DIY Air Fresheners

Super Easy, 2 Minute, Fun Air Fresheners

These have got to be one of the easiest DIY's ever.  There is something about living in a house with dogs.  I love having them around but the air gets a bit musty.  Especially when they are in a closed room for a while, like the kids bed room as they like to sleep with the kids.  All well and good with me but when I open the door in the morning, seriously, that space needs some help!  

So I have seen these online here and there and decided to give them a try.  

All you are going to need is a small mason jar, baking soda, and your favorite scent.  

Fill your jar with baking soda (have you noticed the amount of baking soda I use in this house?)  

Now mix in a few drops of your favorite scent.  (I went with something wintery, just 'cuz.)

Cut a piece of some fun craft paper to fit inside the lid and punch a few holes in it.  

Screw on the top and place it wherever needs freshening.  I put one in the kids room and one in the toy room.  (both need help from time to time!)  

The scent will make the room smell great and the baking soda will absorb nasty smells in the room just like it does in your fridge.

Love it!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook, ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Girl Scouts

My Baby's a Daisy

So, my eldest started Girl Scouts. I am soooooo excited. I was a Girl Scout when I was young...er, and I have so many good memories of going every week and being around my friends. I didn't do it for long but camp was a blast and I guess I really feel like it teaches good morals and great life skills.

Now, I know, maybe not as a daisy, but they are still learning about courage and honor and respect and honesty and, and, and... those are life skills too, right?!?

Anyway, I was so excited. We got to go to the Girl Scout store today to pick up her outfit so we can officially start selling cookies.  Unfortunately they were out of the vests (and don't try and talk her into a tunic, trust me, I tried).  So we ordered one and they will call us when its in but she said it wont be until the first week in Feb.  {sigh}

But we can start working on the girl scout law and such.  She will have to know this to earn her petals to be a daisy, then she can start earning the fun patches.  {squeal}

I really am so excited for her and her troop, and I can't say enough about what a great program the Girl Scouts really is.  And cheap too, (I was about to shell out $500 for dance lessons for a quarter, what!!!!!  I know, I know, thank goodness she decided she didn't love it.  If she would have loved it, it would have been a different scenario, but she didn't) Girl Scouts tuition only cost me $12 per year.  Now I did buy her uniform and her patches but total.......... like $35.  Then I decided she needed a book, another $22, but that was optional, and I still felt like it was a bargain!  {woot, woot!}

And her troop leader is fabulous, what can I say, I'm a sucker for the Girl Scouts.  If you have a chance, I strongly recommend getting your little one involved.  Truly, I think they will love it!


Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Color Coded Organization

Organizing The Kids Accessory Drawer

So I have this thing, and I'm not saying it's normal, but it's my thing, I own it.  Whatever, right?  Anyway, I like things to be organized by color and in a certain order so this....

was a bit much for me today.  I had finally had enough.  I found some little bottles a friend gave me in my craft room and went to town!

See, even this started to make me happy...

And finally, this made my day.  It is so much easier to look at.  And now every time I open the drawer its like a little happy surprise...

Again, I have a think, whatever, right?!?

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

-Sarah

We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook, ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

No Sugar Added Apple Pie Filling

Apple Pie Filling, or Dip, or just eat it, Guilt Free!!

I don't know about you but fruit is a hot commodity in this house, the problem is that the "flavor of the month" changes so if I stock up on apples, inevitably bananas are the new favorite. So there are times, more frequent than I'd like to admit, that we have a basket of rotting fruit that none will touch. Now I think by now you all know how I hate wasting things, so I decided to take the soft apples and hardening oranges sitting in the basket today and make something.

I decided on apple pie filling. I was going to make apple sauce but didn't want it to share the same fate as its raw counterparts. I really liked the idea of sugar free but I'm all about big flavors.

Ingredients:
4-5 Apples
Juice of 2 oranges
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp powdered cloves
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp cherry extract
2 Tbsp butter (optional)

I juiced the oranges and threw it in the pot. Then I chopped the apples and threw them in too. I put the pot on low to simmer for a while as I put all the ingredients in.

Then I added the nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, almond extract, vanilla, and cherry extract.

Let it simmer for about an hour, take it off the heat and into the freezer it will go. All set for the next pie I need to make.

Woo hoo! A done, and I'm ready to entertain with fresh pie next time someone comes over.


Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Rug From and Old Sheet

Door Mat From an Old Sheet

Got an old torn sheet?  STOP!!!!!  Don't throw it away, seriously, you can make a sweet rug from it.  All you need to do is cut your sheet into one long strand of about 1 inch wide 'yarn' so to speak.  

Roll it into a ball and start crocheting.  

In order to make a round rug start in a circle like a hat and just keep going around, adding a stitch every 10 stitches or so.  

To make a square rug chain 10 to 15 and start going around and around, putting 2 single crochet stitches in each corner stitch.  

And thats it!  How much easier can it get?  

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

The Easiest 3 Minute, $3, No Sew Boot Socks Ever...

Boot Socks, fast, easy, and CHEAP!

I'm not kidding, these may be the easiest boot socks ever.  They will only cost about $3, too!  I know, you are excited, I was too, I made several pairs, I mean, you have to have one to go with every boot and outfit, right?  

All you are going to need is an old sweater and some scissors.  

Super easy, you are telling yourself, I know.  

If you have an old sweater that you don't mind cutting then this will be a free project for you but if you are like me and just cleared out your closet then you may need to hit the local thrift store to find one.  

I hit the thrift store and scored a few cute sweaters that at only $3 a pop I didn't mind cutting up and using for scrap.  (Plus I still have the actual body of the sweater to use for other crafts.)

All you have to do is buy a sweater, cut off about half the arm


and slip it on!  (I use pinking sheers to make sure they don't unravel but I don't think it is really necessary.)  

Ta-Da!  (I know, these are my winter boots, not as cute as some of my others but still way cuter with the socks!)

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook, ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Martin Luther King Day

Happy Martim Luther King Day everyone!

As you all may know, the kids didn't have school today so what better way to share your day off than to spend the day at the ski hill? I am in no way a skier. I tried, Lord how I tried. I took lessons, I rented equipment, I went heck humming it would be better after a few times. But it is just not in my nature. Maybe I will try another time, after the kids learn and I'm older, wiser, and hopefully wound a little less tight. I just stressed myself out I think, I couldn't relax and just have fun.

Anyway, enough about my lack of skiing. Now my time at the ski hill is spent shuttling children in and out if the lodge and standing at the bottom of the hill taking pictures. Which, I can't say enough, I truly love, Love, LOVE! Watching my husband teach the kids and getting pics of them learning is truly a great for me. It is difficult for the hubs to understand but it is fun for me so he accepts it!

However, they are getting good enough that I think my time taking pics at the bottom of the hill is drawing to a close. They will be riding the chair and going on their own in a couple years.

This is Charly's third year skiing but she is not going to take the chair unless she has to. She is perfectly happy riding the little magic carpet thing all day everyday. This is sophs second year skiing and although she is pretty young I think next year she wil be off. She gets a little nervous now but in a few more trips up to the hill I think she will think she is invincible.



Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Resolutions

New Year, New Goals!

I have made a couple of resolutions this year, all of which have to do with keeping the house running smoothly. As I posted the end of last year, I felt like my house was taking control of us, and I want it to be more simple.

My first resolution was one I started about 2 weeks before the new year. It was to keep up better on the house cleaning. Whew, seriously, what a challenge for me. I really hate house cleaning and have put it by the way side and only done what is necessary for so long I was in desperate need of help! So I did what any house mom would do, I went in seek of the master, the zen house keeping, decorating, cooking master, Martha! Oh that's right, you heard me, Martha...

I have not always been a huge Martha fan, but as of late I have to say, I am beginning to turn into one. She has these printables for organizing your house and printables for keeping up on the house work that I have found extremely useful.

All I did was print them off,




























laminate them (or you could just put them in protective sleeves),

and throw them in a binder.  Now I have a list of things to do everyday to help keep up on the house.

( I always keep a few binders around the house, just in case, you know.  I pick them up for cheep after school starts.)























I cant tell you how helpful they have been.  Not that you don't know what needs to be done around your house but for me it helps to have a list to look at, a room to focus on everyday, and a list.  I don't know if you are like me but I really love, love, LOVE having lists.  I feel like I really got something done when I can check off three or four things a day.  It makes me happy.  (It's the little things I tell ya!)

Now I have a cleaning binder that I get out everyday, see what is on the schedule for the day, and now that the house is caught up (it was quite a bit of work to get it there at first), it is truly just a few minutes a day.

Soon I will share with you my next resolution for this year.  I want to save money and time around the dinner hour.


Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

DIY Twine Picture Frame

Easy DIY Twine Wrapped Picture Frame

Ok, side note, what the crap! its Wednesday already!  I really dont even know where the time goes around here.  Just sayin'...

Here is another easy DIY gift hat you can whip up Inez's than an 30 minutes. Well, more I guess if you want to paint it but that is just for drying time but really, to put it together will take you less than 30 minutes!

All you are going to need is an old picture frame, some twine, and some cloths pins, scraps of fabric and mod Podge.

First, if you want, paint your picture frame and set aside to let it dry.

Now cut your scraps to fit the tops of your cloths pins and mod Podge on.

When your picture frame is dry wrap tightly around the outside of the frame.

And clip your cloths pins on the twine.

Ta-da! A cute picture frame to give as gifts to the grandparents! Now clip on a couple pics and its ready to gift.

I was loving homemade gifts this year. I think the family felt the same!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.

Matching Letter Game...

My DIY Letters Matching Game

So the first thing I made to help Charly with her letters was a matching game.

By this point he knows all her letters, upper and lower case, but I thought it would be good to really strengthen that base, that core knowledge. Plus it gives her a better confidence about letters and, hopefully, about reading as well.

All you will need is a package of decorative glass decorations, mod Podge, and letters, capital and lower cases.



Now mod Podge the back flat side of the glass,

Place a letter on there and mod Podge over again.















Now let it dry. Just have to wait... Lame, I know!

And let her play. Make a million games of it. You can practice sounds and make words to sound out and practice your site words (to be posted about tomorrow) and on and on and on...

I really think your little one will live this game and so will you!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, come back and visit us again soon,

 -Sarah

 We love that you stopped by and cant wait to see you again soon! If you liked Yuen Yarn, check out some of our older posts, Like us on Facebook,  ,visit our ETSY shop or come see our website www.yuenyarn.com.