Homemade holidays

I really don't like this time of year. Decorating is pretty and all but everyone is so stressed out, they drive like mad, people are going into debt buying STUFF for people who don't need anything. For about 15 years, I've refused to buy into it but I feel pretty guilty still when my family gives me stuff after I've talked and talked about none of us needing anything.

So now if you're either my Aunt Susan or my Aunt Melinda, you have to quit reading my blog until after the holidays. I mean it. Stop now.

For years, I've made my own laundry soap. It cleans just as well as storebought stuff and it costs me about a quarter of a cent per load. Yes, you read that correctly. I get 80 washes from what I make.
First, I grate a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. This is the most time-consuming part. Takes about 10 minutes and I've finally learned to do it in front of the TV.

 To this, I add one part washing soda (NOT baking soda as I did in my first batch) and one part Borax. Then I stir in 10 drops of essential oil, usually lavender.

 It only takes one tablespoon per load. Ok, so that's gift number one.

I read about homemade Febreeze on the huge time-suck website Pinterest. Since I have a dog, I'm always concerned about how my house smells but the stuff is rather expensive and there are chemicals I'm breathing when I spray it on my furniture.

 The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of your favorite laundry softener (um, I make my own laundry detergent - do I HAVE a favorite laundry softener??), two tablespoons of baking soda then two cups warm water. Shake before using because, as you can see, it kind of glops at the top. I haven't calculated the savings for this yet.

Now we're on to gift number three: while in Hawaii, my Aunt Susan and I were talking about how we're "splashers" in the bathroom washing our faces. She and her husband just redid their bathroom and her husband was fussing at her about splashing all over the place so now she has to use makeup remover cloths.
In my mind, Susan has everything. There isn't anything I could really buy her of any significance. Gifts take a lot of creative thought.
Soooo, homemade makeup remover cloths!
First, start with coconut oil. I read this was really hard to find but it wasn't. Found it at the grocery's natural food aisle but it was $6 for a jar!

 Put two tablespoons in four cups of warm water. Uh oh, coconut oil is solid. Now what?

 Fortunately, a little patience and the stuff just dissolves. Now I added paper towels I had cut a fourth off the roll. I bougth the "expensive" paper towels, thinking they'll be better on the face.

 I cut an X in the top of my plastic Ziploc container and now Susan will have her homemade makeup remover cloths and her husband will continue to be happy she's not flooding their bathroom. I haven't done the calculations for this either but I made three batches after spending $12 total. I know storebought cloths range from $5 to $8 a pack so I'm already ahead of the game.

Happy homemade holidays!

Our thankful tree

Since we were only together for a week this holiday, we filled our tree with things we are thankful for: family, horses, being together and ... cereal?

Visiting Santa!

 Hayes had a long list of Breyer horses she wants but had also included that she would like Santa to bring world peace. Seriously.

 Cort had to point out what he wanted in particular. World peace was not one of them.

Horse rescue to meet a pony, or two

Hayes has been asking for a project to take on at the nearby horse rescue where we previously had adopted three horses. She got it in her head that she wanted Tebow, the palomino pony pictured here on the left. She also met Ranger, who had also been suggested to us.

 And she decided Ranger was it.

 Very cute pony!

 She, of course, wants to adopt him but she will very soon outgrow him but he's a nice project for right now.

 We even got Cort on him. You don't know what kind of feat this was.

 It's always nice to get a horse fix.

 When we got there, Cort had to give Gidget a hug.

 And he met this pony, whom he named "Adorableness."

 I like for Cort to get a bit of handling experience too.

 Happiness is a warm, fat pony!

Colonial Cup steeplechase

My annual rite of fall is to hit the closing steeplechase of the season in Camden, S.C., and the kids were with me for their fall break. Hayes and I, of course, have a good time. It's a little difficult to entertain Cort the whole time since he's not that into horses but there were skydivers to set off the races and that was a big hit with him.



 Here's Keri Brion with Divine Fortune prior to the running of the Colonial Cup.

 My old friend, Ken Furlong, an outrider for the races and the kids getting their picture made with a horse of course.

 Here the eventual winner of the Colonial Cup, Demonstrative, heads to the course with jockey Matt McCarron. Demonstrative came from the very back of the pack at the last jump to win the race - it was a gutsy move from a capable horse!

Aloha, Hawaii

It was hard to believe that our Hawaii trip had come to an end. It seemed like a very long week and then again it didn’t. We sat on the balcony to have our coffee and watch the surf before packing. I was convinced Susan was going to have to buy another suitcase for all the loot she got for everybody!

MawMaw, Susan and I drove to a coffee farm, which was far more interesting than I imagined. It gave me newfound respect for Kona coffee and the difficulty that goes into making it. It takes 7 trees to make one pound of coffee and now the coffee industry on Hawaii is plagued by a small beetle infesting the beans, making them unusable. No wonder Kona coffee is expensive!

We made other stops along the way to places Susan had been to prior, including St. Benedict’s Painted Church

 The church cat

 One of those cemeteries I wish I could have walked through

This is breadfruit and apparently has a lot of uses on the island, including making poi, which I overlooked at the luau the night before.

Then on to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, also known as the City of Refuge. I really enjoyed that place. The wall is original – if you made it over the wall after making it through the surf and rocks while being chased by warriors, you were given … wait for it … refuge!

MawMaw and I playing Hawaiian checkers. I was contemplating how the heck I was going to win.

Here is the wall

After that, we stopped by Captain Cook’s Bay. This is where Captain John Cook was killed and the British Isles owns part of the bay, marked by a plaque sank deep in the water. The only way to the Captain’s statue is to kayak the bay or hike waaaaay down the mountain. Susan and I found shells and sea glass to mark our visit.

The lei my Uncle Dean got for me on my arrival to Hawaii was looking sad and even though I'd wanted to take it home as a souvenir, I decided to give it back to Hawaii. Susan accompanied me down the Grand Staircase of the hotel for me to cast it into the lagoon. Of course, my “cast” just plopped it down at my feet so I scooped it from the water, balled it up and gave it a heave the next go-round. 

Then it was over. We said our goodbyes at the airport to wait for overnight flights back home. Aloha, Hawaii!