sam vs. the lemon, tide vs. homemade detergent & more

i just had to share this video of sam eating a lemon...



i laugh every single time i see it!!

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i've tried something new - homemade laundry detergent! i'm a pretty skeptical person - just ask my hubby - so my expectations were not high. i've seen this recipe (and others very similar to this) a lot lately. so with much hesitation, i jumped on the bandwagon.

i'm sad to admit, but my main concern wasn't "will this get my clothes clean?" but it was "how will this make my clothes smell?" i'm a little peculiar when it comes to smells (thanks dad!) and i'm particularly concerned with our clothes. lee confirmed my strange behavior when i told him about my latest endeavor. he quickly said, "that'll never last because you won't like the way it smells."

before i tell you my final conclusion about this, let me tell you how it was made...

there are just 3 simple ingredients and all were found at wal-mart and kroger; borax, fels-naptha, and washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda). i admit that i had never used any of these things before. actually, i had never heard of these things before!

to make the detergent, you first grate all of the fels-naptha (it's basically a bar of soap) with a cheese grater. then you mix it with 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. that's it!! nothing more, nothing less. you use 1 heaping tablespoon per load or more to your liking.


conclusion?!?

i'm pleasantly surprised!

the smell is fresh and clean and it really does clean your clothes! i confess - i still use one of my absolute favorite things...

...downy fabric softener. i love, love, love this stuff!!

one the most exciting parts?! all 3 items cost me less than $5.00! and the borax and washing soda will last a long time! needless to say, this detergent will be a regular around our house!


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a glimpse into our "pumpkin patch adventure" from a few weeks ago

{click on the collage above to enlarge the pictures}

this time of year makes me happy!

a grandmother's post

I've decided to name this a "grandmother's post" for one simple reason...they are probably the only ones who would give a rip about reading this stuff! :)

Because all our parents and grandparents don't live close by, we miss the privilege of sharing daily happenings together. I do my best (although I fail frequently!) at keeping these precious people informed as to what their grandbabies are doing. (Really, let's be honest...they don't care about their own kids, it's the grandkids they want to see!!)

So here's to a post that offers a glimpse at what we've been up to lately...

My girls have been "creating" again! I'm not exactly sure what's being concocted here but it involves chalk, water and bubbles. Sometimes ignorance is bliss for this Mama...




A few weeks ago, Ellee's class had a "Short Vowel Picnic" at one of the parks in town. She and I were responsible for bringing cupcakes...


Here's my Ellee with her friends. (Side note - I've had 3 parents tell me that Ellee is the "popular" kid in the class! Apparently the other kids say she's the one everyone wants to play with. The humor in this?? Ellee tells me everyday that she had to play alone. I wonder...)






Sam has decided he's completely capable of feeding himself...


...and he's decided to take on learning Greek with Daddy...



For the past few months, the "big blue bridge" in our town that crosses the Ohio River has been closed for repair. Last Friday, it was opened to pedestrians for the day before it was opened to traffic. Surprisingly, thousands of people came downtown to walk the bridge. Yep, we were 5 of the thousands that day...and what a windy day it was!






We're getting ready for this sweet girl's 8th birthday!! On the agenda is an "Art Party!"



Next up?!? Chickens, poodles, homemade detergent and more!! Stay tuned...

he's upright & rollin'

check out our little cutie as he dabbles with mobility...

a big "thank you" to my hubby for another fun video!!