Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pinspiration: DIY laundry detergent

Anyone who has had a conversation with me recently knows how much I love Pinterest.
In fact, I often start my sentences this way: "On Pinterest I saw......"
But I don't just pin things....well, most of the time I do.  But hey! I've actually tried out several of the things I've pinned, be it recipes, household projects and outfit ideas.
One of such is homemade laundry detergent.

Now there are several out there, but I tried this one:
If you don't want to follow the link, the ingredients are as follows:

3 bars Fels Naptha Soap (grated)
1 three lb 7 oz box Washing Soda
1 four lb box Baking Soda
1 four lb 12 oz box Borax
3.5 lbs Oxi Clean (or the store brand equivalent)
Then you simply grate the bars of soap with a cheese grater (it actually grates fairly easy and looks like cheddar cheese....so don't get confused and sample any while grating.....) and mix the ingredients together.  I did mine in layers (add roughly 1/3 of each ingredient then stirring with a wood spooning, then repeat 3 times )in an old laundry detergent box. Then you're ready to go!


This looks like a box of Kitty Litter...but it's not!


I found all of these ingredients, side by side at my local grocery store.  For close to $18 dollars and in 15 minutes, I was able to make the laundry detergent. 
Now the beauty of the "supposed" DIY detergent is that A) it is said that only 1-2 tablespoons of detergent is needed.  As a result, B) it should last me quite awhile (it is estimated by the blog where this recipe came from to last about 8-9 months).  It's also nice that it's not too full of crazy perfumes that my skin abhors.
I've used it several times already, (one load from camping) and my clothes have come out looking and smelling clean and they even feel a bit softer!
I'm pretty pleased so far and will let you know just how long it really lasts me and what I still think of it down the road.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Get out of town!

Both Aaron and I have been dying to get out of town, and so last minute, of course we finally decided to to just that....get out of town.
Our choice? Bandon and Coos Bay (referred to as "the Bay Area" but in Oregon and Not. As. Awesome...) and a portion of the coast we've never been to together (however, I was there over 15 years ago or so in case you wondered....).
Since this trip was a last minute one, we made no reservations to stay anywhere, piled our stuff in the car and drove off into the horizon.

Here are a few snapshots from our random and crazy trip:

Day one- in the car

Some healthy snacks...in case you're not familiar:
A one hairy leg, one root beer (totes street legal ) an all natural
slurpee and in going with the whole "sea theme"-swedish fish cuz
they're sooo delish!

Hyper-Me after my healthy snacks

We finally made it to Bandon and decided to check out the Historic Downtown.
And why not?

Still Day One- Bandon
A cool street lamp in "Old Downtown" Bandon

A place that was supposed to be good and serve
some amazing fish and chips....not so

Me. Fishin' and lookin' good during Shark Week
and a bald man in the back being jealous.

My handsome hubby- you may know him

Some Caramel dipped marshmallows = yum

A beautiful carved Sea horse (is that two words?)
down on the Bandon Boardwalk

Coquille River Lighthouse

An old-timey view of a jetty from the lighthouse

We also did a little shopping and decided we had seen and done enough in Bandon and decided it was time to move on AND find a place to lay our heads.  We found that not having a reservation was not so smart and ended up calling different hotels and campgrounds for availability.  There was none until someone tipped us off to one just outside of Charleston called the Bastendorff Beach Campgrounds.  It was a first come, first serve campground and we were told there were only 12 spots left.  We decided to drive there immediately and managed to find a spot.  The one we landed in wasn't bad and for $16 we weren't complaining. That night we went to a hole in the wall restaurant for a delicious bowl of clam chowder in Charleston.
Then we went to sleep to the sound of crackling fires and crashing waves.  The next day we woke up and moved up the coat to Coos Bay and North Bend.

Day two- Coos Bay

We started the next day out with a flat tire so Aaron swapped out the flat for the spare and then we had to drive 15 minutes or so to the next town, Coos Bay to a Les Schwab.  While our flat was being repaired, we walked to a nearby coffee shop.  There, we sipped coffee, read our books and planned the rest of our day.
We stumbled upon a pretty amazing Street Market and walked up and down the street.
We managed to find a tasty Apple Cider wine from Depoe Bay Winery and some Elephant Ears (doughy goodness...)
We then walked through the downtown portion of  Coos Bay, stopped by the visitor center where we heard a crazy man swear to another that there was no Japan and decided it was time for lunch.
We decided we didn't want anymore "amazing" fish and chips this time and landed on what happened to be a pretty awesome German restaurant, the Blue Heron Bistro.  It was quirky, our waiter was not meant to be a waiter and the food was delicious!


Inside the restaurant


A picture on the front of the weird menu

My meal: Brussels Mussels cooked in cider with cucumber coleslaw
and fries


Aaron enjoying his fried oyster and bacon sandwich with
a sour beer...all weird. He's gonna love this pic :)
From there we headed to Shore Acres near Sunset Bay (where we wanted to camp but they were FULL!)
It used to have a huge house, but word on the street is that it burned down, the State bought it and restored the gardens.  I'm glad they did because it was just as pretty as I remembered it when I was 16.





A beautiful garden outside of Charleston: Shore Acres



Shots from a wee little walk around the grounds of
Shore Acres



And last but not least- a coastal sunset by our campground
That is pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed it and can visit some of these places if you never have before!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Hum day (get it? instead of hump day...haha)

There are far too many songs I've heard lately that I just had to share
(and I'm sure most of you have heard...most of them.)
First of all, I just heard this literally 5 minutes ago and it was love at first listen.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Stars

The second one I've been visiting YouTube for since I heard it since hearing it on the Olympics is Phil Phillips "Home." At first I thought it was Mumford and Sons...but no, it was this guy.  Take a listen!

and last but not least: Ho Hey by the Lumineers

Hope you enjoyed this!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Things I look forward to

Do not be afraid, ye of faint heart!  For this post is not about to get deeper than deep- it seems to worry friends and family when I "go there."  Instead, this post in reality shall remain quite shallow. 
You see, lately I've been looking forward, instead of behind.  In doing so, I've come across several things I just can't seem to wait for.
But before I start my little ramblings, how bout a song that I pretty much love right now?
I KNOW if any of you listen to any commercial radio stations, you've most likely heard it. 
But I still can't stop humming it:


And now for the things I look forward to:

FALL
Don't hate me, but the first thing I'm dying to see is Fall...no let's call it Autumn (it's so much more romantic that way.)  Overall, I am not a fan of Summer.  I'm tired of the heat and the blazing sun....it's just so hot!! Instead, I look forward to Autumn and what it holds for me: Crisp mornings and warm afternoons; kids preparing to go back to school and all the amazing school supplies waiting to be picked up in the stores; layering on clothing, grabbing a camera and some hot cider and taking in the amazing sights while walking through the crunching leaves; coming home, bundling up and eating some pumpkin pie and watching the new Fall lineup on TV.  That is Fall in a nutshell.

Who could get tired of this? via Pinterest
GROWING THE OL' HAIRS OUT
Not that you can tell, but I've always been a bit obsessed with my hair.  My motto as far as hair goes is to grow it out just to cut it short.  I'd like to say I'm 100% a short hair or long hair person, but in reality, I'm both, with a little love for the medium length as well.  And now? I'm choosing to be short/medium.
I miss curling my hair and doing things with it.  It has been short for quite some time now!


via Pinterest

As of today, this is kinda what I'm going for-but that could change anytime soon.
It always does.


TAKING A MUCH NEEDED TRIP
We haven't been on much of a trip since the early part of 2011.  Don't get me wrong, we have taken a few weekend trips here or there but none of them have quenched my thirst for travel.  Aaron and I have been talking over where we would like to go next.  Should we stick close to home or leave the country, or both?!
That's what we (and our checking account) are trying to decide.  A few options:
Canada
Alaska
or maybe go on a cruise somewhere a little more tropical

Virgin Islands are always an option...
LOSING WEIGHT...again
It is crazy how doing nothing, eating an awful lot and drinking beer regularly packs on the pounds.  But I am here to tell you it does.  I miss the energy and confidence I had when I was trying so hard almost a couple years ago now.  So here's to another year fighting the fight.  In roughly 6 months I will have another year of age to claim and another anniversary to celebrate.  Why not start both of those by feeling and looking good (or at least better). My goal is to be both healthy and way smaller than I am today.  Also to fit into every single article of clothing I've saved for when that day comes.  Here goes! Yay.

via..what else...Pinterest :)
That's it for now! I'll let you know when one of these things greets me first!
Have a good one!

Monday, August 13, 2012

My outfit Monday


As with many other regular little posts I've done, I haven't shown "My outfit Monday" much love lately.
However, I promise you I have been wearing clothing...I just haven't documented the said outfits, usually because A) I'm running too late B) I forgot or C) My outfit was not worth sharing.
But Saturday I did put on an outfit I actually liked as I was going to a bridal shower and needed to look a little more dressed up than I normally am.
Here 'tis:


Cardigan: J Crew outlet; Dress: Gap; Belt: Ross; Shoes: AE


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Thrifty finds...it has been awhile!

Last weekend, my sister and I went to a couple antique and thrift stores.  I didn't find much on that trip -besides a bracelet and a look-alike doll, but it reminded me that I haven't shown you recent purchases in awhile.
What was I thinking?
So without further ado:
The finds :0)

A compact mirror...love all the bright colors!

A cool watercolor (?) of a girl standing on the edge of a rock
...for only $5!! But the frame MUST go!

A cute eyelet top(picture it with skinny jeans and boots)
from Goodwill!

Polka dot skirt from Goodwill..only $4
Yellow/turquoise bracelet on the far left from an antique store
And last but not least...the Happy meal Whitney!
I didn't buy her but my sister and I cracked up
and snapped a picture!
So that's if for now.  I've been trying to stay away from Goodwill as I've noticed the clothes I find and purchase from there are usually (but not always) the clothes I seem to get tired of the fastest.
Although, now that I think of it, I may head there to day.  You know, just to look.
What can I say? Old habits die hard...or don't die at all.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Perfectly Pepto Pink Cookies

Last month I stumbled upon these cookies and couldn't get them out of my head.


I had to find the recipe and make it mine.
The only problem was that I had no idea who made them, or what they were called.
So I googled pink cookies with white chocolate chips and found a variety of recipes.
I tried one and was really disappointed.
So I tried another and found these perfectly chewy and Pepto-pink cookies.
And they were "the ones" I was looking for.
If you're interested, they are called Strawberry White Chocolate Chip cookies.
Sad to say, I have none to share as I ate a lot of them, but if you want to make them (they. are. easy!) click on the link above!