Last week I promised you an update on the laundry detergent. Since the last time we talked about making your own laundry detergent, we've made changes. What's interesting here is that my home has been using homemade detergent only. But so have other people. And as I've used it, I've tweaked the recipe... and so have others!
So here's what we've found: (The new recipe)
Laundry Detergent (wet- Saria's tweaked version)
Ingredients:
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup Borax (in the green box)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Yellow box)
Instructions:
Grate Fels Naptha Soap into pot of hot water on stove top. (5 ish cups of water) Stir until Fels Naptha soap is dissolved.
Pour hot water into 5 gallon bucket. Add hot water to fill bucket at least half way.
Add Washing Soda and stir until dissolved.
Now add Borax and stir again until dissolved. Top off bucket with water.
Put a lid on the bucket and let it sit overnight. It will be thin and runny. Don't panic.
Next morning: Open bucket. Stir the coagulated mixture. Break up the big white clumps of detergent.
Use about 1/2 cup per load.
Fine for high efficiency washing machines because it's low sudsing.
Laundry Detergent recipe: (Dry version- Thanks Jackie!)
Grate 1 bar Fels Naptha Soap into 2 cups Borax and 2 cups Arm & Hammer.
Store mixture DRY.
Use 2 TBS per load.
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Water Barrel Update:
They're being cleaned. Some of you have received your barrels. The rest of you WILL receive your ordered barrels. Do not lose hope. Eagle Scouts are busy people but we will get to you.
Thanks for your patience.
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Hot water
Sunday morning, my husband & I tried an experiment. We wanted to bathe the kids for church. But we wanted to heat the water on the stove top. We estimated that it would take 4 - 8 potfuls of boiling water, mixed with the cold bath water to make a nice bath temperature for the kids.
It took more than 16 potfuls of boiling water to bring the water temperature to acceptable. That's a lot of water and a lot of boiling. Good thing we had plenty of time before church!
The eye-opening aspect of the adventure was how much water it took! If we were in an emergency situation, We would not only need lots of water, but lots of fuel to heat it all. (Perhaps we'd only bathe the kids once a week?!) It was a great learning moment for me- how much it would take to continue living in an emergency.
Does this mean that after water barrels that I'll be looking for a good deal on fuel?? Stay tuned....
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Old Fruit Cake
I confess, it sounds awful. BUT... hear me out here... I was given this recipe and it's actually pretty good. Especially if you have some older canned fruit (that is perfectly good but might be slightly discolored or soft)... and you know there is NO WAY you'll ever get your children to eat it...
Recipe:
1 quart old bottled fruit- pureed
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour (whole wheat works great)
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
Beat oil & fruit puree. Mix dry ingredients then add to oil/puree. Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 45 -55 minutes. Cool and frost if desired.
Can add nuts, raisins, or coconut to cake if desired.
Saria's notes: I decreased the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. I added 1 1/2 cup oats, decreased flour to 3 cups, omitted the frosting and served this as "Breakfast Fruit Bars".
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Action Items:
1. Keep thinking preparedness.
2. Try out a new recipe- be it detergent or food or whatever- but try something new!
Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind than on outward circumstances.
Benjamin Franklin
Life is like a taxi. The meter keeps a-ticking whether you're getting somewhere or standing still.
Lou Erickson
Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian.
Shari Barr
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