During Spring Break - we did lots of
"spring cleaning"
inside and out of the house!
Since our drought of a summer - our yard has NO GRASS and a "mutant-type" of weed is everywhere in the yard... as soon as my son mowed down the very tall & ugly weeds - up sprung a field of "purple"... weeds - ARGH! And the dust INSIDE the house - WOW! 
Here is an AWESOME link to a blog that helps in "Spring Cleaning" - with a easy list to follow - I'm only halfway through the list - but I'm working on it! Who knew how dusty baseboards gets - or the curtains - YUK! We moved furniture and OMG! - there were things there that scared me... LOL! Maybe not, S C A R E - but the dusty bunnies were definitely of a "scary size"! How about that? Hahahaha!
But the biggie for me was making my own laundry soap. Can ya believe it? I have been seeing this recipe swirl around on "Pinterest" - and finally thought, "why not"?
This blog is absolutely one of the best in giving out tips and recipes for handmaking cleaners and laundry soap - pictures included - Jill is my new best friend!
So! Jill has the best laundry soap recipe - it makes 3 GALLONS for only $5.79; at Wal-Mart for a gallon of laundry soap ("Gain") I paid $14.96!
Do the math - I'm saving a whopping $39!
It takes time... but its worth it! Now, the smell is different - just a fresh smell; not real floral - but certainly not a bad smell at all. BUT - you can make your own fabric softener! REALLY! Made a "rosemary mint" softener and it smells really nice!
Ok, okay - but did I stop there? NOOOOoooo! Made my own pre-treatment stain remover (remember, I have all boys at my house!) and my own "oxi-clean" solution also! Check out these links - bet you find something that you can make and save money on!
Here's your recipe swap for this week - homemade laundry soap!
Homemade Laundry Soap
1 bar "Fel Naptha Soap"; grated
1 cup Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer)
1 cup Borax (20 Mule Team)
Water
3 - 1 gallon "recycled" plastic containers
You can also click here for step-by-step PICTURE instructions to make this - Jill may become YOUR new best friend too - LOL!
Spring time is the busiest time for us - throw in a new "time change" and we are just running to get it all done! UIL, STAAR testing, Spring Sports - baseball, softball, track, tennis, gymnastics and golf PLUS church LTC - and throw in piano, FFA judging and 4-H - WE ARE BUSY! Whew! Hope you are hanging in there also!
Thanks for stopping by! Next post will include the March Card Swaps - wedding was our theme! Remember to ALWAYS hug the ones you love the most, until next time...
