Rathbone: Eggs for Hatching, Eggs for Eating, Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

[rathbone]

Rathbone: Apron for Ian

Carmel-by-the-Sea sounds so nice. Our area is really small and the nice thing is that even if you move or marry and change your name you will still get your mail. The postal carriers all know all of us that well.
I once received hatching eggs and our mailman, knowing I was at work (and worrying when he saw the words "live embryo" on the box) drove all the way across town to give the box to my husband at work just to make sure nothing happened to the "embryos".

We started working our way through the "List of Deliciousness" this weekend. I made pumpkin cookies. Yum!

We made laundry soap on Saturday. My last batch I made I followed a recipe that called for: 1 bar fels naptha, 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of A&H washing soda. All this in THREE gallons of water. Truthfully, I felt like the clothes didn't get clean enough. I couldn't see dirt, but I could smell - well they just didn't smell of nothing which is what I want to smell when I smell fresh washed clothes. I want to smell nothing. And they still didn't smell as clean as I thought they should so, we did the same recipe but used only TWO gallons of water. I will let you know if this remedies the "freshness issue".

I also did an apron for one of my nephews. He is eight years old and had requested an apron. I wish I had a more juvenile print (you know - sharks or cowboys or something) but I am trying to stick to using up fabric I already have. This fabric I thought was beautiful and more refined. I put a lot of attention into the details. I did a tricky little thing on the pockets that I was very happy with. Hopefully he loves it. He cooks quite a bit.

front

pocket detail

back (I like lined aprons)

 

[Britesea]

That is a really nice looking apron. I think your original idea of a juvenile print might have looked cute, but this will be more appropriate as he grows older, so this is a gift that will be appreciated for much longer.

 

[snapshot]

Great job on the apron!!!!!! I use the same recipe for laundrey soap and I always use about 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the rinse water. No smell at all!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Lovely apron!! I have made my first batch of powdered laundry soap...been using it.
1 bar Zote
1 bar Fel Naptha
4 C washing soda

Grate the bars and mix with the powders. I use 1/2 in wash...but DH is a machinist and gets filthy. I have to was his stuff separately anyway, because of metal shavings, chemical compounds, etc.
I may have got the recipe wrong...but it ended up enough to fill my old sun tea jar that I store it in. I have the recipe around somewhere.

 

[rathbone]

I don't know what exactly to blame the "not fresh" clothes on. Is it the new laundry soap or is because we are now trying to wear our clothes more than once before washing? I will keep working on it till I figure it out. Husband and I had a lengthy conversation about how much laundry soap to put in each load. (he washes the clothes) He tends to chintz more than I do - which of course makes me think the clothes just are not getting clean. He says the clothes don't smell dirty. But I have always had this gift of being able to smell things that other people swear aren't even there.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I don't know what exactly to blame the "not fresh" clothes on. Is it the new laundry soap or is because we are now trying to wear our clothes more than once before washing? I will keep working on it till I figure it out. Husband and I had a lengthy conversation about how much laundry soap to put in each load. (he washes the clothes) He tends to chintz more than I do - which of course makes me think the clothes just are not getting clean. He says the clothes don't smell dirty. But I have always had this gift of being able to smell things that other people swear aren't even there.

My DH lost hi sense of smell over 5 year ago..so I am the one to do all the sniffing here. I just use what it takes to do the load. My clothes..(always worn more than once), take
less soap then his grubby stuff anyway. If I run a load, and I am not satisfied with the results, I just adjust the amount of soap the next time. I don't know what you will do since your DH does the laundry loads. Maybe his definition of "clean"...is different then yours(?) Good luck with that.

 

[rathbone]

Yes it is hard because we don't have the same standards. He is very relaxed. I am a nitpicking, micromanaging fool is what I am. Poor man. I sure do love him even if he can't do laundry up to my standards.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Mine is merely anal OCD.....CDO alphabetized. I clean my toilet daily...or almost daily. The tub..ditto. We only have the master bedroom, kitchen and 1 bathroom right now....although I do sweep, organize, and clean the 4 rooms that we cannot use or live in yet.....due to the need to demo parts of them. They are just un-inhabitable right now. But, they are clean

 

[rathbone]

Too funny - I have OCD also.

 

[rathbone]

Well yesterday was my birthday. I am proud to announce I made it to 46. I hope to live to be 103 and dandle my great, great grandchildren on my knee.

My sons surprised me with a handwritten card that said "Hapy Birtay" and a little box of candy full of slightly smashed chocolates. Best gift I got all year! They were very, but very excited it was my birthday because that means ... birthday cake.
So I rushed home from work on my lunch hour and baked a cake for myself and left it in the kitchen cooling. When we all got home from work, husband led them into the kitchen and let them frost the cake and put the candles on. They frosted away and put all the candles we had on the cake. I had actually wanted the full 46 candles on the cake. Apparently we only had 24 candles though. That little cake was lit up like a burning house. I cannot imagine what 46 candles would actually look like.
Well it worked like a charm. They came out of the kitchen and were positively delighted with themselves having "surprised" me with a cake. "I got you chocolate because I know that is what you like. And chocolate is my favorite too." Amarante said.

It was a very, very happy birthday.