by Sarah | Nov 17, 2011 | All About Home, DIY Cleaning Products, Random
[flickr id=”6356588635″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]A year ago we had a major problem. Our HE washer STUNK.
It was horrible. The smell was transferring to our clothes. We were at a loss. We tried the brand name “HE cleaner” tablets. They helped a little, but it was bad. So very bad.
We muddled through. Unable to do anything about buying a new one, we kept up with regular cleaning tablets, leaving the door open and extra cleaning cycles.
All along I’ve wanted a dry detergent I could make at home. I was buying detergent and cutting it with borax, but we were still buying it too often and spending too much. I would have loved to make laundry detergent sooner, but all the recipes were for liquid. And really, let’s face it – I’m lazy.
Then I found pinterest. I was goaded into it. I got hoked fast. Along the way I stumbled on a pin for a homemade DRY detergent. I thought it was too good to be true!
So I whipped it up, tried it.
That was four months ago and I have never gone back*. My husband (with his hyper sensitive nose) loves the citrus-y smell of the detergent, and the wash when it comes out. It’s cheap to make and one batch lasts about six weeks in a household full of 5 people.
The best part?
My washer doesn’t smell.
I haven’t had to pay to buy the cleaning tablets. I haven’t had to leave it open all the time (although I still do just because it’s better for it – but I never feel guilty for closing it). My wash is amazingly soft and smells delectable. There is no moldy lingering odor. If I take out the dryer bar (yes, I still use that…it’s my one indulgence) for my husband’s jean cycle and forget to put it back in…the clothes are still wonderfully soft – even towels!
In the end I totally credit this laundry soap with saving my HE washer, and our noses.
So what is in it? I know you’re dying to know….
1 bar Fels Naptha ($1 at WalMart)
1 cup Borax ($2.50/box at WalMart…& I use it for SO many of my cleaning products. packs a punch for a cheap price)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda ($3 at WalMart. Washing Soda, not baking soda. I’ve made 4 batches & still have over half of a box left…again, well worth the price)
Grate the Fels Naptha** and mix everything together.
It takes ONE TABLESPOON per load. That’s it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*I say never. We recently ran out & I’ve been sick so we dipped into the brand name detergent we still had around. Within 2 washes the stench was back in my washer. It was then that I knew w/o a doubt that my homemade detergent was better & made it as soon as I could.
**Side note on the Fels Naptha. The gratings in my picture are huge. My teenager washed the grater and the small side was dirty. I was in a rush to get towels washed so I used the big side. Use the small grater. You get a much better mix. I will have to shake mine out with every wash to make sure I spread out the Fels Naptha.
***Original Site I got recipe from (credit goes where it’s due. Just saying 🙂 )***
by Sarah | Nov 15, 2011 | All About Home, Crap, Random
[flickr id=”6348904912″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]On my fridge I have a list. It has 9 cleaning products on it and how I make them. I plan on adding more as I find them.
I’d like to say I do this for a noble cause.
Because it’s better for the earth. Safer for my kids. They clean better.
All of those reasons ARE true.
But the main reason I started was money.
These suckers are a lot cheaper in the long run.
The last item I’ve added to my revenue was laundry detergent.
My husband was skeptical all along. On some days he still is. In the end? I keep doing it because they work. Because I’m not spending scads of dollars every week buying MORE cleaning supplies that are harsh on my nose and eyes and hands.
Now if only I could find a great toilet cleaner I’d be a very happy woman.
***
In a couple of days I’ll go into more detail about a few of them. Mainly the laundry detergent (the saver of my HE washer) and my all purpose cleaners.
by Sarah | Oct 24, 2011 | Giveaway, Holidays, Reviews
I don’t know about you, but this year just totally flew by in our house. One minute it was February, and now it’s suddenly the end of October! Christmas is coming up fast and I feel totally unprepared for it. I just bought the first couple of Christmas gifts Friday night. Compared to last year at this time when I had it ALL done…I’m grossly unprepared.
One thing I know I’m going to be using to my advantage is Shutterfly.
For the grandparents there are a ton of options. We can dive into the photo gifts shop. There we could find coffee cups, t-shirts and even necklaces that we can add images of their much-loved grandchildren to.
But, I think in the end the best grandparent gift ever is a calendar. 12 months of their precious grandchildren? What grandparent isn’t going to love that?
If they didn’t all read my blog I’d tell you what I am going to end up getting 🙂
For the first time ever this year I’m taking a big-girl step. I’m getting Christmas Cards together. I saw this style at Shutterfly and knew it would be perfect. I had so many great photos of the kids from our photo shoot back in June, that this card let me use a lot of them. And feature all three of the kids without leaving anyone short changed.
Now that I’m finally set on my cards, how would you like some help with yours?
I’m giving away THREE codes for 25 cards from Shutterfly! Put your pictures from this year to great use and get some FREE cards!!!
All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment here telling me what your favorite part of the holidays is.
That’s it!
With three prizes to be won, there’s no need for extra entries!
*Giveaway CLOSED
*******
*For my post I was received free cards. My opinions are my own.
**Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q
by Sarah | Oct 5, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Marriage, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Crap
[flickr id=”5293689107″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Cross Country season is drawing to a close. The final (County-wide) meet is in less than a week. Coming up there is nothing but PTO meetings, Parent/Teacher Conferences and life in general.
This also means that the teen will be home before 4PM every day.
I always thought once the girls were both in school I’d go back to work. Nothing so dramatic as full-time day jobs (and definitely NOT banking again ~gag~). I figured I would return to waitressing. With the teen old enough to babysit in short spurts, I’d be able to get a job at a real restaurant with real tips since I could now actually get into work before 6PM. Maybe we could get a (slightly) steadier increased income. Maybe we could leave SSI and its unreliable, and ever decreasing, amounts behind. Become self-sufficient again. Maybe even one day live the dream of giving up Child Support (or actually putting that in savings).
Now that day is here.
Yet we hesitate.
Last year Angel ended up in the hospital for the first time ever. It was five days where our only focus was her and making sure we saw the other two kids. Last year she wasn’t even in school. Only exposed to those hundred of viruses on the periphery.
It could happen again at any time.
We are six weeks into the school year and Angel has already missed five days due to illness. That’s one week out of six. Most of them in the past three weeks.
So now we toss up in the air whether I would even be able to maintain a job or if I’d constantly have to take off for illness or hospital stays or whatever.
I know, we can’t live life hanging by that ‘what if she gets sick’ thread…but it is a fact and a factor in everything. Having to weigh the consequences of not just being away from home several evenings a week – versus the likelihood that I will have to call in at least a couple of times, maybe more.
The thought of working again only scares me peripherally. I actually like the thought of having adult interaction, even if it is only as server to customer. I worked in banking for about eight years. It sort of ripped out my soul and stomped on it and I never wanted to work again after it. But I did, and I found a job at Bob Evans (the only place that would hire me w/ the hours I could work). The tips weren’t horrendous, but they weren’t top of the line. BUT. But…I loved my job. Even when I didn’ t like my new manager, and the employee turnover brought in some people that weren’t my favorites…I loved what I did. It was fun. It was interactive. It made me happy.
There are positives, many of them, to me going back to work…
But there are so many balls up in the air I’m afraid tossing in one more would be too much. Plus, I’d really hate to get a job I love, maybe even start earning enough to lose SSI…only to lose that job because of things well beyond my control.
We can’t live in the what-if’s…
But we can’t ignore them either.
by Sarah | Aug 30, 2011 | All About Family, All About Home, All of Us
[flickr id=”6097566204″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Used to daydream in that small town. Another born romantic that’s me. But I’ve seen it all in a small town. Had myself a ball in a small town. ~John Mellencamp
I used to hate it.
I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing someone I knew.
The grocery store. The library. The doctors office.
Everywhere.
It was annoying. Invasive. Like the whole world was spying on me (the adults at least…they all knew my parents).
Now it’s 20 (*gulp*) years later. I have left the state (living in 3 other states over 5 years) & returned. I now live 2 towns away from where I went to high school.
Once again I can’t go anywhere without seeing someone I know.
Driving down the road. The gas station. The drug store. The grocery store. The park.
Just today Angel & I went to the park and I ran into someone I knew. Haven’t seen her in over five years – she’s since been married & had a child. We worked together for a brief time.
The other day I went to the grocery store & saw Riley’s teacher & an old neighbor all in the same visit.
The other week I went to the drug store and ran into my favorite high school teacher.
Now I love it.
I appreciate it.
Knowing that even 20 years later you can see familiar faces. You can look people in the eye and smile and know them.
I like that my kids will grow up here.
That they will have the same love/hate relationship with it that I have.
by Sarah | Aug 11, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, Random
[flickr id=”6032618823″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]
(L – top to bottom. Cheese cutouts, Peanut Butter w/ banana strips. R – top to bottom. Peanut butter w/ orange marmalade folds, PB & grape jelly rolls, Nutella rolls.
Even my teen will make his own version of this for himself. Riley, the pickiest eater of them all, cleans her plate when I make this kid-friendly sushi. Since it was requested on twitter…I thought I’d post how I make them. And it’s super simple…and to be honest I got the idea from Pinterest and ran with it.
[flickr id=”6032617485″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] [flickr id=”6033176056″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”]
First, the supplies. Bread (1 slice makes 4 mini-rolls), a rolling pin, whatever fillings/toppings you want.
[flickr id=”6032617723″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”] [flickr id=”6032617865″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”] [flickr id=”6032618017″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”]
Cut off the crust (I keep mine to feed the birds) and roll the bread flat, or cut into strips.
[flickr id=”6032618189″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”] [flickr id=”6033176824″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”]
Get your toppings on your bread. For fun I used a mini cookie cutter to cut the banana for some of the strips, and for others I just cut it in half and length-wise. I used my leftovers for a bowl of cereal 😉
[flickr id=”6033176704″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”] [flickr id=”6032618319″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”none”]
Roll them. I rolled some in spirals. I’ve read that you should roll these tight, but w/ the jelly I actually roll loose otherwise all of the jelly is squished out. For the orange marmalade I rolled in both sides and then folded to the middle (securing with a small strip of peanut butter between the two edges).
[flickr id=”6032618591″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]
Last but not least for a little extra fun I used some little cutters I had lying around to cut out shapes in cheese (I nibbled on the scraps).
Usually I make less sushi and include some small strips of carrots for a well rounded meal. My kids totally scarf these down faster than you can blink.
Some other ideas I have yet to try, but plan to…
- Butter & cucumbers rolled
- Jam w/ sweetened whipped cream cheese strips or folds
- Herbed whipped cream cheese with cucumbers strips
- Carrot peel & herbed whipped cream cheese rolls
- Nutella and Strawberry strips or rolls
- Whipped cream cheese (sweetened) w/ blueberries
These do not take me a ton of time (Well, this one did but I was taking pics and making more than I usually do)…and the kids love them. They are SO worth a shot!! Try them!!
