Homemade Stuff - From Febreze to Fudge

I am a DIY person in some ways, but not when it comes to plumbing, doing electrical work or building a deck. I crochet, bake, cook a lot, make jewelry, candles, even clocks. I made a really cool clock once and gave it away to a friend who absolutely loves it - - or says she does. When I picked up a bottle of Febreze the other day and realized it was over $5.00 I said to myself "REALLY? FIVE dollars for water, maybe some alcohol and fragrance?" I looked up the chemicals in the noted ingredients on the back of the bottle and was right; there's not much there other than water, alcohol, maybe some fabric softener and a few things used to make the diffused stream of liquid dry faster and not feel all wet when it hits the sheets and pillowcases. The only problem is I couldn't get it to do what I wanted to do.

I looked up the "recipes" online where some call for SD alcohol while others (more green types) prefer using white vinegar. There are a number of fabric softeners on the market, so to be as green as I could be I chose one that was both biodegradable and essentially harmless to my skin, eyes, and possibly even if I ingested it. I don't like to think of all the toxins we're putting into our bodies through our clothes in terms of detergents, bleach, softeners, some have formaldehyde in their mix! I DON'T THINK SO...not on my body. You have to be really careful of what you're adding to your laundry...you wear it!

Well, after using the stuff I made I wasn't really all that impressed with it. It had a more pungent smell from the vinegar; the lavender oil I added was nice though. I think I'll study up on it a bit longer - - maybe make a batch of blond chocolate chip brownies while I'm gathering information. Girl's gotta eat right? Oh, and I can throw in the fact that the internet has recipes for DIY shampoo, soaps, conditioners for your skin, your hair, your dog...did you know that a mix of Listerine (any flavor), water, olive oil and oil of clove can keep fleas off your dog? True story! It won't kill the fleas, but it keeps them off the animal and helps with the dry itchy skin they have from chewing. Baking soda and water helps you burp if you just can't get the gas out.

See what you can learn from reading or just doing a bit of off the wall research?

Indiana Wants Me - - Well, OK.

I remember the song "Indiana Wants Me" from when I was a kid, and I'm not even sure I remember the gist of the lyrics...just the chorus. For some reason the guy couldn't go back "now". I'm a bit different I suppose,in that I'm not going BACK to Indiana, I'm just going there. I'm moving to the Indianapolis metropolis and hopefully finding work beforehand. If I don't find it beforehand I will probably substitute teach until I do find something I can do permanently and full time. Oh, and get this; as a substitute teacher in Indiana, a person has to have a four-year degree! THANK YOU! 

Coming from Oklahoma where the requirements are so lax and anyone can do it unless they've been convicted as a child molester, that's a big deal. I'm already proud of Indiana!! I've probably already decided (if I had to be honest with myself) that I'll seek out teaching positions as well as sales positions. I'll try to get on board with a Jr. College as an adjunct while I'm working so that I can keep the blood flowing. Some vampires need blood to drink, I need to see bodies in front of me listening to me rave and rant about the misuse of certain words. I like it when I have a captive audience and they have to laugh at my jokes. Just kidding, I pass them if they don't. I also assign silly 2 page essays about Dachshunds, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dick Wolf's series "Law and Order" for anyone who doesn't turn in their assignments on time or look up the dictionary words I put up on the board. I do that because I know everything about these particular subjects and it's harder for a student to blind side me on it. Believe it or not a student once tried to say that Teddy Roosevelt was in Oklahoma territory during the run of the unassigned lands. I thought maybe the kid had hitched a ride on a Time Machine and had changed events....what did I know, right?

 LOL Anyway, going to a new state to live will give my daughter Laura and I (and maybe Caity if we can drag her up there) a new start and a new perspective on life. We've been living in Oklahoma in a somewhat depressed state for a while - - hoping to see things change, hoping to have a better existence, but the state doesn't progress as quickly as you would hope. I love,love, love Oklahoma, but do need to leave it if I'm expecting to thrive and achieve goals other than raising a good family and working at a steady pace. For me it is a new chance at teaching, perhaps getting into the sales market again - - and of course the world of professional sports is a bit closer being only a couple of hours from Chicago! I've got the Colts, the Bears, the Blackhawks, the Bulls, the Hoosiers - - wait, that's college, I've got NASCAR - - which my son screams is not a sport, but I've got it now anyway! Indianapolis is such a clean city, and on the list as being one of the safest areas to live as well...where we're going anyway.

 I have four really good and fantastic friends in the area that are helping me not only look for work (Thank you guys) they are mapping out where I should look for a place to live. They've volunteered to take me to dinner, to go shopping with me and to babysit Faith!! Who wouldn't want to babysit Faith! C'mon!! LOL. They're all just wonderful and I want to say another big THANK YOU for your continued prayer and support of my new journey...our new journey. I'm not alone in this one. I'm bringing the tall red-headed one. We think we'll leave in just a couple of weeks. That means packing the house, but first we have to go through it, clean it, weed through what we don't want, and just start fresh. I called the Penske truck already, reserving it for a certain date. I'm doing this! YEA...and yes, yes.