Being Wise

My Grandma Turner's Ball of String

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without." 

--unknown

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Old Fashion Popcorn

We have for years used microwave popcorn and it was easy and pretty tasty.  Lately not so much though and when I saw this blogpost I had to try it.

MaryJane blogs at The Beehive Cottage and just the pictures alone will inspire you to try her popcorn. I definitely give it my thumbs up.  Fluffy, tasty and so much more healthy without all the additives of microwave popcorn.  Much cheaper too.  Making a big batch would give me a reason to bring out the yellow bowl more often too.

Give MaryJane's old fashion popcorn a try and see what you think.

Old Standby Revisited

Tomorrow is my day to go over to my daughter's home and hang out with the 4 TLC's but we are changing things up a bit this time.  Precious Husband is going with me so he can spend time with the kids and allow Danielle and I time to do a mega shopping and cooking day in the kitchen.  Looking forward to getting lots of good things stocked in the freezer.

In preparation for the day I automatically think about two very favorite cookbooks, Make a Mix and More Make a Mix by Karine Eliason.  These are cookbooks I have had for years and their pages show the signs of ingredients that got to close to their pages.  Hey, these are memory making stains right?

With the economy as it is making the price of groceries skyrocket cookbooks like this are so much more important.  Cooking from scratch and buying the ingredients in bulk if possible makes so much sense.

So tonight I will get my cookbooks out and get a list of ingredients going on paper and look forward to a big day tomorrow.

Using What You Have

When it comes to decorating and especially creating table scapes I love to use what I already have around the house.  Using what I have and thus decorating with a frugal flare.  It is fun.  It makes me use my imagination.  Getting an idea from someone else and adding a twist of my own.  One of my favorite things about reading blogs is seeing all the beautiful decorating ideas ladies come up with.  This often fuels my imagination for my own decorating.  Shopping from my own shelves to create something fresh and new -- a fun and frugal thing.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have read online several places about making my own laundry soap so I gave it a try several months ago and have not gone back to Tide since.  Because I am doing this blog with my daughters in mind thought I would post my recipe and how I go about making it.




I grate 3 bars of Kirk's Castile Soap with a cheese grater  then whirl it in the food processor till it becomes the size of rock salt (small as possible).  To this I add 1 1/2 cups of Borax and 3 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda).  All these products can be found at Fry's or Walmart.  Mix all together and store in container of choice.  You know me, I had to put mine in a cute little chippy vintage enamel pot with a lid.  I use 2 tablespoons per load of laundry.  When I do my whites I usually add some Oxyclean too.  My clothes are clean, fresh smelling and soft.  This recipe makes enough for about 51 loads.  Making my own laundry detergent is one of the things I enjoy doing as I watch over the affairs of my household