Summer is in full swing!

Happy July!  This brings some pretty serious summer heat to Texas and some pretty high electric bills that keep the house somewhat cool.  It's been a great summer so far - swimming, going on picnics in the evening when the temps are only two digits versus three, church camps and lots of planning to be more organized!  We have saved crickets from drowning, watered flowers that wilted in the Texas heat, eaten popsicles, stayed up late, slept in and had lots of sleepovers so far.  Oh and don't forget the One Direction Concert in certain triple digit heat in an outside amphitheater, yes outside!  LOTS of screaming girls! Great memories though and the fresh squeezed lemonade was right on time. 

The girls are involved in different summer camps and mission trips and it is strange when one is missing from the nest.  As we speak,we have one in Florida with a friend and shortly after she comes back, two are leaving for a local mission trip to lead Vacation Bible Schools in the inner city.  I am so proud that they are reaching beyond themselves and giving to others. 

Have a blessed and cool July - will be posting much more this month!

In Him,


Sara

Now it really has been a while since I posted anything!  The laundry fairy is officially back in town!  I have been out taking classes on becoming a Real Estate Agent.  Crazy?  Maybe, but so far I am really enjoying the classes.  It's been many (and I mean many!) years since I have done anything to educate myself outside of bible studies.  Well, I took some sign language courses at my church in Florida, and I thoroughly enjoyed that, but that's about it.  Now that the kids are getting old enough, I feel more freedom to pursue something I am interested in.   The classes have me away from home much more so I am trying to nail a schedule down so the house doesn't fall apart and nobody starves.  So far, everyone is still fed but the laundry is behind miserably.  I don't know how parents who work full time or more outside the home can do it.  I haven't planned a menu in...hmmm, I can't remember now.  Yikes! 

School is finally out here so the kiddos can relax and sleep in.  So it's time for the summer schedule of sleepovers, swimming and late night movies.   That means lots of popcorn, baking cookies at 10:00 at night, and extra feet running around.  I would much rather them hang out here than to be running around town.  So, in light of summer (and fending off the inevitable "I'm bored") we are going to have a "Craft Day" each week.  I will let the kids brainstorm on what they want to do, from making homemade play-do to learning to sew basics.  Maybe making homemade soaps or canning fruit.  Who knows?  If it means they are putting their phones down and turning the television off then I am all for it.  I will post some of their ideas and pics as we go.  As I type that, I realize I need to find the cable to my camera so I can upload pictures, but I'm not sure where it is.   Let's just put that on the to-do list for tomorrow! 

Happy Summer!


In Him,

Sara

Cardinal's song

It feels like it's been forever since I posted - I sure have missed it! Hope this finds you all well.

I had a wonderful blessing this morning that I would like to share.  I woke up and heard a cardinal outside my window beginning his morning song.  I adore cardinals and can sit and watch them for hours.  They are remarkable.  Anyway, he was as loud as my alarm and just as persistent.  I got up and fixed my coffee and went to let the dogs out and he was still singing.  Except his song had changed.  Normally he doesn't change up mid-song, but he did this time and it made me stop where I was.  The thought that overwhelmed me was that he was singing a song that God created him to sing.  Then I started thinking about how God has created us to praise him, just like the cardinal.  Was the bird praising his Creator? 

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD"

How can we praise him?  Through song, actions, prayer, serving, our lifestyles, even tears.  We all have ways that are special to us when we feel connected to God.  The important thing is that we are sincere in our hearts and thank him for who he is in our lives and how he has changed our lives.  I personally find that connection through song and most Sunday's I don't make it through the worship portion without tears running down my face.  My kids can attest to that - they ask me if I'm okay and I just smile and say yes.  I really should carry mascara with me or wear waterproof. 

All of this came from a Cardinal's song?  Yes, it did and I will look forward to listening to him when he praises again.

Have a blessed day,                                 

In Him,

Sara

I can feel summer coming!

It's been a busy weekend and Monday is surely here - Laundry Time!  The washer is up and running and the dryer is still going strong.  School is almost out here and I can feel the pull of summer heading this way.  I am seriously looking forward to it!  I love having the kids home from school and being able to ditch the clock occasionally.  Yesterday was a wonderful glimpse of summer - the girls went swimming for the first time this year, we cooked out steaks, grilled corn on the cob, and had a delicious dinner (I will post a new potato salad recipe on the recipe page - yummy!) and had a cup of coffee on the porch with my hubby.  I try not to take these kinds of moments for granted and just savor them.  When I think of summer I think HOT (we are in Texas after all).  Lots of swimming, cooking out, gardening, and creating fun new drinks for the kids to keep them cool.

  Trying new recipes that are fresh and light for summer and evenings outside in the breeze on the hammock.  Every year I try and get my two youngest to go to the library to check out some fun books for the summer. I would love to have them read at least one book a month, not too much to ask, right?  It hasn't caught on yet, but I am hopeful this year.  I am not trying to infringe on summer, but I do know that if they read even a little, it can keep their minds working in between school years.  I remember reading a lot during the summers, especially since we didn't watch much television and home computers weren't even out yet, much less smart phones.  I played outside most of the day and read during the boring times.  Now it seems like it's all sleepovers, movies, and constant motion is the norm.  I think I will try and come up with some fun summer activities for the girls and their friends to do.  I am open to suggestions too if you have one. 

Feel free to post a comment with any ideas that are electronic free! 

Have a beautiful and blessed week!


In Him,


Sara

Back in Business!

I can breathe a sigh of relief as of this afternoon.  The repairman came and conquered the error message.  The washer wasn't draining and it would stop after a few minutes into the drain cycle.  I cleaned out the filter and thought that fixed it.  It turns out there is a spot I didn't see where the washer drains that was completely blocked.  He asked me if I used any kind of color catcher (sheets put in the wash to catch colors that may run) and I said I didn't.  What I did use for a short time was a 3-1 sheet that you can put in the washer and toss in to the dryer as well.  We bought these when we went on Spring Break to our favorite cabin in Tennessee. They were so easy to use and transport too.  Unfortunately, they are NOT good for your washer!  I won't name any brands, but he strongly suggested not putting any cloth or sheet products in the washer.  I hope this helps someone from having to pay a repairman. 
One positive thing came from this though.  I asked him to show me what the part looked like and now I have learned something new. If it happens again, I will have another approach to fixing it myself.

On a fun note, the picture from yesterday's post got me thinking.  We actually tried it and my daughter had a great time!  It was just goofy enough to be fun  (I wouldn't want it to be my main way of washing though!) and it got the job done.  Kind of like stomping grapes.  So hey, roll up your pantlegs and give it a try if your kids get bored.  Maybe use towels and hang them out to dry - kind of like the old days.

Have a blessed weekend~                 

In Him,

Sara

Well, my abilities as a laundry fairy are out of commission.  Only until the repairman comes and hopefully brings the right part.  My handi-man skills didn't solve the washing machine error so I had to call someone in for help.  This means that I am on hold unless I want to hand wash clothes or find a laundromat.  I am hoping that since I gave the appliance repair company the information on brand and model and error that they might have the parts needed to fix it tomorrow.  What I expect is that they will have to order the part, which won't come in until next week.  I will remain hopeful and positive.  Once it's fixed though, watch out and watch the load count page because it will jump dramatically!  You should see what is waiting to be done!  Desperate times may call for desperate measures. 

Here's a picture of how it may have to happen! 

Hey maybe I will give it a try and get the kids to help - they might like it! 

Have a great day and may your laundry be caught up!

In Him,

Sara

Money saving tip

These days it seems like most people are looking for ways to trim the excess fat out of their spending or trying to make their money last longer.  I am no exception.  I wanted to share a way of saving money on something most of us use daily - laundry detergent.  I used to be a loyal fan of Tide until our family started growing and it got be so expensive.  Then I tried finding something else and after several years, landed on ALL detergent since it was free of dyes and perfumes.  One of my daughters has eczema and other detergents seemed to aggravate it.  I started looking for ways to make it myself and came across a very simply and inexpensive way to make my own.  The only ingredients are water, Ivory soap, Borax and A&H Super Washing Soda (not baking soda).  I find all of the ingredients at my local WalMart.  Some recipes call for other bar soaps but I like this one enough that if it's not broke, I'm not fixing it. 

The recipe is as follows:

1/3 bar of Ivory soap, grated
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup A&H Washing Soda
1 gallon water

Items needed:
1 empty plastic laundry detergent container
1 stock pot (large enough to hold a gallon of water easily)
1 wooden spoon
1 funnel ( I didn't have one handy so I cut a water bottle in half and inverted it - works fine)
Measuring cups

Please note: only use a stock pot or equivalent that you won't be using for anything else - I ruined a quality pot thinking it's only soap - it will wash off.  I now have a very expensive soap making pot. 

Just pour your water in and add the other ingredients and turn heat to medium. Stir about every 10 minutes or so to help the Ivory soap on top to break up.  This takes roughly 30-45 minutes.  The goal is to slowly melt the Ivory soap until it blends with the liquid.  Depending on your stove, don't go too far away since it may boil over. On my stove, medium is consistent but medium-high can boil over.  It will start getting goopy and this usually means it's done.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  This can take a while so I make it in the morning and by midday, it's ready to pour.  When it is cool - it will be like gelatin.  Simply stir and if it's too thick, add a little water.  Scoop or pour into empty plastic laundry detergent container.  I use about 1/2 cup per load, remember this is not a concentrate.

Note: if you are in love with detergents because of the way they smell, you may not enjoy this.  Some people may add essential oils to make it smell fluffy, but I haven't tried this yet. 

Cost Breakdown
I purchase my ingredients at WalMart and have included pictures below. 

The cost per gallon for the Borax is $.16 (76 oz div by 4 oz or 1/2 cup = 19, then cost div by 19)
The cost per gallon for the A&H Super Washing Soda is $.25 (55 oz div by 4 oz or 1/2 cup)
The cost per gallon for the Ivory soap is $.14 (3 bar pack at $1.33 div 9 - using 1/3 bar per gallon)
Grand total is $.55 per gallon.  Sounds pretty good right?  It gets better when you divide that by 32 which is the approximate number of loads per gallon using 1/2 cup per load.  Drum roll please....$.01 (0.017) PER LOAD!  I don't know about you but I love it!  Compare that to Tide using their  Tide 2x Ultra For High Efficiency Machinest Liquid Laundry Detergent, Original Scent, 150 oz priced at $17.97 online at WalMart.  It will wash 96 loads (medium size) and 48 (large size) costing $.18 per load and $.37 per load respectively.  I can easily wash 2-3 loads per day and over weeks and months that can really add up to a big savings.  I honestly can't remember the last time I bought laundry detergent - it's been at least 6 months and I have only had to repurchase Ivory soap.  I still use the traditional stain lifting spray and have found a way to stretch my fabric softener, but that is another story. 

This works well for me and my family and it saves us quite a bit of money.  If you find a good thing - share it!  If you have another recipe or something you do to save money, post a comment and share your wisdom with others!


Have a clean laundry day!

In Him,


Sara