How about some homemade fabric softener to go with all that....

• 1 cup baking soda
• 6 cups distilled white vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 10 -15 drops essential oils (Lavender, Vanilla, Citrus, whatever you please)
•  one gallon container

1. Add the baking soda to the plastic container.
2. Add 1 cup of water to start with.
3. Add the vinegar slowly to the bottle due to the fizz factor.
4. Add the rest of the water and swirl
5. Add the essential oil.
6. 
   
   Add 1 cup in your final rinse cycle for each load after giving a good shake.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Since I was on the topic of loving to hang my clothes outdoors, I thought I would search for homemade laundry soap recipes on the internet.   There were many, but most of them consisted of the ingredients below.  It is so much cheaper to make your own.  Plus it is fun.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1 bar Ivory bar soap or 1/3 bar Fels Naptha (harder to find but stronger)

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder 
1 oz Essential Oil

1 bucket

2 gallon containers (white vinegar containers are kind of cute if you take the label off)

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will turn to a watery gel(like egg whites).  Add 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice, such as a mixture of Lavender and Vanilla, which I love.  Pour into cute containers.  Use ½ cup per load.

Spring Cleaning Green

3-2-11  The green cleaning method isn't new.  The vintage housewives always made their own.  Here is my favorite Spring Cleaning Glass recipe below...
2 cups water
1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

If you want, add 2 drops blue or green food coloring for beauty.
If you don't want to make your own, Mrs. Meyers makes great green cleaners in cute vintage looking packaging that can be purchased at www.mrsmeyers.com

Shabby Chic Will Be The Death Of My Finances

2-17-11  What is it about home decor, that adds butterflies to the stomach?  Why would one use money that could go to a months worth of gourmet meals on bedding?  I will tell you why.  This is your peaceful place.  This is where the most important moments of your life take place.  Your dreams, your recovery from illness, your rebuilding of cells, and your most intimate moments take place here.  So it should be as cozy and aesthetically pleasing as possible to everyone who lives there.  Luckily for me, my husband deals with the flowers in our room.  Perhaps it is because underneath there is a down mattress pad and the coziest pillows I could find.  A great mattress pad and pillows to buy can be found at consumersearch.com.  As for the sheets and bedding.  I can not get over shabby chic by Rachel Ashwell.  She finds the softest, cutest fabrics.  I have had several of her designs, but my current fave is Bella Blue bedding (above).  The light pastels are so soothing an mesmerizing, and the fabric is so soft.  The best is after you wash it in lavender vanilla detergent and use lavender vanilla fabric softener.  Sweet.