Happy Birthday BeCCa!!

Yesterday was Becca's 5th birthday!! I just can not believe... It seems like yesterday that I was going to LDS hospital to check if she was ok (I haven't felt her moving at all that day) and ended up been there longer than I expected!!

She was a very healthy baby and big sister was way happy to see little sister and mom coming home!!

I LoVe YoU, BaBy...

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Last saturday was her, more than anticipated, party! She loved it and I was sure tired after all the preps...

EVERY single year I promise myself that I'll make something simple for the kids b-days,, but... well, knowing me...

This year she wanted a Dora picnic party. It couldn't be just Dora, had to be a picnic too... So I thought: "Great - no messes at home, let's go to the park!" - but we live in Utah.... We had a gourgeous day, but COLD... Not going outside!!

But everything turn out ok, and by the end of the party I was DEAD!!

Here is what we did...

** This time I totally skiped the 'big' cake - sorta!! I made cupcakes, a giant cupcake (thanks Ellen for decorating that DURING the party!!) and a almond joy cake (chocolate cake, coconut filling and chocolate ganache).

** For the activities, I made (13!!) backpacks - I'll post a tutorial soon - and inside the kids found a flashlight, a good ol' toilet paper roll binoculars and the map.

They went thru the dark cave (using their flashlight), thru bubble valley (popping bubbles), then after a few other activities we got to the picnic!

At the 'picnic table' each kid had their own lunch sack, with a ham and cheese sandwich, juice, chips and fruit snacks. They loved it...

After all, I was very happy with the party and Becca was VERY very happy...

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent!

In today's economy, I'm always looking for ways to trim down my household expenses. Laundry detergent is no exception. So I found many recipes and many different ways to make my own laundry detergent and decide to give it a try! The soap is a  fraction of what I would pay at the store.

Here is the recipe that I used:

Ingredients Needed

1 cup washing soda, such as Arm and Hammer (NOT baking soda)
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap (I only found at Macey's, but it can be found online too)
1 cup of Borax
Essential Oil (optional)
About three gallons of water
Containers to store the soap (2 liters soda pop bottles, old laundry soap dispensers, etc)
1 five gallon bucket
Large wooden spoon
Large Pot
Cheese Grater

Put four cups of water into the pot and heat until boiling. Reduce heat until it is just simmering. While the water is heating, grate the soap up into little curls. This will help the soap dissolve faster than by chopping it up into pieces.

Place the soap into the water, a little bit at a time. Stir the soap and water solution until the soap is completely dissolved.

Pour 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda into the 5-gallon bucket. Add 1 gallon of hot water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in the melted soap. Stir more! Add very hot water - about 2-3 gallons and stir again.

If you want to add some essential oil, now is the time to do it! I used about 20 drops of lavender oil. You can use any fragrance that you like - clove oil, eucalyptus, baby oil, sandalwood, etc.

Store the soap in any plastic conatiner (easier to handle) or leave in the bucket. Let it sit for 24 hours.

Observations:

1. If you are storing the soap in plastic containers, do it as soon as the soap is done, because...

2. As the soaps sits, it will thicken (gel like) and lumps will happen. So it will be harder to scoop into the container. 

3. This soap does NOT suds - which is better for your washer and plumbing system.

4. May be used on whites (hot water) and darks (cold water).

5. May alliviate soap allergy symptoms.
*** Fels-Naptha soap contains terpene hydrocarbons, which are considered "moderately toxic," according to the Materials Safety Data Sheet. The product, manufactured by Dial Corp., is not considered hazardous but might cause eye or skin irritation upon contact. If you are looking for an All Natural soap, click HERE.

Shake well before each use.

For hard water: add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup borax per wash load.

Use 1 cup for light washes and 1-2 cups for extra dirty and super sized  loads.

The best part about making laundry detergent is the savings. The total cost for almost 5 gallon of soap was $11!!!

Year's Supply

For a family of four you'll need;

2 boxes Borax

2 boxes Washing Soda

16 bars Fels Naptha

Sorry Tide... From now on I will make my own detergent!!!

Baptism {CTR} Towel - tutorial

Since I am teaching CTR 7 this year, I thought of making something nice for the kids on their 8th birthday - something that would help them prepare for their BAPTISM.

Looking through the 'blog world' - my new PASSION (it seems - lately) I found this, more than cute, idea over Made With love and Glue, and decided to give it a try.

It turned out SUPER cute...

Here is what you need:

* white bath towel

*9" of fabric of your choice (dark background to contrast)

*pellon Wonder Under

*CTR emblem pattern - click HERE

*baptism towel poem - click HERE

1. Iron the Wonder Under on the wrong side of the fabric.

2. Trace the pattern onto paper backing/fabric. Make sure to trace the shape BACKWARDS since you'll be doing this on the BACK of the fabric.

3. Cut out the pattern and peel off the paper backing. Position the fabric on the towel and iron.

4. Machine stitch around the pattern.

For the card, I printed the poem on vellum paper, then attached to a matching scrapbook paper and added a little ribbon! Cute cute... The card was 5" x 8".

A very thoughtful, fast and easy gift!! Made with L.O.V.E!!

I'm linking up to:

Easy Microwave Chocolate Cake in a MUG!

This is a quick and easy chocolate cake you can cook in the microwave in less than THREE minutes. And it tastes great. Really!

Is perfect for an after school treat or for those crazy midnight CRAVINGS...

Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients

1 egg
4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cocoa (I use Nesquik)
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

In a mug that holds at least 12 oz., combine all the ingredients; blend together with a fork until smooth.

Cook in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Since all microwaves cook differently, adjust the cooking time to accommodate your machine. To serve, let the cake cool five minutes, then cover the mug with a plate and turn mug and plate upside down so the cake falls onto the plate.

Chocolate ganache.

2 tablespoons milk
1 teasppoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa

Cook in the microwave on high for 30 sec.

Pour over and enjoy!!

You can substitute the ganache for frosting.

March is Family Unity month!!

I am so happy that we still doing the Values by the Month program. You can find the post here.

This month's theme is Family Unity. I made a new poster for the kitchen...

For FHE we made paper chains with our names and 'united' the milk and pudding mix for the treat!!

The kids loved it!!

Here comes the SUN...

Yay!! It's March!!

Spring is in the air and the sun is shining!!

I'm happy today for few reasons:

1. three more weeks 'til spring is (officially) here!!

2. i am halfway through my pregnancy!

3. i am starting my seeds tomorrow!

4. i planted my PEAS saturday!

5. we are 'diaper free' - at least for five more months!!

6. i cleaned the basement!!

Wow... i am so proud of myself. Tap on my shoulders ;)

Tonight I will sleep happy...