Homemade Laundry Detergent

     One way that Jeff and I save money is by making our own laundry detergent. To some this may sound extreme, but Jeff and I believe that everything we have belongs to God and we are just borrowers of it while we are here on Earth. Therefore, we do our best to be good stewards of what God has blessed us with, and we live by the Dave Ramsey philosophy which is, "Live like no one else, so that later on you can live like no one else." We are very content with living the frugal life and I love money saving ideas. I found this recipe on the Duggar family website and thought I would give it a try. I was very impressed with the results and even more excited because it is very inexpensive. It costs only a little over $7.00 to make a five gallon bucket, which lasts us anywhere between 4-6 months. Another thing I love about making the detergent, is that there is enough borax and super washing soda to make up to about five buckets. The only item you have to purchase each time is the Fels-Naptha bar soap, which is only $0.97 at Wal-Mart. Here is the recipe:

4 cups hot tap water

1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap

1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

Directions:

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with hot water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until dissolved.

Fill the 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of hot tap water. Add the melted soap mixture, washing soda, and borax. Stir well until all is dissolved.

Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water.

Stir, cover, and let sit overnight.

Fill a used detergent dispenser 1/2 full with the mixture and 1/2 with hot tap water and shake.

Use about 5/8 cup per load.

Marriage Tip Tuesday

     Today I have decided to talk about conflict and fighting fair. Conflict in marriage is inevitable, but there is a way to overcome it and come out stronger in the end. First, I think it's important to point out that we are called not to let any unwholesome talk come from our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. (Ephesians 4:29) I know it's hard when we are in a really heated argument to hold our tongue. But if we are not careful, we end up hurting our spouse and the words can never be taken back. In Proverbs we are told that the tongue has the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21) This means that the words that we say to our spouse (or anyone for that matter) can either breathe life into them, or suffocate them. Your spouse makes a comment that offends you, you then lash out at them with another harsh comment, they come back at you, and so on and so on. Before you know it, the disagreement escalates into what Dr. Emmerson Eggerich calls, "The Crazy Cycle."

     Last week we learned that men have air tanks that are labeled respect. When we talk down to them or belittle them (especially in public) it literally sucks the life right out of them. The book of Proverbs also has a lot to say about the negatives of being a quarrelsome wife. Chapter 19:13 tells us, "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping." Chapter 21:9 says, "Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Verse 19 in the same chapter says, "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife." Chapter 27:15 again teaches that, "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day." As we can clearly see, God has a lot to say about the attitudes we have towards our husbands. 

     As I stated yesterday, Jeff and I attended Marriage Rocks on Friday night and I wanted to share some of the things my pastor said about conflict. He shared that statistics show, couples who say only 5 negative comments per 100, are ten times less likely to get a divorce. However, couples who say 10 out of 100, are ten times more likely to get a divorce. He also discussed how we should not go to bed angry. The Bible even tells us in Ephesians not to let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Eph. 4:26) He shared a story about a time when he and his wife were in a conflict, and when it was time to go to bed she told him, "Look, we really need to get some sleep. I'm not very happy with you right now, but I still love you, and I still want to be married to you for the rest of my life." He said that simple comment made all the difference and gave him so much reassurance that everything would be okay. He then ended by saying something like, "What if our goal was not to win the conflict, but instead, to try to see our spouses point of view." I think if we had this mind set it would make all the difference in our marriages.

     I realize this is a long post, but I am very passionate about marriage. In today's society marriage is not being taken seriously and that is definitely not what God intended. I will always stand up for the institution of marriage and do my best to help all couples have a thriving marriage. I thought this song was fitting, considering the topic. Have a great night!

Miscellany Monday

     Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a good Monday. I woke up this morning and my first thought was, "Is it Saturday or Sunday?" What a major letdown as I realized it was Monday. I try to have a positive outlook and tell myself, "If it weren't for Monday's we wouldn't have Friday's." After all we should be glad and rejoice in each day the Lord makes. Anyways, here is some miscellany that is going on in my life right now...

1.) Jeff and I had a great date on Friday. Our church has a date night for married couples every three months called Marriage Rocks, and Jeff and I attended the event. The topic was on celebrating each others differences and solving conflict. I will be sharing some of the things we learned tomorrow, for Marriage Tip Tuesday.  Afterwards, he so kindly treated me to my favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte with Soy from Starbucks. So sweet! It's the little things in life that make me happy. :)

2.) We have a very fun weekend planned as we are going to go see the movie Courageous that comes out on Friday. I cannot wait to see it and I think it's going to be an awesome movie, especially for men. The movie is made by the same creators as Fireproof, and the main focus is to encourage men to become strong spiritual leaders in their homes. (See the trailer below.) Also, on Saturday morning I am participating in a walk for the March of Dimes to support my best friend Stacey. Then that night, my aunt is having her yearly Fall Party and I am so excited. The food is wonderful and the quality time that I get to spend with my family is priceless. I will be making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.

3.) My fall yarn wreath turned out really cute. I was really happy with the result and will definitely be making more. I wish I had pictures to share, but I am having a hard time finding a USB cord for our camera. We are going to make a trip to Best Buy, so hopefully I will find one there. I am also going to attempt to make homemade coasters sometimes this week and will post pictures of them as well. 

That's all the miscellany I have for now. Have a great night!

Sunday Worship Song

     We sang this song in church today and I love the truth that it speaks to my soul. We live in a world that fails us in many ways, but remember friends; God's love has not and will never fail us. Have a blessed Sunday!

Hello Fall....

We're happy to have you back!

    I absolutely love fall and all the fun things that come with it. I found these pictures on pinterest and wanted to share them with you.

                                                              A fall bucket list! How cute!

                                                           This reminds me of Little House

                                                            on the Prairie. So Pretty!

                                                           I just love a cup of hot apple

                                                           cider.

                                                        This I had to add because it is

                                                         ridiculously funny! (If you've seen

                                                         the video of Antoine Dodson on

                                                         You Tube you'll know why!)

                                                           Last but not least, I am getting 

                                                           ready to attempt making this 

                                                           adorable fall yarn wreath. I will

                                                           let you know tomorrow how this turns 

                                                           out, and hopefully have pictures

                                                           to share. I've had some difficulties

                                                           with my camera, but I promise 

                                                           pictures are coming!

Hope you all have a great Saturday!











                                                   

Marriage Tip Tuesday

     Today I have decided to post a link to Dr.Emmerson Eggerichs blog. (See below) He is the author of Love and Respect and hosts marriage conferences all around the U.S. His analogy of air hoses makes perfect sense and I found it to be very helpful. Let's love our spouses well this week and pray that they would see Jesus in us daily.

Love & Respect Reflects: “Ouch! You’re Stepping on My Air Hose!”

Love & Respect Reflects: “Ouch! You’re Stepping on My Air Hose!”