Feeling anxious lately?  Then this essential oil blend just might be for you!  Simply combine the ingredients in a 1 mL roll on bottle, shake well, and apply to your wrists whenever you are feeling a little anxious or if you just want to feel more relaxed!  It can be applied directly to the skin because it is diluted with a carrier oil (grape seed).  Feel free to use a different carrier oil such as olive oil.

NOTE: Always research the safety of using any essential oil before use!  Check with a doctor before using, especially if you are pregnant or nursing. This is not intended for use by children.

The following pictures are links to the supplies needed to make this anti-anxiety blend - Note that they are all affiliate links through Amazon.com:

An easy DIY pillow cover to decorate your house for Easter!  Oh, so simple!

Why hang some strangers art on the wall?  Keep it simple and meaningful by using your children's art or even your own!  What's better than surrounding yourself with yours, your children's, or your relatives creations?

I have been saving my kids artwork since they were in elementary school.  I have switched different pictures for newer ones as the years went on and some have never come down! Some of the pictures were professionally matted and framed and other pictures I have framed myself.  An inexpensive option for matting pictures is Michaels craft stores (they always have a coupon). Whether you frame them yourself or pay someone else to do it, having your childrens, yours, or another special family members pictures on your walls around you is priceless!

Here are a few of my favorites hanging throughout our home:

It feels wonderful to be surrounded by the creative projects of my children!

Thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,

These are all common sense, but since the temperatures were recently  hovering around 0°F, yes ZERO , I thought it might be a good time for a little refresher with respect to keeping our home warm without breaking the piggy bank!

I love it when I find a really great buy that I can turn into something awesome!  Thats why I love these refrigerator magnets so much.  I found the plain magnets on clearance 3 for $1, and then another 20% off!  Of course I couldn't resist buying them! They honestly sat around for a few months until I came up with a great inexpensive way to use them creatively and that's what I am sharing it here with you today! 

Supplies Needed:

• Magnetic Photo Frames - I found the same ones on Amazon (not on sale): Freez-A-Frame Wallet Size (affiliate link).
• Lily Sugar'n Cream 100% Cotton Yarn - any color(s)
• USA size 7 Crochet Hook
• Yarn Needle
• Wire - I used soft garden wire. Here is something similar from Amazon: Slim Soft Tie (affiliate link).
• Hot Glue Gun
• Hot Glue Stick
• Wire Cutters
• Scissors

Well, maybe not necessarily secrets... but certainly great ideas that can save you money! You  know the expression "waste not, want not," right?  Do you practice this by being frugal at home? Do you use items to their fullest, or do you just simply throw them away without thinking about if they could still be useful to you and your family?  Either way, check out these super frugal household 'secrets' for the kitchen that can help you save a little money and be environmentally friendly at the same time!

1. Reuse Freezer and Sandwich Bags - I know, they are plastic, but seriously, they really make storing things simple!  Food stays fresh, and other items are easily viewed in the bag making them easier to find.  But because they are plastic I make sure I re-use them over and over again (Only first-time-usefor food!).  Simply turn inside out, wash and rinse, then let them thoroughly dry.  Keep the used bags in a special spot so you know they have already been used once or more.  I keep them in a bin near the kitchen for easy access.  The used baggies, no matter their size, are great for so many purposes!  When you have absolutely worn them out or broken the zipper, then be sure to recycle them right along with your other plastic bags!

2.  Don't throw leftover bread away!  Save all those ends and leftover pieces nobody eats. Also save the leftover pieces that are already going stale!  Break or cut them up into crouton size pieces, put them in a container, and cover with cheesecloth so nothing but air can get in.  I use a giant rubber band around the outside to hold the cheesecloth in place.  Keep it accessible and give it a shake every now and then to keep the air circulating. When the pieces are completely dried out, put them in a baggie for storage.  When you are ready, use them as stuffing or crush them up and season them  to use as breadcrumbs.  Check out how I used them in my Apple Stuffing Recipe!

3.  Freeze brown and bruised bananas that nobody wants to make awesome banana bread!  Simply put them right into the freezer with the peel on. When you are ready to make the bread, take them out, let them defrost, peel the end off, squeeze out the banana and use it to make this yummy simple Banana Bread Recipe!

4.  Save butter wrappers in a baggie in the freezer to greese pans with.  That's right, don't throw those wrappers and small scraps of butter out! Save them in the freezer and when you need to grease a pan before baking in the oven, simply take one out and grease up that pan!  This is also a great way to save and use those little pats of butter you get at the diner!

5. Freeze small amounts of leftovers for the best homemade soup you ever made!  We have all had times when we had leftovers that were not quite enough to save for another meal.  I am not talking about leftovers on someones plate, those are great to share with your pets or chickens. This is for those leftovers nobody touched.  Most people just throw them out, but I save every little bit in a freezer baggie, date it, and freeze it!  Then I make a soup that they can all be thrown into!  Check out this simple Homemade Soup Recipe that you can add all those great bits of leftovers to!

6.  Reuse Aluminum Foil - if its not ruined or super dirty, wipe it off if necessary and reuse it!  This stuff is expensive, and sometimes it is necessary for baking or cooking.  I don't use plastic wrap so aluminum foil is usually what takes it's place just to cover things in the fridge. It usually doesn't get dirty doing that job, so depending upon what it was used for and if the foil is in good shape, I save it and reuse it.  It is that simple. 

10.  Keep your coffee in a carafe. ​Why waste money keeping your coffee warm in the pot you cooked it in?  Why have to reheat a cup in the microwave later in the day when it never tastes good that way anyway? However, keep it in a  carafe and it stays warm and tasty all day long and you are not wasting money by throwing that expensive, cold and stale coffee away! (Note: affiliate link).

I love both of these recipes so much!  The frizzled onions are a great addition to any meal, but I especially love them because not only are onions healthy and delicious, but I grow them in my backyard!  Then there is the banana bread that you can see I cooked as muffins.  The aroma of the baking banana bread makes everyones mouth water...  Then when they are done and still warm, well, they never taste better than at that moment!  I especially like the banana bread because it uses up those old bruised, brown bananas that nobody wants to eat!  I simply freeze them (yes they turn black), and then defrost and use them to make the bread when I am ready.  This makes such a yummy sweet banana bread!  And finally, of course, these recipes are SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE! 

Click on the button below the recipes to download the pdf file  and print one sheet of  8 1/2 x 11 cardstock paper.  Then cut out each of the 4 x 6 inch recipe cards.  They always come two recipes per sheet in an effort to not waste paper! 

Visit my Recipes Page to view or print out previous recipes (pdf files) or to download a FREE 4 x 6 Recipe Card Template (.dox file) for your own recipes! You can also check out my past Recipe Blog Posts here!

Watch Richie bake the banana bread recipe from scratch in cast iron bread pans!
Recipes are below the video.
Enjoy!