Phew. I am tired, and this was an easy day! Freya slept in, and so did Wheaton...and so did I. In between juggling infants, Aaron doing homework and class, we set up a wading pool for Freya. It has a slide in the shape of a seal. Boo ya.

Some days I can't get over how blessed I am to be the mother of such an amazing child. She smiles at all my ridiculous faces and weird voices (finally, someone who appreciates my talents.) And then there are those things that I am not trying do that she finds so entertaining. I threw her rubberducks in the air and caught (small miracle, I know) them. She giggled, and giggled, and giggled. So, I kept throwing...and Aaron and I laughed so hard we were crying. Well, if you don't have an infant you may think we are just a bunch of sappy, easily entertained folk. If you do have an infant, you know it's true. But we are okay with it.

Freya and I went to Grandma and Grandpa James' today. Granny sang twinkle twinkle little star to Freya, and the second verse. I don't think I knew there was a second verse. Of course I can't remember it now, but it was awesome. Plus, there is just something soothing about her voice, off key though it may be.

And now, I will try (and most likely fail) to get to bed before 1:00 am.

homemade liquid laundry soap

Welp. I already posted this on facebook, but lets face it -- it looks cooler on here. I am getting ready to use my first batch of this cheap goodness!

Ingredients

4 cups hot water

1 fels-naptha soap bar

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

1. Grate soap bar into saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium low heat until dissolved and melted.

2. Fill a five gallon bucket with hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and borax. Stir well until all ingredients are dissolved. Add more water until the bucket is 2/3 full. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

3. Stir. Fill a used, clean laundry soad container half full with the soap mixture, and half full with water. Shake before each use. This solution will gel.

4. Optional -- you may add 10-15 drops of essential oils per two gallons. Add after soap has cooled.

*top load machine 5/8 cup per load (180 loads per batch)

* front load machine 1/4 cup per load (600 loads per batch)

The blogging world? We have been estranged for a while, hopefully we can get reacquainted.

First and foremost I found an amazing idea for a cake plate. I get really excited about very strange things. Plus, if I tried to do an update on my life -- over the time that I have been blogger comatose -- you would be reading until the time I would be starting a Christmas letter. Then there you would be. Reading about me again. So, crafty ideas (that I borrow wholeheartedly from other people) here I come. Instead of actually stepping out this project -- I have provided a link. To sum it up though, you use an epoxy to attach a vase to a vintage plate to create...an amazing cake plate. Reminds me of the time a friend an I attached a giant, plastic ant to the top of her mazda. The epoxy held for years. Good stuff.

http://http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.merrimentdesign.com/images/retro-mini-cupcakes-on-handmade-dinner-plate-cake-stand_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.merrimentdesign.com/retro-mini-cupcakes-on-handmade-dinner-plate-cake-stand.php&usg=__JoSXJNJ8c2s1GVCwKff2XUC6sNw=&h=318&w=475&sz=42&hl=en&start=15&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=T6iWkYDJxmuemM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dretro%2Bcupcake%2Bdesigns%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS375%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1