Thanksgiving Cards {and Q & A}

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on Harbor turning three! Many of you left comments for the first time {So nice to "meet" you!} and all of them were very heart-warming. I love my blogging friends and appreciate your kindness!

There were many comments on my homemade laundry detergent post. There seemed to be a great deal of interest on the subject and I will tell you what I can.

The recipe came from the Duggar's first book, 20 And Counting. I'm assuming because they use it for their family, it would not prove to be harmful to a baby's skin. They have a couple of babies in their household, I believe.  : )

Yes! It is safe for your HE washers!

You can read about it from a few other bloggers here and here and here.

Harbor and I love a little project and there is nothing better

 - am I right-

than receiving snail mail from a  friend?

So, we made a handful of Thanksgiving cards.

Harbor loves any project that involves sitting and creating something with his hands.
He is at a fun age!

Harbor loves to help- whether it is crafting or cooking. He wants in on the action!

Tada!

We were both pretty proud and are excited for friends and family to see how "big" the turkey is!

Harbor's hands are growing a little tiny bit everyday. : )

Happy Thanksgiving!

We recently had Harbor's 3rd birthday party and it was fun, but very windy! I hope to post those pictures soon.

In other news, we have made a last minute decision to travel home for Thanksgiving. We will be driving 30 hours round trip with a three year old and a dog to spend 48 hours in Arkansas, including sleeping time! Eek! It will be a lot of driving, but so worth it for two afternoons and nights with our loved ones.

Three Years Ago

Three years ago,

life was all about me.

On November 13th, 2008 I labored naturally, without an epidural, for six hours.

And it was hard work.

But it was a moment that defined my life

I know this picture is graphic and I debated back and forth over sharing it, but it was a moment that changed the course of my life.

When I look at it, my eyes bounce back and forth in between Harbor's face and David's tear.

And our family grew.

All my life, I had never heard the cry of my own child until that hour.

And I never quite understood that our entire family would change and grow to accomodate a new person.

It affected everyone. A joyous change.

I looked into his face and saw myself. And David. And my mother. And my grandmother.

It was all there- in the eyes and nose and mouth.

It was unbelievable.

And we were so unsure and tired and running on pure love.

Before I became a mother,

I never knew what it meant to become selfless.

We never dreamed that it could it could feel so good, so right, so perfect to put someone else first.

I watched my husband of seven years at the time,

become a leader, not of just his home, but of his family.

We prayed for this child,

sang to this baby,

rocked this boy.

We read books about what not to do,

and I really believed I would never get dressed and leave the house again with makeup.

But, I slowly learned a new routine.

And Harbor thrived in our care.

And we kept saying, "He is still breathing. He is still growing. I think we really can do this!"

And he learned to laugh and smile.

And we felt like we were doing something right.

Life became better, sweeter, happier because we had someone to share it with.

Holidays we had forgotten became new and child-like to us again.

And we brought him home, to our house.

And we wondered how the dog would react, how much sleep we would get, if he would latch and feed without our saint of a nurse watching my every move, if I would ever recover, if I could ever go back to teaching, and if life would ever be the same.

Life never was the same. But, that's the good news.

We somehow figured it all out. Wisdom came so fast, so quickly. We felt like naturals.

We had so much help and support.

Three years ago, I became somebody's mommy.

I'm still nervous. I still worry. I still hope. I still wonder. 

But Jesus has taught me that He has the whole world in His hands.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Harbor William!

I know we live 1,000 miles from home, and that there will only be two people at your party today.

But know you are loved. My goodness, son, you are so loved.

Money Matters | Homemade Laundry Detergent

I hesitate to blog about our use of homemade laundry detergent because, well... it may be pushing the envelope for some of you on what you feel comfortable doing. : ) I was a bit skeptical myself, so if you you are thinking, "Wow! That is weird. I would never do that!", that is okay. : ) I'm not out to make a believer of you, but wanted to share in case any of you have ever thought about it, but haven't had the nerve to buy the materials and try it.

We made our first batch at the beginning of the summer and I wanted to use it for several months before reporting out on my feelings, likes, pros, cons, etc.  

Before I share anymore, let me tell you how this came about. David and I both are very "green" in many areas of our lives. We like knowing what things are made of and, if we can save money making something that works just as well, we have no problem with that. I have always wanted to try to make laundry detergent and I'm not sure why or when the idea first came to me. It may have been when I was pregnant with Harbor four years ago.

In any case, let me clarify for you that we are not making our own detergent because we can't afford to buy a name brand product. We obviously can afford to buy what we need and feel very blessed for that. For me, this is more of a fun hobby. But, that being said, you will save lots and lots of money by making your own! 

For our family of three, the batch we made this summer will last a full year for less than $10.00!

You will need: {follow the links to see more information}

1. A Fals Nepthar soap bar  They cost around $1.12 and we found ours at Wal-Mart

2. A box of borax We found this at Wal-Mart and it was less than $3.00

3. A box of washing soda Also at Wal-Mart for $5.00

4. A large bucket with lid -we bought one at Lowes for $5.00

5. An empty laundry detergent container with a spout

Here is the recipe:

Get your boxes out and ready to go!

Grate the entire Fels Naptha bar until it looks like cheese. : )

This bar smells really citrusy, like lemons and limes and adds a wonderful "Fabreze" scent to your loads.

Put the grated bar in a sauce pan on low heat, cover with water and cook until all the soap dissolves.

In the meantime, measure out 1 cup of the soda and 1/2 cup of borax and drop into the bottom of the empty, clean bucket.

{It is a family affair and I like to pretend we are the family from Little House on the Prairie. Ha!}

Keep a careful eye on your simmering soap bar!

Your house will smell like lemons and limes at this point! Love that fresh, crisp, clean smell!

Add the hot soap/water mixture to the bucket right on top of the borax and soda.

Fill the bucket up to the rim with hot water and stir.

You are almost done with a year supply of laundry detergent

{just like your great grandma would have made it!}

Once well mixed, place the lid on top and let the mixture sit overnight. This gives the chemical compounds a chance to react to one another forming a very powerful, stain fighting detergent.

The next day, use a funnel and a cup to fill your empty detergent container 1/2 way with the soap mixture. Add water to fill it the rest of the way up.

This soap is very light and resembles a gel. Don't be surprised when it doesn't resemble the usual thick, heavy goo we are all normally accustomed to.

Close the bucket back up and refill your old detergent container in equal portions with water as needed.

And there you have it!

Homemade laundry detergent that will last David, Harbor, and I a good year. All for less than $10.00

Our clothes smell fresh, clean, and stains come out just as they did with store bought brands.

Do we have to make it? No, of course not, but I love feeling like I know how.

There is just something magical to me about the lost art of homemaking.

Anyone thinking of giving it a shot?  : )

Have a good weekend!