DIY throat lozenges

So far moving to the PNW has been a fairly easy adjustment for us, especially weather-wise.  Yes, it’s cold, and yes, it’s rainy, but I’ll take some cold and rainy days over East Coast weather any day of the week. 

Still, it doesn’t prevent the kids from coming down with runny noses and coughs - especially Charlie.  Right now she has the sickies and is going through cough drops like candy.  Which they are, essentially, but I got a wild hair to make my own after seeing this pin on Pinterest for General Tso’s lozenges.  I figured it was a great idea and I wanted to try making something super potent and effective.

First mistake: I read the ingredients but I didn’t read read them.  Like, hello cayenne pepper and garlic! I’m sure my 9 year old would love to eat that! (no.)

Second mistake: I read the recipe, but I didn’t read read it.  As in, I saw four cloves of garlic and thought four heads of garlic.  OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME SRSLY.  I used this method for peeling the garlic so at least the process didn’t take the rest of my life but shiiiiiiit.  I could actually smack myself.

Needless to say the project was a complete fail.  The lozenges actually would’ve turned out perfectly if not for the fact that they were comprised 90% of minced garlic… but cayenne pepper? AND garlic? AND ginger? What was I thinking?!  Those puppies were so spicy they made my eyes water while I was making them, so there was no way Charlie was going to go near them, let alone put them in her mouth.

Now, I’m going to try this cough drop recipe instead.  I bought some peppermint/spearmint herbal tea, and it’s brewing as I type this.  I’m sure this attempt will not only be more successful (*cough* no garlic) but much more palatable for a kid.

Truth be told the General Tso’s recipe was really easy, and I would absolutely use it for the husband or me over something store-bought.  I happen to have a candy thermometer, but I followed the recipe cooking time instructions exactly and the consistency was great, so I didn’t really need the thermometer.

If you like spicy stuff and feel like being all fancy pants and making your own lozenges then definitely go with General Tso’s.  Just, please, for the love, read read the recipe first.

xo

Pinterest PSA

Listen, I have so much to tell all both of you that read this blog. Or that read it back when there was actually, you know, content.  But first, please allow me to rant for a sec because ugh.

I love Pinterest. It’s like, my mecca.  But I’m seeing some disturbing trends and I’d like to provide a Pinterest PSA/Best Practices.  (Because I’m a damn expert, that’s why.)   

1. Verify the content.  Don’t pin shit that’s not real. Don’t pin a picture of, like, a crocheted afghan “pattern” or picture of a really great meal and the clickthrough link is….. an image on Tumblr.  That’s dumb and mean and annoying and smack-worthy.

2. Again, verify the content.  Don’t pin things that you haven’t checked first.  Like, you find a cool tutorial and you don’t pin the link to the *actual* tutorial.  You pin a site that has a link to another site that has a link to another site that has the original tutorial.  Give link creds where they’re due.  Don’t give those spammy bullshit sites stolen traffic so they can slap ads on their crappy Wordpress site and monetize someone else’s content.  It’s gross.

3. If you see a pin you like, REPIN it from the original pinner (after you’ve done your work on #s 1 & 2 to vet that content first #AmIRite).  Don’t go to the site and pin it from scratch like you just discovered it.  Rude.  And don’t act like you don’t do it, I’ve watched you.  So quit it.

4. When you pin or repin something, for the love of all things crafty, update the description.  Please.  Pretty please.  That’s why there’s, like, a description field there.  In front of your face.  So you can remove the other person’s info/reminders/thoughts/default text and add your own, or correct typos (like the correct use of your vs. you’re).

Okay? Okay. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  Love you, mean it.  Happy (better) pinning.

xo

Knotted Ombre Bracelet (from Pinterest)

One day AdriAunt and I were sitting at the computer browsing Pinterest when we came across this tutorial.  She mentioned one or nine times how much she loved that bracelet, so I decided to make it for her.

I’M SO NICE.

I ordered the cord from Jewels in Fiber (it came so fast) and then worked my magic.  It was really easy, but it took me awhile to make the knot and then arrange the cords, rinse and repeat.

It looks so pretty and she loves it, so I win!  I had plans to make all kinds of Christmas gifts, but I think this is about as far as I’m getting.  Quit while you’re ahead, AMIRITE?  

DIY Laundry soap

So, I already blogged about how I made some dishwashing soap.  I know, it totally blows your mind.  I’ve made 2 batches so far: tea tree and lemongrass.  I have plans to also make Orange, using (super cheap!) essential oils from here.  I also ordered more lye from there, for quite cheap.

Shortly after both batches cured, I decided to try to use my soap to make some laundry soap.  Previously I had used Fels Naptha, and while it worked fine I just didn’t like the smell.

The Fels Naptha bars are 5.5oz, so I used 7 ounces of my soap, just for a little more cleaning power.  I grated it up just the same, and essentially followed this recipe.  I use 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda, though, and I no longer dilute it with water — I just it full strength right from the bucket.

My laundry soap turned out white and creamy, instead of separated and chunky.  It has more of a laundry-soap consistency, which I think is interesting.  As far as cleaning power goes, it works exactly the same IMO.  What I love is that I can make it for pretty cheap, scent it to my liking, and use it both for dishes and for laundry.

Even if you don’t make your own soap, you should totally make your own detergent.  I can’t believe how easy it is, and it makes a whopping 5 gallons at a time.  For a family our size, we go through it pretty quickly, but I can’t imagine buying commercial detergents anymore.

So satisfying, and really thrifty.  Yay!

Kony 2012

I’ve been hearing the name Joseph Kony a lot lately, and then I saw this video on Pinterest. Please watch it.

If you’re so inclined, you can learn more here.

 Of course, as with anything, there are people in opposition of this film and the Invisible Children organization — you can read about it here and read the rebuttal here.

Make up your own mind.