2 of my favorite things

Summer's almost here, it must be time for my cherry shoes!

Homemade Rose Water Toner

I was looking for a new toner and felt like fainting when I saw how much they cost these days! After experimenting (and let's not talk about how I burned myself trying to use straight-up apple cider vinegar), I came up with a recipe for nice little cotton pads soaked in my homemade toner. It's quick to make, cheap, and green, because I recycled a jar to put them in.

Ingredients:

Rose water (from an international food market)

Cotton pads (got 'em at the dollar store)

Apple cider vinegar

Recycled glass jar

Pour rose water into jar until it's about a third of the way full. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, not too much! It has malic acid which is good for exfoliating, but it smells and it can be too strong if you use too much. Then put the cotton pads in the jar and shake it all up to soak the pads.

Getting crafty with organizers :)

I made up some jewelry organizers with little calico squares meant for quilters. The front is clear vinyl so I can see inside, and there's a teeny pocket in the top of the envelope where I can attach stud earrings.

I did learn one thing while I was making these. Never try to iron the stitching on clear vinyl! :)

Next I got busy adding some pockets to a sparkly pink dollar store cosmetic bag. My darling daughter gave me some purse organizers and I'm getting hooked on micro organization!

My new mini Kitchen Filing System !

I tackled my mess of bills and junk mail all over my kitchen counter, wrestled it into file folders, and made it cry Uncle!

old memories

Click here to view these pictures larger

Made up a pasta dish!

Lemon Artichoke Pasta

(Yum yum I love pasta!)

Ingredients:

Bow tie pasta
Pieces of chicken (I used the frozen thighs from Trader Joe's)
Mixed veggies (I used organic mixed veggies from Trader Joe's)
Herbs (Zaatar from World Market)
Sea salt
Red pepper flakes
Artichoke hearts
2 lemons
Olive oil
Butter

Cut the chicken in little pieces and saute in a cast iron pan with olive oil. Boil the water for pasta.

Season chicken with sea salt, herbs and just a few red pepper flakes. Cook the pasta.

Use a lemon zester all over one of the lemons to get little strips of lemon zest. Cut up the lemons. (I just used one because the lemons from my tree are huge.)

Lightly cook the veggies in the microwave, not all the way though. Cut up the artichoke hearts into 4ths and add to meat.

Squeeze the lemon juice out of the lemon pieces. Use a little spatula to scrape all the tasty browned chicken flavor from the pan as you stir the lemon juice in. Add some butter.

Throw in most of the lemon zest but save a little to decorate the top. Stir in the veggies. Make sure everything is nice and hot.

Strain the pasta and mix everything up in a nice big bowl. Garnish with lemon zest.

Serve with a nice green romaine salad.

My article for Associated Content!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5573928/healthy_and_inexpensive_summertime.html?cat=22

:D