DIY: Powdered Laundry Soap and Washing Soda

Laundry Soap

Why Homemade laundry soap.....    It's economical, I can use my homemade soap in it, and there is no added chemicals that can irriate the skin!   The basic ingredients are:

1/2 of Borax, 

1/2 cup of washing soda, 

and 2 cups of grated soap.  

Making Washing Soda

I had no problem finding the borax... but the washing soda, I couldn't find to save my life.  You would think in an urban setting, I would have no problem finding it.  So with a little research I found out you can make it!  Washing Soda is Baking Soda cooked.  By baking baking soda for about 2 hours on 400 degrees, the baking soda becomes washing soda.  If you are interested in the chemistry of it... google it....  but I must say....  I am now a proud maker of laundry detergent.  Two tablespoons of detergent into the load... and I have clean clothes!

(After 3 months of doing laundry)

My review for the powdered laundry soap is in...  it gets clothes clean, but I feel like I always need to add more than 2 tablespoons.  This is purely a "me" thing... because the clothes are clean!  I think it's because after using name brand laundry detergent over my lifetime, I must be brainwashed that I have to use more (like a 1/4 cup or something).  More is better right?  So, I found myself doing laundry sprinkling in a little more washing soda or borax.  I was also at times putting 3 tablespoons of the laundry soap in.  So, I'm moving on to liquid laundry soap. This recipe definitely is MORE!  It makes 10 gallons!  I'll be having Liquid laundry soaps for years!

Blocked Chakra ALERT!!!

Apparently my third chakra (my throat chakra) is blocked.  I've been getting migraines everyday for the past three weeks.  Sometimes twice a day.  I went to my doctor and was given narcotics to rid the pain.  But, I'm not a narcotics girl, so I went to my massage therapist, Ranjot. It was he, that told me I had a lot going on around my 'third eye' (which is not a zit in the middle of your forehead.) Don’t worry; this chakra thing is new to me too!)  In other words, I am thinking A LOT and my throat charka is blocked, which means I'm not talking about whatever I'm thinking about.  So hence, I'm writing about it...

Ranjot, the amazing, gave me the following strategies to unblock my Chakra:

1) Talk about worries/thoughts

2) Meditate daily (this even means reciting a mantra over again. "This is Me-time, enjoy it!  This is Me-time, enjoy it! This is Me-time, enjoy it!")

3) Ground yourself by walking barefoot on lawn, grass, anything not man-made!

4) Visualize: Breath out the bad, breathe in the good.

So what did I choose:  I combined some strategies.  I ripped out a 10 X16 ft area of brick (manmade), which got me breathing heavily. I may not of been visualizing out with the bad, in with the good...  but I did seem to work something out...  

We’ll, see how my third eye took it!!!!  What do you do to unblock your charkras?

Cooking with Homebrewed Beer: Spanish Rice/Jambalaya like dish!

This is a mix between Spanish Rice and Jambalaya.  I think I should can it Spanalaya!

What you need:

Olive oil

½ cup onion

1 red bell pepper

1 jalapeno pepper  (not into spicy? Try a green bell pepper)

2 chopped whole tomatoes (or1 can of crushed tomatoes)

2 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of homebrew

21/2 cups of rice

½ teaspoon cumin

1-teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf (no not crumble)

Salt

Peppers

Green peas optional
Chicken (a boob or two)
1-2  Sausage (I like chicken apple sausage)

In pan cook the chicken and sausage.  Take out of pan and lay aside once cooked.  Then add and cool onion, bell peppers, and garlic in olive oil for about three minutes.  Add the rest of the spices. (I’ve been known to add taco seasoning when I don’t have all the spices this recipe calls for… just saying!)

Add the beer and chicken broth. Bring to boil.  Add rice (I used brown rice cause that’s all I had in my cupboard) and bring to boil.   Turn down heat and cook on low for about 40 minutes.  Add cut up chicken and sausage to rice.  Garnish with Cilantro and  EAT!

If you are wondering, I did spill the beer as I was pouring it into the pan!  This is the second recipe, I’ve spilt beer!  

Soap Equipment Upgrade: New Baking Racks

Before

I'm getting a complete soap workshop upgrade.  I'm going from making soap in my basement to making soap in my new soap studio in the backyard. I'm also going from making soap using wire bakers racks to being a 'big dog' and investing in some lasting equipment.  So today I spent the day at a restaurant auction getting commercial baking racks for curing! I scored two... (Yea!!!) , but I must admit it was an eye opening experience!

After

First off, I was the only female there, which REALLY surprised me.  Second, never being to an auction before, everything moved fast. The auctioneer talked fast, the people bid fast...  you really had to pay attention.  Third, almost everyone I talked to asked me if I was a baker.  I really had no idea why.  I had not bid on anything yet; I was nowhere near the baking racks I wanted, so where was this idea coming from?  Finally I asked someone.  His response, "Most woman are bakers!"

AH HA!!! An eye opener!!  No frigin' way! But the more I thought about it (my only reference is the FOOD NETWORK so ignore any assumptions I make past this point); most 'successful' cooks/chefs are men. And the 'successful' women tend to bake.  Whether or not this IS true, it was the tone of his voice that got me. It was like he was saying, "You throw like a girl, or you run like a girl." (Which in any situation this comes up, I make sure I give a reply that says- thanks for noticing that I'm female, and yes, I am very good at what I do!) 

So I embraced his comment and responded, "Actually, I AM a baker.  I'm also a chef.  I'm the chief Saponifier at Handbrewed Soaps."  And that was it, he said, "Oh! Well, good luck today," and walked away.  There was no, "What the hell is a Saponifier?"  The conversation had ended, for whatever reason.  

So, I learned something today.  Not only how to bid, but of the hierarchy within the cooking field. And so, I happily went home with two backing racks.  Now I can cure 600 bars per rack instead of just 150 bars with my wire ones!! 

The Sparkly Necklace - Raising Girls

I was recently in Boston on a business trip, for my 9-5 job.  After long meetings, a female co-worker and I decided to go walk the mall that happened to be attached to our hotel, to get some exercise.   I found this to be an excellent idea considering I was planning on bringing home presents to my girls.  I found a stuffed lobster for the youngest (she’s into anything with claws…don’t ask), and I found a sparkly bling -bling heart locket for my six year old. So as I’m paying to the necklace, my co-worker says, “Maybe I should get that for my daughter, but that might be sending the wrong message.” I let the comment go… but of course I pressed for info awhile later.  She told me that she didn’t want to get her daughter a gift that could send a message of 'that is what girls should be liking… ' 

That's when I started BREWIN'  (my thoughts that is...)

I totally get that!  And actually support that idea 100%! I even wondered if I was sending a wrong message??? 6 years ago, when I found out that I was having girls…  I told everyone…  do not by her pink or purple…  nothing girly.   Buy none gender specific items….  And when in doubt… go with an educational toy… primary colors!!!  I introduced her to soccer and basketball.  Puzzles were a way of life for us.    

If you ask my daughter what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll tell you… “Well I’m already it… I’m an artist.”  We never gave her any formal art classes, but she always had access to paper, crayons, and markers. She has self-taught herself how to draw, paint, and blend colors. She created things at the age of 5 that I didn’t learn how to do until I was in middle school.  And her art expands into her fashion. She combines patterns and colors together… as well as picks out accessories.  She even helps me every once in awhile…  So this purchase could seem to an outsider that I was buying a ‘girlie’ item, because this is how a girl should be.  But in actuality, I was buying an “article” for my daughter to design with.

I am thankful for my co-worker challenging me to think about why I got the necklace in the first place. And I’m thankful for a daughter that knows who she is… an artist. (And yes, this will probably change a million times.)  But the bottom line is, every mom knows their kid the best.  Every mom needs to be confident with that!

What issues have you 'brewin' as a parent?