Random Homemade Awesomeness

I'm not a person to go to a lot of trouble to make things from scratch.  I would rather buy ice cream than go to the expense and trouble of making it.  Compounded by the fact that I can no longer eat ice cream (thank you lactose intolerance), my ice cream maker sits on a shelf in the garage and collects dust.  Since Eric became gluten intolerant, I've tried several times to make gluten free bread.  A store bought loaf of gluten free bread is $5.50 and yields about six very small sandwiches.  The slices are the size of a baguette.  However, I've come to the conclusion that making it is almost as expensive (the specialty flours cost $3-4 alone for one loaf of bread) and it's a crap shoot at best.  Sometimes it comes out great, sometimes it doesn't.  I hate wasting an entire afternoon and $4 of flour for a crappy loaf of bread.

But, I love a good bargain.  And I'm not an extreme couponer.  I don't see myself ever going that crazy.      Having said all that, here are recipes for 3 products I LOVE and we use a lot!  And, the homemade equivalent is super cheap to the store bought equivalent... not to mention easy to make!

Homemade Gatorade
2 qts water
1 package of unsweetened Kool-aid
1/2 t. table salt
1/2 t. morton's lite salt
10 T sugar

The best way to do this that we've found is to buy a 64 oz bottle of gatorade at Walmart for a buck-fifty.  Then after you've drunk it, you can make your own and refill the bottle over and over again.  We fill the bottle half way, put the ingredients in, screw the lid on, shake well, fill the rest of the bottle up with water and shake again.  Voila... 64 oz of Gatorade for about fifty cents!  :)

Brown Sugar Body Scrub
2 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 C oil
1 T vanilla

Mix the sugars in a bowl until there are no lumps.  Add oil and vanilla, mix well.  Put in a plastic container and store in the shower so you can rub it all over your heels in the shower.  Since I started using this stuff, I haven't had one cracked heel.  That says a lot, since it's a chronic problem I've had living in the desert.

Granite Cleaner
Take an old windex bottle and fill it 1/8 full with rubbing alcohol.  Then add one drop of dish soap.  (Really, one drop is more than enough.)  You can add a drop or two of essential oils if you have them for scent, but I don't.  Then fill the bottle up the rest of the way with water and you have a super cheap, great granite cleaner!

Five Products I Would Be Happy To Endorse...

This is the Pampered Chef Rice Cooker. Unlike my plug-in rice cooker, it cooks rice in 20 minutes flat in the microwave. It also doubles as a microwave cake pan, for a cake that can be made in 10 minutes flat. I love how every part fits easily into the dishwasher. My mom gave this to me as a gift at least a year ago and we use it 3-4 times a week. It's the best!

I've never been much of a flosser. Thus, my kids aren't learning to floss either. But my cousin's wife recommended this flosser for those in our family who don't floss and thus get cavities, and I LOVE it. I went from flossing 3-4 times a year to 3-4 times a week. It's just so easy to use and you don't have to cut the circulation off in your fingers to floss, either. Double bonus! I can't wait to see if my hygienist actually notices the difference next time I visit.

At 36, you would think I'd be more into wrinkle cream than acne cleanser, but alas, such are the joys of my life. Several months ago, I started breaking out with zits that would take weeks to heal. Since I started using this stuff twice a day, my face looks and feels fabulous! (And yes, my dear SIL who shall remain nameless, washing my face twice a day is working better than once a day!)

Here in the desert we are serious about deodorant. Since it's hot, sweaty weather more than 50% of the year, you gotta find the good stuff. I love this deodorant. I hope they never stop making it... it has 3-4 scents, all of which are pleasant, but not overbearing or obnoxious, it works better than any other deodorant I have tried, and they even sell it in bulk at Sam's Club!

I had to take my own picture of this product because I couldn't find one online anywhere, but I love these sponges. I buy them in two packs at Target and they are the best. My mom is a "dishcloth" person, but I hate the nastiness of dish clothes once they have been used. I wasn't really a sponge fan either, until I found these! Trust me, if you try them, I am sure you will love them!

Now, if I could only find someone who wants to pay me for all my kind words...