Substance of Living

Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil I remember years ago, and I'm talking almost 20 years now, a co-worker friend of mine introduced me to Tea Tree Oil.  It's been so long that I don't remember which brand she used, and suppose that doesn't really matter.  What does matter is that she had been using it for a long time.  She used it to treat all kinds of skin problems including acne.  She also used it as a cleanser around her house. To my uneducated thought process, I couldn't fathom using an oil to clean anything in my house except maybe to condition my wood. Fast forward to 2014 and here I am ordering Tea Tree Oil from Amazon and loving it.  Besides the pureness of this product, it was really quite gentle on my skin.  It is recommended that another oil, such as coconut oil, be used if trying on your skin for the first time. Upon ordering my Apothecary Tea Tree Oil , they also sent me a recipe / use type booklet via email in PDF format. Bes...

 Substance of Living Laundry Detergent Label Ingredients for Substance of Living Homemade Laundry Detergent Substance of Living Homemade Laundry Detergent 4 Pounds Baking Soda 4 Pounds Borax 3.7 Pounds Washing Soda 1 Bar Fels-Naptha 1 Bar Pink Zote Using a cheese grater, (I have one specifically for my laundry detergent) grate the two bars of soap (Fels-Naptha and Pink Zote).  If you don't have either of these bars handy, you can use three bars of your favorite soap.  Sometimes I use Ivory or Irish Spring.  Some people eliminate the bars of soap all together. Substance of Living Laundry Detergent using Irish Spring Bar Soap Grate the full bar of Pink Zote. Grated Pink Zote Grate the full bar of Fels-Naptha. Grated Fels-Naptha Mix 4 pounds of baking soda, or about 8 cups with the full box of Borax and Washing Soda along with the grated bars of soap. All the Ingredients for Substance of Living Homemade Laundry Detergent before M...

The Makings of Substance of Living Homemade Shower Cleaner I've been using my homemade laundry detergent for about a year now and absolutely love how my clothes come out nice and clean.  I also use vinegar to clean my windows, stainless steel appliances, and use it to eliminate any funky odors like paint around the house.  Another secret use for vinegar is to place it in shallow bowls around a room if there are smokers.  Fortunately we don't have smokers in our home so we don't need to eliminate that odoriferous scent. I also use vinegar to clean my coffee maker and the inside of the microwave.  To clean the microwave, put a little vinegar in a microwavable safe bowl and allow it to steam for about 30 seconds or so.  Then simply wipe down the inside with a damp cloth or sponge. Have you seen all the posts lately about using the blue Dawn liquid dish detergent and vinegar?  Well, I didn't have any blue Dawn on hand and like usual was too impatient (...

Last week we started changing gears from candy and goblins to thinking about Thanksgiving.  We thought about what decorations could be carried over, started making our guest list, and looking at what we already had on hand. This week we are going to delve into our to-do list a little further. Thinking about Thanksgiving this Week: Are you going to cook, order, or have catered the main dish or entire meal? Place your Order Contact Caterer Measure Oven, Pan, Platter Preferred Cooking Method - Bake, Fry, Grill Invite Guests - During the RSVP, if a guest offers to bring a dish, accept the offer - it's one less item for you to handle (you reserve the right to make the same dish) Keep a running RSVP / Dish list Purchase, Rent, Borrow, Clean or Polish Dinner Plates, Dessert Plates, Glasses, Wine Glasses, Coffee Cups, Silverware, Napkins, Linens, Serving Dishes and Utensils Measure Table or configure Table Arrangements This table is made up of 3 se parate tables...

I'm the last person that will tell you to not keep a list of things to do.  I'm the queen of lists.  I'm visual.  I like to color code my events with highlighters or changing the font on the computer.  Guess I haven't given up my box of crayons. I am one of the first to say to keep it simple.  My life hasn't always been that way, but the simplest methods have stayed with me through the years. If you're anything like me, you might have a list in the kitchen telling you what time of day to do a particular chore.  For example, sweeping the kitchen floor, cleaning out a drawer, going over my to-do list in the morning while the coffee is brewing.   In the evening, my list might include doing a load of laundry, sort the mail, scrub the tub after baths are complete. DH and I have pinky promised each other that we will completely 100% unpack and put everything away in our new home.  See, we've moved so many times that we get, I don't know, 80% maybe...