Thieves toilet bombs! (updated 7/11/16)

Toilet bombs?? Why would I want to bomb my toilet??  Well....I'm so glad you asked!  My cleaning routine has become so much more fun and easy since I was introduced to these toilet bombs. They are so simple to make, too. It's raining pretty hard outside (yes, in July...but we needed it!), so this is the perfect day for making these.

Now, gather your supplies and let's get going! I like to use silicon molds and I like to find deals, so I have found quite a few at second hand stores for around $1! I find that it's easier to use my big Pyrex measuring bowl, but any bowl will do.

Ingredients:

o   1 1/4 cups baking soda

o   ½ cup citric acid (canning aisle or can be purchased online)

o   10 drops of lemon essential oil

o   1 ½ teaspoons of Thieves Household Cleaner (edited to add more liquid- they are staying in the molds better)

o   Silicone molds

Directions:
1. Put your baking soda and citric acid in your mixing bowl and stir them up.
2. Add your lemon essential oil to the dry ingredients and stir it up. (Smells so good already!!)
3. SLOWLY add the Thieves Household Cleaner, while mixing quickly...so, pour slow with one hand and mix quick with the other. (This is where having a helper can come in handy!! ****see what I did there?? Handy....haha).
4. Your mixture will look like the picture below (more directions below picture):

5. Once you have mixed it all up, put your molds near your bowl and use your spoon to add to the shapes. Usually, I try to be all neat and tidy, but for this, I'm okay with some getting on the counter...I will just add water and clean away!!
6. You want to add to each shape and press down.  These need to be firmly packed in there. Once you have filled them all (this recipe made 12, but can be easily doubled), let them sit for at least 6 hours, overnight, or place in the fridge to quickly harden for a few hours.

7. I leave my molds on the counter so I can occasionally walk by and pack them in (they will start to expand out if there is moisture in the air...and it's raining...and I have the screen door open...).

8. Once they are hardened, pop them out and place in a container (I found this one second hand, isn't it adorable??).  I keep mine on the counter in the bathroom so it acts like a cute little air freshener.

9. When your toilet needs a good cleaning, toss one of your Thieves toilet bombs in and watch it fizz away!  You can use your scrub brush to clean soon after, or, leave in overnight and scrub in the morning.  Leave a comment and let me know how yours work out!

Why Thieves? Here is a portion of the description from Young Living: "This all-purpose cleaner can be used on any surface in your home for dusting, spot cleaning, scrubbing, or any other cleaning need. Wherever you use it, you’ll feel good knowing it’s safe to use around everyone in your family, including pets. Spot test in an inconspicuous area before applying this product to woods, plastics, fabrics, and granite. If staining or damage occurs, discontinue use on the material."
Click here for more information on Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living.

Thieves toilet bombs! (updated 7/11/16)

Toilet bombs?? Why would I want to bomb my toilet??  Well....I'm so glad you asked!  My cleaning routine has become so much more fun and easy since I was introduced to these toilet bombs. They are so simple to make, too. It's raining pretty hard outside (yes, in July...but we needed it!), so this is the perfect day for making these.

Now, gather your supplies and let's get going! I like to use silicon molds and I like to find deals, so I have found quite a few at second hand stores for around $1! I find that it's easier to use my big Pyrex measuring bowl, but any bowl will do.

Ingredients:

o   1 1/4 cups baking soda

o   ½ cup citric acid (canning aisle or can be purchased online)

o   10 drops of lemon essential oil

o   1 ½ teaspoons of Thieves Household Cleaner (edited to add more liquid- they are staying in the molds better)

o   Silicone molds

Directions:
1. Put your baking soda and citric acid in your mixing bowl and stir them up.
2. Add your lemon essential oil to the dry ingredients and stir it up. (Smells so good already!!)
3. SLOWLY add the Thieves Household Cleaner, while mixing quickly...so, pour slow with one hand and mix quick with the other. (This is where having a helper can come in handy!! ****see what I did there?? Handy....haha).
4. Your mixture will look like the picture below (more directions below picture):

5. Once you have mixed it all up, put your molds near your bowl and use your spoon to add to the shapes. Usually, I try to be all neat and tidy, but for this, I'm okay with some getting on the counter...I will just add water and clean away!!
6. You want to add to each shape and press down.  These need to be firmly packed in there. Once you have filled them all (this recipe made 12, but can be easily doubled), let them sit for at least 6 hours, overnight, or place in the fridge to quickly harden for a few hours.

7. I leave my molds on the counter so I can occasionally walk by and pack them in (they will start to expand out if there is moisture in the air...and it's raining...and I have the screen door open...).

8. Once they are hardened, pop them out and place in a container (I found this one second hand, isn't it adorable??).  I keep mine on the counter in the bathroom so it acts like a cute little air freshener.

9. When your toilet needs a good cleaning, toss one of your Thieves toilet bombs in and watch it fizz away!  You can use your scrub brush to clean soon after, or, leave in overnight and scrub in the morning.  Leave a comment and let me know how yours work out!

Why Thieves? Here is a portion of the description from Young Living: "This all-purpose cleaner can be used on any surface in your home for dusting, spot cleaning, scrubbing, or any other cleaning need. Wherever you use it, you’ll feel good knowing it’s safe to use around everyone in your family, including pets. Spot test in an inconspicuous area before applying this product to woods, plastics, fabrics, and granite. If staining or damage occurs, discontinue use on the material."
Click here for more information on Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living.

Canning blueberry syrup!

Here in the beautiful state of Oregon, we sometimes get pretty lucky with our fruit and things ripen quickly!  This year has not yet disappointed. There is an amazing little farm with 6,000 blueberry plants and they had an early harvest....so a few of us were lucky enough to pick a few days ago!   At $1.50 a pound, the 30 minute drive was worth it (and not to mention, scenic....even if cloudy)!

We each picked 2 - 10 pound buckets (some are getting frozen for later) and off we went!

I decided that I wanted to can them and make a syrup.  My idea is to use this all year long....on pancakes, ice cream....the list goes on!!  I have yet to splurge on a pressure canner, so I have a water bath canner that I used for this. I have a flat glass top stove, so I pull one of the oven racks out, place on the stove top burners, and then it will allow me to water bath can. Otherwise, it will not work with the flat stove top. I usually fill the canner about 1/4 the way with water with the burner on high, and have other pots boiling as well to get it to a rolling boil faster.

Now....on to the recipe, lady! Ok, Ok, I hear ya!

• 6 cups organic blueberries (this was about 3 pounds)
• 1 1/2  cups of water (tap if you're lucky enough to have good tap, or filtered)
• 6 tablespoons of pure cane sugar (or coconut sugar, less or more of either based on taste)
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil
• 6 pint mason jars, lids and rings for canning 
  

Directions

1. Wash your berries and then place in a 6 qt pot on medium high heat with the water, smash them up a bit and wait for them to boil and be broken down.
2. While your berries are boiling, get your water bath canner boiling as well. (helps speed up the canning process).
3. Once your berries are boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. I used a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl and poured the berries out (squeeze out the juice real good), leaving the berries in the strainer...for now.
5. Pour the juice back into your 6 qt pot, add the sugar and lemon essential oil.
6. Bring back to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes until it thickens up.
7. Using a canning funnel (or any funnel), ladle the liquid into your jars, leaving two inches from the top of the jar, then, ladle some of those berries in there! (If you aren't like me and don't want the berry mush in your syrup, then just fill with the liquid leaving 1/2 inch head space). 
8. Put the lid on, loosely tighten the rings on top.
9. Once your water bath canner is at a rolling boil, place your jars in (make sure they are not touching), I time it for 20 minutes on the rolling boil and then remove then and set them out on a towel on the counter...patiently waiting for the 'pop' to tell me that they are sealed! *Store in a cool, dry place and consume within a year. 
   
   Already delicious on some pancakes!!  Next up....ice cream topping!