Homemaking – Page 5 – The Welcome Home

Homemade Laundry Soap – easy – still!!

ingredients for homemade laundry soap

I’m using the ingredients (above) + water to make “homemade” laundry soap – and after several months of doing so, I’m still pretty satisfied with the results. I’d still use Tide if it showed up on my doorstep and I’d still use Downey if someone forced me to. ~wink~ But for the first time in my marriage, I’m more concerned with saving money than I am with the most *perfect* looking clothes. Our clothes are clean enough for me… and I’m sort of choosey.

So… for the soap, one more time:

I grate the Dr. Bronner’s Lavender pure castile soap and warm it up in a small pot of water on the stove. Then I put 2 cups of Borax and 2 Cups of Washing Soda in the 5-gallon pail (I use this pail bcz it has a sturdy handle and a gamma seal lid that’s *easy* for me to spin off). I fill the pail with hot water (about half way) and whisk like crazy until the Borax and Soda granules are all completely dissolved. Then I stir in the liquefied lavender soap. And I blend this for several minutes more. Then I add more hot water – nearly to the top of the bucket.

After I blend thoroughly again, I let this set for a day or so. Then I transfer the thick laundry soap to a gallon pail that I keep in the cabinet above my washing machine. It’s really easy and really inexpensive.

I use the gamma seal lid on all our pails… a bought a few a month for a year and have those spin-on / spin-off lids for all our pails. Everything stays fresh and tight this way!

A Newsletter reprint

[Reprint of Doc Shillington’s Newsletter – http://www.organicsolutionsstore.com/ ]

Organic Solutions, Inc.

Volume 8 – Issue 1
The Future

We live in interesting times. The failure of World leaders to bring about World Peace has never been more evident than it is today. The problems facing man look as if they are coming to a head all at once. Inflation is soaring; Housing is in deep trouble; War looms on several fronts; and the quality of our Water, Food and Healthcare has gone out the bottom long ago.

Welllllllll, this is not a dissertation on “Doom and Gloom” and “how bad it all is”. It’s simply a short essay on what YOU can DO to be CAUSATIVE over your own SURVIVAL, and help guarantee the Health of your loved ones. In a previous article a few years back, I wrote a detailed list of what every family needs to have on hand in case of a dire emergency or disaster. That list is still as good as gold, and available from my office if you don’t have a copy. The following is an addition that expands upon it.

1. Water: Ensure you have a minimum of 25 gallons of distilled or purified water stored for every adult family member. This is for drinking only. Forget about bathing, or flushing toilets. Dig a hole in the back yard and put an outhouse on it. Water is your most precious commodity. Also make certain you have a gravity-fed water purification system such as the Katadyn or the Aqua Rain. These purify water sources such as ponds or rainwater. Our Office carries the Aqua Rain should you need one.

2. FOOD: A three (3) months supply of wholesome, organic Food is mandatory for every single person in the family. This can be in the form of dehydrated grains, seeds, nuts, meats, fruits, and veggies. They can be vacuum packed for an even longer shelf life. Organic Canned Foods and Baby Foods will also fit the bill here, and these can be purchased at your closest Healthfood Store. I can’t emphasize strongly enough – make sure all of these foods are 100% ORGANIC!!!

3. Seeds: You can buy Organic / Heirloom Seeds or save the ones you get from the Organic Fruits and Veggies you purchase or grow. These keep quite a while and are a must for your future food needs. Some of the easier Organic seeds to save are: Peppers, Squash, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Papaya, and Grape. Start growing a garden NOW, if you’re not doing so already. Grow only those plants that will produce more seeds. Stay away from Hybrids as these are produced by artificially cross-pollinating plants. Hybrids were supposedly created to improve certain characteristics of a particular variety of plant, such as better yield, greater uniformity, improved color, disease resistance, and so on. Today, Hybrid seeds are predominant in agriculture and home gardening, and it is claimed to be one of the main contributing factors to the dramatic rise in agricultural output during the last half of the 20th century. Don’t touch these seeds with a 10-foot pole since Hybrid seed cannot be saved. The seeds from the first generation of Hybrid plants do not reliably produce true copies or offspring. Therefore, new seeds must be purchased for each planting. This can be used as a way to control us by not allowing us to save and replant our seeds. Therefore we are wholly dependent upon seed sellers such as Monsanto and must buy whatever they give us each year. Many of these seeds are “Genetically Modified” and “Round-up Ready” which means they will not grow unless you spray them with “Round-up”, a highly poisonous pesticide that kills weeds while activating the seed to grow. At this point, you are not only locked into purchasing their seeds, you are now a slave to buying their “Round-Up” pesticide from thereon out. This could mean no seeds to plant or not having the choice to grow organically or save your own seeds.

4. Firearms: These are a twofold “must-have” that should be obvious. Not only can your food supplies eventually run out and hunting becomes an absolute necessity, you may possibly get into a situation where you need to defend yourself and your family. If you would like more detailed information regarding excellent but inexpensive firearms for survival, send me a private email or note.

5. Tools: You’ve got to have an axe. If I was only allowed one tool, it would be an axe. Chainsaws and power tools are fine, but they require either gas or electricity of which there is only a limited supply. My wife Valorie, who is a top-notch gardener, swears that you can never have too many hand tools. J Garden tools, spades, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, and the like are not only fun for you and the kids, but they could very well mean the difference in living well or barely getting by. Hammers, Chisels, Saws, Wrenches, Vise Grips, and a good supply of nails and screws need to be on your shopping list if you don’t already have these on hand.

6. Medical Kit: You can’t have too many bandages, antiseptics, or painkillers on hand. Believe me, this is one of those scenarios, where if you DON’T have a Med Kit, you’ll darn well need it for certain. It is the prepared ship that never sinks.

7. Herbal Remedies: A 3 (three) month supply of Total Nutrition, Echinacea, TotalTonic, Intestinal Cleanse, Cayenne, Lobelia, and our Body Balance+ Formula are the bare bones minimum. I know at least a dozen families that keep a six-month supply of each of these on hand at all times and just rotate their stock every month. They call up about every 4 weeks and order at least one of each and use up the oldest stock in their pantry first. The shelf life on each of these is many YEARS. To make sure of this, I’d recommend storage in a cool dark place. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have other remedies such as the Deep Tissue Repair Oil, or the Total Healing Poultice Powder, or the Tooth and Gum Formula, or the Nerve Sedative Formula, etc. it only means you’ve got to have the necessities as above. Each can be a lifesaver!

One friend told me that they have Total Nutrition on the TOP of their monthly shopping list before the purchase of any other food. This only makes sense because you can literally live off this wonderful food. None of the above can be overlooked, and I want all of my friends to survive the coming years. The Future can be very bright, and I hope this helps.

Yours in Knowledge, Health and Freedom,

Doc

Disclaimer: The above information is for educational purposes only, is not intended to serve as medical advice, and has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA or the AMA. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. No warranties, expressed or implied, are offered with any services, products or information supplied by Dr. Shillington, his staff or Organic Solutions, Inc. If you are ill or suspect you may have a health problem, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your health care provider.

****************This letter is simply food for thought, ideas you might want to consider simply for your own use as you wisely consider the days ahead… THIS IS NOT an endorsement of the “Church of Scientology” or a pass on the possible contradictions to the Bible or the Lord Jesus — or any other unintended links – related links to Doc Shillington************ His work appears to be authentic, ideas appear to be sound in terms of basic “survival.” This newsletter was interesting to me and I think you might **********glean********** what you can from it as the LORD God leads you and your family.

Best Canning-Freezing-Preserving-Dehydrating Site

I’m in the midst of canning, canning, canning… and I needed some pickle info… and so looked around and found my answer. Wow! What a great site I discovered. It’s full of many, many helps, illustrations, photos, recipes, tips and more. Here it is: pickyourown.org ! I think you’ll be so pleased – and if you’ve been looking for food preserving “how-to’s” and recipes, then this is the site for you!

I particularly like that site bcz if there’s any question as to the type or appearance of the fruit or vegetable, there are *many* photos and illustrations! Go ahead… take a look — you’ll be pleased!

It takes a mama…

I don’t get out much… some, but not much. And, for the most part, I like it that way. O, don’t get me wrong: I love to go places, I love to do things and I love to see new things. But I love being home. When I do go out… I sure see why it’s important for me to be here… at home, keeping the home and caring for each one and each thing here.

I love keeping our home and I love home-work. I love making sure that home’s home. O, I know that anyone can clean houses, make food, clean it up and make more food and clean that up, too and do it over and over and over again. I know that anyone can put stuff in the washer, move it from there to the dryer, put more stuff in the washer and do the same thing over and over and over again. I know that anyone can supervise the existence of children in a home and maybe even teach them things, too. I know that anyone can tidy up, dust, vacuum, sweep, wipe, mop, and turn lights on or off in a home. I know that anyone can bar a door from intruders and anyone can uphold a schedule and order.

But it takes a mama to make a home home. It takes a mama to care for the things of a home. It takes a mama to care for the apparel and appearance of the children and husband in her home and it takes a mama to care for the quality of the food and the presentation of the meals and the appearance of the table and the conversation that happens there. It so matters what goes on them,what goes in them and what goes on around them.

It takes a mama to remember the nuances of life… the candlelight and the music of life — to share the yesteryears and stories of generations gone before. It takes a mama to remember the preferences and particular idiosyncrasies that make up each child’s unique personalities and to really care how those children feel and how their character is shaped. It takes a mama to genuinely attend to a nursling, a baby, a toddling child, a maturing son or daughter and all the needs each age and each season brings — it takes a mama to anticipate what the changes will be and what they’ll necessarily require. It takes a mama to care about a rash, a fever, a first step, a composition, a heartache, dental appointment, a physical exam, pictures on the fridge, a skinned knee, an awkward incident, a disappointment, an accomplishment…

It takes a mama to set the tone, the order, the routines, guide the activities and make the sweet memories of the home. It takes a mama to demonstrate God’s precious and specific order for one of the halves of His creation. It takes a mama to show what the Word says… to demonstrate the living Word of God in word and in deed. It takes a mama to hear the heart of her children — and to care what’s going on in each heart. It takes a mama to teach a child to pray… and to listen to the LORD. It takes a mama to do all that matters (and a mama knows it all matters… a lot).

It takes a mama to make a home sweet and it takes a mama to give a home a heart and it takes a mama to make a home a wonderful place to remember and a dear place to long for. It takes a mama to be a real sweetheart for her husband and the first sweetheart of each of her children. It takes a mama to make a home a journey, a launch-pad, a destination and a desire.

When mama’s not home… the home has no heart ♥ and there’s really no-one to look well to the ways thereof. God’s clear design is marred and distorted when mothers lose sight of, or disregard, the inestimable value of motherhood… when women choose lesser things.

H♥me. It takes a mother’s kiss to make some things all better. It so matters when mother’s there. And it so matters when she’s not.

Restorer of the Breach(es)

I’m still pondering: The old paths…

A few days ago I was looking at photographs and was trying to recollect those days… actually, those and a lot of other “days gone by” and I began to consider and ask myself: what good things did I do in those days do I no longer do? What did I leave off doing — and why? Did I get weary? Did I get overconfident? Did I get tired? Did I get lazy? Did I forget? Why did I stop doing the things that were working well? And, when? When did I veer off the path?

Slowly over the last several days and likely into the next several weeks, I am working to restore the old paths… the old paths of home… the routines, the objectives and the disciplines of our home life. A mama has to be the restorer of the breach(es).

Somewhere along the way some of the pavers of the old path slipped away… various floods of life and life’s trials broke up the path — children grew, needs changed, babies were born, children grew up and left home, the tides of business ebbed and flowed, sickness and health, strength and weakness… and so, along the way — here and there, places on the path were washed out.

Probably of all the decisions I’ve been making — or the tasks I’ve been doing lately — setting our home in order has been the most important. Clutter and disorder paralyzes people — and mothers, probably more than they realize, are rendered ineffective if there is much clutter and disorder. Clutter hinders creativity and productivity and disorder hinders unity and accomplishment — both in ourselves and in our children or daily family life.

I hadn’t really realized this was happening — it was so long in existence and so subtle in appearance. I hadn’t realized that I had stopped checking “completed” chores. I hadn’t realized that I had started finishing jobs others had either started and didn’t complete or hadn’t done at all. I hadn’t noticed that things were being overlooked… not put away… not taken care of properly.

I hadn’t noticed that jobs were being done well enough instead of well done! Close or ‘good enough’ is fine some of the time… but ‘good enough’ is not fine for all of the time. Close or ‘good enough’ is fine for younger children “in training,” but for myself and older children who know better, close or ‘good enough’ is not: good. Enough.

Homemade Laundry Soap – easy!!

For several months I have been using ‘home-made’ laundry soap and have been very pleased with the results! In addition to the ease of making the soap, the dollar savings has been a great help to me/my family! This may sound terrible, but I’ve never attempted to be very thrifty in the laundry room. As a front-loader user and a Tide–Clorox–Spray’nWash–Oxi-Clean-Downey girl and mom of many, I’ve obviously bought large, washed large and $pent large. Now… after several months of still washing large but not spending large, it’d be pretty tough to go and spend $27. on a box of Tide and $12.00 on a bottle of Downey. Now, I’m spending less than 5 dollars for about 100 loads of wash. I still use hot-hot water & double rinse for white clothes and towels.

I still use the Spray ‘n Wash occasionally and the Oxi Clean, too, on occasion, but for the most part I am using only the home-made soap and Vinegar in the rinse dispenser for rinse aid and softening the fabric. I’m going to try a mix of hydrogen peroxide/lemon juice —or— when I can order some, I’d like to try sodium perborate for whitening the clothes w/o using Clorox bleach.

So, here’s a way of making home made laundry soap. And… by the way, I used Fels Naptha for the first 5 gallon pail, and I used lavender goat-milk soap the last time. I think I prefer the lavender soap and so I ordered lavender bar soap from Azure Standard to use in making my next bucketful of laundry-soap next week. Okay, so I started with these: an empty 5 gallon bucket, water, bar soap, washing soda & borax. I got the soap, washing soda and borax at Fred Meyer (you can find these in most grocery store’s laundry products department).

First, I grated a bar of Fels Naptha soap and covered that grated bar with water in a medium sauce pot – on low – on the stove. I stirred it until it completely melted.

soap making

Here’s what the grated soap looks like in the pan — and this is what is then covered with 4-6 cups of hot water and stirred until completely dissolved.

soap making - grated soap

Then I filled my bucket one fourth full of hot-hot water and 2 cups of Borax and 2 Cups of Washing Soda

soap making

… and then I whisked and whisked and whisked until the borax and soda were completely dissolved.

soap making whisking

…and when then I switched to my large-long handled potato masher and used that to incorporate the liquefied Fels Naptha or other bar of soap. It becomes quite gelatinous and thick after blending. I moved the half full bucket to our laundry area and then I filled it the rest of the way with hot water and continued to blend well.

I then snapped on a Gamma Seal lid – a very cool product – especially if you have arthritis and prying off bucket lids is hard. I have slowly switched all of our former lids to Gamma Seal lids (fits most 3.5-7 gallon buckets). The seems-permanent ‘ring’ is snapped on the bucket and the center of the lid spins off to open and on to tightly close the bucket. I use buckets for grains, cereals, honey, raw sugar, granola… and now, soap!

When my soap is finished, I fill a small 1 gallon rubbermaid bucket that sits on my washing machine. And the rest of the soap remains in the 5 gallon bucket for refills. I use about one HALF cup per load – and less than that on lightly soiled clothes – so, essentially there are 160 portions in a 5 gallon bucket. [I had the math wrong here originally — oops]

My 5-gallon bucket is now empty – ready for the next soap making in a few days. One more note… I add a dropper full of Essential Oil (honeysuckle, orange, lavender mixed in a little bottle) to each load’s rinse water – yep, right into the vinegar in the “fabric softener” dispenser.

And… voilà nice clean, sweet smelling clothes! Happy washing!!

So, about that laundry…

I have to smile this morning about the “No answers; just get me results, please.” piece I wrote yesterday. I just finished a second load of laundry this morning… more thankful than ever for the washing machine and dryer. The delightful smell of fresh clean laundry is to be filling our home. I couldn’t remember exactly when Wes bought me the Maytag Neptune frontloader washer and dryer set that replaced the former washer & dryer when he determined that he had repaired the former set for the last time. I could not recall exactly when it was purchased… I had the manual for the set, but I didn’t have the paperwork from the purchase — so I didn’t know just how long I’ve been enjoying that set.

What a fun time we had looking through photos this morning. O my, you know, time really flies! I know I say that quite often, but somehow, reviewing all the different photos this morning, the reality was astounding to me. I was amazed at the number of events, important milestones and special family times we’ve experienced in the last four years. Finally we isolated the week we must have gotten the new set bcz we saw a photo of someone sitting on the old dryer at one point and a few weeks later another photo showed someone standing near the new set. Wow… that was a lot of laundry ago… at least 4000 loads. And to think: sometimes I balk at having to do one load.

I fondly recall the year we lived on Orcas Island — we only had two small boys at the time. There was no washer or dryer in the old farmhouse we rented. It was a marvelous adventure living there. In the kitchen was an wood cookstove and there was an enormous fenced garden in the yard with fruit trees surrounding the house. Sometime I’ll share about that garden… and sitting on ladders eating cherries for breakfast.

I had a washboard which I used in the large old bathtub in the bathroom. I quickly became pretty adept at using the washboard and hand washing the laundry each day… the little boys would watch as I would mix the soap and washing soda, scrub the clothes and then swirl the clothes around to rinse them all in clean, fresh water. In time I gained strength and speed at hand washing, wringing and hanging out the laundry each day. I had written out Proverbs 31.10-31 and taped it to the knotty pine wall of the bathroom… in time, I memorized that and other passages of Scripture.

I remember the nights bringing in the laundry from the line — the sun didn’t set there until well after ten in the summer. It was an amazing time. It’s times like those that make me appreciate all the ways God has led me and all the many ways in which He has provided for our family through the years.

This morning as I was doing the laundry, I was sharing with a couple of our boys — those memories that were so sweet to me. It’s been a long, long time since I had to do laundry in the bathtub as a matter of necessity.

And between loads this morning, Wes came downstairs and told me that the Maytag repair man would be out tomorrow to fix the washing machine. that. broke. last. night. after. I. wrote. about. laundry. ;0)

So, my aerobic exercise program that began this morning has been going very nicely. 🙂 The dryer is filled with freshly washed laundry and another load is all clean, all wrung out and waiting in the bathtub to be put in the dryer. Only one more load and the laundry will be done for the day. I have been laughing about this so much.

I told Hannah that I had *just* written about laundry and the importance of just doing it just yesterday. She smiled and said, “Mama, don’t write about me today, okay? I’m doing just fine.”

Okay. So… today I’m continuing to study and write in preparation for a retreat workshop next weekend and for tonight’s teaching at a Titus 2 meeting. Both pertain to marriage. Tonight’s a ‘to love their husband’ talk. I know I’m going to be tested. While I’ve been typing this, I’m appreciating the sound of tumbling of levi’s snaps and buckles of overalls in the dryer, the lovely scent of lavender coming from the damp clothes in the bathtub…

… and believe me, I am filled with thanks and am feeling very humbled by the gift of a spectacular bouquet of roses and lilies that was just now delivered to my door.

No answers; just get me results, please.

The longer I live, the more I think that when people ask questions, they’re not truly looking for answers. Not really. O, they may want results or they may want things to be different than they are — and they may ask questions regarding how to get there — but they don’t really want answers. I guess, to be fair, I should say: we. We want good results — we want good conditions — but we don’t really want to have to apply ourselves to the task or the answer to our question. We may think we do, but our actions betray us.

I’m thinking of lots of things today over which I’ve had conversations with mothers and friends, acquaintances and strangers. Sometimes I even think that what seem like questions or what seems like a desire for answers is really only a rhetorical question — maybe even a hypothetical question — so that if the answer given to that (hypothetical) question isn’t an appealing answer, it can be dismissed as not applicable or impractical.

For example, I have had many women ask me, over the years, how to keep laundry done or how to tackle the problem of a mountain of laundry. In short I tell them: Just do it. If they’re still with me, I tell them how to keep it done. Usually, women will tell me how my solution is impractical for their schedule/situation. You know… they’d be able to do it if they didn’t have so many young ones, that they could do it if their laundry wasn’t in the opposite end of the house, that they could do it if they had bigger/better/more machines. I tell them if they want to get their laundry done, and stay on top of it, they need to: Just do it. And after they do it one day, when they get up the next day, they need to: Just do it. And when they’ve done it two days in a row and have stayed on top of it, on the third day they need to: Just do it.

Now if the woman is still with me, then I tell her some keys to doing it and keeping it done — because, the longer I live, another thing I’ve learned is that people are looking for the secret. We all want to know that. I mean, consider the billion dollar diet industry… the billion+ dollar cosmetics industry… the billion+ dollar movie industry… the billion+ dollar romance novel industry. Everyone wants to know how to be thin, how to look beautiful and how to live a romantic life — but the truth is, no one wants to really do all it takes to be, do and have all that.

So back to the laundry — I guess I should say: there’s a no excuse laundry solution; it is this: Just do it. Every day. If it’s your first day of the plan, it starts like this. Get up… do your stuff and in that doing, start a load of laundry. After breakfast, switch the load from the washer to the dryer and start another load. Do more of your stuff. An hour later, *FOLD* the clothes right out of the dryer *AT* the dryer (not the sofa – the sofa is the great abyss and the bane of a mother’s existence). When the clothes are folded into stacks according to their destinations, switch the load and start another one. GO put the clothes AWAY — or send a *reliable* helper to *do it* or to do it with you. Go do more stuff. An hour later, go back and… yes… sort of like lather, rinse, repeat — till it’s done. For you it might be all done. For another woman, it might take another load or two. If you have older children who are capable of the task, then teach them to *do it* just like that. It’s a good plan. It works if you work it.

So… the secret (since everyone is really looking for the secret)? The secret is to just do it… everyday… do it every day. One load, two loads or seven loads. Everyday, just do it — AT the machine and *put it all away* every day. You may then have a day where you just *don’t* do laundry. It may be Sunday and Wednesday or whatever. That is a decision you can make and stick to… bcz you know you’re *going to* do it the next day. That’s not poor planning or poor performance, that’s prior planning — that’s time management — that’s wisdom at work. But it’s sort of like credit card use… if you don’t regularly pay it all according to plan, then that’s not a safe plan for you — time and actions speak louder and show more than words and intentions. Think of good housekeeping as good credit – you want high scores in both areas.

Well, at the outset I typed: No answers; just get me results, please. Well… I gave a TNT (tried ‘n true) answer… I know it’s TNT bcz I do it and have done it and I don’t have a laundry pile and a laundry mess (note: I didn’t say I don’t have a pile of laundry or that I don’t have messy laundry — for I do have both — every day). A long time ago I wanted answers to this dilemma *and* I *needed* results… and when I was willing to apply the solution to the dilemma, I *got* results. And I get them every day. Good results in one area of homemaking quite literally leads to good results in other areas as well.

Last night… as I snuggled into my warm bed, I heard the lulling hum of the girls working away. One girl in the kitchen and two more in the laundry area. One was doing the dishes and one was washing clothes and one was drying them — all humming away like a well oiled machine (quite literally), I drifted off to sleep — telling my husband as I do many nights: thank you for those great girls, I so appreciate the blessing they are. When I woke up this morning, I was mindful that they had done a nice job… It’s very easy to have the day already smoothly underway if you: have a plan that works and *work* the plan that works. Whatever your plan is – plan your work and work your plan.

As the morning chores routine was underway, I reminded the children that the “girls” had been busy once again while they were sleeping and had left them partially completed work to carry on. Our plan was already underway… we all just needed to keep working the plan. If we really and truly want solutions to our problems, we will be glad to find and apply answers .

Not a ‘depression era mentality’ at all

It used to be that when someone refused to waste a drop or when someone would save everything from produce baggies to cottage cheese containers to newspapers to bacon grease — people who never threw anything away after the originally intended use — they were thought to be products of the Great Depression and, as such, were tolerated (even if made fun of behind their backs) and “understood.” Then, time passed and folks were mocked for being pack-rats or hoarding things they’d never use — that, or they were secretly embarrassed over their hoarding and hiding and groups like clutterers and ‘messies anonymous’ spawned — along with the hoards of organization tips: through books, stores and products. Whatever the case, ‘depression mentality’ or no, there are just some people who have a propensity to stash stuff and never throw things out – you know, because they might — need — them someday. I know people like that. Really well.

Today, instead of being thrifty or careful to use and save items, there’s sort of a new generation of folks who save things to remake to use and reuse and reuse. Maybe they’re tight-wads, maybe they’re thrifty, but this tight-waddy-ness (you read it here first!) has led to some clever ingenuity. Consider ‘shabby chic’ and all the retro-think and then think of eBay, Craigslist and Freecycle — to name a few. Thrift stores are the main sources of clothing for many people we know (including everyone who lives at this address). I think that’s sort of a combination of the signs of the times (save the planet – recycle – renew the earth) stuff and the Depression Era parents and grandparents passing on that gene.

Well, there was a point to this post. Really. I received an email with this tip for reusing a man’s dress shirt to make a toddler dress [look at all the great photos and tutorial!] . It’s so cute and so clever and sooooooo neuvo. So, you wanna see it? I’m thinking this is a keeper — something to try out! Other ideas are coming to mind! I’ll let you know if I do make it (and it’s worth showing)! :o)

I love doing this sort of thing! For example, recently I made kitchen curtains from a beautiful white-eyelet bassinet skirt that I cut it apart — I hated messing up the originally beautiful workmanship – but it wouldn’t have been any use to me as it was. So there I had plenty of fabric to use for the curtain, and it was just what I would have purchased and I got it for free!

I’ll bet you’re thinking of stuff you could remake… aren’t you.

Kitchen Fire Safety

Kristen sent this mail… I’m including the text of the mail and a copy of the video clip she sent along with the mail.

Subject: Kitchen Fire

I never realized that a wet dishtowel can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire … oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show … It’s a real eye-opener!!

At the Fire Fighting Training school, they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fireball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful message—-watch the video and don’t forget what you see. Tell your whole family about this video… ”