Natural Homemade Living

On our recent vacation to my sister's home, I discovered her awesome spice drawer! I loved seeing all of the spices at once instead of digging through different container sizes in my kitchen cabinet. My first project after vacation was to purchase small canning jars that would fit into my drawer. I used chalkboard vinyl paper and wrote each spice name with a chalkboard marker. I had a few jars left so I stored the spices I use less frequently in my cabinet. She also stores her measuring spoons in the spice drawer...I copied that idea too! 😀 Happy organizing! Love and peace, Tammi

Not sure if this ever happens to you but I open the microwave door to find a food explosion has occurred! Just sayin' that I always use a paper towel to cover my food in the microwave but some people in the house do not! A quick and simple way to clean your microwave without scrubbing your fingers to the bone is to use vinegar and water. Here are the super simple steps: Using a 4 cup glass measuring cup, add 1/2 c white vinegar and about 3 c water. Place the cup in the microwave and turn on the microwave to high for about 4 minutes, I usually wait for the water to boil. Let sit, without opening the door for about 5 minutes. Using a wet rag, wipe out the inside of the microwave. Enjoy your sparkling, clean microwave until the next food explosion occurs!   Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi

Searching, searching, searching...for a good way to clean wood floors. After 4 years of carpet in our home, my husband took out the carpet and  installed wood floors due to my not so subtle hints about my carpet "phobia" issues. The wood floor was not a problem because my husband and son-in-law are both carpenters, however this also means that my options for cleaning the wood floors are limited. No machines, no excess water, no fancy equipment, nothing with pads and liquids squirting out the ends, I did try a chemically infused mop type device a few times (icky!!), so the search went on and on. And being true to what I already knew was the best way to clean my floors, just as in the "old days" and keeping it simple, we ended up with a hands and knees approach (thankfully most of the time my husband or daughter do this for me). In the beginning we used vinegar and water, it works pretty well but it is now my second choice. I found the ultimate product! You may ...

I've had some requests lately for ideas and any tips for getting that nasty, musty smell out of front loading washing machines.  Even if you don't leave laundry sitting in your washer and you leave the door open, you will eventually still have "the smell." When your clothes smell worse coming out than going in...it's time to do a deep clean!  Tammi and I have noticed that our front loaders have been going a little longer between cleanings since we started making our own laundry detergent.  If you are buying laundry detergent make sure it says it is for "he" washers. I will have a new liquid recipe coming soon. I think it's a winner but have a little more testing washing to do! Here are a few tips that we have: Pull back the rubber seal Always check your manual for the best way to clean your specific front loader, these are just general tips that we use, my manual says to wear eye protection and rubber gloves...that's up to you. Always le...