Homemade Laundry Detergent

Borax - 1 (4 lb 12 oz) box - $3.38 Walmart
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - 1 (3 lb 7 oz) box - $3.24 Walmart
OxyClean - 1 (3 lb) box - $7.52 Walmart
Zote soap bars - 2 (14.1 oz) bars - $.97 ea Walmart
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda - 1 (4 lb) box - $2.12 Walmart
Purex Crystals Fabric Softener - 1-2 (55 oz) bottles - $4.76 ea Walmart

Directions:
1. Grate Zote or Fels Naptha soap bars with cheese grater or food processor into a large bucket or container. I used a 5 gallon paint bucket.
2. Mix all ingredients together. It's easiest to pour some of each ingredient and then mix together. Once all ingredients are in the bucket you'll need a large metal spoon to stir. Be sure to scrap all from the bottom.
3. Use 3-4 Tablespoons per laundry load.

Tips:
1. I've used the Fels Naptha soap but prefer the Zote soap - it's softer and easier to grate. If you use the Fels Naptha, the bars are smaller so be sure to buy more. I think you need 5-6.
2. I only use 1 bottle of the fabric softener but if you like your towels and other items softer you can certainly use 2 bottles.
3. Once my mix is complete, I store it in a clear lidded container. It makes a lot so use either the oxyclean or fabric softener container and refill them as needed. I'm thinking I'll make a cute little label for the oxyclean container that I use.

If you're not convinced and want to try to some, let me know and I'll send you some to sample. My family and friends that make this really love it. It is also safe for HE machines. Put a label on the container with the date that you started using it - it will shock you how long it will last!! Good luck!

Sarah's Big Girl Room

Sarah is almost 3!!

....less than 2 weeks away and this summer it was time to transform her room from a baby girl's room with a toddler bed to a big girl bed with some girl decor.

Here were my Inspiration Ideas:

I believe these were both from Pottery Barn.

I knew that I wanted a covered headboard. Sarah is so "wild" that any wooden headboard was certain to be accident central and I didn't even consider a footboard with the certainly that she'd be jumping off of it and was certain to be impaled - also a guaranteed trip to the hospital.

I found a twin size headboard on craigslist for $20 and recovered it with chocolate velvet and added the pink chenille buttons and trim.

Then I found some patchwork type fabric with all her room colors at the most fantastic fabric store in Atlanta, Forsyth Fabrics with my fabric lover friend, Ariel! I trimmed the comforter in a brown dot and lime green sheet I found. I took the same pink chenille I used on the headboard to make the fronts of the bedskirt. The pillow sham is a mix of the brown dot and a lime green. The lime green is also between the pink panels of the bedskirt.

Once the bed was finished, it was time to work on the tree. I had been searching for the look I wanted for awhile. Since we are renting our house, painting wasn't an option. I had to find something that would give me the girly tree I was looking for without paint. I saw some vinyl that was okay, but it either was too wispy or just looked like a dead tree. One day while at The Dollar Tree I was a brown bark shelf liner paper. I realized I could use that - umm $2/roll was also a HUGE motivator!

It literally was as easy as drawing a tree outline on the backside of the shelf liner paper and then cutting it out. I made the tree trunk in several sections and simply taped all the pieces up with blue painters tape. I continued to add pieces, move pieces, trim pieces until I got the look I wanted. Once I thought I was mostly happy with it, I removed each section with the blue painters tape, pulled off the adhesive backing and put it back in place.

It looked like a winter tree with some slight hint of girliness. I knew I wanted to add flowers, so I got to work making them. I found the idea off the following blog:  dearlillieblog.blogspot.com

They are not difficult to make, but there is a technique with making sure you gather them tightly after you sew them and then roll them loosly - if you want them to be full.

They're made from crepe paper - party streamers. I mixed light pink and hot pink flowers.

Once I had the flowers made, I took light green crepe paper and cut out leaves. I sewed the leaves together and gathered them so they would roll up. Then I used sticky tack to "glue" the flowers on the branches and onto the wall.

I can't promise that it will help your daughter sleep better, but Sarah sure sleeps well under her "flower tree."

Sarah's new Big Girl Room

Bookshelf with Commitment Issues

Wow! I can't believe it's been since the first of the year since I posted something. Time goes so fast. Even though I haven't posted, I have been busy doing things with the family and some DIY projects.

I might have mentioned the bookcase that I've needed to finish for like 10 years. I really struggled with making a commitment to the bookcase. Does that sound crazy? Since we move so often, it has been in so many different rooms and since we don't know when we're actually going to settle somewhere, I hated to "tie" it down. Sounds like some kind of crazy relationship issue!! I wanted to go with a bit of color but without limiting it's future. So, here's my compromise.

I started by sanding down the entire piece, moving from a low grit paper to a higher grit to make it feel as smooth as a baby's butt. Once it was all sanded and smooth, I wiped it down with a tac cloth. This is really important to remove any lint or traces of dust so they don't get stuck in your finish. Once it was all wiped down and clean, I started applying the maple color stain. I only did one coat of the stain because I didn't want it to be too dark. I was trying to bridge between darker and lighter wood that would be in the room. Again, with my commitment issue...I wanted it to be able to work wherever it ended up.

As I stained it, I would do a small section and then use a clean rag to wipe with the grain until the entire piece had been covered in stain. The most difficult part was getting the underneath of the shelves. It was hard to get to without bumping what had already been stained. The rest was a breeze. After it was stained, I moved the piece into my bathroom. Sounds wierd? Well, my bathroom has an empty wall and the bookcase needed a place to rest and dry before I put on the clear coat. The following day, I wiped down the piece with the tac cloth and put on the clear finish. I used a polyurethane product that came with the purchase of the bookshelf. It required a 24-hr drying time between coats. Before I applied the 2nd coat of poly, I lightly sanded the entire bookshelf and wiped it down again with the tac cloth. Here it is stained and with 2 coats of poly. 

Remember I mentioned I wanted some color? I had seen several built-in bookshelves that were painted in the back to either match the wall or to stand out against it. It was the look I wanted, but didn't want to permanently make the bookshelf my color of blue. I was going for a sky blue with lime green accessories. So, I bought a sheet of hardboard from Lowes and they cut it in a couple pieces so I could travel home with it. Then I got my jig saw and cut the pieces to fit between the shelves.

I didn't want to have to include any type of adhesive, because again it would be permanent, so I made sure  the backing was a SUPER tight fit. Once I made sure all the pieces would fit, I took my craft paint (yep, from Hobby Lobby) and put a light coat on the hardboard. Since the hardboard is so dark and my craft paint is a light paint, some of the brown from the hardboard showed through, which was the exact "weathered" look I wanted. Once the hardboard backings were painted and dry I pushed them inside the shelves. They were super tight, so it was an effort to get them in. With a few accessories and a few more left to purchase, here is the end result.

Slipcover Makeovers

It's a new year. New Years resolutions almost always include cleaning up, de-cluttering and sprucing up your life. I couldn't help but think about my recent adventures with my mom on recovering my furniture. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle!

Growing up in my mom's upholstery business, I extracted a bit of sewing and furniture knowledge, but never really embraced it all. She's always helped me find great deals on quality furniture and then we pick out fabric and redo it. Or I should say that she redoes it. I do sometimes "tear it down" - meaning I remove all the old fabric and it was always fun as kids to find all the treasures inside people's furniture.

For several years my mom has been telling me it was PAST time for a furniture update. I just couldn't find the exact look I wanted. Since it had been almost 11 years from my last redo, I new I had to just go for it. So, my wonderful mother came to my house and brought her super sewing machine, serger and all pertinent sewing items. I kept telling her that I REALLY wanted to learn how to do it so that she could pass her knowledge down. This was mostly true!

Loveseat Before

We started with my love seat. Here's the love seat's history. It was purchased new by Brad's mom in Montgomery, AL. She ordered it and had it covered in a light blue chintz type fabric. When she redid her house, she offered it to me. It is a great quality piece and worthy of hanging onto. In 2000, we redid this love seat in a green chenille. I loved the softness of the fabric and it was great until the children got older. The weaves of the chenille are loose and the children often pulled out the weaves in the fabric. There weren't gaping holes, but it was definitely looking worn.

Loveseat in Progress

We decided on a slipcover so that everything could come off and could be washed - necessary for a home with children! The decking - underneath the seat cushions was laid out first. Then we did the arms, back and skirt. The cushions were all completely redone. It was about 10 hours of labor. I am happy to admit that I did a good deal of the cutting out of the fabric and even some of the sewing. It was quite difficult trying to figure out how everything would go - since we were making our pattern as we went.

Here's the Loveseat After:





 

Sherrill Sofa Before

After the loveseat was finished, we were ready to move on to the sofa. Here's the sofa history. When I was growing up, my parents had the best sofa of all my friends' houses. It was made of down feathers and was huge. There were so many times that me and several of my friends slept on it - comfortably. I had always wanted a similar couch. After I got married, my mom found a similar style, just a bit smaller. We stripped it down to the frame and covered it in a green almost animal print fabric. The fabric has been amazing - almost indestructible. It looks as good 12 years later as it did the day it was recovered. However, the fabric is so tough that it's not that comfortable and the cushions don't sit as good as I wanted them. So, we decided to see if we could find an alternative for the sofa. My mom got on craigslist and we found a Sherrill sofa (retail $1200 new) for $50. I'm a bit particular about who's furniture I use. So, the first question I asked was if she was the original owner and if she had pets - answers were satisfactory (sorry, I'm not a pet lover). Mom and I loaded it up and brought it home. Mom actually hurt her shoulder during the load..sorry mom!

After another 10 or 12 hours of labor, here's the sofa finished. The cushions look kinda scrunched in the photo, but they are truly fabulous looking.

The absolutely wonderful part of all is that the slipcovers can all come off and can be washed. I'm not sure I can tackle an entire sofa and make a slipcover..actually I'm pretty sure that I couldn't, but I could probably do a chair. I do now have an extra sofa that I need to sell, but right now it is still hanging out in our house, since the kids are almost threatened with getting the new ones dirty!

More than anything, I feel like a bit more of my mother's knowledge has been passed down. Mom, thanks for beautifying my home and taking time to teach your daughter.

Mitchell Farms - October 2011

We met up with the Fordham family at Mitchell Farms just outside of Hattiesburg. We WISH we had known how much there was to do there. We could have spent an entire day there rather than just a couple of hours.

The huge pool of corn kernels was unbelieveable.

The dads and kids loved the water trough races.

The corn and hay maze kept Matthew quite occupied.

 

What a great afternoon!

 

Sarah Turns 2!

It is amazing to believe that it's been two years since Sarah was born. The time has gone so fast! She's growing and changing so much and is such a true joy to our family.  
For her 2nd birthday, we had a small party with all her neighborhood friends. We are so blessed to have wonderful neighbors and be in a place where the kids can walk to their friends house and play.

She had a great time at her party. She loved the balloons and flowers lights we hung outside. When she walked outside and saw all the decorations, she was so excited. She loves the new babies that she got and the her own radio to play her music. She LOVES to dance.

I made Sarah's birthday outfit and I must say that she looked precious! However, with pink and green and pig-tails in your hair, how can you go wrong?

Our Garden

I'm not sure we can say we have had the most productive garden, but we have had a garden. We've learned to allow more room for cucumbers and watermelons to "run" and if you have an above ground garden to make sure you have plenty of soil and a way to allow for water runoff. HOWEVER, it truly has been awesome to pick fresh corn, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. The children have loved watching things grow and get so excited when it's time to pick something. I highly recommend having some type of garden with your family. The lessons alone that can be taught as things grow from just one tiny seed, makes it worth it. The fresh produce isn't bad either.

One of my amazing friends (Bonnie Higley) shared her recipe for fresh salsa. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have been wanting to can it to see if I can store it. I finally canned a couple of jars and it's pretty good. It's not as amazing as freshly made - but it's much better than store bought. I also canned some pears (delicious) and some pickles.

Getting Ready for School - Meal Calendar

It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over! School starts in 2 weeks. I am already feeling the sadness of Matthew being gone during the day. He is LESS than excited about going back. He'll be in 1st grade this year. His teacher from last year offered the option of her students staying with her for 1st grade (looping), but she and Matthew didn't seem to mesh too well, so we opted for a different teacher for 1st grade. Not that I blame her, Matthew is quite "spirited", but someone a little more motherly might be better.

Nevertheless, we made the trek to get school supplies, some new clothes and a haircut (Sarah only got a bang trim).

The school supplies list was quite manageable and I really can't complain. I am pretty grateful that my child is able to get a relatively free education in a great school - such a blessing. He does has to wear uniforms and some of his things from last year had definitely seen better days. So, a few hours of shopping and gathering and we're ready. Next week, we're moving bedtime down to 9:00 pm and the following week to 8:00 pm to get him ready. I'm sure he'll miss the sleeping to 10:00 am! I, am LESS than excited about 6:45 am wake time. Ugh!!

So, in preparation for the beginning of school and a much tighter schedule, I am also focusing back on the family meal planner. When I was a teenager, I babysat for a family in Panama City and on their refrigerator was their "month of meals." I can remember thinking that was pretty cool, but it was a completely foreign concept to me. My mom was/is a great cook, but there wasn't typically a thought out plan for our meals, unless it was a holiday. When I got married, my cooking skills were less than great. We ate a lot of grilled chicken on a tabletop grill. Brad, my husband, is a great guy...super, but his palate is quite bland. So, if I wanted to venture out a bit on a recipe I would find, it usually wouldn't be eaten. Sorry, Brad..it is the ONLY complaint I have about you.

Many years later of trying to expand my recipe collection and picking up recipes from friends along the way, I finally had a pretty good assortment of dishes that were relatively easy to cook and that my family would eat. Last fall, I decided to actually try to plan out our meals for the entire month. I am HAPPY to report it is one of the BEST things we could have done for our family. I always hated when I'd ask my family what they wanted for dinner, they would usually say, "I don't care." There are several problems with this statement. 1st - "I don't care" is not the name of the dish and it doesn't help at all. 2nd - everyone usually does really care, but they don't want to make a decision. So, how did I help tame the meal craziness at my house?

1 - We took a Family Night and with each person's input, we made a list of the things we liked to eat.
2 - I used Microsoft Word and printed out a simple, plain calendar for the month.
3 - We took the family calendar for the month and put in any special dates/events/travel on the "meal calendar."
4 - Then we started filling in the desired meals on the "meal calendar."
5 - Be sure to use a pencil. Life changes and sometimes you do have to switch things around.
6 - I typically use the last Sunday afternoon of the month to plan the meals for the upcoming month.

Our family loves tacos with fried tortillas and fresh salsa! They're good, filing, cheap and fast. It's not uncommon to have them twice in one week. So, some weeks when I know the schedule is busy, I'll write in tacos for Monday and Thursday. We have also come to love homemade pizza and spaghetti and it's usually our Friday night tradition. Saturdays and Sundays are usually something that can be grilled, cooked in a crockpot or something that is not very complicated - it's the weekend and I don't really want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Also, I always leave a day for "leftovers." I try to cook enough at a meal that there's some left for lunch the next day or even possibly for dinner the following night. Lasagna is perfect for this. The remaining one or two days, I fill in with another meal from the list and try at least twice in a month to test out a new recipe. Did you notice just how fast the week filled up? It really doesn't take much kitchen time when you plan your meals and cook wisely.

Another huge benefit of having a month of meals planned is the opportunity it gives you to plan ahead on your grocery shopping. You can buy when things are on sale because you know when you'll need them during that month rather than just buying on impulse when you have to have it for that night. You'll also notice that you eat out less and this means more money savings.

I really used to think this idea was a little too over the top for me. I had a few friends that had done it and I just didn't think it would make much difference for us. But, I can promise you that it will save you SO much stress. Also, no one has to ask what's for dinner - they just look at the "meal calendar".

So, if you think it would help at your home and need some ideas for meals that are quick and appeal to the majority...here are some that we use:
Chili, Chicken (enchiladas, grilled, parmesan, pot pie, rotisserie (pick up at grocery for $4.99), smoked), Hamburgers, Japanese night (sauteed chicken/shrimp, fried rice), Lasagna, Pizza, Pork Chops, Roast, Soup, Spaghetti, Tacos.

Here's to less stress at meal time and better family time!

It's Time To Blog

Several friends have told me that I should start a blog. I like reading the ones that my friends have and have thought it would be a good idea. I selected a template last year and that's about as far as it went. When I came to actually putting something down, I was at a blank. I stay in touch with my family and wasn't sure who would want to read anything about my life.

Then I thought maybe instead of just putting down the things about my life as a mom to two fabulous children and wife to one terrific husband (because honestly, how often does someone want to read that?), I thought it would be fun to spice it up with all the "projects" that occur in my life. So you're wondering what kind of projects...well, I can assure you they are ALL over the map and growing all the time. I don't know if it's because it's the summer and my 6 year old, Matthew is out of school with Sarah and I, my almost 2 year old, but I have been filling my free time (not a lot, but some) with things I wouldn't have usually attempted.

By nature, I'm an organizing "guru." I almost said freak, but even though I love to label, it doesn't include my sock drawer. However, they are grouped according to style, but I promise, there are NO labels! For a short bit of history, when I was growing up, I shared a bedroom with my sister. We were constantly fighting because she wouldn't keep her side of the room clean and neat. One day I remember that we put up a piece of rope and draped a sheet over to officially separate the rooms. I was so excited to know that “my side” was going to stay tidy. Then, she purposely threw stuff over and under to make my side of the room messy. I realized then that sharing a room was not going to work for me. I should have realized it when she peed on the electric bedwetting sheet just to hear it go off, but I am an optimist and thought we could come to a peaceful solution. Finally, my parents had enough of the complaining and made some house changes and moved her to another room. THANK YOU, mom and dad for saving my sanity!! J

However, from that point on, I really wanted things to be put away and kept neat. My mom always had lots of stuff out and I was constantly making piles all over the house. It became the running joke that if something was missing to just ask Elizabeth, “she probably put it into a pile.” It did hurt my feelings a bit, but it was better than having stuff all over. I only found out this past year that my family wished they were more tidy and were giving me a hard time because they were jealous. Wow, I wish I had known that many years ago.

Fast forward many years to 1^st year of college, getting married at 19 and starting a job at a community college while finishing my business degree. I started at the bottom of the employment barrel as a switchboard operator and then moved around a bit as a Secretary for Athletics, Admissions Clerk (spending over a year entering old admission files – secretly loved this job that no one else wanted) and finally as an Assistant to the College President/Employee Records Clerk. In this position, I HAD to keep not only myself organized, but the college president’s schedule, important papers, and all employee records. This fueled my “paper/organizing” obsession.

Then on a personal note, after 8 years of trying to have a baby and MANY disappoints along the way, I finally found out I was pregnant. Immediately I knew that I wanted to stay home with this highly longed-for baby and not work, if I didn’t have to. It was a hard choice; I loved my job at the college and was working with the most amazing group of people. After Matthew was born, I went back on a part-time basis and cried every time I had to leave him. It just hurt so deeply to leave him in someone else’s care when I had prayed so long for him. Fortunately, we found a way for me not to have to continue working full-time and we scraped by on side jobs and really pinching our pennies.

When Matthew started getting older, I started doing some research on-line to find some kind of work I could do from home and not go back to an 8-5 job. During my research, I found that there were people that did professional organizing. It was like a spot light exploded over my head. I can still remember where I was sitting when I read about it. For the first time, I finally felt like it was okay that I liked to be organized. There WERE other people like me. Then I thought, wow, I might be able to make some money helping other people.

It wasn’t long after this that I did some networking and my best friend landed me a job with a physician in Atlanta. One of the offices in the building had been turned into the storage room because no one knew what to do with all the stuff. Within a week, I had cleaned out all the clutter, shredded the unimportant stuff and made some beautiful files (trust me; colored alphabetized files can truly be beautiful)! The physician was happy with my work and had me tackle another job of finishing a remodel at her residence. My husband and I had built a house and I had been involved in some of my parents’ remodels and within a few months the physicians house was ready and she was moving in. At the conclusion of that project, she asked me to organize her entire office and help with the staff duties. I continued with that project until the month before the birth of my second child. All during this time, I was picking up additional organizing clients and loving the challenge of helping mothers organize playrooms, husbands’ study, garages, kitchens, bedrooms, and closets. I loved the happiness that comes across someone’s face when all the clutter is gone and they can easily find things. There truly is a peace that comes from being organized. Even now, when the kids have played hard in the house and things are in complete disarray, my mood is less than happy. But, when we all begin to work and put things away, the peace returns and mom is happy again.

So, that’s me in a nutshell. A stay-at-home mom to two wonderful children that the Lord blessed me with. For many years I didn’t think I was going to get to be a mother and I have enjoyed so much the blessing of being with them each day, all day. I am also a wife that tries to keep up with meals and schedules and just being kind. That’s hard, sometimes! Then, I am the Organizer that thrives on labels, rearranging the linen closet for the 3^rd time – that blog will soon follow this one, a monthly meal planner (possibly one of the best ideas, ever), and always trying to keep life and priorities in order. Mostly, I am a daughter of God that is so grateful for the blessing of life, love and complete happiness.

Follow me on my new adventure of blogging as I share more of who I am and the everyday joy of family and being organized.