Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have not bought laundry detergent in over a year. Not b/c I don't wash my clothes but last year I was able to score 8 bottles of laundry detergent for FREE!! Well, now all of that laundry detergent has been used so I recently bought my first bottle. But detergent is so darn expensive when you add up how much you buy it for and how much you use. Now that Levi is potty training I am doing a lot of laundry... A LOT....A LOT!! So I thought I would try to make my own detergent and see how it turned out. If it turned out ok then I could have more detergent for a lot less than what 1 bottle costs. So I found this recipe here. I followed it exactly and it made enough to last me for a while. Then I also found this site here and they did an experiment (non scientific) between Tide and the homemade stuff. Pretty interesting. I bought all of my ingredients at Kroger for a total of $8. The next time I make a batch it will cost me $1 for the Fels Naptha soap. $1!!! Here is a picture of how much I was able to make.

Good luck and I hope you can enjoy saving some money too!

**Note**

There are many different variations of homemade detergent. You can even add other scents to your detergent if you want. Most recipes have the same basic ingredients though. Just do a search for homemade laundry detergent and find one you like.

Missing you

Today is a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. I remember the moment, the pain, the sadness, the emptiness. I remember it all as if it were yesterday but it was 5 years ago. Paul Granada is not forgotten. He is remembered every time I listen to Blue October, pass a Wing Stop, or happen to see a black Honda CRX. I have so many memories with Paul that I hope to never forget them. Paul made me laugh and he made me cry. I feel blessed that I knew him and that we were able to spend so much time together. I know that he is with Heavenly Father in a better place doing the Lord's work. Someday we will see each other again and I can't wait to hug him and tell him how much he has been missed. I love you Paul and you are missed every day.

Random Thoughts Today

1. I realized while eating lunch today that I only like carrots cooked in the crockpot with steak. Weird...I know! Just the flavor of the potatoes, carrots and steak together is just irresistible.

2. I didn't like white rice until I had Jaxon. My friend Mandie brought over chicken and white rice for dinner after I got home from the hospital. For some reason I just couldn't stop eating the rice. I think I must have eaten about 95% of the whole bowl of rice. Now I love it. Maybe it was the hormones running crazy after giving birth.

3. I love Levi's crazy fingers! He is doing crazy fingers as I am writing this post. Crazy fingers is when he moves his fingers all crazy and makes a funny noise while moving his fingers. Unless you have seen it it is hard to explain. It's hilarious to watch!!

4. I hate laundry and doing the dishes. I still haven't realized that if I would just fold the clothes that have been sitting on the couch for 3 days my house would feel so much cleaner. If I would unload the dishwasher right when it finishes the dishes wouldn't pile up in my sink. I despise laundry and dishes.

5. I have the cutest boys ever. They make me smile and laugh all day long. Levi has such a fun personality and Jax is following in his footsteps.

6. I love the smell of fresh cut grass. I don't know why but it is a favorite smell of mine.

7. Why do the trains have to honk their horns so freakin' loud at 4:30 am every day. I thought Wylie was a "quiet zone". So much for quiet!

8. My dining room is the "play room" and I don't really like that. I need a play room so I can have my dining room back. That means a bigger house. Which means we need to sell our current house. Which means that someone has to want to buy our house. Any takers??

9. I'm glad Oprah is going off the air. She interrupts people all the time and doesn't let them finish their sentences or thoughts. Why is that Oprah? Let the person speak dang it!!

10. Will somebody please teach me how to make my bed? Well, I know how to make it but I just never want to make it. I like the way it looks when I do make my bed. Mom, sorry I failed you in that department. I will try better I promise.

11. Yogurtville...I am in love! Thank you for opening so close to our house. I smile when I drive by you. You are amazing and I will be visiting you frequently. See you soon.

Fun & funky artwork

I love it when I come across something cheap and creative to do. I only wish I could be the creative one to come up with the idea. Recently I read somewhere about making cheap art using your last name. I read all the details on how to do this so of course I had to do this too. It's funky, different, interesting, and just plain cool!! If you want to know how I made it then just ask me. It's too long to write out but it is really easy. I'm thinking this will go in our hallway or dining room somewhere. Let's just say the possibilities are endless on how you could make your last name or any other phrases. Hope you like it.

My version of a book makeover

One of my favorite decorating sites is Decor Chick! The things that she comes up with are just amazing. If only she could come and decorate my house then I could just sit back and relax. Well, Decor Chick did a book makeover. I would have never thought to do this idea. You can see Decor Chick's version HERE

I thought I would give this makeover a try. So here is what I did. I bought a plain hardback book from Goodwill for $2. Now, Decor Chick spray painted her book and at first I thought that is what I wanted to do. So I bought Ivory colored spray paint. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and found the exact stamp that Decor Chick used. It was regularly priced $10.99 but was on sale for 50% off. I couldn't justify spending $6-$7 on a stamp that I will use probably just once. So I went looking for a cheaper idea. In the same scrapbooking area they have all of the cool scrapbooking paper. I found this beauty for $.59 a sheet. Sold!! I bought 2 pieces and a package of glue sticks for $.99.

I glued the paper to the book and I was done in 10 minutes. No waiting for paint to dry or making sure I perfectly stamped the book. Nope...not for me!! I folded the edges on the inside and glued them down. I did have to cut off the extra paper. The paper was 12 x 12 and my book wasn't that big.

Since I had to use 2 pieces of paper to cover the book I made sure my seam was on the back side of the book. You can see my seam on the left side. You will never see this part.

I do need to go back and add some ribbon but overall I am pleased with my book makeover. My cost was $4.17. And the cool thing is the selections of scrapbooking paper is endless so you can do so many cute things all for CHEAP!! Enjoy! (Sorry for the horrible cell phone pictures. I needed something quick before Jax started screaming.)

On Fire!

Our front door is on fire this year! So I know it's not cool outside...yet...but it will be soon. I couldn't wait any longer to bring out my fun fall stuff. I have a wreath that I bought at Michaels a few years ago. It is just plain and doesn't really jump out at you. I wanted a wreath that screamed FALL IS HERE!! Our front screen door and entry door are both black. I went to the Dollar Tree and they had 3 choices of colors of leaves. Brown, a deep dark red (looked almost brown too), and yellow with red tips. I had a winner with the yellow!!! I figured the brown and red wouldn't stand out since our door is dark too. So here is what I did. I bought a wreath ($1) and 5 packs of leaves ($5). I used super glue that I already had since I haven't bought a glue gun yet. Then I went to town just gluing the leaves down. Oh...I did crinkle the leaves too since they came flat in the package. An hour later this is what I have. I might go back and add some berries or pine cones later. But for now...I love it!!

To die for

Enough said!