Congratulations Robby!
Thank you to all who participated in the drawing, and everyone who has encouraged me on my writing journey. If you’re interested in purchasing the book or submitting your own story for the next project, click here.
I stole borrowed copied this from my friend Kevin’s blog. 😉 While I am in total agreement with his point about this video, something else jumped out at me. I’m astounded by our ability to change the world with one small act. How you treat one person today can impact hundreds of others as the wave of love, compassion, and validation ripples outward. It’s an amazing feeling when it comes back to you. Enjoy the video. It’s 15 minutes well spent. 🙂
Posted in Creativity, Humor, Random | 3 Comments »
I’ve lost track of how many books I’ve read on organizing, simplifying, and finding inexpensive alternatives to the way we Americans live life. Making our home in Colorado and planting a ministry in Boulder has made me take a serious look at my wasteful habits. This part of the country is known for recycling, being green, all-natural or organic products and living a healthier, simpler life. Before moving here I joked about never again having to shave my legs and us selling the car to buy a bicycle built for 5. Though neither of those things have happened, I’ve found several ways to make life easier and less expensive.
Last Fall, Benny suggested we try making our own laundry soap to save money. I was skeptical partly because of Pete’s sensitive skin, but mostly because I thought it sounded like more trouble than it was worth. He made the first batch and now I’m a believer and sharing this recipe with everyone from my friends to the check out girl at the grocery store. This stuff really works and it gets our clothes clean and fresh. The best part? It costs less than $3.00 per batch to make, and a batch yields 10 gallons. That’s not a typo. There are several recipes available online, but this is the one I like the best. All of the items needed can be purchased from your local grocery store or WalMart. I found the soap and washing soda at the grocery store. To buy the ingredients for the first time, you’ll spend about $15.00, but you’ll have plenty left over for future batches or to share with friends. You might even consider going in with friends to purchase some of the supplies needed.
Homemade Laundry Soap
You’ll need: A 5 gallon bucket, 1 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap, 1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT the same as baking soda), and hot tap water
1. Grate the bar of soap and add to 4 cups of hot water in a saucepan. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
2. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover, and let it sit overnight to thicken.
3. Stir and fill a used, clean, hand held laundry soap bottle/dispenser half full with soap and then fill the rest of the way up with water. Shake before each use. (It will gel but not be completely smooth.)
*Optional: If you want a scented soap you can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add it once the soap has cooled. Ideas: Lavender, Rosemary, tea tree oil, etc. We keep ours plain. Also, I still add bleach for our whites, and Oxi-clean for the kid’s grimy jeans.
Yields 10 gallons of liquid soap. For use:
Top-loading machines: 5/8 cup per load (approximately 180 loads)
Front loading machines: 1/4 cup per load (approximately 640 loads)
The New Dryer Sheets
1. Choose your favorite fabric softener and a few regular sponges.
2. Mix 1 part fabric softener with 2 parts water in a container. (I use a ziploc jar with a screw on lid.)
3. Cut the sponges in half and put them in the container with the softener mixture.
When you need a dryer sheet, pull out a sponge and squeeze the liquid out until it doesn’t drip. Toss it in the dryer. After use, put it back in the container to use again.
I don’t know how long this mixture lasts, but these two recipes alone will save me over $200 per year. I think it’s worth it.
Posted in Family, Random, Works for me | 10 Comments »
As many of you know, I was published in an anthology by Prevail Press back in December. Nineteen other writers and I shared stories about spending time in life’s waiting room. Waiting isn’t something we enjoy doing, but the lessons learned, the truths embraced, and the healing and growth that can come from that time is priceless. After all of the books I’ve given away on this blog, I’m thrilled to finally be offering one with my own name in it.
If you’d like to win a copy, please leave a comment here or send me an email telling me you’d like the book. I’ll enter your name twice if you share a brief statement about a time you’ve spent waiting and what you took away from the experience. On Friday, March 20th, my lovely assistant, Zoe, will draw a name out of one of her hats. I don’t do hats. 🙂 Good luck, and please help me spread the word about the give away!
If you would like to purchase the book, click here.
Posted in Random | 12 Comments »
The past few weeks have been rough for our family. Our friend and neighbor, Terry, committed suicide two weeks ago. We spent a week doing our best to hold up his wife, make phone calls for her, and attend memorial services. It was with sadness that Benny spoke at Terry’s memorial service in the same place he had performed their wedding last April. Please pray for Nell as she deals with this major loss. She feels responsible though we keep telling her she’s not. 😦 The one good thing coming from this terrible situation is that we’re getting to know Nell’s son James and his wife Cris, who are our age. This week our friends and neighbors on the other side of us told us that they are splitting up. They have 3 little boys ages 4 and under. Our neighborhood is a mess. Once again we find ourselves right where we’re supposed to be, but sometimes it’s difficult not to be discouraged. Our family has also dealt with several bouts of illness and dental issues. Please pray for us too.
We had a group from San Antonio bless our socks off a few weeks ago. (Which is o.k. They brought us 750 pairs of new ones.) Read about it on the SEVENS blog when you’re finished browsing here.
I just finished reading the Harry Potter books. I’ve seen all of the movies up to this point, but reading the books gave me the richness of the tale that I didn’t realize was missing. As far as children’s and young adult fantasy fiction is concerned, I loved them. Especially the themes of love, loyalty, courage, and perseverance. Max has been asking about the movies for quite awhile now, so a few weeks ago we borrowed the DVD’s from the library and watched them. After each one we had really good discussions about the themes, good vs. evil, who represented which side, how the characters treated each other and the adults in the story, and a whole host of other things. We also agreed that a “room of requirement” would be quite handy to have in our house. 🙂 I know the Harry Potter series and other fantasy books can be controversial in Christian circles. I’m making a statement of opinion and do not wish to debate this with believers who have opposing ideas about these books. I respectfully ask that if you want to talk about how evil they are, please do it on your own blog. 🙂
I was finally able to order a few extra copies of the anthology book my story was published in. I’ll be holding a drawing for a chance to win a copy beginning Monday. Be sure to stop back for more details.
Speaking of writing, I attended a one day conference in Colorado Springs last Saturday. One of the speakers, Donita K. Paul, whom I’ll be blogging about soon, challenged us with homework. I took a story idea that’s been floating around in my head for months, and actually put the skeleton outline down on paper. There are other stories in there too, but this one won’t leave me alone. I guess that means I’ve officially begun writing my first novel. I find that both exhilarating and terrifying. lol
I’m blogging on yet another blog now. As a board member of a Colorado Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers, I’m required to post on the last Friday of the month on our blog, The Inkwell. Please come and check it out. There are lots of great writing tips, thoughts from Colorado authors, and links to great stuff on there. Maybe I need to require myself to post here at least once a week. My writing friend Donna recently kicked my butt when she said if we’re going to call ourselves writers we should act like it. Writers write. Novel idea, huh? lol
Posted in Books I Love, Family, Random | 2 Comments »
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