Frugal Thoughts, Fresh Trash and Dogs in Heaven

       Yes, it IS a strange title.  But bear with me; there really is good info here, Folks!

       First, the frugal thoughts thing.  I was reading Mary's blog a few days ago and her post on making your own laundry soap caught my eye.  I figured, hey, if it's good enough for her it's good enough for me.  I've seen pictures of her home.  It's to die for.  Believe me, if you're going to copy someone, she's a good one to emulate.  

        I decided to google even more homemade cleaning detergents.  Have you seen the cost of dishwashing detergent?  Mine was getting low, and there's no time like the present to try my hand at making the stuff.  Here's the recipe I used, courtesy of "TipNut":

Liquid Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

1 part baking soda 1 part borax 1 part water 1 drop lemon or orange essential oil per cup of detergent

• Mix the ingredients thoroughly and store in a sealable jug.
• Use 2 to 3 TBS per load.

If you’re having a cloudy dishes problem after using the homemade detergents:

• Try adding a few drops of liquid dishsoap to the powder compartment when you add the powder.
• You could also try cutting back on the amount of soap used (if you’re using 2 TBS, try cutting it back to 1 - 1 1/2 TBS).
• Make sure to use vinegar in the rinse cycle

...and here's the result:    ...and I forgot to add vinegar to the rinse water.

I KNOW we've all noticed how laundry detergents have been "concentrated down" in their packaging.  Of course, the manufacturers don't put the fact that their product that once cleaned 40 washloads now cleans 32, AND for the SAME LOW PRICE!  How lucky are we?!  

Here is a page full of laundry detergent recipes:  http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

         I used the same one that Mary used; recipe #4 is the closest one to it.  These recipes seem to be pretty forgiving, so don't feel like you have to be super precise in your measuring.  

Anyway, I finally found Fels Naptha Soap at Ace Hardware (where, BTW, the clerk asked if I was going to make my own soap - she evidently has been selling a lot of Fels Naptha lately!) and promptly started mixing my potions.  

       I even copied Mary's idea for measuring the dry soap (a child's toy teacup is great!).    You'll find plenty of recipes on the Tipnut link, including some for fabric softener.  

Now, for a really easy trash-to-treasure!  Hubby found this outdoor table that someone had literally kicked to the curb.

  A good scrubbing and a couple cans of spray paint later:    There are a couple spots that I need to touch up but today is no longer Spring.  It's in the 40's and it's damp and gloomy.  Not good weather for outdoor painting of any kind!

Finally, I received this email from a high school friend (yes, I still have friends from high school!) and thought I would share with you:

Here's one for you. A man and his dog were walking along a road The man was enjoying the scenery,  when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He  remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.  He wondered where the road was leading them. After a  while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It  looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall  arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he  was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like  mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He  and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a  desk to one side. When he  was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is  Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow!  Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of  course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked. 'I'm  sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' The man  thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.   After  another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road  leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There  was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book 'Excuse  me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah,  sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about  my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.   'There  should be a bowl by the pump.' They went through the gate,and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.  The  traveler filled the water bowl and tooka long drink himself,then he gave some to the dog.   When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do  you call this place?' the traveler asked. 'This is  Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you  mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'   'No,  we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best  friends behind.'