All the little signs of Spring

Late last week I noticed that the apple tree was in full, glorious bloom. We had never pruned it and so it had lots of crossed and recrossed branches. So I got the loppers out and off I went. I decided not to waste the beauties and so made a sweet bouquet. They smelled just like apples.

The peach tree is also blooming and also my lilacs, the few little tulips, daffodils, and the grape hyacinths. The roses are leafing out, the lily of the valley is coming up and soon the snowball bush will be blooming also. I love Spring!

Homemade Laundry Soap

While reading my "Country Sampler" magazine recently I came upon this recipe for homemade laundry soap. I thought it would be fun to try to make and so I went for the ingredients. I bought everything at Wal-Mart and they were quite inexpensive. All were found in the laundry aisle. I put off making it for a while but yesterday, I noticed that I was getting low on Tide. So I decided to give it a go. It was so easy and smells nice too.

Here is the recipe:

2 bars Fels-Naptha soap, grated coarsly

2 cups Arm and Hammer washing soda

2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
Water

Grate the soap and dissolve it in 4 quarts of boiling water. I mixed mine in a 5 gallon bucket. Then when it is dissolved, add 5 quarts of hot water and 2 cups of soda and 2 cups of borax. Mix thoroughly, then add the remaining 3 quarts of water. Mix well and let sit overnight. It will make a thick gell. The next day, scoop out enough of it to fill a large mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into 12-1 quart jars. When ready to use, pour a jar of soap into your liquid laundry detergent bottle that you have so carefully recycled or been given by one of your truly good friends. Add 2 jars of water, shake well and use the regular quantity as directed by the commercial soap maker. You can use in high effeciency washers too, just use a little less.

This was easy and did not take much time. I had thought I would mix the gel with my husband's drill with a paint stirrer attached, but couldn't find the long one, so used my portable kitchen mixer.
This is what it looks like in the bucket all gelled up. I will post later after using it, how I like it. I sure smells nice and is so much cheaper. $5.00 for this batch and $29.00 for a box of Tide.

Trash to Treasure

For a long time I have been wanting a kitchen island. I looked up how to build one, online, we had been pricing cabinets, looking for used cabinets and never had gotten around to building it. Well one day, I was at my favorite thrift store and lo and behold there it was. A kitchen island just sitting there waiting for me. It was a little wobbly and needs a paint job. The price was right at only $14.99. I grabbed it and brought it home. Jan helped me reinforce the base and add some casters. He also added some trim to hide the reinforced base. I need to paint it. It is great. I have all my kitchen ware that was housed in the garage in it, the knives in the drawer and my pretty le cruset dutch oven on the shelf. It has towel racks and also butcher block top. It is just the right size. Good things come to those who wait.

Thanks Honey for your help!

Owen is in great shape!

Owen recently won a competetion with his Army group that was quite strenous. He will probably laugh and deride me about this post, but I am very proud of him and his accomplishments in the army.
In the competetion they had to lift a 40 lb bag of sand and squat with it and then raise it above their heads and whoever could do the most repetitions of this in one minute wins. He won, by doing 43 repetitions.

His doctor told him that he is in great shape with good blood pressure and cholesterol. Way to go Owen!

What Have We All Been Doing?

Well, I haven't posted anything in about 2 1/2 months and needless to say we have been a little busy around here. Stuart came home on February 9th, from his mission in Switzerland. We had a houseful of company for the blessed event and many celebrations for him. He gave an awesome talk after coming home about his experiences there and his testimony has really grown.

In February we also had the Blue and Gold Banquet for Scouting. Nolan was a Cub Scout at that time and was very excited for that. The banquet got a little postponed by a bad snowstorm, so Stuart got to be here for it and he received his Webelo and his Arrow of Light awards. We are proud of him. Now there are five arrows on each of our boys photos in the family room.

In March we had the Pinewood Derby. This was Nolan's last race and also Jan's last derby car to help his son build. That makes 16 Pinewood Derby cars that Jan has built over the years, not counting his own. I don't even know if they did that back when he was a Cub Scout. I'll have to ask him. Anyway, Jan was ecstatic about not having to make any more of them, but he gave it his all and built another winner with his son. Nolan won first place with the directions that our old friend, George Hampton, told us about many years ago. They built another modified wedge shaped vehicle and packed the weights in the back and off it went, speeding to Cub Scout Glory.

At the end of March we had Spring Break but my dad's cousin, Sam Little passed away about a week before and my mother went to Montana to clear our his belongings and tend to his final affairs, as he had no closer relatives than three cousins who are all in their 80's. Stuart and Jan went with her and it took them a good solid eight days to get it done. There was some furniture and other things that we wanted to bring back, and it wouldn't fit in the car, so I and Nolan drove up on a Saturday and loaded it up and then we all drove home the next day, Sunday. We were quite tired when we got in, so took a day to rest (except poor Jan, who had to go to work that morning) and then on Tuesday we drove to Texas and unloaded the things we brought back from Montana. We had some family heirlooms that will be dispersed to the appropriate relatives and I was able to receive a new (very old) dining room table. It has eight 10" leaves and will be 125 inches long when all are in. It will make a great family dinner table. There was also a nice chest of drawers. Both of these will need some refinishing work and I hope to post photos of that as it gets done.

In the middle of all of these events, we have been doing the daily stuff, like family dinners on Sunday, working, watching the grandkids, going to school, looking for jobs (Stuart) and enjoying the beautiful spring that we have been having.

Owen enjoyed a short trip to New Orleans with some of his Army friends this last weekend. Here are some of the pictures of the fun that he had while there.

School will be out soon, We had Nolan's birthday this last Thursday, He is a ripe old 11 years now. He had his bridging ceremony to cross over into Boy Scouts and will attend his 1st meeting on Wednesday.

Our lives are just like a river and keep rolling along. Easter was upon us, and we enjoyed a very nice family day, worshiping our Savior and being together.

1 January 2012 A New Beginning

Abigail was blessed by her father, Sean on New Year's Day. Krysten's family came down from Seattle and Utah and it was a nice day. We had them over for dinner afterwards, they are really nice people. Sean did a nice job following the Spirit with the blessing and when he started I thought to myself, "who is that talking?" . He didn't sound even like himslef. In this photo Abby looks very happy with herself. It was a very nice day!

Marker Madness!

Don't they look remorseful? They found a blue marker in a school bag and proceeded to have a very good time with it. Milly must have been the big leader since Levi had it all over his back! Her hand was totally blue and then every time she touched her nose it made her nose blue too!

This pic truly tells all, no remorse, only joy in living and a true attitude of playfullness! Whatever will we do? Tending these guys is like playing Whack-a-mole!