Sorry Stanley Steemer Didn't Need You!

This weekend we had some fabulous weather, followed by a late night thunderstorm that rattled the windows and shook us all out of our blissful slumber. Of course now that it's getting close to the Memorial Holiday Weekend, it's cold, windy and a little rainy.

I had a lot going on over the weekend, I was determined, however to get the carpet in my living and dining rooms shampooed. The dirty feet of pets, child, hubby and icky spring weather always leaves my poor carpet in desperate need of attention, and I just couldn't stand it any longer.

So I decided to get out the trusty old carpet shampooer and get it done!

Only to discover I was out of carpet shampoo.

No worries...Homemade cleaning recipes are all over the internet and I knew I had jotted one down somewhere, so after scrounging around in a note file I keep for things I may need someday...

Success...a batch of carpet shampoo coming right up!

White Vinegar + Liquid Dish Soap + Hydrogen Peroxide + Essential Oil = Carpet Shampoo

the homemade way...

Here is the recipe I used:

1-1/2 qts. Hot Water (not boiling)

1/4 c. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1-1/2 tbsp. Liquid Dish Soap

1-1/2 tbsp. White Vinegar

1/8 tsp. Essential Oil

All brands of your choice, I used the ones in the photo because they are what I keep on hand.

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together, adding the dish soap to the water and not the other way around or you may end up changing your name to Bubbles. Pour into shampoo machine according to it's specific directions and shampoo that carpet.

I doubled the recipe to fill the reservoir in my machine and it worked great, left my carpet clean and fresh smelling.

I am no expert, but one thing I did notice was when emptying the dirty water after I finished, it didn't have that nasty, kind of like a sewer on a hot day smell...ewww...which usually comes with sucking up all of that dirt and grime.

Another advantage I can see of making my own carpet shampoo would be money saved. The ingredients are all products that I keep on hand any way so I didn't have to buy anything special. I don't have a cost break down, but it wouldn't surprise me to be pennies per ounce verses the $12 or $13 dollars it usually costs for the not so big jug of the other stuff that really doesn't smell or work that well.

If I can use a more natural or homemade product to get a chore done, and save money too...well I am all over that!

Next I think I will give the homemade bathroom/shower cleaner I've read about a try.

Stay tuned and I will let you know how that goes.

Have a homemade cleaner recipe or environmentally friendly way of tackling household chores? Please do share, I love to hear what other people are up too.

Have a great day!

Toolbox, Tub, Flowers Oh My!

Today is looking like we will be in the 90's, so after chores, errands and a trip to the dentist, I'm really hoping my day will include a date with an old rusty tool box, a vintage cast iron bath tub, lots of dirt and flowers.

I'll post pictures as soon as I have some ready, but in the meantime a couple of pictures I discovered will serve as my inspiration and give you a little hint as to what I am up to...

Found this tool box example of rusty goodness at
confessionsofacurbshopaholic.com

Yes, I will be doing a version of this, and my husbands reaction was priceless!

  

My bathtub will look oh so sweet decked out in flowers like this one that had been shared on

funflowerfacts.com

and if I ask my husband to drag it around the yard one more time...well let's just say he didn't have a smile on his face, but he loves me and knows me. I'm am one lucky girl he's so understanding.

I will be back soon with pictures of my own soon, I promise...until then have a great day and thanks for spending a little bit of your day with me.

Have a great day!

Toodles

One Hot Salmon Cannin' Momma

What do you do when you are babysitting a pressure canner?

Today it looks like I will be working on my blog, especially since I have been so scarce lately. What's up with that and what's a girl to do when the hours of the day are just so filled with life stuff, that finding time to blog has been a gianormous challenge.

 So here we go...

Today in the Toodlefetties household with the help of my sweet hubby it's all about

pressure canning 40+ lbs. of Salmon.

So far this is the second time we have fired up the trusty pressure canner in recent weeks to can up some pink, tasty, flaky goodness that will bring us much mealtime pleasure.

All of that glorious fish will be made into mouth watering edible morsels like Salmon Cakes, whipped into a sandwich spread, chopped up into a salad, or just munched right out of the jar.

and we're off!

This morning started bright and early 6 am-ish to be exact, and after the chores of feeding critters, sorting laundry, and eating breakfast it all began with loading about 4 dozen pint sized canning jars into the dishwasher for a quick hot wash, necessary to clean and sterilize them, while hubby loaded the smoker with the salmon that has been in the brine mixture since yesterday.

An hour or so later, out of the smoker and packed into hot jars the first batch went into the canner... and now for the long part...three hours or so...very long part...

Load the canner, bring it up to a gentle boil, vent steam, close vent, bring up to pressure, hang out and canner-sit, which means don't leave the kitchen, so what do I do in the mean time?

• Read a gardening book, (which I've read before)
• Wash a few dishes
• Do a load or two of laundry (laundry room is next to kitchen)
• Take a phone call or two
• BLOG (see I can do it)
• Troll Facebook (laptop and wireless internet) so still not leaving the kitchen
• Check in on other blogs I like to follow
• Visit with sis-in-law when she stops by
• Drink about a pot of coffee (not really, but seems like it)
• Watch HGTV, DIY or ??? (Kitchen, dining room and family room are one big area of the house so still not leaving the kitchen).

After nearly two hours, turn off heat to canner and wait for pressure to drop to ZERO, 

and then TUH-DUH, finally the first batch is ready to set out to cool, (love to hear that pop, pop, pop sound of the lids when they seal), with so many jars it almost sounds like popcorn popping.

All total about three hours

To quote my precocious 12-year-old daughter, "Three hours of my life I won't get back!"

and yes that statement usually includes that well known pre-teen eyeroll, gotta love kiddos.

Now for some good stuff...I thought I would share a family favorite Salmon Cake Recipe

Hot Momma Salmon Cakes 

1 large egg
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp.hot pepper sauce (tabasco or tapatio)

1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. dried parsley

15 oz. salmon (canned)

1/2 c. fine bread crumbs

lemon juice

(Our home canned salmon is smoked, and then canned with salsa and jalapenos, so if you want to spice up store bought canned salmon you might try adding a little more hot pepper sauce for a little more heat...we love the heat, spicy heat that is!)

Combine ingredients and mix well, shape into patties and grill.
Serve with a splash of lemon juice on top, and if you are like my hubby don't forget some tartar sauce. Enjoy! (Makes about 5-6 salmon cakes)

 Just a side note this salsa is our salsa of choice for eating and canning our salmon.

It is made locally and we have enjoyed it for years at a local restaurant,
we are fortunate to be able to purchase it locally, but I have found a link to a retailer
that lists it as an item they sell so if you can I would encourage you to check it out.

centraloregonlocavore

Go to their SHOP and search for Honcho Villas Salsa

We are not paid to endorse this product, just a fan!

There you have a brief glimpse into my day of canning salmon, now off to put in the second batch...it's going to be a very long day, a 60 jar long day!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, have a great day and please do leave comments, I enjoy hearing from you.

Have a great day!

Toodles