Yay! $25 Restaurant Certificate for $3

I'm so excited this deal is back. You can get your $25 certificate for only $3 by using the code DINE at checkout. They're great for yourself or for an easy and cheap gift. Go grab yours here!

Sweet Home Sunday! {DIY Homemade Liquid Hand Soap}

Ahh, it's Sunday again! Since my last DIY homemade recipe came out so well, I thought I'd try another: homemade liquid hand soap. I can usually get hand soap at Walgreens or CVS but since I already had the ingredients I thought I might as well try it. 

I guess liquid hand soap making isn't exciting for dogs

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

1 bar of soap

water

Directions: Grate the bar of soap. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the soap; stir to melt. Continue stirring until fully combined. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes then stir again. Allow to cool for another several hours. Stir to check the consistency. If it seems too runny, reheat and add more soap. If it seems too thick, reheat and add more water. Then you can add essential oil and coloring, if desired. Pour into dispensers. 

I got the 3 pk. of Dial Basics Hypo Allergenic soaps. They cost around $1.25. I'm a fan of Dial anyways and the bars were small so it was less grating for me, which I like. My soap was scented but if you want to personalize your soap with your own essential oils then make sure you buy fragrance free soaps. 

Besides getting to watch how to properly pour your soap flakes (lol) you also get a glimpse of one of my tattoos. It probably depends on which soap you use but the 4 cups they recommend was not enough for mine. If you use the same soap that I did, use more around 6 cups of water. 

The soap all mixed up and melted in the water. Also, use a whisk instead of a spoon like I did. It breaks up the soap much better. 

My soap! I ended up with a lot more than I planned on so I poured my extra into old spaghetti sauce jars. Before pouring into your own dispensers, use your whisk to break up any little bits of soap that might be there otherwise it'll clog your pump. 

The Cost

The one soap bar I used cost me about 42 cents. I got that pitcher out of it which will fill about 7 of my old soap dispensers. 

Why I Love This

First of all, because its cheaper than buying it. You can make the soap smell and look exactly how you want with adding essential oils and food coloring. If you go crazy experimenting and you don't like it, you didn't lose a lot of money. 

Gift Ideas

And for those of us that are already thinking about Christmas coming up, its a sweet gift idea. Make a batch of this soap, add their favorite scents or colors, pour into a Mason jar and add a ribbon. If you want a sleeker look you can buy soap dispensers. I like giving people gifts that are homemade and that they can actually use. 

Happy Sunday! xx Brittany

Grandparents Day! [September 11th]

Grandparents Day is on September 11th this year. Remember to send a card or plan a visit to show them how much they mean to you. Don't forget great grandparents too! 

My grandpa and me {2011}

Get your FREE John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Colour!!

Love getting your hair dyed at the salon but hate paying the cost? Now is your chance to try out a new at home color: John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Colour! 

Click here to go take the short questionnaire and see if you qualify for a voucher for FREE John Frieda Precision Foam Hair Colour!

FREE Shout Wipes Sample

I got my FREE Shout Wipes sample- go get yours here!

From Remy Friday- Training w/ the Animal Humane Society! {Q&A}

It's FROM REMY FRIDAY again!

This week I did a Q&A with Kate Varns [CPDT-KA] from the Animal Humane Society. Ms. Varns does behavior and training at the Animal Humane Society's training school. I got to ask her all about training dogs so if you have a new puppy or wish that your dog listened to you a little better, this should help you! 

This is Kate and her adopted dog, Blue :) {What a cute pup!}

Questions & Answers with Ms. Varn

Q1: What is the best age to start training your dog? If you have a puppy we recommend enrolling him or her in a Puppy Kindergarten program as soon as possible. At AHS, puppies can start as early as 7 weeks of age in our Off-Leash puppy program. For that reason, we focus not so much on obedience (though the puppies do work on sit, down, come and stay) as on socialization, handling exercises, crate training, house training, playtime with other puppies and other puppy-specific skills. 

If you have an older dog, we recommend starting after the dog has been in your home at least two weeks. This allows you to get to know the dog better before coming to class, and also helps ensure they are healthy enough to participate.

Q2: Can older dogs learn as easily as young dogs? [Can old dogs really learn new tricks?] Yes! Positive reinforcement training, which AHS uses in all of our classes, rewards dogs for the right behavior while removing reinforcement for the wrong behaviors. Since dogs naturally repeat behavior that benefits them, this style of training is efficient and fun at the same time. 

Q3: What are the first things you should train your dog to do? Toilet in the proper place! House training concerns account for a large percentage of calls to our Behavior Hotline, especially in the first month of adoption. Keep your new dog or puppy on leash with you (inside as well as outside) or confined to a properly-sized crate until he is fully house trained. Take him out regularly and give praise and treats for toileting in the right area. Call our Behavior Hotline at 763.489.2202 for more details. 

Q4: How long does it take for a dog to learn a trick? Do some breeds learn faster than others? When working with dogs, its helpful to keep in mind what the particular breed was bred to do. While every dog is an individual, you may notice the following trends: herding and sporting breeds, traditionally bred to work closely with a single handler, tend to respond quickly to training tasks. Terriers and scent hounds, who were used for more independent tasks, can learn just as much but may require additional creativity along the way! 

Q5: How should you reinforce the training? Treats or praise? Both treats and praise can and should be used when training dogs. Anything a dog enjoys can be a training reward, but food works well for many dogs since it is one of their primary needs. Since we feed dogs anyway, why not use it to reward the behaviors we like? This helps ensure that they will repeat those same desirable behaviors in the future. 

Q6: Are training courses worth the money or could I do it myself? Enrolling in a training class is a great way to get started on the right foot, learn effective techniques, and receive constructive feedback from the instructor. Once you are comfortable using the training techniques, you can practice them in other environments to keep the process moving. 

Q7: Can my local Animal Humane Society offer me advice on training? The Animal Humane Society has 5 locations [in the Twin Cities, MN area] including: Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, Woodbury, St. Paul and Buffalo. The AHS Training School offers classes at these locations: Golden Valley, Coon Rapids and Woodbury, as well as at Now Boarding, a boarding facility near the Mpls/St. Paul airport. To learn more about AHS' training programs, call 763.489.2217.

I want to thank the Animal Humane Society and Kate Varn for being so helpful and allowing me to do the interview! 

If you would like more information about the Animal Humane Society please visit their website here!

Kate Varn can be reached at 763.489.2229 or kvarns@animalhumanesociety.org

Thank You Thursday!!

It's time again for THANK YOU THURSDAY!

Thanks goes out to my readers, followers, blog hop hosts and other bloggers. Nathan for putting up with my recent DIY homemade recipe adventures. And Remy, who happily sleeps while I blog away. 

I also wanted to say THANK YOU to Madeline from Our Family World for letting me be the guest host for the Fun Tuesday Hop! 

My Blogging Stats

Twitter Followers:      100 [up 53]

Facebook Likes:        32 [up 22]

GFC Followers:          58 [up 38]

Total Visits:                    904 [up 475]

Thanks everyone for following and visiting! 

xx Brittany