wrapping it up and kicking it off!

Lots of pots have been on our stove lately....many of them threatening to boil over.  This weekend, we pulled a couple of pots off the burners and I'm thinking that space is a good thing.  Maggie performed in the drama, 12 Angry Jurors this past week.  The cast of 14 had been working on the production all year long.  They performed to a sold out crowd and received much deserved praise.  Maggie did a fabulous job and we're so proud of her in so many ways. 

Our school days are just wrapping up...only a Chemistry final left to seal the deal.  I'm looking so forward to some relaxing days of just being.  We've had a great but very busy school year (just like everyone else) and summer couldn't come at a better time. 

I've finished up a couple of projects over the last month of sitting at baseball games and with all of the busy-ness, I just haven't had time to post them....

First up, a shoe bag - turned into a brush bag.  I realized that when we travel, I take along a crazy amount of hair brushes.  One for straightening, one for curling and one for just brushing.  They don't fit in my toiletry bag and usually I just shove them in my suitcase.  But now, I've got a home for them.  This size of this shoe bag is perfect for all my brushes and combs....and any other stuff like gel and spray. 

Next up is another pair of pleated ballet flats.  These are knit from Brooks Farm Yarn, Riata which is very yummy and soft.  I love how the variegated colors show up so nicely.  I think I have enough yarn left to knit another pair....these flats are so nice as they really don't use a lot of yarn.  You can splurge on some extra soft yarn and get several pairs from the skein. 

And finally, I've gotten into making my own laundry soap.  I'd seen it awhile ago and was intrigued by the simplicity of the ingredients.  It is so easy to make and because you purchase the ingredients in such big quantities I always have soap on hand.  I was forever running out of my store bought laundry soap and there would be a pile of dirty laundry growing by the day.  This stuff works great...and it is so cheap to make.  My son is very sensitive to heavy soaps and this has been perfect for his laundry needs as well.

   I grate my soap with my Pampered Chef grater.  It has a small grating blade that allows the soap to be grated very finely.  My regular grater was way to big and I found bits of soap not dissolving in the wash.  So, make sure you grate your soap very small.  You can also use a food processor to get it chopped up really little.  Here's the recipe that I use:

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).

•1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)

•1 cup of borax

•1 cup of washing soda

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a air tight jar.  I used 2 Tablespoons per load.....super easy. 

This website helped me a lot when I was determining what ingredients I needed and how much to use.

So, that's what's been happening around here.  I hope that whatever is wrapping up or kicking off at your house is filling your days with joy and gratitude.