the one about laundry detergent.

i stopped buying & using store bought laundry detergent a few months ago.

my first attempt at making homemade laundry detergent was a success. i followed the recipe that just about everyone uses:

1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 grated bar of soap like fels naptha

blend ingredients together in a food processor and use two tablespoons per load

i was pleasantly surprised by how effective this detergent was and how cheap it was to make. i made a second batch and i fell even more in love with homemade laundry detergent. i thought everything was perfect.

but then i read a blog post that made reference to another blog post...and my love for homemade laundry detergent was taken to a new level.

behold, gel-ish laundry detergent:

{detergent i gave to my favorite beach bum}

making this detergent used exactly the same recipe as the one above except i needed to use my stove instead of a food processor. i also needed a five gallon bucket. oh, and a lot of water.

for the exact specifics on how to make the detergent, please check out this blog post at she-laughs.

honestly, making the detergent took no more than a half an hour one evening. i did require my husband's help {he poured the hot detergent mixture into the five gallon bucket for me while i stirred}. and, i'll be honest, i had a hard time waiting the full twenty-four hours for the detergent to congeal. but, the payoff has been great...and bountiful, too!

{that funny looking spot towards the bottom of the picture? yeah, i stuck my hand in the jelly-like detergent.}

{i now have five gallons of laundry detergent}

yes, you read right...five gallons of laundry detergent. well, it's close enough to five gallons. five gallons equals to 640 ounces {correct me, please, if i'm wrong!}. do you know what it cost me to make this much laundry detergent? less than $2. say what?!

i realize prices will vary by state and store, but those pictures above show what i paid for each item at my local wally world. and, just so you know, the five gallon bucket cost me roughly $5 from the home depot. so, yeah, for less than $2 {$7ish if you count the bucket} and about a half an hour of my time i have an approximately six month supply of laundry detergent. six months. y'all, i was spending like $20 a month or so on detergent {i do a lot of laundry}. 

my thoughts:

• this detergent cleans well. i'm going to start adding in a scoop of washing soda for an added boost. you can use oxyclean, but clearly, washing soda is cheaper.
• i call this detergent gel-ish because it is. honestly, it reminds me of chunky snot {hey, i'm a mom}. you have to stir the detergent after it sets for the initial 24 hour period. i can't seem to get the chunks out. but, the chunks don't take away from the detergent...it just makes for some interesting pouring.
• this detergent is safe for high efficiency/front loading machines. speaking of h.e./front loaders, my washer has two loading options for detergent, one for powder and one for liquid. i use the powder option.
• i try not to go into the five gallon bucket in an effort to keep it air tight. i keep a stash of the detergent in a smaller container on my washing machine. i was asked if this will mold or mildew. i honestly don't know. 
• call me crazy, but i've noticed a change in my skin since using homemade laundry detergent. i don't have sensitive skin, but i would guess that this detergent is safe for everyone to use.

if you're feeling adventurous and looking to rev up your budget and be more conscious of the products you are using, i urge you to make homemade laundry detergent. if you don't want to go the gel-ish route, definitely try the powder detergent {same ingredients, super easy to make}.

if you have any questions, just ask. i'll do my best to answer them. 

from the heart.

one of my goals this past christmas was to give more homemade gifts. i didn't really succeed with that goal, but i did manage to knock out a few gifts that were a hit with the recipients.

in christmases past, i've always made ornaments for my children's teachers. i didn't do that this year. instead, i made rag wreaths. four of them, to be exact. each wreath was 12" {i also made a 16" rag wreath that was part of my gift for the sneaky santa game we played at my mother-in-law's house}.

 {my kitchen table was a disaster for most of the month of december}

{the pics were taken with my cell phone}

each of my children have two teachers and i let them choose the color scheme for each teacher. this project was super easy, but time consuming & slightly messy {if you can't tell from the frayed fabric pieces on  my legs in the picture above}. as for cost? you can make a 12" rag wreath for less than $10. how? the wire wreath frame is only a couple of bucks {even less if they are on sale or you use a coupon} and i used one jelly roll of quilting fabric for each wreath. the jelly rolls were about $12 regular price, but i used 40% or 50% coupons to buy each. the jelly rolls made it easy because the fabric was already coordinated & the fabric strips were the perfect size to cut with minimal waste. i cranked out three wreaths in one night while sitting in front of the television.

i also knitted a scarf for my sister. i promised her an orange scarf last christmas and, well, that didn't happen. so this year i taught myself the mock cable knit stitch and whipped up a small infinity scarf out of some very lovely orange peruvian wool yarn. the color is called clementine.

{this is what i do while the kids are at their kickboxing lesson}

i have one more skein of this yarn and i'm thinking about making another scarf just like the one i gifted to my sister. what do you think?

i think the best present of all was the picture i drew of my parent's dog, nono. originally, i was going to frame a picture of her, but i decided - at the last minute, in fact - that i would draw one instead. it's been years since i've sat down with a sketch pad & pencils. but, considering we said goodbye to nono just weeks before the holidays, a framed, hand drawn portrait of nono would be a perfect gift. 

i managed to draw this picture two days before christmas while watching "the hangover, part 2" with adam. i'm not entirely happy with how it turned out, but i'm proud of what i did. i think i even like it better than the painting i did of frisco nearly a couple years ago.

at any rate, my mother cried when she opened the package containing nono's picture. i can't wait to visit my parents to see where they hang the drawing. 

so, i know the holidays have come & gone and i really should be focused on organizing & cleaning my home, but i think i'm going to start now to make a more conscious effort to give more homemade gifts. they truly are the best gifts to give.

i linked up with kristen from ladybug blessings for handmade tuesday.

homemade.

it's not so much a new year's resolution as it is an effort to be more frugal and more conscious of the products my family is using. for the last couple of months, i have been washing our clothes using detergent that i made myself. in addition, we have been running our dishwasher with detergent that, again, i made myself.

if you do a quick google search or waste away on pinterest, you'll see that there are a lot of products - that you use on the regular - that can be made at home. i remember growing up that my mother used distilled white vinegar for everything. sure, our home smelled like a pickle, but my mother was proud of the fact that our floors were spotlessly clean and not one single chemical-laden item was used to clean it. i know we all have our tried & true products that we turn to when it comes time to clean, but making your detergents & cleaning products at home isn't just better for you, but it's better for your wallet, too.

back to the two products i've been using...

i made homemade laundry detergent sometime back in late october/early november. i can't remember when. i followed the recipe found here. i'll admit, my husband & i were both skeptical. but, let me tell you, we'll never buy store bought detergent again. not only is the homemade stuff fine for our front loading, high efficiency machine, but i believe - with my whole heart - that it's better for us. i've even noticed a change in my skin since switching from store bought to homemade. i'm still using store bought dryer sheets, but next on my list is to make my own fabric softener. good thing a sweet blog friend wrote about the recipe she found here. {and, now that i've posted that link, i'm going to make the fabric softener today.}

seriously, y'all, you'll spend maybe $10 to buy all of the ingredients you'll need to make the laundry detergent. and, it will last you for a while. trust me. and, while you're at the store buying the borax & washing soda for the laundry detergent, you may as well buy some citric acid {like fruit fresh} or 15 packets of lemon kool-aid {and kosher salt, if you don't already have some in your pantry}. you know, so you can make homemade dishwasher detergent, too.

ah, homemade dishwasher detergent. i've been using it since about mid-november or so. i have a love/hate relationship with it, but i'm not going to budge. i did end up buying some finish tablets to use in the dishwasher {i love those things!}, but they are expensive and i really needed to give homemade dishwasher detergent a fair shot. i followed this recipe. i think when i make it again i'll tweak my recipe. some recipes call for two packs of kool-aid, some call for 15. another thing? you have to pre-rinse/wash your dishes. call me lazy, but i never did this before. oh, and instead of using some fancy rinse aid i just pour some vinegar into that part of my dishwasher. overall, making your own dishwasher detergent is certainly cheaper than using a store-bought brand. there is some debate about what the citric acid will do to your silverware and what the borax will do to your plumbing, but so far, so good.

next up on my list is to switch out a lot of my cleaning products like glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, etc. with cleaners of the homemade variety. got any good tips or tricks? what about a favorite cleaner recipe? please share them with me!

knit goods.

at the rate i'm going, it will be summer before i ever {re}launch my etsy shop.  it seems like every time i sit down to concentrate on it something else comes up.  here lately, that 'something else' has either been grad school work or sick kiddos.  

but, i do have ten scarves ready.  the scarf pictured is one i'm currently working on.  i'm slightly obsessed with the seed stitch at the moment.  i'm also obsessed with the color - goldfish - which is such a great coral color perfect for spring!

if you are interested in a scarf, please let me know.
email me at michellechissler {at} gmail {dot} com and put SCARF in the subject line.

$25 is my asking price {it includes shipping}.  i have different colors & sizes available.  

hopefully, i'll have something online showcasing my {small} inventory by the end of the weekend.  

p.s. i'm also toying around with the idea of including glasswear, too, like handpainted ornaments, wine glasses & margarita glasses.  i also make hair lollies.  but, i'm worried that i will have too much of a hodge-podge for one shop.  we'll see what happens...

chicken bellagio.

we don't go out to eat very often, so it's a real treat when we do.  for christmas, we received a gift certificate for the cheesecake factory.  i can count on one hand the number of times i've eaten there.  yep, not often.

we used our gift certificate last month.  we enjoyed a great meal.  the kids loved bringing home a slice of cheesecake.  i, however, was completely smitten with my dish:  chicken bellagio.  the chicken bellagio was two crispy, thin cut chicken breasts served over a bed of pasta with a basil cream sauce.  a couple slices of prosciutto and peppery arugula topped the chicken.  it was divine.  it's not on the regular menu.  i'm guessing it's a special or seasonal thing.  regardless, it was good.  so good that i had to recreate it at home.

there are numerous recipes for chicken bellagio on the internet.  if you want to see a picture of what the cheesecake factory's version looks like, click here.

this is my version:

i swapped the chicken breast for chicken thighs {because that's what i had in the freezer}.  yes, that is pasta roni!  why not take a shortcut when you can, right?  and, since the store did not  have arugula, i substituted by using baby spinach.  the hardest part of recreating the recipe?  not eating all of the prosciutto while the chicken was cooking.  this recipe-recreate was a hit, especially with the kids, and will certainly be a part of our meal rotation.

croutons.

sometime last month i decided to make my own croutons.  i don't know why i never made them before because homemade croutons are ridiculously delicious, budget friendly & super easy to make.  it's a great way to use up a loaf of bread - stale or not.

really, think about it.  a loaf of french bread or a baguette costs next to nothing at the grocery store.  all of the other ingredients you'll need - olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, dried basil or oregano - you will have at home.  how much does a bag or box of store-bought croutons cost?  anywhere between $2 & $3, right...maybe more.  well, for less than $2 you will have bread for your meal AND croutons to toss in a salad {this is based on a family of four}.  trust.

{this was part of a baguette from trader joe's. the baguette was only $1.79.}

{after tossing the bread in olive oil, salt, pepper, dried basil & parmesan cheese, i spread it out on a baking sheet & baked it in a 350* oven for about 10-15 minutes.  just keep an eye on it.}

{while the croutons were baking, i cut & washed some romaine lettuce.}

{voila! a yummy caesar salad topped with homemade croutons. delicious!}

pillows of love.

i failed to mention that i made marshmallows last weekend in addition to candy corn.

homemade marshmallows are ridiculous.  ridiculously easy & ridiculously good.  you should try it.  i use alton brown's recipe.  it hasn't let me down yet...and i don't own a candy thermometer.

a friend of mine told me that {in the last picture} the marshmallows resemble an illicit substance.  if you ask me, homemade marshmallows are an illicit substance.  trust me...your sweet tooth with thank you.

forget gumdrops & sugarplums...

i've got cookies, cake balls & marshmallows!

i went on a little baking binge last weekend. it was nuts.

i baked a batch of coconut macaroons:

{the photo is crackberry-licious}

the macaroon recipe is courtesy of ina garten {you know, the barefoot contessa} from the food network & you can easily follow along to the recipe by clicking here. it is, by far, the easiest cookie {?} recipe ever...the hardest part is whipping the egg whites & even that's not too difficult! try them because if you cuckoo about coconut {like we are} then you'll love these!

i also made snowballs, er, mexican wedding cookies again. this time, i added an almond hershey's kiss to the center of each cookie for some added oomph. you can find the recipe for the mexican wedding cookies here.

and, i made chocolate chip cookies done the nestle toll house way. yes, i took the recipe straight from the back of the bag of chocolate chips. they were crispy & perfect. i omitted the nuts because i was out. i plan on making more tonight...this time adding pecans and using both semi-sweet & white chocolate chips. mmm! click here for the nestle toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe.

yeah, that first picture is sideways. just tilt your head to the right. i'm too lazy to edit the photo so you'll just have to make do with my crackberry pics.

okay, so onto the next portion of my baking binge...homemade marshmallows. i have been wanting to try making marshmallows for a while & i finally did last friday. they were so easy to make & they taste so. much. better. than the store-bought kind. trust me. we loved them so much i made a second batch last night. i have yet to attempt to flavor them {i'd like peppermint flavored marshmallows} but i will try that soon. promise.

i used alton brown's {♥ ♥ ♥} marshmallow recipe & you can get it by clicking here. like i said, it was super easy. i didn't use a candy thermometer {because something bad happened to it on thanksgiving...i mean, really, why are you going to use a candy thermometer to gauge the oil temperature in a turkey fryer. silly boys.}. i timed things by the recipe & it was perfect. some advice, though...don't smell the marshmallows while they are in the mixer 'fluffing.' it is stinky. like "i can't believe i'm actually going to eat that" stinky. once you add the vanilla and spread it in the pan, it will smell fine. trust. it's still...good eats.

remember, don't sniff while fluffing!

it's going to be hard, but it's best to let them sit overnight

hmm...somebody was up past his bedtime, but i suppose it was alright because it was a friday and momma was making homemade marshmallows. how could you pass up licking the mixer's whisk?

all you need to add is cocoa! be sure to use some restraint...it's way too easy to pop one {or five} of these bad boys into your mouth. i took a few of them & dipped them into melted chocolate almond bark & holiday colored nonpariels. delicious.

cake balls. oh, yes...cake balls. earlier this week i made two batches. i'll be making cake balls again today. i am a sucker. i know.

cake balls are super easy, but really time consuming {and, kind of frustrating sometimes}. for some really great cake ball & cake pop ideas, please visit bakerella. she's fabulous. also, my friend, lis, is just plain awesome at making these and she's got a great tutorial on her blog...here.

here is the rundown on making cake balls:

• bake boxed cake as directed. let cool.
• crumble cooled cake in a large bowl & add up to one jar of frosting.
• mix well until you get a 'doughy' consistency.
• form into balls & place on parchment or waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
• freeze cake balls for up to an hour.
• melt whichever candies you prefer {i prefer using almond bark} using whichever melting method you prefer {i use the double boiler method}.
• dip cake balls.
• decorate.
• gobble them up.

below are the cake balls i made for malia's third grade class holiday party:

we gave out ten teacher gifts this year & each teacher recieved an ornament, four cake balls & four marshmallows:

and this...this, my friends, is the platter of misfit cake balls. i had every intention of making santa hat cake balls like i saw on bakerella's site. yeah, that didn't turn out so well. i resorted to making balls...so. much. easier.


whatever holiday treats you make for santa, i hope you have fun in the kitchen! be sure to share the recipe, too...i'm always on the lookout for a yummy new treat to make!

happy holidays, y'all...and remember to brush & floss your teeth really good after eating all of these sweets!

lofty goals.

Christmas is in a week.

one week.

i can't believe it. well, yes, i can. the years go by faster & faster as we get older...and they seem to pick up even more speed once children are involved. trust me, i know this.

anyways.

i've got a very busy weekend ahead of me. perhaps it IS a blessing in disguise that adam is going hunting tomorrow with his brother from another mother, matt.

forget santa's workshop. it's going to be craft & cookie central in this house!

last night i started these {excuse the fabulous crackberry photo quality...and my sloppy counters}:

they are still drying as there is still a bit of paint coming out of them. once they are dry, i will put the ornament tops back on them, put a hanger on them & adorn them with a pretty piece of ribbon and they will be ready for gifting.

in addition to those glass ornaments, i have to make four more of these {well, using different colored shirts & different designs}:

{another fine crackberry photo}
oh, and i also need to make more topiary ornaments & regular topiaries, cookies, cake balls and...for the first time ever...homemade marshmallow.

lofty goals. yep. i know it.

and, somewhere in all of that, i have to do a wee bit of grocery shopping, finish up some Christmas shopping, wrap presents, do laundry, clean the house, keep the kids happy & fed, watch the pup like a hawk, appease my three cats and steam clean our carpet.

i'm not sure if i need peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee or peppermint schnapps.

Hometown Swap - All the way from Ohio

A month ago or so, I jumped on the bandwagon and signed myself up to participate in a hometown swap over at Shannon's blog, Welcome to the Nuthouse. The idea of the swap was to be paired up with someone from another part of the country and you would send that person goodies from your hometown. Pretty neat, huh?

I came home this afternoon and there was a big, white package on my porch from Heather (check out her blog, "This is the day..."). It was full of yummy, beautiful and sweet smelling goodies from her town of Lebanon, Ohio:

Heather sent me some yummy donuts made from a local farm...they didn't fare too well while in transit but - trust me - they are so damn good! I also got some homemade apple butter...YUM! I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow - guess what I'm putting on my toast?! The candle is coconut scented and is soy-based and it's heavenly. She also sent a little apple recipe book, a small plaque about family and the most beautiful handmade cards - Heather is a crafty gal!

Heather - you outdid yourself and I am just taken away by your card making talent. Thank you for making some ordinary gal from Virginia Beach happy on what has been a semi-crummy Monday! I will drown my sorrows in a ice, cold Coca-Cola and munch on the yummy donuts and wait for a sugar high to rescue me!

Shannon - thank you for putting together this swap...it was fun, yet challenging! I mean, I had a hard time coming up with things - I even forgot something - so my swap partner will receive TWO packages from me. Oops!