Blogger Friend School #13

Hello, everyone! I am so excited as I have been looking forward to my first assignment for Blogger Friend School. Nancy, over at nancysnook has graciously agreed to take over this wonderful job and we thank her for that!! THANK YOU!

My first assignment is to introduce you to my Bible and tell you a little bit about it.

This is my Bible.............................................

How old is your Bible? My Bible is 26 years old.

• Why did you chose this Bible? It was a gift.

Do you highlight/mark passages in your Bible? Yes, I do highlight/mark in my Bible.

If so, what is your system for marking passages? I really don't have a set system. I mark or highlight passages that I feel have touched my heart in some way.

Do you have notebooks to record things? No, I don't. Our pastor provides us with an outline of his sermon. I use that or paper I bring with me.

Where is your favourite spot to read your Bible? Outside on my swing when the weather permits.

Are there any special thoughts about your Bible you want to share? My Bible was a gift from my sisters, Barbara, Victoria, and Cathy when I was 17. It is all the more precious to me now because our sister Victoria passed away.

At that point in my life, I was going to become a Salvation Army officer but then realized that it was not God's calling for me, but everyone else's. I knew that there were other ways that I could serve our Heavenly Father.

I know that everything in our lives happens for a reason. Looking back now, I realize it was God's calling for me to become a wife to my DH and a mother to my three beautiful children. He know that later on I would need to stay home full-time with Kiddo. Had I been an officer at this point in my life, I would not have been able to homeschool. GOD IS GOOD...............ALL THE TIME!!!

Is Making Your Own Laundry Detergent Really Less Expensive?

The approximate cost of making 2 gallons of the liquid laundry detergent, using the Fels Naptha soap is .71 cents. With the 2 gallon recipe, you will have enough detergent to do approximately 64 loads of wash. That comes out to about .01 cent a load.

Here is the breakdown I found on the internet, but I can't remember where.....SORRY!!!! But please remember, they are using the prices they paid for these items and you may have paid a little more or a little less for your ingredients. Here in VA, I paid less for all three. I buy my soap when they have really good sales. However, this last batch I made, I used FREE (I love that word) soap I got from my close friend. Her husband travels a lot for work and he brings her back lots of hotel bar soap. Thank you, my close friend's husband!!!

Fels Naptha: $1.12 for a 5.5 oz bar. The recipes says use a 1/3 (approx. 1 cup) of a bar. They calculated 2 oz. just to make the math a little easier. The cost of the Fels Naptha per batch is: .40 cents.

Washing Soda: $2.23 for a 55 oz. box. This came to .17 cents per batch. They calculated how much per oz (2.23 divided by 55) and then weighed a half cup of washing soda (4.2oz.) and multiplied my per oz. price by 4.2

Borax: $3.27 for a 76 oz. box. This came to .14 cents per batch. Did the same calculations as above, however a 1/2 cup of borax weighs 3.5 oz.

For the final numbers they have .40 + .17 + .14 = .71 for 2 gallons of laundry detergent.

That means that 2 gallons = 64 - 1/2 cup portions. They then divided .71 cents by 64 which = .01109 which is approximately .01 cent per wash load.

Can you beat that? The answer is.......................NO, YOU CAN'T!!!!

Come On..............You Know You Want To Make Some Homemade Laundry Detergent

"GOD IS GOOD!!!"

I just had to say that!!

Before I get to the detergent recipe, I just wanted to wish my son, nintendomaster a......

"HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY"

Please stop by and wish Kiddo a Happy Birthday. He would LOVE it!

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Have you ever had something on your mind and then out of nowhere, someone asks you about what it is you have been thinking about and there is NO WAY they could have known that? THAT IS SOOOO COOL! Well, Belinda over at luvs2bemom read my mind yesterday. I kept thinking all day that I needed to make more laundry detergent before I ran out, but something would come up and I would forget. Thank you, Belinda, for reminding me I need to make detergent!
When we decided to homeschool, I knew I had to find ways to help us live a more frugal lifestyle, now that we were going back to one income. Not only that, I just LOVE things that are home made, no matter what it is. (unless they are dust bunnies) My kids have always known that I have a very hard time spending money, but when I started making the detergent, they thought I had gone "CRAZY!" We have been making and using this recipe for over 7 months now and I have only made 3 batches. Each batch I make will fit in one of those Purex containers with the pour spout and cup.
So, here are the directions.......and with pictures too! I am a "visual" person and need to see how things are done. I have a hard time reading directions, so when we first made this, I had my husband read the directions and do it with me. For some reason, I can read the same directions, book passage, scripture verse, etc., and get something out of it completely different than you. So, the last time I made the detergent, I decided to take pictures in case someone wanted to make it.
So here you go, Belinda.........this is for you!
There are 2 ways to make this detergent, liquid and powder, but they both use the same 3 basic indredients. Also, if you can, whatever utensils you use to make the detergent, it is a good idea to label them and keep them separate so you won't cook with them. I can't remember if I got my untensils at the thrift store or at a yard sale. This detergent will not suds up very much, which also makes this great for front loading washers, but it is still cleaning your clothes. The first time I used it, I put in my detergent and the clothes, but I forgot to close the lid. When I went back and looked at the water it was dark. I thought something had run because of the BORAX of the Washing Soda. Looking more closely, I realized that nothing had run, it was the dirt from our clothes. Y U C K !!!! I know, I know.....stop talking and get on with the directions!

The 3 basic ingredients you need for your detergent are:
1 cup of Grated bar soap - (Fels Naptha, Ivory, Coast, Irish Spring, basically any kind you like...scented or not) you can add a little bit more soap if you want a stronger scent or you can add essential oils to scent it.

(Now you know what to do with all those bars of hotel soap )

1/2 cup BORAX - you can get this at Wal-Mart or almost any grocery store down the detergent aisle

I purchased mine at Wal-Mart for $2.97 for a 4 lb 12oz box.

1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with Baking Soda....they are NOT the same thing) You can find this at Martin's, Kroger's, and Farmer Food's here in VA. You would need to call your local grocery store to see if they carry it. I purchased mine at Martin's for $1.99 for a 3 lb 7oz box.
Other items you will need:
5 gallon bucket or container with a lid (if making the liquid or some other container for the powder
Grater ( or you can use a food processor, but you need to grate the soap for both kinds)
Cooking Spray or something else to "lightly" grease your grater for easy clean-up later (trust me on this one from personal experience!
Pot - big enough to hold 1/2 gallon (this is needed to dissolve the ingredients)
Measuring cup - 1/2 cup size
Mixing spoon with a long handle - to stir your mixture in the bucket

Ok, we are going to make the powder first.

The first thing you need to do is to "lightly" spray your grater with cooking spray to make cleaning the grater easy later on.

Now, grate your bar soap. Grate the whole bar even though you only need 1 cup, as you can save the remaining soap for another batch. Put soap into a bowl or container.

Measure out a 1/2 cup each of BORAX and Super Washing Soda. Put them in the bowl/container with the grated soap.

Stir or shake your 3 ingredients together.

Now if you have a food processor, some have even used a coffee grinder, you can grind it up to make a finer powder. I did that to mine. The picture above is with the soap just grated, the pictures below, is what it looked like before and after I used my Ultimate Chopper. I prefer to make a finer powder.

See the difference? It is just a matter of preference. Now all you need to do is store it in some kind of container.
How much powder do I use? I use 1 tablespoon for a normal load and 2 tablespoons for a large or extra dirty load.


Onward to the liquid~

Follow the same directions for grating and measuring the soap (you do not need to put this in the food processor because you are going to dissolve it in water), BORAX, and Washing Soda only this time keep them separated.

Take your pot and put about 2 quarts of water in and put it over a medium flame till heated.

(you don't have to be EXACT with this recipe. As my mom would say, "It's not rocket science, Laura!" ha ha (LOVE AND MISS YOU, MOM!)

While the weather was warm and we cooked outside, I would make my detergent on the grill using the left over coals. This way I was not wasting the charcoal or using the electricity.

Ok, now we are going to add our ingredients ONE AT A TIIME, stirring and dissolving each one before adding the next one. The mix will get thicker but to what degree all depends on the soap that you use.

1 cup grated soap,

1/2 cup BORAX,

and 1/2 cup Washing Soda

Are you still with me? It's pretty easy, huh? It's okay, we are almost finished!!!

Alright, after those three ingredients are dissolved, turn off the heat and remove pot from burner. Get your bucket/container and put again about 2 quarts of water in it.

I like to use warm water for this part, only because I am ALWAYS FREEZING and if I get my hands in it, it's WARM!

Next, pour your soap mixture into the bucket and stir.

Now add about a gallon of warm water and stir again.

Coming to the home stretch..........................Now all you have to do is put a cover on it and let it sit overnight, however, I have used it right after making it because I waited to long to make more and I really NEEDED to do laundry.

The next day when you remove the lid, there are a few different ways it may look. There is no WRONG way, as again, it all depends on the kind of soap you used. I don't have a picture because mine looked the same as before.

• It may look just like it did before you put the lid on
• It may look like nothing but a big blob of gel
• It may have the look and consistency of egg drop soup

In any case, all you need to do, if it has gelled, is to stir/shake before use.
How much liquid do I use? I use 1/2 cup per normal load and up to a cup for large and extra dirty loads.
Well, there you have it in a nut shell. Homemade laundry detergent. I hope you enjoy making this as much as I do.
Should you have ANY questions, please feel free to message me.

~COMING SOON TO A BLOG NEAR YOU.....................

HOMEMADE FABRIC SOFTENER~

Do I really need a DISCLAIMER? Should this say something different? "As with any recipe, please take caution using any/all appliances. Results may vary. I do not assume any responsibility for your results."

Early To Rise......Well, Sort Of!

I know this is Wordless Wednesday/Web-link Wednesday for some, but since I didn't post yesterday, I wanted to write something. I still may do both later. As you know from a previous post, I have had trouble sleeping. I haven't been able to fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, and then I can't get up early like I want to. So, last night I asked DH to PLEASE make sure I get up AND out of bed before he left for work. I am tired of feeling like my day is already gone before it even begins!!! Last night I was able to fall right to sleep....................PRAISE THE LORD!!!

This morning I got up around 6 to let the dogs out and I was just amazed at how warm it was outside. It was like a summer morning with a just little breeze. While Paws and Bailey were out, I had breakfast on the front porch. It was pitch black out and absolutely quiet, but it was WONDERFUL! I then went back to bed for a bit. DH woke me up about 8:15 (thank you!) , kissed me goodbye , and then left for the salt mines (not really, he runs a water treatment plant that cleans water for a major chicken producer). I made a 1/2 pot of coffee, did devotions with Kiddo, did a 2 loads of wash, talked to my friend bgwannabe, and did the dishes. Not bad for only being up an hour! I guess you could say I was able to get these things done so quickly this morning was because one of my friends was here to help. K (she asked me not to use her real name of Kitty for internet security reasons) is such a sweet girl and we so enjoy hanging out together very much. She is always eager to help me with whatever I need to do around the house. Her FAVORITE things to help me with are: the dishes,

and the laundry

And to think the only payment she wants is a drink and something to eat.......talk about cheap labor!!!

Our family tries to live as frugally as possible in every area that we can. One way is to hang our cltohes out. I do this, WHENEVER possible, I dryi the clothes for 5 minutes to take the wrinkles out. (I do make sure I REMOVE Kitty BEFORE I turn on the dryer lol) This really DOES help with the electric bill.

~NOTE: NO ANIMALS WERE HURT IN THE MAKING OF THIS BLOG POST!!!~~



Today, I want to try and get as much done as I possibly can. URGHHHHHH!!!!!! My house looks like a tornado went through it. I have opened up the windows to let the fresh air through and it feels just FANTABULOUS!!! All the cats are sitting at the front door with their heads right up to the screen sniffy the outdoors. It is soooooo funny to see. I just love our kmitty cmats! (inside joke, sorry)

Our class schedule for today is:

*Daily Devotions through Essential Connection

*Language Arts and Math through Time4Learning.com

*Handwriting Excercises through Printing Power and Cursive Handwriting by Jan Z. Olsen, developer

of the Handwriting Without Tears cirriculum

*Science and History through National Geographics and nature walk (hopefully when DH gets home)

*Spelling Test- words of the week are:

identify, government, everything, environment, probably, really, semester, luckily, favorite, delicate

Well, it's now off to school. I wonder if I can get Kiddo to give me his lunch money!

Blessings~

Laura

P.S. Hey, Dad.............Kiddo got a 100% on his spelling test..........................WAHOO!!!!!!

A Comment From My Husband

My Skippy Man read my blog today and asked me to please share his comment with all of you!! Thank you, sweetie!

I LOVE YOU!

Sweet Laura,

I know I have sent this to you before but it seems like so long ago. I think this will help once again. Please read and share it with others.

Dear GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done.

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards, I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better, I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me, I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears , I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves, I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet, I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job, I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief, I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier

or the challenges are removed, I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the

obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking You, Father, because You have never given up on me!

I love you my darling!

Your Loving Husband

F A I T H

The past 8 or so months have been a very difficult time for me. I have found myself in constant struggle with so many things in my life on many different levels. From: *financial hardship *health issues *a friend that treats me horribly and I don't know why *wondering if I am doing the best that I possibly can for my children, especially my son *am I homeschooling him properly and will they really make me send him back to school if he doesn't progress like THEY think he should? *past issues *The list goes on....and on....and on! I have had trouble sleeping (some nights I don't). And this coming from a person who all her life has been able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

Well, last night after I did my devotions, I was reading through some of the christian magazines that I have on my nightstand and Everyday Blessings ~ Spiritual Refresement for Women, I came across the same article on several occasions. I realized at that moment, that God was trying to tell me something. I was going through the usual saying grace before meals, trying to do devotions, praying before I went to bed, etc, but was I doing these things for the Glory of God or just for myself? Was I doing this with deep sincerity or just going through the motions? Was I really putting my trust in our Heavenly Father to help me and my family through this time? SMACK........NO, I WASN"T! What a reality check for me. No wonder things only seem like they are going from bad to worse. I have to give God my all; my heart, mind, soul, and body and use them to glorify HIM!

God is ALWAYS faithful if we put our TRUST ,
completely, in Him!

I feel that God has laid it upon my heart to share that article with you. For some of us, this may be new information. For the rest, it is a great REMINDER......................

HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN

A Step of FAITH

In your personal opinion....What do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven? Consider how the Bible answers this questions. It is a matter of FAITH.

F is for FORGIVENESS

We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God's forgiveness.

"In Him (meaning )Jesus we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (Ephesians 1:7).

A is for AVAILABLE

Forgiveness is available. It is -

• 
  
  Available for All. "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who belives in Him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
  
  


• 
  
  But Not Automatic. "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord!" will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
  
  

I is for IMPOSSIBLE

It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven.

• Because of who He is: God is loving and just. His judgement is against sin. "For judement is without mercy" (James 2:13)


• Because of who we are: Every person is a sinner. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
  
  But how can a sinful person enter heaven, when God allows no sin?

T is for TURN

Turn means repent.

• Turn from something - sin and self. "But unless you repent, you will all perish" (Luke 13:3)


• Turn to Someone; trust Christ only. "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that Dod raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9)

H is for HEAVEN

Heaven is eternal lie.

• Here..."I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance" (John 10:10).


• Hereafter..."If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also" (John 14:3)


• How...How can a person have God's forvibeness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Sevior and Lord? By trusting in Christ and askin Him for forgiveness. Take the step of faith described by another meaning of FAITH: Forsaking All I Trust Him. Then tell someone about the important decision you have made. Grow in your faith and enjoy new friends in Christ.
  
  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

"Anyone who trusts in God, will never be put to shame."

Romans 10:11

As you look back on the journey you've traveled - recall the times you place hope and confidence in God. The outcome might not have been exactly as you imagined, but God is always faithful to bring you through. Count each blessing He's given you along the way and consider them stepping-stones to a higher level of trust. Whatever you're facing today, you can rest assured that His blessings will NEVER stop. He will walk it out with you - every step of the way.

EVERYDAY BLESSINGS

Blessings~

Laura

Superbowl Sunday

Can't blog now....................watching the game!!!!

(only for the commercials )

Who do you think will win?