Homemade Laundry Soap

Hello My Wonderful Friends!!!

I hope you are having a Fabulous day!

I have discovered SO many wonderful blogs

since I was introduced to 'Blog Land'
that have great decorating ideas

and unique thrifty finds.

And I have some awesome new friends

that I am so excited about over at

Drab to Fab!

I even love the name!!!

Take a look at their blog

when you have half a second!

You will be SO IMPRESSED

at how they can make a treasure out

of just about anything they find!!!

And it's all from items that are cheap and

easy to find!!!

I've also attached a link
for you to check out

their recipe for

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap.

Bon got it from Michelle Dugger

(You know!!! The Duggers with 19 kids!)

She made this for just pennies!!!
( I mean like $1 for ten GALLONS,

if you have your own bucket!!!)

She has put her own spin on it the original recipe

and I wanted to know if it was as good as my Gain!!!

She said it was!!!

She said she's going to add a tablespoon or so of

her Gain

in the next batch she does

and maybe not dilute it quite as much as she did last time.

But all in all, she's really be satisfied with it.

So I'm gonna take all her great advice

I've got borax and baking soda,

and as soon as I have a spare minute (or 2),

me and the kiddos are gonna whip us up a batch!!!!

Wow!!!
Yay!!!!!!

So if you all try it before I do,

let me know how your very

own Homemade Laundry Detergent turns out!!!

A HUGE THANKS

to the Chic's over at Drab to Fab

for their Fabulous Post!!!!

And I will be checking out their blog DAILY!!!

Don't Judge A Find By It's Box

First and foremost....

My blog post looks crazy!

I know it does!!!

It keeps changing my font on my post!!

I don't have a clue why, so I am apologizing in advance!!!

So....how are you all doing?

We're all doing better here.

We've had a really rough go at it these last few months.

We've been under attack

in just about every way you can imagine.

But guess what?

WE are coming out of this life victorious!!!!

What is it they say?

I know cause I've read the end of the book!

And I know how were coming out of this thing!!!

Blessed and Prosperous!!!

Above and not Beneath!!!

The Head and NOT the tail!!!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11.

So thank the Lord!!!

For your promises are true!!!

And one more thing

Satan still owes me for what he's stolen from me!!!

AND MORE!!!!

And I'm tired of walking around here

all down and defeated!!!

Christ came to give us (ME) LIFE!!!

And life more ABUNDANTLY!!!!

SO THERE!!!!

CHOKE ON THAT THIS MORNING SATAN!!!

I do want to let each and every one of you know

that I am continuously grateful

for all your thoughts and prayers!

And here's a few updates on the fam.

Our son Joey's symptoms are much better at this time.

He has been diagnosed with CMT,

a form of MS

that is hereditary.

But they do not think this is the cause

of his recent neurological symptoms

or the white matter they've found on his brain.

We will be taking him to Vanderbilt

in March for more testing.

He has started back to work at Chucky Cheese

and this is really a great thing for him.

It gets him out of the house

and occupies his mind

and keeps him active.

Also one of our 18 year old son's, Eli,

is being sent to a cardiologist for

some testing next week.

(Actually they have changed his appt. till 1 pm today!)

I think this is just a precautionary measure

for some problems he's been having

lately and to test a murmur they found

a while back.

That is next Tuesday, Feb. 5Th.

Also, my baby sister (she's 30 but always my baby),

Daphne,

has been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.

She is having a hysterectomy next week,

February 5Th,

and I would ask for you all

to agree (Matthew 18:19)

with me that this surgery will get

EVERY BIT of cancer out

of her body!!!

And that she will be totally and completely healed!

The year I was a senior in high school,

my Daphne was in 1st grade.

She has always been such a joy to me

and to our whole family.

She's every body's favorite.

She's beautiful, sweet, a wonderful mother, daughter, sister,

wife, and friend!

And outgoing is

an understatement!!!

And she needs us to lift her up!!!

I know she's already healed.

OK, Enough about that stuff,

seems strange after all that...

But I have some Finds I've found at the thrift store

over the last little while

that I haven't shown you!!!

You never know,

sometimes you might just see a box with a

ceramic piece in it

that everybody else has just passed by.

That's $1.91,

I hate the way they price at that thrift store.

But under the cardboard on the bottom

There was the other piece!!!!

I just had to glue it together!!!!

The ribbon can be changed out too!!!

I also got these at the SA. 25 cents each

They look cheerful, don't you think?

I can't help it,
I still love milk glass!!!
I still pick it up when I see it cheap!!
I think it will make a comeback
one day soon!!!
I like this bowl because I could
put ribbon through the holes in the top.
And it this one is a good serving bowl too!!!

Well. thanks for letting me get all that off my chest.

Thanks for all your

support, prayers, and friendship!

Until next time...

Be Blessed

Another fab day at the SA

OK, I might have a slight problem....

I love the Salvation Army.

I think I have to go there every day.

Money or no money.

I'm always afraid there is something there that I really want

or even.......need.

Kinda like my husbands obsession with the mail.

He can't stand to think about it just lying in the box.......

waiting to be picked up......

All alone......

Anyway, back to my Salvation Army story for today.

Today.......

I had to just make a quick run by

I saw this plate rack

Most people wouldn't even know what it was

And I was such a good girl.

I passed it up

I reasoned with myself......

It needs to be painted,

I don't have much wall space in my kitchen,

I don't even need to spend the $2.50 that it costs.

Then.....

I couldn't get it off my mind.

It haunted me.....

For the whole 30 minutes it took me to get back to that store!!!

I had to run to it!

To rescue it from it getting into the wrong hands!!!

Whew!!!!

Then I saw it there.......

waiting for me with open arms!!!

(I had to imagine that part)

And when everybody else could just see the sad,

old plate rack.....

I saw this........

This one above the bed at Pottery Barn.

It prolly cost like $500!!!!! (OK, maybe like $100)

But anyway....just a coat of spray paint

and this little beauty can proudly hang

above Jonah's bed.

I'm sure it will help his reading skills

and just look dang cute in the process.

Or if all else fails,

I will have a really great plate rack for the kitchen!

What do you think?

Should I have left it at the SA.

Or did I do the absolute and only right thing by rescuing it?

Remnants of Christmas 09

Well, It's already on the downside of January,

so Christmas 09 is officially over.

And finally...

The mystery of the missing ornament has been solved

Well...almost

This was our Dog Beau's face that was on our family

Christmas Ornament from Last year.

It mysteriously went missing before the ornament even went on the tree this year

But 'nobody' did it.

So we will most likely never know who did it

or how it happened,

but its one of those things that you just have to laugh about

one of those 'family mystery's' that will most likely

never be solved.

But it's really no biggie,

I'll pick one up somewhere before next year,

Cause I wouldn't want Beau to feel left out.

I also came across this pic I had snapped of one

of the presents I wrapped.

Isn't it amazing what one little thing can

add to a wrapped gift?

I got my hubby to cut a few pieces of greenery

from an old fake tree we were throwing away,

and I just stuck a piece or two on this present.

I stocked up on this wrapping paper after Chritmas last year.

I love the polka dots.

I also have it in black

You can really use both of them year-round.

I would give just about anything if I had taken pictures

of the presents my mother-in-law had under her tree

at Christmas this year!

Everyone of them were beautiful!!!

She took so much time and care with each one.

It was such a shame to have to tear them open!

Ahhhhh, so now the decorations are put away

and the tree's finally down

And Foxy Mama can see out of the window again

Or maybe....she's watching for Santa to come back!

Dumpster Diving

First off....

It is such a beautiful day here in Alabama!!!

The sun is shining and it is wonderful!!!!

Next, I've got a question......

Is it OFFICIALLY dumpster diving

if you don't actually GET INSIDE

of the dumpster?

OK, that's what I thought.

I guess I went dumpster diving today.

EVEN THOUGH I wasn't out LOOKING for stuff in dumpsters

AND

I didn't actually get IN the dumpster.

OK....Who am I kidding,

I've always got my eye out for treasures

beside trashcans and dumpsters,

but I USUALLY don't get out

and get stuff

(unless it's really good stuff!)

Nevertheless,

I was going back to work from lunch today

when I spotted all these cute fruit baskets

by the side of the dumpster

at the pharmacy next door to my office!

JACKPOT!!!!

Look at these!!!

I love 'em!!!

There are 6 of them

and they are really a great size

not too small.

And a few are really big!

I think they must have used them for display

because they are all very sturdy

and in perfect condition

and they will be just perfect

for an organization project

I'm wanting to tackle in our garage!!!!

And then I can always use them

to decorate in the fall

or for a fall party like we had this past year!!!

And best of all......

It didn't cost me a penny!!!!!

(I know....you can't believe I'm THIS

excited over fruit baskets!)

So keep your eyes peeled

You never know what you'll find

and what is it they say....

One person's trash........

Ok, First off...let me apologize for not blogging for so long.

It seems......and I know it can happen to the best of us...

That I've just too down to blog.

Sad.......but True.

Our life is just up in the air right now.

And It's so hard for me to decorate or even think about it when

I'm not sure where we'll be living tomorrow.

But today...is a new day.

And I am thankful.

And I choose...

To Go On.

So..... how was your Christmas?

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas.

I hate I've been in such a Funk, cause I got all kinds of new

Christmas Decorations!!!!!

My wonderful mother-in-law sent me practically her whole

Santa Collection!!!!!

And so I have Santa's everywhere!

Yes!!!!! I haven't taken them down yet!!!!

But I'm planning to do that this weekend.

I'm also considering a new business venture.

I'm doing tons of research now...

But if I do.

You know, you'll be the first to know!

Well....since I still have CHRISTMAS decorations up at my house.....

I thought I would share a few pics I snapped recently while visiting Anthropology.

Wow! Some really awesome things.....

At a really awesome price!!!!

(Exaggerating....too expensive for me)

But I love to go in and get wonderful ideas!!!!

So enjoy!!!!

And it feels good to be back.

I love this, This would be fairly simple to make. But it just looks so great here!

I'm so into the Farm House Look now!!!

I love this!

Looks so easy

but would my kids try to eat

the fake snow?

This looks so much like a ironstone

compote I got at the SA

a couple months ago!!!!

So random, but beautiful

Love old stuff given new life!


They even make silverware look pretty!!!

Hey!!!! I bought some skates just like this at

a local habitat re-sale shop a little while back.

I paid $5!!!!!!!!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the pics.

And I promise, I'm back.