Delightful Voice - Video

Here's a few moments captured of our little Grey, after our beach day! He such a cutie pie!

DIY - High Efficiency Laundry Soap

I starting making my own laundry soap years ago. And it's served us extremely well, as well as being such a money saver. The only time I have purchased laundry detergent since Sept '08 was this past March the day after Grey was born. I ran low/almost out, so Brian bought some Purex when he was out to the store for me.

Then in June we were given almost brand new Frigidaire front loader washer and matching dryer. God is so good - what a huge blessing! We passed on our older, normal set to Lauren, who didn't have a washer or dryer for her new home. Blessings all around!

So at that time, I began to research a soap I could make at home that would work well in the high efficiency washer, the old one would work in theory (low sudsing), but it's lumpy in its consistency, so I didn't know if it would go properly through the top soap loader.

Here is what I have been using, and have been very happy with the results. This is a powder, and I add it straight in with the clothes, and not in the top soap loader part. For whites/normal loads I add bleach and fabric softener through the top soap loader as normal.

3 bars Fels Naptha bar soap (or Ivory if this cannot be found)
3 C Borax
3 C Washing Soda (sodium carbonate)

grate the bar soap and mix all together. Use 1/4C per load.

Been loving it!

Random

It's a random Friday...and I'm tired! I am planning to throw a mega baby shower for a friend at church. She is the Pastor's daughter in law. I was intending a quiet, intimate party. But in fact, there are 150 invitations going out! My goodness! So, a friend and recruited co-baby-shower-planner came over to help assemble them last night. Success. I already had 40 done, and we finished the rest. We were also tracking Hurricane Earl, and talking (our husbands were also present in the livingroom, so there was plenty of conversation). We didn't get to bed until 2am, and Earl decided not to show. Not as a hurricane anyway. We got a teeny bit of rain, and wind that was so not notable, I will not even mention it. It wasn't even as bad as a regular rainstorm! (In our area, The Outer Banks of NC are fairing much worse)

Tired, today. Chocolate Caramel Mocha (decaf) coffee, with whipped cream and caramel drizzle makes me feel just fine! Even decaf has *just enough* caffeine in it to lift my spirits (and eyelids)

If I had to describe myself in a word, it would be Exceedingly Horrible Self-Portrait Taker. Ok, so that is 4 words. Or maybe 5, depending on how you count a hyphen:-) I have never been able to figure out the technique, and not for lack of trying. Anyway, my hair has gotten wavier with each baby, and today, I decided to embrace it, and try to keep it curly/wavy. I don't have any hair products to accomplish this, at the moment, other than Brian's hair gel, so I used that. Anyway, I was happy enough with the results to add curly hair products to my shopping list and give a try in the future.

And after taking 22 pictures of the ceiling, the shower and my neck, I gave up on trying to capture the new look. And I am not kidding, it really was 22.

The side/back. This was hard to do, so appreciate it:-)

Yah, I know. I'm a loser:-) Flash off. On first glance though, when looking at this dark and hazy pic, I thought I looked like my sister Lauryn. We don't really look that much alike, so maybe I am crazy, but that was honestly my first thought.

Darn, forgot to un-zoom it. And I give up! I wasn't able to capture it as I wanted, but the whole process gave me a laugh anyway!

Getting Big!

I plunked him down in his carseat. No relaxing here! I think he's officially outgrown it!

So Cute!

I've been squishing him into the 6 month clothes, assuming 9mo. would still be too big for him. My sister gave him this adorable onesie - in a 9mo. size. Fits him well! Time to get out all those "big" clothes for the little guy!!

Mermaid Tale

The Sunday before we left for Canada, Kenna came into our room and woke us up, excited about her early morning craft. She climbed up on the bed and explained this to us:

"It's Ariel. These are her swimming fins. And these are her boops (emphatic hand gestures), you know, shells. And her hair"

We just stared at each other and stifled our giggles. After she left the room, we busted out laughing (ha! no pun intended).

This was her failed 1st attempt, she told us. It looks like maybe the "shells" weren't working out so well. LOL!

School Starts!

Well, we've entered into the world of home schooling! We'll see how this adventure goes, and perhaps monthly I will try to update with what we're doing. We have successfully completed day 2!

Kenna, Brooks and Jack all "do school" at their various levels of competency, and Sonny and Grey take their morning naps! (Jack is 3, Sonny is 8 months -they are not related - their parents are school teachers, so I have them every day from about 7:45 to 4:00. I had Jack last year, but this is the first time for Sonny - his parents were in a bit of a bind to find someone to watch him, and I think it will work out fine - so far so good!). It's been fun so far, of course the novelty has not yet worn off:-)

This is what I set out ahead of time. We are working out the kinks these first few days. So far, it hasn't taken quite as long, and we've been done by 10:45

I'm using a variety of things - Hooked on Phonics, A Beka, and various library/"home made" things for some of the social studies things etc.

Their cubbies. Brooks is blue, Jack is green. They will be keeping everything in there they need. Jack is potty training, so he has some undies stacked up - just in case:-)

Playing a colour game, where I name a colour, and they have to find the colour and draw something that is that colour. Of course Jack and Brooks do "scraggles" (Brooks' term), but Kenna is getting good with drawing various objects

We are learning about calendars and birthdays this month. We made Happy Birth Day cards for our new cousin!

Kenna's writing practice!

Our new cousin!

My brother Jared and his wife Liana welcomed their first little baby on August 24th.

Vienna Eden was 6lbs 4oz and 20.5ins long. She was in breach and had to be taken by c-section, but Mom and baby are doing well. We are so excited for them!

I see a lot of Liana/Otkiditschev in her, at this point anyway. They do change so fast in the first few weeks

What a sweet little girl. We can't wait to meet her. Congrats to the new Mom & Dad!