Homemade Laundry Detergent/Fabric Softner/Oxy Clean

 After hearing of friends having success with homemade laundry products I thought I would try my hand at them... I started with this home made fabric softner recipe that you can use in washing machine or the way I use mine which I will explain a little further down. 
I found my recipe via Pinterest http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/10/homemade-fabric-softener.html.
This is a fabulous blog with lots of ways to save money. They even suggest using coupons to get the conditioner for pennies or even free. I am not much a couponer myself, I am just not organized enough. 
This recipe was relatively easy.. so here it goes.... I strongly suggest using hot water or the conditioner will not dissolve. I put all my ingredients in a large jar and stirred then put the lid on and shook it for all I was worth. I have been using this for about a week now and I have to say the thing I miss is the smell. I think I will try using some of the new scent boosters out there.. since I am saving so much on these laundry products. I would say this costly me roughly 50 cents to make maybe even less. I do laundry almost every day so over time this will add to BIG savings. Maybe I will be able to get a new washer and dryer some day! I have been using this by soaking wash cloths in the mix and adding them to the dryer.. which I might add is a tad messy..

I'm cleaning out my closet literally.....

I know we all have one.. maybe your's is a drawer. Mine is a closet... and when you live in a two bedroom house with 3 kids... space is at a premium. I despise this closet... when I open it I cringe. I call it the catch all.. company coming? Great open the closet and throw this in. I have managed to put everything from Christmas ornaments to a jigsaw in there. I stuff and stuff things in there. It gets so bad that you have push stuff in just to get the door shut.

I had already taken out over half of what was in the closet to begin when I took the picture. The "stuff" was piled waist high and you couldn't see the floor.

At some point my 7 year old daughter wander in and had lots of questions about alot of the stuff that was in there. Lots of pictures, clothes that kids don't fit, that one shoe that we never could find, too bad the other one has since went to the shoe graveyard. Eventually I was able to remove everything from the closet. It felt so good to have it completely empty. My 8 year old daughter who is desperate to have her own room asked if she could make it her own room. Don't laugh but I did comsider it!!

Ok so S isn't getting a new room just yet! Now I all the things I had pulled out of the closet strung out all over the house. So I started going through all the piles and putting things in storage boxes which I had plenty of.. I parted with alot of things that I have been holding onto for no reason really. I feel so good about how clean the closet is now..

Now to keep it looking this way! I give myself 6 months! lol

Pinterest.. strikes again!

This really spoke to me. I have a teenage son. His dad and I are divorced and just recently after many "issues" between my son and I, he has chosen to live with his dad, I am not really happy with the situation, but I feel I have made the best decision for everyone involved. 
It has been really tough on me though he hasn't really wanted anything to do with me unless he needs something which was making me feel very bitter. It hurt my feelings that the only time he would call me was if he needed something. 
Then one day I was sifting through my pinterest "Words to live By" board, and I stumbled upon this. It spoke to me and gave me peace. 

My first pinterest project...

Last October I stumbled upon a website.. a virtual pin board.. I was overwhelmed. I spent hours up hours "pinning" to my pinboards. I could get lost and forget what time it was. There was a problem though... I wasn't bringing any of my ideas to life.

So.. enter this easy project.... I was at a local thrift store one day and stumbled upon these frames, on the 90% off table!!! I paid 50 cents for two frames!! I bought some twine at the local hard ware store and waaa-lah! I had this neat way to display pictures... but I still had one more frame.

I used the other frame as it was. I hung it on the wall I also hung a binder clip inside the frame. Now I can clip my children's artwork or school work.. and I can switch them out easily. My kids are always so proud to see their work hanging in this frame.

I actually bought 4 frames for a $1. So I still have two frames that I haven't used yet... although I do have a project in mind for them..