The Wonders of Fels Naptha!

Proverbs 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

I have to say that I just LOVE Fels Naptha soap! As Lauren mentioned in an earlier post, we are both making our own homemade laundry detergent. Although there are other soaps that can be used for this detergent (such as Ivory or Colgate's Ocatagon), we both prefer FN! It's just the best!! : )

I wanted to take a little time to highlight FN and all of the other economical things it can also be used for. The more uses for your product, the more bang for you $$$$! If you look here, you can see many of the uses listed below and then some!

"**Fels Naptha Soap is a fantastic stain remover and pre-treater. It works especially well on oil-based stains. Just rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels Naptha Soap. Let it sit for a while and launder as usual. It works great on baby clothes which have formula stains.

~For chocolate smudge on clothes, rub the stain with Fels Naptha Soap and let sit in your filled washer with 20 Mule Team Borax for 30 minutes. Launder as usual.

~Thoroughly wash all clothing including hats, gloves coats in Fels Naptha Soap to prevent an outbreak of poison ivy. Poison Ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels Naptha will eliminate the resin from your clothing.

~To remove Halloween makeup from clothing, simply work a little Fels Naptha into the stain and launder as usual. It may take a repeat washing to completely remove the stain.

~To clean white canvas tennis shoes, simply work the Fels Naptha Soap into a lather and use a soft brush to work into the canvas. Launder as usual without chlorine bleach.

~To remove old stains on colored clothes, make a solution of 2 cups warm water and 1/2 cup white vinegar. Pour on stain. Let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse well and work in Fels Naptha Soap. Launder as usual.

**Poison Ivy Prevention: Fels Naptha Soap has been used for over 100 years for the treatment and prevention of poison ivy, sumac and oak rash. If you think you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, shower immediaetly with Fels Naptha to remove the resin from your skin. This will greatly reduce and in most cases, prevent any skin reaction to the poison ivy oil. Make sure to launder your clothes in some shaved or grated fels naptha (about 1/16th of the bar) to remove the resin from your clothes. Poison Ivy resin can stay on your clothes for over 1 year even if the clothes have been washed with normal detergent.

~Poison Ivy Treatment: If you are exposed to poison ivy and you have a reaction, simply shower with Fels Naptha to remove any resin left on the skin and it will help to dry up the rash as well."

FN also can be useful for certain lawn care aspects, cleaning paint brushes, or just general cleaning for really tough jobs.

I also wanted to put up a quick post on the liquid version of our detergent:

*6 c. Water

*1/2 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated

*1/2 cup Washing Soda

*1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

*3 Gallon bucket to mix it in

*22 c. hot water

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 6 c. water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved and thickened, and remove from heat. Add 4 c. of hot water to large bucket (must be able to hold at least 3 gallons). Add soap mixture, and mix well. Add 1 gallon plus 6 c. (or 22 c.) hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.

I have made the liquid version, which works just as well as the powder. I just like the simplicity and the "lack of wait" for the powder much more!! : )

Again, I love FN and hope you find it as useful as I have!!!

~Page

P.S. Having trouble finding FN? Watch for sales here and get it for as little as $0.99!!!

SUSHI!!!!!!!

Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."




Ahh, sushi - you either love it or hate it. For me and my husband, it's true love and we look forward to eating it every chance we get!

A skilled Japanese sushi chef creates sashimi and sushi rolls that are beautiful, artistic and did I mention, DELICIOUS!?!? However, when you go to indulge in this exotic delicacy, you can expect to pay a price that is far from appetizing.

So with all that said, I am including a "How to make your own Sushi" post for those of you daring enough to try it!

Before I go much further, I can already hear those of you saying - Eeek, ewww, bleck, gag, raw fish! First, let me first say "bunch of wimps!!" haha! Ok, now I feel better, let me define the terms below and clarify that this "how to" post shows you how to make the classic California Roll, containing NO RAW fish. Just a side note though, raw fish is incredibly delicate, and fabulously scrumptious. Have an open mind and try it sometime, it is our favorite!!

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Definitions:
Sashimi- It primarily consists of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces (the key is VERY FRESH)
Sushi- is a Japanese dish consisting of cooked vinegar rice which is commonly topped with other ingredients, such as fish or other seafood, or put into rolls.

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So now that I've put your mind at ease knowing that the following recipe contains NO RAW fish, we can proceed.

~Ingredients~

-Seaweed sheets - (you'll find at your local Asian store, Wal-mart, most major grocery stores)

-Sushi Rice vinegar

-Sushi Rice - (sold at most grocery stores, must be a sticky rice)

-Cucumber x 1

-Avocado x 2

-Imitation crab meat

-Sesame seeds- toasted

~Once you've found these ingredients, the rest of the process is quite easy. It just takes some practice. Cook your rice according to the directions (be sure to rinse your rice several times first as it removes excess starch)Once it's cooked, add your sushi vinegar to taste -(if you can't find it, just buy rice vinegar and add some granulated sugar - again, this is to taste). Add your toasted sesame seeds to the rice, they will give it texture and an added dimension.

Julienne (long strips) the cucumber, slice the avocado and cut your crab into smaller strips.
Heat a small skillet on low and quickly place seaweed paper in it quickly on both sides to allow it to become more supple (do this very quickly, just to lightly heat the paper).

Next, take the seaweed and spread some rice on one half, and line up the veggies & crab. This part is fun, do it however you want to - if you want more rice or filling, make it accordingly. This is YOUR sushi!

Proceed to roll, gently squeezing as you go to keep the roll intact. Gently cut with sharp, serrated knife.

Garnish with pickled sushi ginger, spicy wasabi paste, and good soy sauce. (these should be easily found at most grocery stores)

This last step is my favorite - EAT IT! :-D Hope you've enjoyed this very informative post on my favorite food! Now I feel like eating Sushi....at midnight. haha!

~Lauren

Are you a Savvy Shopper?

Proverbs 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

This is quite a broad subject as you can literally shop for anything nowadays! Question is - are you a Savvy Shopper? Clever, discerning, sensible, wise, and ingenious are just a few synonyms of the word "savvy" and I believe they all describe how you MUST be if you are to find a good deal.

I am a girly-girl all the way and LOVE to shop! However, I have literally saved my husband and I, hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by being willing to hunt for amazing bargains and good deals. I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back, but letting you know that I talk from experience. :-) I can easily look around my house and view items purchased for a steal of a deal, or things that I transformed into something that would work perfectly in our home. I personally view it as a "game" or "treasure hunting", as it is quite FUN and an incredibly rewarding experience knowing that you're saving money! I definitely view it as one of the MANY responsibilities of being a Biblical help -meet for my husband and keeper of our home.

Craigslist.org, Ebay.com, thrift stores, consignment shops, and garage sales, are some of the most popular places to find a good deal. I know that there are many people not too keen on acquiring things 2nd hand, but let me tell you that if you're willing to try it - you'll quickly find yourself addicted to it!

I have gone into thrift stores and found brand new Aldo shoes (made in Italy), name brand clothing -new with tags, high quality dinnerware in perfect condition, antiques, Pottery Barn drapes new in package, these are just to name a FEW! You just never know what you'll find and hence why I call it "Treasure Hunting". Many people think that you have to go daily to find these deals, but I can tell you that I rarely ever get to go once a week, much less once every two weeks!! It is hit & miss, but you just never know what you'll find. It's worth it, so try it!!

In addition, many blogs are great resources of "Do It Yourself" projects -they show you how to refinish that old piece of furniture to make it look amazing, and thereby saving you lots of money! Our friend, Julie, is quite the inspiration with this and we find ourselves often in awe of her many creative ideas. You can view her blog here. You will not be disappointed!

If you don't like to do either of the above mentioned savvy shopping tactics, then you can always try your hand at couponing. Now for me personally, this is not something that I do very often, but I have friends that are amazing at it! They actually get paid to shop! ;-) My friend, Rachael, is quite informative on this subject and has a blog that goes into much more detail. You can check out her blog, here.

Now if you just don't want to do any of the items listed above, then I believe you can STILL be a savvy shopper (just not AS good-ha!). I believe planning ahead is KEY. Planning requires thinking ahead and preparing accordingly, you will save yourself time, money and stress by doing this. A few ideas along this line are having a gift closet, and collecting nice items that you find on clearance and having them on hand for just the time you need them. Shopping throughout the year and acquiring items for Christmas (we will have a post about this very topic soon!). Stocking up on sale items at the grocery store that you can easily freeze or store in pantry. Canning homemade goods and giving them as gifts. Be creative and think of ways that you can plan ahead and save your family time and money - become a SAVVY SHOPPER!

The little things really do add up - I think everyone realizes this. However, as you save your family in the "little areas", it really will show and add up. Figure out the ways you can save money and pocket those pennies for the more important things in life. You'll be SO glad you did!!

What are some ways that YOU save your family money? We'd love to hear what you do to save those hard earned dollars! :-)



~Lauren