Sailing!

A good friend of ours took Mike and the boys sailing this past weekend near New Bern. They had a great time, even spent the night on the boat.

Our God is an Awesome God

Aly wanted to sing this - all her siblings performed it during the Easter service, but she was too young. She's been practicing on her own for weeks now and finally got the words. Still working on the hand motions though. :)

I made my own laundry detergent!

Yeehaw! I've been wanting to do this for a really long time... All you need is water, ivory soap, borax, washing soda and a large container. Borax is usually in the laundry aisle. AFTER I went through the trouble of finding "washing soda", I discovered it is actually sodium carbonate- the same as soda ash or PH add- common ingredients in the pool chemical section. For the bucket, I used a 3 gallon container that previously had alkalinity booster for the pool. But you could use a large tupperware or any container with a lid. Here's how you make it:

Grate 1 bar of Ivory soap (Walmart, 3 bars for $.89)

Add it to large pot with 6cups water on med-low heat.

Stir occasionally until melted- about 30 min.

When that is completely dissolved it will look like clear water.

Add 3/4 c. washing soda and 3/4 c. borax.

Stir until dissolved. The gritty feeling will be gone when it is fully dissolved.

Pour 1 Qt. of hot water into the bucket.

Add the dissolved soap and stir.

Add 1.5 Gal of water and stir again.

That's it! You can use it right away, but it will gel after 24 hours. It will look like boogers if it's done right! :) Actually a better description is egg-drop soup. Use 1/2 -3/4 cup per load depending on size. It works really well, and it has a pleasant smell that leaves your clothes smelling fresh and not full of chemicals. I estimate this costs $.03 per load, versus $.20-$.30 per load depending on the type of laundry detergent used. Also, I have stopped using fabric softener and find my clothes are very soft without it, due to using less harsh chemicals to wash them with. To combat static cling, I throw a couple balls of aluminum foil in the dryer. Fabric softener is known to aggravate skin conditions such as eczema, so I am hopeful this change will improve the condition of our skin. Also, I am planning to very soon make my own soap. That will cut down the cost of the laundry detergent to about $.01 per load. And since I am constantly doing laundry, I will be constantly saving money!

*hint* Vinegar is a good fabric softener and can be added during the rinse cycle. (Use about 1/2 cup) It evaporates completely and does not leave any vinegar smell. -thanks Jennifer!