Homemade stuff

I'm REALLY getting into this homemade stuff.  A regular Suzy Homemaker.. ha!
I just was feeling rather irked with the price of items on my grocery list and decided to do some research and used Google and Pinterest.
I've made some pretty good stuff so far..  let me share:

Fabric Softener:
6c HOT water
3c white vinegar
2c Suave conditioner
Dissolve the conditioner in the water
Add vinegar and mix
Use 2 Tbsp in a Downy ball

I made this.. it is okay, but when I washed my big blanket and used it, the blanket came out with static.   So I did a bit more research and found that if you take a small piece of aluminum foil and crunch it up golf ball size and toss it in the dryer with your clothes, they come out without the static cling..   Who would have thought?

Here's another fabric softener recipe.  I haven't tried it.
1/2 c Purex crystals (or Downy crystals)
Mix in 1c hot water
Add 6c white vinegar SLOWLY
Dispense 1/2c in Downy ball


Dish Soap- not for the dishwasher
1/4c soap flakes or fels naptha grated
2c water
1-2 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
1 Tbsp glycerin (optional)
Pour water and soap in saucepan
Heat slowly..stir.. melt the soap, but DO NOT BOIL  
Cool- add vinegar or lemon juice and dispense in bottle.
Note:  I made the first batch with a bar of Ivory soap- grated.
I also used the vinegar.  I think it came out okay, but a bit on the lumpy side.  I wasn't happy, but it does clean the dishes.. no suds.. and though it has a kind of greasy feel to it, the dishes dried in the air are sparkly.
The 2nd batch I made with Fels Naptha soap and lemon juice.  I made 4 x the recipe and got a little over a half gallon.  The problem with it was that it is the consistency of snot and is one big clot in the jug.  I will be trying it out anyway to see how it cleans.
In the mean time, I decided to add a half cup of Dawn (the blue kind) to the Ivory dish soap and it helped a little.   Hmmmm
I think it needs work.
Addendum:
I decided that the 2nd batch with the Fels was worth working on.  So.. I added a cup of blue Dawn and 4 cups of warm water.. and shook it up.   Now, I have to say, this works even better than the Ivory recipe... Love it.  AND- the clot consistency is gone.. its now a nice thick detergent for my dishes.  Again, no suds, but suds don't clean.. 

Dry Laundry Detergent for a year (family of 4)   
3 bars Fels Naptha, grated
1 box Borax
1 box Washing Soda
2c baking soda
1 very large container cheap dollar store Oxyclean
1-2 containers fabric softener crystals (Purex or Downy)
Use 2 Tbsp per load

I find this detergent amazing.  IT CLEANS.  When I made it, I used a dishpan lined with a tall kitchen bag not knowing how much volume I would encounter.  I made a half recipe for the trial.
The bag is so you can really mix the ingredients well.. it's heavy even at a half recipe.  Once it was all mixed pretty well, I scooped it into a 'gallon' plastic ice cream container, and the remainder back into the generic Oxyclean tub.  My measuring spoon is the one that came with the Oxyclean.. its about a T or more.  
Note:  I turned the HOT water on first in the washer and added the soap to it.  The Fels Naptha needs to melt and does so quickly.  Once it looks like its melted, I added my laundry and turned it to the warm setting.  (Or you could use the cold setting).  It did a remarkable job.. and it does not make suds either.  Good for the septic.
I found that using the homemade fabric softener and this detergent, plus the aluminum foil ball in the dryer.. my clothes were almost ultra soft.  And NO static cling.
I would make this again and next time go the full recipe.

Now, some laundry really gets soiled heavily, and though I think you could do a presoak with this stuff, I also found a recipe for 
Homemade Shout:
2/3c Dawn (blue)
2/3c Ammonia
6 Tbsp baking soda
2c warm water
Mix together in a spray bottle .. shake the bottle, spray on the stains and let it set for 2 minutes.. then toss it into the washer.
I have NOT made this yet.  I still need to purchase some Ammonia.   
       

  

OOPS!

Got to thinking that we visited Valentines earlier THIS month, not September..  (insert dopey grin here)  We came home on Columbus Day to avoid a lot of traffic..   We usually go home through the forest/mountains.. it's a most beautiful drive.  We can do it now without taking out the map/directions. 

About the low alkaline diet

A sample of my intake for the day:
Pam in a skillet (usually what is left over after cooking an omelet for hubby)
Veggies- broccoli, peppers, onions, tomato- warming up before I pour on my 3 egg/4 eggwhites.  I scramble the eggs with the veggies and add a shot of sea salt and black pepper.
I do have coffee, but only in the morning.

Lunch is normally a HUGE salad with lettuce (a couple varieties), a grated carrot, slices of onion, radishes, and a large amount of cabbage slices.  I top it with ranch or french dressing

Supper is perhaps a small piece of chicken I've fried (yeah, I know) in coconut oil, and a huge salad similar to lunch.

I drink water- lots of it.

At bedtime, I like a snack, so I eat a cup of dry cheerios.

Today I had plain eggs scrambled, but that meant I could eat again in 2 hours if I needed to.. I waited till after church and had dry cheerios- a cup that I never finished.. and after 2 hours, I had a fruit salad with mandarin oranges, peaches, and a banana.  Yummy..

since lunch was only 1 item (fruit).. I only had to wait 2 hours for supper.. it's been longer, but I'm waiting to get hungry :)
Tonight I'm having the chicken again.. same way  :(  I figure I can spare the extra calories and it doesn't seem to bother my stomach.
I'll have the huge salad again as well.. Wendell says I make enough for a family of 8.. yes, he's right.  The thing is, the diet plan didn't say HOW MUCH to eat, just follow the combining rules with the timing rules.  Hey.. it works for me!

Tonight I shall have my cup of cheerios before bed

I'm not hungry between meals, and I watch the clock to make sure I don't eat before I'm permitted.  Love it.

Another thing I follow besides no sugar, white flour, processed stuff is no dairy to speak of.. I do eat a little cottage cheese for protein once in a long while- I find it non irritating.. pretty good for a lactose intolerance I'd say.
And another thing I have done is added caffeine to the program in the morning which is a no-no.  So far so good however.. and I love my morning coffee.
I believe the thing is that I'm eating so healthy generally that my body has responded positively.  Pain is minimal these days, no acid stomach or heartburn, and I have energy- I'm not falling asleep in the afternoon like I used to.   The extra bonus is that in trying to control acid in my diet, I have found a weight loss that is awesome!          

Low alkaline diet rules

I saw the doctor early in September for a routine check up.. she noted that I was down 6# since my last visit 3 months before.  Good for me!  I hadn't been eating much with my hyper acid stomach acting up so badly.. it was no wonder.
What could I do to help myself and get off all the meds?  
Jane sent me an email.. something about hyperacid foods maybe?  I just can't remember now, but in that email was an ad which I clicked on and shortly thereafter got interested in eating alkaline foods.. which lead me to a diet program.. which I LOVE!  To date I've lost 17#.  No wonder my clothes feel so loose!
Here it is as concisely as I can make it.I've adjusted it to fit my fancy, but keep to the rules as best I can.
There are rules to follow :
1. Meat can be eaten in small portions and only with non starchy foods, and only one type of protein at a meal.  Not to be eaten with other carbs/ starchy foods or fruit.
2. Non starchy/low starch veggies can be eaten with protein foods and high starch /carbs, but not with fruit.
3. Carbs/high starch foods can be eaten with low/no starch foods and fats, but not with fruit or protein or acidic foods.  (there goes the meat and potatoes!)
4. Fruits are to be eaten by themselves.. no combining in ANY meal.
5. Fats can be eaten with low/no starch foods and carb/high starch foods , but NOT with protein or fruit.
6. Only unprocessed starches and whole grains should be part of the diet.  Never eat refined or processed food like white sugar, white flour, and margarine.
7. There should be 4-4 1/2 hours between meals made up of different types of food.  2 hours for single type meal.  This is to assure digestion from previous meal.
PROTEINS:
Meat, fish, eggs, chicken,dairy, nuts/seeds, dry beans
LOW/NO CARB 
Asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, onion, carrots
CARB/HIGH STARCH:
Pasta, bread, grain, potato
Note: potato must be eaten with the skin
FATS:
Avocado, Butter, olive oil, cream, olives

There are lists of alkaline foods where I choose my veggies and fruits.. this has been extremely  helpful in purchasing the right foods.
The foods are colorful and delicious.
More later....  
      

Trip to the ER

September really was a tough month for me.  Canning in full swing, and the tomatoes and beans seemed non-stop for a while.  I spent one day making juice with my Squeezo.  Nice tool for making tomato juice, but I lost the plunger, and so found myself pushing those tomatoes down by hand.   Now, I'm not tall and the Squeezo is pretty tall, so it was really a chore to get up and over the funnel to push those tomatoes through with my left arm while turning the crank with the right.  Next day I was super sore- it was quite a workout for both shoulders since the bilateral rotator cuff tears of a few years back. 
It's always good to have extra juice for the winter as well as the tomatoes and the beans as well.  I enjoy canning so much.

The problem with spring and fall is that this time of year brings on GI bleeders and general GI upsets.. like clockwork.  I'm a good example of that principle- not the bleed, but I get heartburn and acid stomach EVERY spring and EVERY fall.  I can tell you when the season changes with my eyes closed.  It just so happened that one lovely day early in September- right after making that tomato juice- I was having some rather severe headaches that started in the back of my neck and went right up over the top.  YOW!  Some of those were what I call 'cracken'.. because that's what they felt like.  I decided once and for all, I'd hit the headache with coffee and get rid of it.   Carefully I measured out TWICE as much coffee grounds as needed for one pot, and then didn't put as much water in the pot as needed and turned that pot on.  Mmmmmm  smelled delicious!
I slurped down 2 full cups back to back.  Within moments after finishing the last cup, I noted my headache gone .   YAY for me!
Almost as fast, I noted severe pain in my stomach that was starting to really hurt badly- enough to make me cry out in pain.   My treatment for heartburn is ginger ale and 4 Rolaids.. works every time!  However, I'd only gotten one down as the pain became so intense I could scarcely speak.. I was crying.  Let's say a 9 on the pain scale of 1-10.    
It was at that moment that the cell phone rang- it was my doctor's office and the receptionist letting me know that I had an appointment for a check up on that Wednesday.  Crying, I confirmed and she asked if there was something wrong.   I told her about my pain near my sternum, and she asked me to hold for a moment to talk to the office nurse.  I explained my story to her, but she didn't believe me.. she suggested that I get to the ER pronto.  Then she asked "the" question.. "Have you had pain in your left arm, shoulder, or jaw in the past few days?"   Uh-oh.. Well, yes, I did, but it was because of the Squeezo, not cardiac related at all..  Didn't matter.. "Call 911 for an ambulance immediately" she said with authority.  But.. but... you don't understand..  I was still crying and agreed to call .. (my daughter JJ).. 
JJ had her head about her.. she was working at the hospital and she also told me to call the ambulance for a ride to the ER  .. 'just in case it IS cardiac related'... In frustration, I called 911 and explained that I had pain in my upper abdomen right at the end of my sternum.. sharp.. the pain was not cardiac.. and they interrupted me to say 'let US decide that.   They sent the ambulance and I walked out on the deck , apologized for taking up their time, but felt forced to make this trip.  My heart was jumping all around  (think- hyper caffeine).. I got in the back of the waiting ambulance, crawled up on the stretcher and layed back for the 15' drive to the hospital ER.  I felt embarrassed, but I'd gotten in several more of the Rolaids and as I said, it works.. so the pain was almost gone by the time we got there.  It was an uneventful trip, and I think the paramedics were the only ones who really believed my whole story.  I was glad they didn't use the 'red ball' or siren.
In the ER, I was attached to monitors and they drew blood from my IV that the paramedic had started in the ambulance.  By the way, he did an EXCELLENT job.  I give him an A+.
All my labs were within normal limits.. but I'd have to hang around for 4 hours till the 2nd Troponin was drawn and the results gotten.. both of them registered as I would have guessed- *0* .. which meant it was my hyper acidic stomach that was the problem after all.    
By the way, said the ER doctor.. are you aware that you have had a small heart attack since your last EKG?   You have to be kidding!
A silent MI.  Well isn't that ducky!?  My last EKG was in March I believe.  
When I did have my check up on Wednesday, the doctor said there definitely was something there on the new EKG..hmmmm  Now I'd have to have a cardiolite stress test.   To make a long story short, the test was 4 hours long and ended with me on a treadmill trudging along breathlessly.. the techs both said I did excellent, as did the cardiologist who read the test.  I was OKAY.
   

These critters have plagued us for a few weeks.. they really got bad the last week of September.  They are STINKBUGS.  Named that because if they become agitated, they let off a bomb of stink that is just plain gross!   I found out how to shoot them down, but some days it was a losing battle. 
1c dawn dish detergent- the blue one- in a spray bottle
fill the sprayer with water
Shoot 'em down!  They drop within a minute and are dead.. and then I sweep them off the porch.
Some of the little rascals get inside the house.. not harmful to humans particularly, and they don't breed indoors- they simply want to winter over somewhere warm.  I'd buy them a ticket to Florida, but its easier just to brush them onto a piece of paper and flush them down the commode or the sink with plenty of hot water if you use the sink. 

Valentine- 3

 Esther and Gayle LOVE to paint fingernails.  They have a huge box of colors and they let me choose the ones I wanted.. and then each girl took one of my hands and CAREFULLY painted my fingernails. 

 I think they did a fabulous job.. and before it was all over, I had glittered nails, and each of my thumbs had a design painted onto it.. It lasted over a week, and then it started to chip.. sadly, I had to remove it.. but we had fun playing with the polish!

 While I was getting my nails done, Isaac sat across the table and we had a nice chat about Boy Scouts.  He is working hard selling popcorn to earn money for summer camp.  He has camped out every month this year, and next month will go with his troop to Gettysburg for an overnight. 

                              Gayle picked up my camera and took this shot of herself.. not bad..

                                                                             Essie

One evening Wendy covered the entire kitchen table with white paper.  Taped securely into place, we all took a spot and the crayons were passed around.  We drew on the paper and had a good time coloring together.  The key word here is 'together'.. Love those kiddos!

Valentine..2

Esther and Gayle played piano for us.  They are becoming more and more accomplished.  I feel so jealous sometimes.. but I'm more proud than anything.  Great job, ladies! 

Sept 2012 Valentine trip

Wendell and I decided to make a trip to Valentines to deliver a small box of clothes they left behind this summer, and then to bring back bags of clothes and shoes for Annabelle from Gayle.
We did have a good time .. lots of visiting.. One day I sat down with kids and played with Pla Doh.  They have tons of different tools to use and TONS of the clay.

                                                      Elijah... making spaghetti ropes

                                                         Esther making a bird nest

                                                                     Asher..

Bambi.. grr

I grew peppers (the dark green stuff in the back) and zucchini this year.  The zucchini did very well for quite a while.  I also planted tomatoes inside my fence, but Bambi found them and kept nipping the plants down to nothing.  They must have been strong plants as one of them actually had 5 tiny tomatoes- we got 1 of them.. Bambi again.
After harvesting about 20 really wonderful zucchini, Bambi discovered the 5 plants and decided to eat the leaves right off the plants.  As you can see, right down to the stems.. and THEN trampled them to nothing after making a mess of them all.  I'm not happy with Bambi.. can't wait till hunting season begins.

Meet Pargo

Pargo is a golf cart made back in the '70s.  Its a 3 seater (unless you are a little kid..and depending on HOW little, could seat 4-5)  :)  It was a gift to Wendell from Paul and JJ so that he could get around just a bit more to enjoy fresh air.  Cute and comfy- it doesn't go FAST, and although Paul said he could add the missing gears, we prefer it just the way it is.  It was fun to just drive around and catch a breeze on a warm evening.
thanks to you all.. I know the Blair boys helped get this little car ready to run..
It now has a charging post and 3 enormous batteries to charge.
I think it needs painted pink.. but Wendell says 'leave it the way it is'.. well, okay.

Patio, Pool, Hot Tub

 the Z's next door put in a new patio...

 And a pool.. 27' diameter

And.. a hot tub!   I have been in the pool 3 times since yesterday.  It's cold yet, but sooooo very refreshing.  Planning a pool party in the very near future- like next week.

2012 Canning season