liquid-gel laundry soap tutorial

There are several DIY Laundry Soap recipes out there, I chose this one because my friend uses it on a daily basis and swears by it. She has four small children and a busy hubby. I figure if it is good enough for her, then it is good enough for me!

At 320 full loads per batch (TEN GALLONS!) this is well worth the cost (about $5.00!) and the hassle. The worst part is grating the bar of soap, which is just a tad more difficult than grating cheese. (just a tad, really, because it's soap and you can't nibble while you work.) You can always do what I did and enlist the help of someone big and burly. Tally up the time involved and it will be about an hour - tops.

Also, I need to warn you that this soap starts out as a liquid, then turns into a gel as it sits. Like Jello, seriously. You will need to stir it, shake it, or whatever you want to get it to liquefy again. Once it is a liquid again it is Sliiiiiii-mey! Like dinosaur goo, kind of creepy. Then again, I never went elbow deep into any of my other laundry soaps, so maybe they were slimy also? Oh well, you only have to do the elbow deep thing once, if you want, or you can find a long study stirring stick and avoid the slime altogether, I just went in! I digress. When it sits, it gels, so each time you use it, give the bottle a good shake. Easy enough.

NO DYES. NO PERFUMES. (unless you want to add 5-10 drops of your favourite essential oil) Safe for septic systems. Safe to use in front load and high efficiency washers. I think it works great. The clothes come out of the dryer with out a scent per sey, but smelling fresh, and feeling good to the touch. To me, I think this soap rinses out more efficiently than my other brands of soap did, hence the good feel to the fabric. This is basic stuff here folks, not quite Little House on the Prairie, but basic good soap.

The way I look at it is, if you have to save money, if you have to cut back and scrimp, wouldn't laundry soap be the place to start? I mean, better than say, eliminating those cute shoes you saw last week? Yeah, I thought so too.

Do One Thing! -Project Noah 19

Week 19: Buy 3 cans tuna and 3 cans pork and beans for 72 hour kit.

Hint: Put together a first aid kit for the car.

Do One Thing! - reminder

Hey folks, it's New Year's Day - a great time to rotate items in your 72 hour kits and storage.

Dump the stored water on your plants, inside and outside, and refill your containers with fresh water.

Go through stored clothing for people who have changed their size over the past year or grown, add the correct sizes and repack the kits. Don't forget shoes, and outer wear as well.

Check prescription dates on stored meds in your first aid kits and rotate with fresh items.

Lastly just do a quick check on your supplies to look for trouble spots, water damage, loose wrappers, whatever. Tidy everything up and feel good about all your hard work this year on being prepared! See you Tuesday with a new item!

Do One Thing! -Project Noah 18

Week 18: Obtain bag or duffel for 72 hour kit.

Hint: Each family or individual should have portable container(s) with emergency supplies such as the following: water, food requiring no refrigeration or cooking (graham crackers, canned fruits, canned meats), medications and critical medical histories required by family members, change of clothing, including 2 pairs of stockings; sanitary supplies; first aid booklet and equipment; candles; matches; ax; shovel; can opener; and blanket. The container should be placed where it can be picked up at a moment's notice.

Do One Thing! -Project Noah 17

Week 17: Hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. (no, not that kind...well, who am I to judge! Do what you got to do!)

Hint: Learn First Aide and "Treating Bleeding". If you have already learned these skills, review them or renew your CPR certification, take a new class at the Red Cross, or perhaps go to the local Community College and get even more education!

Do One Thing! -Project Noah 16

Week 16: Year supply of garden seeds rich in Vitamin A&C appropriate for area (no hybrid). Please rotate your seed! Most seeds are only viable for five years, so don't just store them - plant them!

Hint: Every yard/home has space for a garden. Part of the lawn, play area, or flower garden may be converted to a garden. Vegetables may be grown in window boxes or pots. Plant the garden where it will receive at least 4 - 6 hours of direct sunshine each day. The soil should drain well, and an adequate source of water should be available.

Bigger greener Hint: Avoid nasty GMO seed that may be "Round Up Ready"(meaning they have been genetically modified to produce one crop then die, and never reseed!) Please explore these sites for fabulous heirloom Non-GMO seeds that are full of flavour and nutrition as God intended it!


Bountiful Gardens (my favourite!)

Baker Creek

Heirloom Seeds

Heirloom Acres

Victory Seeds

Seed Savers

Vegetable Seeds (having a sale right now!)

Seed Fest U.K.

Magic Garden

Do One Thing! -Project Noah 15

Week 15: First aid cream and tape, cotton balls and ace bandage.

Hint: An important emergency precaution is to have tetanus immunizations up to date - at least every 10 years.

Do One Thing: Week 14

Week 14: Bandages.

Hint: Make sure you have emergency provisions for pets.

Standard First Aid Supplies: adhesive tape, ammonia, antibiotic ointment, bicarbonate of soda, calamine lotion, diarrhea remedy, elastic bandages, gauze bandages, hot water bottle, hydrogen peroxide, ipecac syrup (induces vomiting), knife, matches, measuring cup, medicine dropper, needles, paper bags, razor blades, rubbing alcohol, safety pins, scissors, soap, thermometer, triangular bandages, tweezers, first aid book, prescription medications, consecrated oil. First aid kits and supplies should be checked and replenished regularly. All supplies should be labeled and organized for fast use.

Do One Thing: Week 13

Week 13: 1 gallon bleach.

Hint: Learn how to "Protect your Home against Fire".

UPDATE:

First, I got a head's up from Willis, about Costco's 6 day kit for Two People being on sale! Check it out: According to the ad:

Basic preparation will impact the probability of your family’s survival in an emergency. Survival Kit designed for 2 People for a total of 6 Days in 1 bucket. Keep at home and in your vehicle. This kit contains the food and supplies you need for 2 people for 6 days in 1 bucket. In the event of an emergency – keep your family well fed and warm. Keep one in a convenient location at home and one in the trunk of your car. Food is 100% Vegetarian with a 20 Year Shelf life.

click here---->6 Day Kit for Two People $20.99 OFF! Now: $49.00!

Second: I guess I dropped the ball on the above suggestion. Sorry no links! Ack!

I was thinking that by suggesting it, one could search their home owners policies to see how up to date they are, what is covered and then do any adjustments. Most insurance companies will cover your hotel expenses for three weeks, after that, you're on your own. Are you prepared for what else may not be covered? Most home repairs/rebuilds will take much longer than three weeks, even FEMA will not house you for much longer than your insurance company. You will need an alternate plan. Clothing allowances are usually $100.00. Most families will find that is not enough to "cover" them! Again, making a plan ahead of time will ease stress when stress is a daily situation. Recovering household items may mean reassessing their values at retail value as opposed to replacement costs, which are much higher. Your fridge may be 8 years old, it's value would be much lower than that of a new appliance. Also, many insurance companies will want receipts for everything you purchased and want replaced. I'm not sure about you, but I don't have receipts for everything I buy.

Getting all your important information recorded onto flash drives or c.d.s. (Think of everything you would need to start over, insurance, birth certs, school records, medical records/info, SSI numbers, etc.) Do the same with family histories and photos. Make sure someone who does not live in your home can access the information if they need to for you.

Have plans in place ahead of time in regard to what to do when or if you need to evacuate. Do you have a plan to evacuate if you are not at home or can't get home at the time of the evacuation? (Have you set up a neighbor or nearby friend to help you out if you are unavailable and do they know what to grab for you?)

Do your children and or aged adults (or anyone else living with you) know the routine, the plan and escape routes and where to meet if there is an emergency? Have you shown small children how to escape via their bedroom window, and how to decide whether or not to do that? Do they have ladders or stools to give them access? Do they know they safest way to break a window if necessary? If your home is multi-story do you have window escape ladders in all the rooms? Have your little kids been introduced to FireFighters and the equipment they use (masks, air tanks, uniforms, etc.) so they will not be frightened by their rescuers appearance and sounds? Do they know what your alarms sound like and what they mean and what to do when they hear them?

Are your pets in the plan? FireFighters will not risk their life to save an animal, however they will go in after a pet if at all possible. Stickers on windows will let them know if pets are expected to be in or out of the house.

Are your smoke detectors/alarms fresh? When is the last time you tested them? Do you have freshly charged fire extinguishers?

Outdoors, at least in our area, that 30 feet of defensible space, weed abatement, house and garage clean of oil or rags, yada yada.

Is the roof fire safe or extremely flammable? Are the gutters clean of debris that could catch flame? (This is how many of the houses in the recent fires caught fire, via flying embers!)

yeah, stuff like that. I hope that gets your ideas working and thinking on how you can determine how fire safe your house is.

Do One Thing: Week 12

Week 12: 2 bars of body soap per person. (probably wouldn't hurt to have some body lotion too.)

Hint: If you have a fireplace double-check to make sure flue is clear and the fireplace is clean and can be used without danger.

Do One Thing: Project Noah: Week 11

Week 11: Dish Soap.

Hint: Store extra prescription medication in an air tight container labeled "Emergency use only." Rotate it each time you renew your prescription.

Buddy Burners- How to!

This week I suggested making a few "Buddy Burners" for light, heat, and/or outdoor cooking under a grill. For anyone interested, here's an easy tutorial on how to make them from recycled materials.

Self reliance: It's not only cheap and easy, it's good for the environment!

Do One Thing: Project Noah: Week 10

Week 10: Coal, wood, briquettes, propane, matches, candles for cooking and light.

Hint: Make buddy burner. Cut strips of corrugated paper in 1 ½ in widths. Roll each strip tightly and fit in a tuna fish can. Pour melted paraffin wax in the can so that it soaks the paper and fills the remaining space. Each can will burn for 1 ½ to 2 hours!

Do One Thing: Project Noah: Week 9

Week 9: 5 pounds legumes (beans & peas). (Probably wouldn't hurt to have a bottle of Beano in there as well...just sayin'.)

Hint: Have backyard camp out to practice emergency skills. (good opportunity to check out warm bedding).

Lighted Faery Wings Tutorial

A tutorial on making faery wings that have battery operated lights. We made this set to fit Lil Bit, who is 6 months old. The battery pack is a bit heavy for a 6 month old, but we figured she would be held by her daddy all night any way, so it wouldn't be a concern. The wings are made to wear "back pack" style.

We also made a no sew tutu with a matching headband and onesie. Essentially the headband and onesie were just a matter of gluing flowers and glitter. The no sew tutu info can be found
here, among many other places. Enjoy!

This is Halloween...CupCakes!

This is Halloween!
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

More Halloween goodies from the past. Nothing says fun like cool treats that aren't from the store. You can whip up a bunch of these for the kids you personally know and they will love gobblin' them up! This tutorial is a repeat from 2005, however they are pretty fun so here we go!

O.k. So this is the first run of cupcakes! I wasn't prepared for the decorations with special candies or frostings, but went ahead and came up with these little beauties with what we had on hand:

Dunked in Jelly Bellies, You're Bugging Me!, Spike, & Don't Forget to Floss.

Jack Skelington, Oogie Boogie, Sally, & Stock

High Anxiety, Buck, I only have eyes for you, & Miss Spider.

All cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla or chocolate frostings. I used Mega M&Ms, tiny M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Life Savers, Sour Patch Strips, Green Apple Gum, Eclipse Gum, Jolly Rancher Rocks, and black Jimmies.

Frosting was applied via a zip lock bag snipped at one corner or with a butter knife. I also used a bamboo skewer to aid in the placement of many Jimmies! I am sure when I actually get out the cake gear and use the pro stuff they will come out even better. In the mean time, we're eatin' cupcakes for dessert tonight!

To view cupcake details more closely, click on the photo above. This will take you to my photo page at Flicker! Find the photo stream st the top right of the page and click the "next" photo, it should be titled: "I'm ready for my close up!" double click. It will come up full screen and with much better detail.

Do One Thing: Project Noah, week 8

Week 8: One bottle of vegetable oil or one can of shortening.

Hint: Double check emergency supplies for baby, are diapers and clothing going to fit? (We used to buy sweat shirts/pants one year's size ahead and then just switch it out on the 'anniversary'.) Formula? (even nursing moms should make sure there is formula available and enough water stored to mix it properly.) Also, if you have a special needs dietary condition in your family, store their special diet foods as well; or whatever your doctor advises as an emergency substitute. This is the time to ask and prepare!

Ribbon Wreath

Hey! Remember fourth grade? If you don't, this just might bring back a few memories. It's a tutorial on how to make a ribbon wreath...just like those ones we made way back in the day with tissue paper...only this time we're using ribbon. Go ahead and give it a look see!

Bleach Pen Skeleton Shirt Tutorial

So here you go folks, a tutorial on using a Clorox Bleach Pen to dye/bleach out a 100% cotton tee shirt. This one, a skeleton! The bleach works out to a variety of oranges, kind of creepy looking actually. Skill level really depends on your art skills. The more confident artist will just sit down and draw out a skeleton. The less experienced crafter may need to practice and/or take a bit of time. All in all it's just bones and a costume, so does it really matter if it's not perfect? Have fun!

Click here to view a (larger!) you tube version. You Tube got upset at me and I had to change the music. Then I changed the music and it pouted for a few days, guess they forgive me and it's up now. I changed the music to my daughter's concert band, how can they get mad about that? The music is cool, "The Pines of Rome, Appian Way" (where all the dead soldiers rise out of their graves and march into Rome...appropriate I thought. You can here their 'boom boom' march as the back beat, cool.) It was the performance done at Disney Hall (hall, not land- they were and still are the only youth symphony allowed to perform there.), so it's pretty good. Any who, larger version at the link!

Do One Thing: Project Noah, week 7

Week 7: 8 ounces of Salt.

--Or hey, why not grab the whole box? And some other spices, nothing says "boring dinner" like having only salt to work with. My choices would include: Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings, a really nice Poultry Blend, maybe some Mexican Blend, Onion, yup-definitely Onion Powder, some Bay Leaves, and Cinnamon!

Hint: Evaluate family preparedness, set goals for the coming year and seek to obtain them.