Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween from the bride of Frankenstein!

Homemade Dryer "Sheets"

1 bottle fabric softener (or you could make your own, I will post a recipe for this).

8-10 sponge squares (should be 3-4in squares, can get cheap rectangular sponges and cut in half; or buy a large automotive sponge and cut into several small blocks)

Pour bottle of softener in a large bucket.  Fill empty bottle up with water twice and add to bucket.  Place sponge in bucket, wring it out, and then place in dryer with your clothes as you would a dryer sheet.

Homemade Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin

Ingredients:

1 4lb box Borax

1 4lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

1 3lb 7oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

3 Fels-Naptha Soap Bar for heavy stains or any body soap bar that is hypoallergenic for sensitive skin

1 3lb box Oxiclean free and clear

Essential Oil

Directions:

Grate the soap bar into large flakes (a box grater works great).  Using a five gallon bucket (lined with a trash bad if not clean), dump all ingredients and mix together.  You are now ready to use your detergent!  Use 1/4 cup at a time for a full load.  Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance to your laundry water if desired.   

Note for septics:

You may want to liquify this if you have a septic system (A.K.A. live in the boonies).  Some people have no problem with the soap flakes, but others are cautious that the flakes from the soap bars may lead to a clogging of septic pipes.  I have two suggestions.  One, put your large flakes into a food processor and chop the large flakes up as finely as possible with your steel blade attachment.  If you can get it similar to a powder consistency you should have no problems.  Or, suggestion two, liquify the above recipe.  See directions below.

Liquify above detergent:

Melt the soap flakes in four cups of water.  In a large pot, pour melted soap flakes, all other ingredients, and a gallon of water.  Cook on low-medium until coagulates.  Turn off heat, add a gallon of cold water (if detergent seems very thick, add more than a gallon until desired consistency).  Stir well.  Pour into empty gallon containers.  Use approximately half a cup at a time.

Halloween costumes for the kids 2012

I just love the costumes from my mom to the kids for Halloween this year. Trinity's costume in these pictures is not the one that was picked out for her, but you know how finicky kids can be. Hopefully I can convince her on Halloween to wear her outfit.

{Minnie Mouse and Captain America}

Tuesday, October 15, 2012

Today, I decided to go out into the garden and see if there were any carrots or potatoes leftover from the summer and surprisingly I found several still hiding in the soil.

The kids and I didn’t do a whole lot today. This past weekend we had a family get together with Adam's side and we carved pumpkins and had a great meal made by my MIL.

Right now the kids are on fall vacation and it lasts two weeks. It's been a nice break from preschool and MOPs. I think we may go to the zoo and maybe do a few other local activities.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Today we took Lincoln to the doctor after finding a worrisome rash on his back and the rest of his body. I was pretty sure he had the vaccine for chickenpox, but I was still anxious it could be that or something similar. Turns out, he has strep throat of all things! I guess it is common to have a rash with strep.

So I have been home pretty much all day, everyday this week dealing with a sick kiddo. I am fairly stir crazy at this point! But on the positive side, my laundry is caught up, my dishwasher is empty, and the garage is clean!

This past Sunday we closed our pool for the season. First year in the books, and I hope it works out! We get a lot of wind here because of all the farming fields and no tree cover, so right now it looks like a giant mushroom in our yard with the tarp gusting up from wind underneath.

We have had our first few fires in the woodstove already, which gets us excited for the impending holidays. I also have been switching summer clothes out with winter clothes from our dresser drawers, a chore in our cramped living situation. My kids are growing like weeds and I cannot believe they are once again going up another size.

Check out my latest Pinterest pins, especially ones under my healthy living tab! I am pretty excited to change our family's eating habits, and slowly we are.

{Art makes the heart happy}

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Since I last wrote, we have had a work day on our house with the help of our wonderful families, we assisted our church in replacing two garage roofs, and as of today our oldest, Lincoln, is officially four years old!

This past Sunday we had a cookout to celebrate Link's birthday, and it was a great time. I did not take any pictures, but sometimes don't you think it's nice to just enjoy the moment and not worry about capturing it on camera? We had lots of super hero decorations, an Avengers ice cream cake, and a warm bonfire to chat around - it was a perfect night.

Today has been slow going. I caught up on laundry, had a vision appointment, and caught up on chores around the house while my mom watched the kids for a bit. I should have gotten a load of firewood, because the cold weather will be settling in before we know it, but maybe in a few days I will get around to it.