Homemade laundry detergent

It seems every time I turn around, I'm having to buy laundry detergent! This is a huge pain to me because I'm always torn between the cheap, chemical-laden detergent or the all natural version that costs twice as much. We are very skeptical of chemically engineered products and are uneasy about using them. We feel like we can trust the things God has naturally given us and things that have been faithful throughout history. We cannot trust what man has created as willingly, no matter what kind of degrees they have, because humans make mistakes. How often have we seen these concoctions recalled and taken off the market because what the FDA once thought was safe, they're now realizing it's not. Although there is no proof that the chemicals in detergents and other soaps are harmful, we'd rather be on the safe side as often as possible! That being said, store-bought all natural cleaning products usually come with a price too high for us! We've gotten around this many times by learning how to make our own. So I was very happy when I got an e-mail from a good friend of mine saying she had a recipe off the Duggar family's web-site with a homemade detergent recipe! So, I will post the link, and then add a few things of my own.



http://duggarfamily.com/recipes.html


Okay, washing soda and borax cost about $2.50 a box around here and a friend of mine picked up the soap for me, but I don't think it cost more than a couple dollars, either. This makes a 5 gallon bucket full of solution, but you mix 1/2 solution, 1/2 water in an old laundry container to use, so your talking about a big bang for your buck! After you make the solution and let it sit for a while it will separate and need to be stirred to refill your smaller container. My friend Heather suggests using a thick dowel rod, which works great. Also, you'll need to shake the bottle of solution well before you add it to your washer. For measurements, we marked a line on a paper cup that we keep next to the detergent. Without adding any essential oils for fragrance, the clothes don't really have a scent and the water won't get sudsy at all. But when you take a whiff of your freshly laundered clothes they smell clean, not like Wild Flowers, Lavender Vanilla, or any other false smells your ordinary detergents carry, just clean. How simple and refreshing!

New web-site addiction...

I read about this web-site in one of my magazines and wanted to pass it on.

www.Cyke.com/snowman.swf

This site has a blank snowman that you can decorate with traditional and super funny accessories. It's a kid pleaser for sure! Ava and I have had a great time making silly snowmen today. Then you can type a personal message and print out your picture. When you scroll over the options, like the "Arms" category, the computer will say the word, for those of you with pre-readers. Great distraction for the little ones while you're trying to wrap those presents!!

Puppet Theater

Well here's the big present for the kids this year. I'm very excited about it! Puppet theaters are so pricey, and though they are much more professional than my humble version, the purpose is the same. What a valuable tool to have around the home! This is beneficial for playing and for teaching. Plus it makes for easy present ideas! How fun will it be to buy a new book for the kids and make character puppets to go along with it. Or to make puppets that coincide with biblical parables? The possibilities are endless!

I won't go through how I made it step by step because some of it's pretty self explanatory. It's made up of 3 pieces: The main blue piece has a rectangle cut out of the middle/top leaving about 5 inches on each side and the two pink pieces are the curtains which can be drawn back during a "show". It's held in the doorway by a tension rod and there is a dowel rod sewn in horizontally under the opening in the blue piece to hold the middle up and open.

I love this idea because it's something that's so simple to make and easy to put up and take down. Plus storage is no problem because it folds up as small as a tension and dowel rod. Besides, because I already had most of the material on hand, it cost me about $8.

I also made puppets to go along with this, but because I was running low on time and experience, they're a little homely. I just needed something quick and these served that purpose very well!

We have 2 men and 2 women hand stitched from felt. Then for accessories I made a baby, banjo, guitar, school book/bible/story book/cookbook/song book/etc, pot, wooden spoon, and hammer. These are made out of felt, too, so they will temporarily stick to the puppets. Now, who wants to take up a pool to see how long it takes for something to get lost?

Homemade baby shoes

Yes, you read that title right! Who would've thought? Well, obviously somebody did and boy am I thankful!

We've always been lovers of soft baby shoes like Robeez and Bobux, but we don't love the price! At $30 a pair, one pair at a time is all we could ever buy and even that was hard on our conscience. But we knew these little shoes were better for our babies feet than those hard-soled, tight shoes.

Serenity has been barefoot her whole 10 1/2 months of life, but now the weather is cold and strangers have started inquiring (Sometimes rather rudely!) about where her shoes are. So Kevin and I started the hunt. We checked Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, e-bay, etsy, and many more trying to get a good deal. We had nothing but bad luck! So finally I started thinking, "Surely I'm not the only one who has been in this situation and there are many crafty people out there..." So I did a quick search and found so many links to free patterns and tuts on making soft-soled baby shoes!

I just finished Serenity's first pair. It took me about 2 hours and cost about $2!!! Whew, what a relief! Here's the finished product:

Here's the link I used:

http://www.tackyliving.com/article.php?id=121

She gives really great instructions. The only thing I really changed is the sole. She calls for leather or suede and the local fabric store didn't have either of those. So I bought pleather. I'm sure after time it won't hold up as nicely, but Serenity's not walking yet and I'm impatient, so this was my choice. Next time I'll probably look for something a little more durable.

Frugal Christmas Decorations

Well, the decorating has begun!! We're very excited. We've had Christmas music blaring since Monday. We have the inside of the house almost done. This weekend Kevin will start on the outside of the house. Last year we had over 4,000 lights outside and this year, thanks to hitting up the yard sales, we have even more!
Anyway, you can get really caught up in all of the frillies this time of year, sometimes spending more on decorations than your budget was ready for! But it doesn't have to be that way. There are many ways to decorate for the season without breaking the bank. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Wrap your doors. This year we bought 3 rolls of wrapping paper at the Dollar Tree and that was more than enough to cover all of our interior and exterior doors. Plus I have a little left over for presents. This really makes a dynamic difference in your house. It covers a large, otherwise, bland space with Christmas cheer!

2. Homemade garland is another favorite. This year we strung popcorn and cotton balls onto string with a needle and thread and put these on the tree as well as draping them over windows, doorways, etc. You can also make paper chains in Christmas colors or in just white for a "White Christmas" affect. Pom poms are another option for lacing onto some string.

3. For the kitchen or bathroom, stitch or glue some Christmas ribbon onto some hand towels instead of buying those little expensive holiday towels at the store. You can really get fancy with this! If you have some extra Christmas fabric lying around, cut a piece equal to the length your hand towel plus an inch or two for hemming, and about 3/4 as wide. Hem the ends all the way around, center on your towel, and stitch them together. Super fun!

4. We love to make snowflakes! This year we made a few dozen, put some sparkly glue on them and hung them from the ceiling in the kitchen and dining room. It looks like a winter wonderland!

5. Here's a great web-site that will put the kids to work making decorations. She has directions to make everything from advent calendars to ornaments. We've already gotten a lot of use out of it this year. http://www.dltk-holidays.com/

Ahh... Christmas is our favorite time of year. I'm really looking forward to sharing any other ideas I stumble across this season.

Heating Pads

This year Kevin and I decided to make all of our Christmas gifts in an effort to reduce our footprint on the environment, tap into our creative sides, save some money, and teach some very valuable lessons to our little ones. We've been working for a few months now and we're enjoying every minute of it! I'm sure I'll be posting some more of our creations, but today I'm focusing on heating pads.
While brainstorming gift ideas for some of the men in our lives, I stumbled upon heating pads. The more I thought about it and starting working on them, the more I realized what a wonderful gift idea this is! So I'm making several this year, including one for each of the kids. When gifting these, you can make them personal with different fabric and for kids you could even make them in the form of teddy bears and such. I know my kids are going to enjoy theirs very much. I can just see them on cold nights, curling up with their heating pads, or when they have belly aches, etc. And it's a very manly gift that will come in useful after a hard days work.
So here's how I made mine:
I cut a piece of fabric 8'x14". With right sides together, stitch along the long side and the bottom. Make sure you reinforce the seams! Then, turn it right side out. Cut 2 pieces of muslin 2"x4". No need to turn right sides together or worry about pretty seams. Just stitch the two sides and the bottom together. Then, funnel in about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon clove. Sew your muslin pouch closed. Now, fill your heating pad about 1/2 full of rice, drop in your muslin pouch, and fill another quarter way up with rice. Leave about 4" at the top empty. Fold your fabric at the opening under about 1/2" and stitched it closed. Again, reinforce seams. Then you're done! I will be adding a ribbon with instructions to heat for 1-2 minutes with mine, otherwise I fear my gift recipients may think I've made them a very large, oddly shaped hacky sack!

Halloween Popcorn Balls

This is a really versatile recipe. We used it for Halloween, but the colors can be adjusted for anything, and who doesn't love popcorn balls?



So, add a few tablespoons of oil in a nice size pot with a well fitting lid. When that gets hot, add your popcorn kernels, just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Put your lid on and start shaking. Keep on shaking until pop corn starts to come out from under your lid. Set that aside and melt 1/4 cup margarine in another pot on low heat. Add 10 oz of large marshmallows and melt. Add a small splash of vanilla, mix around, then add 3 packages of flavored jello. Stir until the jello is dissolved, then pour the mixture over your popcorn. Gently stir to coat. Now, smear butter all over your hands and start making your balls. I made mine about 2 inches wide. This made about 20 balls. You'll have to re-smear your hands after every couple of balls because this is stick-y! When they've hardened a bit, wrap in cling wrap and tie some ribbon.

Mummified Hotdogs

We don't normally eat hot dogs... EVER, but in lieu of Halloween, I thought this would be fun. And the kids loved it! Plus, it lead into an informative discussion on ancient Egypt!

Okay, so just take a can of crescent rolls, open it, and divide it into 4 rectangles. Then seal the diagonal seams in each rectangle and cut them lengthwise into 10 strips each, for a total of 40 strips. Next, wrap about 4 strips around each hot dog. Make sure to leave a space for some spooky eyes! I didn't have ketchup or mustard for the eyes, so I tinted ranch dressing with some green food coloring, slipped it in a plastic baggie, and squeezed the eye balls on. Have fun!

My little prairie girl

We're on our second book in the Little House on the Prairie series. So with Ava's 5th birthday coming up, we thought it'd be nice to take her to the original homestead of the Ingalls. It's only about 5 1/2 hours away, so we're going to leave early in the morning the weekend before her birthday, stay over night ("In a hotel with a POOL!!" Ava says), and head home the next day. She is very excited! I thought it'd be a really cool early birthday present to make her a Little House on the Prairie dress so she could dress up on our trip. I finally got it done tonight and surprised her with it. She was so happy and she looks as cute as a button!

You know, now days there are few young ladies worthy of the admiration of little girls. I'm so thankful to have found these books and in doing so, found a role model for Ava. Reading this series has lead us into so many discussions on obedience, discipline, manners, and etiquette, to name a few. And Ava talks about Laura as if she's a good friend. We enjoy this series very much. Even Eli will sit and listen while I read. And, shhh!!, sometimes I even read ahead!

Fruit leathers

Well, I didn't get very far with my apple recipes. I got kind of hung up on the applesauce. It was sooo good! I froze most of it to save for this winter. I did, however, make some fruit leathers. This was really interesting. I cooked up and pureed the apples like I was making applesauce, then poured the apple puree about 1/8-1/4 inches thick into a few 8x8 inch pans lined with cling wrap. I popped the pans in the oven set on 140 for about 12 hours to dehydrate the puree. The end result was a super yummy and healthy alternative to Fruit Roll-Ups!

Homemade Applesauce

We're working on clearing out these apples we picked the other day. Today we made applesauce. It was sooooo yummy! Here's our recipe:

12 large apples, or 24 small
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cups water

Peel, core, and chop your apples. Put them in one big pot or divide into two smaller pots. As this cooks it will shrink, so if your pot is pretty full it will be fine. Add the rest of the ingrediants to the pot and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Once your apples are nice and squishy, run them through a food mill or china cap, give them a swirl in your blender or food processor, or use your potato masher or submersion blender to puree the apples. Now you can either can or freeze your applesauce.
After we made this, I wished I would've thought to use honey instead of brown sugar. I don't know why I didn't think of that. Next time I'll try this and post the results. Regardless, there's not much sugar in this. It's recommended that children have no more than 4 teaspoons of added sugar a day. If you dish this out in half cup servings, that would be 2 teaspoons per serving. It's still healthier than what you'll find at the store and tastes way better, too!

Egg hunt

This weekend we dyed eggs and had an egg hunt. No, we don't have our holidays mixed up! We feel like Easter is a very important time to remember, give thanks, study, and meditate on the burden Christ bore for us. We feel that too often, this gets overshadowed by pretend bunnies and brightly colored eggs. Even in the actions of the most well meaning parents, the focus of Jesus and his resurrection can be limited to the church service on Sunday morning and prayer before a meal by their children. Many parents try to ride the fence and celebrate both because they don't want their little ones to miss out on all the fun. But looking at it from a child's perspective, they are given a choice on what will consume their thoughts for that day. What do you think will win? Unfortunately but naturally, the egg hunt will. Sure, this child may be able to recite to you just how everything unfolded and maybe even be able to throw out a few bible verses, too. And when asked what Easter is about, they will inevitably say, "Jesus!", and we think that's great. But to most of these children, the highlight and sole purpose for their day will be the fun and games surrounding an egg-laying bunny rabbit.
This has not been an easy concept for Kevin and me to swallow. My side of the family looks forward to a huge Easter celebration that includes the adults in the hunt for over 500 eggs. Besides, we have really fond memories of hunting eggs when we were kids. But we also have the realization that we didn't have a clue as to the severity of this day until the last couple of years. Through all of this we realized it's not the egg hunting we have a problem with, it's the fact that the egg hunt takes away from where our focus, even as adults, should be during that time. So, why not have an egg hunt later in the year? This way we're not depriving the kids of something that is so fun, but we're keeping our thoughts sincere in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on Easter.
In the past few years, we've really been able to dodge the bullet because our kids we small enough that they didn't really miss anything. But this year, there was no getting around it with Ava. So, we gave her our explanation, and promised to dye and hunt eggs later in the year. This was their first egg hunt ever and they had so much fun! We had 18 eggs, but next time I might add a few dozen more! Eli so gently placed his eggs in the dye, his chubby little fingers making sure to balance the egg on his spoon. It was a definite success! We'll be sure to try it again soon.

Apple Picking

We had a great time picking apples today. I've got big plans, too. I'll post the recipes as I make the goodies.

We went up to Eckert's Orchard and they have a ton of little side shows and activities for the kids. We thought they'd really like it, but they weren't nearly as into it as we had hoped... Until we got out into the apple fields. Then, it was like they came to life. Sure, corn field mazes and pig races are fun, but they limit the imagination so much that I think it was actually boring Ava and Eli. After we got out in the fields and picked a few apples we just let the kids roam. It wasn't very crowded and the fields are huge, so it wasn't hard to find a quiet space. I was able to sit and nurse Serenity without feeling like I was offending half a dozen people, Kevin and Ava competed to see who could splatter the most rotten apples by throwing them, and Eli wandered into his own world, no shocker there. He's never been a people person anyway, so once he was free, he went off by himself and rolled apples, kicked dirt, and just lost himself in his own thoughts. It's so fun to watch him while he plays and wonder what funny things he's imagining.

So that was our day. Kids are finally asleep and I have to go help Kevin clean out the basement.

:(

Does buying school supplies from the Goodwill make me cheap?...

Or frugal? Whichever it is makes no difference to me because we made out like bandits today! The kids and I went to the Goodwill and they had some new school supplies from Target, so I stocked up. Crazy cheap, too. Rulers for, like $.09. I had to do a double take! Crayons, scissors, notebooks, I went a little wild. I love buying school supplies, anyway, and if they're that cheap, put me down for 4 of everything! I know, I know, our kids don't go to school, but as any homeschooling family knows, you still need school supplies! Actually, you probably need more than any school kid because at school, your supplies typically don't get flushed down the toilet by your baby brother or shoved down into the couch cushions. Anyway, Ava was so happy that she hid one of the new folders behind her back and said to Kevin, "Daddy, I have something to show you! I know you are going to think I am going to public school!"
I also found a new sweater that was 50% off to make Serenity a new pair of longies with. I was on the fence because the sweater is bright orange and robins egg blue striped and she has nothing to match it, but I LOVED IT, so I got it anyway. But then I walked up the street to a resale shop and found the cutest little shirt to go with it, so I was pretty happy. I tore it apart and made her longies tonight and they're super cute. Kevin has the camera, so I'll take pictures tomorrow and post them.

Fall time organizing

Today was a nice day. The kids and I walked to the post office, my sister's, then to a couple resale shops on Main St. and got home just in time for lunch. It was perfect weather, about 62 degrees for the high. This means it's time to get out fall clothes.
This is something I love to do because I love to throw things away. So on days like today, my mood lifts a little bit more each time I throw something into the "Toss" pile. This year, I made the decision that I was seriously going to down-size everyone's wardrobes. You see, everyone in the house has an appointed day that their laundry gets washed. This means that everyone needs 7 outfits for the week with the exception of Eli and Serenity who change clothes frequently throughout the day. So my goal was to get rid of everything, keeping only 7 of the nicest outfits and pajamas. I know this sounds extreme, but I'm tired of trying to cram clothes into over-stuffed closets and drawers and it's just not necessary. For example, just Ava's fall clothes fill up a small cedar chest and 2 boxes. My mind feels cluttered just typing that. Anyway, I've been planning and awaiting this day for months and it went really well! I couldn't get Ava's closet dwindled down to 7 outfits, but I did get it down to 12. Mackenzie and Dallas have about 5 each, which works well since they're only here 3 days a week. And I paired up all of their clothes into outfits so they can just grab one and go. Ahh... the feeling of accomplishment!

Transforming a wool sweater into a diaper cover: A guide to making and caring for your "longies" and "shorties"

I have a fairly new fascination... wool! This renewable resource can be used for many things, but for now we're going to talk about diaper covers. I have done a lot of research on this and have stumbled on some great information on about 20+ different sites. I'm hoping to take what I've learned and pass it onto you in one looong post.

Wool is an amazing gift from God. It is super absorbent, absorbing up to 35 % of it's own dry weight and still remaining dry to the touch, but also contains lanolin which makes it water-resistant. It is a breathable material which makes it perfect for a diaper cover. Good air circulation is a very important factor in reducing diaper rash. It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and because it has antibacterial properties, it does not need to be washed after every use. I only wash mine about once a month unless there has been some poo-leakage onto the cover. However, I do rotate and let the covers air out between uses.

Many people think of wool as an itchy, high-maintenance, uncomfortable piece of clothing, and sometimes it is. It's all in the type of wool you choose.



Hittin' up the Goodwill!

I have spent countless hours at thrift stores sorting through racks of sweaters to find some nice wool to transform into something useful. Keep in mind when shopping for sweaters to aim for the biggest you can find. After you felt it, it will shrink dramatically.

I have read that some wool/acrylic blends can still be felted, but I have never had luck in this area. So I stick with 100% wool.

And, obviously, I keep my baby's comfort in mind and try to find the softest wool I can.



Time to felt:

Once you have a sweater or few, you will need to start the felting process. Felting basically means you ruin your sweater on purpose. When you add hot water, a little soap, and some agitation to wool, the fibers melt and fuse together, forming felt... just like the stuff you buy in the craft section only better! Now, I have made covers without felting and they still work, but felting just gives you some extra security. It tightens up those little fibers and adds so much more water-resistance to the covers.

So, toss your sweater into the washer, start the HOT water, and add your normal amount of detergent. I like to put my washer on the longest cycle possible so I get a tighter felt. It's a good idea to throw in some other heavy clothes to help aid in the agitation, like jeans. But watch out! When wool felts, it also sheds, so I suggest not using towels because the wool can really get stuck in all the fibers of the towels.

Now, when your cycle is done, go and check your sweater... it's alright, you can run! I always do, this is exciting stuff! Is it felted? If not, toss it back in and give it another go. When you pull on your sweater it should have very little to no give. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 times before a sweater will felt. If you had success and your sweater now looks like it could fit a four year old, you can either wash it again to give it an even tighter felt, or if you can wait no longer, take it out and lay it flat to dry, but don't forget to check your washer! Do you see little pieces of wool all over the place? If you do, pick them up, let them dry, and store them in a little bag to use as a natural alternative for stuffing toys later on!



Let the sewing begin!

After my sweater is felted and dry, I cut it apart at all the seams. It stores easier for me this way. Keep the front and back of the sweater and the arms. Anything else you may have (pockets, hoods, etc.) can be stored away and used for something else later.

Now, this is where you have to take over and do your own thing. I've made several pair of longies and shorties and I've never followed the same directions because there are so many variables. Your project will greatly depend on how big your sweater is and how big your baby is. I'll briefly walk you through a few ways to get it done.

The quickest way to get a pair of longies is to measure your baby from front waistline, through the legs, and up to the back waistline. Divide this number in half. Now cut the sleeves off your sweater. Cut them however long you want your longies to be plus an inch or so for hemming the waist and/or adding elastic, if you choose to do so. Cut down the inside seam of the both sleeves whatever your first measurement was. Now stitch them together and Voila! Longies!

OR you can trace a pair of your little one's pants for longies, or shorts or diaper cover for shorties, onto the sweater, cut along the lines through the front and back of the sweater, and stitch them together. For longies, line up the bottom of the pants legs with the waist of the sweater. For shorties, cut off the wrist bands of the sweater and stitch them onto the legs holes.

Finally, cut 1 large triangle out of your sweater. The waistline of the sweater will be used as the waistline for your cover. You will sew this together as if you were putting a diaper on your baby. The tip will come up through the baby's legs and the sides will wrap around to meet it. You'll stitch this together where they meet, but be sure to leave leg holes! After this you can either cut the arms off (for longies) or cut the wristbands off (for shorties) and stitch them to the leg holes.

Whew! What do you think? Are they the cutest ever? Good deal!

Washing your cover

As I stated before, your cover doesn't need to be washed after every use, only on an as needed basis. When it comes time to wash, you'll need a good wool detergent. Add a small amount of this detergent to a sink full of luke-warm water, gently swoosh your covers around a few times, then let them sit for a few minutes. Then I always give mine a nice, gentle rinse, and squeeze out the water. At this point you can lay on a towel to dry, or go ahead and lanolize. Remember not to use hot water and do not vigorously rub. This will cause your covers to felt some more and may make them misshapen or too small for your babe.

Lanolizing

Lanolizing needs to be done whenever moisture is leaking through your cover or your cover has an unpleasant odor. The first thing you need is lanolin. You can buy this at health food stores or on-line in solid form or spray-on. Personally, I don't like to go out of my way to buy something and I'm just not a huge fan of purchasing on-line. So I use the lanolin cream for breastfeeding. Works great and it's easy to find. You need to be sure your covers are thoroughly wet, so it's convenient to lanolize after you wash. Put a squirt of baby shampoo and an inch of lanolin in a bowl and cover with a bit of boiling water. The water will dissolve the lanolin and the shampoo will work as a carrier so you don't just have melted lanolin lingering on the surface of your sink full of water. So once your lanolin is melted, fill your sink about half full of warm water, then add the lanolin mixture. Turn your covers inside out and submerge them in the sink. Give them a few gentle swishes, then let them soak for at least 30 minutes, or until you remember they're there! When you get your covers out, gently squeeze them to get rid of access water, them set them aside on a towel and let them dry.

Bread Making

We bake our own bread. We have not bought bread in about a year, now. I won't buy bread for many reasons: Price, ingredients, things of that nature. But there's one other reason I won't ever buy bread... because of Ava. She takes such pride in her Mama baking our bread, I would never want to disappoint her. You can see the admiration in her eyes as she takes a bite of warm, fresh bread with butter and says, "I'm so glad you're my Mommy and you make our bread." Corny? Yes! But it's very true. There is just one problem- I dread making bread! I'm not sure why. I doesn't take long, although I always convince myself it will take all day. And the hardest part is finding something that will hold Serenity's attention long enough for me to get elbow-deep in dough, no big deal, right? But I start dragging my feet sometimes as early as Sunday night, knowing that Monday morning, after I clean my Dad's shop (PLUG: Tom How Welding Services Incorporated gives the best service around!!), I have to make bread. Sometimes I even put it off until Tuesday, as I did this week, and that just throws our whole menu out of whack! So when I finally get it going, mix it up, knead it, and set it aside to rise, I think, "Huh! That wasn't so bad after all!" Then, it's time to punch it down, which the kids think is the greatest thing ever, divide it into 3 loaves, let it rise a second time, then bake it. At this point, my house is smelling lovely, I'm feeling very accomplished, and I think, "I love baking our own bread! What was I so worried about?" But, it's that how most things go?

And we're off...

I've decided to start blogging for 2 reasons:

1. To share with family and friends how adorable my children are without having to sit on the phone all day retelling cute stories.
2. To share with everyone else what fun things we discover on our journey to "Hippie-ville".

A few weeks ago I was cleaning our bathroom and I was trying out my new vinegar and baking soda cleaning regimen (I"m addicted. More to follow, I'm sure.) and when the two mixed, they foamed! And then, they cleaned! We said, "Woooowwww...". Then I said, "Gee! I wish I could share this with someone who might care!" The light bulb went off! So then I tossed around the idea of blogging, wondering who on earth would ever read it. I'm not too terribly funny OR original. But we're pretty busy around here and we do everything we can to stay that way. So maybe someone will stumble on here some day and find something useful! Wish me luck!