Natural Homemade Living

I found several recipes using honey and lemon to soothe sore throats a while ago.  Maybe it was a premonition...or the fact that everyone around me has been sick..but I did make it last week just in case someone would need to use it. I didn't really plan on it being me, but I guess I'm as good of a test subject as anyone. I read that a couple tablespoons could be added to a cup of hot water, or..if you are brave just take a tablespoon of it by itself. The lemon is supposed to cut the mucus and soothe along with the honey. It does seem to be soothing my sore throat. It is a little bitter, and also a little sweet by itself so I added it to hot water. It tastes much better than regular cold and cough medicine and there's nothing but natural ingredients in it.      If you would like to try it, here's what you need: 2 lemons cut up in pieces  1/3-1/2 c raw honey container or pint jar with lid I put the cut up lemons in a jar and filled the j...

I found this wrapping paper at one of my favorite stores, Home Goods. It was a large roll for $2.99.  I like to use wrapping paper for multiple purposes, besides wrapping gifts.  I knew it would somehow work it's way into my home decor. I have a picture that I have had for years, I liked it but I was ready for a change.  So I popped it out of it's frame and wrapped the picture in my new wrapping paper, put it back in the frame and I have a new look for my wall.  If I get tired of it, I can just take it off and use my old picture again...until I find another wrapping paper or something else to use instead!     ~Simply Angie                                                      ...

My husband loves bacon. I do not. This is a problem. Ok, it's not a huge problem but my issue with cooking bacon is that it seems like grease is everywhere! I have tried cooking it in the microwave but he doesn't like that. Then I saw a brilliant idea on Pinterest to cook bacon in the oven. So I tried it and it worked perfectly for me, no splattering grease and my husband said it was the best bacon ever! This is what I did: 10 pieces thick-sliced bacon Line a baking sheet (11x15 with sides) with parchment paper I placed the bacon slices on my baking sheet. My baking sheet was facing me (horizontally - the 15" side), place the bacon vertically. Place the baking sheet into a cold oven and turn the oven on to 375F. Bake for about 25 minutes. My husband likes his bacon crispy but not too crunchy.  Dab excess grease off the bacon with a paper towel after it's cooked. No greasy stove! Almost done!  Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi

This makes a great holiday gift but it's also a nice hot drink to serve on a chilly...or like our weather here in the Midwest... freezing cold ... night.  You can make several servings in the slow cooker or single servings. Here's what you need to make the mix: 2 cups orange breakfast drink powder (a.k.a. Tang) 1 c sugar 1 1/2 c instant tea with lemon (I used Lipton) 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or jar and shake or mix well. The mix will keep up to 6 months. To make the drink add up to 1 Tablespoon of powder to 1 cup hot water. Adjust to taste. We hope you are able to celebrate and enjoy time with your family and friends this holiday season.  We especially thank our veterans and their families for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. We appreciate you all, Merry Christmas! ~Simply Angie and Tammi

I've been working a DIY wall decor project for my guest bathroom. I used a light pink vintage dress (it belonged to our grandma) for the entire project. Since she loved flowers, I decided to make a fabric flower for a finishing touch on the wall hanging. This is how I made my flower, you can make them smaller or larger, mine was 3 inches. Directions:  Card stock or cardboard for a flower template 9-12 small pieces of material (about 3 inches in diameter) Hot glue or fabric glue Felt, cardboard, or a heavier fabric for the base           I made a 5 petal flower template from card stock. I doubled my fabric and cut out the flower using the template as my pattern. It's easier to cut them in layers rather than one at a time. I cut 11 flower shapes because my material was thin. If you use thicker material you would only need 9.  Cut a circle with a heavier fabric or felt to use as the base, I used chenille.  Tak...

    If you are looking for a project to do with little ones, this is a great one for people of any age. Tammi started showing my kids how to make them years ago when my kids were little. They still like to make them. It's fun to look at them every year and see how much more creative they had gotten as they got older.  I bought these clear glass ornaments for under $2 for a set of 6. I put  a couple drops of acrylic paint inside (you can use other paint, that was just what I had). Then roll, shake and turn it until the paint is covering the inside of the ornament. This one was made by a 2 year old that I have in my daycare. After he was done rolling it around I put his name and year on it with a metallic marker, you could also use a Sharpie marker. Then I turned it upside down for a few hours to let the extra paint drip out and dry. If you don't want to use paint, you could also use glitter or pieces of tissue paper or anything small enough to fit in it. He ma...

If you need a gift idea or just want to make something for a yummy treat you should try our Caramel Corn Crunch, it’s perfect! I made this for my daughter’s dance class. I doubled the recipe and got about 25 cups. Here's what you need: 1 c butter  2 c packed brown sugar  1/2 c light corn syrup 1/2 tsp salt-I omitted because I used salted butter 1 t. baking soda Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil over medium heat in large sauce pan. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Mix well, it will foam up-this is why you need a large pan. Pour over 8 quarts of popcorn and stir to coat evenly. Bake for 1 hour at 200° stirring every 15 minutes. Then pour onto foil or wax paper and spread out to cool. I melted both chocolate and white chips and  drizzled over cooled mixture. You can add nuts, m&m's (or anything else you like) to the mixture. This makes about 10 cups. Enjoy! ~Simply Angie

We put together 20 of our favorite homemade food gift ideas and their links all in one post to help make it a little easier this holiday season to find that perfect homemade gift for someone special on your list. Some made it to the list of our Popular Posts and the rest we gathered from throughout the year. You can still do a search on the blog for more ideas that didn't make the list! We hope you have as much fun making them as we did!  Cinnamon Butter served with Simply Sweet Rolls Simply Homemade Marshmallows Simply Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Simply Homemade Apple Cider Syrup Simply Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola Simply Homemade 5 Ingredient Caramel Sauce Simply Homemade Brownie Mix Simply Homemade Apple Cider Jelly Simply Homemade Vanilla Extract Simply Homemade Holiday Vanilla Rum Extract Simply Homemade Flavored Sugars Simply Homemade Pancake Mix Simply Homemade Scones Simply Homemade Cherry Lollipops Simply Homemade Lemon Buddies Chex Simply Homemade C...

Bow complete! An inexpensive way to decorate for any holiday or gifts is to make your own bows. There are different methods for this project but this is my favorite, because it's easy! My 9 year old granddaughter helps me make these bows! Here We Go! You will need about 3 yards of ribbon for each bow. I use the wire-edged ribbon, it's easier to work with. You can choose any width but it's fun to use different sizes then your bows will be different sizes. I always buy my ribbon on sale and the large 90 feet rolls are a great value. You can find them at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, the cost is then $5.00 a roll. You can make about 10 bows from one roll. Start by measuring 3 yards of ribbon and cut your ribbon off the roll. Roll the ribbon (loosely) into a circle. The first end of the ribbon can be stapled or taped to the ribbon next to it so it will stay in place. Keep wrapping until your 3 yards of ribbon is in a circle. I like to roll mine in a 5 or 6 inch circle, bu...

I had so much fun decorating my upstairs Christmas tree this year! I decided to make some light pink and white bows and used some pearl strands and a few ornaments. My inspiration started with the Shabby Chic Christmas Tree Skirt then I decided to keep the pink and white theme. So with a few rummage sale items and $20 for some crystal-like hanging ornaments, I put everything together that I loved and it was a happy ending for my decorating day! You know our number 1 decoarting rule by now...always use what you already have first, then shop if you must. It's a great way to save money and decorate with your favorite things. Happy decorating all! Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi

This recipe is so easy I almost feel guilty writing a post about it...almost!  Just in case you haven't tried it yet, I think it's time to give it a whirl! Creme Fraiche is similar in taste to sour cream but heightened to a new level! The good news is that you can't mess it up! 😀 Only 2 ingredients:         One pint of heavy cream         3 Tablespoons of buttermilk I poured mine in a Ball jar then stirred it to combine. Then let it sit on the counter, uncovered overnight or up to 24 hours. It needs to be uncovered so the good bacteria from the buttermilk gets air to do it's thing. The longer it sits the more tangy it will be. After 24 hours, cover it and put in the refrigerator, it should be almost the consistency of sour cream. It will thicken more when chilled. You can use it in soups, desserts, or with fresh fruit. You can stir it into fresh whipped cream or use it as you would sour cream or whipped cream. If you like it swee...

Roman Shades in kitchen In my post last week, I mentioned my "no sew valance"  I made with our mom when she came to visit me over Thanksgiving. Since my decorating style has changed since we moved in, almost 9 years ago, I wanted to give my kitchen a French Country look. The roman shades I have in the kitchen have a pattern on them. (pic on right) We have a deck off the dining room with vertical blinds, not crazy about them, but for now they have to stay. I wanted a simple solid valance over the deck door to tie the 2 rooms together and complete the look. After looking for months and not finding anything, I almost gave up-until we saw a queen size bed skirt on  clearance for under $10.  It was the perfect size and it was already lined,  and the edges were finished. All I needed to do was cut off the two long sides, leaving about 2 inches of fabric on the top. We laid the Peel n'Stick Fabric Fuse on one side of fabric and pressed it down to make a rod pock...

We've been busy decorating for Christmas! I decided to scale back on the decorations this year, I think I've reached the "less is better" stage of my life! I always put my tree up first, then move on to the rest of the decorations. So my tree is done and I decided to start decorating the mantel. Before I started, I knew that I wanted to use 3 trees, partly because I love the 3 trees story and I like the number 3.So I started there. After several texts, phone calls, and pictures sent to my sister, we finally put it together. I found 3 sequence trees on sale, used a tree I already had and placed it on my infamous cake plate. I added a white feather tree, placed on a crystal dessert dish. I folded a page of sheet music and placed it in a clear vase with some glittery pom poms, and an angel tree topper off to the side. For a finishing touched, I wrapped Christmas tree pearl strands around the items on the mantel and 2 cream colored scarves. I hope you are having fun decor...