Homemade laundry soap

I started making my own laundry soap about 2 years ago. Then I got on a coupon kick and had enough laundry soap for a year! Well we just ran out so I am back to making my own. I actually prefer making my own because I know EXACTLY what goes in it. A big thank you to my friend Coretta for inviting me over and teaching me this skill! This is literally so easy my littles can almost do it by themselves. You will need 3 ingredients all found in the laundry section of your local grocery store. Borax, washing soda and fels naptha.

Grate 1/2 a bar of fels naptha in a sauce pan. Some people use the whole bar and some use 1/3. I like to use a half. Reanna does this part all by herself :)

Pour 4 cups water and heat on stove, add 1/2c washing soda and 1/2c borax. Stir until dissolved. Reanna helps with this part too.

Previously I used a 5 gallon bucket to mix and store mine in, however I couldnt find one this morning so I used these.

Ok now pour the dissolved soap mix into the bucket and add 1 gallon plus 10 cups and stir. Nicky and Reanna took turns stirring.

I separated it into 2 buckets because I was worried about spilling. Then I added 6-7 drops lavendar doTerra essential oil, stirred and put on my laundry shelf. 

Which means now I am out of excuses and better get my laundry caught up! 

How I make Kefir

About six months ago, we put our two youngest on the GAPS diet. We have learned so much since starting that journey, and probiotics are one of them. While trying to detox their bodies of the bad stuff, we need to put some good bacteria back in. On the GAPS diet, you pretty much make everything from scratch. So instead of buying kefir from the store, I learned to make it.

The first thing you need are kefir grains. I got mine from a friend, and if any of you in Vegas want some let me know. Kefir grains are like the amish friendship bread of the "health" world. The grains will keep reproducing and you will have to start another jar or give some away. If you don't live in Vegas you can buy them online, just google search because there are a few options out there. The grains look like this, pretty much like cottage cheese.

 Put the grains in a clean mason jar. 

Pour in organic milk.

Fill to about here. You want to leave room because as it ferments it fills up and you don't want it to spill over.

Put a clean coffee filter on, and secure it with a rubber band. You want to keep it covered because it will attract bugs, but the cover needs to be able to breathe. Then put it on your kitchen counter for 24 - 48 hours. The longer you let it sit the more it ferments, so it will get more sour. I make smoothies for my kids usually everyday so mine sits about 24 hours. I have left it for out for longer though, and its fine.

When mine is ready it looks like this. The curds separate from the whey. The grains are mixed in with the curds. 

I take a plastic spoon (do not use metal) and give it a quick stir before straining. It makes it easier for me to strain the grains. 

Use a plastic strainer (no metal). I bought a pack of strainers at Walmart for $1.99. I strain mine straight into the blender because I make smoothies for the kids. Just pour and stir, you will see the grains, its jellylike cottage cheese. 

You end up back here again with just the grains and you start all over again at step one.

It's so easy! It's become my morning routine. The kefir is a bit sour so the key to yummy smoothies my kids love, is to put atleast 2 bananas in. I also put whatever fresh or frozen fruit I have on hand and a tablespoon of honey. You can use other sweeteners but honey is the only GAPS legal sweetener. If I have any left over I put them in popsicle molds and the littles eat those for an afternoon treat. 

Pallet Garden Box

So one of the things on my honey-do list was to build a garden box. Materials: 3 pallets shanked from behind various businesses, 3 hammers, one box of 5d nails, 3 really tall guys, the sweat box that is the garage, one fan why we dont know, and about a half a case of water. 

Step 1: disassemble pallets

Result: 6 gallons of sweat and about a hundred bent nails later, 6 piles of really crappy wood, but FREE wood. With only 8 cuts to the 4x4's and another 45 minutes of sweat pouring off os us like a waterfall in Yosemite; POOF!

A roughly 6x6 garden box. Now we're ready to get dirty!

We mixed equal parts peat moss, vermiculite, and humus-gro. Have you ever played in the sand as a kid? Well this was exactly like that, except, the sand was black and a little smelly, and stuck to our sweaty arms like molasses on a pancake. The result is a rich, black canvas which will produce a palette of colorful, homegrown vegetables. 

The final touch before planting was a twine checkerboard to separate our veggies.

Voila!

Saturday Sale-ing

So pretty much every Saturday morning River and I (Mandee) go yard sale-ing. It's become our way of life. The really cool thing is it always seems that no matter what weird thing I am wanting that week, we always find it at a sale for way cheaper then I would have in the stores. I am talking random things like phone chords, kitchen light bulbs, old fashioned apple slicer, you get the jist. Well I am about to show you all our loot from today, but I will start with what I consider to be my BIG BLESSING of the day.......a LAMINATOR!!! I had a laminator and lost it so this morning before leaving I told my hubs that I am putting my wish out in the universe and asked for another one. Sure enough God heard me and he answered! There was a $10.00 sticker on it but I only paid $5.00 for my other one, so I figured I'd ask, and sure enough she took $5.00. I cant tell you how happy I am!

This same sale was a teacher that wanted to get out of Vegas so she had alot to sell. I bought all seven of these planters for $10.00. I would have liked to pay a dollar each but five of them are pretty big so I went ahead and got them. 

I also bought most of these books from her for a quarter. I bought the latch hook kit $1 and the map puzzle .50 at a different sale. 

The second sale we went to today was a major score for what we call bigs. I got this bookshelf for .75cents! I couldnt believe it. I will most likely turn this into something else but at that price I jumped on it.

This coffee table was $3. Im thinking of turning this into either a sensory bin table, or maybe mounting the lightbox into it for a cool light table. Not sure yet.

This nightstand was $2 and again at that price I jumped.

I bought this shelf thing for $5 and I plan to get those cloth box things and use it as an organizer in either the homeschool room or one of the littles rooms.

This was $3 and Im either going to clean it up and use in Reanna's room or turn it into a play kitchen as a gift, or who knows what I might find on pinterest for it :)

I scored some really cute clothes for Reanna mostly .25 a few things were .50.

I bought these for Graisan. Four of them are brand new sweaters with the tags for a quarter! At that price I know even if she doesnt like them, she will make something out of them, so its worth it.

I bought the little shelf/drawer thing for $3. I just liked it and I'll find some good place for it.

A shoe organizer that hangs on the door for $3. I have really been wanting one of these!

A wicker laundry hamper for $1. Mine is starting to fall apart and this one is in great condition.

A little sewing machine with the manual for $2. I figured the girls can use this for their Keepers of the Faith projects. 

2 make up cases $1 each. The 3 water bottles $1 total and 3 old comic books $1 total. River wanted the comic books.

A little bag full of polly pocket things and the horse, I plan to use in a sensory bin for .25. Christmas ribbon .25 each. Christmas horse, train and bells for a Christmas sensory bin .25. Two baggies of glass beads for the light table $1. Bamboo chopsticks for preschool packs .50, and a tote bag for Graisan .25. 

Last but not least riding horses that make noise for .25 each. Look at those smiles for the low price of 50 cents lol!

We started at 7:00 and ended at 11:00. It was hot and muggy today but totally worth it to us for all the deals we found!

Introduction ~ About us!

So here we are! A chef, a homeschool mom, a techy drummer with no idea of what he's going to do, a musical giant/entrepreneur, a signing (not singing) aspiring hair and makeup artist, a Russian biker, a tiny diva and a mini youtube addict. Together we are: Wild Stalyns!! Not really, we are the VanDusen clan. We are going to take you along on the adventure of our so called life. We are just your average home-schooling, do it yourselfer, crunchy-type family doing our best to serve the Lord.

The beginning: The year was 1992. Billy stalked Mandee in a 1970 dodge coronet while they were both working at John C. Lincoln hospital. He thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She thought he was scary. He was a cook, she was a file clerk. He made sure he went on break the same time she did, so he could watch her from across the courtyard. If not for a little old lady named Mary, they would have never met (he was way too shy). But they did and six months later they were married.

The Middle: Alex, our oldest, was born Jan 94. He was our honeymoon baby. River followed 2 years later in Feb 96. After having two rotten little boys God blessed us with our blonde haired blue eyed angel, Graisan. This has since been reversed as the boys are no longer rotten and Graisan has hit teendom. After having 3 kids and only being 23 Mandee got her tubes tied. A decision she has recently come to regret. That didn't stop us from adding to the family though. In 2006 we became foster parents with the intention of ONLY fostering. Ha yeah right! Aly, originally from Kazakstan (yes where Borat lives) came to live with us at age 5. She was officially made a VanDusen in 2010. Reanna was our first baby placement, she was only 4 days old. We adopted her in 2009 and her baby brother Nicholas, which we also got at 4 days old, in 2010.

The Present: Two years ago, God moved us to Sin City! Billy is a chef at the all new Tropicana and Mandee is a full time minion manager. So far Vegas is way better than we thought. Who knew it would have such a great home school community? Mandee even found her own little treasure trove of crunchy moms just like her called Pinkpeas! Billy is having fun Cheffing again. The boys are into the local music scene. Graisan has found a home with a sign language ministry called signs of the spirit, and for now the younger ones are along for the ride.

This Blog: People tell us all the time we should have our own show. Well this is as close as we're going to get. Cause the Osbournes we aint :). We thought doing this blog together would be fun for us and maybe even for you. So subscribe and come along on the adventures!