Not much still....

I don't know where I've been lately! I'd say I've been busy, but I really haven't.... I've just been not wanting to write, I suppose.

I've discovered a new blog I'm into... http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/
She is so creative and everything she makes is so cute (and useful!) It's got me thinking about stuff around the house I should work on. I always blame money "we don't have the money to get stuff to organize" but I wonder if I can come up with things around my home and re-use them for better purpose!

Making my own laundry and dish detergent, fabric softener sheets

I don't remember if I wrote about it, but here it is again!

From the Duggar family www.duggarfamily.com

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

I'm using the Fels-naptha b/c it was in the same section as Borax. -.-

And then for dishwasher detergent.

1 part powder dish washing detergent, cheap (dollar store!)

1 part borax

1 part baking soda

mix well. use 3T per load of laundry. 

 I've heard you can put vinegar in the jet dry area to help brighten up dishes.

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Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes (also from the Duggar family!)

Recipe #1
1  Cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2

1  Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4  Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

I'm doing recipe 2. I'm not doing 5 gallons either :D

CLOROX VERSUS PEROXIDE

http://agodlyhomemaker.blogspot.com/2010/11/just-sharing.html

I found this interesting and insightful! Thanks!

Titus 2 women and desire for such

" ³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2&version=NIV


I know there are movements for Titus 2 women organization. Where older women serve as guides to younger women- on how to be a Godly wife, how to take care of the home, how to.... live. Women often don't teach the younger generation these skills- we are a rushed society. We are a feminist society. (I do want to insert, for anyone who does know me, my family was there, and my home I grew up in was taken care of. I didn't learn- didn't want to, didn't have time.... It wasn't an issue to be passed down, for me.) I need to learn these skills- want support and help on how to do this.

How does one find a group? I googled seeing if there was a group called "Titus 2 women" in my area, and I didn't come up with anything. I know women that I can ask questions to (one is a friend's mom who is also a friend of mine.) I'm afraid of being a burden though.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Failure at Ironing

I'm trying to learn how to take care of things around the house- having a clean home, a nicely set up table, washed clothes and linens. And the ironing..... I am not sure how I manage to iron MORE wrinkles into clothes than there already are. I'm not sure how to learn to do this better (without burning holes in all the clothes while I go over and over and over and over......) but it's really frustrating me!!


Since I've started caring more about my faith and morality, it's funny how much TV can bother me... it feels like every show is so.... inappropriate! Like one show with a married couple and kids- and how much society is running the kids instead of them. Or (one of my favorites...) everyone having sex with everyone. Where is the married, happy, couples? Where are the morals, the faith? Crazy.Or maybe I'm just paranoid...

Sept 15, a clean home makes me happy!

My kitchen/dining room area is coming together beautifully. We decorated in red/black with silver and white accessories. It's a mix of cafe/coffee house and Italian. The dining room table sometimes almost has a Japanese look sometimes but it still looks nice. T's sister gave us a silver wall-hanging wine rack. It hangs over our dinner table b/w two coffee pictures- 1and 2.  Kitchen pic. I made my first homemade bread in my bread maker. Homemade bread pic. I'm very proud of it :P

My living room, I'm working on. It's difficult b/c we have horrible ugly couch/ottoman/ chair  (like tan, browns, off-white stripes with wood on the sides.) I just can't get a "feel" for what our living room should be aiming towards. The ugly couch/ottoman/ chair and one lamp are all browns. The dog cage, another table-lamp, and entertainment center are all black. We have a random mixture of different types of instruments (both musicians, so people tend to get us unique instruments) and some wedding memorabilia. Then DVDs. It's cluttered and no "theme." And dusty! We got a few pictures in the living room (Midsummer eve by Edward Hughs) and (Spirit of the Night by Grimshaw)

Our bedroom is greens and browns. I eventually want to go for a forest- almost enchanted- feel. I registered for mostly sage and chocolate brown items. However, the bed frame and end table are black steel. There isn't much wall decor- just an necklace holder I made. I used an old pillowcase -care bears- and put it on a bulletin board. I'll get something more adult one day- but it was cute. :-) I'm turning one corner into mine- a necklace holder, dresser, mirror- area to do my hair, perfume, and just mine. I hope this isn't selfish! I've been cleaning out my closet and having T clean out his too- clothes that don't fit and whatnot. I'm happy so far with it.

The office- I haven't done anything. We are getting a futon frame today so I suppose I should go pick up there enough to put it in there!

So I hope these links work! It's the first time I've done them, but I wanted to show it all!

Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas!

Oh, and I'm learning how to iron... I never learned. My stepmom always did it. T knows how. Now I'm learning, since I have more free time. It's weird it makes me happy.

August 26,

I keep meaning to write, but there feels to be so much, yet so little to write about!!!

Like I said before, our wedding was amazing. The church was gorgeous, my dress amazing, my bridesmaids beautiful, and the family priest was funny and reverent. It was such a beautiful ceremony! We had a full mass (the 3 readings, priest speak/homily, communion, flowers for Mary). It all went so smoothly!! I felt gorgeous. My dad loved it which made me really happy- I was worried about how he would feel.
Even our exit was perfect- usually it seems no one knows what's going on, but everyone blew bubbles! It was great!

Waiting the 9 months was worth it. We were exhausted that night, but it's nice knowing that we are full married and renewing our vows every time. It's so exciting and special! I feel like it's 100% worth it and I recommend others to do so also. Doing NFP is working well--> it ends up with us having times where we chose to not to, but it ends up making us closer. We make that decision every time.
I guess it all goes along with my becoming more conservative. Crazy. It's funny to see how I have changed/am changing. I'm scared the people in my life won't like me, but I can't help it. I want to be a little more feminine, conservative, Catholic.... this is another post that I'll write later. heh.

T's school year has started and is going well. We ended up fighting some- I shouldn't really go into it, but he is doing his marching band without my help and he is doing fine. I wanted to be involved with marching band, but I think he needs time to establish himself first. It's taken a long time to figure out- especially for me. I want to be there and help, but as a man he needs to do it himself for a while. I don't know if this makes sense, but.... I know it to be right, for now. I guess that's what matters.

I've been subbing and it's fun. I love subbing- the joys of teaching without lesson planning :D I do need a job though, as money is extremely tight. I was hoping after the wedding we could start catching up, but then I had more car problems and other (expensive) issues keep coming up and they needed to be attended to.

Overall I'm happy. I hope I get more comfortable with myself as I am growing and coming up with a new identity- a wife! I've been working on making our home more of a home- I'm beginning to love the small things that make it feel like a home. I know we won't  be here forever, or even very long, but I want it to make it ours! I don't want to look like a college dorm. I love having my tablecloth out, my place mats down, my cloth napkins... I love the homemade pancakes I make him in the morning before work. I love being married, being home, being me.