Fresh Lemon Poundcake from Scratch

Prep Time: 15min
Bake Time: 70min + cooling time
Yields:16 servings
Ingriedients Needed For Cake:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole milk


Ingriedients needed for Icing:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest



Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. About 5 mins. Add eggs in slowly, Stir in lemon zest and extract. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add to the creamy mixture alternating with milk. Beat until it just combines.

Pour into a greased fluted pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 70 minutes or until a tooth-oivk inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the Icing ingriedients; beat until smooth. Spread over top of cake.

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

Making Apple Cider Vinegar is both educational but also practical with today's economy. It's also cool to watch the wonder of fermentation firsthand.

Ingriedients needed:
*Glass Jar (I use half gallon size)
*3 3/4 cups Water
*1/4 cup Raw Honey
*2 medium apples cut into chunks (include skin & core)
*Ziploc bag or fermentation weight.

fermentation weights Step 1:
1.Mix honey & Water until completely dissolved.
2.Add in apple chunks.
3.Cover with either a fermentation weight -or- just use a water-filled ziploc. (You want to keep the apples submerged in the water so they ferment and not mold)
4.Cover with a clean cotton towel or cloth. (I use cheese cloth)
5.Let sit for one week in a wamr place, shake daily to agitate the ingriedients.

After sitting for a week the alcohol fermentation stage will end and the apple pieces may fall to the bottom of the jar.

Strain the apples from the now hard cider and return the cider back a sanitized jar. Cover with a fresh cotton towel/chessecloth. Let sit for another 3-4 weeks in a warm location.

Do a smell test, to determine if the vinegar is ready. If it needs more time, give it another week and smell test again.
Once it is ready, bottle the vinegar in a sanitized glass bottle with an airtight non reactive lid. Store it in a cool, dark place.

Cheap & Easy way to clean your pack N play!!!

Everyone knows kids are messy. But I bet you have no idea just how messy they can be without you even seeing it! Most parents have a pack n play of some sort. Here's a way to save money on buying a new one OR being confident in buying a "previously loved" one.

Here is how I cleaned the one that a little girl I babysat brought to take naps in.

Here's all that you will need:



I used equal parts of each.*((( For my all natural mommy's you can substitute the laundry detergent to what you would normally use. I wash my son's stuff in all so that's what I used.)))

 

You'll also need your pack n play and something to soak it in, preferably a tub.

 

 

Step 1:

 

Fill your tub with hot water and the detergent, vinegar, and baking soda.

 

Step 2:

Submerge your pack n play!

(If your support board contains cardboard, be careful if you submerged it because it can warp. If it's disgusting like this one was, I'd suggest taking your chances.)

 

Step 3:

Check on it after about 20-30 mins, if it was already pretty clean it should be ready to rinse.

I let this one go for an hour, agitating it about every 20 mins. before rinsing.

 

 

Step 4:

Allow it to dry in the sun for a few hours. & Just like new!!!!

 

 

-Brandi



Easy & Effective Detox Bath!

As most of you know your body carries toxins, heavy metals, chemicals, & radiation. Detox Baths help naturally remove them.

I also felt the "disgusting toxins" being released through my feet/legs. It was strange yet cool. lol

*Your bathtub should be clean.

**It should be filled with unchloronated filtered water as hot as you can stand it comfortably.

(if you don't have access to filtered water add 2 tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide)

1.) Fill your tub with hot unchloronated water.

2.) Add 2 cups of baking soda to neutralize acids of the toxins. 

3.) Add 2 cups of Epsom Salts to water. It will help draw toxins out of the body. 

(If you have a rash or open cut, the salt will sting)

4.) Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar to bath 

(OPTIONAL!!! This will help cut bacterial, bladder or vaginal infections. It will also soften skin)

Soak in the water for about 30 mins.

*****Rinse off with water only as you do not want to put chemicals from soaps into your open pores/detoxed skin.*****

Here's my picture:

Top Left: Before      Top Right: After      Bottom: During!

 

It is also very important that you drink lots of water when you do this to stay hydrated. I got a slight headache after for about 10 mins because I didn't drink water like I should have. :/

-Happy Detoxing-

Frugal Friday #3: Displaying Pictures

 

It's no shocker that my husband is a Marine. It's also no shocker that military don't make as much as Hollywood claim they do. What is a shocker is how they make housing look like college dorms (ok not that much of a shock), But unless you buy a house or pay out your entire BAH and then some your stuck with a blah house.

We got our pictures done by a fellow Marine's wife. Now I've seen the idea floating around the interwebz and apparently, I'm the only one who doesn't want  "floating clothespins and pictures" on my wall! I decided to add a pop of color instead of the "fishline" look.

All I did was:

 1.) Tie the ribbon on each end to a thumbtack.

2.) Stick them in the wall, I gave mine some slack just so it'd "droop" a little lower.

3.) Hang your pictures and enjoy (:

*If your like me and haven't had clothespins laying around since the 90's, you can find them at dollar tree!*

-xoxox brandi-

Frugal Friday #2 DIY Scrub Free Stove-Hood Cleaner

 Nasty Right? What's even nastier is that this was sitting above where we cook our food =0
I'm OCD about my food and won't eat at certain restaurants so imagine when I looked up while cooking and saw this!


If your like me and are grossed out easy (and hate hardcore scrubbing) use this little trick to make it like brand new.

Here's what you need:

 

Large pot of water & 1/2 cup of baking soda

Here's where its optional and really up to you, If your pot is big enough for the filter to fit in then you can dip it in the pot (and dump it outside to save your drain) OR if your pot isn't big enough you can use something else. (I had to use the bathtub) 

Ok so once your water is boiling SLOWLY and I mean SLOWLY add the baking soda. It will fizz up but quickly settles. 

Then dip and hold (or poor it over the filter) and be amazed at the nastiness you've been cooking under. 

Once  it has sat for a little bit (the water cools) you can rinse with hot water, shake most of the excess water off and put it back in the stove hood to air dry. 

IF

Your using the pot method then hold it for about 3-5 mintues each spot then rinse with hot water when your done.

Mine was stained so it doesn't look brand new but if you still have build-up on yours, you can repeat the entire process and it should get it completely off.

(:

Happy Cleaning (:

-X0X0X Brandi-

UPDATED: DIY nail polish rack

I did this awhile back and somehow the pictures on the blog went missing soooo....here it goes again!

What you need:

3 foam boards (Dollar Store $1, Wal-Mart)

Razor Knife or Box Cutter

Ruler

Pencil

Hot Glue Gun

Optional Supplies:

Nails

Paint

Fabric

Whatever you want to decorate it with.

(Spray Paint will eat through the foam.)

Take your first board and with your ruler and pencil draw a horizontal line every 5 inches.

Take your second board and cut out 6 2” horizontal pieces and put aside.

With the rest of the second board, cut out 6 1” horizontal pieces and put aside.

Take your third board and cut out 2 2 ½” vertical pieces and put aside.

I chose to cover some of the pieces with fabric.

Take your 2” pieces and glue them along the lines made on your first board. The last piece you should glue along the bottom edge of the board.

Make sure to glue along the top and bottom of the shelves as well.

You will take the 1' pieces and glue them on the front, It will creates a barrier to stop the polishes from falling off.

Finally, Glue the side pieces on and your done!

 

My finished wall rack!

 

It will hold about 90 polishes!

 Some choose to re-enforce the shelving part with nails. 

Happy Building (:

~XOXOX Brandi~

Frugal Friday #1 DIY Grout Cleaner

So since I'm a makeup/nail polish junkie and also a wife and mommy, My dollars have to stretch. In order for me to splurge I have to cut costs else where. So every Friday I'll be sharing one of my tips or tricks!



Here goes the first one!


This was pinned on my pinterest a while ago, But looking at the grout throughout the house and remembering what it looked like brand new I was digusted.

This recipe is SAFE FOR CHILDREN & ANIMALS though it might leave them with a disgusting taste and smell (lol)


Recipe:

7 cups of water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vinegar


So my squirt bottle was not big enough to hold all this liquid and im not gonna lie I winged it, no measurements at all. lol

 *let it sit for on the grout for about an hour & then scrub your heart out!*

THIS IS BEFORE!!!

AND THIS IS AFTER!!!!

It still worked AMAZINGLY and I'm gonna have to do it a second time because it was so damn disgusting. I actually wanna give myself the parent of the year award for allowing the kids continue using the 5-10 second rule. haha oh well!

~xoxox Brandi~

P.S. We may just be eating dinner off the tile tonight!

(totally joking)

Save your $10....Salon Express

So my husband surprised me by ordering this and having it delivered to me while he was at work. When the mail man came knocking on my door and assured me he wasnt at the wrong house I became excited. After getting my hopes up even higher from opening the box and seeing my husband had also ordered the extra like 30 something design plates.

Much to my surprise, this product totally sucks! I mean SUCKS! Save your ten bucks and go buy a nail polish or something. This product advertises "it works with ANY NAIL ART polish". Well folks I tried LA Deco Art, Sally Hansen ones, & some other brand Sally's carries. Every single one of them either smudged on the plate, stuck to the stamper, or wouldnt transfer at all and if it did transfer it was barely visible.  (The scraper also catches in the design grooves on some designs)


I thought maybe it was operator error but every other person I've talked to or let play around with mine had the same issues.




I guess for $10 I cant really complain, atleast my 4yr old stepdaughter has fun 'painting' lol


until next post.............XOXOX Brandi

Jersey Shore Nails?

So I'm in love with anything animal print. I posted this pic on instagram and Lia (ALadyNeverTells on youtube) said they were "Jersey Shore Nails" lol So here they are:

 

 

 

-xoxox- Brandi

 

St. Patty's Day Nails 2012

Very Simple & Easy this year! Here you go:

Polish Used:

Sinful Colors in San Francisco

Sinful Colors in This is It

LA Colors Art Deco in Gold Glitter

LA Colors Art Deco in Green Glitter

LA Colors Art Deco in White

Beauty Secrets Top Coat

China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle Oil 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Don't forget your green next Saturday!

~xoxox Brandi~

DIY: Nail Polish Wall Rack

This was made for under $10, it holds about 90 polishes & is extremely sturdy. Should I make a tutorial showing how to make it?!

This is what's left of my polish collection after moving from Fl to Ga back to Fl then to NC. :(

~xoxox brandi~