Review time!!!

So it's been a little while since I've made my DIY household items.  I'm happy to say that I'm about 90% satisfied!  Which makes me very happy as well as our bank account!

The laundry detergent was a HUGE success!!  I don't think our clothes have EVER felt as clean as they do now.  Not only that, myself and my kids skin is noticing a huge difference.  I will say that I do not care for the smell of the Fels-Naptha bar soap.  So with my next batch I am going to try using Ivory.  I'll be sure to let you know if that makes much of a difference in the cleaning power.  But my clothes are bright, whites are WHITE, and stains are still coming out with a breeze.  Super pleased and I don't plan to EVER buy a commercial laundry detergent again!  YAY!

My salt scrub was "eh".  I didn't care for the initial recipe I posted using the sea salt and lemon juice.  So I switched it up a bit.  I used Epsom salt and essential lemon oil, along with the sunflower oil I used initially.  WAY better!!!  I LOVE it!!  Not only do I shave with it, I scrub down with it at the end of my shower.  Voila!  No more moisturizers needed!  Plus I smell lemony fresh, haha.  I love it!  My dry skin has taken a drastic turn for the better. =D

As far as the cleaners, not much to say other than I am very pleased with them and I feel that they clean very well.

As for the dishwasher detergent...UGH!  I found it to be an epic fail.  I didn't use it until this week because we were trying to finish up the one we'd bought.  So when I went to use it a few days ago it was HARD!  Yeah...I had to take the hand of a spoon and break it back up to a powder.  The cleaning power is worthless!  I am pretty certain my dishes went in the dishwasher cleaner than they came out.  I *may* try again using vinegar as a rinsing agent before I toss it all out.  I am bound and determined to find a formula that does work though.  Once I do, have tested it to make sure it works, I will share will all of you lovely people.

Body Wash-I'm fairly pleased with it so far.  I am having to play around with the amounts of glycerin though.  I'm finding that different bars of soaps require different amount.  But over all, I'm happy with it.

I have yet to make the fabric softener because I have a large box of dryer sheets I'm trying to use up first, but I'm pretty confident it's going to be a WIN!



So there you have it.  Living frugally is paying off in the long run.  I'm so happy to be able to share this with all of you and more than happy to be your guinea pig.

Stay tuned!

Change of Seasons

The Army life is like a constant changing of the seasons.  Nothing stays the same for long.  People walk in and out of your life, but one thing remains the same.  As the spouse of a Soldier...you're often times alone.  Or so the case has been for me.

If it weren't for the Army I would have never met my dearest best friend in the world.  But as fate would have it, the Army took her away from me.  Sending her to follow her husband to a new duty station, in a new state.  I miss her more than I could ever explain.

I've met some great friends throughout the four years we've been here at Fort Carson.  But as you would assume, some have PCS'd, ETS'd, or the friendship in itself just dissolved.

As we are gearing up to start our second deployment, I'm finding myself in this funk....again...
I remember how hard it was last time.  How alone I often felt.  How I felt suffocated and trapped.

I am bound and determined to not let it end up the same this go around.  But not having a group of friends here makes that difficult.  I firmly believe that no matter what walk of life you are from or living...everyone needs to have a support system around them.  People to vent to, to cry to, to laugh with, to escape with, etc.

I'm really not sure where I am going with this.  Just have this urge to purge some of these disgusting emotions that have been eating me inside lately.  It's a way for me to cope with the wide range of emotions.  I'm just kind of all over the board here.

I have a list of "deployment goals", I have a couple trips planned out, I have things to look forward to (like sending my first born off to Kindergarten), etc.  I only pray that this will help pass the time and ease the empty feeling in my soul while my husband is serving overseas.  I also pray that God will place a few positive and genuine people in my life.

I will come out on top.  I will not feel sorry for myself.  I will stay positive.  I will keep pushing forward with a smile on my face.  I've done this before, I can do it again....and BETTER!

Another productive day!

Today I made body wash and dishwasher detergent!  Let me tell you just how excited I am about this!  For pennies I made enough of both to last me MONTHS!!!!!  How exciting is that?  I can hear my bank account thanking me.  =D

Body Wash/Hand Soap


What you'll need:

1 bar of soap (any kind, I used an all natural oatmeal and almond one and it cost me $0.97 at Walmart)
1/2 gallon distilled water ($1 at Safeway)
2 tablespoons of Vegetable Glycerin (I found this at Whole Foods, but you should be able to find it in the pharmacy are of any store, or ask the pharmacist, it cost just over $3 and I only used a teeny tiny bit.)
Large boiling pot
Container for storing

Grate your bar of soap with a cheese grater and pour into the water in the pot.  Add your glycerin (I used 3 Tbs. to make it a little thicker but it ended up being too thick, so just use 2).  Warm on the stove until all of the soap has melted.  Stirring gently as to not create too many suds.  Once it was done I poured it into a gallon size plastic container with a pour spout lid and Up-cycled an old body wash container that I will use to re-fill.  And that's IT!  It was so simple and fast to make.  Make sure to let it sit and cool off.  Cooling off takes several hours and it will continue to thicken up.  So if it's a little runny at first, don't worry!  This makes TONS of body wash that can also be used as hand soap.  Total cost for me to make it was about $1.60 or so.  It will last me months!

Dishwasher Detergent

This made 1.3 gallons of powdered dishwasher detergent.  Using only 1-2 Tbs. per wash load, it's going to last a lifetime (okay well not a lifetime but it'll sure feel like it!!)

What you'll need:

1 box Borax

1 box Washing Soda

24 packages of unsweetened lemonade (you need this for the citric acid, if you can find regular plain citric acid that works too, but I couldn't.  I used Kool-aid brand)

3 Cups Epsom Salt 

You'll want to mix this all together evenly.  You'll need a very large mixing bowl to do so.  Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.  If you have spots on your dishes you can use vinegar as a rinsing agent.  =)

I've been a busy bee today...see what I did!!

Oy!  I've been a busy bee, working away at making some fun stuff!  I have more planned for tomorrow =)  No worries though, everything I'm about to share with you was simple as pie!!  I'm AMAZED at how far this stuff stretches.  I haven't added the numbers yet but I'd say that to buy all of the ingredients for the things I'm making/have made/will make, I've spend less than $75.  I will be able to make probably a years worth (if not longer) product with what I have bought as far as ingredients go.

This includes:

Laundry Detergent
Cloth Diaper Detergent
Fabric Softener
Sugar Scrub
Salt Scrub
Dishwasher Detergent
Anti-bacteria Spray
All Purpose Cleaner
Bathroom Cleaner
Wood Polish
Carpet Stain Remover
Shampoo
Body Wash/Hand Soap

And so many more that I can't think of them all right off.  Just for the items I listed above, I'd EASILY spend $100 on a month, if not more.  I am so excited to say that I won't have to make my stuff but ever 3-6 months (I'm guessing) and that I have more than enough to make more batches before ever having to pick up more ingredients.  Holla!!!  So below I am going to share with you my own twist on recipes I have found.  You can cut them in half, double them, or use my recommended amounts.  Whatever you see fit.  In the next few days I will be making more stuff, so keep your eyes peeled!!

Laundry Detergent


What you'll need:
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap (you can find this in the laundry isle of Walmart, and you can subsitute with whatever bar soap you'd like.  I might try Ivory whenever I run out....WAY down the road haha!)
3 Cups Washing Soda (also found in the laundry isle of Walmart-I use Arm and Hammer)
3 Cups Borax (again found in the laundry isle of Walmart-I use 20 Mule Team)
1 teaspoon essential oil of your choice (this is purely to add scent and it totally optional)

You will need to grate your bar of soap with a cheese grater (I have a 4 sided one and used the finest grater side for smaller pieces).  Pour in the rest of your ingredients and mix well.  I used a 1.5 gallon plastic canister (I found a set of 4 in different sizes at Walmart for around $6) and I just put the lid on it and shook it REALLY well until it was evenly mixed.  *Use 2 tablespoons per wash load* This is safe for HE machines.  I have a front loader and I put the detergent straight into the drum rather than using the soap dispenser (as I'm not sure how well it would work since this is a powder).

(grated soap)

(All mixed together)

Cloth Diaper Detergent

As all cloth diaper parents know, special CD detergent is EXPENSIVE!!!!  Well, fear no longer....you can make your own at home for like...I don't know.....$0.50??  

What you'll need:

1 Cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Borax

Mix all ingredients WELL into whatever container you choose.  I used the smallest canister that came in the set of 4 I bough.  It's 850ml and plastic.  Perfect size! You use 1-2 tablespoons per load depending on how soiled they are.  This will last you quite a while and costs only pennies!  So stop wasting money and start making your own!  Anything for an excuse to add to your stash...right? =)

Bath, Sink, & Tile Cleaner

This will work wonders in cleaning everything in your bathroom!  This will be thick and almost pasty.  I put it in a spray bottle but I'm thinking I might need to Up-Cycle an old dish soap bottle later for it.  I also double the recipe below so that I had a full bottle.

What you'll need:

2/3 Cup Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Castile Soap (liquid and any scent you choose.  I used Rose because that's what I had)

2 Tbsp. Vinegar

1/2 Cup Water

a few drops of Tea TreeOil (TTO is an all natural fungicide, germicide and is an antibacterial)

Mix together in the container of your choice and get to cleaning! 

All Purpose Cleaner

Pretty much self explanatory.  I used a spray bottle to mix it in.

What you'll need:

1 tsp. Borax

2 Tbsp. Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Washing Soda

1/2 tsp. Castile Soap

20 drops Tea Tree Oil

2 Cups Hot Water (to make sure it mixes well at first)

Shake it all up and keep with your household cleaners.

Antibacterial Spray

This is incredibly simple!!  Lavender is a  natural antibacterial.  So while so many of use have spent tons of money on lysol to keep those germs away for years, we can now do it for almost nothing!!

What you'll need:

Water

Lavender Essential Oil

Fill a spray bottle (Up-Cycle one if you can) with water and add 60 drops of lavender essential oil and shake.  I know that sounds like a lot of oil, but it's really not.  I plan to use this to pray the insides of my trash cans, and other hard surfaces to keep germs away.

DIY Sugar & Salt Scrubs

Tonight I made my very own sugar and salt scrubs.  I know many of us, myself included, have paid BIG bucks from places like Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secret for the same thing.  I made each of these for probably less than a dollar per half pint.  Are you excited yet??  I am!

I originally found these recipes by stumbling on them through blogs online.  I have now made them myself and tweaked them to my liking.  I made both of them in half pint mason jars.  I use these to shave with, exfoliate, and as a foot scrub.  Heavenly!  They will leave your skin feeling like silk.

Lemon Sugar Scrub


What you'll need:   13 TBS Fine Sea Salt
                             3 TBS Sunflower Oil
                             2 TBS of Pure Lemon Juice or 2 squeezed
                             lemons

(After making this with Lemon Juice I found the lemon scent to be weak.  I like a fairly strong lemon scent. I think I may add a few drops of lemon essential oil next time just to enhance the scent)

(edited to say after a few uses I found the sea salt to be a little too abrasive, along with the lemon.  So I am going to try epsom salt and lemon essential oil instead with the next batch.  If I like it better, I will post the new recipe in a new blog entry 1/2/12.) =)

In a bowl you'll measure out your salt and oil and mix together.  It is important to mix the salt and oil before adding the lemon.  Once the salt is coated in oil the lemon will not dissolve it.  Once the salt is coated, measure out/add your lemon juice and mix together. Then pack it into a half pint mason jar.  You may also Up-Cycle any container of your liking.  I plan to also wash out an old body cream container from Victoria Secret for future uses.  Voila!

Vanilla Sugar Scrub


What you'll need: Equal parts white and brown sugar
                           3 TBS Sunflower Oil
                           1 TBS Vanilla Extract (you may use a vanilla essential oil if you'd like, this for scent)

In a half pint Mason jar you'll pack in equal parts of white and brown sugar.  Then you'll dump into a bowl and mix with your oil and vanilla.  Mix well and pack back into your jar.  Now you're ready to hit the shower!!

*Note-you can substitute the oil for olive oil if you like, but I prefer Sunflower oil.  It's still packed full of antioxidants and it's a lot more affordable.  You can find it in the baking isle at your local grocery store next to the rest of the baking oils.

**If you store your scrubs in the shower as I do, you may want to have a tongue depresser, spoon, or scooping mechanism of your liking to scoop out the scrubs.  This will prevent any bacteria from getting into and growing in your scrub.

List of Ingredients for Household products

2012 I am dedicated to living frugally, as most of you know.  Being green and natural is what I am dedicated myself and my family to.  It's really not as complicated as most tend to think.  In this post I am going to provide you a list of ingredients and a list of the things I will make with them.  So it will be short and sweet. ;-)

Later I will post a blog with recipes on Do It Yourself Beauty Recipe's.  YAY!!

What I will be making in the weeks to come:

Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener
Wood Polish
All Purpose Cleaner
Body Wash
Shampoo
Hand Soap
Grease Cutter
Antibacterial Spray
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Dishwasher Detergent
Window Cleaner
Microwave Cleaner
Carpet Stain Remover
Carpet Re-Fresher
Homemade Room Spray

Sounds like a lot right?  Feeling overwhelmed?  DON'T!!!  Many of these items call for a lot of the same ingredients.  Many of the ingredients are easy on the pocket book, go along way, and will make you enough products to last you months and months and months!  Fear not, you too can become frugal and save your family from those nasty chemicals!!

List of ingredients I will be getting initially, all of which should last me quite some time and get lots of different products made:

A Lemon
Olive/Sunflower Oil
Borax (20 Mule Team)
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
Fels-Naptha Bar Soap
Distilled Water
Castile Soap
Essential Oils (these are for fragrance and can be whatever you like)
Vinegar
Spray Bottles (you may recycle ones you already have, same goes for any other container but I don't have any right now)
Mason Jars
Pitcher w/pour spout lid
Citric Acid
Epsom Salt
Suave Conditioner (edited to add that I will actually be making my own conditioner and will use that in my fabric softener as well.)
Rubbing Alcohol
Hydrogen Peroxide
Tea Tree Oil  (a natural germicide, fungicide, and anti bacterial)
Lavender Oil (natural anti bacterial)
Vegetable Glycerin
Toms (or similar) All Natural Bar Soap

If you don't already have a cheese grater, you will need one.

I know that it sounds like a lot, but really most of these items are fairly inexpensive and you will be HUNDREDS of dollars worth of products out of these....and enough of the product (like I said) to last you a fairly long time.  Most, if not all, of these items can be found in your local Walmart, Walgreens, etc.

GO GREEN and LIVE FRUGALLY!!

Stay tuned for my reviews and Beauty Recipes.

Top 14 things to NOT say to a Military Spouse.

1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"

(This one ranks in at number one on the "duh" list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)

2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."

(This is intended to be a compliment. Though, its just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)

3. "At least he's not in Iraq."

(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.)

4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?" (Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)

5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"

  (Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.)

6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"

  (This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back overseas  b/c there is work that needs to be done.)

7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."

  (Sure, we do learn coping skills and its true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)

8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."

 (This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12 month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a shitty ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)

9. "Wow you must miss him?"

(This one also gets antoher big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)

10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"

(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)

11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there"

  (Yes, ignorant, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.)

12. "Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!"

(hmmm, no i don't miss sex. i'm a robot. seriously...military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.)

13. "Well in my opinion....."

  (Stop right there. Yo, I didn't ask for you your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a bar when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our asses off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog, and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are giving an invitation to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the President, esp. while we're trying to heat up our lean cuisines in the crappy office microwaves.)

last but not least....

14. "OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!"

(He's doing his job and he's a badass. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)