Galaxy Hair!

Well, I made the plunge! When in doubt, go all out! I decided to give this galaxy hair thing a try!! I have super short hair and didn't know how it would go over or even if I would like it. So far, I love it! Ronin thinks it's silly but that's ok! I will post about how fast it fades as well as put up an update on what the products used where.

Disclaimer: although I love it, it took 6 hours to do. Because I had colored it before we had to lift the color, wash and dry it, bleach where the color was going to go, wash and dry that, then put the purple, blue and titanium on. And again, you wash and dry it. But I still love it!
‪#‎galaxyhair‬ ‪#‎purplehair‬ ‪#‎bluehair‬ ‪#‎titaniumhair‬ ‪#‎newdo‬ ‪#‎whenindoubtgoallout‬

Cheesy Potato Soup

This soup was easy to make! Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
2-4 Medium Potatoes (Peeled and diced 1/2-3/4 inch cubes)
1 Onion chopped
2 (14oz) Cans Chicken Broth
36 oz (4.5 cups) water
*Broth plus water should be 2 Quarts*
1 Stick of Butter
6 Tbsp. Flour
1 Cup Milk
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp. Pepper


Combine in a soup pot:
-Potatoes, Onion, Chicken Broth and Water.
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low until tender.
*I was in a time crunch, so I kept it boiling on high*

In a skillet:
-Melt butter and add flour. Cook until mixture bubbles.
-Remove from heat and stir in milk. Return to heat, once mixed, and stir until thick.
-Add the seasonings and cheese. Stir until even.
-Add 1 cup of the potato water to mixture and stir until smooth.
-Pour cheese mixture into the potato pot. Simmer soup on low until ready to serve.

*Soup felt too thin to us. To thicken, we took 1 "ninja bullet" cup of soup and blended it. The blended potato and soup mix, thickened it right up!

Review:
This soup was AWESOME! We did not change any of the ingredients! We added bacon on top but that was it! both of my boys loved it! I hope your family does too!


A big THANK YOU to Heather Skanchy for this recipe!

Decorative Soap Bottles

Super easy. Are you ready?

Print picture on overhead or transparent paper and cut to size of bottle

Roll up picture and slide into the bottle.

Add Soap!

If placement is off, we used an eraser to move.

Replace lid and TA-DA!

Cook Book Challenge Accepted!

The other day I was looking through all of my cookbooks, I have many, trying to meal plan. I have one that is a collection of recipes from many different ward functions, ranging from all over the Salt Lake Valley. Well, I decided I would try something new! You see, in this cook book there are no pictures. I am a VERY visual person, Pinterest is one of my best friends, and makes it hard to cook from just a recipe, especially one that I have never made before. So, I made myself a challenge! I will cook all of the recipes in the book and add my picture to it. With doing this I will put in my picture, recipe and review of the recipe HERE! Be ready to see what we like and any adjustment that get made! I super excited to give this a try!


** Disclaimer: I have no deadline on when I will complete this challenge! I have to work on it as I am not very good at this, as explained above. I will also be posting other recipes that I try! I am super excited about all the fun that will be had!

Hair

Asked to try by Keri Reading. Information below is from Carly Gill of Carly's Support Group to Better Health 
* Please note that you may have to vary the ingredients due to the length and thickness of your hair.*


"I was asked to try these healthy hair recipes. Here it is!!
Share this so you can easily find it on your page

Look to your kitchen for the BEST conditioners to moisturize and revitalize your hair!
Four different masks for each type of hair that you can easily make in minutes using all-natural ingredients you probably have sitting in your refrigerator or cupboard right now!

DRY hair –Olive Oil and Egg
In need of some major TLC?? Combine three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with two eggs and apply the mixture to your hair and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes before rinsing in the shower.
The olive oil will help hydrate brittle locks, while the protein in the eggs will promote healthy hair growth.

ALL HAIR TYPES — Avocado and Honey
Mask a ripened avocado and mix in a tablespoon of organic honey and allow it to sit for 20 minutes before rinsing it off in the shower.
Avocados are rich in a variety of vitamins and nutrients, including vitamin E and protein, both of which your hair needs to remain soft and healthy. Meanwhile, honey is a natural antibacterial agent.

OILY hair — Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon
Combine 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with the grated peel of an entire lemon and allow it to set for 15 minutes to absorb the excess oil from your scalp, and then rinse in the shower.
Apple cider vinegar will remove build up from styling products and conditioners and strengthen the hair shaft, leaving you with soft, shiny strands. It will also balance hair’s pH level, kill bacteria, and is a cure for dandruff.

DRY, flaky scalp hair — Banana, Honey and Almond
Mash together 1/2 a ripe banana and add two tablespoons of honey and a few drops of almond oil and allow it to set with a shower cap on for 20 minutes before rinsing.
Bananas can increase the moisture of your hair, smooth frizz and soothe your itchy scalp.

Choose the one that fits you better and bring your hair back to life!! There is no need to buy the priciest conditioners on the market to moisturize and revitalize your hair.

More great ideas come check us out Carly's Support Group to Better Health, Everyone Welcome"

 Here are my resuts of trying each of these on different people with different hair:

 
DRY hair –Olive Oil and Egg:


I am going to try this on myself, But ave not been able to recently. I will do this and report.




ALL HAIR TYPES — Avocado and Honey: Annie

OILY hair — Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon: Kadi 
Kadi has very fine, oily scalp with dry tips. She has had problems with it for a very long time. On 9/18 we tried this "remedy". We found that there wasn't enough vinegar to cover all of the hair. We added about 1/8 of a cup. She had recently died her hair as well and we found that a bit of the color was stripped from the ends when we began to apply. She explains a sense of tingling on the scalp and the smell is very strong. We advise if you are able, to go outside during the 15 minute wait period.

Before:

As she went to rinse out the concoction, she found that it was instantly soft. The only problem was that she was unable to remove most of the lemon. So instead of rinsing, she washed it with L'oreal EverStrong Shampoo and Conditioner. After showering, she explained that her hair was very soft and very manageable, which is uncommon for her.

 

 Her hair was very shinny and soft. It helped the color become more brilliant. She is very happy with the results and gives it 2 thumbs up! She has also explained that she will continue to do this when her hair becomes very unmanageable. FACT!





DRY, flaky scalp hair — Banana, Honey and Almond:


I am going to try this on myself, But ave not been able to recently. I will do this and report.



Please note that the amount of product listed may not be the amount needed for your hair. All hair varies. 

Mrs. Fields Copycat Cookies

Need a yummy cookie for tonights festivities? Desserts are what the 4th needs! Give these delicious babies a try!


Ingredients:
1 lb. - Butter (Softened)
1 1/2 C. - Sugar
2 C. Brown Sugar
2 Tbl. - Vanilla
3 - Large Eggs
4-6 C. - Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3-4 C. - Chocolate Chips

(Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes)

This is my families recipe card. 

All Ingredients

Beat your eggs.

Take your bitter........

.........melt it if you need

Mix butter, eggs and vanilla.

Add Sugar, brown sugar, salt and baking soda.

This is what t should look like after being mixed.

Slowly add your flower. Depending on where you are, you may need more or less.

This is how it should look after adding all of your flour.

I added 5 cups. T'his isthe 1 cup I had left over.

Add your chocolate chips.

Note: I have to put a brag note here about the above picture. These things are amazing! I can't cook without them! These silicone baking mats are the best thing to cook with. You can get them at any baking store. They make it so you don't have to pout non-stick spray on your pans and makes it so they don't get dirty. Super affordable and, I must say, are a cooking essential!

Once your dough is complete, pick a scoop size ( I choose the one on the right)
You can also use your hands and have a fun mess with these.

Evenly space out your cookies and allow for them to spread.

I pull out tin foil so I can keep making my scoops and just transfer them to the pan.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 and cook for 8-10 minutes.
The smaller your cookies, the less time needed.
I cooked mine for 8 minutes.

Cook until there is a golden brown bottom and slight browning to the tops.

Place on a cooling rack with paper towels or kitchen towel.
This will cook and absorb some of the extra oil from the butter.

And Wa-La! You have a great cookie that will put a smile on everyones face. Remember not to eat the dough (or eat very little of it) because there are eggs.


I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please let me know if you have any problems or if you have any comments!

'Grandpa' Pallet Sign

If you are like me, you think that Fathers Day and Mothers Day are just another day for everyone to go out and spend a ton of money. I don't like to do that. I believe that these days are meant for crafts or even a service. For Mothers Day I received a clean car! Best gift ever!

So with that in mind, I went to Pinterest to see what I could find. I found this cool sign that someone sells and thought, I could make that out of pallets. So I did. Here is how I made it all work.

Always break down your pallet and select your boards carefully. Using safety glasses and gloves can help prevent injuries.   After selecting your boards, always prep your wood by sanding.

Now you are ready to begin!!

Materials needed are:
-Pallet Boards (4 with this sign)
-Cup of Water
-Bowl for Paint
-Paint
-Paint Brush
-Towel for dabbing

1. If you want to make more of a stain, get the board wet with water then apply paint. Use the towel to dab up excess paint. If not, you can just paint the boards the color you prefer. My father-in-law works for BYU so we went with a BYU blue and did a stain affect.

2. Once your boards are all painted and dried, mark them the length you are wanting. You can use any form of marker, just make sure that if you use a sharpie, or pen that bleeds, that you sand off the extra marks. Then using whichever kind of saw you have, cut the boards to the desired length. You can do this before or after you start painting. If you do it after, like I did, Just make sure to paint the end that was cut.

3. Remeasure your boards to make sure they are at the desired length you want. Make adjustments if necessary. My sign was 13 1/2 in. X 20 in.

4. Using pieces of the boards you just cut of another pallet slat, Measure the the height of your boards and prepare to screw them in. The screws I used were 1 1/4 in. screws.

**Note: If your boards are too hard to just screw into, use a drill bit first, but be careful not to go too far. I will show this in another post.

5. Once your boards are all put together, stencil out the letter of what you want your sign to say. Stencil in pencil as to not leave behind any marks. Then paint them in. You can also use vinyl lettering if you prefer.

6. Now you are ready to attach your hanger. You can use whatever you like. For this project we used thick Jute and a staple gun to attach it to the boards.

7. You are done! Ready to be hung as an awesome handmade craft for you or another!