Our First Black Friday

Dom and I have always enjoyed the spectacle that is Black Friday for several reasons: 

1. I love Christmas and jump at the first opportunity (after Thanksgiving is over) to begin celebrating
2. We like a good deal
3. But most of all we LOVE the social experiment that has come to nearly be a holiday in its own right in our consumeristic society. It is such a strange beast. 

So even though we could just buy the deals off the internet, we opt to bundle up and head out for some fun. Last year we even hit our local outlets for some observation and let me tell you, there are a lot of people out there willing to wait outside in the almost freezing cold for a pair of fancy velour sweatpants.

This year the day has become a family tradition and Declan didn't seem to mind at all. 

But when we got home we did sleep until noon and so did he!

Still Adjusting to Our New Life

Today has been two weeks and we are still adjusting to our new life together. 

Declan is a dream, super nice to his new parents. He only wake a couple times a night to eat. And he only fusses when he is hungry. He is breaking us in easy and we appreciate it so much. 

We know at any time things could change, but for now the transition has been pretty easy so we will enjoy this time while we have it. 

We are a little tired adjusting to this new sleep schedule and our days revolve around diapers, feeding, and just watching him in general. 

It is a wonderful new chapter of our lives and we will figure out how to make it all work!

Video Madness: First 2 Weeks with Declan Michael

People Smile and Tell Me I'm the Lucky One

and we've just begun, Think I'm gonna have a son.

He will be like she and me, as free as a dove, conceived in love, Sun is gonna shine above. 

 

And even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey, And everything will bring a chain of love. 

And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes, And tell me everything is gonna be alright.  

 

Seems as though a month ago I beta chi, never got high, Oh, I was a sorry guy. 

 

And now a smile, a face, a girl that shares my name, Now I'm through with the game, this boy will never be the same. 

Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign, strong and kind, And the little boy is mine. 

 

Now I see a family where there once was none, now we've just begun, Yeah, we're gonna fly to the sun. 

Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup, drink it up, 

Love her and she'll bring you luck. And if you find she helps your mind, buddy, take her home,  

Don't you live alone, try to earn what lovers own. 

-Kenny Loggins, Danny's Song

Natural (and cheap) Laundry Soap Recipe, Fabric Softeners, and Bleach Alternatives

Today I am opening my bag of laundry secrets for you to see.

I am kinda obsessed with laundry. Only until about 10 seconds after it comes out of the dryer. I hate folding. So much so that I have to find tricks to make it easier.

Like this trick for folding t-shirts.

And this trick for folding fitted sheets.

I have even been known to safety pin my socks together before washing from time to time. So that I don't have to match them later. True Story. 

But I do love laundry. So much so that I read this book. All 500 plus pages. Yes I am a weirdo.

But I do know all about different kinds of stains and the proper way to remove them.

I hate chemicals because they do terrible things to us, like give us cancer.

Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.
[Source: The Merck Index]

So a couple years ago I changed all my cleaning products to non-chemical homemade stuff. And I will never go back.

It smells better.

And I can trust it.

Not to mention it is cheaper by leaps and bounds.

So you are wondering about my laundry soap recipe huh?

Okay here it is, plain and simple:
Grate one bar of laundry soap, I use Fels Naptha
Add 1 CP Borax + 1 CP Washing Soda and 1/4 CP Baking Soda
Mix and add 1-2 TBSP to your load, depending on size and soil level. 

If you trust your food processor you can toss in all the dry ingredients and chop the bar into a few pieces and toss it in. I did this with a coffee grinder and eventually wore it out so I grate by hand these days.

You will notice this recipe does not suds like your old soap. Thats ok, I in fact feel that it is better. 1. Because it leaves no residue to clothes that can be damaging over time and 2. Because the only thing soap is used for in laundry is to break the tension of the water so that the water can more freely move through the fabric and clean it. And clean it will get. I have been using the recipe for well over a year and our clothes come out clean everytime.

An important thing to remember is that you won't get any of those artificial scents with this, so if you really miss that you may want to toss some essential oils in the with the water. But remember clean shouldn't smell like anything. Clean is clean. Scents are just added to life to cover unsavory fragrances.
Also if you prefer a liquid detergent go to my friend Laura's Blog. I prefer storing the dry mixture and had a hard time with the liquid one, but I think that is because I am not a precise person. So if you prefer liquid, give it a try!

A Note on Fabric Softeners:


Fabric Softeners contain 9 chemicals that have been linked to ADD, Alzheimers, MS, Parkinsons, Seizures, and SIDS. If that isn't bad enough to make you think twice, overuse of fabric softener will put a sticky film on your clothes that will block water from flowing through which will not allow it to be cleaned properly. There are some great alternatives out there.

Dryer Balls (or tennis balls): throw a couple in with your towels or blankets and they bounce around fluffing your fabrics right up. I love mine so much I put them in every load.

1 CP of Vinegar used in the same way as any liquid fabric softener will work awesome to soften clothes right up (and make double sure they are squeaky clean)

1/2 CP of Baking Soda if want to let it dissolve into the water before your load also works great to bring on that plush fabric you love. 

What About Bleach?

Bleach is a respiratory irritant, and doubles the risk of birth defects. Not to mention that it is well known to be corrosive and damaging to clothes and pretty much everything else. Looking for something to whiten clothes? You have three fabulous alternatives (and they won't damage your colors):

Lemon Juice: add a 1/2 CP directly to wash or spray directly on the spot and leave in the sun for a while.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Can be sprayed directly on to clothing (or any other stain out there) or dump a 1/2 CP in with your wash.

Oxygen Bleach (sodium percarbonate and sodium carboante): Non-polluting, biodegradable, and non-toxic this one is also a great, add 2 TBSP to any wash load. 

Little Man Onesie Fun!

Some fun little onesies made for our little man:

 

They are SUPER easy to make, you should try it too! (no sewing necessary)

You will need fabric/felt scraps of your choice

Double-sided fusible interfacing (Wonder-Under)

and an Iron

Once you settle on a design, cut your fabric/felt to relatively the right size square (don't cut the shape first it makes it harder to iron on the Wonder Under). 

  

And iron wrong side down it to the dotted side of the Wonder-Under. Once the fabric cools, cut your shapes out of it and peel off the wax paper backing. 

Then iron it right onto the onesie. And that is is! If you want to you can sew around the edges for some extra strength, or design, but it is not necessary. 

 

Kai's Knit Baby Blanket Pattern: Pavilion Stitch

Recently I made a knit baby blanket for Kai, our friends' Kevin @ Rhetorician by Trade and Rachel's @ 52 Projects first baby boy.

 

and thought I would share the pattern I created with you in case you want to make one too!  I used pavilion stitch because it looks super cool and it is a fun pattern for beginners because you only use regular knit and purl stitches.



Here is the PATTERN:

Supplies:
Size US 10 24" or greater circular needle (or two long needles if you prefer, I like circular because you never lose one!)
Four Medium size Skeins of Yarn of your choice (if you use smalls skeins you will need more, if you go with a super saver size you might only need two)
Optional: A yard of minky fabric to line the back to make it extra cozy

Get Started:
Cast on 80
Rows 1-8: Knit
Row 9: K4, [k2, p1, k5, p7, k3: rep across] end K4
Row 10 and all even rows: K4,[Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they face you] end K4
Row 11: K4, [(k1, p1) twice, k5, p5, k4: rep across] end K4
Row 13: K4, [p1, k3, p1, k5, p3, k5: rep across] end K4
Row 15: K4, [k5, p1, k5, p7: rep across] end K4
Row 17: K4, [(p1, k5) twice, p5, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 19: K4, [k1, (p1, k5) twice, p3, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 21: K4, k2,*p1, k5; rep from *,end p1, k7
Row 23: K4, [k3, p1, k5, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 25: K4, [k4, p1, k5, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k1: rep across], end K4
Row 27: K4, [k5, p7, k5, p1: rep across] end K4
Row 29: K4, [p1, k5, p5, k5, p1, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 31: K4, [k1, p1, k5, p3, k5, p1, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 33: K4, [k2, p7, k5, p1, k3: rep across] end K4
Row 35: K4, [k1, p1, k1, p5, k5, p1, k4: rep across] end K4
Row 37: K4, [p1, k3, p3, k5, p1, k5: rep across], end K4
Row 39: K4,[k5, p1: rep across] end K4
Row 41: K4,[k4, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k5, p1, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 43: K4,[(k3, p1) twice, k1, p1, k5, p1, k2: rep across], end K4
Row 44: K4, [Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they face you],end K4
Repeat Rows 9-44 2 more times (3 total)
Knit Last 8 Rows
Cast Off
Weave your yarn tails through your knitting to hide them. 


*Optional* I sew minky (or flannel) onto the back of my knitted blankets because generally only one side looks good. This particular pattern doesn't look bad if you leave it, but for a winter baby the extra softness and warmth will be appreciated. Simply cut your fabric to the size of the blanket and fold under edges (I use the border as a guide). Then blanket stitch the edges of the fabric to your knit blanket. To keep the fabric and the knit blanket together I add some hand ties (like quilting). I think these extra steps are worth the time and energy!



I hope you enjoy the pattern!