Pin 53, 54 Knocking out Soap Scum on Shower Doors & Turning a Clementine into a Candle

Pin 53  Knocking out Soap Scum with White Vinegar and Blue Dawn

   It is a rare occasion that I walk into my children's bathroom.  They are in charge of cleaning it, since they are the only ones that use.  Their cleaning skills appear to need a great deal of improvement, since it is ALWAYS a mess!  Dirty clothes on the floor (the hamper is in the bathroom!) Wet towels scattered everywhere,  empty bottles laying in the shower, and soap and toothpaste seem to be stuck to everything.  It's a mess  to the point that I almost think they do it on purpose!  Lol!  I couldn't help myself, I picked up the clothes and took them to the laundry room, grabbed some used dryer sheets and got the soap and toothpaste off of everything, hung the towels up, threw the bottles in the recycling and then looked at their shower door.  EWWWW!   It was gross!  I wouldn't take a shower in there if someone paid me!  This explains why they are always sneaking into my bathroom......hehe!
The soap scum was thick and I wasn't sure how to go about getting it off.  I didn't want to use any heavy cleaners because they give me a huge headache.  That means only one thing,  I must get on Pinterest and find a pin to help me (It was a soap scum emergency, I just had to get on Pinterest, right?)  I found several options, but decided to go with a few pins that had Blue Dawn and Vinegar.  I haven't tried anything with these two ingredients that I haven't LOVED!

Source: food.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Source: lifecraftsandwhatever.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I had White Vinegar and Blue Dawn on hand ( I pretty much always do) so I got to mixing up my solution.   Now I didn't use as much Dawn as these called for.  These called for equal parts, and I just went with a 2:1 ration.  6 oz. White Vinegar and 3 oz. Dawn.  You need to mix these a bit,  if your mixture starts to suds up (which will make it hard to spray) take your salt shaker and add a little salt into your spray bottle and it should kill the suds.  You need to heat your Vinegar.   I poured my vinegar into my spray bottle, then stuck it in the microwave (without the spray top).  Do not skip this step!  It really does make a difference.



I learned that it is really hard to get a good picture while standing in a shower.   These are the kids shower doors. Pretty disgusting, right?



I sprayed it on pretty thick, starting at the top and working my way down.  I let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.



Then I took a small scrub brush and scrubbed it a little bit, nothing crazy.  I just went in a circular motion.



Then I rinsed.   Since I put it on thick I sort of had to help wipe away the soap while pouring water over it.  Really no big deal, only took a few seconds.




I couldn't believe the difference that this stuff made.  Except for a few spots where my very talented children managed to get stuff on the outside of the doors, the doors are clear again.  This stuff is amazing!

Pin 54 Turning a Clementine into a Candle

I came across this pin while looking for something for my soap scum problem.  It looked neat, figured the kids would like it, and thought it would smell good! So I gave it a try.

Source: youtube.com via Nicole on Pinterest

We love clementine's and always have some sitting in our fruit basket.  I grabbed one, then got a knife and cutting board and we were good to go.



Lightly slice around the center, you are just trying to go through the peel, not the fruit inside.  



Now is where it gets a little tricky.  You need to pull the peel off, keeping each half intact.  You also need to keep the center part of the pulp attached to the bottom of the peel as you pull it off the clementine.  I just used my thumb to feel for it and hold it down while I pulled the fruit away.



Slightly better picture



Next you are going to pour a little bit of olive oil into the bottom piece.  You will need to let it sit for a few minutes so the peel and the "wick" can soak it up.  While it's soaking you can cut a cute shape into the top of your clementine peel.  Cute didn't workout so well for me, so I just have square, well sort of.......



Just like you would do with a regular candle, trim your wick.   If it's too long it will just burn, but not light.  And trust me, that doesn't smell good.  Once you trim the wick, you can light it.  Mine took a few seconds to light.  I used a lighter, not a match.  Matches and I don't get along well. 



Put your lid on the the lit clementine, and then turn off your lights (this is much cooler at night or early morning) The clementine will glow, and look pretty darn cool.  My kids were pretty impressed.



It really does look much cooler in person.  This did not smell good.  It smelled like burning oranges, but it wasn't overpowering.  It also didn't burn very long, maybe about 40 min.  My clementine also seemed to have sprung a leak.  so if you try this make sure you have it sitting on something so the oil doesn't get all over.  Would I do this again to use as an actual candle......No.  Would I do this again as a cool activity with the kids yes, yes I would.

Pin 50, 51 & 52 The Magic Circle, Crocheting in the Round & Crochet Jar Covers

I really like to find ways to re-use items.   I get this weird sense of pride whenever I "save" something from the trash or recycling bin.  I have re-used glass jars before by painting them, but when I saw a pin with a crochet jar cover I couldn't help but think it was perfect.   I can re-use my jar and some of my yarn stash (that is only slightly out of control).  Now, the best way to start a jar cover is a magic circle..........so that is where our pins begin!

Pin 50 The Magic Circle (Crochet)

The simplest way to start crocheting in the round is a Magic Circle.  This allows you room to do all your stitches without being crowded and the best part is it allows you to pull everything tight so there is no hole in the middle where you started.  This pin has pretty good pictures and directions on how to do the magic circle.   It might be awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is the way to go.

Source: crochetme.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Follow the directions in the pin and wrap the yarn around your fingers.....then make your first stitches,  remember your 3 sc count as your first dc.  Sometimes I forget that!



Once you complete the number of dc you need, it will look like you still have a gap....don't fear, that is the beauty of the magic ring.



Just take the end of the yarn and pull, and your circle will close the gap



Then just join with a slip stitch.   Your first round (Round 1) is complete.  Since the bottom of the jar cover is done in rounds we are going to move on to a pin that shows how to properly increase.

 

 

Pin 51   Crocheting in the Round (How to Increase)

This diagram is one of the easiest to read that I have seen.  It shows the increases for when you are crocheting in the round.

Source: mimibazar.cz via Nicole on Pinterest

If you are not used to reading diagrams, let me see if I can break it down without being too confusing.  The symbols that look like t's stand for single crochet.  The symbols that are o's stand for slip stitches.  The Darkened t's that are joined at the bottom and look like it makes a V are 2 single crochet in the same stich of the previous round......I think I might have lost myself there, so if you have any questions fire away!   I did mine with double crochet to keep the project quick.

The way I remember it  is.....Round 1 double crochet in your magic circle (in my example I will go 12 stitches) join with slip stich.  Round 2, do 2 double crochet in each of your previous double
crochet for a total of 24 stitches,  join with slip stitch.   Round 3,  you will do 2 double crochet in your your first double crochet of the previous round, then 1 double crochet in the next stitch.  So basically you will do 2 double crochet, then 1 double crochet, 2 double crochet, 1 double crochet till you get to the end of your round and join with a slip stitch.  That will give you a total of 36 double crochet.  For my project this was big enough.   If you need to move on to Round 4, you would  do 2 double crochet in your first double crochet of the previous round, then 1 double crochet in your next 2 stitches, then 2 double crochet in the next stitch.  You would continue doing 2 double crochet then 2, 1 double crochet till you reach the end of your round.  You should have a total of  48 stitches.

This is what Round 2 looks like



and Round 3 looks like



Crocheting in the round is how you start most hats, can be used for the jar covers like I'm doing, pillows or even blankets.  

Pin 52  The Crochet Jar Cover

The possibilities are endless here.   You can use a variety of stitches, of yarns and of colors.

 

Source: lovethebluebird.blogspot.com.au via Nicole on Pinterest

To start your covers, begin with the first two pins.  Make your magic circle and crochet in the round till it is big enough to fit the bottom of your jar/tin that you are using.  I am just using a small coffee tin for this one.



3 rounds was large enough to fit the bottom of what I was working with.  If it is just a little bit smaller don't worry about it.  The yarn will stretch some.  Next all you do is crochet one stitch in each of your previous stitches.  You can single crochet, double crochet, or even treble.  I chose to follow the directions in the pin,  She did 2 sc in the  first stitch of the previous round, then skipped the next stitch, then did 2 sc in the next stitch, then skipped the next stitch till you get to the end of your round and join with a slip stitch.  Do this till you reach the height you want.



I switched up colors at my Daughter's request.  She wanted these to put on your her desk to keep her paint brushes in ( She is an extremely talented painter)



I did not follow the directions for the scalloped edging in the pin, I did 1 sc, then skipped the next 2 stitches, then did 5 double crochet in the next stitch, then skipped the next 2 stitches, then sc crochet in the next stitch.  and repeated for the round, and joined with a slip stitch.



These work up really quickly, and you can even add embellishments if you want too.  My middle daughter was home sick from school last week and decorated these jars for me. Not too shabby for a 9 year old!



A nice quick project. I see more of these in my future!  Oh and before I forget I used a G sized hook, and used Sugar and Cream Cotton Yarn along with scraps of  Red Heart Super Saver Yarn.

Pin 49 Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

With so many picky eaters in the my home I feel like I get stuck on the dinner merry go round.  We seem to eat the same things again and again.  For dinner tonight I wanted to try something new.  I have looked at this pin for about a month debating whether or not to try it.  My debate wasn't about whether it looked delicious or not, but that my picky kids would turn their noses up to it........

Source: nlrockrecipes.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I decided tonight I was going to try it.  I already had planned on pork chops anyway. The recipe is for 6 pork chops.  I doubled mine.

For the Breading:

1C Flour
2 tsp. Salt
2tsp. Black Pepper
1 1/2 TBSP Ground Ginger
1 TBSP. Ground Nutmeg
1tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground sage
1TBSP. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Egg White Wash:

2 Egg Whites
2 TBSP Water


Mix up your breading in a bowl/pan that will be easy to dip the pork chops in.   Then mix up your egg white wash.   You can either use just egg whites or add a TBSP or 2 of water to it.   While you are mixing up your breading and wash, have the oil in your frying pan heating up.  Put in enough oil to cover the whole bottom.  I also preheated my oven at this point.   I just fried mine enough to get a nice crispy golden brown coating on them then transferred them to a cookie sheet/baking dish lined with parchment paper, covered them with foil then baked them till they were done.  I had to fry two batches, so by baking them we could all eat at the same time.

Take a pork chop dip into the flour/breading mixture, then dip it into the egg white wash, then dip it into the flour mixture again.  Lay it in your frying pan gently!  The first one I did fell in and not only made a mess but splashed hot oil onto my hand.  OUCH!  Continue till your pan is full.  Once both sides are browned transfer to a baking sheet if you are going to finish them off in the oven.   If you are frying them all the way, make sure you don't have your heat up too high, or the outsides will brown too quickly and the middle will still be raw.  Low steady heat works best.  

While the pork chops are cooking it's time to mix up your sauce

Sauce:
2 TBSP. Olive Oil
5 Cloves Garlic (we used 8)
1 C Honey (we used 3/4 C)
1/4 C Soy Sauce
1 tsp. black pepper

Put your olive oil in a small sauce pan to heat, then add in your garlic.  I found leaving mine in cloves and then smashing them into a paste once the heated worked best.   Once this is done add in your Honey, Soy Sauce and black Pepper.   We didn't dip our pork chops into the sauce, we just drizzled some over the pork chops once they were on the plate.  Some of us wanted more on ours, and some didn't want any.



These were good.  They were crispy outside, moist on the inside.  The sauce is a bit sweet, so if your not found of sweet on your meat.....bypass it.  The meat without it is just as good and flavorful.  I liked the sauce, and half the kids did too.   I will be making these again, though I might see what I can do to change up the sauce.

Pin 46, 47 & 48 Felt Wreath and Felt flowers and keeping Pipe Insulation from bending or being odd shaped

Pin 46  The Felt Wreath

I am totally into wreaths right now.   I'm not sure why.  Could be that I just am happy to cover some of my bare walls, or the fact that I have been really pleased with all the ones that I have tried so far (probably both).  The kids have their own TV area upstairs in the loft.   It is a good size room and one of the remaining areas that I haven't really decorated.  I wanted to make something to hang on the walls.  While there are a few thing up, they still look pretty empty.   I came across this wreath and thought it would be perfect.

Source: kimmccrary.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I wanted to do the wreath in Ohio State colors, which I already had on hand.  So I went and grabbed my Scarlet and Grey felt, and tried to make sure I had enough.  I used the 8x11 sheets you can grab at Hobby Lobby because I had a ton of them already.  If you have to go out and buy felt for this project I would suggest buying it by the yard in the fabric department.  2/3 of a yard should be about what you need  for one wreath.....If you are using the sheets you will need at least 12-15 sheets, maybe more depending on how tightly you place your circles.

For this project:

Felt
3" Circle Template
Sharpie
Scissors
Pins (General purpose, the "normal" silver ones)
Wreath Form
Any Embellishments you might want to add
Ribbon to hang your wreath
Hot Glue Gun/ Glue Sticks (for embellishments)

I traced the bottom of a soup can onto a piece of cereal box that was heading for the recycling bin, and used that as my template.  Then I spent what felt like the next 20 years of my life tracing circles onto the felt.  I was doing enough to make two wreaths.



Once you get them all traced you get to cut them all out.   When you are cutting them out, cut on the inside of the black line so you don't see any of the black marker on your circles.  I thought tracing felt like it took forever, well then cutting out the circles felt like it took an eternity.



Once you have your million or so circles (about 120-150 actually per color) It's time to gather your wreath form and pins.  I used pipe insulation from a home improvement store to make my wreath forms. 



Take a felt circle and fold it in half



Then fold it in half again.



Place your folded circle over the wreath form and use your pins to attach.  I found if you put your pins in at an angle they hold more securely..  I started filling in my wreath in the middle and outsides first.


 Just keep pinning in your circles till your wreath is full.  Halfway through mine I realized that I didn't like the red and grey together in the wreath.   I took mine apart and started fresh, making one all red and one all grey.  This time I didn't fill in middle and outside first.........




and the finished product



I really kind of like these.  I need to pick up a few more pieces of grey felt to fill in a few gaps, but that won't take long.  If your looking for a simple project I would suggest giving this one a try.

Pin 47  Felt Flowers

I have seen the felt flowers all over, and thought they would be the perfect embellishment for the felt wreath......plus I already had the circles cut! 

Source: projectwedding.com via Nicole on Pinterest

or

Source: saifou.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I folded my circles the same way I did for the wreath.  I glued mine, I did not sew them.   Follow the directions and just glue instead of sew.   If I had been making these for something that might be handled on a regular basis, like as a hair accessory or a pin then I would have sewn them.  These were going on the wreath so hot glue was fine.



Because the felt is thicker then the material used in the first pin, this only took 6 circles.  4 for the base and two in the middle, and they fluffed up and made it look full.   If anyone would like more detailed pictures just leave a comment. 

Pin 48  Keeping Pipe Insulation used as a Wreath Form from Bending & Creasing.

Using Pipe Insulation can be a little tricky.  It doesn't always like to cooperate and stay in a circle.  It likes to bend and crease, and many times look more like an oval than a circle.   If you have tried it and got discouraged, please read this next pin and give it another try!

 

Source: gailmade.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

 Following her method really does make a difference.  If you haven't tried using pipe insulation as a wreath form,  I love it.  It is much cheaper, and once you get the hang of it, pretty easy to work with.  If you have tried it before,  please don't be afraid to try it again.

Pin 43, 44 & 45 Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles & gingerbread butterscotch)

Busy, Busy weekend.  Seems like as it gets closer and closer to the Holidays there are less hours in a day.  This weekend just seemed crazy.  It was a sad weekend, no big time college football.  I think everyone felt lost without their Beloved Buckeyes.  My oldest daughter wanted me to take her out Christmas Shopping.  I will admit I am terribly spoiled!  I am used to being able to go out during the weekday, especially early in the morning when stores are first opening and they are completely bare.  Saturday the stores were packed!  It was madness!  She was thankfully able to get most of what she needed at one store.  The plan was to come home and do some baking, but I just wasn't feeling it.  Still trying to get over being sick mixed with a bad sinus headache equaled no baking.  That left it for Sunday.  My Baking Assistant, Miss Scarlett and I made 3 different batches of cookies.  All new to us recipes, but 1 was a new to us cookie too!

Pin 43 Peanut Butter Blossoms

Who doesn't love some good ole' Peanut Butter Blossoms?  Peanut Butter and Chocolate just go so well together.  We make these a lot during the holidays, but decided to try a new recipe.

 

Source: completelydelicious.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1/2 cup  butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup  peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup  sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups  all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon  salt
48 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
About 1/3 cup  sugar, for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

First you want to cream your butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and peanut butter.



 Then mix your other dry ingredients together (or have your handy dandy baking assistant do it for you) and add to the mixture and fold them in.



Once they are folded in you will be left with a pretty stiff dough. 



If you didn't get it ready before, put about 1/3 C of sugar in a small bowl.   Take the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough by the Tablespoon full and roll it into a ball, then roll the ball in the sugar, then place on a cookie sheet.



Put them in the oven.......bake until you start to see the cookie cracking on top.   They may look like they are not done, but once they start cracking you want to take them out.  As soon as you take them out, place your unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the middle and press down slightly.



These weren't bad, but I do think I will go back to my tried and true recipe.  These were a little on the dry side.  The kids didn't complain one bit though, and if I hadn't hid some away they would have eaten them all.   The recipe made a total of 3 Dozen.

Pin 44 Christmas Snicker Doodles

Who doesn't love a Snicker Doodle.   We love Cinnamon in this house, but this is one cookie that I have yet to find a real tried and true recipe that we love.  We decided to experiment with this one.

 

Source: lovintheoven.com via Nicole on Pinterest

  

 1/2 Butter, softened 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

You will also need 1tsp of cinnamon mixed with 2 T of Sugar to roll the cookies in...

First you are going to want to cream your butter, sugars, vanilla and egg.



Then you are going to want to mix your dry ingredients in a smaller bowl.



Add them into your main bowl and fold them in.   Then if your like me and need your mixing bowl to mix up another batch of cookies, scoop the dough into a different bowl and cover.  Then place in the fridge for about an hour.



After an hour they should be stiff enough to roll into balls.  Take about a Tablespoon full of dough and roll it into a ball, then roll into your  cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Press on to the cookie sheet.



Bake them for about 12 min.   Of course all ovens are different so just keep an eye on them.  This is another one of those cookies that you should take out right before they look completely done. 



This made about 20 cookies.......They were GOOD! We really liked them fresh out of the oven.  I'll make this recipe again, but I'm still not sure if this will be my "go to" recipe.

Pin 45  Gingerbread Butterscotch Cookies

I know, I know! Your reading the name of the cookie and thinking YUCK!  That is exactly what we did.  No one in my family is a fan of Butterscotch.  I have a few bags of chips (not really sure why) so I thought why not give it a try.  After all we do like Gingerbread.

Source: bakedperfection.com via Nicole on Pinterest

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup light molasses
1 (11 ounce) package Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 Cream your butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses ( I just love the smell of molasses)



Then mix your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.



Throw your dry ingredients into your  main bowl and fold them in.  Once they are folded in, it's time to add your Butterscotch Chips.



Drop the cookies on to a cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (or tablespoon)  Throw them in the oven.
They took about 10 min. to bake.  and made about 4 dozen cookies.



These pictures don't do these cookies any favors.....I took them out of the oven and they smelled wonderful.  But, then again, gingerbread usually does.  Put them on the cooling racks and watched the kids gather and gawk at them.  They thought they smelled good, but you could tell they were all too afraid to try them.   So I "manned" up (I hate trying new food!) and picked one up and took a bite.  OMGosh!  These are delicious!  I guess my face must of said it all because the kids were moving past me to get their own.   They all loved them, and out of the 3 cookies we made,  these were the ones that were disappearing the quickest.  I know the gingerbread mixed with butterscotch sounds weird, especially if your like us and don't like butterscotch, but please dont' be afraid to give them a try!