Potatoes anyone?

I know I've mentioned that pintrest is my go to recipe place, but I discovered a nuance today I wasn't expecting. The recipes I use all the time are few in number. I went to see if I could use any of my discovery hidden recipes and I either didn't have the energy or the ingredients to make any of them. Nor did many sound like reasonable dishes for my family to eat for dinner tonight.

Better than fries! Cut potatoes almost all the way through, drizzle olive oil, butter, some sea salt, and pepper over top and bake @ 425 for 40 minutes. delicious and pretty.

Source: thetruthnetwork.com via Alayna on Pinterest

So it appears that when a recipe is something I'm likely to add to the mix I'll probably do it sooner rather than later.

This sliced baked potato is super tasty . It's been on the go to list for a while.   The one on the left is my dish from last night.  I think it could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but it was still a winner!

Highlighting the simple things

In day to day life, I often get bogged down with routine. Its easy to stay inside your own box. a great gift Pintrest has given me is how to keep things simple and try new things.  Something new, fun, and helpful only really gets added to routine around here if it is simple and I can wrap my head around it.  This one is beyond simple and too much fun not to share!

finger painting with plain yogurt on kitchen table! The baby even loved it!!

Source: meandherings.blogspot.com via Alayna on Pinterest

I've done this with my daughter, from when she probably 6 months old. She loved it.  It's a great way to keep her entertained while I'm doing dishes or prepping dinner.  And in the highchair its and easy peasy cleanup.

The best intentions

I love my cast iron skillet.  I mean I love it.  Part of why is because it is easy to clean.  That is only when you can take care of it right away.  More often than I care to admit, I do not get to it immediately. That means I am struggling to get all the cooked on bits off, without loosing all the good flavor I've cooked into it.  I happened across this a few days ago and gave it a shot the last time I found myself in this situation.

Salt Scrub. Here's the best way to clean cast iron: Scrub it with coarse salt and a soft sponge. The salt, a natural abrasive, absorbs oil and lifts away bits of food while preserving the pan's seasoning. Rinse away salt and wipe dry.

Source: marthastewart.com via Alayna on Pinterest

This one worked great!  I did actually forget about it until I was already into my regular process. When I remembered, I poured a bunch of salt into the pan and everything came up easy peasy! 

Problems you didn't know you had

And are still not sure if you have them!  One key to an attention grabbing pin is the text over the picture.  The one I've included below is not really something I thought was a problem.  Most crockpot meals I make are one step, maybe two. They usually seem to get the job done the way I need to and I stay away from ones that are like, cook the meat then do eight thousand other things to actually get the meal ready to eat.  So maybe it's just me and my repertoire of crockpot meals, but I'm sure some of these recipes are great!

Semi Homemade Mom: OVER 30 One-Step {Crockpot} Meals, make your week nights even EASIER!

Source: semihomemademom.com via Kelly on Pinterest

I think the solutions aspect of Pintrest is the best one. It allows us to share things that we are doing to solve our own problems in a quick bite of data.  It's just sometimes, I still don't think I have that particular problem to solve.  I'll count myself lucky on this one.

Natural/Detox Grab Words

Ok, it's true.  I am a sucker for things listed as natural or detox especially with essential oils.  I don't really think they will work better than other products, and I don't even always try them. Nonetheless, I am drawn to them and they pop up on Pintrest.  This one I have only been trying on and off. 

DIY~ How to Clean Your Face Naturally. (someone else said) "I started using this (along with witch hazel) exclusively about 2 months ago and my skin looks the best it has ever looked. I haven't had any breakouts and my nose looks much cleaner - pores are clearer and smaller. I've gotten a ton of people that noticed the difference. Definitely recommend." Hmm..might try this out!

Source: simplemom.net via Alayna on Pinterest

I'm really not sure if it's any better than another face washing routine.  I'll admit that I'm terrible at actually following through on washing my face every night.  Since I've been doing this, all I've really noticed is that my face is softer and smoother.  Which totally works for me!

Truly Useful Tips

For some, this may fall into the "what you already know".  For me, it fell into the "Awesome" category.  I will totally be working through my sheet drawer with this tip!

how to fold a fitted sheet (this blew my mind because it sure isn't the ridiculously hard way my Mom taught me - and so stinkin' obvious when you see the demonstration!) EASY and finally an unwrinkled bottom sheet!

Source: thehairpin.com via Alayna on Pinterest

If it doesn't work, then it doesn't, but it looks pretty straightforward.  That is one risk of Pintrest, sharing ideas, just like I have, without actually testing it out.  Hopefully this one isn't a dud.

Making the rounds

Good things on Pintrest tend to show up again and again. They will come from different people, but and they often resurface because they are thought provoking, interesting, or really useful. Many times they are links to articles and I find that I will read them each time they show up. I do refrain from repinning them each time though! Today this article popped up in my pins. It's a good read and pretty quick too, definitely worth my time when it shows up.

7 ways to make the most of your time while they are little. This is truly an amazing read for mama's! I just read this and want to do each and every one of them!!

Source: 71toes.com via Alayna on Pinterest

Now I have only implemented the "Happys and Sads", but its a good reminder of things that can help me stay close to my kids as they move into elementary school.

Make it your own

 A recent pin of detox water reminded me how much I enjoy flavored water.  Last summer I "liked" more than one pin on flavoring my water with fruit.  I never really got on board with doing it though.  I was making refrigerator tea at the time and wasn't sure how these would work instead of that.  But that recent pin came on a day where I had just picked up a small bag of lemons that I was worried I wouldn't use before they went bad.  It reminded me of the idea.  And I've been making, by the glass, lemon water almost every day.  But that's the thing, I'm not doing what any of these pins are.  I am not even clicking through on them.  They are placeholders for me to remember to do something that works for me.  Maybe one day I will do through and use these as intended, but making the idea your own is what really works.

natural flavored water

Source: theyummylife.com via Stefani on Pinterest

Sassy Water! Not only is it tasty, but sassy water is touted as a way to help you shed some extra pounds around your midsection by eliminating a buildup of contaminants, fat, and excess water weight.

Source: northcarolinacharm.blogspot.com via Stefani on Pinterest

Detox Water

Source: asweetsimplelife.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Go to recipes

I mentioned in my first post that Pintrest is my go to place for recipes now.  Most of my staples come from there, although if I am actually seeking out something specific, I use other tools.  It is where I often get my inspiration for a meal though.  It is also why I am careful about how I pin recipes.  I want to know if a recipe is good.  I also want to try new things I see, so I keep them separate.  Last night, I made a modification of a go to recipe.

4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Source: Uploaded by user via Alayna on Pinterest

As it happens, my family loves it no matter what veggies I have on hand and thought the added cheese was great!

Saving dough $$

One of the more interesting things you can pull off better with info from pintrest is saving money, especially on food. It can help you figure out what is a reasonable price for ground beef, how other people manage to save money and what's within your comfort zone. I saw this article today and thought it was worth sharing. There are a ton of freezer meal planning things there as well. The one downside is that figuring it out for yourself can be time consuming in and of itself. I've pinned several freezer meal pins, but never got around to implementing them.

Bacon In My Pocket: No, we don't eat dog food around here.

Source: baconinmypocket.blogspot.com via Alayna on Pinterest

This one seems pretty comprehensive and educational while still allowing for personalization.

Commentary on itself

One of the things that is great about Pinterest is the self commentary and generally funny things people share. I found this one today and couldn't help but be amused, repin, and share with you. It highlights one of the things that I've heard some people complain about. If you are crafty or have practiced something many times, it may be easy to replicate what you see. But oh too often, the reason you've never tried a project before is because its beyond your own skill set. The person who originally posted it may have worked on many similar projects or created many similar recipes and is leaving out the learning process from their post, not to set you up, just because they don't have the context for it anymore. Ideally you can approach the things you see as something you hope will work, rather than something you are counting on.

Source: lolsnaps.com via Alayna on Pinterest

Don't let these stop you from trying the new cool thing you see. Just keep your expectations in check and your humor handy. Like these folks clearly did.

The fake pin

Many times a simple pin, that is complete with the picture and description (i.e. requires no more instructions), will get all the way through the pinviornment several times. Before anyone gets around to testing it. Sometimes the info itself is good, great even, but if you click through to get more details it turns out to be spam.

Sometimes the info turns out to be completely bogus, like this one:

No helium needed to fill balloons for parties.....just vinegar and baking soda! i need to remember this

Source: vippins.com via Alayna on Pinterest

This does fill balloons, but not to make them float. In fact they are heavier than ones filled with regular air. That said, it was a great deal of fun to do with my kids and experiment with the way they dropped and moved compared to one blown up in a far more normal fashion.

Your own pin

When you find something you like, pin it! It's really that easy. Hopefully others will like it too!


Bricker's Game Den: Spot It! A great game to play with kids or adults! And a go to gift idea for families.

Source: brickersgameden.blogspot.com via Alayna on Pinterest

What you already knew

I often am browsing recent pins find myself torn between thoughts of "Who doesn't know that?" and "Oh, yeah!  I totally forgot about that!"  Two sides of the same coin really.  It isn't always new information that pintrest brings to my attention, its often old information.  Something I had discarded but now would find useful, or just simply forgotten.  A great example on the "Oh yeah" side of things was this one that showed up recently:

How to Regrow Green Onions

Source: blog.junbelen.com via Alayna on Pinterest

I hope I still remember this next time I buy green onions, so I can totally use this to not buy any more!  Plus, if you freeze what you don't use then you doubly are saving yourself time and money.  I am always looking for ways to keep things on hand for recipes and this is a great one.

Don't let it stress you

I've heard people complain that pintrest makes them feel inadequate. It's really not necessary. Just have fun and let it inspire you, not make you feel like you are not living up to some impossible internet standard. No one can do all of the things you see. For instance, this pin,

A "bookcase" for the car - genius!

Source: justsewsassy.com via Alayna on Pinterest

It's a great idea, but I do not currently have the sewing skills to pull this off. It did encourage me to think about what I could do. It's nothing brilliant or earth shattering but it did get me to move a workbook to the pocket on the back of the seat. I offer it to my son when we will be in the car for long periods of time. He loves it, and I can easily hand it to him, even from the drivers seat.

To Repin or Like?

When I first started out on Pintrest I would only repin things that I had tested out and done successfully.  I wanted my pins to be credible.  This had two adverse effects for me.  One was that if I really did just like something, but I didn't really want to try it or have it in my stuff, I didn't have a way to show my support.  The other is that I, at this writing, have 526 likes and only 112 pins.  My likes are all things that many others might just repin into their respective boards, making it easy to find them again when they want to use one. 

I have recently changed my strategy a bit.  Part of this is due to the introduction of secret boards, I only have one and its for recipes I want to try. I'll post a recipe to my Yummy Foods board when I know we like it, but if it fails, I want an out.  The other part has just been the recognition that if it's something I want to find again, I should put it on one of my boards.  Since I do feel compelled to make sure something I put on one of my public boards has merit, I will often take the time to click through, just to make sure it really is something worthwhile.

For instance, this pin sounded interesting and its definitely the type of thing I used to like rather than pin.

Source: wikihow.com via Alayna on Pinterest

I've only tried this once, and I don't know precisely how much there is to the detox bit, but I did feel great afterward and I'll give it shot again soon!

What is Pintrest

I imagine people use pintrest for a variety of things. I often describe it as the modern version of what housewives used to do. Find a solution, share it with friends. Find a good recipe, share it. Fun craft project, organization tips, decorating ideas, fun things to do for birthdays, holidays... you get the idea.

It's a great place to get and share ideas and now my go to place for recipes. I probably use something I picked up from there everyday. Today, I used this one:

Source: google.com via Alayna on Pinterest

Keep one in the shower filled with a mixture of half vinager, half Dawn dishsoap. Use it to wipe down the shower while you are in there and your shower will always be clean. It's awesome!

I started doing this about 6 months ago. When I started, the shower got cleaner each time I showered. Now, it's reached a pretty decent look. I still do this every time I shower and my shower never has that grungy look anymore.