DIY Fabric Refresher

I have quite a lot of clothes I love, but don't hold up to washing vigorously too well. Specifically, I have about 4, thick, warm, knitted sweaters that, as I learned the hard way with the first one, will shrink and be totally awful if I wash them too often. 

Thankfully, for my favorite sweaters, I nabbed 4 more online to replace the one I washed to death, (on sale, at that!) before they were discontinued, and I came up with a solution to keep them fresh and crisp with minimal damage. Some at home dry cleaning, if you will.

The same concept applies for fabrics that don't wash so well. Curtains, the armchair in my bedroom, even some throw blankets for the couches that aren't dirty, per-se, but I want to have that freshly laundered smell.

It's simple:

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Washer Whiffs

1 Cup Hot Water

You can  use any washer whiffs. Because I'm addicted, as I'm sure you can tell, to my Scentsy Whiffs in Black Raspberry Vanilla, I use those, but in the past I've used Downey Unstoppables, Bounce in wash scent boosters, any brand you prefer, any scent you prefer!

I brewed 1 Cup of hot water in my Keurig, and dumped the Whiffs in. Stir often  until dissolved, and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. The mixture doesn't really dissolve totally, it usually separates, so before using give the bottle a good shake to combine.

The use is easy, mist over any fabric you can't wash. For around the house, I use it the same way as Febreeze, as that's essentially what it is, only a fraction of the cost.

To save my sweaters, I'm pretty gentile with them. Of course if there's any spills or I have a sweaty day, obviously they get washed (on hand wash setting). But, for average days, I'll take them off and run a lint brush over them. If there is any small spots, I'll spot treat them with a damp cloth. For the "dry cleaning" I'll mist them with the fabric refresher, inside and out, paying special attention to sleeves and armpits. 

Once they're damp, I'll put them in the dryer. I have a "sanitize" setting on my dryer, and I let the sweaters tumble on sanitize for 15 minutes. Then I'll dial back the heat and let them tumble dry for the rest of the cycle.

If they do need to be machine washed, they go on the hand wash setting and I hang them to dry. Only once they're dry and past the danger of shrinking, I'll toss them in the dryer to soften up the stiff fabric.

And that's it! That's how I keep my sweaters fresh and looking new, and keep hard to wash household items smelling fresh.

Give it a try!

xoxo - Court

DIY Laundry Soap - And Testing It Out!

Part of my New Year's Goals, which I talked about here, I wanted to be a bit more frugal, get back to basics a bit more, and DIY a lot more!

What a better way to start than gathering up some easy things I already have around the house, and making something I use every day, and can be freakin' expensive too.

Laundry Soap!

The recipe is so easy, and you probably have in your cabinets right now:

Ingredients

4 Cups Hot Water

1 Cup Regular Washing Liquid

1 Dishwasher Detergent Pod

1/2 Cup Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Washer Whiffs (for Scent)

1 Empty Detergent bottle

I didn't really want to go 100% natural. And I know there is still regular laundry detergent in there. My reasoning behind an edited, super-boosted formula is my husband is a Transport Truck driver, who the majority time is driving around on the muddy roads of the woods. He often times comes home covered in mud, smelling like diesel fuel, and usually has some sort of grease on him somewhere. I've never really had much luck with stain-blasting power of all natural remedies I've tried, but I'm not really happy with going through bottle after bottle of store bought detergent either. I always wished I could have a happy medium, and amp up certain aspects of the detergent to really target my needs, instead of just dumping in an extra cap-full and hoping for the best.

The recipe was kind of born by my own experiments in stain removal, and put together for my own stain fighting, super powered, cost-effective super detergent. The dishwasher pods are targeted to fight stuck on food and grease, so why wouldn't they be helpful in removing stuck on vehicle grease? The brand I bought for that purpose is a natural brand and super gentile, and baking soda is also kind of famous for stain removal, and freshening fabrics. Need I say more?

Directions:

1. First, brew 4 cups of hot water. I used my Keurig, but any method of heating works, just make sure it's super hot. Set aside 1 Cup in a separate bowl.

1. Dissolve the Washer Whiffs in the Cup of hot water. They take a while to dissolve, so make sure to stir often. I used Scentsy Washer Whiffs in Black Raspberry Vanilla, which are to die for. Just sniffing them makes my mouth water. I have the whole Scentsy line of laundry products, and I hoard them for special occasions. Using the whiffs in this detergent recipe helps me extend the amazing smell without wasting my precious Scentsy laundry liquid on my husband's smelly socks. He-he.

1. Rinse out the bottle, and dump in the washing liquid. Snip off the corner of the dishwasher pod, and dump the powder in. 

1. Add in 2 Cups of water, and give the bottle a good shake to mix up the soaps. Measure out the baking soda, and add that in afterwards. You can finish up with the remaining 2 Cups of water.

1. Make sure to shake the bottle really well to mix everything together. Allow to cool for a few hours before allowing the cap to remain on tight.

That's it! But I couldn't just leave it here, of course I had to put it to the ultimate test for this post too!

I grabbed a hoodie my husband had worn to work the day prior, and a dish towel that had taken some abuse in the kitchen. It was a bit crusty from a sticky coffee spill, and had chocolate on it from making some whoopie pies,and I squirted ketchup on it for good measure.

Mess.

I threw it in, added the detergent to the dispenser, and set it to my usual wash cycle.

My first impressions were it smelled super nice. The consistency was slightly runny, and you could really smell the washer whiffs. It was slightly cloudy from the baking soda, but all in all looked like your average detergent.

The cycle ran through normally. I checked on it a few times, because I was paranoid. I have an HE washer and anything that produces too much suds will really slow down the wash cycle (it wants to rinse way more) and will eventually give the washer drum a musty smell. This one gave virtually no excessive suds. A few to make me feel like it was actually doing something, but not enough to ruin my machine.

Once finished, I opened the lid. I didn't smell much, but fresh, if you can describe a smell. There were  no overwhelming perfumes, but everything in there smelled clean.

Now was the true test, towel inspection.

Stains totally gone! And maybe it's just me, but I feel like its brighter! I smelled it, and there's a nice lingering touch of the Washer Whiffs, and it smelled totally fresh. The sticky texture from the coffee was totally gone as well.

As for the hoodie, let me preface by saying nothing will truly get the smell of a diesel spill out of fabrics. You're pretty much screwed with that. However, this hoodie just had a diesel fume smell from being inside and around a working truck all day, and after the wash it had the same smell as the towel.

Amazing! 

I popped them both in the dryer, and they're tumbling away now as I type.

Not only does this formula have stain-blasting power, but it freshens, brightens, and stretches a dollar. By custom boosting my own detergent, I can really tweak where I need the most strength, and what I look for most in a detergent.

Give this a whirl! Make your own adjustments, and enjoy the savings!

xoxo - Court

New Year, New Goals. Yay!

Just a disclaimer, I'm going to be a total broken record of everyone else on the entire planet, and talk about new year, new me, bla bla bla. 

But it's so wonderful, a fresh slate, recognized by the whole world, to really be able to put 100% into your goals. How could someone not be excited about that? Now, don't get me wrong, if you're unhappy with certain aspects of your life, you shouldn't wait until January 1st to take charge and go after happy. I'm just feeling very sentimental that things that had been weighing on my mind the last few weeks coincided with the universal refreshing of the world.

So, I had kind of let blogging go by the wayside, and one of my goals for 2016 is to get back on it and write whats on my heart, even if it's just a quick few pictures or a recipe. Even if one person, somewhere, gets something out of a post, I'm happy.

So lets get to it!

Go After the Happy

"Going after the happy" is kind of a blanket term for my general, new mindset year. I want to just be happy. For too much of 2015 I spend way too much time comparing every. stinking. aspect. of my life to others' lives. How much of a great year did I waste by doing that? How many times did I miss a deep belly laugh when I was wondering why my legs don't look like Carrie Underwood's? How many snuggles did I miss from my cats when I had an iPad in my face obsessing that my hair isn't long enough?

Too many.

Physically, i'm a bigger girl. I've always been wider in the hips and heavier-set in the chest. So what? I do not have to be model thin to be happy or a person worth a place in the world. My goal this year is to not be thin, it's to be healthy. Everyone's goal should be to be healthy. Life is too short, people! Eat that cupcake, but maybe do an extra squat after. It's all about balance! I do have goals to work out more, I'd like to tone up my legs and stomach a bit, but I'm never going to be a bodybuilder; nor do I want to be. But, if I can have a little more definition and a little less jiggle, I'll be happy! As far as dropping 50 pounds, or something wild like that? If I eat well and exercise regularly, as I plan to just for longevity and quality of life, if 50 pounds magically fall off, great! But, if it doesn't and my doctor pronounces me healthy, I'm a happy girl.

Don't strive to be beautiful like someone else, strive to be beautiful like you. That's something that's been rolling through my head like a credit reel lately. I wear glasses because I need to, contacts are not an option for me, thats okay. My hair is thick, blonde and sometimes unruly, that's okay. My legs are short and thick, a and I love a good skirt and baggy sweater combo. All of that is okay. I'm never going to be a Pinterest or Tumblr girl, people will never come to this blog for fashion or fitness advice, because I'm not the poster girl for it but all of that is okay. I'm happy with myself. Beauty comes in so many shapes and sizes, and honestly, I'd rather stand out than fit in. 

When did not being yourself become so in style? This year I plan to wear what I like, do my makeup  how I like and how I want. Pinterest will not grab me each morning and tell me what I will wear to garner respect and people's attention. Instead, my inner beauty and personality will win people's hearts. What Kate Middleton or Julianne Hough wear should inspire my style, not dictate it.

This year I don't want to be beautiful like you, I want to be beautiful like me.

Mentally speaking, spending all that time knees-deep in Facebook and Pinterest wondering why my life doesn't look like their's takes a toll on your mental health. This year, I plan to enjoy the joys of social media for what it's worth - networking, keeping up with friends, and cat videos.

Snapchats from your cat. THIS is why the internet was invented!

Get Organized

This goes for my professional life as well as my personal life, and let me tell you, it comes in handy and has already. I've tidied up my house over the Christmas break and de-cluttered a ton. You do not, and will never need, three toasters. When I went back to the daily grind at work, I took the time I always said I was to busy to set aside, and completely organized everything on my work PC, and backed up the files. And guess what? The afternoon I finished that, my computer was totally wiped by a nasty virus! I had to grab a temporary computer and send mine off to the IT firm my work hires to handle things I can't fix in-house. What a lifesaver! Because I took the half hour to back up all my files, I easily moved the folders to my new computer, and saved myself a ton of downtime. Because I forced myself to take a bit of time from my packed schedule to clean up after myself, something that could of sidelined me for days was a 15 minute fix. Amazing. 

I intend to apply the same principal to my personal life as well, things as easy as cleaning up as I go when I'm cooking instead of having a huge job after not only saves time, but keeps stress levels down as well. 

Be Humble

My sweet Grandmother, who passed away when I was in 8th grade and was, and continues to be, a huge part of my life, was deeply religious, and as I get older I feel a pulling to adopt bits and pieces of her beliefs as well. She wasn't the obnoxious type of religious person, but you knew God was her best friend, and she wasn't afraid to tell you that. She took the very best parts of scripture and His word and applied it to her life in every way. She was bitingly truthful and blunt, she didn't believe in telling a lie. But, she would also give you the shirt off her back and go to battle for anyone she loved. I feel my heart being pulled in those directions, but sometimes I stop myself because going around saying Jesus is our Savior and keeping a clean vocabulary isn't "hip" or "how a millennial" should be. Well, in 2016 I'm giving up on being everyone else's type of cool, and being myself. Each night when I have time I'll do my Bible readings, and feel connected to my Grandmother while I'm at it. I may not attend Church, or I may. If the feeling's there, I'll do it without any care of how I look or what my friends would say. I'm living life for me, and that's how it should be.

Going along with cleaning out and slowing down, I plan on DIY-ing a lot, home recipes, cleaning products, laundry products, all of that good stuff, and I plan on sharing that journey on here. Why? Because it's something I generally like to do.I want to live more simply, and begin to live a life that shows I know what's important to me, in my little corner of the world. Doing that also helps save money, which is another small goal - to be a bit more frugal, and invest the money back into my home, DIY, of course!

So that's just where my mind is this Winter. 

In a nutshell, I want to live for me and live for what I deem as important, not what anyone else says is important, and not get so caught up in the hype.

When I look around, I have a great family, great husband, my own car and my own house, as well as two pretty great cats. Why in 2015 did I let that stop being enough?

2016, the year of me, the year of getting it right.

What are your plans for 2016?

xoxo- Court

Simple Holiday Cookie Recipe

Hey everyone!

With the Holidays approaching I try to always have batches of cookies at the ready to share with family and friends. Last night I happened to be feeling festive, and decided to whip up a batch of my signature shortbread cookies.

When making cookies for bulk, I tend to favor simple recipes with simple ingredients, because they tend to store well and be a breeze to make.

These particular shortbread cookies only have 3 ingredients, and store frozen or chilled incredibly easily. I have a batch in my cookie jar for Eric and I and any guests to enjoy, and also a batch in my freezer, ready to give out to friends, bring to work, or attend a last minute cookie exchange.

The Holiday's can be so hectic it's nice to cover your bases when you do have some downtime so you don't become too stressed about the season that you forget to enjoy it.

To spice them up, I try to get creative with the dough. I pressed holiday kisses in some, and made a thumbprint for some Raspberry-Peach Jam with others. In another batch not pictured, I pressed Christmas tree shaped sprinkles into the dough and sprinkled sugar on top to bake!

You can freeze your baked cookies, or you can freeze the dough to bake at a later time. I plan on using my 2nd batch some time this week, so I just went ahead and cooked them up last night since I had the time. If you plan on giving them out pretty soon (1-2 weeks after baking) I'd say you're safe to pre-cook and freeze. Any longer, I'd suggest just freezing the dough and then thawing, then baking.

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Simple Shortbread Recipe

2 Cups Margarine or Butter, cold.

1 Cup Sugar

4.5 Cups All Purpose Flour

Combine ingredients until dough is a firm, play dough like consistency. If a little too dry, add a Tablespoon more butter until proper consistency is achieved.

Roll into balls or roll out and shape cookies, adding any decorations as needed. My favorites are adding kisses, jam thumbprints, and sugar and sprinkles to top.

Cook at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bottoms are slightly golden brown. Cool and enjoy!

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That recipe yields around 20 good sized cookies and 40 small ones, a perfect amount!

Enjoy, and I hope your Holidays are stress free!

Until next time,

Xoxo, Court