Archive for 'Food | Health | Beauty'
How To Make Homemade Laundry Detergent
Posted on November 9, 2012, by Kim, under Food | Health | Beauty.
You have to spend a ton of money on famous, name-brand laundry detergents like Tide and others to get your clothes clean. Wrong! Here’s the recipe and process I use in our home to make laundry detergent for pennies per load.
- 1/3 Bar of soap — I like to use the following soaps, Dove or Tom’s of Maine Lavender scented soap, I have also purchased homemade soaps made with essential oils as well.
- 1/2 cup of washing soda — This is made by Arm & Hammer, I believe it is baking soda, so if you can’t find washing soda, you can use baking soda.
- 1/2 cup of Borax powder — my preferred brand is 20 Mule Team Borax
Grate the soap (I use my food processor) and put it in a stock pot. Add 6 cups of water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the Borax and stir it until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket and add the soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Use 1/2 cup per load.
-The finished soap will NOT be a solid. It will be more of a watery gel.
-The soap is low sudsing. If you don’t see suds, it’s okay. Suds are not what does the cleaning. Low suds also means it works great for front-loading washing machines like ours.
I figure that this soap costs pennies per load. I also use white vinegar in place of fabric softener.
The picture is around half of the last batch I made. Before you make a batch, be sure to have some large containers to store it in. We have two cats, the two largest jugs here are kitty litter containers that we washed out and use. They hold a bunch and make it really easy to pour refills into the last laundry detergent bottle we purchased also shown in the picture.
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It’s fine to allow girls to grow up too quickly!
Posted on February 11, 2011, by Kim, under Family | Relationships, Food | Health | Beauty.
Why is this a common misconception for so many? I was reading over some Facebook posts earlier this evening and I kept reading the same thing over and over. “I have to get ready for our Valentine’s Day party for school tomorrow,” or, “I am stressed and trying to find a few more Valentine’s Day games for my first grader’s party tomorrow.” I am just a little beside myself why schools would push the idea of romance to school aged children.
Forget just the parties though. Tonight while at the mall with my daughter, I saw a young girl who looked to be maybe 17 years old. She had on a low cut shirt, with a much older looking boyfriend hanging all over her. Her shirt was so low that it was completely obvious that she had had cosmetic surgery on her breasts. I mean, they seriously looked fake. My first thought was, why would a parent think that was okay? An article from Focus on the Family highlights this very thing. Many parents don’t realize what they are doing to their daughters by allowing boob or nose jobs, immodest clothing or even recreational dating.
Recently I have felt the urgency to educate myself more on this topic, as I have a daughter who is quickly approaching the stages where many other parents check out. I don’t want to be one of those parents. My daughter is too important. I want to raise her to be a pure and holy daughter for the King. This is a very huge burden and undertaking for me, especially with the world in which we live. I have begun reading articles and having the much needed conversations with my daughter. I take great pride in knowing I do not have to do this alone. I have many family members, friends and resources around to help keep me encouraged and provide me with many great ideas. Our church, Stones Crossing Church has an annual Royal Sleepover where girls first through fourth grade learn the importance of living a pure and holy life for the King. What a blessing to belong to a church who is willing to partner with me in this responsibility.
I am willing to do what it takes and to be the outcast to dispel this misconception. It is not okay for girls to grow up too quickly. It’s time for all of us to put on the brakes.
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Cancer Happens to Older Women
Posted on August 27, 2008, by Kim, under Family | Relationships, Food | Health | Beauty.
Okay, so this is a more serious post, sorry! I was reminded just the other day by my mom that she was 36 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. By God’s healing hand, she is still with me today and I take that for granted far to much! I couldn’t imagine what life would be without her. Sure, there are times when we don’t see eye to eye, and I get frustrated, but I am quickly reminded what the other option is. I do know that when either one of us leaves this earth, I want it to be on good terms–Love you mom!
Now, I just turned 34 and while I know it isn’t true, I feel like I’ve got a while before I need to start getting those most important exams. I have lost many people in my family because of cancer and I am watching God work in so many lives through a friend who is battling cancer daily. I absolutely hate cancer. I can’t believe it even exists, so with that in mind, think about how I might feel about those dreaded tests.
I know it needs to be done, so my charge to you as a woman who hasn’t gone through the testing–let’s bond together and take care of ourselves! Our families deserve it!
If you are like me and haven’t had your testing, share with me why it’s hard for you to jump right in to have it done. If you have had testing, let the readers know what it’s like with no candy coating! We need to have it done, it’s just a matter of when.
