Home-Made Non-Toxic Tub and Tile Cleaner (Spray)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon washing soda (I use Arm and Hammer)
1 teaspoon borax (I use 20 Mule Team)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil based liquid soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 cups HOT tap water
Spray bottle

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well until thoroughly combined.
Spray cleaner onto the tub or tile.
After a couple of minutes, rinse or wipe off with a damp sponge.

NOTE
If your spray bottle clogs up, either be sure to mix your ingredients better, your water is hot enough, or use less washing soda and borax next time.

Home-Made Non-Toxic Weed Killer

INGREDIENTS
1 gallon white distilled vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons dish soap (I happened to buy Dawn Ultra. It was on sale locally, and I didn't want to waste my ECOVER.)

DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a tightly lidded container and shake vigorously until salt is in solution.
Pour into a spray bottle.
Coat all possible leaves of the plant that you want to eradicate.

NOTE
Do not spray this on a windy day, as the drift may cause unintentional damage to non-targeted plants.

Sunny days cause this spray to be more effective.

Do not spray on wet plants. This dilutes the weed killer solution and renders it a little less effective.

Particularly tough plants (like poison ivy) require several applications. (I DID eradicate some small poison ivy plants near our patio this way.)

Home-Made Powdered Laundry Detergent

INGREDIENTS
1 (4.5 oz) bar of castile soap, grated or ground (I use Kirk's Original Coco Castile bar soap. It's cheap and readily available.)
2 cup borax (I use 20 Mule Team Borax.)
2 cups washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer All Natural Super Washing Soda.)
1 resealable container that holds about 5 cups

DIRECTIONS
Thoroughly stir together all ingredients (not the container, of course!)
Use 1 Tbsp per load (or 2-3 Tbsp for large or heavily soiled loads).

NOTES

If you don't like hand grating bar soap, try a food processor. I have a small one and that is what I use- with the chopping blade. I bet a sturdy blender would work too.

If you want scented soap, try using Dr. Bronner's scented bar soaps. They're lovely and come in a variety of scents. They're just more expensive.

If you have soft water, you can reduce the borax and washing soda in the recipe down to 1 cup each. If you do, you're cutting your detergent cost down to about 5 cents per load! (We have very hard water at this new place of ours, so I use more.) 

This soap works well for high efficiency washing machines. It's low-suds.

This detergent is safe for septic systems. It has no phosphates or fillers and is non-toxic.

This soap works well on cloth diapers and covers, as it leaves no optical whiteners, softeners, or fragrance residues behind.

Don't confuse sodium borate with borax. These are 2 different things. Sodium carbonate/soda ash IS the same thing as washing soda, however.

Memorial Day, Belated

When my youngest gets up for the day very early in the morning (after having been up on and off all night, because that's what my kids do) and the rest of the family is sleeping, I sometimes take him for an outing. On one such morning close to Memorial Day, in a cemetery not too very far from our place, I found some interesting war memorials. First there were two civil war cannons (pictured below.) Both of their limestone bases are inscribed with the following:

Cannon Used in War for the Unity 1861 - - 1865

Loaned by War Dept. U. S. A.

Dedicated to the

Union Soldiers of Owen County

By:

Gettysburg Post No. 93 G. A. R. 

-and- W. R. C. No. 106

July 4th, 1905

The cannons are early model 8-inch Rodman Guns, cast in 1861 by Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The muzzle markings indicate that they both weigh over 8000 pounds!

And how 'bout that building behind them?! It's made primarily of geodes- very cool. It bears a wooden sign that reads, "Soldiers Memorial Pavilion". In front of the pavilion are limestone benches, a flagpole, and an American Revolution Memorial cannon. This cannon's base is inscribed:

To Soldiers of the Revolution Owen Co.

In Memoriam

James Brayant

Peter Witham

(Spencer)

Joshua Kelley

Thomas Ashbrook

(Wash. Tp.)

Inside the pavilion itself is a limestone lectern, noting a refurbishing date for the memorial, and a pressed copper relief set in recessed limestone, and mounted behind glass.

Beneath it is embossed "The American's Creed." It reads as follows:

"I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies. William Tyler Page"

Below the creed, in the base of the limestone structure that the plaque is mounted on, the following is inscribed:

Dedicated to the Memory of Those

Who Served Their Country

During the Wars of the United States

—————————

Erected through the Efforts of

The Women's Relief Corps

of Spencer, Indiana

1939

—————————

Panel and Design of Pavilion Furnished By:

E. M. Viquesney, Sculptor.

I looked up "The American's Creed" and learned that it was written in 1917 as a submission in a nationwide contest of patriotism. The contest's goal was to "have a concise but complete statement of American political faith." Page drew from historical documents and speeches such as the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, etc. His composition was chosen from over 3000 submissions! On April 3, 1918 it was accepted by the House of Representatives on behalf of the American people. Today it also often comprises part of the Naturalization  Ceremony for new Americans. 

Other interesting anectdotes are that not only was Page a descendant of Carter Braxton, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, he was also related to the tenth U.S. President, John Tyler. As well, he travelled to Washington D.C. in 1881 at the age of 13 to serve as a page in the capitol. This kicked off a 61-year-long career as a national public servant, for in 1919 he was elected Clerk of the House of Representatives and after that, Emeritus Minority Clerk. He maintained this latter post for the remainder of his life.

Another "factoid" is that the sculptor of the plaque, Viquesney, is buried in the same cemetery, along with his family. There is a large limestone sculpture of a woman next to Easter Lilies removing a shroud with her arms raised over her head entitled, "The Unveiling" as the family plot marker. (Viquesney is most famous for the statue, "Spirit of the American Doughboy.")

I'm not sure what is more amazing, the age of the cannons, the geode and limestone structure inlaid with brass stars bearing the name of veterans and the conflict in which they served, the overt patriotism of this memorial in these jaded times, the relatively great condition of this memorial given its age, or the fact that there was NO evidence of vandalism at the time of my viewing (despite the lack of things for youth to do in these parts!) Yes, places like this really exist and speak to a former time of widespread national identity and pride. This is what this part of the heartland is largely still all about. Love of God and our country runs deep here and is a way of life for many. Individual freedoms are dearly prized by most. And there remains a strong contingent of patriots whose loyalty is fierce and true, not merely naive and sentimental.

"Crab Rangoon" Dip

(I call this a "twice a year" food. It's definitely not something I'd feel comfortable eating regularly :)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups crab meat, minced
16 oz. (2 blocks) cream cheese or neufchâtel
1/2 cup sour cream
4 to 6 green onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 to 4 Tbsp powdered sugar(for smoothness) sugar, or sweetener of choice

1 tsp. of ginger, minced, or 1/4 tsp. of ginger dried and ground

2 tsp. soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/2 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Soften the cream cheese.
3. Chop your green onions. 

4. Add the onions, crab meat, and garlic to the cream cheese. Combine well.
4. Add the sour cream, Wosterschire sauce, sugar, ginger, soy sauce, and lemon juice- mixing all the ingredients thoroughly.

5. Bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees. 

6. Serve hot with fried wontons, crackers, chips, or pork rinds.

Long Lost Blogger

Hello long lost readers! Or rather I should say, "Hello, from the long lost blogger!" I can't believe that a month has gone by so fast. But what can I say? My life is full. And I'm in that strange stage when to talk of my busy life seems like complaining or cataloguing due to the nature of the things that take my time. I'll try to stick with the latter in a highly abbreviated way since most of what I do is mundane. Plus, I'll skipping over all the details that I am usually so obsessed with just to keep this brief. Really- I will!

This photo does not do justice to his glorious thighs!

First off, and my biggest excuse for not blogging: the baby. He's huge- and I don't just mean pound-wise anymore. I mean, he's seven months this week. Sniff. He's sitting, crawling quickly, pulling up on things, kneeling, feeding himself things like crackers, and wanting to be helped to walk around. This keeps me very busy. He's got a gorgeous grin and an even temper. But his teething has caused some majorly cranky days a huge sleeping backslide. I am exhausted from the frequent night wakings! (Notice how I skip the details of said night wakings :) 

Then there was our vacation on Lake Michigan. That set me back a week right there. The little man above wanted no part of the beach, but the getaway was still nice. The kids had a blast in the waves and sand. (See? I skipped listing all of our adventures AND posting a million photos of cute kids and the beach!)

My youngest daughter was smitten with this pony after her big sister insisted we scour the barns for  horses.

We also made a daring day trip to the state fair with the fam. The highly condensed version is that I carried the 22 lb. wiggler in the heat for HOURS. Rides were ridden. Livestock was looked at. Comestibles were consumed. 

This dude absolutely HATES having his picture taken and is quite annoyed with me here. 

 My oldest finally wrapped up his 8th grade year the week before the aforementioned vacation. All the visitors we hosted last year, the travel, my pregnancy, and the new baby set us back. ( I HAD to tell you that so that you know I'm not irresponsible- or a slave driver.) He took his first ever standardized test, speeding through it and complaining that it was too easy, and got a 99. Awesome! The week after our trip he started high school. He's also suddenly 6' 2". CRAZY! (Notice how I am relating events out of order. Do catalogues do that? Do they? I don't THINK so :)

What else was there? My husband did a stint of work travel in there somewhere. We picnicked, pitched tents in the "yard", started a new school year. (I decided at the last minute to school the newly 4 and 6 year olds in tandem! This is no small feat as they're honing their reading.) We dealt with the goats getting dermal mites. We saw a flock of turkeys and the coyote several times (or several coyotes. But definitely the turkeys were several, as they were always in a rafter or a gang. And yes, those are the technical terms for a group of turkeys. I am THAT nerdy.) We got a new toilet installed in the girls' bathroom. (I teased my husband about using the old one as a planter by the road under our "Living Water Hobby Farm" sign. He was not nearly as amused as I was.) And lastly, we attended a balloon fest. I think those are all the "biggies". (Yes, both the balloons and the items.) Everything else was pretty routine, albeit time consuming. And now we're all caught up. 

We decided that the jetpack man should have been engineered so that the flames were by his jet pack, and NOT his...  ahem.