Homemade things!

I enjoy finding inexpensive, easy solutions to many home cleaning products.  A few years ago, I began making homemade laundry soap (inspired by the Duggar Family!) and have since grown to making my own dishwasher soap, glycerin soaps, candles, body scrubs, and homemade remedies.  Today, I thought I would share recipes of my favorites with you!!

Drain Clog Remover:

Recently, we had a slow draining, clogged bathtub drain.  I'm not one to keep a lot of chemical cleaners around, mostly out of habit from having eight little ones running around.  So I did what every frazzled woman does when she needs answers and needs them NOW:  I searched Google for homemade ways to attack the clog!  I found that pouring baking soda followed by vinegar easily and quickly "eats away" whatever is clogging the drain!


  
Dishwasher Soap:
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda!)
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
Mix well!  
This makes a powder solution, but you can add the mixture to 2-4 quarts of hot water to make a liquid soap, too.
Store in an air-tight container.

Homemade laundry soap (from www.duggarfamily.com):
4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.




Easy Salt Scrub:
1 cup of finely ground sea salt
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8-10 drops of essential oil (Such as peppermint, tea tree, grapefruit, or bergamot) 

For more information about body scrubs, visit:  http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/homemade-body-scrub.html

Spring Cleaning: Kids Edition

When my kids were younger, I fought trying to find ways to organize them so that I wasn't constantly cleaning up after them.  It seemed at times as though I would get one area all picked up and cleaned, moved to the next area, and the kids had drug toys out or changed clothes for the third time in a day!  That had to stop, especially because I was not teaching them to appreciate and care for their own things.  Organization had to happen!

(C) www.instructables.com

When I only had three little ones, I got three different colored milk crates:  blue, red, and pink.  We had two boys and a girl, so this was a simple way to organize things.  We bought a dresser with five drawers and painted two drawers blue, two drawers red, and the bottom drawer pink.  I bought children's hangers in, yep!  Blue, red, and pink!  So now I was armed with a color coding system, and I began to train them to put their toys in their crate, hang up clothes on their hangers, and put folded clothes into their drawers.  I was investing in a tool that would serve them as adults and that they might also pass on to their children one day.
Fast forward to a house of eight children--color coding became a bit more difficult as there really weren't many options for milk crate colors.  Hangers and painting drawers was somewhat simple because the older two boys shared a room, the younger three boys shared a room and all three girls shared a room.  So long as the hangers never left their rooms, they could choose identical colors.  As odd as it may seem, this color coding actually drifted over into our dishware and cups!
Now that my children are older, some are adults and have moved into their own homes, color organization is less frequently used.  The kids who are still at home have developed their own sense of organization.  In many cases, it is not how I would organize, but at least they understand that organization has to happen if they are to have an organized spiritual life and personal life.
I regularly have the children bring all of their clothes into my room where we decide what to keep, give away, and throw away (because it's just too far gone to even donate!).  Toys are minimal at this point as only the youngest two children really play with them any more.  But we regularly downsize those as well.

(C) AGirlandHerMutt.com

Finally, the last aspect of organization that I almost demand but definitely expect is for their beds to be made, bedroom floors picked up.  The rule is usually that I have to be able to get to their beds without tripping over something!  A room that is picked up will increase the likelihood that other areas will be maintained as well.  Although, this is not a guarantee, it does make the room (and whole house really!) feel more in order, calm, and peaceful.

I hope this article has given you some ideas!  If you have suggestions for moms to keep children organized, I'd love to hear them!



Blessings!!

One Thing...IMAGINE!

I want to revisit my "One Word" for the year:  IMAGINE!  The past few weeks I've met with several friends to discuss their dreams and visions, use me as a sounding block for ideas they've had, and to come up with creative ideas for books and businesses.  I've very much enjoyed my time with each of these people not for what I get to talk to them about as much as for what I'm sowing into their lives and my own.


One of the key things I have asked the people I've met with is this:  Tell me what you IDEAL day looks like.   (Later) Tell me what you IDEAL week looks like.
Can you see your ideal day or week and how it would progress?  Are you having a hard time seeing passed what your life and days look like right now?  That's okay...for now.  But don't be content to stay where you are!  IMAGINE your ideal day and week now.  What can you do to start helping that day or week begin to take shape?

I met with a friend who was considering becoming a consultant of a home-based business.  I asked her why she was considering it, and like many of us her reply was to do something just for herself outside of family life.  I asked if that was her dream, but I knew it wasn't.  She's an incredibly talented singer!  So I asked her what was keeping her from doing that, and you know what she said?  Nothing.  She just didn't know where to start.  So we discussed some ideas and two days later she and I met again at a function, and she told me that she had talked to someone in her church about playing guitar and they are going to start performing at a local venue in town!  THAT is what the Lord can do with your dream or vision when you begin to focus on Him and the talent, dream, goal, or vision He has given you for your life!!

In case you are wondering about my ideal week, here's a glimpse.  It's not by any means specific (YET!), but it gives me a vision for something.  One of my favorite quotes is:  If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it 100% of the time.  I don't want to aim for nothing!  I want to aim for something, even if I fall short.

My ideal week looks something like this:

•      Meetings with people to help realize their dreams, goals, and visions 
•      Start the kids on school in the mornings; write/blog while they are doing school
•      Be a speaker at various organizations such as MOPS, women's groups/ministries, writer's conferences
•      Weekends off for family time

As I was sitting in church this past Sunday, the Lord showed me that my IDEAL week is taking shape!  The week is beginning to look just as I imagined, I mean JUST AS I IMAGINED!  I saw my ideal week long ago, and I began to schedule meetings (by faith, really!) to start living toward what I could see and all it took was one thing, one step toward my vision.

What ONE THING can you do today to begin guiding and steering that goal, dream or vision that the Lord has given you?  I'd love to hear from you!

Blessings!

Trauma Plan Giveaway--WINNER!!!

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway!!!  The winner of the Trauma Plan signed copy is:

Josh K.!

Congratulations!!!  

Q&A with Trauma Plan author Candace Calvert

It has been wonderful working with Candace on this book giveaway and also having her as a friend and mentor as a writer.  I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the inspiration and person she is!!

 

What inspired you to write your first book?

I’d been disappointed that TV medical shows offer  lights-and-siren excitement, hospital lingo, and interpersonal drama, but very rarely address issues of faith. As an ER nurse, I saw how many prayers were sent heavenward by patients, family, and medical staff, too.  My intent was to “help Grey’s Anatomy find its soul.” And add a measure of wholesome romance, because that’s good medicine too.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I love that other medical authors have arrived on scene, like Dr. Richard Mabry (The Prescription for Trouble series, Stress Test), and Jordyn Redwood (Proof, Poison).  It’s like having a team again, being back in “scrubs.” I also enjoy reading the work of fellow Tyndale author Janice Cantore (the Pacific Coast Justice series). She’s a veteran police officer, and I’m a retired ER nurse—those careers often intersect, and I love that she and I now share a readership.

What are your current projects?

Rescue Team, the continuing story of nurse of Kate Callison of Trauma Plan, releases May 1^st. And I’ve just completed the final manuscript in the Grace Medical series, (working title) First Responder.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

(Smiling) It’s funny that you should ask this question. When we sent advanced copies of Rescue Team out for early reads, authors Janice Cantore and Jordyn Redwood offered gracious endorsements. But both of these suspense authors asked the same question about a secondary plot line that didn’t feel quite “tied up.”  I sent an SOS of sorts to my wonderful editor, and was able to insert a few lines before the final book went to print. The advanced copies, however, had already been printed. Reviewers who got a copy from me, will find a separate note tucked into pg. 352 with my added (“spoiler”) edit.  Yes, I am that compulsive!

Who designed the covers?

Thank you for asking. I love the chance to give Tyndale House’s art and design department a round of applause! The covers for my Mercy Hospital series were designed by the very talented Mark Anthony Lane II. I hear he got teased plenty about all the hours he spent online searching for photos of good looking men! My newest cover designer, Stephen Vosloo, is also a photographer, so the search for cover heroes went “live” with a photo shoot. Trauma Plan’s Texan hero apparently has a delightful South African accent.

 I was even more surprised to learn that the cover model for Rescue Team served several tours of Afghanistan—such an honor to have my story’s hero depicted by a real life hero. 

Thank you, Lyn. I so appreciate this opportunity to connect with your readers. And I’d love to have them “scrub in” with my stories of hope. For more information they can visit my website: www.candacecalvert.com

Trauma Plan--Book Review

Sidelined by injuries from a vicious assault, chaplain Riley Hale is determined to return to her former duties as an ER nurse. But how can she show she’s competent when the hospital won’t let her attempt even simple tasks? Determined to prove herself, Riley volunteers at a controversial urban free clinic despite her fears about the maverick doctor in charge.

Dr. Jack Travis defends his clinic like he’s commander of the Alamo. He’ll fight the community’s efforts to shut its doors, even if he must use Riley Hale’s influential family name to make it happen.

As Riley strives to regain her skills, Jack finds that she shares his compassion—and stirs his lonely heart. Riley senses that beneath Jack’s rough exterior is a man she can believe in. But when clinic protests escalate and questions surface about his past, Jack goes into battle mode and Riley wonders if it’s dangerous to trust him with her heart.

This book blends action with compassion and real-life situations with humor and an engaging storyline that captivates the reader.   I personally fell in love with the main characters, Dr. Jack Travis and Nurse Riley Hale!  I liked how Candace Calvert brought the town of San Antonio to life during Fiesta, and the way she created scenes in an easy-to-imagine manner showing the reader sights, sounds, smells, and tastes to enhance the connection to the settings is something only a master of the craft of writing could do.  Candace Calvert weaves three story lines (at least!) alongside the main story of Trauma Plan and opens the door for additional stories in her Grace Medical series!

Purchase Trauma Plan at Amazon.com.  For more information about her other books, visit:  candacecalvert.com and her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/candacecalvertbooks


Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. She likens her exciting Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series to "Grey's Anatomy finds its soul." A native Californian, she is the mother of two and proud grandmother to seven.

Trauma Plan book GIVEAWAY!!!

Enter to win the first book in Candace Calvert's Grace Medical Series: Trauma Plan!!!  

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, she makes her home in northern California.

  
Be sure to check in tomorrow for my review of this action-packed medical drama and on Thursday I'll have a Q&A with Candace!!

Don't forget to share this GIVEAWAY with your friends!!







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