homemade soap

Well, I did it.  I've been wanting to do this for over 20 years, but the idea of working with lye scared me off everytime.  I know me well enough to know how haphazard I can get when tackling a serious task.  But here it is, lye and all.  I can't believe how easy it was and now I can't believe I waited so long.  Have you ever been scared to do something you REALLY wanted to, but fear stopped you?  Don't let fear win!!!  You will regret the time you wasted.  So go for it, whatever it is. You'll be glad you did.  Now how's that for a bunch of old cliche's.  JUST KNOW IT'S TRUE!

Do you have a Brocante Home?

I have the most pleasant, vintagey blog/site.  Allison May has created a sanctuary on the internet.  I found her through her books on Amazon and from there found her page. Go check her out and enjoy a puttery treat, Brocante Home .

catching up

It's another gloomy weekend in Central Louisiana so I guess I should try to get caught up on a few things.  School has kept me pretty busy so I have run low on cleaners, so I got the supplies I need to make my stash of homemade cleaners.  It's economical, environmentally friendly and don't smell bad.  Do you make your own or buy it?  If you make your own I would love to knwo what you do!!

One thing I Love about this Weather

One of my FAVORITE things is hanging bedclothes on the line.  They feel and smell so good when you climb under them.  Do you hang yours out?  

my new favorite gadget

When I was cruising the aisles of the local Dollar Tree I saw this and thought it might be useful.  The package had one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom.  I am now realizing how handy it is.  It catches everything the strainer or colander misses.  I have emptied it several times and each time know how I wished I would have found it years ago.  It doesn't take much to get this old girl excited!!

What a Find

This was in a local consignment shop.  The fact it had my maiden name was only a small part of why it caught my eye.  Isn't it fantastic!!! Now I just need to find a place to put it, since of course it came home with me.  I even got the owner to come down on the price since I told a story of how it was mine as a small child and the proof was in the name.  lol

oil spill

A few weeks ago, I made a big mess.  While moving a pan, I bumped the cabinet and spilled the oil all over the floor.  eeeewwww!  In the past I've tried cleaning with lots of things, but always had a slick residue.  I don't like using lots of chemical cleaners.  I remembered that using baking soda on a spilled egg works great, but didn't have enough for this big of a mess.  What's the next best thing?  Flour.  I covered every bit of oil, even the splatters, with it.  It worked great.  I let it sit long enough to absorb the oil, then swept it up.  There were no slick spots to catch me off guard later.  Sooooo, if you have a major oil spill on your floor, and I really hope you don't, just grab the floor and broom. 

getting organized again

I start every school year off with good intentions to stay organized "this year".  But alas, I always fail.  I spend my summer cleaning, throwing away, donating, and whatever else it takes to get it all together.  One of my tricks that actually has helped is turning all my hangers backwards.  As I use a garment I hang the hanger back correctly.  By the next summer I know which clothes I used or didn't.  Sometimes it's hard getting rid of an old favorite, but it does help.  Unfortunately, sometimes as this time approaches I will wear something just to say I can keep it.lol This year I had several tops to eliminate, but now I feel much better.  If it only worked on shoes.

Another page from Home Ec. History

This is another page from the 1944 Home Ec. books I found.  This shows the progression of the electric stove. Is Westinghouse still in business?  I would love to find one of the first  model's in working order.  I would definitely be "vintage" then.

housekeeping

What is hse doing you ask?  Is she actually cooking a pit of rags? If you knew me well you wouldn't doubt it's possible, but not today.

Sometimes it's the little mundane things that make a big difference.  From time to time I take all my discloths and soak them in boiling water with a splash of bleach.  Yes I said the "b" word.  I don't use it often, but sometimes it just makes me feel better.  I don't believe most things in moderation are bad unless you make it so.  After it soaks there for several minutes I rinse and wash.  Now I take them out and they smell like kitchen cloths should smell, not last weeks turnip greens or spilled milk. and they feel clean not grimy.  Now it's all good!!