Day 1---December 1, 2011

So, I'm sure most of, if not all of you have heard about or are on Pinterest. It's pretty much the most amazing thing since Facebook really. I could spend hours on there just browsing through ideas of stuff to do. With Christmas fast upon us, and if you're anything like me your list of people to buy for far exceeds your monetary ability, I thought why not get some ideas out there for people to see?! My BFF (inside joke that will NEVER get old ;) ) Kristin is a Pinterest doubter...well I guess skeptic is a better term. She's not skeptical of the site necessarily, but skeptical of her ability to stay off of it and raise her children or be productive in any other capacity. ;) That being said, I called her about a week ago and said, "Hey! I think I'm going to do a Pinterest blog. What do you think?" And so here ya go!
For day 1 of 365, I'm going to show you what go me hooked on Pinterest. My friends Sarah and Dayla had been telling me to get on Pinterest for a while. I just didn't see the point...until I was browsing and saw this! SEMI-HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP! Not only will this save me and my hubby money, it's gentle on mine and my son's sensitive skin, smells great, and lasts FOR.EVER. (insert that kid from the Sandlot here saying, "FOREVERRR! FOREVERRR!") Here's what you'll do.
Here's the products you'll need:

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.

1 large bin with a lid. (I bought the Walmart brand of a Rubbermaid bin just b/c it's cheaper. It needs to be fairly large, you're going to put quite a bit of powder in it. I've got a picture of mine at the end of the how-to)

 

It's good smelling and to let you in on a little secret, if my house is smelling a little musty from being shut up all day, I'll open the box and leave the lid off for a little bit. It smells good! Ok, keep reading...

 

Pour all the powdered ingredients into your bin. Be sure to do it at a relatively slow pace, the powder can (and will!) make you sneeze if you go too fast!

After you've gotten all the powders in, give it a little mix with your hand just to settle it in.

Now for the fun (and a bit of a work out!)

***NOTE***

I'm a little bit OCD (or CDO...hehe that's in alphabetical order...) and didn't want my next batch of chili w/ shredded cheese to have a nice Fels-Naptha tint to it, so I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a cheese grater for, you guessed it, a dollar. (Dollar Tree is your friend, people! LOVE IT! USE IT!) 

OK! Grate all 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap into the bin. Your arm is going to get tired and you're gonna go, "Why am I doing this?" but trust me, it's worth it! It should look like shredded cheese when you're finished. 

After you've got all 3 bars grated into your powdery bin use your hand to stir and then you're finished! I used the scoop from one of the Oxyclean jars and I use 2 scoops of it just b/c I have hard well water. If you don't have hard water you can probably use 1 scoop. It's good for regular and High Efficiency washers b/c it doesn't sud very much. If you're using an HE washer add it to the tub, not in the dispenser.

Here's a picture of what mine looks like:

 

I also made semi-homemade fabric softener, which will be my next post so you won't have to wait long!

***BONUS FEATURE***

I went to the Dollar Tree and got some cute glass jars w/ the lids that clamp down on the side and guess what Momma, both sisters and sister-in-law, Aunts, and Grandma are getting for Christmas! Yup, homemade laundry soap and probably semi-homemade hand soap...2 posts away, so stay tuned!

Ok, so I hope you like this first blog and the upcoming 364 more!

 

Remember to be a positive difference in someones life today and that God loves you.

Tiff