Back to WHAT!?

Summer is in full effect in our tiny nook of the world with lots of changes for our family as well, and quite frankly....it has been CRAZY! I decided to head back to work {after 5 years at home} and why did I decide to do this over summer break? Umm yeah. Anyway...the kids are doing great with our mix it up sitter schedule and granted, it is only part time, and they {we} enjoy the break from each other. But it really has put on hold a lot of my crafty creative~ness at home. My garden is weed-ridden and the flower beds...well...I keep hoping those really tall things BlooM!! Perhaps part of our new outdoor jungle growth is because we have been enjoying our summer to the fullest. Lots of pooltime, water toys, sprinklers, late night fires & smores, catching fireflies and many many suppers outside. Which is why, I had a *smallish* freak out realization the other day. Did you know the stores have their Back To {GASP!} School things out!? How did this happen? I am the crazy lady with my kids backpacks packed and ready to go, like...a week after school is OUT. I am seriously torn between giving in to my sadistic obsession of smelling pencils and filler paper or continuing my frolicking good time summer. And I want to call out the stores and say, NO! You are wrong! We still have blah blah blah amount of time before we need to worry about that, but guess what...it's like 5 weeks away. So, I'm sitting here blogging, eyeing the Lands End 'BTS' catalog and rocking out to some summer tunes. I think I will choose to live in denial for just a bit longer....after all, They are only kids ONCE : )    

There are times I am 'SO' on the ball, and other times {like lately} where I can't seem to get anything right. Saying this, I cannot find any 'before' pics. Grrr. So, imagine, a white ladder back chair with a light oak seat.....the boring plain-ness of it. Ahhh...but then...Cherry Red spray paint {can you hear the angels singing?} and yes...mod podge and sheet music fabric. Yes. A perfect combo for my daughter's new desk chair. She loves it, I love it and it only cost $2 for the chair. SWEET!                      

Simple Soap

I do a lot of laundry. Laundry is my addiction. I actually LIKE to do laundry on most days. It is the easiest chore to do and you get instant results. My 8 year old lil curly redhead has allergies to lots of chemical based things. We have worked out most of the bugs over the years, but sometimes we goof up and she {unfortunately} ends up covered in hives. Laundry soap is no different. Yes, it is so much better now that there are more 'sensitive' and 'allergen-free' options, but sometimes they can be rather costly, and like I said...I do a LOT of laundry. So, a friend of mine hooked me up with a homemade laundry soap recipe. I have been using it for over a month now and the verdict is....I love it! So, I wanted to share it with you. Trust me, it is so easy. I make a double batch....you know....because I do a lot of laundry.  : )



Grate one bar of soap. I use Ivory {allergen free & non drying} but you can used whatever you prefer.



My soap...all grated and in a food processor. I mix this all in the processor because my friend had soap flake issues on her laundry and honestly, that would drive me nuts. So, a kitchen power tool to the rescue!  : )

 

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Add one cup each of washing soda and Borax {about $3 a box and you can find them in the laundry isle}
 and blend away! The food processor breaks up all the shavings and leaves the mix very fine.  

 

I dump it in a container and use 1 or 2 tablespoons per load. I haven't figured my costs out, but I know it is way cheaper for me to make my own than to buy it now. And the bonus...no HIVES!!