • Cheesy: Mix in Parmesan cheese with a little salt.
  • Sweet Tooth: A dash of cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar, and a topper of honey. Now that’s money.


10 Grain Cereal with Orange Slices

This recipe is a SUPER easy hot breakfast that everyone (except Riker, but that is a different story) likes. I buy my cereal in bulk at my local WinCo, but you can also find it in the cereal aisle or baking aisle in smaller bags like this:

Thanks to this techno-age we live in, you can even buy it online in a myriad of places in nearly every quantity.

4 1/2 cups water
1 1/3 cups cereal mix
1/2 cup finely powdered milk (this is optional)

If using milk, whisk with dry cereal in a 2 quart bowl before adding water. This helps prevent clumping. Add water and microwave on high for 12 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Continue to heat on Medium low another 6 minutes until desired consistency. Top with honey and cinnamon. Serve with orange slices.

Homemade Mayo

 
When I was in college, I had the opportunity to go to Paris for an exchange program. The first time I ordered a turkey sandwich, I was a little weirded out by this light yellow stuff they were slathering on my precious Parisian bread. I was so worried that it was some weird mayo/mustard mixture (I hate mustard!) but I really wanted my sandwich so I decided I would choke it down anyway. Little did I know that it was actually MAYONNAISE! They made it fresh every morning. None of this pre-packaged, white, flavorless nonsense. I should have known better, being in France and all, but I had no idea that making mayo was that easy!

 If you have never made your own mayonnaise, you are seriously missing out. The stuff you get on the shelf just doesn't hold a candle to it. 

1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp lemon juice
1 T white vinegar
1 c olive oil

Place egg and lemon juice into a food processor. Cover,and blend until frothy; keep food processor running. Drizzle in olive oil drop by drop, through the drip hole in the top until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate mayo in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

The best part about making your own mayo (other than the obvious taste difference) is that you can flavor it however you want. My favorite way is to dump some chipotle powder in it and let it sit overnight before using it. It is our favorite stand-by mayo for sandwiches.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Coming to Ourselves

Our lesson in our women's organization at church today was on a talk Elder Robert D. Hales gave in this year's April General Conference titled Coming to Ourselves. The sister who taught our lesson did a great job with this talk, but I kind of felt like another sister and I (unintentionally) dominated the discussion portion. This was a topic that is rather dear to me and has been a big part of my life over the last 5 years, and I felt that I should base my post on it today.

Do you ever have one of those experiences where you feel like you "wake up" to the terrible position/situation you are living in and think to yourself 'I deserve so much better than this!' Not in a selfish, entitled manner, but in regards to your self-worth and your innate knowledge that you are worth more and deserve to live in happiness and not misery. This was the premise of Elder Hales' talk as well as the story he retells of the Prodigal Son. He brings up a great point that in Luke 15:17, the young man "came to himself." He had that ah-ha moment where he said to himself: what am I doing?? Even the servants in my father's house live in better conditions than me! I am not a pig and should not be subject to living as one. I deserve to be treated with at least the basic dignity and respect that my father's servants have.

Coming to oneself as the Prodigal Son did is the easy part. The next steps are hard. It requires swallowing your pride, becoming humble and quick to repent, asking forgiveness to those you have offended or shunned in your arrogance, and changing habits that may be deeply ingrained in your life. Sometimes it requires you to make small changes to get back on the path, and sometimes those changes are drastic and daunting. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and depressed by how far you have fallen. Many people think that they have messed up so badly that they are no longer worth saving. NOT SO! God loves EVERY one of his children, just as the young man's father loved him, no matter how badly he had screwed up his life. His father ran to him with open arms and lovingly welcomed him back into his home, not as his servant, but as his son, just as before he left and began sinning. So it is with our Father in Heaven. As one sister eloquently pointed out in our discussion: our Father sees us for who we can be and what our potential is, while we sometimes merely see who we are right now, black spots and all. Our Father loves us and wants us to partake of the blessings that he WANTS to give us. He will accept us back with open arms and loving welcome when we come to him with a humble heart, ready to repent and make changes.

When we are ready to take the steps necessary to change, He will comfort us, straighten us, and guide us. I have seen this in my own life on a first-hand basis. I started, as most do, with a small deviation from the things I knew were right. We do not merely wake up one morning and have the thought: I'm going to commit adultery today (I love my bishop's one-liners!). Satan is subtle. Anyway, I started with the subtle sin of thinking 'I'm in college and away from home. My parents aren't here to MAKE me attend church. I don't feel like going today, so I won't.' While that was not a huge life-altering decision in itself, and I still continued to go to church on a majority basis, it was the first step. Eventually, I began dating someone who did not share my values or commitment to religion. That turned into pre-marital sex. That turned into a marriage outside of the temple. Eventually, I stopped going to church altogether and began swearing, and drinking alcohol (luckily, it was at the end of my first 6-pack that I had my ah-ha moment and never went past that). I wound up married to a man who was verbally and emotionally abusive, who selfishly spent our money on himself and had affairs with other women.

One day, I truly hit rock bottom. I had recently discovered that I was pregnant and seriously considered having the baby aborted. A voice in the back of my head screamed at me that it went against everything I believed in. For once, I listened and decided that, against all of the misery of my life, I was going to keep the baby. Sadly, the pregnancy ended in the baby being stillborn and premature. I was a mess. I came home from the hospital an empty shell. I couldn't feel sad. I didn't have it in me. I was past feeling anything, my life was so screwed up. I hadn't been to church in ages, my husband had denounced the church, I ignored the kids I did have, I lived in destitution with no friends or contact with my family, and now I had lost a baby that at one point, I didn't even want. I went to my room and fell to my knees. Literally. I felt so... I don't even know what word to use... pathetic I guess. I figured, since I was there, I would see if God was still there. At that point, the flood gates didn't just open, they burst. I cried like I have never cried in my life (seriously, I soaked a spot in my bed nearly 2 feet in diameter) and poured my heart out to my God, who I KNEW was there. I didn't know how I knew, but I did. I felt so terrible for everything that had happened and everything that I had brought upon myself. I just wanted to make it right, and had no idea how. I finally stumbled into my soaked bed, alone, and fell asleep.

I had a dream that night, that, for many years, I thought was a vision of the son that I had lost. I woke the next morning with a renewed faith in my Father's plan for me. I knew that if I wanted that baby in the hereafter, I had to make some serious changes. I started going back to church, which was very difficult with my husband being so adamantly against the church. I stopped drinking, stopped swearing, and worked towards being worthy to have a temple recommend that I had given up years before. I prayed more than I had ever prayed in my life. Things didn't get easier. In fact, they got harder and harder. My husband found reasons to have the car on Sundays, and excuses to avoid marriage counseling. I had friends who tried to get me to drink with them. I struggled every day with my personal demons and fighting my depression. One day, I knelt down to pray, utterly overwhelmed by my struggles, and demanded of God 'what do you want from me?!?' I prayed very deeply about several specific issues and for His input on what I was considering as my most viable option. I felt a peace and calm, despite thinking that it was crazy and I had no idea how I was going to pull it off. That night, I filed for divorce. Having no car, no money, no support system, nothing. I very clearly said to my Father: alright, I'm going to do what I can, and I am putting the rest of my life in your hands. I truly felt like the Prodigal Son, stepping out of the pig pen and heading back to his father's house, unsure of what was going to happen next.

The next morning, my life started a series of rapid and unforeseen changes, that, if I did not know that Heavenly Father was involved, I would see as a miraculous chain of coincidences. I reconnected with an old friend who was also going through a divorce. He helped me get back on my feet and move. I started attending church on an incredibly regular basis. I was able to obtain a temple recommend for the first time in 4 years. I took my covenants seriously and lived my life in a way that made me happy and blessed. I was eventually, blessed with the opportunity to marry my wonderful friend, but to be sealed to him in the temple. Now, 5 years after my moment of "coming to myself," I have a happy, healthy marriage, 4 kids, a great life, a temple recommend (which I actually USE!), a faith that is stronger than it has ever been, and a clear knowledge of who I am, where I am going, and what I am supposed to do.

Sometimes, I wish that I had that moment earlier. Sometimes I wish that I had never stepped of the path to begin with. Then I remember that feeling of my Father's open arms, welcoming me back after my time away, His forgiveness for what I had done, and the love that he has for ME, an insignificant no-body. I see how my experiences have shaped me and influenced the woman I have become. I have that reminder to not take what I have for granted (and that it really could be worse).

And I don't regret a thing.