Body Scrub - Vanilla Sugar Scrub

1 cup fine brown sugar or any fine grain sugar
1/3 cup grapeseed or mineral oil
20 drops vanilla essential oil
1 tsp vanilla essence

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Put into a lidded wide mouth jar and use in shower to scrub.

Upholstery Shampoo

6 tablespoons soap flakes
2 tablespoons borax
1 pint boiling water

1. In large mixing bowl, mix soap flakes and borax together; slowly add the boiling water, stirring well to thoroughly dissolve the dry ingredients
2. Let cool, then whip into a foamy consistency with an eggbeater
3. Brush dry suds onto the furniture, concentrating on soiled areas. Quickly wipe off with a damp sponge.

*To make soap flake, grate Ivory Bar Soap
**Try on a small spot to check for color fade before using on large area.

Body Scrub - Coffee Scrub

1/4 cup ground coffee bean or 1/4 cup used coffee grounds
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 tsp honey

Mix all ingredients together and put in a container. Store in the shower, usually last up to 2 week if sour smell or mold forms throw away.

Additions
cocoa powder or cinnamon

Foot Scrub: Peppermint & Lavender

1 cup salt - course sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil or mineral oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops lavender essential oil

Combine ingredients will in a glass or ceramic bowl

Put in a lidded container and use as needed. Apply to clean feet, rub salt around dry areas.

Cucumber Toner

A refreshing toner that leaves your face cool

1/2 cucumber
1 tablespoon lavender hydro-sol
1 oz. with hazel
2 drops rosemary essential oil

1.Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until the cucumber is liquefied.
2. Strain through a coffee filer or cheesecloth

Put in a dark glass bottle with a lid and store in refrigerator

To Use:
Apply to the face and neck after cleansing

Planning a Menu

It is always a good idea to plan at least a week's menu. Planners know that shopping each day for a meal can be expensive. Rather than knowing what you want when you walk into the store you will look around and start buying things that look good. You are usually tired from work and this is the last thing that you want to do. So you will buy the first thing you see or parts of several things. It is just like shopping when you are hungry. What looks good then might not be all that appealing when you get home. And you will buy impulse items which will cause the grocery bill to go higher. If you must shop on your way home think about what you would like before you even walk into the store. if you don't kow if you have all thing other ingredients at home, make sure you get them. 

Having a plan when you go to the store makes it easier and faster when you are in the store. Make list before shopping if you do this weekly or even month. 

I try to only do a weekly menu as doing a month I will rebel from it just because I can. 

There is a website that offers a place for you to put in your recipes and you can make a list of your recipes or others for you menu. You can then print out a grocery list. The items you have you can just mark off.  http://www.plantoeat.com 

Another thing you can do is have certain types of food once a month; such as mexican night. We do this every month and usually have Dad come up. It will be anything from Tacos to enchiladas. 

If you are planning on freezing your meat or other items make sure to plan ahead. There is nothing like forgetting to take something out and not having anything to fix.

Just have fun making out your menu. Take a look at the weather for the week. If you are going to have a nice weekend think about grilling or something simple so you can enjoy the day. Make a two-for (two meals out of one) meal is always great. I have a few of those in my recipe section. Such as chicken from one night goes on a salad the next day. http://deanas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/two-meals-in-one-chicken-breast-halves.html

Also use your weekends that are rainy to make thing that can be used in more than one meal. Just make extra. Such as lasagna meat, make extra and freeze. The next time you want to make lasagna in the slow cooker you just have to thaw or microwave thaw http://deanas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/lasagna.html

Before you shop if you are a coupon clipper check out dealseekingmom.com it will give you all the places to find just about every coupon. There are service you can subscribe to if you don't get the sunday paper coupons as not all of the coupons on that site are printable.

Organization Series

I have planned on doing a organization series over the summer. Since Bethany and Sean will be in traditional school next year and I will be going back to work after that I need to get the house organized to make the adjustment back to the working life.

I have read alot of organizational books and some things make sense, others just keep repeating the same thing just using different words in their 101 ways to organize. I thought the best way for me to write about it was to actually do what I was writing about. Since I am going to tell you all to make a list and put in a time table I am going to do the same. 

I haven't decided if I am going to put it on this exactly blog or make another address and link to this. But I will post it all as I am working. Those breaks that I will be taking will be writing breaks. Hope you all enjoy. 

Also since I am not going to let the kids have a totally school free summer I will be adding summer education things to this blog. Right now they are identifying all the states and where they are and their capitals. It has always amazed me that kids are not truly learning all this in school. The world might be smaller because of technology, but we are not helping by making the information they are putting out there on social networks incorrect. 

One of the main things all the books I have read said was to create a central command center. That is where everyone put information (weekly menus, to do list, and just simple reminders). I ordered one from Staples and it was really decent prices as it was on clearance.It should be here next week.

Other great idea is this expandable file folder the slides down. You can hang it on a wall or over a door. It will allow you to keep track of things that you haven't filed. Or it can become your monthly file. If it is work that needs to be worked on while you are waiting to pick up the kids you can just slide it back together and take with you (I will talk about a mobile office in the organization blog). There are several styles and again cheap as they are on clearance.

As soon as they all get here I will put them up and take a picture to post here. Then it is time to get busy on the cleaning and organizing.

Below are the links to the products that I have ordered. 

Note-it Style™ Home Organization Center

Staples® Cascading Horizontal Poly File, Check Size, Multicolor

Staples® Cascading Vertical Poly File, Letter Size, Multicolor

Staples® Cascading Horizontal Poly File, Letter Size, Black