My homemade laundry detergent

I did it! I finally did it. I ran out of laundry detergent, and instead of racing to Costco to buy a super huge container of detergent, I ran to King Soopers and searched for products I'd never heard of.


Total cost of supplies: $13


And those supplies can get me at least another 10 batches of this stuff. Only ingredient I'd have to purchase more of is the Fels-Naptha soap. But when 2 gallons only requires half a bar, and a bar runs at about $2, I'd say it's worth it.


I used the recipe I posted on an earlier blog: Frugal and Fantastic Laundry Detergent so I'll just walk through my experience and post some tips on this post.

Fels-Naptha Soap- only use half a bar per batch.

I decided to chop up my soap instead of grating it. I loath grating. And this stuff easily flakes apart.

Here's the tip- this stuff does NOT like to dissolve. So soak it in your pot of water for one hour before turning on the burner and boiling it to dissolve all of the way.

Boil it, dissolve it. This is what made my house smell like it had just gotten a bath.

Rest of the ingredients to be added.

Only one cup of each.

Another tip: Buy a gallon jug of water. The recipe gives directions according to gallons of water, and I wouldn't have been able to know the correct amount unless I had purchased a gallon size jug, especially since it'll tell you to add ____ cups of water, then next instruct you to add "the rest." Annoying if you aren't using a gallon size jug.

I dumped it in a new trash can that I had just put in our guest bathroom. Only thing I had big enough to hold it all. Covered it with wax paper, and woke up the next morning gel like detergent. My husband described the texture of it as "brains." Not sure if that at all gives you a good idea...

I store mine in an old laundry detergent jug and the water jug I was using to measure the water. 1/2 cup per load!

Of course the real question is- does it WORK? (Yes, I took a photo of me smelling my towels)... it does work, and very well. Only issues I have with it is that it doesn't seem to bubble in the washing machine, so I always want to add more. This is just something my simple mind needs to get over. That, and my clothes don't smell really clean. Now, they don't smell dirty! They just also don't smell like detergent, which is difficult to get used to. I might add some essential oils next time just to make me feel better.

Well, there you have it! It was fun- and you should most definitely give it a try. Let me know how your experience goes.

Easter is just a lie about a happy ending for a self proclaimed Messiah

I'd like for you take a moment to read from this man what the "True Meaning of Easter" is:

The real victory, marked by Easter's pageantry, is a rewriting of history.  In the Jesus Story, something divine is born into the human family.  Rising up from lowly circumstances, he tours the country, mesmerizing crowds and comforting the afflicted.  Those who knew him and loved him are crushed when his ministry is ended with an arrest, beatings, a trial, a conviction and immediate execution.  That story is an indictment of life.  How could such a thing happen?  How could somebody this kind, this gentle, this understanding and this talented get snuffed like this? 

The answer provided is an interesting twist.  Rather than allow the story to end on a down note (Romans Kill Jesus), the Gospels have Jesus rise from the dead.  It doesn't change history... the story of Jesus would be the story of yet another self-proclaimed messiah who ended up as bait.

It's almost American in its obsession to give a happy ending to an otherwise dreary story...Easter is the willful adoption of the lie.  No more obvious example can be found of theists in denial...There is no ontological difference, the risen Christ and the Easter Bunny, except that one is for adults while the other is for children.

http://community.beliefnet.com/go/thread/view/43861/14231817/?pg=last

I sat in the Kia dealership today, waiting for the oil to be changed in my car, for over 2 and half hours. While I got a lot read of my book, I wasn't a very happy person. About an hour into my wait time, I overheard the mechanic at the counter talking to his fellow coworker:

I just' bout blew it with my wife! I almost said to her- Hey, I'm going golfing on Sunday! Then realized, d----, it's Easter! She's gunna make me stay round and do all that family sh-- with the kids!

That's when I slapped myself- Ah, today is Good Friday! I sat there, in that uncomfortable faux leather chair, thinking about Christ. I walked through all of it in my mind- Oh, how many times have I heard it? But somehow, it never gets old. Especially today. Then I realized... to that man, behind the counter, Easter is just a crazy day full of candy, unruly kids fighting over plastic Easter eggs, and his wife making him stay around the house. Today? He's thinking about work, lunch, and unsatisfied customers. And Jesus, who took the mechanic's place on a brutal cross (just as much as He'd taken my place), won't even cross his mind. If it does, it won't be a thought worth pondering over; if anything, it'll be a thought dealt with rejection. 

It's hard for me to fathom a God, perfect and holy in every way, would consider sending his only, and just as perfect and holy son to endure the punishment I, a sinful by nature errant creation, deserve. I sink in my chair, feeling pretty unworthy, but also completely grateful for this precious, precious gift. How can I not commit my life to Him? Who am I to even consider for a moment not accepting what He's offered to me?

Then I consider all of those who don't accept the gift, who choose for there to be no difference between the Easter bunny and Jesus. Today is just another friday, an insignificant friday not worth remembering anything over. Then Sunday will approach and the secular activities will commence. Sure, some will drag themselves to church, because something in them tells them they're suppose to, there may be a few reference to "Jesus" tossed around the dinner table in a quick prayer over the food... but how many truly observe Christ, what he did so that we might live, and then through a miracle rose from the grave? I don't believe many consciously will, and I can't help but blame myself. What am I actively doing every day to share with others what's available to them? Maybe that mechanic behind the counter doesn't know what today represents because no one has made any effort to share it with him.

This weekend is our chance to give a little good news to everyone we come across. A "Happy Easter" is just an outstanding invitation for an explanation to your joy. Shouting out "He is Risen!" or quoting a Bible verse may not be the best way to share Jesus with someone. Maybe the answer for someone lies in the testimony of your life, your personal relationship, your astonishment of what the God of the universe has done for you.

It hits me the hardest when I actually imagine myself hanging on a cross. I've tried to think of something more "modern"... but nothing comes close to the cross. There were things Jesus had to endure by being hung on a cross that no one with the death penalty has to endure today. And see, that's what I deserve. And if Jesus didn't take my place, that's what would have happened to me... I have to be punished for my rebelliousness, my sin.

I'm thankful for that gift, I'm thankful I'm forgiven, and I'm thankful there's more to my Easter than colorful eggs (and those statically charged strips of plastic basket filling that annoyingly stick to you)...

I hope you all have a blessed Easter full of times remembering our Lord and colorful finger tips due to dying eggs! (My husband and I are going to dye eggs tomorrow night...)

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I love to spoil my dog. And she knows it. I tackle something new to bake just about every weekend, and this weekend I decided to turn my attention to my dog, Dasha. These treats are super simple to make, and I didn't have to buy a thing- just used staple items around the house. I love building the hype for the treats- getting her excited about what's on the counter and feeding her bits of "cookie" dough. The best part about it? I know exactly what's going into her *often sensitive* tummy. 


Originally found this recipe in a local pet directory which I modified a bit (mostly because I live at 7,000 feet).

Ingredients:
4 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup natural unsalted peanut butter (though I improvised with regular pb- it's fine for dogs)
1-1/4 cup water
1 tbsp oil (this is less than the original recipe called for- I didn't see it as necessary)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups rolled oats


- Preheat over to 350.
- In a large bowl, blend together molasses, peanut butter, water, and oil.
- Add whole wheat flour and oats to wet ingredients. Mix well.
- Drop tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet (these cookies do not expand, so put as many on one sheet as you'd like!). Gently flatten cookies with a cup bottom.
- Bake 20 minutes or until done. 

I store the treats in a tupperware container, and anytime Dasha's being a good girl, I ask- "Want a cookie?" She now knows the word "cookie" quite well.


Did you try one? you may ask. As tempting as it was, I have not. It's the just idea of it being for the dog...

My Coffee Table: Before and After

My husband, John, and I love to restore furniture. We're just getting into it, and while it's not at all easy- it's incredibly rewarding. And we love the process! We'd much rather be out in the garage, sanding and painting furniture than we would be inside watching tv. It's something we enjoy doing together, and we're just getting started!

We haven't had a coffee table since we've gotten married. We were borrowing my parents' glass coffee table (which was great! Thanks mom and dad!), and were quite thankful to haul it away and replace it with something more our style.

I found this on craigslist, and ending up buying it and a matching end table for $35. This is the best "Before" shot I have.

For those of you who are not aware, stripping paint SUCKS.

Stripped and sanded.

Primed (you should, by the way, always do your own research. Don't listen to the Home Depot lady...)

Adding  tile grout to black paint for my chalkboard top.

Always test it...

Painted the top (chalkboard part) first, then the rest a simple flat black.

Remember that corner that our dog chewed off? John did a pretty good job remolding it into a decent looking corner.

Ta da! Black paint, black chalkboard paint, and some new hardware.

All in all I'm pretty pleased. Lessons learned: Spray on your paint, don't use acrylic primer, and chalkboard paint is quite finicky to work with, so add some water to thin it down.