Into March We Go!

 

Other than being pregnant, I cannot think of another time when I was so happy to be done with something!  The yearbook is completed and will be submitted in just a short week.  It has been a love-hate kind of thing.  Some days I have been excited to be a part of this, and some days it took everything I had not to drop-kick the computer across the room.  And, for the two of you who actually read this, yes, I have signed on for next year...I just know it will go smoother next year, though! Besides the yearbook, I have been busy with lots of other stuff. I have wanted to update the blog, but every time I sit down at the computer I thought of something else I needed for the yearbook.

 

You will all be exited to hear that we have moved into the 21st century with the addition of Netflix!  I think that Lyndon may decide to get rid of it, however, as I have discovered the vast array of documentaries Netflix offers.  I have watched everything from religion to hippies and in between.  So, basically we are going to move to a remote area of India, become Hindu and live out our days bathing in the streams and foraging for berries. Lyndon is convinced that is what we are on our way to doing with the changes I am making. I am not going to those extremes, but I have been watching a bunch of shows on processed foods, farm foods and household chemicals which is a little disturbing.  I have made some changes especially in my cleaning products and a lot of the food I am buying.  Surprisingly, the changes I have made are saving us money:-) Lyndon can't complain about that.  I have done a little at a time, starting with my laundry detergent.  After watching one of the documentaries, I did some research and realized that I was paying a lot of money for detergent that is full of a bunch of unnecessary stuff (and I am paying even more for HE).  So, I read up on detergents and found that a few basic ingredients were all you need to make a safe and effective detergent. I have used my homemade detergent for about a month now, and I am very happy with it.  It is not perfumey, but rather fresh and clean smelling.  I don't have to use a cup of it to do a wash, only a tablespoon (sometimes two for the really nasty stuff).  It also turns out that it is even better for your HE machine as it does not produce suds, the point behind HE detergents.  For those of you who are really interested, I will include my homemade recipes at the end of the post! I have also made my own household cleaners, mouthwash, shampoo, and, wait for it, deodorant!  I have used my family as guinea pigs.  Logan has been my favorite subject.  I love this kid because he will try anything and has been very supportive of my efforts.  Lyndon has been supportive, but he is a bit more skeptical.  He is just not as big on change, but when I tell him I can save us money, he seems to be more excited.  Then there is Luke.  For those of you who know Luke, his first answer to any question is NO.  He is not a fan of anything I have done, but as I weed stuff out of the house, he won't have a choice.  I have had fun with it, and I am excited to save money and to back away from the insane amount of products out that are just wasteful and unhealthy. What it boils down to is that the good old-fashioned stuff our grandparents used, is simply the best.  I have also been trying to weed out more and more processed foods, attempting to make the stuff that I, again, spend too much money on knowing it is unhealthy.  I am in the market for a good sandwich bread recipe if anyone reading this has one they can share.  I attempted a couple of loaves last week, and they tasted good, but they didn't cut it for sandwiches.

I was proud of my two loaves of homemade bread!

Apparently, the animals liked it too.  I placed one loaf on the island to cool off.  At some point, Lyndon and I heard some strange sounds and got up to investigate.  We think they all worked together to get the bread, perhaps Maddi knocked it off, but all three were caught chomping down on it.  They scattered, but I got a pic of the damage:-(

 

Next I am going to attempt making my own tomato sauce and my own strawberry jam along with homemade granola bars and other snacks for the boys!  I will let you know how that goes when I attempt it...

 

 

Other things have been happening too!  Lyndon and I recently took a work trip to Pinehurst.  If you are not familiar with Pinehurst, let me tell you that this place is the place to be if you like anything golf.  I am not a fan of golf, but I will say that Pinehurst is quite beautiful! 

 

 

We spent three nights at Pinehurst and enjoyed some really good food and shopping.  I visited the spa rather than the golf course!  The weather really didn't cooperate until the last day, so we spent a lot of time indoors. It was a nice getaway, and we had fun while Mom got to spend some fun, alone time with her grandsons:-) I think she is still recovering!

 

Luke has also had another field trip to see bugs at a nature preserve! He wasn't exactly thrilled that I signed him up to go, but once there, he got into it!

 

 

Logan has also been busy at school. He is still loving it, and I could not be more happy with his progress! He thrives there, and I pray that he always has a love for school!

 

 

 

And, we got snow!!!

 

 

 

 

 

It snowed over night, melted by about noon the next day, the kids were enjoying sunshine from noon until about 6, and then it started to sleet . The weather here has been weird!  I am sooo over the cold and can't wait for warmer weather and a fresh garden!

And,yes, those are large container lids. When you don't get snow on a regular basis, you make due! Thanks to our New Jersey neighbor for showing us how it is done!

 

Here are some recipes for you!! I hope your start to Spring is a fabulous one!

 

Homemade Laundry Powder:

1 Cup Baking Soda or Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

1 Bar of Fels Naptha

All three of these can be found in the laundry aisle at Wal-Mart.  The Fels Naptha looks like a large bar of soap.  I used my cheese grater at first, but then I had to put it in my food processor to grind it to make it smaller pieces.  Then, I just mixed it in with the Borax and soda.  Some places I looked at online said to use the Washing Soda as the Baking Soda fades clothes.  I have not had a problem with that, however, and the Washing Soda is not available everywhere.  Once it is mixed, I put 1 to 2 tablespoons directly into the drum with the clothes.  It will not suds up, but it isn't supposed to.  Then I dry as usual! You may need to mix it up the powder each time you use it.  The Fels Naptha tends to push its way up to the top. Place it in a container with tight fitting lid! Info was found at: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/homemade-laundry-powder.htm.

 

 

Homemade Mouthwash:

Mix 2 ounces of Water

 1/4 Teaspoon of baking soda or Sea Salt

1 drop of Pure Peppermint Oil.

I boiled some water and just measured out what I needed.  I made enough to put fill up an old hydrogen peroxide bottle. I found this at http://www.ultimate-cosmetics.com/beauty/homemade-recipes/mouthwash.htm.

 

 

Homemade Shampoo:

Mix equal parts pure castile soap, my favorite is Dr. Bronner's in peppermint, with water.  Again, I boiled my water just to remove any unwanted stuff!  I then added a few drops of peppermint oil.  I will say that if you have a lot of hair, you will need to rinse very well and perhaps with cold water. Soap is a bit more difficult to get out than regular shampoo.  Also, if you have color in your hair, this will strip it.  Pure castile soap is really good for a lot of things, but hair color is not one of them according the the info I read.  This shampoo has been great on the boys' hair, and I love it on mine as long as I rinse well.  I have been using a little Apple Cider Vinegar as a rinse afterwards because it makes it easier to get a comb through it!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/castile-soap-shampoo.html

 

You can also make pretty much any household cleaner you need using the following ingredients!

Vinegar

Baking Soda

Borax

Lemons

Olive Oil

Alcohol

Castile Soap

Here is a site that can give you more info if you are interested:

http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products?page=2

 

Homemade Deodorant:

Rub dry baking soda on armpit

Rub Regular Baby Powder on top of that

I played around with homemade deodorants before I came across this combo! I swear to you that it works better than even the store bought stuff.  The truth is that I am not much of a sweater, but it does help somewhat with that.  What amazes me is that even after a very long day, amazingly, I am not smelly:-) I even had Lyndon smell me (TMI alert, sorry).  He was very impressed! The big test came the other day when I ran.  Even after 4 miles, I was stinky free! I will continue to use it and update you if there are any changes! There was not website for this, I just played around with it!

 

As I do more homemade stuff, I will be sure to share!

Happy March!