Family Pictures

We took family pictures last week and it was a fiasco, but the pictures came out great!

8 Things

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. The Office
2. The Bachelor
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. Biggest Loser
5. Worst Week
6. Dancing with the Stars
7. Superstars of Dance
8. Bromance...haha!

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Sold stuff on eBay
2. Talked to Laura
3. Watched American Idol
4. Packed away my nursing garments and bras :*(
5. Washed cloth diapers
6. Made pizza for dinner
7. Folded laundry
8. Finished "The Ivy Tree" by Mary Stewart

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. My birthday
2. Darren coming home from work
3. Jamie moving out
4. Gaining a testimony of prayer
5. Watching Trevor grow up
6. Our cruise to the Caribbean in January 2010
7. Planting a garden in the spring
8. Getting pregnant again

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Red Robin
2. Galiano's Italian Restaurant (Tukwila, WA)
3. Wendy's
4. The Ram
5. Outback Steakhouse
6. The Best Pho and Thai (Renton, WA)
7. California Pizza Kitchen
8. Panera Bread Co.

8 Things on My Wish-List
1. An Ergo Baby carrier
2. A new wardrobe
3. Jamie to go on a mission
4. To be a nicer wife to Darren
5. More time to read
6. A trip to Utah in April
7. A healthy Baby Abby Newport due in 3 weeks
8. A trip to Italy

Au Natural

My Grandpa Tame used to end his day with a soak in his hot tub in the buff. Trevor seems to prefer taking a stroll in his birthday suit before bed.

So, what is it about being naked that makes kids (and men) so happy? The world my never know...

Homeade Laundry Soap

With all the uncertainty in the world right now, I am saving money wherever and whenever I can. I am using cloth diapers, cleaning my windows and mirrors with vinegar, and making my own laundry soap. I love doing all those things and it makes me feel better about my own carbon footprint. The laundry soap is easy to make and it gets my clothes really clean and soft without having to use liquid fabric softener. I do miss the yummy smell of the Kirkland brand, but I still use dryer sheets to get that really clean smell.

So for those who want to save some pennies, or in this case dollars, try making your own laundry soap! I used to pay about $13 for 96 oz of laundry soap at Costco. This recipe makes 3 gallons or 220 oz for less than $5 and you can find all the ingredients at Winco!!! So, without further ado, here is the recipe I use.

Liquid Laundry Soap

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1 1/2 c. Washing Soda
1 1/2 c. Borax
3 gallons water
3 gallon milk jugs, rinsed well

Boil 1/2 gallon hot water and then add grated Fels Naptha soap. Heat to a boil and stir until totally dissolved. Add the other soaps and continue heating until dissolved. (Taking the time to make sure that the soaps are well dissolved saves time once you start adding the cold water.) Add another 1/2 gallon warm water and stir over low heat. Once the mixture is emulsified, remove it from the heat and add another gallon cold water. If your pot it not big enough, transfer the soapy mixture to a 5 gallon bucket before adding the additional water. Again, once the mixture is able to stay emulsified, add the last gallon of cold water bringing amount of water to total to 3 gallons. Keep stirring until the mixture stops separating and transfer it to milk jugs or other smaller containers.

When you are ready to use it, give it a good hard shake and use 1/4 c. of soap per normal load. This is safe for front loaders as it is low sudsing.

Enjoy my frugal friends!!

So Sleepy

Trevor had a really hard time going down for a nap today, so when he finally did go down I went in to check on him and this is how I found him...


...asleep with his hands on his eyes like he had been crying and his pants nearly down around his knees. Poor, funny baby Trevor.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Look who I found "helping" mommy unload the dishwasher the other day.

It reminds of of another little boy I know who used to like to climb on the dishwasher...