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