homemade furniture polish

This weekend I discovered a simple recipe for homemade furniture polish that works.

In a spray bottle, combine equal parts vegetable oil and lime or lemon juice. Give it a good shake before each use. Use it as you would a store bought polish.

I tried this on my antique Majestic radio and, two days later, it is still glowing.

friends and thai food

My great friend Tori is co-owner of the restaurant Jasmin Thai Cuisine & Sushi in town and is competing for a spot in "The Best of Western Washington". They won 4th place last year, but are aiming for #1 this year. Help them achieve this by casting a vote for them HERE!Nick and I truly believe that it was a God thing by us meeting Tori and Luke. When we asked our adoption agency for the address of the family who was traveling to Liberia next - so we could have them take our photo album to Macsyn - the address of the family was in the same tiny town we are in. I thought it was a typo. I searched the local phone book and couldn't believe it... There was another family adopting from the same orphanage as us living just down the road 4 miles!

We are so thankful and feel blessed that Luke and Tori (and their ADORABLE son Miah) are a part of our lives now. We couldn't ask for better friends. :)

rip little chickie

When we get home from work, I immediately check on our 6 chicks. We got home last night and as usual, I went to check on them. "One, two, three, four, five. FIVE?!" It took me a second, but I found #6. Poor guy stuck himself between the wall of their rubbermaid bin and the waterer and was on his back, taking his last breaths. I know they are just dumb chickens, but if I'm going to be honest, I was a little sad. I wondered, and hoped, that I had not done something to make him sick. He was about half the size of the others, so maybe there was something wrong from the get go. The others are doing great. They've started to get their tail feathers. I'm amazed everyday at how much they change!

chicks!

Our baby chicks have arrived! We picked them up early this morning from the post office, and now they are in my work office, getting settled into their new home. I'm interested to see how the pups will react when we bring them home this evening. I'll post more pics later. All I have with me right now is my camera phone.

laundry detergent

I am weird... this is nothing new. But I am reminded this when I say to someone "I need to cook some laundry soap tonight" and get a strange look. For over a year now, I have made our laundry detergent, and it's simple & affordable. Two of the three ingredients will last you over a year, easily.

You will need:
Arm & Hammer washing soda - this is NOT the same as baking soda folks!

~Borax
~Bar soap - often Fels Naptha is used, but I prefer some plain Dial (your clothes will not smell like the soap you use)
~ essential oil (optional, but I typically don't use this)

~ 3-5 gallon bucket or empty detergent containers

Grate approximately 1/3 cup of bar soap and put in a medium pot; cover with water. Cook over med heat and stir gently to get rid of clums. Once your soap liquid is mostly smooth, take it off the burner. Add 1/3 cups of both washing soda and borax. Stire and allow to dissolve. Once dissolved, pour into your bucket. While slowly stirring, add enough hot tap water to fill your bucket.

Your laundry detergent is now ready to use. As it cools, it may get gelly/gloppy. Don't worry, this is normal! If you like, give it a stir every now and then, but it's not necessary. Depending on the size of your load, you can use 1/2-1 cup of the detergent per load. I use the plastic scoop that came with some powdered soap long ago.

If you'd like to be even more thrifty, you can pour in 1 cup white vinegar during the rinse cycle. This will act as a fabric softener and and vinegar odor should dissipate once the clothes are dried.