A True Friend is a Blessing Forever... and A Note About Tidying Up & Peace of Mind

 I am inspired today to write after a day of rest. In our home, Shabbat Shalom is a greeting and blessing. 

Today we had nothing planned. In fact, something this morning I thought I needed to do, was not happening after all and I found my day laid bare of any responsibilities, as it should be on such a day. I was glad for the breather really. Soon after I dressed and was in the kitchen making myself a smoothie on this fine day, a friend called. Because of this call, we had a wonderful visit with them for a number of hours, just chatting and enjoying catching up. 

This visit happened to be in our home. I only mention this because I must confess something. I am a procrastinator when it comes to inviting others to come to our home. I'm still learning how to do it well and without reservation or anxiety. This was a close friend and is always welcome. In fact, we were exceptionally excited they reached out to us, especially on their way here. On short notice and all. 

There are a few things I want to note here today. First of all, we had prepared our home yesterday for Shabbat (Sabbath), mainly because our son joins us almost every Friday evening. He comes after a long day at work for a late supper and fellowship before he heads home. While I wasn't always prepared like this every Friday evening, this time we were in good shape. And by that I mean not perfect, but tidy and dishes done. My dusting isn't up to par yet, but nonetheless, things were put away mostly. Our home has what you might call a "lived in" feeling that yes, indeed, a family really lives here. 

On occasion, I have heard those visit say that our home helps them to relax and feel at home in a tidy place, to paraphrase. You see, I grew up in a home that wasn't always to the standard that my mother was comfortable. In fact, very few of my friends probably even came to my home growing up. It wasn't bad, but it was not what my mother thought others would like. She was very anxious about others in her home and didn't feel the decor or amount of stuff in her home was picture perfect. She was worried what others would think.

My anxiety as an adult has always been lessened when I put things away or just had fewer things to take care of. Many people may see that as a leaning toward minimalism. Call it whatever you want. I like to call it peace of mind, sanity, a margin if you will. My mind finds clarity, peace and so much more when I have things in order. 

My stove might be clean on top, but I'm not perfect when it comes to wiping out my oven as much as I'd like. Or that dusting I told you about... Oh, and my desk! Well, let's just say it's "lived in". 

I don't say it to boast, but rather to mention that I have learned ways to adapt my surroundings so my mind can rest. Today, was a rather light day and it was made easy and enjoyable by our friend coming to visit. They were a blessing to me today. And it doesn't hurt to prepare for anything, come what may. Blessings and all. 

Soap making

I have ventured into the soap making niche of the world! It's the last thing I thought I'd do after a somewhat failed attempt to "make" my own soap powder (with borax and a bar soap) a few years ago.

It's actually something I can use. And that's nothing to sneeze at...really, it doesn't make me sneeze...unlike the powder soap experiment. Trying to locate a cheaper way to do laundry and using something more "green" led me to find a totally new concept. One that many others have also found useful.

Let me introduce you to the soap nut. I'm not talking about myself either...(I know it's been awhile since I posted and you were starting to wonder, right?) =) No, really the soap nut is a fruit (soap berry) that is dried and has been used for many years for just about anything that needs cleaning. I've used it for about 4 months now.

I make it into a liquid form which I make myself from the dried soap nuts. I add a few drops of lavender oil for a nice scent. You can use just about any essential oil you prefer. I found it to be very useful and mostly I've used it for laundry.

In a normal load, I only need to use about 1/4 cup. One batch lasts about a month for us if used for laundry alone. It does not have many suds, if at all, so keep this in mind when you try it the first time. Here's a list of the benefits of soap nuts at the Soap Nuts Pro website.

It naturally works as a fabric softener, so I actually use another soap for my towels, washcloths and cloth napkins, because I want them to be absorbent. It's great for clothes though. For someone who hates the chemical smell of fabric softeners, I'm happy to report that the soap nuts has no such irritation.

I bought mine locally here in bulk. I use the ratio in the recipe on this website: Naturoli.com (scroll down in the box to find it). They have a good website to learn more about soap nuts. You can do an internet search and find similar recipes and sources to buy from.

I always crush the soap nuts up in a bag (I use my potato masher and a cutting board underneath the bag), before adding them to the water when heating them on the stove. And after simmering, I strain through a nut milk bag and squeeze out all I can. Then I compost the pulp! I let the soap cool, then I refrigerate it to keep longer than a few days. I find that it keeps fine for about one month this way. When I start to use it for more than laundry (for our family of four), then I will make it more often.

Here are some photos of when I make it at home:

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll try to answer the best I can. Happy cleaning! =)

Update to add: I have now been using the EcoWasher in combination with my clothes washer for a while now - maybe a year or more? We have really liked it and therefore I am not using any added soap. I do however still use some spot cleaner and presoak things that need a little more help to get clean. Love this option and makes it a breeze to have children help too!