Homemade Laundry Detergent

Courtesy of my good friend, Becky McFarland at http://buzzycreations.blogspot.com/, I have been inspired and motivated yet again! I made a BUNCH of laundry detergent. It is 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup Boraxo, and 1 bar of Fels Naptha. I used my food processor to break down the soap, using the Boraxo and washing soda to help keep it blending nicely. I put it all in an old icecream bucket with a scoop, and VOILA! Here is the link to Becky's page about her experience: http://buzzycreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-laundry-detergent-vs-store.html
Then I did the math. Using our current detergent I get about 96 loads for about $11 which is about 11.4 cents per load. With the homemade stuff I get 48 loads for about $2.50 which is about 5.2 cents per load. THAT'S A 64% SAVINGS!!!
I'm excited to save money this way especially since the cloth diaper thing didn't last very long--the less I have to deal with poop, the happier I am! Anyway, the clothes and towels I washed with the detergent I made are clean, have a very light scent and it cost me 64% less than it used to. All in all a reason to smile. :o)
Thanks, Becky, for another great idea and helping me get motivated to do it! <3

The American Dream

Since nobody really reads my blog anyway, I figured I might as well put my rant here...
Our little family is struggling, but surviving! My husband's job makes just enough money for us to only be behind a month on a few bills, but with the help of excellent tax payers (like the people who don't read this blog), we are able to have basics like milk, mac & cheese, and the occasional pizza! (And we wonder why we can't lose weight) Seriously, we're on the edge, but my husband would never admit it. The only reason we were able to buy a house last year was through the generous help of my father-in-law providing $ for the down payment. We missed the first-time homebuyers credit by a day (damn title company) which we were going to use to install a ductless heat pump system, so we are stuck with electric baseboard heat which causes our utility bill to be about $300/month. We have a wood stove, but it only heats one room effectively to about 95 degrees whily the rest of the house stays a balmy 50-60 except the girls' room which we try to keep around 67 for nap and bed time. We had my sister and her toddler for 6 weeks this summer as a "guest" who was supposed to find a job etc, but instead doubled our credit card balance and whined about baby sitting while we moved. So, instead of using our tax return to pay for that ductless heating system, that money will go to pay off the credit card (which will then have a happy accident while running with scissors). I am also a compulsive shopper and frequently come home from grocery shopping with extraneous things like new shoes for the daughter that has only one pair that fits, and deodorant for myself. I'd like to get out more, but gas is too expensive to be driving about just to get out, we can't afford to join groups or activities in the community, and my friends are mostly as depressed and/or crazy as I am, so we snowball when we get together... But according to my dad, we're living the American dream... So what do I have to complain about?!

Toddler Smock

I used my own smock from when I was very small to make a pattern for this awesome smock for Hannah!

The fabric is similar to PUL (polyurethane laminate) but is a little heavier, though not as heavy as oil cloth. I got it at Joann's for about $10/yard, but it only took about 1/4 yard to make this small one. My next project will be to enlarge the pattern to make a smock for Emmaly.

It's hard to get Hannah to hold still long enough to get a good picture! This was the best of about a dozen I took.

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Being Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for. Especially recently I have successfully gone off the antidepressant I was on for about 3 years, and consequently, I have become more myself. I have accomplished a great many sewing and crafting projects, I have reclaimed my kitchen and laundry areas from the disasterous state they were in, and we finally got both girls to sleep in the same room again last night! Aside from those recent accomplishments, here are the highlights of things I am most thankful for:

I am thankful for the good man that married me and continues to love me despite all the "insanity".

I am thankful for my beautiful daughters who are a constant source of amazement, learning, frustration and growth for me.

I am thankful for good parents and family members in both our Wood/Beachler and Shields/Petersen families that love us unconditionally and support us in many ways.

I am thankful for good friends who have helped me and my family to weather the storms of life by loving us though unconnected by familial ties.

I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father, and for His beautiful plan that provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, so that I can repent and be forgiven of my sins.

I am thankful for His restored Gospel, for the knowledge I have of it and the ability to continue to learn about it!

So many things come and go in life, but these things are eternal because these are things I carry with me in my heart. To everyone who reads this, have a Happy Thanksgiving, and make your own list to help you remember. :o) <3

Cozy fleece slippers for the winter!

I made these slippers for Hannah and a larger pair for Emmaly from a pattern I got from http://www.prudentbaby.com/. The embroidery pattern is from http://www.emblibrary.com/. I had to use my brain a bit to size up the pattern, and then I had to make a few adjustments, but they turned out pretty good, the girls love them and they keep their little tootsies warm! So much fun to create something new...

Here are Emmaly's. I forgot to reverse the pattern on the second slipper. :oP

Ella's Blanket

Another project completed!

Seven embroidered panels, 35 buttons and a couple months after starting, baby Ella's blanket is finally done! I'm particularly fond of this one. It is the first "inside out" quilt face I've done. I used some microfleece panels I got from my sister, and added the cute polka dot fleece for Ella's mommy, Becky, who likes dots. It's going to be hard to let go of this one since it's been on my list, on my table, and on my mind for so long! But, I know that it's going to a "crafty" family who will love it for what it is: imperfect, but made with love!

Explosions and Implosions

So, I had what Chris describes as an implosion last week. I got so sick of all the useless junk in the way, and was feeling overloaded with responsibility, so I got out the giant Costco box of giant black trash bags and started filling them up with my clothes that I never wear, scarves, my belly dancing stuff (haven't had classes in almost 2 months due to everyone being at belly dance camp, and then our leader being out for back surgery), jewelry, and all the other stuff of mine that's been laying around in the way for months and I don't use it any more. Incidentally, it's all still in trash bags, including my jewelry. I am just overwhelmed by all the stuff we have accumulated, and feeling pressured to try to sell things we don't use/need any more because we need money, but people aren't buying stuff much these days, and I just want the JUNK GONE, and my life simplified! I'd like to load it all up in the truck and take it down to Goodwill and be done with it. I've sorted through a lot of this stuff at least 3 times now, and I'm sick of it! Why do I feel the need to hold on to stuff that just weighs me down? I need some validation that it's ok to just give it away to someone who might need it more than I obviously don't need it! I feel an explosion coming on.