Sorry folks, for the extended absence. I've been busy ripping up carpet and tacks, taking down wallpaper, painting walls, and moving...all with 3 children in tow. No, I didn't do it all myself, but I did a lot of work, as the hubster had to work during the day. But kudos to him though, he'd work daytime and go right into the house-work at night.
We had to do the most important things first, of course, and had to move in lightning fast. You see, we underestimated how much work we had to do, and set up to have our utilities turned off at the old place just one (very) short week after closing. I really wanted to at least get the painting done and the carpet up before moving in. I will live with ugly floors before I'll live with pissy carpets. (Previous owners had pets) The boys' room was a labor of love for me. I practically did the room myself. I ripped down all 4 layers of wallpaper (thankfully the first 3 came off easily, the 4th with vinegar and water), had to TSP-wash down the walls to remove the glue, primed, painted (2nd coat) and removed carpet tacks and staples...I harp on the tacks because, man, those things are a pain to remove! Hubby missed out on the distinct pleasure of wallpaper removal. Thanks to my hard work, the walls look awesome! Now the floors are another story. The hardwoods will have to be refinished at a later date.
I won't bore you to much more with the gory details. We got 'er done and are now settling in. There are still soooo many projects to be done (removing awnings, anyone?), but we can take our time with the rest of the projects.
Now I'm slowly getting back into posting and creating for my etsy shop. Please stay tuned for new and exciting products coming soon!
In the meantime, I'm getting ready to start making my own laundry detergent. Here's a great recipe I found on Woman's Day's website. I'm excited and can't wait to try this and see how well it works. My detergent buying days are about to be over if it washes as clean as they say it does. Now you might wonder why I'd make detergent when I could easily buy it. Here are my reasons:
1. I want something simpler and more natural. My son suffers from seasonal allergies. I, as well as all 3 of my kids suffer with hives. I want to eliminate as much chemicals from our lives as possible.
2. Detergent is expensive! This recipe will end up costing pennies per load.
3. I love the self-sufficiency aspect of it. Plus, I can customize with essential oils/fragrances that
I love.
4. It's fun! Yet another thing I can make!
I will make it this weekend, try it out and report back on my findings.
With no further ado, here's the recipe, courtesy of Mary Hunt of soapsgonebuy.com and woman's day.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:
3 pints water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated
1/2 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda, please!)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
2-gallon bucket to mix it in
Additional hot water
Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to a two-gallon bucket. Add soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket to about 3 inches from the top with additional hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Note: This detergent will not make suds, which makes it perfect for front-loading HE washers.
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