How to Cut Your OWN Hair - (in 15 min or less)

If you want my menu plan today I can post it for you...but I just thought I would share this today...

First, I want to thank my dear son GQ for taking all the photos in this post for me.  I could not have done some of them so you could see the process so he was invaluable!  He did a pretty good job getting everything for me.

A couple days ago I was telling Dh that I wanted a hair cut.  I told him it was going to cost him about $50 to get it done for me.  Then he jokingly said that he would do it for me.  I laughed and shrugged it off.

Then on Saturday he and my son KC went to Priesthood session of General Conference.  Dh said as he left, "I expect to see your hair cut by the time I come home." and laughed his way out the door. 

I figured I would show him! 

So I gathered my stuff.  Some spray in conditioner, a hair tie, some scissors (I needed to get some better ones after this photo) and a brush.

Got my "Before" photo, and got my hair nice and wet.

Sprayed in some leave in conditioner and brushed it through.  This just helps everything slide through nice and easy.

I bent over and brushed all of my hair upside down into a high pony tail with the hair tie on the end.

This is me deciding that the longest layer might need to be a bit longer...going from long hair to short is sometimes better done in stages!

You then cut right at your hair tie.  I cut just below.  That way it is nice and even.

And because my son was taking photos, he thought you needed to see this one:

I tossed it all around and brushed it down so I could see what it looked like.  This way of cutting it gives you instant layers and blending, it's great.

I figured my last layer and next noticeable layer needed to be closer together so took a bit more off.
It still was not what I wanted so I put a new ponytail in and just chopped that off too.

This is all the hair that was not captured by my hair tie.  I was glad I did it over a sink!

When all was said and done, this is what happened.

I know it will be tricky to duplicate, because like my recipes, they are just kind of winging it, but I was happy with my homemade haircut. 

When Dh walked in after his meeting he was super impressed.  He was so excited and he loves it.  I guess that is all that matters right?! 

If you have any questions, I can try to answer them for you.  :)

Cheers

The Many Sides of KC

My son wears glasses.

Have you ever had to BUY glasses?  If you have you know how totally expensive they can be!  When he got his first pair the frames alone were over $200!  Then last year, just before we went to Disney World, he got new lenses (transition ones) that were just over $140...it really adds up!

So, when my friend Mandy posted about an online company I had never heard of, I checked it out.

Zenni Optical is worth the trip over.

You can upload your photo and "try on" the glasses.  Then you enter the prescription and order them.  Super easy and fun.

Check out the ones my KC ordered:

He loves them.  He loves having 4 pairs he can choose from.

I love that they were CHEAP!

I paid just over $160 (including shipping and taxes) to have them shipped right to me.  They were super fast, and super cheap. 

I am in no way compensated for this, in fact they don't even know I wrote it...but I wanted you to know about it if you are in need of new glasses.

Cheers

Links and Lists - Medicine Cabinet

I have been really trying to make things from scratch lately.  I would love to learn how to make things like pain relievers and antibiotics from scratch.  (plus they are WAAAAY cheaper when they are made from scratch!)

Dh and I bought a few books and stuff about edible plants and weeds that grow here and we are trying really hard to learn to recognize them and remember what they each are for.  Now the trick is how to use them...

This week I found a few really great things that I thought I am going to try.  Maybe you want to try them too.

I buy Polysporin (sp?).  Not often, but we do use it on various things in our house.  This one is all natural and you can make it in an afternoon.  I also think it would smell fabulous!

I probably am not alone, but when the winter hits, my hands get dry and cracked.  This is a yummy looking hand scrub that I think would help with that...and how super easy to make!  It says it also removes onion and garlic smell...personally I actually like my hands to smell like garlic, one of my favorite smells.  Weird, I know!

Who here has chickweed in their yard, put up their hands!

I know you can eat it, but I am not really fond of the taste.  This salve looks like it would be pretty multipurpose, much like the one above, but with the addition of the ever plentiful chickweed.  I think it would smell delicious.  There is also a link at the very bottom of the post to a book I totally put on my wish list!

I am always buying new cream for my body.  I love body butter from The Body Shop, but if I could find something all natural that was equivalent, I would totally switch.  (cheaper too!)  This cream is one I am totally going to give a chance.

I am a big fan of mustard.  I want to learn how to utilize a mustard poultice safely and effectively.  This bath looks like a wonderful place to start using it in our cold curing process.  I am going to make it soon.  There is also a recipe for ginger tea that looks divine.  What a double dose of awesome for the cold season.

Hope you could find something that interests you.  I am loving this collection of things to share each week.  I love a list so this makes me happy to share a tiny part of my list each week with you. 

Cheers

Felted Laundry Balls

Have you ever felted anything?  I have been playing with felting since a couple years ago, (I am sure you may have inadvertantly felted by shrinking a sweater) and have since become rather addicted! 

A few weekends ago, dh and I went to a craft sale for date night.  That's how I know he loves me, he goes to craft shows with me for date night!

Anyway, we bought some cool stuff.  My favorite thing of all was a set of  felted dryer balls.  They are balls you can stick in your dryer to cut down on drying time, and they also work as static reducers.  I was very interested in these as I dislike having the extra chemicals on my clothing. 

I used them and they really worked!  So thrilled.  They cut down the time my clothes dried (jeans that took 90 min took a little less than 70 min with these balls).

So, I was looking at them and figured I could make some more for me, and for Christmas presents.  If you are on my list, pretend you don't see these!

First, you need some wool.  You want it to be as close to 100% wool as you can. 

Wrap around your fingers until you have quite a ball going on.

See, this is a great start.

Take it off your fingers and wrap around the middle now.  Until it is almost all the way covered.

Begin wrapping all directions now.  You are trying to make it round.

Pretty soon it will be all round and a tiny little ball.

Keep wrapping until you have about a tennis ball sized ball.

When you are finished, take a crochet hook (the only way I can actually USE a crochet hook...dh is the crocheter around here!) and pull the end through several of the layers of wool, this way you don't have to tie a knot.

Your balls will  be mostly done now.

Take an old pair of nylons (or new ones if you can find them at the dollar store) and place them in the legs of the nylons, tying off between balls.  If you want to save the nylons for later, use a piece of string you can untie, if not, just tie knots and cut them out.

Now, you need to wash them with HOT water (separately in a load all on their own).  Dry on HOT as well (this can be with other clothes if you actually dry with hot air).  This is how you felt them.  They will look a little matted and will hold together.

When you have them all felted, wrap with another layer of wool.  I made my last layer nice and neat, but you could make it however you want.  I made them a little larger than tennis balls.  Wash and dry a few more times.  They should be nice and felted now and the last layer matted together enough that they will be rather solid. 

Now they are ready for use in your laundry.  Toss them in the dryer to use them with each load.  The more you use them, the more felted they become.

Enjoy.  Let me know if you make them and how you like them.  I love mine and hope they work for you as well.

Cheers

Secondhand

I am in L.O.V.E with secondhand stores. 

Today one of my favorite secondhand stores was having a 50% off day.  Everything in the store is half off of already stinkin cheap prices.

Today I shopped for my 3 boys who grow stinkin fast...so, for $21.53 I got:
4 pairs of shorts
3 pairs of jeans
1 tee shirt
3 short sleeve button down shirts

Horray for secondhand! 

We are trying to save money in places we wouldn't normally save....What is your favorite tip on saving money?

Cheers