The Shape Of Grace

There's an old Out Of The Grey song called "The Shape of Grace".  That phrase keeps bobbing at the surface of my thoughts.  The shape of grace...the shape of grace...

I can feel it in my feeler and sense it in my intellect that I'm in a learning place;
here to learn
and feel
and experience
and know
and move in
and be still in
and give
God's grace.

I need it.  I want it.  And it's there.

In the cup of cooling water

In the clouds of soothing shade

In the arms of love encircling [her]

[She] saw the shape of grace...

Today it was sitting on a porch swing and holding Anthony's hand between breakfast and handing ourselves over to the magnitude of busyness that our day holds.  It was remembering in that moment to stop, hear and believe the words we were reading of faith and mustard seeds and no worry.  It was exercising the unequivocal privilege of talking to the God of the universe, and knowing that he hears us and knows better in all things than we do, that he'll whisper it to us if we'll listen.  And it was turning dry goods into playdough of varying shades when the house beckons loudly.

Sometimes the shape of grace requires stillness and contemplation.
And sometimes it's a blob and requires a skillet and cream of tartar.

(I snagged the playdough recipe here.)

Tables Turned

Well, it's Monday.  Again.  The weekend was crazy busy.  There's laundry to do, dishes to wash, mouths to feed, groceries to be gotten, bills to pay, schedules to coordinate, homework to be done.

So I painted my kitchen table.

I love our table.  It belonged to my great-grandmother and is beautifully worn and old and sturdy.

Buzz's photo bomb

Countless meals have been had here.  My mom did her homework here.  It's the only table Ma Luffin Mayun and the us-es have ever had.  I think the table is Poppins-esque perfect since my bend is to things that wear their years and can stand up to the beating we'll most likely give them.

But then mom sent me a link and suggested I put the same spin on my own table.  I was down with it.

Two words: chalkboard paint.

after the first coat

It took three coats to cover, and only about an hour and a half from start to finish.  After the paint is dry you cover it in chalk and then wipe it off to sort of set and condition the finish.

And voila.  Done.  An hour and a half, $2-worth of a $10 quart of paint, and a $0.68 paintbrush.

this is my sentiment most days

I also painted the top of the chairs.  You know, in case we ever forget where we're supposed to sit or each other's name.

look at my junky counter
no, don't

So there you have it.  Another project done, another everyday, commonplace to-do list ignored.

Take that, Monday.
Now to actually decide on dinner...

Bouncin' and Behavin'

Since I know all of you are waiting with bated breath for instructions on all-natural, shampoo-free hair care -- or perhaps none of you -- I have this enlightening post for you today.

This information is made possible by a contribution from my dear friend Burnsy. She and I worked together about a decade ago, not realizing then that we were at the precipice of a lifelong friendship. We are usually separated by quite a lot of miles, seeing each other only a handful of times over these years. But the physical distance in no way parallels my affinity and outright love for her.

She's increbibly talented and a consummate professional in her field. Her career requires some atypical things of her hair, so when I found out she had sought out and found a natural, user-friendly, and economical hair care regimen that still left her hair looking good, I was all on it like white on rice.

Here's what she has to say:

Ok, I promised this info to Jessi weeks ago, but better late than never!! This is my current routine, devised from the "Curly Girl" hair care advice and adjusted for my now straight hair (thanks to pregnancy...). **NOTE: This note is not for the faint of heart. Read only if you have a serious bent towards the natural and hippie-esque.**

The thing to know before changing your routine is the cycle of "wash, condition, repeat" that shampoo companies have gotten us into. Simply put:

1. The main ingredient in standard shampoos is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. This is a harsh cleansing agent that essentially strips your hair and scalp not only of dirt and excess oil, but of ALL oils. This disrupts the natural balance of your scalp. (Note: SLS is also the main ingredient of dish soap. Squeaky clean is good for dishes, bad for hair and skin!)
2. In order to restore moisture to squeaky clean hair, you need to condition. Standard conditioners usually include ingredients like Dimethicone, which coats the hair with "moisture" but can only be removed with - you guessed it - Sodium Laureth Sulfate. If you condition with a "-cone" conditioner and don't use a Sulfate shampoo, you get build-up and your hair looks limp and lifeless.
3. A good Sulfate wash strips away the bad -cones, and the cycle starts all over again. No matter how expensive a product is, if it contains sulfates or -cones, you'll get stuck in this cycle.

So, how to break the cycle?? And what in the world can you use to wash your hair??

Let's start with the 2nd question. Basically, here's the rule: Make sure everything you put on your hair is water-soluble.

For WASHING:

Level 1: The most important thing needed for a clean scalp is a good scrub. Use your fingertips under running water to give your scalp a good massage, making sure to cover your whole head and really get under your hair. Rinse with warm water. Most days, that will be enough!

Level 2: If you've been camping, working outside, exercising, etc., you may need a bit more help. Use a pea- to dime-sized dollop of CONDITIONER (see below for which kind) and use that while scrubbing as you would for a "water wash." Rinse well.

Level 3: Every couple of weeks you may need to clarify your hair to give it a boost. For this we turn to our old friends, baking soda and apple cider vinegar!
- Add 1 tsp (ish) of baking soda to your dollop of conditioner and scrub as you would for a Level 2 wash. Rinse completely.
- Rinse your hair again using a mixture of 1 Tbsp ACV per Cup of cool water. This will close the hair folicle and restore the pH. Follow with conditioner.

For CONDITIONING:

Get used to reading labels. A good place to start is the Suave Naturals line of conditioners. A big bottle is usually less than $2, and it's totally water-soluble. I prefer the Aloe & Waterlilly or Tropical Coconut. Organic conditioners are also water-soluble, but more expensive, i.e., Burt's Bees, Alba.

To condition: Take a good palm-full of conditioner and work through your hair, including your scalp. Rinse with COLD water if you can stand it. (I do this but turning my head upside down in the shower; water gets my hair but not my body... mostly.)

That's it!! Cheap, mostly natural hair care.

So, how to get started? The first couple weeks might be serious ponytail or hat time as your natural oils come back, but it will be worth it in the long run to tough it out.

1. First step: one final SLS shampoo to get rid of all the build-up.
2. Then give you hair a good dousing with a non-"cone" conditioner (see above).
3. Rinse with cold water.
4. Carry on your merry way!

You'll have to experiment to find the best balance that works for you! For me, I water wash and condition every other day, codish-wash once a week, and Clarify once a month. That may change when the baby's born, but for now, I've got good shiny hair - for CHEAP!!

As for products, I still use some to control frizz, but that is complete trial and error. Again, just make sure things are water-soluble so they rinse out when you do a water wash. I'm still spending $14/bottle on a good gel, but it now lasts me over a year. When it runs out, I'll explore the cheap drugstore products in this awesome list.

And there you have it. Pretty awesome, huh? You can see her curly hair at the top of the post and her straight hair here.

I have been using this regimen for my own hair for nearly two weeks and I LOVE it. Also, I can tend to struggle with dandruff, but I have had none since starting this. I mean, NONE. Here's my most recent pic since making the switch. It's certainly not one of my better days, but the hair is clean and shiny and not plastered to my head with oil as I was afraid it might be. I say give it a try. You most assuredly don't have anything to lose and may find out you have fabulous, luxurious hair naturally without having to strip out and then add back to it a sundry skunah. (What? Everybody doesn't say "skunah"?)

In parting, I leave you with some amazing photos of Burnsy doing what she does, opera. Yeah. She's kind of a big deal now. But then again, I've always known that.

P.S. ACB, easier to get forgiveness than permission for ganking your pictures? Please forgive me. I'm proud of you.


in the part of Yum-Yum, production of The Mikado, Arizona Opera 2008


far left, in the part of one of the The Nymphs, production of Ariadne auf Naxos, Metropolitan Opera 2010


production of Candide, Wolf Trap Opera Company 2008 (and yes, that is this fella)


production of Le Nozze di Figaro, Opera Grand Rapids 2008 (and that fine-looking gentleman with her, in the immortal words of Beyonce, "put a ring on it" and they were married one year later)


...and the lovely pair preparing for the role of their lifetimes...parenthood.

Frugal Friday - A Day Late, But Not A Dollar Short

I had a little more money to play with this week for groceries and toiletries. This week's unsuspecting victim of me driving like I stole it seems to be Kroger. Here are the totals:

Kroger
83 items purchased
$ 215.11 total retail value
$ 93.45 total spent
$ 126.66 total saved (I get a $5.00 rebate added to $121.66 that I saved at checkout)
That's a savings of 59% off of the retail value.

Target
29 items purchased
$ 69.91 total retail value
$ 32.87 total spent
$ 37.04 total saved (I got back $10.00 in gift cards - that was added to the $27.04 that I saved at checkout)
That's a savings of 53% off of the retail value.

Publix
30 items purchased
$ 74.71 total retail value
$ 38.66 total spent
$ 35.51 total saved
That's a savings of 48% off of the retail value.

So my total spent this week: $164.98
my total saved: $199.24

Hooray.

And if the proverbial poop hits the fan, the us-es can barricade behind all the paper towels.

A Breather

I just wrote a super long, extremely boring post.

DELETE, you are my friend and have served the best interest of all of us here.

Moving on . . .

Monday is the hubster's and my thirteenth wedding anniversary. How awesome is that?! Pretty awesome. We have always tried to be diligent and intentional about getting away; from things, to things, for things. It gets more tricky with more us-es, but it also gets more crucial. We love and are in-love. That's our reality everyday. We laugh and we talk and we work together and we support one another. But the getting away, the selah moments, just simply afford something to us, to Us, that we just simply need.

He and me. That's it.

We love the kids; passionately, wholey, unconditionally. But they will grow up. They will leave. They will become transient in our home. And He and Me will remain. If we want to know each other then we have to keep learning each other now. If we still want to see each other then we have to make eye contact now. Then, I want to still remember the rightness I feel in holding his hand and having mine held in his. We can cultivate these things in the everyday, but getting away is good.

Getting away is really good.

We had an awesome plan that would've included planes and unbelievable accomodations (sniff, sniff, operamama...) while pretending to be native New Yorkers. It was a fabulous plan. But it didn't work out.

I know. Everybody take a minute to groan and mourn the failure of the plan. It's okay. We had to, too. But this ends well, I assure you.

We regrouped, put our game face back on, and made another plan. And though I would've loved to escape to NYC and to show Ma Luffin' Mayun new sights and sounds, the new plan is lovely and organic and simple and comfy and right. And coincidentally, it totally falls in line with all things winnowish (hey, it could be a word. Need I remind you "bootylicious" made it into the dictionary? It's the end of the world as we know it...but I feel fine).

We will take Brilliant Beauty to school as usual on Monday and then take Little Big Man and Pretty Baby to KakiBlackBarry's, one of the Us-es' homes-away-from-home, second only to Tunan's/Papa's and Nana's/Pawpaw's. After that we will depart for the north Georgia mountains, to a place called Amicalola Falls. There is an awesome spot we have wanted to go for years, but just haven't until now. It is called Hike Inn and the only way to access it is to "hike in" a little over five miles, where dinner and a sunset await. You can read more about it here, but let me show you some pictures.



Nice, huh? I think so. The room accomodations are certainly rustic. We will sleep in bunk beds (this makes me laugh just to type it). There are no TVs or computers or phones, etc. Just trees and sunshine and mountains and us (and likely some "granolas" running the place). This is where we will spend Monday night. Apparently if the sunrise is particularly spectacular (or maybe even mediocre...can sunrises be mediocre?) on Tuesday morning, someone will beat a drum loudly to wake us all up to see it. Could you imagine anything more romantic? Okay, maybe not the drum, but whatever...

On Tuesday we will hike another five+ miles back out and spend Tuesday night at the Amicalola Falls Lodge. Where Hike Inn promises a simple and rugged experience, the Lodge will afford us a king-sized bed, jacuzzi tub, kitchenette, private balcony, electricity in general, and other great amenities. We will be occupying the executive suite on our visit. Here's some pictures I snagged of the Lodge and, again, the falls.



I think it's pretty nifty to get such a spread of experiences in one three-day/two-night excursion. In addition to the accomodations we will have dinner and breakfast provided at Hike Inn, and breakfast provided at Amicalola Lodge. Those are nice perks.

Here are a few things that make this trip winnowish:
-it's more affordable because of it's nearby location
-the total cost for our accomodations (including the three meals mentioned above) falls under $350.00
-the obvious absence of technology and even creature comforts at Hike Inn provides us with a good quantity of time that we will hopefully chock full of quality

So, yeah. I'm pretty excited. Actually, I'm really excited.

It's hard to leave the kids. But it's harder to not break away every so often and to remember and experience a fuller otherness than being Daddy and Mommy.

Afterall, it started with Us...
Once upon a time (1997) . . .

And they lived happily ever after (2010) . . .

Frugal Friday

I'm not a motor cross fan, but this shirt sums up my super-awesome fun I'm having with couponing. The man half of our BFF couple, upon being regaled with yet another of my couponing success stories, said, "Wait. Is this an addiction?" KakiBlack and I just laughed. Like all good addicts might say, "NO! I can stop anytime I want". But with savings like these, why would I?

Seriously, I do have to check myself often because there are deals and freebies and coupons and special offers all over the place and every time I turn around on the world-wide-tangled-web. They're all great, but they aren't all necessary for the life of our FabFive. If the couponing is helpful at winnowing our spending, GREAT. If the couponing is creating mental clutter and sucking time better spent somewhere else, NOT SO GREAT. Once again, it's an area in which I will have to continually refocus and reset my aim so I don't just go cuckoo with it...or become an addict.

Having said all of that, I am so pleased with the results of this week's shopping excursions. To help frame up the success, here are my goals in the area of shopping:
-Spending no more than $100.00 per week on food, toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies combined

-Not compromising healthy snacks and meals for convenience or expense

-Stockpiling items, BUT only when they are at their lowest cost (like FREE)

-Keeping an organized system for coupon and sales flyer storage

-Maintaining an organized system of coupon sorting for the week's shopping list

-Compiling an orderly and concise shopping list, covering three+ stores, that can be shopped in two hours or less

I'm working through all of these goals, tweaking here and there. I'm still finding my way through the process, my style, my coupon comfort zone.

***Wait. I just realized I'm writing a post about coupon shopping. For my family. Of five. Huh. I'm really not twenty years old anymore. The weirdest things drive that reality home. Anyway...***

So here are this week's totals:
Kroger
18 items purchased
$ 64.36 total retail value
$ 32.56 total spent
$ 31.80 total saved
That's a savings of 49% off of the retail value.

Target
45 items purchased
$156.50 total retail value
$ 70.35 total spent
$101.15 total saved (I got back $10.00 in gift cards and will receive $20.00 in rebates - that was added to the $70.15 that I saved at checkout)
That's a savings of 64% off of the retail value.

Publix
44 items purchased
$105.24 total retail value
$ 32.01 total spent
$ 73.23 total saved (Shut UP. What, then?!)
That's a savings of 70% off of the retail value.

My combined totals are:
107 items
$326.10 total retail value
$134.92 total spent
$206.18 total saved (including $10.00 gift card and $20.00 in rebates)
That's a savings of 63% off of the retail value.

Hip, hip, hooray, I've got to say. Here's just a sample of some of the loot:
14 jars of organic baby food
formula
fresh produce
fresh frozen vegetables
shampoo and conditioner
deodorant
2 Frog Princess DVDs
band-aids
cereal

And here are items that I have stockpiled enough to last AT LEAST through summer:
shampoo and conditioner
deodorant
toothpaste
dental floss
toothbrushes
soap
dish soap
laundry detergent
cereal

I have other smaller stockpiles of other goodies (laundry detergent, granola bars, paper products, cake mixes...). I LOVE it. Three times this week the us-es and our fabulous neighbor kiddos were out playing and I had snacks aplenty for them. Ah, the joy.

Thus concludes this week's installment of Frugal Friday. Oh, happy day!

P.S. I am not a candidate for stockpiling ready-to-bake cookie dough or canisters of cake frosting. My selected mode of storage is my belly. I had my suspicions to this fact. I removed all doubt last week by plowing through the stash. Ouch. Talk about driving it like you stole it...

Who Takes Pictures Of Their Groceries?

Um, that would be me.

Not always. Just this time.

In another move of utter self-exposure, I am telling (or showing) you exactly what I got at the grocery store(s) yesterday. There is actually a point to this.

One of the entities I perpetually try to winnow is our budget. Well, let's be honest. Perpetually is definitely a wrong word choice. It evokes in my mind images of constancy; toiling without letting up until something's accomplished or achieved. I whimsically buy enough overpriced 20-ounce beverages when I'm out and about, lah-dee-dah, to rule out using "perpetually" to describe my budget-winnowing efforts. So to be a realist about it let's replace perpetually with "frequently".

Okay, whatever. I frequently try to winnow our budget, looking for where we can cut cost or spend less, or even shift spending from one area to another. And I love when the trying actually materializes into doing and we find new ways to loosen up some funds we may be wasting or overlooking or putting towards the wrong things. My SisterFriend isn't much different (of course, we do share DNA). Along these same goal lines, she started the epic adventure of extreme couponing around two months ago. She is pysching all of us out with her ridiculous savings and huge hauls of depletable resources for her zoocrew of six to use. Her kids have recently commented on her couponing adventures saying the deals are so good it's like she flat-out stole the stuff.

Alas, as is often sometimes the case with siblings, I took the ol' big sister's cues and started my own journey into the vast dimension of couponing. Believe me, it is another dimension and I hear Twilight Zone music every time, but it's starting to pay off.

I have no desire, and even less the energy needed to explain all of the ins and outs of couponing methods (Ma Luffin' Mayun is out of town for this from Tuesday through Sunday, thus leaving me with...well, everything...thus the lack of energy, verily I say unto thee). I certainly can do that at a later time if any of you show interest. But I do want to just whet your appetites to see what an awesomely great couponing experience can look like and result in.

If you enjoy the recap, thank you, thank you very much. If you don't, blame it on SisterFriend. She started it.

Let me show you everything I got. Then I'll tell you what I spent.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES
19 bags of fresh-frozen veggies

2 bunches of fresh asparagus
3 cartons of prewashed sliced mushrooms
3 heads of broccolli
2 bunches of bananas
5 cameo apples (and since they're cameo apples they came with a free bright red thingy that I'm not sure what to do with...here's how this dude decided to use his...and a cassette tape of "Word Up!")

DAIRY PRODUCTS
1 dozen eggs
2 gallons of milk
2 blocks of natural cheddar cheese
26 containers of yogurt

BREAD
6 loaves of wheat bread
4 bags of pita bread

MEATS
2 icky, disgusting lunchables Brilliant Beauty couldn't be more thrilled about
3 packages of sirloin steak
4 packages of all-natural boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 packages all-natural sandwich meat

PANTRY MISCELLANY
1 bottle extra virgin olive oil (I can't call it "evoo". Actually, I refuse. I also can't pay $137 for a bottle of it just because Rachael Ray's face is plastered on it. Uh, oh. Did I just alienate some readers? Do I have readers? Did he just call himself "the talent"?)
1 bottle vegetable oil
5 cans soup (I actually think I lost a can somewhere between Here and There)
2 boxes instant oatmeal
2 pouches single-use dried potatoes

FROZEN NONSENSE (a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men)
5 bags frozen biscuits
2 bags cinnamon rolls
2 bags mini cinnamon rolls

JUNK (read: What My Butt Won't Thank Me For Later But My Us-es Will)
2 boxes of brownie mix
2 bags of cookie mix
3 cake mixes
3 cake frostings
2 2-pack single serve desserts
4 packages of ready-to-bake cookies
2 bags of flavored snack mix
2 boxes of crunchy granola bars
2 boxes of popcorn
5 boxes of chewy granola bars
1 bag of tortilla chips

TOILETRIES
3 bars of kid soap
4 containers of floss
4 deodorants

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES
4 bottles of dish soap
1 box of trash bags

Pretty good looking pile o' stuff. I shopped at Kroger and Publix. Here's my spending breakdown per store:
Publix
$125.99 total retail value
$ 58.28 total spent
$ 67.71 total saved
That's a savings of 54% off of the retail value.

Kroger
$207.91 total retail value
$108.33 total spent
$ 99.88 total saved
That's a savings of 49% off of the retail value.

My combined totals are:
106 items
$333.90 total retail value
$166.61 total spent
$167.59 total saved
That's a savings of 50% off of the retail value.

Wowzers. I saved more than I spent, and stuck within the amount I wanted to spend on groceries. And actually, $166.61 is LESS than what we have been spending the last several months on groceries without couponing, buying virtually nothing name brand, and absolutely not stockpiling any items. Nice.

So I've winnowed some grocery cost. I aim to get even better at it. I know I can reduce the spending even more as I figure out what I'm doing a little more in this surreality of couponing.

How about you? Are you saving money in some way? Saving time? Winnowing your own "too much" of something, making room and space for something better? Let me hear from you.

P.S. Laundry's backed up. Dishes are dirty. I'm stepping over toys and clothing the us-es seem to teleport out of. BUT my pantry's full.

Don't despise the process...

Frugal Friday

It's been a busy week, but I can't put my finger exactly on what made it so busy. Just life, really. Ma Luffin' Mayun had a huge event this past weekend, gone from Friday to Sunday with 600 teenagers (gulp), so there was family time to catch up on. Brilliant Beauty had her first project to complete for her SCOPE class. Little Big Man is progressing well on the PottyTrain, and Pretty Baby is eating Jethro portions of homemade fruit and veggie dishes and cereals. All the while clothes are being worn, dishes are being used, and toys are being strewn to and fro.

Phew. Maybe I can put my finger on what made the week so busy.

A long time ago, even before I ever actually did it, I decided I wanted to make my own cleaning products to be used around the house. I have a few reasons:
-I wanted products that aren't laced with chemicals that could potentially hurt these babies we continue to add to the family. I may not be able to explain the harmful effects of each unpronounceable chemical in the store-bought products, but if they burn your eyes and singe your nose hairs I'm thinking it doesn't hurt to replace them.
-In my staunch stubbornness to not spend the money, I am always determined to find ways to just do or make things myself. I once again refuse to spend a huge chunk of the ol' paycheck on over-priced cleaning supplies. Now that I know a little more what I am doing in the cleaning-product-making department, I know I'll NEVER spend the money on the store-bought stuff. (P.S. why are the foods and products that are best for EVERYONE so flipping expensive? Probably because we'll pay, we who have lost the art of thinking through, growing, preparing, and using the stuff on our own...but I'll climb that soapbox on another day, perhaps.)
-I like to do the mixin' (read: pretend to be a scientist).
-It's extremely gratifying to look at the finished product(s), use them, watch them achieve their intended purpose, and know I made them with stuff I had right in my pantry.

I took some time this morning to mix up new batches of my standard cleaning products, so I thought I would take you on a little tour, show you what goes in them and how incredibly easy they are to make. Too bad we don't have smell-o-blog because they also smell super great.

Let me first say I have picked up cleaner recipes here and there for years from books, the internet, and friends. My eternal and golden pal WagStat has been in similar pursuits for years and started a blog of her findings and sometimes foibles as she works towards "green"ery that's just her right fit.

Here's my little army of cleaners. Don't they look like a formation of soldiers standing at attention?


In order from left to right they are:
window cleaner
mildew remover
heavy-duty cleaner
all-purpose cleaner


Here are my recipes for each product. If you're like me, you'll have at least a vague recollection from childhood of these ingredients being used to clean. Again, I am not original, nothing is new under the sun, and women and men smarter and wiser figured out the uses of these items long before me. These are just my recipes.

window cleaner
You need: one spray bottle (I got mine for $1.00 and it has measuring marks down the side which is helpful when mixing proportions), white vinegar, essential oil (whatever smell you like), water

Mix the following:
50% white vinegar
50% water
30 drops of essential oil

Shake it up, and there you go. That's all you need. I will say that even with the essential oil this stuff still smells pretty vinegary, but it is an excellent cleaner (I remember Tunan using vinegar and newspaper to clean windows and mirrors when I was a kid. I think of that when I use this).

mildew remover
You need: one spray bottle, hydrogen peroxide, water

Mix the following:
1 part hydrogen peroxide
2 parts water

Shake it up. Spray this on anything with mildew (window seals, kitchen, bath), let it sit for fifteen to thirty minutes, and then wipe away. Works great.

heavy-duty cleaner
You need: one spray bottle, borax, liquid soap, essential oil, water

Mix the following:
*1/2 cup borax
2 tablespoons liquid soap
10 drops essential oil
water - enough to fill bottle to the fill-line

Shake it up. This cleaner is really good for the tougher-to-clean messes around the house, great for greasy messes, and for thoroughly cleaning places that tend to get the dirtiest like bathrooms.

all-purpose cleaner
You need: one spray bottle, liquid soap, essential oil, water

Mix the following:
2 tablespoons liquid soap
20 drops essential oil
water - enough to fill bottle to the fill-line

We use this for EVERYTHING around Quaint Cottage; counters, tables, walls...you name it.

Here's one more product that I use. This is a scouring paste.

I use this when I need to scour a surface. It works great in combination with the window cleaner because the vinegar reacts with the baking soda, making fizzy cleaning goodness (that is the scientific explanation of the chemical reaction, I'm quite sure).

scouring paste
You need: one wide-mouthed mason jar, box of baking soda, liquid soap, water (you can scent it with essential oil if you like)

Mix the following in a bowl:
box of baking soda
3 tablespoons liquid soap
2 tablespoons water

Combine all of these until it forms a nice paste. Transfer it to the mason jar. Just scoop out what you need when you need it (I just use my hand to scoop it out). That's all there is to it.


Here's a little more miscellaneous information . . .
I use liquid castile soap and I love it. It goes a super long way in the amounts I'm using it, is scented with all kinds of great natural fragrances, and completely safe for all the us-es. This link also includes a recipe for using castile soap in an automatic dishwasher. I just discovered it, and we'll be making a batch of that soon. One of my bottles is scented with lavender, and the other with tea tree oil. I actually didn't use the essential oils this time because the soap smelled so good by itself.

Remember, you can use ANY liquid soap you choose. It doesn't have to be castile soap. Basic dish soap works fine.

*Borax is awesome and amazing stuff. I do find that it tends to clump, so when I make the heavy-duty cleaner I pour the borax in and use a potato masher to thoroughly break up the clumps before funneling it into the bottle.

Another thing you can use the heavy-duty cleaner for is spraying around baseboards and door entries for pest control. How awesome is that?!

Make sure you pick essential oils that you can stand the smell of. There are a million to choose from and a few drops go a long way. I picked a smell one time, though, and used it in the all-purpose cleaner which meant I smelled it often. Blech. It was a nice smell in theory, but not in practice. Choose wisely according to your taste.

The window cleaner can also be used as a finishing spray if you feel there is a soapy residue from the scouring paste or the heavy-duty cleaner. It will take it right up.

This time around in my mixing I decided to "color code" the cleaners to make it easier for the us-es to identify the cleaners. I simply did this with literally just a couple of drops of food coloring. Presto. Colored cleaners.

I also write the type of cleaner and it's recipe on the plastic bottles with a permanent marker. I never have to remember the recipe.

I'm not sure if I remembered everything I wanted to say, but one never does, do they? Let me know if you have questions. There are all kinds of places online with recipes for cleaning products. You know me...just google it.

Here's to frugal Friday. I'm off to clean. With this FabFive, the mess possibilities are endless. Buh-lee dat!

Happy sifting!