HennyPenny's random thoughts. New set of goals!

[hennypenny9]

What's the difference between the laundry soap you make, and the laundry bar in your book? I'd be interested in what that is. And by "discount" do you mean superfatting?

Okay, does anyone ever notice how being busy seems to be something to brag about? I keep hearing these conversations and it drives me nuts!

"Oh, well I just never have the time! What with my work schedule, and my husband's, and the kids soccer practice..."

"It's just been so crazy lately! Honestly, I hardly have time to think. I volunteer at..."

"Well I'm never at home, really. Just have so much to do! You know me, never a dull moment!"

Well I never want to be those people. I want a dull job! I want to have the opposite life as them. And if things do get "crazy", I want it to be with my hobbies, not my work. Like with gardening, or animals, or something productive, not related to MONEY. I mean, their whole life is for show. Like how good their job is, what their husband does, how good their kids do in school, where they volunteer, etc, etc. They certainly don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts! They do it so they can tell others. Sorry I'm cranky today. I had one too many of those people at my work. When I ask what they're making, they launch into this story...

"Oh, well, I make quilts and donate them to charity. What do you mean it's not on sale??? Well then FORGET it!"

I'm not ripping on donating or volunteering, of course. Just the self-serving attitude that's behind it. I dunno how many of you are religious, but remember that story about the lady who gave a coin of small value, and how it was worth more than what the rich people gave, because it was out of her want, not her surplus... (And many of these self-righteous people at my work say it's for their church, too!) Anyway, I'll just stop now.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree, Henny! It does seem to be popular to seem busy all the time but when you dissect that busy-ness it seems to really be running kids here and there or scheduling life around their favorite TV show or shopping. No real need for all that running but it looks like they are in demand or their lives have purpose.

Its funny how much folks gauge their worth on such things. To me, if you are busy all the time, you need to look at time management and priorities. If you have not done this and still run around like a chicken with your head cut off, you obviously are only busy because you choose to be. Not because its out of necessity.

This job gets busy for me at times, especially when the boss takes a week off. But, other than that, my most important priority is family time at home, face to face and personal. My co-workers think I don't "have a life". To me, that IS life! The other stuff is just for folks who don't know what is really important.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Once you have your chickens and garden going, you can join the ranks of the "crazy schedule" people. At least that is what happened to me. It seems like once I started working part-time (instead of full time), then I filled my life up to the brim with other things! Of course I am kind of ambitious about projects, and I shouldn't be so much. I should remember that I don't like ambitious people! LOL

Busy for me is good (keeps me somewhat out of trouble) but I certainly don't see it as something to brag about!

There was a time in my life when I never seemed to have enough to keep me occupied. I kind of miss that, but at the same time it had it's drawbacks too.

If it makes you feel any better today, I have heard that it is usually the people with the most money that insist on trying to get discounts.

 

[hennypenny9]

Bee- It's so true that some people can't manage time and errands! Like the one's who talk on their blue tooth phones. Do they talk of important things? No, and they waste all sorts of time that way!

Drakemaiden- That's a good kind of busy, though. I would be fine with that! I used to never want to sleep when we had baby chicks. I always wanted to watch them, give them treats, and such. But I find that stuff at home, with animals and plants can keep you busy, but not as STRESSED. It's so calming to weed, or watch the chickens.

 

[Beekissed]

One of my favorite activities around here is to sit on the front porch and watch the world whiz by. The people in the cars really slow down and gawk at us as we sit on the porch talking. Its like they've never seen people relaxing on a porch after a hard day's work.

They also gawk at the chickens....no one free ranges around here...too many commercial growers and the free range flocks are a "threat" to their bio-security!

I have been living here for four years and have only seen people sitting on a porch talking to each other one time.....well, except for us, that is.

I wonder if they are driving by questioning themselves on why these people on the porch seem to have time to just sit there and talk? :/

 

[keljonma]

Customer service - it can be the best of jobs or the worst of jobs - on the same day!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

One of my favorite activities around here is to sit on the front porch and watch the world whiz by. The people in the cars really slow down and gawk at us as we sit on the porch talking. Its like they've never seen people relaxing on a porch after a hard day's work.

Some days I feel like the people in the car, but other days I feel like I never want to get out of that chair on the porch! I have found that if I want to experience the latter, then it has to be a priority or it doesn't happen!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep! I just look at the kids, who are watching a movie on the DVD after supper, and say....how about sitting on the porch and talking awhile? They usually hop up and traipse out to the porch because they know that we will be taking a walk down memory lane or making each other laugh about something. MUCH better than the movie......

 

[Farmfresh]

What's the difference between the laundry soap you make, and the laundry bar in your book? I'd be interested in what that is. And by "discount" do you mean superfatting?

Yes "discount" is super fatting. You want a laundry bar to have very little or no extra fat in the bar as that makes the soap clean cleaner. I usually do 1 to 2 percent super fatted just to make sure that all of the lye is chemically bound.

The laundry BAR is like Zote or other laundry bar. You can grate it up and add to water or other ingredients to make a liquid or gel soap. Like I said before I have never tried it.

The book is "The Soapmaker's Companion" by Susan Miller Cavitch

She uses almost ALL vegetable ingredients in her soaps and doesn't approve of lard or other cheaper animal fats. That is part of the reason I have never made this bar as it costs more.

Blowin' in the Wind Laundry Soap

224 grams sodium hydroxide (lye powder)
19 oz distilled water (minus 3/4 cup to be used later)
4 tablespoons borax
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons ammonia
16 oz coconut oil
21 oz vegetable shortening
14 oz palm oil
3 - 4 Tablespoons baking soda (sifted)

Special instructions: Immediately after dissolving the sodium hydroxide in the water, add the borax and stir well. Bring the reserved 3/4 cup of water to a near boil add salt and sugar and stir until dissolved, then add ammonia. Get the oils, the sugar water and the lye solution all to 100 degrees and combine well. Add baking soda just before trace.

To make Laundry GEL: Shred above soap with cheese shredder and add 8 cups pure water. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer 10 minutes. Pour into a heat proof container and cover. Within a day the soap will be a gel.

To make Laundry LIQUID: Make as for gel but add 2 cups of vinegar to the 8 cups of water.


This is an interesting book, but I have really not used many of the recipes myself.

Hope this helps.

 

[hennypenny9]

Thanks Farmfresh. Made plain 100% lard soap today. The lard was $1.89 for 16 ounces. So usually the recipes use either half a bar of Fels Naptha (2.5 ounces) or a whole bar of regular soap, like Ivory, which is 3 ounces. So lets go with 3 ounces.

Homemade soap $2.00 (lard + lye). 5 batches, at 3 ounces = $.40
Washing Soda $2.89. At least 10 batches at 1/2 cup = $.29
Borax $3.89. 14 batches, at 1/2 cup = $.28

Total: $.97 per batch

Since the batch uses 2 gallons of water, and you use 1/2 cup each load, that's 64 loads for each batch.

Total cost per load of laundry: $.015

(I didn't add tax, but I can actually get a couple more batches out of the dry ingredients, so I think it evens out)

So I still need to let the soap cure for 3-4 weeks? And tell me that the bacon smell goes away!

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It's sooooo humid here! It got to 97% for a while! I do not like! It's 92% right now. Had some thunder and lightning! Love that, though!

Bought Olive Leaf capsules. It was strange standing in the natural section of the grocery store looking at all the herbal stuff. I used to do the same thing, only at our Nature Path's office. That's my earliest (and only) memory of a doctor's office. I don't remember the actual room really. Just that built-in set of shelves by the receptionist's desk. And I think the whole place only had two or three exam rooms, plus the doctor's personal office. Anyway, it was much better organized at the doctor's than at the grocery store. (Go figure!)