Morsel of Life

During the snow we did lots of fun things, like eat popcorn and watch lots of tv and movies. The kids, of course got creative and it was good exercise for me to clean up after them. Here are just a few excerpts of their cute snowday playtime.

I wish I had some high-tech software to edit myself out of these.

Apparently I don't ever dress my children. What can you do...

Cabin Fever!

Oh, Yeah! We had it bad! Cabin Fever was rampant last week. The first big one was Saturday the 6th. We got about 31 inches feet throughout the day. So much that church was cancelled and people were left to dig themselves out. Here are some shots of what it looked like before the storm: Still enough to make a snowman family from the previous snow!













But then the snow fell...
















and fell...
















and fell...

















and fell! Here I am showcasing the depth of the snow. You can still see the snowman behind me to the right by the lightpost.

















Well, after tuesday the 9th, you couldn't see him any more! That night we got another 16 inches and everything was cancelled again on wednesday. We were all stuck inside again. Time to dig some more! Poor Jim. (Yes, I helped a little!)














Our street has only been plowed once, and it was in between the storms. The second storm is the one that broke the camel's back, so to speak. It was blizzard-like with horizontal snow and lots of trees went down. Lots of roofs and awnings have been giving way under the weight of it all. Oh, the joys of winter! Eventually after a day or two we were able to get outside and see the blue sky and feel the rays of the sun. The kids were certainly happy to get out too !

Please note the lightpost in the background, and the fact that you can no longer see a snowman. These days we scoff at a mere 1-2 inches, which is what we got just yesterday. Ha! That's sissy stuff. Some of these mounds might last until summer. Yippee!
(Did I mention that I am ready for spring already?)

Homemade Detergent

Yes! You can make your own laundry detergent! I got a recipe from a good friend at church who has been using it for a long time. I finally tried it! Since I am more a fan of powder than liquid, I did that version. (Plus to make the liquid it was more involved.)

However, I will share both versions of the recipe for those who are interested.

Liquid:
4 Cups hot water
1 Ivory soap bar
1 Cup washing soda
1/2 Cup Borax

-Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean laundry soal dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
- Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavebdar, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soal recipe makes 10 gallons.
(Top-load machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads))
(Front-load machine 1/4 Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads))

Here's the recipe I did for powdered detergent:
1 Ivory soap bar (or other abrasive bar of soap)
1 Cup washing soda
1/2 Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields 3 Cups Detergent (Approx. 40 loads)

I also threw in some Oxy clean powder since I had it on hand. I was able to find all the ingredients at either Wal-mart or my local grocery store. I believe I used a Lava bar of soap. I just started using it and hope it will help me and anyone else who wants to try it to save a lot of money! Good luck, and tell me if you try it!

(Credit goes to Becky Harms)