Fabric Softener

Homemade Fabric Softener


If you’ve been wanting to cut costs on Fabric Softener… try making Homemade Fabric Softener!

What You’ll Need:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}
What You’ll Do:

Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
Add the vinegar, and mix well.
Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!

5 in 5 Days 3-5... Make me an offer I can't refuse

I am totally cheating here by combining 3 days for one thing, but... I'm good with it. Yesterday I spent the day going through each room and gathering garage sale stuff. It took more time than I thought it would(as all of my projects thus far have done). Today and tomorrow are sale days and at the end of tomorrow I will make a g-dub trip.

5 in 5 Day 2... The Pit of Despair!

I was a bit busy yesterday with editing pictures, YW, Activity Days Mom/Daughter night, helping fix the lawn mower (mostly just fixing the speakers on the computer so Kevin could watch a youtube on fixing it... but it counts.) and other lame stuff, so I thought I would be sneaky and get up this morning and tackle something easy and post about it. I thought, "20, maybe 30 minutes tops... Then I'll get dressed and ready for the day."
I made the rookie mistake of tackling the craft/catch-all dresser in our entry. Rookie! Two hours later I am standing in the middle of a mess strewn all over my kitchen bra-less and starving. Rookie!
My mistake was in thinking that it would only take one box to take care of all of the contents. Nope. 4 Boxes! 1 for kids crafts which I will need until the end of school and when school starts again. 1 for my craft stuff ie: card making, scrapbooking, poster making. 1 for stuff I am donating to a friend's supplies. 1 for goodwill. But don't forget the two grocery bags of garbage too.
I am done sorting, but now I have to find places for the bits and pieces of the rest (walkie-talkies, shoe laces, super glue, old film canisters, etc.)
I am counting this task as complete, but my next task (Task 3) might include cleaning off my kitchen counter tops :P

5 in 5... My Life In A Box

So, I am totally crashing the 5 in 5 challenge, but since I don't have a personal blog I am doing it here.

Challenge: Start packing!
I sat down today and did a count down to how many days I had left before we move... (69) Then I figured out how many days I would actually have to pack... (47! And that included today). Yikes!!!
The problem that I face is that there are few things that we own that I would want to move with me that I don't mind packing up right now.
















The solution... Bookshelves! I have 7ish bookcases in my home and have found that I can, temporarily, live without my books and cherished chotskies. (Featuring a wooden whale puzzle I made for Brady when he was 4, Grandma Hanna's old radio from her garage, and a frog prince Marcy gave me when I was single and dating a bunch of toads.)



With everything packed away, I show my real talent for moving. I have mastered the art of tracking my belongings and minimizing the frustration of not finding what you need after you move. This is box number 4 that I have packed and labeled with the number on all sides. Then I label the basics of what is in the box... Then genius comes in numbering each box in a notebook and then detailing what is in each box.

Later I will highlight each box number to indicate weather it will go into storage or with us.
I am a big fan of this method, but I really don't ever want to have to use it again ;)

Snow is in the Air

So, this year is projected to be a snowy one for the NW states, and where there is snow there are also power outages, impassable roads, and frozen pipes.
The question is: How do YOU prepare for this?

What do you have a year supply of?

Kevin went to Home Depot last night and got really excited over finding the energy efficient light bulbs on sale for 1/4 of the price. He stocked up and got 6- 12 pack boxes of them.
He was pointing out to one of our friends that now we had a year supply of them. She giggled and said, "Yep, I'm certain they will be very helpful when the Apocolyse hits and the power grids go out."
It was kind of funny, but it did make me stop and think. I now want to make sure I stock up on some candles and matches.

I would like to mention that I do have a year supply of:

Laundry Soap
Light Bulbs
Frozen Berries
Cake Mixes
Frosting (Thanks Debbie for the tip)
Salt
Yams (I have 3 cans of yams that were given to us, so really it is like a 3 yr supply)

I have a 3 month supply of:

Mac & Cheese
Flour
Sugar
Rice
Pastas
Granola Bars (Snack Items)
Oats
Juice Drinks
Corn Bread
Pancake Mix
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Salad Dressing & Various Condiments


I know it is kind of obsure, but most of the foods can be cooked by itself or with only water.

What do you have in your storage?

Emergency Tool Kit

Kevin has been watching a show called The Colony. It is a reality show about a colony of people who have found each other after a massive virus has (supposedly) wiped out the population. It takes place in wiped out Katrina destroyed Louisianna. The people are half starved, with no electricy and dealing with invading groups of people who are also fighting to survive.
What caught my attention was how handy a basic set of tools would have been to this group. What are your thoughts on an emergency tool kit within your year supply or even 72 hour kit?