Housewifery Wednesday: Laundry Edition

Laundry is something that I'm kind of obsessive about - but I can kind of justify it.

Let me begin by saying:

1. I do laundry MULTIPLE times a week, which may seem ridiculous since it's only me & Boyfriend.

2. I've been on prednisone since Thanksgiving-ish and I've gained a lot of weight and - TMI! - gotten sweatier. Sooo attractive.

Pleasant, right? So here is my justification for obsessive laundering: since I'm fatter than usual, there are limited outfits that I'm willing to wear 'cause I'm too cheap/vain to buy Prednisone Made Me Fat Clothes. And since I'm sweatier than usual, these choice pieces of clothing must be laundered more frequently.

MOVING ON.. I've been having some Laundry Issues lately - detergent stains (which of course only happen on favorite fancy clothes) - which is a Major Problem, since I have a restricted wardrobe. I switched from bright a$$ blue Tide to a clear detergent, but am STILL finding those annoying blue spots (while we're on the subject, do YOU know why detergent is blue?), so I have begun to explore non-detergent options of laundering.

I found a number of homemade detergent options, but most of them result in what has been referred to as a "gelatinous slime," and I'm not really into that. So when I found this recipe on DIY Natural, I was sold. It has the same basic ingredients as the others - shaved soap, borax, and washing soda - but where the other recipes ask you to boil everything together with some water, thus producing the slime/gel, the DIY Natural recipes only asks you politely to mix them into a neat powder. How easy can it get!?

I had to try it. If only for you, my dedicated and loyal audience of Kristen and Stacy. Also for my clothes' sake.

The recipe is very straightforward and not all that pretty to look at, so I didn't take pictures, but I have some advice:

1. If you use a box grater, like me, use the smallest side. I used the second smallest side and my ingredients did not mix as well.
2. BE CAREFUL while grating! I managed to grate myself only once but dang. It's not fun.
3. If you're using a hard soap (like Fels-Naptha), don't worry about grating the  e n t i r e  thing - I saved the last nubbin to use as a pre-treater.
4. If your soap is scented, be sure that you like the scent. My laundry now smells wonderfully clean thanks to the Fels-Naptha, but I can only imagine my misery if I'd gone with something like Irish Spring.

I've been using ~1 tablespoon per load of laundry and that seems to work out nicely. Because my soap shavings are bigger than they should be, I try to stir my detergent up before I measure it out, just to make sure that I get a good combination of soap, borax, and washing soda. It's a very simple recipe and MUCH cheaper than buying the liquid stuff at the grocery store!

What kind of detergent do you use? Any laundry tips or advice?

Confession

I am 11 years-old.

At my request, my sister bought me this for my birthday.

yep. that's a Pillow Pet.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my penguin and I have some grading to do.

My #1 Most Famous and Popular Post Ever

Yep.  My Kourtney & Khloe post.  It was linked to in an article on ShelterPop over the summer and I am STILL getting hits from it.  Variations on "Kourtney and Khloe bedding" is also still my #1 search.  And for the record, Serena & Lily doesn't sell that bedding anymore.  Just FYI.

Summer 2010 were my blogging glory days.  Maybe I can convince Boyfriend to sponsor my blogging career this summer... ;)

TiLT #16

HGTV's annual Dream Home giveaway!  Check out this year's gorgeous house in Vermont (and then, if you're like me, begin fantasizing unrealistically about how you'll spend the cash.. so many possibilities!) - but don't bother entering the giveaway, as I'm definitely going to win this year. ;)

Swoon!

Keep in Touch

Not sure if anyone else is as obsessed with NPR as I am, but one of this week's most emailed stories is about a man who wrote a year of thank you notes. Thanks might not be the most stimulating topic, but I love writing letters and notes (and who doesn't love getting mail!?). Good stationary is half the battle, but don't worry - I've found some super cute cards for y'all ;)

Monogrammed paisley notecards from luckybeepress on etsy

Boatman Geller's personalized stationary from Paper Concierge

Carriage Trade monogrammed notecards from Gadabout

Blue swirl design letterpress card from pistachiopress on etsy

Kate Spade's Snail Mail cards from Kate's Paperie

Of course, you'll also need a fabulous pen to write with!  Allow me to suggest..

Campo Marzio's Delon rollerball pen at Kate's Paperie

Retro 1951's Deluxe Tornado 'Vino' rollerball pen from Kate's Paperie

Happy writing! :]

Kourtney & Khloe meet Serena & Lily

There's something you need to know about me, friends..  I'm not ashamed to admit that I love the Kardashian sisters. This season on Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami (completely bananas) Kourtney had awesome bedding, frequently showcased with all of the Baby Mason love and 4am phone calls to Scott (eww). I tried to find some screen shots so that you all could could love on the bedding too, but I am sorry to say that Google has failed me.

Luckily, while I was trying to find more ways to spend my money, I happened upon this lovely Madeira bedding at Serena & Lily.. which is almost identical to Kourtney's.

The duvet cover and matching sheets (Lapis French Ring) are on sale right now, but they're still pretty expensive for my budget.  As I said, I'm not sure if these are an exact match to Kourtney's so for you, my loyal audience, I am willing to make this sacrifice: I will watch the season finale of Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami just to make sure and I will report back. ;)

If the title of this post had you hoping for a Kardashian / GG mashup, you're not alone.  I wish I could have delivered.  Maybe next time, mes chéris.

Built Ins

Someday I will have so many of these.