Greetings from this white and cool Wednesday afternoon. We are experiencing another snowdown! While white is on my mind out side, white is currently making me think from my laundry room.

I am a tad bit of a lover of white…sheets…towels…little girl tops. I am very particular about my laundry and the produce of clean, crisp whites every week. I must express that after a good two weeks of washing with my home-made laundry soap I am still more then happy with it’s washing abilities. It was commented that often home-made laundry soap makes clothing (overtime) look dingy. At this point I have no experience with the long-term use of this recipe. My Mom has washed her clothing with this recipe for years and I have not noticed their clothing looking bleak. It is a very mild recipe so this might help in that area. If you have extra dirty clothing, produced by little explores who love the chic look of mud and dirt layered over their clothing; you might like to add some extra washing soda to your recipe.

Home-made Laundry Soap

1 bar of grated soap. I used 1 cup of soap flakes (pre-grated from the health food store).

Place the soap flakes in a saucepan with 4cups water. Warm until the soap has dissolved.

Then add 1 cup of washing soda and ½ cup borax (My mom uses 1 cup of borax)

Stir really well then pour into a large container. I used a medium sized Rubbermaid storage container with a well fitting lid.

Add 1 gallon of warm/hot water. Mix well. Now add 2 gallons of cool water. Mix well. At this point add any essential oils you might like. This is just a little personal touch; it is not necessary for your recipe to work. The laundry soap should harden within 24 hours. I could see mine gelling almost instantly. The consistency of the set laundry soap is not perfect. You will notice that there are some patches of water around the set laundry soap. This might be because I did not stir it enough, or because I used less borax. I use one cup per full load. I pour the laundry soap in first and let the washer fill for a few seconds and then add my dirty clothing. So far works like a cleaning charm!

On to the Calendula Cream recipe. This recipe is so easy and a non-fail recipe. If you are confident around herbs you could add different herbs for different uses. For instance I use my basic recipe for things like babies and an after bath moisturiser for my children and of course my self. As my tummy skin stretches to accommodate baby, I add Vitamin E oil and almond oil to my infusion. As summer approaches I add a bit of citronella as a bug repellent. I have added comfrey, borage, arnica, and goldenseal all for the different needs these herbs aid. You could add just about any herb that has a benefit to you… It is a very versatile recipe. I add these herbs to the calendula flowers and infuse it the exact same way.

In a large glass jar, add a few cups of dried calendula flower (add any other herb you are using) cover your herbs double with olive oil (or any other oil). Put a lid on it and store for six weeks. After the six weeks is up, strain the oil through cheesecloth. Measure your oil into a pot. You will add 1 ounce of pure beeswax to every cup of oil you have. Warm the oil gently until the beeswax has dissolved. Once it has dissolved you are now ready to pour the warm oil into a container/s of choice. Let cool completely. It will harden and set as the oil cools. You could also add an essential oil to scent the cream if you would like, add this just before you pour into the container. Enjoy.

Well the snow has continued to fall and my little lady has just completed making ‘Snow Balls’ all on her own, with her cookbook. I am going to sit with her and enjoy her tasty domestic handy work.




Here I am posting this blog on Friday, very obviously not Wednesday…oh you should hear the drama of my last few days. Trust me that will come soon. For now enjoy my Wednesday post…