Do-It-Yourself Laundry Detergent

Many times I have read about do-it-yourself  laundry detergent and often considered giving it a try.  One of the moms in our homeschool co-op makes her own and handed out copies of the recipe so I decided to do it!  I mixed up a batch sometime the first week of February and to date, have only used about 1/3 of the mixture.  (I average 5 loads of laundry a week. More if it's a change-the-sheets week.)  I am quite pleased with it and love that I haven't bought detergent in a few months and have several more months to go before needing to make more!
The recipe is as follows;
                                             1 large box Baking Soda
                                              1 large box Borax
                                              2 boxes Washing Soda
                                              3 bars of Fels Naphtha soap
                                              1 small container Oxy-Clean (versatile)

All of the items are found in the laundry detergent aisle at Wal-Mart.  The first three ingredients all come in the same size and style box.  The cost for all of the items was roughly $16. 
Grate all 3 bars of soap.  Mix all of the ingredients in a large tote or bucket.  (I suggest 5 gallons or so.)  After mixing well, store with the lid tightly secured.  To avoid lifting or opening that large bin for each load, I suggest pouring some of the mixed detergent into a smaller container to keep on the dryer or someplace handy. 
I use about 2 Tbsp per load.  A little less or a little more depending on the type of load.  I will be sure to post when I finish this first batch...just to see what sort of savings I'm looking at.  I feel quite certain it will be worth it.

 

Kittens!

This past Monday morning, Tiger, the cat that adopted us after we moved in...delivered six kittens! We knew she was getting close and I was so hoping that we might have the chance to see it all happen. We let her in the laundry room on Sunday night and she didn't have any interest in going back out. We put a beach towel on the floor of a closet in the same room just in case. Tim woke at about 3:30am and decided to check on her. Sure enough, there were already three kittens. He woke me and I woke the girls. We were able to watch her have the next three. SO adorable!

Spring Banquet

Last night, the middle and high school students from our homeschool co-op had their formal spring banquet. The kids ate at a very exclusive restaurant on the 35th floor of a building in Oklahoma City. Afterwards, they took a 30 minute boatride through a part of the city. To top off the evening, they all changed clothes and went bowling from 10:30 til midnight.
They had a great time getting dressed up and spending the evening together. (There are a few more pictures on Lily's blog.)

www.lily-lifesanadventure.blogspot.com

Three weeks ago today we brought the chicks home...and you can see how quickly they grow! We decided it was time to give them a safe place to explore outside so this afternoon we put together this temporary "cage". They were quite happy after they got over the stress of being moved from their small bin. They pecked and poked around for about two hours out there and finally all collapsed and took a nap in a shady part. (It took me and Lily quite a looong time to grab them all out of the bin and put them on the grass. They are faster now... and frankly are quite boney feeling and it freaks me out a bit to have them in my grasp for long. I think it's that in between stage of not all feathers are in and some downy fluff is still there, etc. It was after our struggle with them and a few yelps from us, not the chicks, that I noticed our neighbor had been watching the whole time. The gate had been left open and he had a perfect view into the back yard. Quite entertaining, I'm sure... to say the least.)
We plan to keep the chicks out in the yard each day if the weather permits. They will continue to spend most of their time, however, in the garage.
I've posted a few extra pics at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!

Dinner Theater

Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming, was the name of the musical that our homeschool co-op presented this weekend.  It was the 6th-12th graders so Lily was a part of the group.  She is pictured here with a few of the other girls.  They are dressed as their characters and before they performed they served dinner to the audience.  At the intermission, they cleared tables and refilled drinks, etc. 

Tim, Gracie and I attended on Friday night and thoroughly enjoyed the show!  It's safe to say that their performance Friday night was flawless!  (Even their own director agreed!)  I had kitchen duty all day Saturday as we had a matinee and an evening performance.  We got home last night at about 10:30 and fell into bed. 

It was a great experience for Lily and she's been missing her friends all day!  We're so proud of her and all the hard work put into the show!  I can't wait to see what they do next year!