Chick Days at Our House

I think Spring might really be here soon.  Today a dozen baby chicks arrived at our house.  These chicks are sleeping soundly tonight after a busy day of meeting the many Workman's!  The little Workman's are sleeping well tonight too!  (All photos except the 3rd one were taken by Angela Covington.)

Dishwasher Soap & other failures

I have been trying since New Year's to perfect a homemade dishwasher soap (liquid or powder).  So far each batch is an improvement, but I'm still not yet pleased with any of them.  This last batch reminded me of the Palmolive Eco Friendly stuff at the store.  My dishes got clean, but some plastics had a filmy white coat on them.  I didn't like it when I bought it at the store and don't like it even when I can make 7 times as much for the price at home.  However, my search will continue and I'll keep you posted if I find an affordable alternative to Finish (R) dishwasher detergents.

In my quest for dishwasher soap, I discovered an old soap called Kirk's Castile Soap.  It's been on the market since 1839 and it is for hard water.  Plus its hypo-allergenic, all-vegetable based and it has amazing lather.  Its clean feeling like Ivory, but it is less drying.  I think someone with dry skin (like my younger kids) would still find it too drying, but normal to oil skin would enjoy this fresh clean soap.  The soap is very hard and it does not melt away if left on the ledge of the tub in a puddle of water by a spouse, for a tested example.  The link to buy Kirk's from Amazon is on my picks at the lower left of this page.  I think you will be impressed.

Now I must confess that there are homemade products out there that I love, like those I've shared this month, but there are others that unlike dishwasher soap, did not result in even finding a new, fabulous bath bar.  For example, making baby wipes is not for everyone.  I got icky, soggy, slimy, wet paper towels when I first tried it.  Plus in order for my "homemade" wipes to work, I had to use top of the line Bounty so 400 wipes cost me $3.50.  I can do almost as well with coupons and sales on brand name baby wipes so the budget is going to need to get tighter before I start making our own slimy baby wipes.

I must ALSO confess that I have some "dream" make-at-home-for-less recipes that I have not yet been able to find....things like scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner, disposable diapers, trash bags with the drawstring, tissue paper (Kleenex), and infants Tylenol....although I did make aspirin in Chemistry lab in college (BUT I wouldn't have tried it, even for bunches of money)....HOWEVER, if there was something that I could spin straw into, it would NOT be gold.  It would be Angel Soft Toilet Paper.  We use shocking amounts per month and I still have 4 in diapers full time!  This month I tracked our usage and this morning I put out double rolls 72, 73, and 74!  I am officially on a campaign to educate my family on how much toilet paper is actually needed to do the job.  If education cannot reduce usage of TP, then Plan B may be to encourage the family to use the restroom at school, church, friend's houses and not so much at home...if we lived closer to a city park, I'd close the home bathrooms from dawn to dusk! (Joking!...Sort of...NO, no, what am I thinking...well, its a good thing the park is a long ways away!  I don't have to be tempted! ) My husband is doubting that my efforts to conserve and shift costs will work so he is praying for a stock-up sale price tip from the Crazy Coupon Lady.  I, on the other hand, am hoping for a an April Fools morning with toilet paper still on the roll and with my Kirk's Castile Soap on dry "land" in the shower...I guess a wife and mom can dream! 

But who may abide the day of his coming?

and who shall stand when he appeareth?

for he [is] like a refiner's fire,

and like fullers' soap --Malachi 3:2

Cake That Won't Make It to the Church Dinner

This past Sunday was our Pastor's Anniversary of 19 years of service to the Lord at our church.  I was intending to bring a dessert that is a crowd pleasing favorite, but as usual my crowd at home got to it first.  The cake is called Mexican Chocolate Cake and my Aunt Treva gave us the recipe years ago.  It is great for church dinners or other large groups because it bakes in a flat "cookie" sheet (mine is 12x17x1) so when serving a big crowd it makes at least 24 servings (20-3x3 pieces and 4-2x3).

When I was in college, a small Italian restaurant had a very similar cake that they sold for $2 per piece and they called it Texas cake.  It wasn't as good as my aunt's recipe, but it would help satisfy the craving (especially since this is not a cake to be baked and left sitting in an apartment with 1 or 2 people to be tempted to eat it all). 

Mexican Chocolate Cake

1 stick butter

1/2 C. vegetable oil

2 squares unsweetned chocolate OR 4 T cocoa

1 C. water

2 C. flour

1 t. baking soda

2 C. sugar

1/2 C. sour milk* 

2 eggs

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

*Add 1 1/2 t. vinegar to "sour" the milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine butter, oil, chocolate, and water in a sauce pan.  Heat on medium low until fairly smooth.  Remove from heat.

Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, milk, eggs,  and cinnamon in a bowl.  Add the first mixture and stir.  Put the mixture in a cookie sheet (no oil, spray, etc) and bake until done (about 35 minutes in my oven).  Test doneness with a tooth pick.  Let cool for about 20-30 minutes and add the icing while the cake is still warm. 

Icing

1 stick butter

4 T. cocoa

6 T. milk

1 pound powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped nuts such as pecans (optional)

Combine butter, chocolate and milk in a saucepan and stir over medium low heat until smooth.  Remove from hear and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.  Ice the cake while the cake is still warm.  After it cools, garnish with pecans or other nut, if desired. 

AND last but not least, find a safe hiding spot for the cake until you're ready to serve it.

Laundry Soap Savings

With gas prices on the rise, I am sure we are all looking for co$t saving ideas.  So with my blog theme this month being "Made in March", I'm going to start the month with a new favorite inspired by Marie at Cottage Homestead.  About 2 months ago, I made my first batch of liquid laundry soap and I've perfected it now to the point that it is my FAVORITE fresh clean laundry smell.  Plus it only cost $.86 per 64 loads!  Yes, I'm sure I did the math right, and this meets the h.e. requirements for energy efficient front loaders!  I have featured the ingredients on the margin of my blog through Amazon, if you have trouble finding anything in your area.

You will need:

1 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (if you don't have heavy stains, Ivory works fine)
1 1/2 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda)
3/4 Cup Borax
Lemongrass or other Essential oil (optional)

It is also VERY helpful to have a funnel and a slotted spoon.

Pre-fill 5 one-gallon jugs 1/2 full of water. (I use distilled or pre-boiled water to prevent bacteria growth...most people use tap water.) If you are going to add an essential oil, then put about 5 drops in each jug with the water. I use lemongrass oil for a wonderful clean smell and it is an antimicrobal so it helps kill stuff like ringworm, athletes foot, etc.

Next grate the bar of Soap (I use a cheese grater). Put in a pan with 8 cups of water. Warm over medium heat until completely dissolved.  Turn down the heat if it starts to boil. (This is where the slotted spoon is helpful because the water gets really milky and its hard to tell when its melted. I always let it go a couple minutes extra after I think it is melted.)  

Remove from heat and make sure it is not boiling.  (It will look like the picture above.)  Stir in the Washing Soda and Borax. Add 2 gallons of water & stir some more. (I use distilled or pre-boiled water to prevent bacteria growth.) Then top off each 1/2 filled gallon jug. Put the lid on & shake.

Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup per load. (We have very hard water.) Shake the jug before each use & I usually shake each gallon once a week so the gel doesn't get thicker at the bottom.


BTW-It will gel, but not always to the same thickness. Using distilled water increases the thickness of the gel.

SAFETY NOTE:  Since you may be reusing milk jugs, apple juice containers, or other already labeled containers, it is important that kids know it is NOT food.  For a free sheet of Mr. Yuk stickers, go the the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for the address and directions.

Blog Plans

When this month began, it was my intention to focus my blog on people who have inspired me.  The idea being a theme for Valentine's Day, but then it snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Our kids who go to public school have not been in school since January 31st!  Our homeschooled kids are finding it very distracting to have everyone at home (including Daddy for a few days).   We don't expect for school to resume until Valentine's Day on Monday!  So as school resumes, I will resume my plans for this month's blogging.  I doubt that I'll cover as many people as planned and two people are getting moved to their "holidays"....Mother's Day and Father's Day.  However, hopefully the stories will remind you of people who inspired you, loved you and created good things for you!

March's theme will be "Made in March".  I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes, homemade gifts and cost saving tricks.  I will be showing desserts like Mexican Chocolate Cake (the richest sheet cake ever!) and super moist applesauce cake. Plus I'll show how I save money by making things like laundry soap, dishwasher soap, and more.