Pinterest Project #4 - Cleaning

I made wool dryer balls!  They are supposed to fluff the clothes and reduce static cling in the dryer.  Apparently using dryer sheets can be bad for your dryer with the build up of film it leaves on everything, making the lint filter less functional over time.  Mostly I wanted to make these to save money, so I don't have to keep buying boxes of dryer sheets.  I plan on adding some drops of essential oil to them to give a scent to the clothes once they've been through the dryer.  And apparently you have to be careful when you go for the knock-off stuff of the oil...  Some are just for smelling and not for clothes or skin.  Could ruin the clothes.  Sooo I'll probably get the real stuff.  I hear you only need a couple drops for whatever you're using it on so the bottle, though pricey, lasts quite a while.

Here they are!

When I took the load of laundry out of the dryer just now I didn't notice any static coming from the clothes, and there usually is static.  So it seems like so far so good!

I used these two how-to blog posts for references on making these:

Imperfect Homemaking
How To Make Do

I used them both as my tutorial, pulling things from each that I liked or wanted to do:

- I DID NOT crochet the beginning of the balls, even though I do know how to crochet.  I DID wind it instead, and it was super simple.

- I DID NOT felt the balls in between stages (make a small ball and felt, then make it bigger and felt it again).  I DID just wind it all up to the size I wanted it to be and then felted them.

Thank you Pinterest!

Pinterest Project #3 - Cleaning

Cleaning the washing machine.

Boy what a task it was!

But so worth it.

We got our washer and dryer from a foreclosed house 2 and a half years ago, which had been sitting in Adam's parents' garage since then until we moved into our house recently.  The washer was a little yucky and smelled weird.  So after finding these pins and websites I set out to clean it:

Somewhat Simple - How to Clean Your Washing Machine
One Good Thing by Jillee - How to Clean Your (Top Loader) Washing Machine

I did kind of a mix between these two references.  I did 2 cups of each vinegar and bleach (separately!!) instead of 2 quarts or whatever crazy amount the other suggests, and did vinegar first and then bleach.  I used lots of q-tips for the nooks and crannies like one of them suggests but had to use some toothpicks as well (it was that bad).  I also did what one says about taking off the liquid bleach dispenser and also the "filter" or fabric softener thing on the top of the agitator and soaked them in half water, half vinegar.  It got them nice and clean!  I could only clean half of the top of the tub because there is a loose spring at the bottom of the washer we need to fix (next on the list) so the tub isn't centered but I did what I could and it is sooooooooooooo much better!  It doesn't stink a whole lot (there's probably more cleaning that needs to be done in other areas I can't get to yet... eek) and I just feel a lot better about washing my clothes in it now that I know it's clean.  Sorry, no pictures.  I wanted to spare you the nastiness.  And I was a little embarrassed.  Although it wasn't my mess.  Suffice it to say that it looks clean now and I am happy about it.  :)

Pinterest Project #2 - Dinner

For dinner tonight I maaaaaaddeee this:

Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheddar Pasta

(She calls it Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta, but that's a mouth-full and I like the way "Chicken Bacon Ranch" rolls off the tongue better...  Plus it's easier to say.)

(And please don't judge me for my hard-water stained pan...  I'll fix that eventually...)

It looks like a lot of noodles but the ratio was actually perfect.  And I did half a pound instead of 1 lb like her recipe calls for.  It's all about equalizing the proportions of the food for each bite!

And next time, I'll cook the pasta while the chicken is cooking instead of doing it first like she says in the recipe.  That was silly and it made the cooking take longer.

The final result -- It was really good!!!  Hubs approves also -- very much!  :)

He's also still eating those brownies!  (We have a whole pan left...  Should probably give some away.)  Oh, and by the way, I had a piece tonight and it was super delicious!  Milk was necessary to wash it down.  So good.

Happy pinning!

Pinterest Project #1 - Dessert

First off, let me say that I LOVE having so much room in my new kitchen!  I am really going to enjoy cooking and baking in this new house a lot more than in our tiny previous apartments.

Well, tonight I WAS going to go to a little Pinterest girl party thing tonight, but other things happened and I didn't go.  But this is what I made for it:

Oreo Truffle Brownies

This was the first time I've made brownies from scratch.  The recipe was pretty easy.  The hardest and most annoying part was smashing the Oreo cookies.  I won't be doing any of that for a while.  Maybe eventually I'll invest in a food processor.

I was really excited about this dessert.  The picture on the author's blog looked REALLY yummy!  After making it though, I just wasn't in the mood to eat it.  It probably also had something to do with my bad eating habits today -- Too much junk and not enough real food.  I did taste it though, and it turned out pretty good!  The hubby really liked it -- It passed his test!  Maybe I'll have some tomorrow.

Happy Pinning!