The blog in which we have get back to our Sunday Funday and a savings experiment.

 It has been a few weird weeks.  We have tried to keep up with our Friday Family Fun Nights, Super Saturdays, and Sunday Fundays, however, we have made feeble attempts, and the while going to the cabin was a really great departure from our norms, we had lost our spark, and this weekend, we re- found our groove.

Friday morning, Geoff suggested we head to the YMCA after he gets off work and swim with the fam. We invited our good friend, Lisa, to join us, and we swam, relaxed in the hot tub, then, headed home for pizza and dessert with Lisa.  Saturday we woke up knowing that we were headed to war, but if we conquered, the day would end well.  We got the trampoline together in record time- four hours, when the majority of people on the reviews put it together in only an hour and a half.   See, we win...  It took us the longest!  Glad we started early, as the migits played the rest of the day until dinner, and then some more after dinner.  

This morning was Mass, and then went to my folks to seal the wood I got and my dad has already sanded.  It will get painted one day this week.  Geoff has the week off, as do the kids, and we will head over there to paint the wood.  (The tutorial to come on these amazing projects that Grandpa is going to make for our budding gymnast ;o)  FYI, gymnastics went so well that the instructors suggested we find Charlie a new gym that can keep up with his abilities.  Sadly, the cost was way beyond our means, so, I suggested we set up a little gym here at our home that he can just play around on and get the therapeutic benefits from the movement.  Luckily, Geoff refused to allow us to spend the hunk of moolah on the equipment, so resourceful me decided to take action and it only took three days of research to come up with the do it yourself bar and beam.  So, hang tight, but the story on that to come.  

So, we are now finishing the night with a movie I grabbed on my way out of Kroger when I ran up to get the savings project of the day.  So, all four of us are all snugly watching "Big Miracle."  Highly recommend it!  So, ready for the savings experiment?  Great... get ready.  I'm serious.  It's amazing.

HOME MADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT

I found the directions on Pinterest.com, however, I found that there was only one of the multitudes that I thought I would really like.  I tweaked the "recipe" slightly.  I am including lots of pictures, and hope that the recipe makes sense.  Essentially, I ran to the Publix bakery and asked for a frosting tub, and they gave me one with a nice lid.  Free.  Then, I went to Kroger, and with tax, spent under $30 for a years' worth of laundry detergent.   The kids and I worked on it outside, in between their trampoline turn taking.  You use between one and two TABLESPOONS of the mixture, and the way I did it, the top of my container will measure it out for me.  Pictures will make sense on this.  

Here's where things get fun.  Tonight, I made something I haven't made in years.  I made fried wings.  I haven't friend anything in years for that fact.  However, I learned (on Pinterest- shocker, right?) that the way to get them to be crispy, is to leave the top off the pot and to dry the chicken completely before frying it.  We don't buy paper towels, so I opted to use a kitchen hand towel that I didn't mind throwing away if I had too.  However, I had half a load of laundry in the washer, and thought, well, I guess this would be as good a test as ever to see if it really works.  So, I threw this hand towel with some chicken blood and stank on it, and started the wash.  And yes, Rachel, there is no doubt.  It is clean.  (That was the question she had, and my thought was, how can I expect all those ingredients to do anything but clean?)  Geoff loves the smell, and the hardest part was grating the three bars of soap, taking about 15 minutes.  Then, I had to don the gloves and hand mix the batch since the mixing spoon was not doing a good enough job.  If I had layered the ingredients as the pinner suggested, it might have worked better.  I filled the Purex container with the mixture, then put a lid on the remainder in the tub I mixed it in.  (I see holiday time gifts in the near future with the printed directions.  Hint, hint.  Act surprised!)  

PS  The blog I read said it does great in high efficiency washers (HE) and note that it does not suds, but it cleans like yo' momma'!  But those darn push tabs nearly sent me off the cliff.  I swear, my eye started twitching and I prayed that I would maintain my gate keeper at my mouth so that I might not spit out a four letter word. My gate keeper is in rehab right now receiving shock therapy.  The pictures are way out of order.  It's late.  Sorry.

Even Charlie got into the
process.

You know when they give you those
fake perforations and say, "push?"
Lies.  Push this motha'.  

The bottle is fantastic.
The cap even gives you the measure
for a large wash.  I only used one of the
two suggested bottles.  It's an optional
addition anyway.  But perfect for keeping
on the washer and measuring the amount
each wash.  Highly recommend
this ingredient.

Snack sized baggie. Two
tablespoons for a large
wash.  

There are three measuring lines
on the top.  The middle one is
the two tablespoon mark. 

Say's mostly natural.
I have never used
fabric softener until tonight.
It smells great!  And fairly
natural.  

Told you it was under $30!

Oh how I wish there was an easier way.
We don't own a food processor.  

My ingredients for the home
made laundry detergent
and fabric softener all in one.
 (I still use my small ball of
aluminum
foil in the dryer as an anti static.)