A snow day did arrive! I've been having a lovely day with P, there's
one of my favourite suppers in the crockpot, and it's naptime. So I decided to whip up something non-cakey and non-soapy. Okay, this is definitely not cake-y, but it is kind of soapy.
Laundry Soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1 grated bar soap
Several drops essential oils, if desired.
Blend / process soap until it's powder. Add borax and washing soda; pulse until uniform.
Use 1-2 tbsp per load; this will not produce suds like commercial detergents.
The food processor I used (which I bought for $30; it was regularly $130 and was discontinued, so I bought it for projects like this) isn't the sturdiest on the planet, so I found that it worked well to chop up the soap (rather than try to grate it from the whole bar) and process it that way. I tried using a Simply Clean Stain Remover bar (I didn't use quite the whole thing, probably 3/4 of it - it's huge!) since it was inexpensive and really hard - I think that with my soaps, I would have needed to dry the soap a bit more after processing it so that it wouldn't clump. Now that I'm thinking of it, while the processor is out and still has soap bits in it, I should grate some extra to dry and have on hand. And of course, washing soda and borax are in the laundry aisle (usually on the top shelf).
The
original recipe is here, and has a few more details you might like to know before making it.
We usually use
Down East unscented liquid laundry detergent; it cleans really well, lasts forever, and it's made here in NS. But since I saw how simple this recipe is, I thought I would try it. We'll see how well it works on some of P's toddler grime, and because I didn't add any fragrance, it should be fine for Son #2's clothes, too. Let me know if you're planning to or have tried this!
Happy snow day!
Every year, I post the first snowdrops in the garden, because it's really the most exciting event of the year. Seriously. Last year, it was March 8, the year before on March 6, 2008 and March 13, 2007. Wonder of wonders, today, February 26 - there are snowdrops up and cheery in the garden.
Even though the daffodils were purchased at the grocery store (discounted, of course!), they're still cheery. It's been a really windy, wet day, and they brought some much-needed brightness to the house.
This cake is amazing. If you're not deathly allergic to citrus (sorry, Ing!) it is heaven on a plate. The recipe is from A Homemade Life, and is on Molly's blog, Orangette, right here. You must make it, as soon as possible. It's probably best shared with other people, but I wouldn't really know. (I will not tell you what percentage of the cake was consumed by yours truly.)
I truly believe that if I didn't have something growing inside in February, I might just wither up, never to be heard from again. (Psssst- February's almost over, and for the past couple of years, we've seen our first snowdrops in early March! The sun made an appearance yesterday, so there is a spark of hope!)
I've admired ranunculus from afar for ages, (especially in Saipua's gorgeous arrangements) but have never seen them in person. (One of the pitfalls of living in a small town. My idea of near-heaven is walking down a street with a flower selection like this. Someday!) So I was tickled pink to find some boxed bulbs (I didn't even know they were a bulb, until then) at the grocery store. I tried one box (3 bulbs), and the bulbs got moldy. Eeeeew. I followed the instructions, too! And the box even says 'Easy to grow'. Harumph. There was one box left when I went back a few weeks later, so experiment number 2 is on the go. I'm hoping for success this time.
A snow day did arrive! I've been having a lovely day with P, there's one of my favourite suppers in the crockpot, and it's naptime. So I decided to whip up something non-cakey and non-soapy. Okay, this is definitely not cake-y, but it is kind of soapy.
Laundry Soap
The food processor I used (which I bought for $30; it was regularly $130 and was discontinued, so I bought it for projects like this) isn't the sturdiest on the planet, so I found that it worked well to chop up the soap (rather than try to grate it from the whole bar) and process it that way. I tried using a Simply Clean Stain Remover bar (I didn't use quite the whole thing, probably 3/4 of it - it's huge!) since it was inexpensive and really hard - I think that with my soaps, I would have needed to dry the soap a bit more after processing it so that it wouldn't clump. Now that I'm thinking of it, while the processor is out and still has soap bits in it, I should grate some extra to dry and have on hand. And of course, washing soda and borax are in the laundry aisle (usually on the top shelf).
We usually use Down East unscented liquid laundry detergent; it cleans really well, lasts forever, and it's made here in NS. But since I saw how simple this recipe is, I thought I would try it. We'll see how well it works on some of P's toddler grime, and because I didn't add any fragrance, it should be fine for Son #2's clothes, too. Let me know if you're planning to or have tried this!
