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I have a big wildflower bed that I planted last year in the middle of the backyard. It is coming up real well this spring. There are some small orange flowers that are surprisingly fragrant. The catnip has gotten huge in just the few weeks of spring we have had. The daylillies are growing, although there won’t be any buds until it warms up some more. My rose bushes in back of the house are growing like crazy. The rose bush that is along the side fench practically hidden by the shrubs has some rosebuds on it already.

When the grass needed its first cut this spring I thought I saw something that might be a flower coming up in the middle of what is left of the backyard that isn’t already flower beds. So I have been cutting around it. Sure enough, it became a daisy plant. This past week it got a good 2 feet tall and started blooming. So today I decided to move it over to the side of the yard where the tomatoes were last year because nothing was there but dirt and the mint. I dug it out and divided it into 3 clumps and planted them.

I don’t know if that daisy was just something that blew over there, or if it is something that is left from years ago when I had a whole string of daisies in that area – which Doyle cut down. Doyle knows better than to cut anything down again!

There is a very old rosebush over in the corner that has been hidden behind the shrubs Doyle planted. So a few weeks ago, I cut back the shrubs around it, and also removed a piece of the fence that was blocking and light. I am hoping the bush will come back. When it blooms it has some deep red small roses. It used to be really beautiful until the shrubs took over that corner. I took a couple of root cuttings from it last year and they are coming up behind the house now and seem to be doing well, although no buds yet, but it is still early. I will have to remember to take some more root cuttings this year.

There was also a wonderful rose bush in the back corner that had small pink flowers, but I don’t think that is going to come back. I tried last year, but it didn’t do anything. There are too many shrubs in the way. Maybe I will go to the yard behind us and see if it is coming up back there through the fence. That house has been empty for a year so I don’t think anyone will mind if I trespass.

Okay, I finally made myself a big bucket of laundry slime. I used a bar of Fels Naptha and this recipe. Although I goofed and put twice as much borax. But I figured it will just help soften the water and shouldn’t hurt anything.

The detergent makes absolutely no suds at all! I was concerned, even though I read in the posts that there would be less suds, I was worried. But the stuff cleaned Dennis’s couch blankets good! They no longer stink and are bright and clean.

I was shopping yesterday at Meijer and the lady in front of me had her own reusable shopping bags. That’s great! But…I couldn’t believe it when she mentioned to the cashier that she had paid $20 for one of them! The cashier looked up at me just as I looked up at her and all I could do was raise my eyebrows as I thought this woman must be nuts! She could buy the Meijer bags for 99 cents! Not to mention the bag she was using didn’t even have a flat bottom…

Even though I don’t work at Meijer anymore, I still shop there all the time! They have some really great reusable shopping bags. (more…)

Crochet plastic bags into something new!

Gather up all those pesky plastic shopping bags and make them into yarn – watch this video: (more…)

Good Sudless Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:
5 gallon bucket – I use the big bucket that came filled with cat litter
1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 cup borax
1 large pan
1 big spoon

Directions:
Put 4 cups water into pan and warm on the stove until its almost boiling. While it is warming, grate the soap and add to the water. Cook soap and water (but not boiling) until the soap is melted.

Put 3 gallons of hot water into the 5 gallon bucket. Then mix in the hot soapy water and stir for awhile. Add washing soda, keep stirring, add borax and stir a few minutes.

Let mixture sit overnight to cool. It should get gelatinous and will be a nice lemony color.

Use one cupful per load of laundry.

Notes:
I use the warmest water possible to wash in order to be sure the soap is dissolved and to get clothes the cleanest. This works very well on whites and light colors especially. On very dark colors, I dissolve the soap in hot water first, and then fill tub with warm to cool water.

It is a good idea to stir the soap in the big bucket before using.

This soap makes no suds at all in the wash, so don’t even look for them!

I add 1/4 cup of vinegar to a second rinse because some of us have sensitive skin and I wan’t to be sure to get all the soap out.

This recipe came from here:

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent – And Save Big Money
March 15, 2007 @ 10:30 am – Written by Trent