A Different Kind of Recipe: DIY Laundry Detergent

I know that this technically does not belong on a food blog--but this is for home/kitchen use any way, and I felt that this is too valuable to not share with you.

In an effort to remain always frugal, stretching my dollar as far as it will go, I have been making my own laundry detergent.

What a difference.

I start with four ingredients:

- 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap. Zote is another brand that could be used. I've heard about people using an Ivory bar, but I think a laundry bar is better for this purpose.

- 20 Mule Team Borax

- Washing Soda. This is different from baking soda, but also made by Arm & Hammer. I'm sure there are other brands.

- Optional: Baking Soda. This is an additive that I particularly like as a deodorizer.

Simply grate the bar of soap. I use the smallest holes on my box grater by hand. For me, this is a therapeutic process done while watching television. You could, of course, use your food processor for a quicker effect.

One bar of soap yields three cups of grated soap. To this I add 1-1/2 cups each Borax and Washing Soda, and an entire 16-ounce box of baking soda.

Mix it all up, and you have a great laundry detergent. But the best thing is this:

YOU ONLY USE 1-2 TABLESPOONS PER LOAD!

That's right. 1 or 2 tablespoons. You'll have to try it and see for yourself what measure will be right for your family. But it is low-sudsing, which means you'll see no suds (safer for the environment and better for your septic tank), and although the fels naptha bar does have a fragrance, it does not come through in the finished laundry. At all. And I quite like that. I'd rather smell like my lotion or purfume--not the laundry detergent.

Oh, and before I close, I must give credit where credit is due. I first read about this over at Frugal Upstate--thanks, Jenn!

So if this has any interest to you whatsoever, give it a try. It's changed my life!

Remembering 9/11

Has it already been 8 years?

I think we can all remember that day... where we were, what we were doing, the thoughts that ran through our heads and the conversations we had with people.

I was working at the CDC in Atlanta at the time, getting ready to send a team of volunteers on their various international assignments to work on polio eradication and routine childhood immunizations when we got the news. As a U.S. federal agency, we were considered a target and sent home early; the volunteer assignments for that cycle were canceled altogether.

So I went home and worried about my friends who worked at the Pentagon--fortunately, they were safely away at a golf tournament when the Navy wing was struck.

But my dear friend--the woman who helped me through my divorce, the one who fed me when I had no money and invited me to her kids' high school graduations, the keeper of my secrets and my shoulder to cry on--lost her sister in the World Trade Center collapse.

The days that followed brought a strangeness to life itself; no one knew if war was about to break out, if events would repeat themselves, or if things would ever be the same. And I received literally hundreds of emails from colleagues around the globe offering their sympathy and expressing their horror that anyone would do such a thing.

I think that's what touched me the most. Ethiopians and Somali, Egyptians and Indians, Bangladeshi and Kyrgyz--they all took the time, typed the words, thought particularly of me, enough to send a note.

We can all agree that the world has changed since then, whether or not for the better is up for debate. I do know this: the generosity and kind-heartedness of people all over the globe make up for the sins of the few.

That's my two cents for today... would love to read your recollections or other thoughts for today.

iPod Touch Giveaway

Hey, folks... just to pass the word, Cooking... by the Seat of My Pants! is giving away a free iPod. Check it out.

Out, I tell you!

I think I've got spring fever. Only it's not spring yet. Maybe this is called the winter blahs.

Perhaps just having a bit of a thaw, seeing the ground peeking out from under that snow, experiencing some temperatures above 32*F and emerging from the long blanket of winter, if even for a few days, has thrust me into this... this... almost uncontrollable urge to get outside.

I don't want to be in the house. I want to go out. Out, I tell you!

And it doesn't matter to do what. My friend, M, called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to go to the grocery store with her. I jumped at the chance, even though I need no groceries. Because I wanted to be out. Then Mr.W came home from work and said he needed to go to Walmart, and would I like to go with. Heck, yeah! I had my coat on in two shakes of a lamb's tail!

Even today I feel like a rat trapped in a cage. But it's snowing again and I didn't keep the vehicle, so trapped I am.

I guess I'll go cook something.

I am SO ready for winter to be over.


(Stay tuned... I have a lovely new soup recipe to share a bit later today!)

Scenes from My Living Room

Have I mentioned that my grandmother's beagle, Meathead, is visiting our house for a while? We're calling it "fat camp." Yep, grama let her eat and eat and eat... now she's too obese. We absconded with her for diet and exercise at our house for a few weeks.

And boy, is she getting some exercise.

Thundercat has established Meathead as her playmate. I took a very short video today. Here they are:




Fortunately I was able to keep my composure. Usually I'm laughing hysterically while they go at it!

Short Stories

If you like to read a short story or two, click on over to Random Acts, where you'll find several very good, original works--plus illustrations!

I've Been Elfed!

Oh. My. Goodness.

My brother used this website to make us into dancing elves! Check it out. It's too funny--thanks, Aaron!

Open House and a Boxed Lunch

Oh, my days are just so busy lately. But soon... soon I will have all sorts of time on my hands.

I've been spending a lot of time with my friend M over the last few weeks cleaning up her house a few towns away that she's been cleaning up after her former tenants, who treated her home very badly. (You can read my rant here. However no rant can truly describe how awful it was--and I didn't dare post photos on this, a food blog.)

But now it's clean, with freshly painted walls, new carpets, and staged just so for an open house. Here is just a glimpse of the foyer.

Now in this region, open houses are unlike those you might see on HGTV. They like to schedule them for realtors only. But that really does make sense, because they will keep the house in their minds as they meet with clients looking to buy.

When M announced to her realtor that she'd like to provide a boxed lunch to the realtors that come to view the house, she was surprised. Evidently they don't do food around here.

I know.

So I helped her prepare 35 of these fun little lunches.

This lunch contained one slice of tomato pie*, one mini ham sandwich on a luscious wee potato roll, a container of cabbage salad**, a chocolate-covered cherry cookie, and of course a plastic fork rolled up in a little pink napkin, safely ensconsed in a plastic baggie so not to get yucky.

*Tomato pie is a Central New York phenomenon which, at first glance, seems like half a pizza. But first glances are deceiving--this little slice of heaven is a completely different thing altogether, bready and slathered with thick tomato paste and sprinkled liberally with parmesan cheese. It needs nothing else.

**Apparently cabbage salad is a delicacy from Maine. Not cole slaw, no... it is indeed a salad--only made with shredded cabbage in lieu of lettuce. Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and green pepper are combined with the cabbage shreds and marinated in bottled french dressing (the orange kind) overnight before being mixed with a final dressing of mayonnaise. It's quite delicious, in an out-of-the-bottle kind of way. But if I were serving it, I'd call it cole slaw anyway.


Well I mentioned that soon I'll have plenty of blogging time on my hands. 'Tis true... Mr.W has been selected for an international business trip and will be away for 20 days or so. And I'll be here missing him, but staying busy nonetheless planning for Thanksgiving. And blogging.

An Autumn Morning

This morning Mr.W had to be at work at 6am and--silly me--I thought I'd just drop him off so I could keep the truck and do some running around.

So a little shopping here, and a little shopping there, at my local early-open marts... and there was beauty everywhere. Here's a photo I snapped with my cell phone as the sun rose to greet the colorful trees this morning.




Then I saw a bunch (a flock? a gaggle?) of wild turkeys, two young deer munching on the dewey grass, and smelled the obvious evidence of an angry skunk.

Aah, fall.

Happy Disarray

Today I had two very special houseguests. A boy, 8, named Rio, and a girl, 12, named Tiffany. They spent time here for Children's Church, followed by a couple of movies.

We had a very special lesson about bullies, what bullies are, whether or not we've had to deal with bullies at school or elsewhere, whether or not we ourselves have been bullies in the past, and what God says about bullies.

It was a really interesting discussion, since the kids had different ideas of what a bully is and why they act the way they do. It was also interesting to watch both kids admit that they have been bullies in the past to others. I was so proud that they were able to recognize that they are not without guilt in that area... I think we all have had opportunity to bully others in some way or another.

And we talked about praying for our enemies, repaying good for evil, and having compassion for a bully, who might have been bullied or abused in the past, or even currently.

I just hope the lesson settled in their hearts.

We had a very nice lunch of rotisserie chicken (from the grocery), homemade sweet potato fries (just cut into sticks and deep fried) served with ranch dip, and sliced cucumbers. I made each of the kids a mock strawberry milkshake to enjoy with their meals. I selected this particular menu because Rio is a hyperactive child and his parents prefer to avoid sugary treats... this of course is hard for a young person, so I like to offer 'treats' that are tasty without asking him to cheat on his diet. Plus it's good for my own diet!

We watched a couple of movies: Wallis & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away, while munching on some organic veggie chips (store-bought). We finished the afternoon with 30 minutes of car racing on the X-Box before they were picked up.

My house is a wreck, but it was a lovely day, and well worth the mess. There's a real blessing that comes with visiting children--they bring such a sweet innocence to the house.


Mrs.W

A Rant: Renters Can Be So Nasty

Please allow me a few minutes to rant.

A year ago, my friend M and her husband remodeled the house that they rent to two nurses and their two kids, because they wanted to sell. The tenants (the nurses) wanted to purchase, so the remodel was done to their specifications in regard to colors, etc. A year later, and chance after chance after chance, they still had not secured a loan. M and her husband evicted them.

So now we're now in the process of cleaning up the house so that it can be put on the market.

The tenants trashed the place.

Carpet that was new last year has never been vacuumed or swept. The nurses' dog left his hair everywhere. Ceiling fans were never cleaned. Bathrooms were never cleaned. They didn't even clean out their stuff.

This experience is teaching me two main lessons: first, never rent. Ever. Second, even if a person is a nurse, it doesn't mean they live a sanitary life.

I'm horrified. Absolutely horrified. The utter filth that these folks lived in--and raise their children in--is shocking. Garbage all over the kitchen. Mice turds everywhere. Fruit flies--my Lord, the fruit flies! The old food all over the kitchen... it's ghastly. And the dog odor is like walking into a brick wall as you enter the front door! Really, truly disgusting.

*Gag*

Over the last few days I personally have hauled load upon load of junk from the upstairs bedrooms, I've cleaned out lower kitchen cabinets (mouse dukey and all), I've cleaned out the oven & broiler (mouse crap there, too), scrubbed caked-on dust from ceiling fans, removed paint overspray from mahogany woodwork (the one room the nurses painted themselves resulted in multitudinous drips and dribbles all over that beautiful wood). Oh!

Can I just say that I love my house? I love that my house is clean--even when my house is messy, it is clean. And free of mice.

Okay... thank you for listening to my diatribe.



Mrs.W

A Beautiful Wedding

Saturday I attended a wedding. What a wonderful day, and such a blessing to see two good friends fall in love and tie the knot.

I met the groom in kindergarten, and the bride years later through my brother's wife. They met each other and started dating a little over a year ago... as we watched their romance we knew they were right for each other.

The reception was held at The Blue Flag Room in Utica, NY. Here is a snapshot of the room before the guests arrived.

The cake was gorgeous AND delicious!

My sweet sister-in-law. She and I did the decorating and the reception florals.

My handsome brother was the best man. Here he is, giving the toast.

The bride's father made a touching speech.

Even the groom said a few words.




There was dancing...




Here is the matron of honor, the bride's sister, dancing with her daughter, the flower girl.





Merriment was had by all.

Best wishes to Zeb and Jennifer as they begin their life together as husband and wife!



Mrs.W

Off Topic Rant: Orphans in the International Community

I just read an article online about Angelina Jolie calling for more funding to support orphans worldwide. In a nutshell, Jolie and Pitt have created an organization called Global Action for Children, that raises money for orphans in the developing world.

It sounds great on the surface. But perhaps celebrities might consider supporting systems already in place, instead of always creating new funds, new foundations; better yet, creating more organizations such as Stephen Curtis Chapman's Shaohannah's Hope, which provides grants for people in the process of adoption and in financial need.

Secular groups could call for lesser waiting periods for international adoptions. Celebrities such as Jolie & Pitt can enter countries like Ethiopia and leave with their child almost immediately--while everyone else has to wait a year or more.

International adoption is such a difficult process--which often includes bringing extra cash along (in American dollars) to bribe officials. In addition to that, you have to pay for the application process, pay for the medical clearances, pay for the fees to adoption agencies, pay for your tickets to the country where the children are located... it's so extremely expensive. A friend of mine adopted two Ethiopian children and paid $8k just to the adoption agency, not to mention over a year in the process before ever getting photos to select their children. Although costs related to adoptions are tax-deductible, you still have to front all that money--and let's face it. The average American just doesn't have that kind of money available.

I am personally aware that there is much corruption involved anywhere money is coming into the African continent and most notably in Sudan. Even the World Health Organization turns a 'blind eye' to some siphoning of funding for vaccination programs to 'grease the wheels' in other areas. Finances meant for hiring workers for health initiatives all over Africa turn up missing on a regular basis. This is a fact of working in the developing world. Children are the victims. So I can say with 98% certainty that if these recently-established Africa-aid charity programs, such as Jolie & Pitt's GAC, are not already being drained by corrupt groups, they will be. Another reason to go through charities already in place.

I feel it must be said--celebrities creating all of these foundations and charities may mean well in their hearts, but I would ask them to think about issues where everyday people can help. Lots of American families would be willing to open their homes and families to internationally adopted children if the process were not so expensive and difficult.

At the very least, Pitts and Jolies of the world, make sure the administrative costs of your new charities and foundations are under 10%, so your money does the most good to your target group. Or consider donating your money via established agencies such as UNICEF, who are already in place to reach the unreachable and help the poorest of the poor.

Just my two cents. Rant over.


Mrs. W