This weekend I’ve spent time staying in, aside from the weekly doctor’s office visit for the kids’ allergy shots and a quick run to the market for essentials (milk, cheese, avocado, and a few things I forgot for dinners this weekend). I set aside Saturday morning (late morning) to make another batch of laundry detergent. I don’t like how much I’ve had to pay, in the past, for store bought detergent and the fact that my kids were always itchy (bless their hearts, all those allergies they suffer from). I went back to my Pinterest to find the recipe for the last detergent I made, and realized the last batch wasn’t right! Oops! The tutorial tells you 2 bars of Zote (they are 14.1 oz) but I was using Fels Naptha in the 5.5 oz size (only used two) I guess I should have paid more attention when I made it. This time, I had enough of the Fels Naptha and still struggled… 2 bars were fresh and slick, so they were easy to grate like cheese…. the other bars were drier and very difficult so I tried the microwaving tip on the tutorial…. it worked but was a pain in the backside. Once cooled, I was able to crumble the soap between my fingers (gloved hands) and mix in with everything else. I filled a JUMBO Ziploc bag (the 5gallon sized) plus a large Oxy Clean powder container and a slightly smaller Oxy Clean container! You literally only need 2T of detergent and it’s amazing! No additives, colors, etc. I don’t remember when I made my last batch, but I will remember when I made this batch, so I can see how long it lasts.
This is the direct link to the laundry detergent recipe: Laundry detergent DIY
I also made some Chicken Pozole in the slow cooker for dinner tonight (it’s still cooking as we speak) and here is the recipe! It smells delicious! The kids helped me pick up the living room, as it was needed with our busy week, and I then brushed the cat, dusted, and vacuumed the room. It feels fresher now! I also got the kitchen cleaned, it’s closer to my standard (with my surgery and our busy schedules, the housework has been slipping – which drives me mad) so it’s nice to catch up with things. I have to also redo my closet, which is mostly craft supplies and hung up clothes, as the kitty decided it was going to be fun to get into everything and knocked stuff over! It’s difficult to move items and get it all organized with my knee still screwed up, it ends up hurting/getting tired/swelling, and that causes me to stop enjoying it.
We are also going to have some yummy Lemon cake later, thanks to Lucy over at the Attic. I adore her recipes, they always look delish, and they are easy to make. I made it in the food processor, as she did, and I’m glad. It was so simple and my fingers still smell of lemon. Believe me, I am happy about that, as I love lemons!
The cake is out of the oven and cooling… I can’t wait!!! But I am sad to report the cake fell in the middle (I did open the oven during cooking, because I wanted to show the family) so that may have been why AND I didn’t think about high altitude! Darn it! The No Knead bread recipe doesn’t need altitude adjustment, so I just forgot (I live at nearly 5K feet) oh well, it should be tasty anyway! But, I am the weird person that wants a lemon cake with chocolate frosting for my birthday (which means it’s homemade since nobody makes them in bakeries around here) but that’s okay. I can add lemon juice AND zest to make it just the way I like.
The kids are currently playing with a rainy day box I quickly put together (Thanks to Deborah for the idea) and I’ll be stocking it up the next time I do shopping at a craft store. They are gluing, cutting, coloring, writing and using stickers…. my daughter already wrote me a letter! They are so sweet.
I also have been keeping busy with knitting, slowly working on this summer dress for my daughter (obviously no rush as we’ve been having cooler weather and it has been raining since 7am today! – it’s now 120pm!!) but it’s coming along well. This weather makes me want to make a cup of tea, have a slice of that lemon cake and snuggle on the couch next to the cat, as she’s having another cat nap. I think that’s a great idea, so I’m off to put the kettle on and check on the aromatic lemon cake that is teasing me with it’s delicious-ness!
Ramblings of a Knitter 