Sporting a New "Do"

Been sporting a new "do" these days.

For the last twenty years or so, I have had my hairdresser, Linda, cut my straight hair at chin length.

Lately, I have been letting my hair grow longer.  And last month I bought a set of heated rollers.  Those rollers sure do make my hair bounce! And those curls stay curly too.  Last Sunday,  I got brave and even donned a hat for church... a very special hat from Saks Fifth Avenue that belonged to my mother-in-law.

What do you think?

Laundry soap

Several months ago I was spinning through Pinterest and came upon this  recipe for homemade laundry soap (there are lots of variations of do it yourself laundry soap, but I liked this one the best).  I was so excited to try it out,  I went down to Walmart that evening right after work to purchase all the ingredients.  I'd say I spent about $30 total.  Mixed everything up in my handy dandy 5 gallon bucket...it really makes a LOT.

And then poured the concoction into the empty Purex Crystal Softener plastic bottle.  

I must say, my clothes and laundry is markedly cleaner.  You really only use 1-2 Tablespoons...that's right...TABLESPOONS! One heaping scoop..that's it.... you are wasting it if you use more.  In addition, I no longer use bleach on my whites...no need to at all. So no more bleach stains on my precious colored clothing.

Got everything in the detergent aisle at Walmart.  Here's the recipe:

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

1 (3 lb) OxyClean

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote  or Fels Naptha Soap 

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm and Hammer Baking soda 

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener 

I'd be happy to share some of my supply if you'd like to take a test drive..

I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Yummy Pancakes for Breakfast This Morning

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Such a snap to make since I used some of the homemade pancake mix I have stored in the pantry...
got the idea from here.


Added buttermilk (instead of the water or milk called for in the recipe), threw some fresh blueberries on top while the cakes were cooking....


topped them off with some huckleberry syrup



and whalaa....

some of the best pancakes  I've ever had.

It Is Someone's Birthday

My boy had a birthday today. Where did the time go? They grow up so fast.

Chasing the Clouds Away

It is dark and it is cold outside at 7 am this January morning and my usual attire would be to wear something black or dark. In an attempt to chase away the looming clouds and mid winter blues I wore something bright and bold. Maybe wearing spring like colors would trick Mr. Weather and the threat of rain and wind would disappear.

It didn't work on the weather but I do believe wearing bright colors did have an affect on my mood.

Do you think what you wear on the outside reflects on how you are feeling on the inside?

Purchased the Tangerine slacks at Target for $7.48 (75% discount)...love those deals!

Saga in the Sierras

With our car filled to the brim with food and ski equipment, we finally arrived at the Soda Springs exit (off I-80) .   We slowly crawled toward the cabin along Donner Pass Road (old US 40) surrounded by six foot walls of snow.  I admit  I felt a bit uneasy since it's been almost three years since I've driven in snow.

As we were attempting to clear the pile of snow blocking the garage door, a huge snowplow arrived and   accomplished the task in just a few minutes (it would have taken us at least 30 minutes). During the summer, one can drive right up to the cabin.  But in the winter, you park in the garage at the street  and then schlep through the powdery snow about 100 yards to the front door.

DZ and Mr. Shoe donned snow shoes and supposedly blazed the trail for the rest of us.  We followed.
It was slow... we sank to top of our thighs with each step .  Half way to the front door, Martha got stuck. There she was with her bare foot sticking up and her boot buried in the snow.  Sophie was trying to dig her  out.  Lil Shoe was cold and crying.  We were all cold...frigid cold... We kept thinking of the Donner Party who were stuck in the snow 150 years ago  a few miles away (wearing thin long wool dresses and who knows what they wore for shoes for I understand they ate all the leather).

It was 1 degree out there under the light of the full moon.  I've never been at the cabin when it was that cold.


After a while, we finally got Martha's boot out...thankfully before her foot froze or she went into hypothermia.  We dragged our tired and cold bodies  along the rest of the path to the cabin. Once inside,tried to get warm.  Then, Mrs. Shoe realized she lost her car keys.  The only set of keys. Luckily, she didn't lock the car. So for the next couple of hours,  DZ and Mr. Shoe  looked for those keys along that 100 yard path to no avail.

In the meantime, Mrs. Shoe contacted her cousin Dan (who was coming up the next day) and had him break into her house to get another set of keys.  We were all holding our breath worried that the neighbors would call the cops and Dan would be arrested for breaking and entering.  It was a relief when we received the text from Dan..."got the keys".  Dan's the man.

This is what the cabin looked like in the morning.  The snow is at least ten feet deep.

The next morning, as Mr. and Mrs. Shoe were heading down to Truckee to rent a metal detector, I suggested we take one last look at the spot of Martha's boot debacle, and after a few shovels of snow, lo and behold, the bright shiny keys were glistening in the snow.  Hallelujah.

So, what lessons can we learn from this experience?