Homemade Laundry Detergent

I made another ‘recipe’ yesterday – I tried homemade laundry detergent! I will include the original ingredients, but when I made it, I only mixed one-half of everything. I found all of these items at Walmart in Dayton, which is not a very large store, so they should be fairly easy to find anywhere. That was one thing I was worried about, as our store does not always have the best selection, so sometimes we have to go to a bigger town to find what we need.




1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 (3 lb) Container of OxiClean – this is optional, the directions I found recommended it, but I left it out, mostly because I forgot to buy it. I figured if it needed a boost, I could just add a little to the loads that need it.

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- I could not find this soap, so I used Fels-Naptha

2 (2 lb) Boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda – our store doesn’t carry 2 or 4 lb boxes, so I had to get 4 of the 1 lb boxes, and I just bought the Great Value brand.

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener – this is also optional, I bought the scent called Tropical Splash. Again, our store did not have 55 oz bottles, so I had to buy 4 smaller bottles.



This was super easy to make – Grate the bars of soap on a very fine grater. This is the hardest part, my arm was very tired, but it only took maybe 5 minutes to grate one bar. I put the grated soap in a large plastic bin, and added all of the other ingredients. I stirred after adding each one, as I thought that would be easier. I have a big spoon that I am going to leave in the bin, since I don’t want to use it for food now! That’s it, now you are ready to do some laundry – Yippee! I also saved the Purex bottles, as the original directions advised, and filled them with the detergent. Now I can use just a small bottle on a daily basis, and I put the bin with the extra detergent in a cabinet until I need it. You only need to use 1-2 Tablespoons per load!

So, I tried it out on a couple of blankets that my husband had in the house. They were a little funky, as I think they had not been cleaned in a while. They came out smelling nice and fresh, and seem very clean. I haven’t tried it on our clothes yet, but neither of us has any problem with skin sensitivity, so I’m not worried. I am really happy with this detergent, and I really like the fact that I won’t have to worry about running out for quite some time! I would definitely recommend that you try this.

Strong Girls?

I have been seeing so much stuff lately about raising strong girls; raising fearless girls; raising ‘Mighty’ girls. This hits close to home, since Steve and I are hoping to have children soon, and we’ve been discussing how we will raise them.


I have to say, I don’t agree with this trend. I hope to raise daughter’s who are ladies. Not to say I won’t teach them to take care of themselves, but this attitude that girls don’t have to ‘take’ anything from anyone results in women who seem to be waiting for someone to offend them. They are just waiting for someone to wrong them so they can show how tough they are. I hope to raise my daughters to be kind and loving, and to know that even though someone may hurt them, we can forgive.

I wish we would put more emphasis on raising respectful, honest, and compassionate children, both boys and girls. Teach them to defend themselves if necessary, and to stand up for those weaker than themselves always.

I know it’s easy for me to say these things, since I don’t have children yet, but it’s something that I have really been thinking about a lot. I think it goes along with my idea to write a book for girls about how to live like a Princess; not in the sense that we should be spoiled, or think we are better than anyone else, but remembering that we are Daughter’s of the King. As the King’s Daughter, I don’t need to be ‘mighty’ because I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Homemade "Febreze"

I love Febreze. I love (some) air fresheners. I love fabric softener. I love for my house to smell good. I amvery sensitive to smells, especially bad ones, so I was excited to find ‘recipes’ online for homemade fabris refreshers. It is so easy to make, here’s what I did:

I had an old Febreze spray bottle that was 16.9 ounces. I modified some of the measurements I found, because most were for the 32 ounce bottles. In the bottle, I put 1 Tablespoon of baking soda, 2 Tablespoons of liquid fabric softener, and then filled the bottle the rest of the way with warm water. Shake it up, and that’s it!

I tried it first on our mattress, since I was getting ready to change the sheets anyway. I sprayed it on, and it seemed much wetter than regular Febreze (I’m thinking the real stuff must have alcohol in it to make it dry quickly?). It was not a problem, I just waited a few minutes before I put the sheets on.

I also tried it on the armchair in the living room. My husband had a set of furniture when we got married, but every time I sit on it, I notice a musty sort of smell. I went back several hours after spraying the chair, and no more musty smell!.

By the way, I used a cheap, generic fabric softener that I believe I got at Save-A-Lot, and I just picked the one that smelled the best. I am very happy with the results, and I will definitely be using this a lot!

My new life!

Up to this point, this blog has only been updated about once a year! i'm hoping to change that now. Previously, I struggled to find things  to write about, or to find time to write. I now find myself with time on my hands, and an exciting new life to share! Okay, maybe not so exciting to anyone else, but I find it exciting, and maybe I will be able to convey my excitement by sharing some of my everyday life.
I am a Newlywed! I have been married to my wonderful husband for just over two months now. We had the most beautiful wedding, and most of the event was planned, and executed by myself, with help from my wonderful family. I have always been a little Wedding-obsessed, and that still has not changed. I am hoping I get the opportunity to help others plan their events in the future.
For now, I will share some of my crafty projects, some recipes, and whatever else I feel like sharing. My husband is working long hours, and that leaves me home with lots of time on my hands, so be on the lookout for some crazy, fun times ahead!


Enjoy a few wedding pictures:

My niece Abigail, and nephew Isaac - So Adorable!!!!



I love these pictures, we were tired, and I had a splitting headache, but they are beautiful!

Right before we walked down the aisle, Isaac grabbed my hand. I didn't even know anyone got a picture of it!