{DIY} Liquid Hand Soap from Bar Soap

First, I will give credit where is is due!  I found the tutorial I used through Pinterest and it sent me HERE.  Several great ideas on her blog and I plan to make use of them in the future.  I figured I would showcase this DIY because it is such a money saver and we all can use a little of savings!

What to Gather:

A cheese/box grater
1 Gallon - DISTILLED water (KEEP THE JUG!)
2 TBSP - Liquid Glycerin
1- 8 oz Bar of Soap (don't use Dove, it won't work)
Pot (I am using my canning pot)
Spoon or Spatula
Cutting Board
Stove top

Step 1:  Pour the DISTILLED water and 2 TBSP of Glycerin in to your pot and stir. 

Step 2:  Grate your soap.  (I had to use two bars of mine since they were only 4.25oz each)

Step 3:  Add Soap shavings and turn heat on to Medium/High.  Stir til all soap is dissolved (it will take a bit) and remove from heat.

(You are going to end up with cloudy, soapy water...with some bubbles!)

Step 4:  Wait.  10-12 Hours!

(Yes, that means you, Little Miss 6-year-old in a grown up body!  NO TOUCHY!)

...

...

...

Okay!  So, I am home from work (it's about 10pm now) and I just finished up the batch of liquid soap!

Step 5:  Grab a funnel and the gallon jug the water came in.  Grab your hubby or strong friend to help.  Mix the soap with a whisk or mixer so that you get everything the consistency of snot (Gross, I know.  But seriously...snot!).  Pour CAREFULLY and SLOWLY through the funnel into the jug.  Label it and be happy!

So, this was my first ever tutorial so, be gentle!  Hope you are able to follow it!

Good luck with your own Inspirations!

************************************************************

Updates!

*Try using a hand held blender after you dump the soap shavings into the water.  It blends it all, of course, and takes about 15-20 minutes off your time waiting for the soap to dissolve.  Heat it up after its all combined, then remove from the heat sourse and wait!

A few moments...

A few moments to share an update. I really like my job at David's Bridal. My managers are fabulous and the other consultants are great! I love Ms. Becky in our Alterations Department. She actually reminds me of my Grandma M. The work environment is great. They are all a bit like a loving disfunctional family. Crazy but still willing to claim you! Lol!

My mom and MIL have made it possible for me to work and I don't know where we would be without them. Slowly but surely things are getting squared away at home. I was very sick over Thanksgiving holiday so we were not able to have everyone over. I ended up getting sick earlier in the week, losing my voice to go along with it, but I continued to try and work. All was well until I got sick AT work. Luckily, not all over a wedding dress. I left shortly thereafter and was five minutes from home when I got sick again, this time at stop light (thank you!). Made life interesting. Mom was at the house with the boys already and told me that I wasn't going to be worth anything to just go to bed and she would stay until John got home. Sleep is an amazing cure. A few hours of hard sleep and I felt like I had some control over my body. It has taken until just yesterday for me to feel more like myself.

There are a few things going on with John's job but God will walk us through them. He has a plan and I pray I have the faith to trust Him. John seems okay but I feel like there is another shoe waiting to drop.

Jonathan has been doing well with his classes at PCI and seems to really enjoy it. He would love to have a different job right now but, as he says, it pays the bills. Isaac seems content with where he is right now. He is waiting on Alysha to transfer to the school down there to finish her classes. They are doing well together. The distance isn't so great (about 2 hours) that they aren't able to manage. I am proud of them for making this work. They have long term plans that will get started when she finishes school. For now, they are happy where they are in life and I could not be more pleased with how they are dealing with everything.

Mom and Grandma and Grandpap are doing okay. They just got Grandma's flu shot today. Her birthday was on 12/2. I thought about her all day at work but neglected to call her until yesterday. I apologized but Grandma just laughed it off, telling me she had a great day and thanked me for calling her. It's better than NOT calling. Lol!

Missed Dad greatly, yesterday.

I work all day tomorrow and then there is a company Christmas party that evening. Just thought I would share a quick ramble on a few things.

Stay safe and Happy Christmas!

Many blessings!

I don't have any pictures to show to you this time around but I have many things to share.

First, I have a job!!! Starting this week, I will be a part-time bridal consultant at David's Bridal! I am so excited! Today, I will fill out the paperwork and receive my schedule. Tomorrow, I go to the bus garage and make changes to the transportation plan for Mr. Rebel and Mr. Pirate for after school. My mom and MIL are both thrilled about this. I don't know if it's because I finally got a call back for a job or because they get the kids. Lol!

Second, DH insisted that I get a few more pieces of clothing to expand my wardrobe for work. Of course, we visited WalMart, which brought in a few fabulous and timeless items. Our best trip of the day was to Goodwill! We stopped on our way to Save-A-Lot (love it!!!) and looked around. We found two skirts, one casual and one work, and then unearthed THREE vintage beauties in the coat section! Um, Dana, you may want to stop reading, now. Just skip the next paragraph, okay?

I was sliding my hand across the coats as I walked by the rack and encountered "fuzzy". I looked at the coat and couldn't believe it! It was a knee-length fur in fabulous condition! The leather trim on the inside seam was still supple and whole. The stitching was perfect and the buttons were original and still attached! A beautiful tan/mocha color, I slid it on and it was a perfect fit! Next to that first fur was a beautiful knee-length knitted "trench-style" coat with a fur collar. Three sets of double-breasted buttons down the front. A snap and inside button at the neck. The collar itself has two hook-and-eye closure to turn the collar into a muff around the neck. For those of you that know my area, THIS coat was sold at Horne's! Fabulous fit, too! The third coat is a beautiful, fully lined cream trench coat (started out kind of a dingy grayish tan but 3-4 washed in Woolite and Oxyclean does wonders!). This coat was made in British Hong Kong! Collector's item! In all, DH spent less than $25 on all the coats plus my two skirts. I hope to take pictures of them soon. I have also pulled out my Great-Great-Aunt Mayre's/Great-Grandmother's fur coat that I inherited years ago. I plan on making use of them.

Third, my room is clean! Living in a small mobile home with limited storage, my and DH's bedroom tends to become dumping grounds for whatever anyone doesn't know what to do with. This weekend, we cleaned our room, weeded through all our clothes and started a new Goodwill collection in our living room, and kept up with the dishes and laundry.

The weekend of Oct. 10th, all my boys were home! DH drove up to Pittsburgh to get Jonathan. Isaac, his girlfriend, and Isaac's laundry arrived Saturday afternoon. It was so wonderful to have my men together again, though just for a short time. We had all gathered because Tom, the Marine I talk about occasionally, was home for a last visit. At this point right now, he and his unit are in "hurry up and wait" mode. They are scheduled to leave for Afghanistan soon. While we are all apprehensive about his orders, we are also happy for him. This is what he wants to do. This is what makes him happy. We know the possible outcome. So does he. We will deal with it when it comes. For now, we treasure the time we have.

Yes, I know...another post

Just a quick note before bed.

Dh and I have been working on the home for the last few weeks. I have managed to get 90% of the place cleaned and organized. Our bedroom, which as most parents know is really just another storage room for things the kids leave laying around the house and ends up tossed in Mom and Dad's room, is still on the To-Do list. The older boys' room, which is now the smaller bedroom, is also on the list. I have a lot of stuff that needs stored or sold in a yard sale, so it will take some work for that to be done since my storage building is bursting at the seams right now.

The biggest thing at this point is DH's handiness around the home. Living in a mobile home means we live in a metal box that heats up horribly during any type of sunny, somewhat humid weather. It also means we don't have a screen door paired with our back door. So, DH got creative and bought the items needed to make a full sized screen to put over the opening when the door is open. Yes, we have to remove it every night but I love the fact I can just prop open the door, slide the screen in place and put a fan at the back door to draw air through the rest of my home.

Today, DH took the old A/C unit out of our bedroom window, along with the plexiglass and fit a new screen for the window. I can honestly say that I hate silicone caulking. I now also need new blades for my utility knife. Luckily, DH keeps a supply on hand because he goes through so many for work. It took me almost an hour to remove all the caulking. And to go outside and scoop up all the cat poop that was in my yard and stinking to high heavens. Funny, though. I DON'T OWN A CAT! However, all my neighbors who DO own cats think it's great that it's MY YARD and MY GARDEN that gets used as a litter box. *sigh* Yes, I am venting. Yes, I am done.

So, tomorrow, DH and I are going to remove the old A/C unit from the front bedroom where the two younger boys are. He is going to fit it for a new screen and hopefully get a nice bit of airflow through the house. I am pretty excited. We have been here for over 7 years and I still feel like I am just moving in. Hmm.

On a side note, the screen fabric Dh picked up is great! It is UV protectant grade and is very dark which gives a large amount of privacy. Especially with us having the back door completely open.

So, I have rambled again. I can feel myself slipping into "slap happy" stage. It's time to say goodnight.

The last week

Has been so incredibly busy. Massive amounts of cleaning and rearranging has happened. I have cleaned and rearranged my living room bit. My kitchen has been cleaned and sorted. My bathroom got cleaned/sterilized very well today. DH has been a blessing and helped me stay caught up on laundry.

The front half of my large metal storage building is pretty well dedicated to Yard Sale stuff. I am hoping to have one in the next few weeks or just after school starts at the end of the month. I still have my bedroom to go through and my closet. Oh, and DH's wooden storage building needs gone through but he has to be here for that.

While I was scrubbing the bathtub today, crouched in an awkward position, something went crunch and rip in my left knee. Even though I was still able to walk around and finish the bathroom, it hurts like the dickens! I put my trusty knee-brace on to hold myself together and it helped for a while but it still hurts.

Oh, well. The hazards of cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning! If you have a vinyl shower curtain and it has metal grommets, I have an easy cleaning tip! A few, actually.

1. Don't put it in the washer. Personal experience (should have been obvious, I know) says that the metal grommets will put tiny slices in your nice vinyl shower curtain. The one you love. The one that is no longer being sold in any store! Good thing you bought all they had left on clearance...
2. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and hot water. Take down the shower curtain, leaving the bottom inside the tub and drape the rest over the side. Fill the tub with a little hot water and scrub away with the Eraser. Feed the rest of the shower curtain into the tub, scrubbing sections as you go.
3. If you have a removable shower head, just hang the shower curtain back up. Step into the shower, turn on the cold water and, using the shower head, rinse the shower curtain. Easy-peasy! Should take about 5 minutes!

And the best part is that you didn't use any harsh chemicals! I love my Magic Erasers! I can clean without harsh chemicals. When I remember to buy more vinegar, I will be even happier because my windows needs it desperately.