Easy DIY Laundry Detergent for only $0.04 per load!

Last year I made my own laundry detergent using the grate-and-boil method, and after slicing open my hand on the grater and an hour inhaling soap fumes while cooking it, I swore I would never do it again.  I was over-the-moon ecstatic to find an option that does not require grating or boiling, and leaves my clothes clean, soft, and smelling amazing, while still saving a bundle. 

One of my biggest hangups with homemade detergent is the smell. I love laundry that really smells lovely, and most homemade detergent is at best scent-free. I think I could probably camp out in the laundry aisle of the grocery store and just live there until my dying days and be happy. When I came up with this idea to incorporate fabric softener into my homemade detergent, I was beyond excited.

Are you ready for the recipe? Here we go! 

SUPPLIES:

Recycled Bottles (drink bottles work great for this)
Funnel
6 Tbs Borax
6 Tbs Washing Soda
3 Tbs Blue Dawn Dish Soap
1/3 cup Downy Unstoppables (or your favorite fabric softener)
Water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a bottle a little less than half way with HOT water from the tap (not boiling water -remember this is no cook).
2. Add the Borax, Washing Soda, and Fabric Softener.  (If you have sensitive skin, or want to skip the fabric softener you can - the recipe will work otherwise just as well.)
3. Shake, shake, shake for about a minute.  You want to incorporate the ingredients into the water and get the Downy Unstoppable beads to start dissolving.
4. Fill the rest of the way with HOT water from the tap, making sure to leave a little bit of head room at the top of the bottle.
5.  Add in the Dawn Dish Soap.
6. Shake, shake, shake for about a minute more to disperse the Dawn and get those Downy beads moving again.
7. Go back and shake again every few minutes until you see the Downy beads have completely dissolved.
8. When you are ready to use it, shake the bottle once more to incorporate all the ingredients (they separate when sitting), and then pour about 1/2 cup into your washer with your clothes like you would any other detergent.  You can use this in a HE washer as it has very low suds.  Just make sure to use a smaller amount.

COST BREAKDOWN:

Box of Borax (4 lbs 12 oz): $3.38
Box of Washing Soda (3 lbs 7 oz): $3.24
Med Bottle of Blue Dawn (24 oz): $2.49
Downy Unstoppables (19.5oz) : $5.97 (I actually got mine much cheaper on a sale at Target, so keep your eyes open)

Total Cost: $15.10

The bottle of Downy Unstoppables is the smallest, allowing for 7 gallons of detergent, so we will do our math based on that number, though you will have PLENTY of leftover Dawn, Borax, and Washing Soda for future detergent.

$15,10 divided by 7 = $2.15/gallon.
There are 16 cups in a gallon, so 32 loads worth in each gallon.  That makes each load a total cost of 6.7-cents.

If you calculated it based on the amount of products actually USED for 7 gallons....

Borax - 1 lb, 5 oz used  ($0.93)
Washing Soda - 1 lb. 5 oz used ($1.23)
Dawn - 10.5 oz used ($1.06)
Downy Unstoppables - whole bottle used ($5.97)

Total Cost of products USED: $9.21
Total Cost per Gallon: $1.31
Total Cost per Load: 4-cents
Total Loads in 7 gallons: 224

If you are using an HE washer, you will need even less soap per load, bringing your total down as low as even 1-cent per load!!

Have fun and let me know if you try it!! :D

Found Some Treasure Today

Today I found some truly remarkable treasure. I was merely sorting through things trying to prepare for our upcoming yard sale, and I stumbled across hundreds of handwritten recipes, literally generations old.

When I got married back in the year 2000, my Mammaw (that's my grandma, folks) gave me the recipe box on the left, filled with hand-written recipes from the many women there in TX who touched my life growing up.  It is a treasure that I hold incredibly dear to my heart, especially because most of those people are now gone.

On the right is another recipe box that I came across today as I was sorting through things for a garage sale.  I didn't recognize it, and thought it might have been something I bought years ago from a garage sale or thrift store.  When I opened it up to take a look, it took my breath away.  It is filled with hand-written recipes from my ancestors, dating back to my great, great grandmother.  They are noted with names and the year they were written at the top, and have obviously been well loved and well used.

It was absolutely breathtaking to thumb through these, written out by women decades gone, and recognizing some of the recipes as ones that I ate in my own family growing up.  There is a strange and beautiful connection that happens with food and tradition. I cannot wait to someday pass these on to my own daughter, and watch her carry forward the legacy of generations of kitchens before us.

As if that wasn't enough, I found some other special cookbooks that I had all but forgotten about.  The first here is one called "Fort Sill Entertains" and is filled with recipes, memories, and Menus from the Spouse's Club there at Ft. Sill.  That is the base where we were stationed as hubby served nearly 7 years of his Army career.

I met many of the most incredible women I have ever come to know during my time at Fort Sill. It has been years since I've seen many of them, but we stay in touch, a bond of sisterhood and friendship that spans both space and time.

Next is a church cookbook from the First Baptist Church in Seguin, TX.  My grandma's recipes are published in here along with many of the other women that served as role models, friends, and honorary family in my growing up years.  Many of those recipes are for meals that we shared in the courtyard at the church, during an Ice Cream Social or at a Sunday Banquet.  Even just reading about them takes me back to hot summers when I would go and visit and the sound of hymns as I listened to the rumbling baritone of my grandfather's singing.

Last amongst my treasures for today is the American Woman's Cookbook.  The book itself is in poor shape, but there's a part of me that loves it all the more for being so.  Someone should love it- it's lived a long and valuable life, right? Published in 1957, this book is filled to the brim with recipes, guides, ads and coupons.  It is a treasure trove and a snapshot of life nearly 60 years ago.  The pages lay flat when you open the book, which tells me it has been used over and over and over again.  As I thumb through the recipes I wonder what this book has seen, how many tables it's recipes have graced as families have built memories together over new and old traditions.

Do you have any special recipe books, or family recipes that mean something special to you?  Please comment below and tell me all about them.  I would absolutely love to hear about it.

Her Family Tree

Two years ago I made a birthday promise to paint something for my dear friend Kim once she got into her new house.  She decided that she wanted to have a tree on her living room wall to display her family photos on, as though they were hanging from the branches. She moved in a year ago, and today I was finally able to go over and get it done for her.

 We spent the afternoon chatting and watching Jon Taffer rescue bars across America while I painted.  She told me stories about the people in her family as we hung them up on her tree, and watched as her display came to life.

It's things like this that make me grateful to have a paintbrush in hand.  Furniture is pretty, and I love to do a nice canvas painting once in a while too.  This though, holds up the people that mean the most to Kim, and for that I'm honored to have been able to paint it. <3

The Artist's Gift

After 40 years away from the craft, my amazing and incredible artist of a mother took to painting again so that she could give me a custom piece of her own hand.  I can't believe with talent like this, that she hasn't picked up a paintbrush in decades.

She managed to capture the stars, the glow of the warmth inside the cottage, the texture of the vines and the grass, as well as the gorgeous stone on the building (which, by the way, is based on some of my favorite French architecture). With this stunning piece hanging in my room, I can go to sleep each night imagining that I am gazing out of that upper floor window, surveying the beauty of the french countryside by moonlight. <3  I cannot ask for more than this, the precious gift of my artist mother. <3

Bread Box Charging Station

So, I am fairly convinced that my family keeps Apple in business.  Okay, okay... Samsung too.  We're equal opportunity techies.  I honestly couldn't tell you how many different phones and tablets we have cycling around this house, but that fact alone tells me there's most likely too many (though I don't see that changing anytime soon).  That said, we ALWAYS have something charging, and usually several things at once.  It isn't the most beautiful thing ever to see cords and tablets everywhere.  We've tried containing the mass charging to the bathroom so it is out of sight, but even that winds up completely taking over the counter.  Time to get creative! 

When I was at Good Will a while ago I spotted this beat up roll-top bread box, and thought it might be just what I was looking for.  It was 50% off and I paid about $3 for it after tax, so I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot and see what I can do with it.

The first thing I did was give it a good wipe down, and then I got right in there with the Kukui stain and finish from CeCe Caldwell's Paints.  I was concerned that with the roll top it would be particularly difficult to get into the nooks and crannies, but I was happily proven wrong.  This was one of the easier projects I've done, and I truly do love it.  As always, I am amazed at what a little bit of stain and finish can do to really make something look new!  This is going to look so beautiful sitting on my kitchen counter.  Unless I tell them, no one would know that inside of that gorgeous box is a pile of technology charging away.

Next we are going to cut a hole in the back of the box through which we can feed the cord of a surge protector.  This will mean that only one cord will be coming out of the box, and we will still be able to charge multiple devices.  There is plenty of room in the box for multiple devices to fit in there at once.  Hooray for beautiful organization at last. <3

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Well, okay it's not on the wall yet, but I couldn't resist.

Hubby and I haven't had a mirror in our room for a LONG time, and I knew I wanted one once we moved.  I had been on the lookout for a nice one with good design elements for some time, and finally found what I was looking for.

This project started out with a mirror that I found at the thrift store for $5.99.  Not bad for a piece with nice bones like this.  Unfortunately, I am not a fan of gold in my own home, so I knew I wanted to dress it up to match my style.

Hubby and I have decided that we want to do turquoise accents and rustic decor in our bedroom, so I thought I would start there and see where it goes.  I picked up some CeCe Caldwells Paints (Beckley Coal and Santa Fe Turquoise), and got myself to work.

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about CeCe Caldwell Paints is that you do not have to sand before you paint!  It sticks, it stays, and it goes on usually in one coat.  I can't imagine having to sand all the little crevices and curves on the frame - that would have been a nightmare.  This stuff is the hero of paints, truly!

I started with a basecoat in the Beckley Coal, and dry brushed the Santa Fe Turquoise over top on little areas to highlight it without being overpowering.  That also helps it play into the rustic aspect of things really nicely!  Then I finished it all off with two coats of CeCe Caldwell Endurance Finish, and vuah lah!

All finished and ready to go up on the wall once we get to the new place.  Kevin jokes that I need to paint a ghost on the glass, because it's "just that kind of mirror."  I think I'll leave her as is. ;)  Isn't she pretty? :)

Easy Designer Art Projects

As I've mentioned, we're preparing for a move and trying to get some projects done to make things easy, fun, and fashionable when we get there.  My daughter, Anna, wants her room to be green and white, with a "vine" theme.  She loves nature, and all things leafy.  We had a little bit of spray paint leftover from her lamp, fan, and trash can renovations, so we decided to make some coordinating canvases to hang on her wall. 

The process for creating these gorgeous pieces was incredibly simple, kid-friendly, and took less than 5 minutes each.  I had Anna pick up a few small branches that had fallen from a tree in our yard and we laid them out over the canvas.  I had her spraypaint right over the top of the branch and when she was content with the coverage we lifted the branch to reveal the negative.  I love how it has such dimension and looks so natural and pretty!!  

We made two different ones so that she could have some coordinating artwork for her walls.  I love the designer look, and she loves that they were her own creation.  I'd say it's a win-win.

What items can you think of that would make great negatives to spray paint over on canvas??

How I Rescued an End Table

We were given a bunch of furniture for free from an awesome friend of ours.  The living room set had been painted a warm brown color on the bottom and the top was a dated oak that needed some sprucing up.

In keeping with the color scheme from our TV stand, we used Beckley Coal paint from CeCe Caldwell's Paints, as well as their Kukui Stain and Finish for the top.  I am going to take a moment here and tell you that these paints and stains are totally worth their weight in gold & go a long way.  We were able to paint multiple pieces of furniture with just one can of each!  Talk about savings!

Keeping costs down is a huge part of DIY renovations for me.  The whole point is to revive something that can still be useful, and improve our home and surroundings, without breaking the bank.  For us, it is a wonderful way to get designer style at a thrift store price (or even free).

I was uncertain as to how the stain would do going over an already varnished top (we did not sand first), but decided to give it a go.  I was absolutely blown away by how much this stepped up the beauty of this piece!!  As with the TV stand, we used the Kukui to finish over the paint on the bottom, to give a deeper color and a strong seal.

To say that we are THRILLED with this renovation is an understatement!  I love when you can see new life being breathed into a dated piece.  Our living room is really starting to come together, and we are getting so excited about this move to TX.  It is going to be a lot of fun to finally see the room finished and put together.  I can't wait. 

An Anniversary Renovation

Our 15th Wedding Anniversary was this last week, and we had arranged for this weekend to be one just for the two of us, kid-free and fancy-free.  So what did we decide to do with our time?  Renovate furniture, of course!!  We had so much fun talking about the coming changes in our lives and getting things ready for the transition.  We have decided to give our current household items a facelift before the big move to TX, and finish up some long-neglected projects.  We want a fresh start when we get there!

I bought the piece above 5 years ago for a whopping $20, as a part of a china cabinet.  The top cabinet piece was broken, the glass was missing, the lights were out, and it was generally not usable, so out it went.  I kept the bottom piece with the intention of redoing it at some point, but never seemed to get around to it.  This weekend, we decided to dive right in.

First up, the tools of the trade.  Kevin works for CeCe Caldwell's Paints, so we are pretty fortunate to have access to amazing inspiration and tutorials on a pretty regular basis.  We used all natural Beckley Coal paint for the base.  We used pallet wood for the top, and stained it with Kukui stain & finish.  Because it is also a finish we did not have to do another step with the top to seal it.  We also used the Kukui to finish the base, which added some depth to the color, and gave a nice strong finish to the paint.  

With a LOT of hard work and some amazing products, it looks awesome!  I love it.  We are going to use it for a TV stand in the new house.  It will match our other living room furniture too, which is in the works as we speak.  Can't wait to show you!!

Leave a comment below and tell me what you think of our DIY Renovation of the TV stand! 

5 Secrets to a Love that Lasts

Today is my 15th wedding anniversary. That's a pretty significant number, and I realized today that we have been together for more than half of my life.  I look at that face and I see laughter, tears, our beautiful children, strength through my fear, peace in my storms, comfort in my hurt, and the man I want to wake up to every single day. He is my past, my present, and my future.

Here are 5 ways we have stayed so madly in love:

1. Be each other's BEST FRIENDS.  Yes it is okay to have other "Best Friends" too, but this needs to be the FIRST person you want to go to to talk about your joys, your frustrations, your sadness, your anger, your everything.  It needs to be the person you laugh with and have inside jokes with.  This needs to be the person you can let go and be yourself with, and not worry that they are going to change their opinion of you if you say something totally stupid or have a booger on the outside of your nose. Beyond what they can do for you in the relationship, think about what kind of friend you can be to them, especially if you notice this piece of things is lacking.  Never forget that you get back what you put in, so be the best friend you can be to your mate.  Make some new memories and find reasons to laugh together. Ask them about their day (use specifics and remember things that they've mentioned are important to them).  Leave a little surprise for them.  Call them just to say hello and talk.  Step away from the computer and snuggle up and watch a movie they like for a change.  Listen to music together. Go hiking, even if you don't like it, but they do.  Be a real FRIEND, and your connection will grow more than you can imagine.

Prom, 1999

2. MAKE TIME for each other.  Real time.  Date time.  Quiet time.  Sexy time.  MAKE. THE. TIME.  Put it on the calendar if you have to, and let it be concrete.  We have a standing date night and those within our circle know that those are "black out dates" and we are not available. Prioritize the commitments with your partner so that they KNOW they are important to you.  Don't let anything stand in the way of that.  Yes, I know many of you have kids (so do we), and jobs (so do we), and commitments (so do we).  It comes down to priorities, and this really needs to be high up there.  We tell our kids that we need to have time together because it helps us to be the best mom & dad we can be.  It's the truth, and it gives them an example of how to prioritize their marriage as well when they're older, so I have no problem showing them that we need time for the two of us.  We make time for the kids as well, and have amazing people that stay with them when we go.

3. Get good and MAD sometimes.  Let's face it.  Not everything is sunshine and roses, and sometimes we screw up.  One of the worst things you can do for your relationship is to harbor resentment, because that just grows and gets to be a huge festering monster that drools and poops on everything that matters to you in your relationship.  No one wants that.  If there is something that hurt you or bothers you, get it out.  Have the argument.  Cry.  Do whatever you need to to work through it.  Then make up.  Cuddle and be together.  Do nice things for each other.  Be awkward but loving after it's all said and done.  Just don't feed the festering poop monster.

4. BUILD EACH OTHER UP.  Yep.  All caps on that one.  It's huge.  Believe in your partner and tell them so.  Say nice things EVERY DAY and mean them.  Tell them what you love about them on a regular basis. Complement their appearance, their commitment to their career, the way they are with the kids, their consistency in doing something around the house that helps everyone.  Say thank you whenever you have the opportunity.  Let them know when they did something that was helpful or meant something to you.  Don't assume they know - use your words. It's powerful, it means a LOT to your partner, and it WILL come back in your direction if you just start that ball rolling.

5. BELIEVE IN FOREVER.  All caps again.  Take "break up" and "divorce" out of your vocabulary (unless of course you are in an unsafe situation).  This is it.  You're in it for the long haul. The whole enchilada.  You aren't going anywhere until the fat lady sings at your funeral. Once you remove this "out" from your mindset, you will find that you change your entire approach to your relationship.  It can't be something that you view as temporary, or based on whatever circumstances seem to be happening at the time.  If you want a love that lasts, you have to truly believe it will last FOREVER.

At least that is what's worked for me. :)

Do you have any tips or tricks for what keeps the love alive?  Post below in the comments!  I'd love to hear from you!

10 Things No One Tells You About Personal Growth

Over the last 6 months I have flipped my life upside down.  I knew I needed a change, and that it was time to take control over some areas of my life that had been bothering me for some time.

I have a tendency to put myself last to take care of my beautiful and amazing family.  While I wouldn't change my love and service to them, I knew it was time to take a look at my own journey and start working toward some long-lost goals of my own. This phase of personal growth for me has been a tough one.  Nose to the grindstone, beaten and bruised, sweating my ass off, TOUGH.

And here's what I've learned.

1. There is no RIGHT path.  I always used to think that I was put in this life to uncover what I was *meant* to do, as if there was some cosmic alignment of pre-destined greatness just waiting for me to get my head out of the sand and find it.  The truth is that this world is made up of all kinds of people in all kinds of situations and all kinds of jobs, and roles, and they are ALL important.  Maybe what I'm doing is not up there with Mother Theresa's selflessness or Van Gogh's talent, but the path I *choose* is the right one for me because it FITS. And that's okay.  Part of my own personal growth is accepting that my own journey is about being my best self in whatever way fits me and my life.  There are no standards to meet beyond those I set for myself.

2. You will QUESTION yourself.  Besides the "right path" thing, you start to wonder if it's worth it.  Make no mistake, it is HARD to do this.  When you begin to really explore the idea of changing your life, improving yourself, and reaching for a better way of living, you come up against a whole slew of obstacles.  Sometimes we take those obstacles to mean that it's not the right path, but in truth, it's just the speed bumps that you've been avoiding going over to get to something better.  Trust the journey.

3. Others will QUESTION you.  People in general don't like change, and when someone they care about starts to evolve it can be scary.  Sometimes it comes across in flippant or "joking" comments.  Sometimes it becomes clear that people just don't believe that you will succeed. Whatever it is, consider it fuel to move you forward.  Keep your goals in your sights, and don't let it stop you.

4. Jealousy is a BITCH.  We tend to surround ourselves with people that are similar mindsets to our own.  When you go and change on them, people don't like it.  The worst thing is when those people you've shared so much of your heart and life with share your goals as well, but you get there first.  There's a reason I have often held back into the shadows and not gone for the spotlight in my life.  I've held back, and while it has kept my relationships at a steady level of mutual experience, it hasn't served my own journey.  I naively thought that some of these people would celebrate with me through my growth and determination, but sadly that was not the case.

5. You have to make tough CHOICES.  When you grow, you inevitably leave some pieces of your past behind.  I'm a sentimental person, and I have never been good at weeding things out of my life.  When you make a conscious choice to move toward your goals and grow as a person, the sifting and sorting begins to automatically happen.  The good part about this is that you can see clearly the people and situations that are good and right in your life.  The bad part is that whether you want it or not, you're shown pretty clearly what, and who, needs to change in your life, and it is up to you to make the final decision to do so.  Let me tell you, it is not easy to draw a line in the sand and say "this is what is best for me."  Unfortunately, if you do not make those tough choices, you cannot continue to grow.

6. Obstacles appear out of NOWHERE. There is some cosmic rule that when you actively try to change, shit is going to get thrown your way.  I'm going to blame this one on Newton with his law of intertia.  According to Google the definition is, "the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion, including changes to its speed and direction."  Again... the world resists change, and going from a place of rest to a place of motion is going to stir things up.  Fact of life.  I'm talking about things no one could predict... sickness, unexpected financial strain, someone passing away.  Stuff is going to happen and it is going to be hard to work through and keep moving forward.

7. You will want to QUIT.  Somewhere along the way with everything you are up against, you are going to look back at your life before with rose colored glasses and think, "that wasn't so bad."  You're going to dream of sleeping in, of the relationships you miss that are gone now, and of how things were so "simple" then.  You can tell yourself you'll always have another chance.  You can try again next month... next year... It all looks very tempting, and you WILL want to quit.  But don't.  Don't throw all of that hard work away, and take from yourself this once chance for change.

8. When you change one thing, EVERYTHING changes.  Yeah, I didn't expect this.  I thought I would just be adding in a new career.  I thought I would just be improving my own determination and passion for life.  I anticipated that I would just be expanding on the life I already had.  I had no idea my life as a whole would look different.

9. Sometimes you have to take a big risk (and it's SCARY).  I took a risk when I made the decision to try and change my life.  I took a risk when I started a new career.  I took a risk when I made the tough choices in my relationships.  And I'm taking a risk now.  We decided based on our goals and life changes that we should move back home to Texas.  Change is scary for me, especially when it involves my whole family.  We have been carefully considering this option for months, and ultimately we decided it was time to take that step.  The risk is great, but so is the reward.

10. It's totally WORTH IT.  While there has certainly been a lion's share of tears and heartaches along the way, all of this is for good reason.  I feel a renewed sense of self that I can be proud of.  I am happy with my career.  I have built new, healthier relationships.  Many of my previous relationships are stronger and I feel an even deeper connection with them now.  My marriage is thriving.  My children see me reaching for my goals and achieving them (giving them a faith in themselves to do the same).  Our lives are improving financially.  We are able to work toward our family's long term goals.  Most of all, I am happy with who I am, and who I am continually becoming.