Not-So-Dirty Laundry

I am not airing my dirty laundry for all the world to see.

However, I did make laundry detergent this morning, and--given the price increase of just about everything under the sun due to the current drought--I thought I would share the info for anyone who wants to save a bit of money.

Needed materials:

Kitchen scale
Measuring cup
Sifter
Rotary cheese grater*

* A rotary cheese grater--just like the one your granny had.  A regular cheese grater will work if you don't have the rotary type. Or if you have one, use a food processor.  I don't own a food processor.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Washing Soda**

5 ounces of good quality soap***

** Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) is not the same thing as Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate). Washing soda is found in the laundry aisle of the market, and can be used as a cleanser in kitchens and bathrooms. It is nonsudsing, so it rinses easily.

*** Castile Soap is gentle, and good for sensitive skin (babies) or for those with allergies.
And mea culpa, when I go to Tuesday Morning, I buy soaps; I usually use them as sachets in my linens or undergarment drawers.  Today, I used a combination of Castile and the Italian-made violet scented bar. I have also used the French milled Lavender (upper right) and the Italian Pear-Apple (lower left).  I've also used Ivory soap. (Has anyone ever microwaved a portion of a bar? That's another blog).

Putting It Together:

Grate 5 ounces of your chosen soap. To make a finer product, sift the grated soap through the sifter. Large, ungrated fragments should be dumped in a bowl. (If you use a food processor, you may not have the larger fragments. I wouldn't know).

In a large container (I use a lock-top plastic container), mix your 2 cups of washing soda, 2 cups of borax, and 5 ounces of grated soap.  If the borax is lumpy, put it through the sifter also. Shake well to combine.

Usage:

1 tablespoon of mix in a top loading washing machine.
1/2 tablespoon for a high efficiency front-loading washing machine.

What To Do With The Bar Soap Fragments:

Well, don't throw them out.  Put the soap scrap fragments in an unbleached muslin bag, and use it as a scrubby in the shower. Or use an old washcloth: stitch it up on 3 sides, fill it with soap scraps, seal it with Velcro, and Voila!

Waste nought, want nought, as the saying goes.

This, That, and Other Things

I have beautiful grandchildren.

This is a shot from my mom's 90th birthday.

Mother is doing really well.  She can maneuver that wheelchair like a pro. We went to OKC for her eye appointment, and brilliant SIL met us there and told me to go amuse myself; after the appt. she would take Mother to Dillards.

I went to Cao Nguyen supermarket, spent an hour at Sabi's with M. A., swung by Whole Foods, and got lost in Nichol's Hills. Met up with Mother and SIL at the house, where we discovered that the house is NOT wheelchair friendly. Picture SIL, Mother and Me in a chorus line to get her into the bathroom!

Went on an 8 mile run yesterday. Came up with a project idea. Went to Hobby Lobby (did need a frame for a watercolor I got in Ireland) and got some "crafty" things.  On my 10 mile run this morning, I kept stopping to pick up stuff for craft project:  pine cones, pine needles, oak galls, and spotted stuff to get later (sycamore seed balls).

I'm going to try and make a fairy house.  I have the roof done (mostly). I went out under the live oak and started picking up acorn caps to use as cobbles (maybe).  I'll post a picture when it is done. Just bear in mind that I am the most staggeringly NONartistic person on the face of the planet.

Since it is tomato season, here is a recipe from Edith Metcalfe de Plata:

"Flores" de Jitomates Rellanos  (Stuffed Tomato "Flowers")

serves 4 to 6

6 medium or 4 large tomatoes
6 lettuce leaves
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup each grated zucchini, chopped almonds, grated carrots, sliced cucumber, raisins, chopped Ortega chili, celery, diced onion
1/2 tsp each of sea salt, aniseed, dill seed, parsley, thyme, mace, and chili powder
1 small jar sliced pimento

1. Wash and cut out the centers of the tomatoes. Slice downward--almost to the bottom--so that the tomatoes will open yet remain held together at the bottom. Make 4 to 6 cuts and lay the tomatoes on a bed of lettuce leaves.

2. Make a filling with the remaining ingredients (except pimento) and use it to stuff the tomatoes.

3. Garnish with pimento strips and refrigerate until time to serve.