Homemade Laundry Detergent

This was so much fun. (I am such a dork sometimes!) I had been wanting to do it ever since I read about it on the internet somewhere. I got my "stuff" at Wal-Mart and then found a bucket in the garage.

It was so easy. Just mixed all the powders together. Then I used my food processor to chop the soap; you can also just grate it. (It reminded me of feta cheese.) Then I mixed it all together. That's it!

I can't wait to use it. I think you use about two heaping tablespoons per load. 

Now all I want is one of these......

By the way.....wash the food processor well!

Want vs. Need

That Simple!

Smiles for Chuck

Justin called yesterday morning and asked if I wanted to ride to get some groceries and take the kiddos to Chuck E. Cheese. We didn't tell them where or what their "surprise" was until we got there. Needless to say....all smiles!!

(Glory loves that purse! Second day in a row she had brought it with her to go to lunch.)

Accidental Gardener

Thanks to all the family for helping me with the garden this spring/summer. It took.....

Rick--tilling
Justin--planting, watering, gathering
Jerry--watering, gathering, spraying
Marilyn/Rickie--advising/watering

This was the first year I actually had a garden with a variety of veggies. Despite the spring rains, the summer drought, the grasshoppers, and other pests, we have had some good eating!!

With that said, however, we had to say goodbye to the garden a couple of weeks ago.

"To Everything A Season"......a season to plant, a season to harvest, and a season to die!

Kabobs and a New Sauce

I made chicken kabobs this afternoon to grill for dinner tonight. Then I adapted a dipping sauce recipe that I found online. I loved it and will be making it again.

Sauce:

1/2 c. peanut butter
1 cup water
few flakes of red pepper
1/2 t. soy sauce
honey (mine was lemon honey)

I mixed the first four ingredients together. Then I cooked it over low heat until it thickened.

Drum Roll......Then for sweetness.......oh, yes! I added a tablespoon (give or take) of lemon honey!

WAA LAA!

(Rick couldn't eat the kabobs so he had a grilled chicken breast with homemade honey mustard.)

GB Club's Newest Member

Today, Rick joined the club. He's the No Gall Bladder Club's newest member. The surgery went well and was what I am calling....."an uneventful routine surgery." Praise the Lord!

(We are officially a gall bladder-free household. Mine came out in 2010.)

The List

I don't think I'm the only one who does this!

Friendly People, Thoughtful People

by Charles R. Swindoll

If I have learned anything during my journey on Planet Earth, it is that people need one another.

The presence of other people is essential---caring people, helpful people, interesting people, friendly people, thoughtful people. These folks take the grind out of life.

About the time we are tempted to think we can handle things all alone---boom! We run into some obstacle and need assistance. We discover all over again that we are not nearly as self-sufficient as we thought.

In spite of our high-tech world and efficient procedures, people remain the essential ingredient of life. When we forget that, a strange thing happens: We start treating people like inconveniences instead of assets.

Pasta Salad with Ham

I enjoyed making this new side dish recipe for Marilyn's birthday. 

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta, rotini (or whatever)

8 ounces diced ham

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, red, green, or combination

1 can (4 ounces) sliced black olives

1 large clove garlic, mashed and finely minced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

3/4 cup mayonnaise

Preparation:

Cook pasta in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain, rinse, and put in a large bowl. Add the diced ham, onion, bell pepper, black olives, minced garlic, parsley, pepper, and salt. Toss to mix. Add relish and mayonnaise and mix well. Add more mayonnaise, if desired.

Celebrations

#1 We gave Jenna's best friend, Ashley, a wedding shower at church this afternoon. They have been best friends practically from birth! Jenna is her maid of honor for the September wedding.

#2 We had a birthday dinner this evening for Marilyn, my sister. She's been my best friend since birth! 

I copied the following from her blog; she posted this on my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I told her it would be "ditto" on hers.

Today is a very special day for me. This is the day that my sister, who is also my very best friend, was born. I know without a doubt how lucky I am to have her in my life. We were raised as twins, did literally everything together, and still do.

And now.....because it's so hot around here, I chose this pic of us in New York at Christmas time!

Change The Tire