Moving to Other Blog

I decided to settle on one blog since I don't have time to spare for two. Click here for current blog.

Making Laundry Detergent

I ran across a post about making laundry detergent on Donna's blog. I ended up reading several posts on different blogs about making laundry detergent and I decided to give it a try. I was very pleased with the result.

You'll see the ingredients needed in the photo: Borax, Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, Arm and Hammer Laundry Soap, plus Baking Soda. Arm and Hammer Laundry Soap may be the one that is not easy to find from what I read on other blogs. They don't have it at Wal Mart. However, I was lucky enough to find all three ingredients at our Kroger store. Some recipes made more detergent than I wanted to try out.

I used one bar of Fels Naptha. You have to grate it up in a food processor or on a hand grater, which is what I used. It grates very easily. You have around two cups when you finish, maybe a little more.
I put the grated soap into a container that I'd had stored for years. Now I'm glad I didn't get rid of it. I added two cups of the Borax and 2 cups of the A/H Laundry Soap, plus a half-cup of baking soda. All you do is stir it up and it'll look like this:

You use a tablespoon for a load of laundry. I used two tablespoons per full load. One tablespoon for small loads. The bloggers who had figured out the cost said the cost was 3 cents a load, which is a great buy. Plus after using the above amounts of the ingredients, I still have enough to make two more batches. All I'll have to buy is the soap, which is $1.27 a bar.

I liked using it. I didn't see any difference in this detergent and the store-bought that I use. I do use Tide Total Care on many of my good clothes and I'll continue to do that, but, for me, the homemade detergent did a great job on towels and sheets. It doesn't sud, so it would be great for front-loading machines. Also it has a fresh light scent of soap and it doesn't leave any chemical fragrance behind, which I loved.

Also a tip for softening, use vinegar in your rinse. It will soften fabrics. If you
want to boost the softening, you can cut your dryer sheets in half and use a half instead of a whole one.

Besides laundry I've been busy with work and spring cleaning around the house. I've also been taking some photos and I'm going to post a few of my favorites that I took this week at work of some cuties and a litter of lab puppies.

All Over And Still Alive!

Saturday morning I was determined to get finished with a couple of my projects including the bedroom and the dining room, where all the bedroom stuff was stored. I didn't sit down all day for cleaning, moving and rearranging stuff. Happily, I did get done and I am relieved! I was beginning to think I'd never get done. I also finished with the dining room as well. My other projects including putting up new wallpaper in the kitchen, but I'm not going to work on that for a while. I've got to recover!

There's Light Ahead!

After what seems to be forever, I am finally finished with my home improvement project #1. Almost. I spent the weekend hard at it and by nightfall, I didn't have a bone that wasn't aching. But overall the end result is always worth it. I have a few little touch ups to do. I hope to have most of the furniture moved back into the room by this weekend. Yay!!!

The Paint Test

As many of you know, I have been redecorating my guest room. A project which has last for months so far!! I did finally get all the layers of the wallcovering stripped off the wall and I have most of the room primed. Then came the decision about paint.

In the past, I have always used Sherwin-Williams paint. I like SW paint because it went on smoothly and it was a good, thick paint. Plus, it lasts forever. I have several other rooms painted in SW Superpaint and they still look good.

When it comes to paint, you usually get what you pay for. Of course, I had not bought any paint in several years. When I decided to paint the room, I wanted to go with the color I had used in adjoining rooms, a cream color called White Organdy. So, I went to Sherwin-Williams and bought a gallon of satin which cost me about $42. Pricey compared to years ago.

A few weeks ago, I read Consumer Reports paint test results and they ranked Kilz Casual Colors paint number one, far above SW and many other pricer paints, for all the things a good paint should be. And the cost? $22 a gallon, sold at Wal Mart. So I decided to give a gallon a try since I was going to have to buy more anyway. The paint department at Wal Mart had a computer that found the formula for SW White Organdy. Note, I had taken a paint stir stick, dipped in the SW white organdy with me so after they mixed the paint at WM, I could see if it was a true match. It was.

How did the Kilz measure up? Great. It is a thick paint. Not runny. Goes on smoothly and coverage is equal to SW. All paints say one-coat coverage but I'm not that good at painting. I usually do two coats.

Also, I liked the Kilz container. It is plastic, with a handle and when you take off the top, it has a easy-pour spout, which is a plus compared to the usual paint buckets.

So, the verdict? I would recommend either paint and personally will buy the Kilz. After all, $20 is a good savings.

When Dreams Come True

Here is a link to the Susan Boyle audition in England. Take a few minutes to watch it and be uplifted by this quirky Plain Jane who stunned the sarcastic judges and audience. The old adage 'you can't judge a book by its cover' has never been proved more true. She also proves you are never too old for a dream to come true. Congrats, Susan and I hope you win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4&feature=haxa_popt00us02

Spring! Time for Work & The Conflicker Worm

Spring is here but we've had another cold spell. I'm so ready for summer. However, the dogwoods and wisteria are in bloom and that makes for pretty scenery.

I have my work cut out for me this month. This is the month I've got to get my guest room plus I need to do massive spring cleaning. I did have a new roof put on the house last week, although that was a 'have-to' situation.

Now, a note on the Conflicker Worm, which is supposed to have infected thousands of computers. One way you can check to see if you have an infected computer is to go to Start, Control Panel, Security and see if automatic updates have been shut off. That is the first thing the worm does. It also disables the computer from downloading Windows Updates so you can check that as well to see if you have the worm.

Blogging about writing at Once Upon A Time

Be A Hero

Are you looking for a way to help out others during this hard time? Would you like to grant a wish? Or maybe you are in need of a wish yourself. If so, Wish Upon A Hero gives people the opportunity to do both. Check out their website. Who knows you may become a hero today.

I Swear By This Stuff

I bought Glad Press & Seal a few months ago at Sam's Club and I do recommend it. It is a textured plastic wrap which is easy to tear and does not wad up like regular wrap that you have to end up fighting with. It also seals itself nicely around whatever you put it on.

I put the wrap to the test last week when I finished up painting on Saturday. I wrapped up my unwashed roller and roller pan in GPS. They have been wrapped up this entire week until this morning. Since it is warmer today, I plan to paint some this afternoon, so I checked on the roller and pan. It is just as I left it a week ago. The roller is still soft and paint still wet that was left on it! Now, that's what I'm talking about! Awesome product. It does great for left-overs too.

A Little Organizing

I ran across these colorful bins on clearance 2/$7.00 at Wal Mart. At the time, I bought them, I wasn't sure how I'd use them but they were a good buy and I did want to reorganize my storage room. My old house doesn't have many closets so I converted one of the bedrooms into a storage room.

The best example of turning a bedroom into a storage room that I have ever seen was at a Victorian house where I attended a Christmas party. Here are a couple of photos as an example of how to do it right. Not only was the room used at a closet but they had an antique bed in it as well. Overall, it provided plenty of room for storage and most of all, it wasn't cluttered.

Of course, my room was the exact opposite of one above. Needless to say, for any mess, there is always hope even for small rooms and small budgets. The bins worked well for neatly storing items. Plus I got rid of a lot of things and decided to keep only the things I used on a regular basis in the room. The rest went in the storage shed. Cleaned out cabinets in the kitchen and moved stuff in there. I took a lot of Advil, too! Looking at the room now, I'm happy. I may can actually find something when I'm looking for it!