Cardboard Dollhouse/Fort

I meant to get this posted before Christmas. You know, with all the boxes still in the house. But, kids intervened and I completely forgot I'd even started the post. Well, here goes "How to make a Cardboard Dollhouse/Fort":

materials:
*a medium sized cardboard box (like the size of a diaper pack from Costco) - book boxes, t-shirt boxes or other double layered boxes work best as they're sturdier; but if you don't plan on keeping it long any box will do
*razor blade
*packing tape
*stickers, paint, crayons, markers (optional)


Instructions:

Step 1 - Make sure you are working on a surface that can withstand a razor blade... so not your kitchen table. With the razor blade cut off all the flaps from one side of the box. This makes your front opening. I guess if you wanted to be able to close "doors" you could keep on the two long sides, but I don't know if you'd have enough scratch cardboard for the inside. Cut off a short flap from the other side (at what will be the back top side of the dollhouse).
Step 2 - Make a cut through the middle of the top of the box. Then cut little trapezoids out of each side of the cut you just made - about 3, short side of the trapezoid on the cut line. These make the sides off the roof.

Step 3 - Using one of the short flaps you cut off, make a small rectangle. It's going to be the top of the roof, so you want two edges to match the length of the roof sides. Mark on where you cut trapezoids out of the roof sides. With a pencil, mark out trapezoids with the long side on the edges. Cut out the excess. It should look something like the roof top above.

Step 4 - Tape the back of the box together, except the top. Put the top of the roof on the sides of the roof. They should fit without needing tape, but you can tape it if you really want to.

Step 5 - Next comes the inside. Use a small flap you cut off for the vertical line, and a long flap for the horizontal line. You will probably need to make the horizontal flap a little thinner, but keep it 8" longer than what you need it. For both of these pieces, cut a rectangle out of the short edges that is 4" deep and 2" shy of either side. I didn't make mine a full 4" and I was sorry for it. You should end up with a 4" x 2" nub on each of the four corners.

Step 6 - Draw a line through the middle of the "floor" of the dollhouse. Cut out a 2 1/2" slit at either end of the line. You may need to widen it a bit. Put the vertical piece from step 5 upright inside the dollhouse, feeding the nubs into the corresponding slits. Fold one nub to the right and one to the left. Tape down (should be on the very bottom of the dollhouse).

Step 7 - Draw a line down the middle of the horizontal piece you made in step 5, parallel to the shorter sides. Cut 2 1/2" slits like you did in step 6. Put the horizontal piece in the dollhouse. Feed the nubs from the vertical piece into the two slits you just cut, taping one to the right and one to the left.

Step 8 - With a pencil, mark where the nubs of the horizontal piece hit the sides of the dollhouse. You will need to cut 2 1/2" slits at all four marks. After that, feed them through that same way as in step 6 and 7, taping them down.

Step 9 - Have the kids, paint, color, whatever. They LOVE this part.

If you wanted to do a shorter house, like the one pictured below, just skip steps 5-8. It's way easier and the kids may not even care about a second story. I'm sure these same principles could be used to make a cardboard castle, too, if you wanted to get really creative. Feel free to comment about any erroneous or confusing instructions!

Book, Art, Magazine organizers

I found this fun idea in a Family Fun magazine I was perusing while waiting for a doctor's visit. I'm using is to organize my children's coloring books, scrap paper, art supplies, etc. I found that only the absolutely honking big cereal boxes are big enough for most coloring books or construction paper to fit flat, so I also used an empty box that my garbage bags came in. I think it's a great way to recycle and organize at the same time. I bet kids would have fun painting them, too! Or if you wanted to put them up on a shelf, maybe paint them black and find some chalkboard paint (heard of it; never used it) to use on the spines for labeling.

Homemade Deoderant/Antiperspirant

Sounds pretty loony, huh? But, I thought I'd give it a shot. I researched several recipes. The one I wanted to try was on the angry chicken blog; the one I ended up using was one one green generation's recipe. Except that I tweaked it. You can read on one green generation about her experience. Here's what I did:
1 part non-aluminum baking soda (I did 2 Tablespoons) to 4 parts corn starch (I did 8 tablespoons), add several drops of essential oil or, in my case, Trader Joe's lavender body oil.

Mix in a food processor. Put in a small jar (mine is a washed out lemon curd jar). Apply with a make-up pad, cotton ball, or knit/crochet a small cotton pad like the one I made.

I needed a bit more baking sodathan one green nation 'cause I guess I just have a stonger or more prolific smell. What I like about this is you can adjust the ratio of baking soda/cornstarch based on your body type. No rashes yet and I've been using this for a month. Hope it keeps working, 'cause it's way less expensive and works even on those very hot days.

Making Yogurt

While perusing my favorite blogs a while back, I found some information on making yogurt (see http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/make-your-own-yogurt-and-cream-cheese). I checked it out, and, as usual, I got super excited. If my husband didn't keep me in check I would waste so much money on the things I get excited about (many of which I don't actually finish). I did "need" to buy some glass jars. Unfortunately, I've realized since then, if I'd been more patient, I could have just accumulated various glass jars to use. But, that's what I get for being impatient. So, here's a rundown of the super easy and inexpensive way to make your own yogurt!

Materials:

a cooler
sterilized GLASS jars (see notes)
food thermometer (candy, meat, whatever)
saucepan
any live culture plain yogurt
milk (raw or pasteurized; whole or 2%)
water, and a way to reheat it

optional - sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, other flavorings (I like to flavor with fruit syrup)




Directions:

1. Heat your milk in a saucepan (don't microwave; I think you could change important milk proteins). If it's older or your really concerned about bacteria, heat it to just boiling and then cool it. Just make sure the milk is about 120 degrees F (see note below). When you add room temperature stuff, the milk will decrease a bit in temp.




2. Add 2 heaping Tablespoons live culture yogurt in smaller jars, 1/2 Cup in larger jars. Add any other ingredients (mine below have sweetened condensed milk, and one has acai juice; always leave one plain so you can use it as your starter for the next batch).






3. Pour the warm milk in the jars until a bit below the rim. Please note that it is rather difficult to take a picture and pour milk at the same time, so don't try that unless you want a mess. Or use a funnel.


4. Stir really well with a fork or spoon. If you don't distribute the yogurt into the milk, your culture will be really slow going. Put lids on the jars.









5. Put warm water into the cooler. Be careful not to put in so much that they'll cover the top lid of the glass jar. Heat portions of the water until its 120 degrees F, or just under.











6. Put the jars in the cooler and close it on up. Check the water temp every hour or two. Try to keep the water temp about 120 degrees, 'cause it'll lose heat over time. I scoop out water with a mug, microwave it a minute, and then pour the water back in. I repeat until I get the water to the right temperature. However you keep the temp right is up to you.

7. Let it go for 8-12 hours; however long it takes for it to stay put when you tilt the jar. Then put it in the fridge to stop the process. Otherwise it curdles.


I don't have a picture of the finished product. I'll try to get one up soon. If you do plain yogurt, you can strain it with a cheese cloth to make yogurt cheese. Kind of like cream cheese but more tart. I like it with grated carrot, pimentos, and garlic salt. You can see instructions for that at the website I mentioned above.

I love my yogurt with honey and nutmeg, personally. I'm trying out the sweetened condensed milk mixed from the get-go on my mom's recommendation. Apparently when she was in college, they would make yogurt from sweetened condensed milk and put it on the space heater instead of in a cooler. I don't know if I can handle quite that much sugar, but it sounded yummy enough to try a smaller amount mixed with my milk. I hope anyone who tries it enjoys!




(Notes)

Glass Jars: They must be glass, from what I understand. I think it's probably because glass conducts heat better, plus there's no risk of any plastic toxin leaching into the yogurt. You can buy mason jars online or at a kitchen or grocery store. Or you can be really resourceful and save and clean your glass jars from jam, spaghetti sauce or whatever. I run mine through the dishwasher. The only ones I wouldn't recommend for this are pickle jars or other really strong smelling jars. Those need to air out forever before you can get the taste out of them.

Temperature: The bacteria that make yogurt thrive at 115 degrees F. They will grow between the temperatures of 98 and 125ish degrees F. Any higher than 125 (if I remember correctly), and they die. Any lower than 98, and they go dormant. Many sites suggest 90-110 degrees. I've found my yogurt takes forever at these temps. I get thicker yogurt at a median incubation of 115 degrees.