4 Ingredient Natural Teeth Whitener

Since winter, I have made a discovery about myself. I like coffee, more specifically lattes. 

Before then I NEVER was a coffee drinker, and while I am a ways before taking it straight black, I am quickly enjoying new ways of drinking hot java.
With that being said, I have noticed my teeth getting a little more yellow. This doesn't look so good with a bright pink summertime lip.
My Mom recently told me how she has started making homemade teeth whitener. So the other night I decided to take a crack at it. 
Ingredients 1/2 cup baking soda 2 tsp. coconut oil several drops of peppermint essential oil hydrogen peroxide

1// Mix up baking soda and coconut oil with a fork. 
2// Add several drops of peppermint oil.
3// When ready to use, add a bit of peroxide to make a paste. Apply mixture directly to toothbrush. Brush for at least two minutes.
4// Do not use though more than 3 times per week.

What I like about this is its a cheaper option than going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. And after a couple uses, I did less of that nasty yellow on my pearly whites.

Easy peasy way to polish your smile while not breaking the bank! Happy smiles:)

Natural, Homemade Dishwasher Detergent...

A few weeks ago Jim and I got our first essential oil diffuser. To say we like it is a complete understatement. We are mildly obsessed with it. 
Over the last few months, I have been slowly growing in my skills in trying to make more homemade and natural products for our home. My most recent natural living experiment was making laundry detergent, which went interesting? Yeah let's go with that.
Since that mis-hap, I have been wanting to take a crack at making dishwasher detergent. I am quite pleased to say this went much better than grating endless bars of Fels-Naphtha soap.
So when I found a recipe from this book for dishwasher detergent, I knew I wanted to try it out!!

Like I said, cheap and only 4 ingredients. Can't be too hard right?

Ingredients 2 cups of Borax 2 cups of Baking soda 1/2 cup of white vinegar 20 drops of lemon essential oil ice cube tray (not pictured)

1// Mix together the Borax and baking soda. Easy enough.
2// Slowly add the white vinegar to dry mixture. Mix well.
3// Add the 20 drops of essential oil. (Side-note: lemon oil not only smells great, but has amazing cleaning properties in it!)
4// Mix well again to spread around the oil.
5// Carefully spoon with a tablespoon measuring cup the mixture in slots of the ice cube tray. Pack it in tightly, but do not fill to the top of the tray. Keep tapping each slot until the mixture feels secure

The directions call for letting the mixture stay in the mold overnight or to dry out in the sun. I also threw the tray in the freezer to help keep the form even more. 
Then, just store in sealed Tupperware. One batch has a shelf life of 2 months.

Total cost?? 
1 box Borax-$3.97 at Kroger 1 box baking soda-.99 at Aldi 1 bottle of vinegar-$1.79 at Aldi
Not a bad deal at $6.75!!!


Are any of you into making homemade, natural products for your family?  What are your favorite go-to items?

Happy dish washing!

Adventures in How NOT to Make Laundry Detergent

While Jim is busy enjoying some new essential oils this week, I have been busy making our first batch of homemade laundry detergent. 

I first looked at this recipe and had planned to go with it. But being a newbie, I thought it might be good to ask a friend her thoughts to see if I left anything out. Well good thing I did, because apparently I was lacking a very basic ingredient, soap. Specifically a laundry soap called Fels Naphtha. Yeah say that 10 times fast.
So there I am sitting on the porch with my 5 gallon tub of laundry soap, half done right. #pathetic Because I made such a large amount I had to run back to the store for 8 bars of Fels Naphtha soap. I came home, found a cheese grader, and started shredding. Have you ever got writer's cramp from shredding soap? Well now its a real thing.
8 bars later plus a lot of mixing, Team Hubbard has now plenty of laundry detergent for easily the next year...and maybe then some.
Lesson's learned??

• Start out small-don't make a huge batch only to realize its missing a key ingredient
• Use a blender/food processor to make Fals soap into a powder, grating got old way fast
• Don't break the cheese grader (see above)

If you're wanting to start making your own laundry soap, use THIS  recipe by Amy. This woman knows what she be talking about. 
And if you're in the area, swing by our place! We've now got laundry detergent coming out our ears would love to give you your own batch. Thank you and You're Welcome:)

Going Paste-less//An Adventure in Toothpaste-less Living

No we are not crazy.
For awhile now, I have slowly been getting into natural living and using less chemicals at home. Heck this weekend I am gonna try for the first time and make our own laundry soap! Watch out Pioneer Woman. I have been amazed at all the ways hazardous chemicals are in so many different products we use daily in our homes. I love getting inspired by other bloggers trying new idea's to live a more natural life; like when Olivia went on her toxic deo detox.
A good friend a mine had a Norwex party at the beginning of the summer. Norwex is a company that works to create and offer products for people to radically reduce chemicals in their homes. They everything from window cloths to toothbrushes that don't require toothpaste.

So as Jim and I looked together at the catalog, we both were instantly struck by these toothbrushes that don't even need toothpaste. So how does that work?? 
The toothbrush has microfiber bristles that have an INCREDIBLE amount of surface area and "grabby" power that lifts off the strep bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath. It also has silver in the brush bristles that when met with water is a way for the toothbrush to actually clean itself. A self-sanitizing toothbrush?! I know. #crazy
Yes we do still keep toothpaste at home, and use it on occasion because honestly who doesn't like the minty aftertaste? And Jim is a mouthwash snob so he uses that as well. 
I go to the dentist in a few weeks. Gotta wonder what that conversation goes like when I tell her I am going paste-less... But one thing, no mo paste at least gives me back some dignity when tooth brushing. Because more often than I'd like to admit I looked like this:

Are you into natural living and using chemical-free products? What are your favorites? Why is it worth the effort for you and or your family?

Homemade Natural Produce Wash

I have started getting really interested in more natural living and clean eating. I am counting down the days when I have saved enough cash to buy an oil diffuser, but until then, I'm having fun looking at simple ways to bring more natural living into our home.

recipe source

I first came across this natural produce wash from one of my new favorite blogs to read, Live Simply. I know many fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides and chemicals, and honestly I have never been one to thoroughly wash/clean produce. I guess I always thought a quick rinse of warm water meant they were good to eat? As I learn more about natural living, I am learning where simple ingredients are effective and simple as those fancy shmancy chemical products from the grocery store. Who knew just plain, old vinegar and lemon juice where such a combo to kill germs and pesticides off our produce?? #themoreyouknow

Ingredients

2 cups of water

1/2 cup white vinegar

 1 lemon, juiced

1 bottle (I used a plastic spray bottle)

 

1// In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour ingredients into a bottle using a funnel (don't spill like I did ;). Store produce wash in the fridge until needed (to allow the fresh lemon juice not to spoil).

 

 

2// When Using: Spray produce with DIY wash and then wash the food under warm water. OR, pour 1/2 cup of wash in a sink of water or large bowl and soak the produce for 5 minutes. Then, rinse produce with clean water.

 

Now you can enjoy fresh produce free of nasty chemicals and pesticides! 

Any tips you in your home for simple, natural living?

     

DIY Memory Magnets

Sometimes I pretend that I am reallyyy good at DIY projects. Today is one of those days. Humor me.

I have a slight hording problem with old photographs. I may have did take a good handful from my parents basement before I got married. Sorry parental units! You didn't notice anyway right?
In some way I wanted to take memories the past with into my new life. I wanted the comfort of old memories as I created new ones in married life. Lately I have been going through some of my favorites and wanting to do some projects with them projects with them. I recently finished a fun book that inspired this wee project.

 

All I needed was:

• 2 sheets of magnetic adhesive 
• old photographs

Just peel off the protective paper on the magnetic sheet and stick yo picture on it. It make take a couple tries to get the photo even with the corners. After the picture is straight, grab a pair of scissors and trim away the edges.

And viola! Magnets for the fridge while displaying happy memories.

Any favorite projects using photo's? Do share! 

If you need some idea's, be sure to give Emma and Elsie a read!

It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful

It is so easy sometimes to focus on the things in life that are not perfect.  Whether its home decor or your marriage, we are constantly bombarded with the message that if something is called beautiful that means it is perfect or very near to perfection.

My sister and bro-in-law got me this book for my birthday that I wanted to read for a really long time.  As I've been reading, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the different area's in my life where I've made myself believe the crazy ideas that life has to be perfect to be beautiful.

It is so easy and dangerous to get consumed with perfection...so says the recovering perfectionist.  Reading this is helping me look around at the various "imperfections" of our apartment/marriage/my life with more gentleness.  Those mysterious black spots I cannot seem to get out of the carpet?  That obvious scratch on our hutch that needs another touch up of yellow paint?  The smallness of our apartment?  Somehow I can look at those things and they bother me with much less crazy intensity.

NOTHING in life is perfect.ever.  Our home will always have a fix-it project on the to-do list...marriage will never be easy and it will always take hard work...my beauty is not determined by shape/size/a number on a scale.  And in the realization that there is such beauty in imperfection is kind of really freeing.  The only thing is we have to look for it.  

When I was growing up I had this older cousin I really struggled with inwardly comparing myself to.  I can remember at family holiday gatherings thinking she looked so.perfect.  Not a curl was out of place, her make-up looked flawless, and her outfits always coordinated with just the perfect touch of accessories.  I am embarrassed to say but there were times I would make it a contest in my head to see if I could out-do her in "looking perfect." 

At the time, she was the epitome of glamorous to me. And I hated her for it.  I have been reflecting on those memories recently and am seeing how all those holiday's of self-comparison only reinforced for me the idea to be beautiful=looking perfect.  But the older I get, I am starting to get more comfortable and accepting of my imperfections.  I realize that even if my cousin "looked" perfect, I would not really want to be her. 

Life can be beautiful amidst imperfections.  Home can still be a warm, welcoming place to be even amid the dust and paper piles.  Your home is a place you feel safe and make memories, it is not supposed to look like a staged apartment.  Marriage can be beautiful even amid difficulties and growing pains; it will never be perfect this side of Heaven and will always take work. 

But those difficulties and inky stinky things to work through end up making you stronger, they purify your heart and intentions.  Don't wait till you reach a goal weight to look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful (and mean it!).  If the number on the scale defines how you see yourself, you're giving wayy to much power to that number.

Who would have thought a home decorating book would have been such good therapy for my soul?!  Looking for the beauty in imperfections of life is similar to gratitude.  Its easy to be grateful when life is all hunky dory, but its another thing to be grateful when you are struggling to look for things to be grateful for.  Same thing with beauty.  If we only see beauty in the perfect things, we miss an amazing opportunity to challenge ourselves to find beauty in the imperfections.

Don't sweat the small stuff and remember...