How to Get The Sweaty Smell Out of Your Work Out Clothes

Today's work out clothes are made of wonderful fabrics that keep you comfortable and "wick" the sweat away from your skin. The only problem with the fabric, though, is that it tends to hold that sweaty smell after a while. You don't need to toss your favorite running shirt as soon as you notice a lingering smell...just use these steps to freshen it up!

What You'll Need:

-Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (regular baking soda works well, too!)
-Tea Tree Oil
-A bucket or sink large enough to soak your clothing

Just put your work out clothes into a bucket or sink large enough to hold them, then sprinkle about 1 cup of washing soda on top. Add 15 - 20 drops of Tea Tree Oil, and add hot tap water (the hotter, the better) until the clothing is covered in water. Since you're using hot water, you may want to soak whites and colored fabrics separately.

The soda and Tea Tree Oil both work to remove the odor, and since the Tea Tree Oil has natural anti-fungal properties, it helps prevent any potential fungus-related issues, since fungi tend to love sweaty places (think: Jock Itch and athlete's foot - ugh!).

Leave the clothes soaking until the water cools, then wring the extra water from the clothing and wash and dry as you normally would. Afterwards, everything should smell much fresher! I do this for my work out clothing about once a month, and it really has made them last much longer.

If this doesn't do the trick, make a thick paste of washing soda and a little water, and apply it directly to your shirts' armpits, then wash.

More Experiments with T-shirt Yarn

In my previous posts, I made three types of scarves from t-shirt yarn. Now that Spring is near, I wanted to use some colorful t-shirt yarn to make a necklace or two, though.

I found a bright blue, solid t-shirt at our local thrift store for $1. When I last made my t-shirt yarn, I made parallel cuts to create many long loops (the dark green infinity scarf in this post). This time, I decided to make a continuous piece of yarn by removing the hem, then cutting a single layer all around the bottom until I reached the armpits.

This made a lot of yarn, a big heap of it.

My four-year-old daughter found it all very intriguing and wanted to help. Who am I to refuse? She also wanted me to make a video of her showing us all how to make it:

As you can see, we have a future McGalver on our hands, which makes me really proud!

I learned a very important lesson, though - as you turn your cut t-shirt into yarn, make sure you either roll it up into a ball as you go, stack it, or somehow otherwise keep it nice and tidy. If you don't, you'll end up with a big ol' knotted mess, like I did.

It took me an hour to turn this:

into this:

Once that was tidied up, though, I was good to go. I have had my eye on Sailor's Knot necklaces, like this one, for a while, and set out to learn how to make one like it.

I found a wonderful, step-by-step guide to the Carrick Bend (often used in Sailor's Knot necklaces) here. I viewed other websites and videos, but this one was, hands-down, the easiest for me to follow. I decided to try it using the t-shirt yarn, even though it isn't as stiff as the twisted rope that is often used in these necklaces.

This was the result:

I like it! I used 4 strands of yarn on each side, for a total of 8 when the necklace is finished. I also varied the knot a bit, too, by tucking the bottom 4 strands on each side through the back of the upper loops. I finished it by knotting each side, then adding a dab of fabric glue to hold it. I then used jump rings and a necklace clasp, and it was complete!

Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

All this talk of Meatless March has inspired me to try out some new vegetarian dishes. I came across a vegan quinoa and black bean casserole that used non-dairy cheese, and I decided to use a few of my ingredients on hand to come up with a spicy version of my own.

Ingredients

-1 large Sweet potato, raw and diced 

-Whole Grain Quinoa, 1 cup dry or 2 cups cooked 

-2 cups cooked black beans 

-Ground tumeric, 2 tbsp  

-2 cans Cut Diced Tomatoes with green chiles 

-1/2 tbsp ground Oregano 

-6 oz. shredded Cheddar Cheese 

-1 tbsp Basil 2 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese, part skim milk

Directions

Cook Quinoa and Black beans according to directions on label.

Spray a 9" x 12" casserole dish with non-stick spray and spread Quinoa into the pan.

Combine everything else, except the Mozarella, into a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Spread the mixture onto the Quinoa, then top with the Mozzarella.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serving Size: Makes 6-1 cup servings

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 380.1

• Total Fat: 13.3 g
• Cholesterol: 35.1 mg
• Sodium: 398.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 46.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 9.9 g
• Protein: 19.7 g

It was so yummy! I think it would be great on a bed of fresh greens. I'll have to try that with all the leftovers!

How to Make Your Own Stuffed Animal Hammock

A couple of days ago, I realized that my daughter has developed an addiction to stuffed animals. It's getting to the point that if we don't intervene soon, she very well may end up on a Preschool edition of Hoarders. Don't believe me?

I'm ashamed of this picture, and this isn't even all of them...more are already stored in tidy cubes along a wall behind me. These didn't have a home, though, other than the floor or bed, and I vowed to find some way to get all those little dust gatherers off the floor.

I have had my eye out for a toy hammock for some time, but the few that I found didn't appeal to me. So, I set out to try something on my own.

What You'll Need:

-1 pair of long, lightweight sheers or drapes (can usually be picked up for a couple of dollars at a Thrift store)
-8 small screw-in hooks

I started by screwing the first four hooks into the ceiling, near the corner but out a bit and at an angle. I didn't worry about measuring or straight lines - the fabric will cover the hooks.

Next, I took one of the sheers and laid it on the floor. I folded it in half to find the middle, then tied a knot about a foot up from the middle / bottom. I then tied a second knot near the top.

I hung this on the four hooks by pressing the four corners of the top of the tied sheer onto the four ceiling hooks. Yes, I ripped the fabric by doing this, but it should hold if you're sure to hook the fabric below the hemmed edges.

I filled both levels with the animals that my daughter doesn't usually play with, and made sure to leave a few peeking over the edges for a decorative effect.

I then placed the remaining four hooks into the two walls, and hooked the remaining sheer in a hammock fashion.

This bottom layer holds her favorites, and she's able to easily reach them whenever she wants. The best part of this solution (other than no longer having all these animals spread around the room) is that I can easily take it down whenever needed. I keep hoping she'll outgrow this stuffed animal obsession soon, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part.

How to Throw a Mad Men Party, Part 4 of 4: Decorations

Our party decorations were pretty simple: I searched Google Images for Mad Men Ads, found a few good ones, printed them, and taped them to the walls. Some of my favorites are from this page; they should look familiar to fans of the show. I also found quite a few entertaining, real ads from the era, and printed those as well. This is a great example:

We also wanted a great soundtrack to set the mood. A few months ago, my husband had the foresight to pick out a new television that allowed us to watch YouTube directly on the television. So, I chose the first hour of the Trololo 10 hours video for the first part of our party.

No one really seemed to mind, or notice, even, since they were just getting here, meeting and greeting everyone, and catching up. Once everyone was here and settled, my husband cut over to a playlist of 1960's-era ads. Alternatives this could be streaming Mad Men on Netflix through your Wii, or even playing episodes on your DVD.

As an added bonus, I made personalized wine glasses for all the ladies that came to the party. I used the same font I mentioned in Part 3 and printed out each name. I then cut the name to fit into a wine glass and taped it to the inside of the glass. I used a Pebeo Pen to trace the name on the outside of the glass.

These pens are wonderful for personalizing and painting on glass and ceramics. Just let the paint dry, then bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave the glass inside the oven until it cools. Once you do this, it's microwave and dishwasher safe. The Pebeo paints really do hold up well and last much longer than others I have used.

We had a great time at our party! We had a lot of booze left after our party, so we're thinking about having a premiere party on March 25. Too bad it's on a Sunday night, though...

How to Throw a Mad Men Party, Part 3 of 4: Menu

The menu for our Mad Men party was a mix of old and new. While some 60's party foods are still considered delicious, let's face it: not many people look at a shredded chicken and Jello salad these days and think to themselves, "Let's dig in!" So, I didn't think any of our guests would mind if we broke with the period and threw in a few modern snacks as well.

Drinks

My handsome husband was daring enough to volunteer to be the party's bartender for the evening. Since neither of us have experience with cocktails, we picked out six for our drink menu, from which the guests could all choose. I have to say, he did an excellent job and all the drinks were delicious!

I printed out the menu and we kept it at the bar for our guests. I used this font, to give it a retro feel. We also printed out a recipe list and instructions for each drink, so my husband would be able to mix them for us. This was our menu:

1. Old Fashioned: bourbon served on the rocks with muddled cherry, orange and Angostura bitters
2. Manhattan: Rye Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters
3. Gin Martini: Gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive
4. Chocolate Martini: Godiva chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, Vanilla vodka, and cream
5. Gin Fizz: Gin, sweetened lemon juice, and sparkling water

We also included several varieties of beer and soda (including Heineken, placed in a silver ice bowl on the dining table as a nod to Betty's "Trip Around the World" party).

Food

Our Mad Men themed snacks included:

• Cheese and Grape Kebobs
• Several single serving sized bags of Utz potato chips and Mixed Nuts (Placed beside each other with an "Utz is better than Nuts!" sign)
• Jello salad - just Strawberry Jello, canned pineapple chunks and walnuts, presented on a bed of lettuce
• Candy Cigarettes

To round out the food, we had meatballs, quiche, fruit, veggies, hummus, crackers, and four types of dessert verrines.

Everything was a big hit, except for the Jello salad (and I didn't expect it to be eaten, to be honest - it was more for decoration).