Bragging on my girls!

So I have to show you a really cool project that my girls did.  This was my granddaughter's third birthday cake!  She's madly into sharks, hence the theme:

The top layer was little animals in sand (crushed graham crackers) and the bottom two layers were sharks of varying kinds.

And -- All Hail the (cutest!) Birthday Princess:

Happy Birthday from Grandma!!!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

So I promised that I would give recipes for all my cleaners during January - Oh well.  Best laid plans and all that.

 Here is a recipe for Homemade Dishwasher Detergent that actually works:

1 part citric acid
2 parts baking soda
2 parts borax

Mix the ingredients together - you can stir in a bowl, or just put all the ingredients together in a plastic lidded container container and shake.  Use 1 Tablespoon per load.

I purchase citric acid at our local food co-op, but it is a bit pricey there.  You can purchase it on-line much cheaper.  Just be sure to get food-grade citric acid.

OK, I'll have to confess.  I took the picture above so that you would think our home is all posh and fancy.  Well, the reality is that the dishwasher detergent lives in this container:

Happy Cleaning!

January's over -- Let it Bud!

Did you know that January is a four-letter word?  And Happy New Year is a cuss word?  Well, it is to those of us who are payroll practitioners.  Quarterly Reports, Year-end Payroll Reports, W-2's, 1099's, reconciliations.  AARRGGHH!  Multiply the numerous required governmental filings times several clients, and you'll begin to see why my hair has been standing on end lately.  Cabin fever at its best!

For Christmas and January, I had this as the centerpiece of our table, actually hoping for snow as we hadn't had any:

"Let it Snow" indeed!  What was I thinking? We received most of our winter snow in two days - two feet in two days.  Now, a couple of weeks later, it still looks like this outside:

So it was high time to change the centerpiece.  Luckily, I have a wonderful red twig dogwood bush that constantly needs pruning.  Combining several clipped branches, some glass marbles, and a vase with water - and you have, Voila:

These will bud out, and start to grow some leaves in just a couple of weeks.  It's a fun, free way to get spring before spring wants to come outside!

Let it Bud!

Sewing for Others

I have a pile of projects on my sewing table waiting to be finished - but it seems that the ones that get done are the projects for others.

Recently, our Women's Ministry at our church has been sewing "pillowcase dresses" for underprivleged girls.  Anyone can make these, and ship to the charity who distributes them.  Patterns and instructions are at:   http://dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/.  Here are some of our recent creations:

Another thing I've sewn lately was a comfort quilt for a friend who recently had cancer surgery.  This idea was not mine - it was a brilliant brainwave of another friend.  We whipped this up quickly with scraps from my pile, and used fabric markers to write cheery messages, prayers and Bible verses to comfort our friend.

This quilt is just lap size.  Here's hoping that it will help keep her warm, and remind her of how many people are praying for her when we can't be there.

There are many things that can be sewn for others, and several charities that accept items.  So keep your sewing machines busy!

A little something from the desk this time....

ARGH!

If I see any more of THESE:

I think I might just run screaming down the highway.

Just sayin'

More about cleaners in a few days when I get the W-2's cleared off my desk!

Hang in there, people.  January will soon be over.



Baking Soda Dispenser

Baking soda can be used for multiple cleaning uses around the kitchen sink.  If your dishes get weird scratches on them, a little bit of baking soda wiped on the scratches can take them off.  The stubborn stains from tomato products can be removed the same way.  Scrubbing pots and pans is easier with a bit of baking soda. 

But somehow, reaching for the box that's in the baking cupboard doesn't seem real sanitary to me, so I made this cute dispenser for the baking soda.  This is a small 1/2 pint canning jar with lid.

To make your own dispenser, take the flat portion of the lid, and lay it on an old 2x4 or other thick piece of wood.  Drill a few holes in the lid with a 1/8" drill bit.  You can lay the holes out in a pattern, or just scatter them randomly on the lid.  Buff the edges of the holes with steel wool to get any shavings off.

Fill the jar with baking soda, and shake away!

What about Fabric Softener?

White Vinegar.

That's it.  I use white vinegar in exactly the same amounts, and the same place in the washing machine as liquid fabric softener.  It will help to get all the soap out of clothes, and will get all the residual "gunk" out of the fabrics from years of fabric softener.  And no, your clothes will not smell like pickles.

Some people will make scented vinegars - adding essential oil drops to the vinegar.  Another trick is to add fresh herbs to the vinegar, let sit for several days, and strain it.  But since my house is the 'House of Perpetual Laundry', I simply don't have time for all the fuss.

If you absolutely can't stand vinegar, another trick is to wet a washcloth, and dab a teaspoon of your favorite hair conditioner on it and rub the fabric together.  Toss this in the dryer.  When I did this, my favorite was a lavender conditioner available at Bath & Body Works.  I'm not sure they still sell this, though.

What about "static cling"?  The best way to eliminate static cling is to have as many natural fabric clothes as possible.  Acrylic, polyester and nylon are static cling magnetos.  I use the vinegar, and dry only my cotton items.  All man-made items are hung to dry when possible.  Also, "dryer balls" made of wool yarn can be used to minimize static cling.  Also, I avoid micro-fiber like the plague.  I detest the stuff - it attracts cat hair like a magnet.

Have you ever wondered what the "Goodwill" smell is when you enter a thrift store?  You know the smell that every thrift store in the country has - immediately identifiable, and still mysterious as to its origin?  I finally figured out what it is.

I volunteered at a thrift store for a few months, and that odor would immediately waft out of every bag of donated clothes as soon as it was opened.  Until I opened up one of my bags of donated clothes, and there was no smell.  Now remember, I use vinegar for fabric softener.  And it hit me.  That smell, the elusive immediately identifiable "thrift store smell" is the smell of years and years of fabric softener in clothes.

Ugh.  Enough reason not to use the stuff.