Two year mystery. SOLVED!

Roughly two years ago, Grace and I ended up at the ENT for an emergency because she had something stuck in her nose and besides obviously being painful, and stuck, her nose kept whistling.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was.  But now we know.

This little piece of plastic came from inside one of Chloe's squeaky toys.   It is just like this one below that was pulled out of Grace's nose 2 years ago and is taped inside Grace's baby book today.

I spent hours trying to figure out what it was all to no avail.

Then today Faith picked one off the floor and handed it to her Daddy.  Stuffing from one of Chloe's toys was all over the place.  David, clever man that he is, quickly deduced the plastic piece's origin.  And then stuck it in his mouth and zipped out a tune exactly like the one Grace's nose sang 2 years ago. 

We made laundry detergent! And I love it!

I've thought about making homemade laundry detergent for quite some time now.  It seems so simple and I keep hearing about what a money saver it is.  So with Grace's help, I finally decided to attempt it!

It's quite simple, really.  1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of washing soda (baking soda is not the same thing) and 1 bar of grated soap.   It makes about 32 ounces of detergent which fits perfectly inside a small yogurt container.  We had an empty glass container that we're using.  Then when you go to do a load of laundry, 1 Tablespoon of detergent is all you need.  Sounds too good to be true, I know.  But we decided to test it out as an experiment.

We used Fels-Naptha soap.  It was in the grocery aisle just past all the Tide.  And let me just say:  Oh.  My.  Goodness!  This soap smells so refreshingly clean!   Not wash-your-body-clean but more like the smell of freshly washed linens hanging from a clothesline out in the sunshine to dry kind of clean.  It has a faint undertone of a light citrus which smells just heavenly to my nostrils.  There's just something about the scent of lemons and oranges that I love.

Anyway.  That soap was much harder to grate than I had anticipated.  So I broke out my chef's knife and went to chopping. 

 Then we decided to move on the food processor.  That was was really hard soap, I tell ya!

 And really noisy in the food processor.  But our little Cuisinart did the job!

This was our end result.  Tiny little yellow balls of soap mixed in with the washing soda and Borax.  The surprising thing about this homemade laundry detergent (other than the fabulous smell) is it only takes 1 tablespoon of detergent per load.  Yes, you heard me right.  ONE TABLESPOON.  Of course, we have an extraordinarily large washer and dryer and I really like my clothes and linens to smell like laundry detergent so I used 3 tablespoons.  What was my verdict you ask? 

Our sheets came out wonderfully clean with the faintest scent of citrusy blossoms.  They felt wonderfully soft and smelled oh-so-clean.  Just the way I like them.  Honestly, I think I could have used just the 1 tablespoon but I probably won't unless I'm doing a small load because I really like the smell of laundry detergent. 

On top of that this was such a bargain!  I spent less than $5 on all the supplies and made enough detergent to do at least 30 loads of laundry and I have enough Borax and washing soda left over for at least another 5 batches of detergent.  That equates to a rough total of 180 loads of laundry (using 1 TBS per load).  Of course I'll probably only get about 1/3 of the loads because of my mild obsession with clean laundry smells, but that's fine by me.  It still comes out a good bit cheaper than buying the big brands at the store - it's even cheaper than I typically get buying other detergents on sale with coupons!

My final thoughts?  In spite of the hard time we had getting started with the soap, I think we will stick to the homemade detergent in the future.  I was honestly quite suprised to see how much I like it.  And it's much more economical than using big name brands that I typically buy.  And it takes up less space in my laundry room.  Sounds like a win-win to me.

Water finder

We went to the pier to watch the sun set when we saw something floating in the water.

Curiously enough, it seemed to be floating toward us.  So David got down on the lower level of the pier and reached his arm out.  Lo and behold, it floated right to his hand.  Almost as if it wanted him to pick it up.

This is what David caught.  An odd shaped piece of wood that strangely resembles that of a water finder.  What is a water finder you ask?  According to our friend Merriam Webster, a water finder is a forked implement consisting of wood that is said to dip down or shake to indicate water.

So, Grace, of course, had to test it out.

"It's pointing to water, Momma!"

"It's pulling me to the water!"

And surely enough, it pointed Grace to the water.

Grace tried to trick it by pointing in another direction.  But amazingly it still pointed at water!

No matter how hard she tried, Grace just couldn't trick her mystical water stick.

Chloe just watched in awe.

Faith was so amazed she tried crawling to it.

Faith wanted a closer look.

And still she remained perplexed by the stick's uncanny power.

Grace is convinced her stick is magical.  So we took it home to rest its powers until the next time we need help finding water in the bay.

Cocoon

Grace was playing on the playground at church today and found something rather interesting.

She informed me, "It's a cuh-COON!  It has a call-er-pill-er (caterpillar) inside it and it is going to come out and be a bew-ful (beautiful) butterfly!"

 It is indeed a cocoon.

But I haven't had the heart yet to tell her that it's empty inside.  Meanwhile, Grace is keeping it in her playroom and checks it often to see if a "bewful (beautiful) butterfly" is ready to come out and play.

Recycle Bank

Have you ever heard of Recycle Bank?  If not, you should check it out.  Basically, it's a program that rewards you for recycling and for becoming a little more green.  You earn points for recycling, learning how to be more green, and by purchasing environment-friendly products such as Ziploc bags.  Who knew Ziploc could be eco-friendly?  Then, you cash those points in for rewards like high value coupons on groceries, restaurant discounts, even free magazine subscriptions!

Many communities partner with Recycle Bank and reward you for your curbside recycling.  So you may get rewarded for something you already do!  So click here to check it out!  If you check it out and then decide to sign up through this link, then I will be rewarded 10 points.   But don't do it for me, do it for you.  Don't forget tomorrow is Earth Day.  So do something nice for our planet.

Flea market finds: Cast iron

I went to a flea market this weekend.

 And found this! 

 It's an old, old cast iron kettle.  Even the handle is cast iron.

 I also found this 2 quart pot with lid.

See?  It says it's a stew pot.  And I got them for the bargain price of FOUR DOLLARS!  I love them!  Both most likely need to be re-seasoned since there are a few spots that look like they may be starting to rust, but that won't be too difficult.

Besides, when I saw that old cast iron kettle and stew pot collecting dust on a lonely old shelf, my imagination starting to run away with me.  I could just envision some battle-worn Confederate soldiers during the Civil War boiling up a rabbit they caught in a snare and turning it into a simple stew over a dwindling campfire.  I can see them making small talk, perhaps playing the harmonica or a small fiddle, each man in his own way enjoying the comraderie of a small troupe of men while uncertain and anxious about what the morning may bring.  That kettle caught my imagination and brought to mind images of a time long past. 

I realize that it is very unlikely these cast iron pieces are actually from the Civil War era, but it sure is fun to pretend.  And the dear lady I got these from, told me they were her grandmother's and she simply didn't have any use for them any longer.  And in fact, she has quite a bit more if I was interested.  I assured her I was very interested and I will be back this weekend.  I wonder what small treasures I will find next?

Garage sale find of the week: Vintage fabric and vintage sewing patterns

Faith and I went to a garage sale today and this is what we walked away with.

Tons of fabric and patterns!  The gentleman holding the garage sale was doing so for his mother who has given up sewing.  He wanted 50 cents for each piece of fabric and each pattern.  Rather than sort through everything I asked if he would be willing to sell the whole lot.  And he offered it all for $5!  (A much better deal than buying pieces individually!)  So I snatched it all up.  The whole lot comprised of 4 garbage bags full of fabric and 1 garbage bag full of patterns. 

After I got home I sorted through it all and found this vintage fabric that I think will make a gorgeous skirt for me... I also found several yards of eyelet, seersucker, and even dark wash denim. 

 But best of all there were 26 patterns for children. 

In all sizes from 1 and up.  And these must be vintage - most are marked at 55 cents!  And you know vintage is so stylish now!

In addition to the children's patterns, there were 51patterns for women:  shorts, blouses, dresses, and skirts.  Even one for purses and handbags!  I must admit that I probably won't ever use some of the fabric or patterns, but there's so much left that I will use that I just don't know where to start.  I have enough in this stash alone to last months of continuous sewing.  Now I just need to figure out how to actually use a pattern...  and maybe make a quilt or ten...

A craft caddy and a craft station

There's a fabulous flea market in my area that I go to just about every week and I almost always walk away with at least one marvelous find.

 This week I found this darling little basket.  For only ONE dollar!

And all of these mason mugs for just a quarter each.  But I'm not using them to can (although I plan to attempt that this summer) or to drink from...  But now that I think about it, I bet Grace would like to use these mugs.  Maybe I should get some "normal" mason jars and let her have these mugs...

In the meantime, I'm using my mugs to hold Grace's craft supplies.  Now we have a practical craft caddy just her size.  It's the perfect way to keep all our pencils, and paint brushes, and scissors in easy reach.  And here's a great spot to keep it.

This was an old cabinet that I pulled out of storage this week just for this.  I gave it a fresh coat of paint and an enamel coating.  It was old and banged up before.  Now it's gorgeous with new purpose - Grace's craft station.

In top drawer I put our paint, paper, foam (I love foam - more about that later), sandpaper, stapler, etc.  And in the bottom drawer I put all of Grace's playdoh, her toy sandbox, and craft mats.  The best part?  It's all within Grace's reach now.  If she wants to work with playdoh, all she has to do is pull it out.  Ready to color and cut?  Same thing.  She can just grab her little craft caddy, get some paper from the top drawer, and head over to the kitchen counter to work. 

A little birdy's house and a spinning flower

I found a steal of a deal at Michael's today.

These wooden birdhouses and flower spinners were just over a buck a piece. 

 Grace immediately picked the birdhouse "witt duh fuhL-OWW-wur" (with the flower.)

 So I poured some paint in Grace's little palette.

And she went to work!

 Guess what color Grace decided to paint her little birdy house? 

 Pink, of course!

 "All fin-ushed!"  (All finished!)

 Meanwhile, Faith was completely enthralled with Grace's activities.

 And she smiled any time Grace looked over at her.

 Next, Grace moved on to her flower spinner.

 It was destined to be pink, too.

 Even the back got painted.

 And Faith continued to be fascinated.

 "You like dem, Bait?  You like my floww-wer and burd hOWs?  Watch dis!" 

(You like them, Faith?  You like my flower and birdhouse?  Watch this!"

 Then Grace huffed and puffed.

 And blew her flower all around!  Watch out for flying paint...

Grace is going to take her birdhouse for Show-n-Tell at school tomorrow.