You know the economy is bad when.....

When you have to sell your kids. Ok, we weren't really selling our kids but it sure looked as though we were. Halen came running in the house asking for supplies to make a sign. Sadie and Halen decided that it would be fun to earn some money from doing a yard sale. They gathered who knows what, out of the basement and stood on the curb with these signs. I thought that this would easily keep them entertained while I had some time to breathe. I expected that they may entice the neighborhood kids, (I am sure that their parents are thrilled with the new junk at their house. Sorry Holly and Lindsey) what I did not expect was that adults in cars would stop by the junk sale, even strangers. I had to start keeping a pretty good eye on them out the window. When all was said and done after 3 hours they had made $8.00. They sat down with no help and split the money evenly, and they said that they are saving it for Alaska and Hawaii. (I don't know when or if they are going there).

What Utah kids have to do for entertainment

This is what Aubrie and her BFF Aspen found for entertainment, it was a cold weekend and they swapped clothes and pretended to be each other. They tricked us for a few minutes, and this made them squeal with delight. These girls have been the best of friends since 2nd grade, they only get to see each other on long weekends because Aspen moved out of town. They are pretty silly.

Basketball

I am a little slow posting these pictures, but my parents were in town a couple of weeks ago and I am finally getting around to it. Grandma and Grandpa were thrilled to learn that they were able to fit Jayden and Dallin's basketball game into their short trip.

If this doesn't make you laugh......

Summers of the Past- 2007

You can't eat it

Here is another recipe that I finally have the time to post. I am all about saving a few bucks with these home made cleaners

Kitchen countertop spray

1/2 cup of borax
2 cups hot water

Dissolve borax, put in spray bottle, spray on counters and wipe off with a dry towel.

I have been using these cleaners not only to save money but just because I know what is in them and I hope that they are healthier. I have not thrown out my old cleaning products that I used to buy, I am using them up and not re-buying them. Many of these recipes are old-fashioned and were widely used before name brand cleaning products were sold in stores. I love this idea.

Jayden & Dallin & Aubrie

Ok here is my brag post for the grandparents for the week. I have no pictures because Jayden and Dallin will not pose for me this time. Jayden & Dallin's report card showed up in the mail last week along with perfect attendance certificates. They both recieved all A's on their report cards! I can't blame them, they are getting old enough that they just don't want to pose with their certificates for me anymore, but hey I tried. The boys are doing super in Jr. High and I am thrilled with it. Aubrie also recieved a Canyon Cub award at school for being honest. She was funny because she said that she was not going to let them take her picture at school because she did not want everyone to see her picture. I told her that she is absolutely beautiful and there is nothing she should be afraid of but she would not hear of it. Where does she get this Sassy girly attitude? Ok, I will admit it I have been told a million times that she acts just like me.

Super Bowl Party

It has always been tradition to throw the Superbowl Party at our house. I think it started probably 12 years ago. Ty cooks his famous hot wings and everyone gobbles them up. Sorry I didn't take pictures of the yummy food. It was a fun time and I get more into the food and company than the game but I have some football nutheads at my house. Some how I missed Big Mike's picture! Michael & Thaleanna and kids

Watching the 3-D commercials with the kids. Ty scored some free 3-D glasses.

Derek and Alicia

Another Recipe You Can't Eat

Some of my family have requested this recipe so here it is. I hope the rest you do not find it too boring. I have been using this recipe for about 2 months, I wanted to find out how it worked before I recommended. So far I love that this saves money. I have not really seen a difference in my laundry being any cleaner or dirtier so I can't complain. This is mostly to save money and I have even had a few comments said that it is not a big savings, and they are right it is not a big savings per month but I was thinking about over the year or years. It is such a simple thing to do so I save a few buck a month without it being a pain.

Laundry Soap

Ingredients:

1 bar soap - Fels Napatha

1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
A container with a lid.

These are the supplies needed. Here are the details.

Fels Napatha- bar soap is the best kind to use because it is soap based, other bar soaps are not completely soap based so it is probably best to only use them on skin. This bar soap says right on the package that it is a stain remover for laundry. I found this soap in the laundry aisle at Macey's. You may have to search for this or I have heard that you can buy it online. It costs around 1.24 a bar. If you can't find it an optional bar soap is Zote. I have never tried Zote so I can't tell you whether it works as well but it is also soap based.

Use a cheese grater to grate the bar soap. (This actually sharpens your cheese grater) You will get something that looks like cheese! Grate the whole bar and then rub a handful in your palms till you get a finer powder. This will make sure that the pieces are small and can dissolve easier in your washer.

Borax- You can find it in the laundry aisle at wallmart or elsewhere, this shouldn't be too hard. It is around $2.50 a box and can be used for many cleaning purposes. It is used as a deodarizer, stain remover and detergent booster.

Washing Soda- This is not the same as baking soda, but I have read that baking soda can actually boost any laundry soap so if you want you can through some into your mixture. The cost is around $2.50 a box.

This is an optional ingredient that I threw into my mixture, it is also a powder.

After you have all your desired ingredients in your container just stir them around to mix them up. They are ready to be used. I happen to have an HE washer and so I only need to use one heaping Tablespoon full of this laundry soap. If you do not have and HE washer, you should use double so 2 Tablespoons will do the trick. This is because an HE washer uses less water.

Ok here are a few more details. I have not tried this yet but I am going to when I use up all my dryer sheets. You can actually use white vinegar for laundry softener! If you want to get extra creative you can add a couple of drops of essential oil to the white vinegar to make it whatever scent you want. White vinegar is a deodarizer and you can put it in the tray like you would your laundry softner if you have an HE washer or you can use it in a Downy ball so that it only comes out in the spin cycle.
NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT- NEVER MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH TOGETHER- IT CREATES A DEADLY GAS. Also like any other laundry detergent, it is not safe for children to eat.

The exciting news is that for about $1.75 you can wash aprox. 32 loads of laundry.