New Kids on the Block

Something's been brewing in Clifton Forge.....

Two new restaurants opened recently ....

We took the girls here, to Jack Mason's Tavern the other night. This really is a place that has something to offer everyone. The food ranges from appetizers to sandwiches to more gourmet entrees, it includes a kids' menu....and of course, fish and chips in keeping with the pub atmosphere. Prices were reasonable and both the food and the service were great. Anyone would feel comfortable here - the seating included cozy leather armchairs in front of a gas fireplace, bar seating, family-style seating for large parties, tall tables and booths. The game room in the back scores major points with the Ms. PacMan/Galaga video game, a pinball game, dart board and TWO pool tables. (Next visit I'll set the high score on Ms. PacMan; I think I still have it in me). We saw folks from all over the area - representing all walks of life. Jack Mason's reminds me of the little restaurants in Shockhoe Slip in Richmond or in downtown Fairfax.

Frankly, I'm saving my trip to the Old Forge Coffee Company for a "Daddy Day" (when Andy has the girls for a couple hours). I want to linger over coffee or hot chocolate in what looks to be a quiet place full of comfortable chairs and books to peruse. I actually promised to take Hannah here on her own when she masters "tea time manners," a bribe, yes, but this is what's in it for me! Old Forge is right next door to Jack Mason's and is another reason to make downtown Clifton Forge a destination. I'll let you know how my visit goes, but if you've already been or if you make it there before me, comment below to let me know what you like best!

What assets to Clifton Forge and the Alleghany Highlands!

Lost Tooth

A Very Important Thing happened after church last Sunday.

I was a little concerned, because Hannah doesn't turn 6 until October, and for some reason I was thinking that "6" was the magic number in the dental realm. Alas, there is another bottom tooth that is loose, so it appears that we have officially entered into the business of the tooth fairy.

In case you're wondering, the going rate for baby teeth is anywhere from $.50 to $5 for the first and $.50-$2 for each successive one. I did a quick Facebook poll and of 20 mamas who replied, this was the average.

We decided to go with a $1 Sacajawea coin and a $1 bill. That way she can save the one, spend the other. Plus, with her fascination about Indians, we figured it was a good way to kill two birds with one stone. See, Butterfly just knew that she would appreciate the extra effort.

Who is Butterfly? Hannah's tooth fairy, of course! She was a little bit stunned that I didn't remember the name of MY tooth fairy - and she said she was going to ask her good friends in Sunday School what their respective tooth fairies names were. I hope she's not too disappointed, for truly, this was the first time I'd ever thought they would even have a name.

I told Andy we'll have to either stock up on Sacajawea coins or just go with the $1 for each successive teeth. This could get expensive....not exactly our most frugal venture, but it will be a chance to teach about saving and spending, right?

Abbo wanted to get in on the action, too, as she shows off an expensive ($500) tooth of her own.

Bones

Had my last visit to the orthopedist in Roanoke (a 140-mile round trip, thankyouverymuch) yesterday, and they gave me this picture - look ma, its me!

Loooookin' good!

The metal will stay in place; it ain't goin' no-where with all those screws - at least 24 - to remove. And I have the option to go to physical therapy if I need it - I still have about 10% loss of range of motion and strength, but I think that will just have to come back gradually. Besides, I don't think the little girls are going to put up with too many more of mama's doctor visits :)

Homemade Laundry Soap, Part 3

Here goes the final installment of the series!

After a month or so of use, we've decided that homemade powdered soap is definitely the way to go. Here's why:

1. Powdered is less messy to use. The "liquid" version has the consistency of runny oatmeal, and comes out in clumps when poured. Its hard to control portions. When shaken in the recycled liquid laundry bottle, it oozes out of the top from the lip/pour spout.
2. Powdered seems to work better. The powdered recipe I've used contains the same ingredients as the liquid version, minus the water, with the addition of baking soda. Perhaps this makes the water even softer so that the other ingredients can clean better? I dunno. But although both clean normally soiled loads as well as store-bought versions, the powdered just seems to do a little better on mud stains (which, in this season of my life, are prevalent).
3. In her book, The Tightwad Gazette, Amy Daczyn pointed out that liquid laundry detergents cost more per load of use than powdered. It seems that the same holds true....once you explain to your husband that you only need 1/5th a scoop per load and not a whole, heaping scoop per load. Also, in purchasing liquid soaps, you're purchasing an ingredient that is essentially free: water.
4. My ma asked what the different recipes smell like. Well, you KNOW that is a pointless question to ask me. I have no idea. But it would probably be easier to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the liquid concoction, although not impossible to the powdered, it would be difficult to ensure it was wholly mixed. Maybe some lavender blossoms would work through the whole batch? I don't think it has any smell without it. But, then, it depends what bar soap is used.
5. Andy made a new batch of powdered detergent using what we had on hand because (see #3, above). .... We used a bar of Ivory soap and 1 1/2 bars of Octagon. Many recipes call for Ivory soap (99 44/100% pure, plus it dissolves well), but I wanted to use Octagon too since its touted as a stain-fighter, and we've lost so many clothes over the years here to stains. The new recipe, using Ivory soap for part of the mix, seemed to work well on the first few loads.
6. Its easier to store powdered soap, too. We put ours in a large cleaned out "Tidy Cats" litter container that has a snapping lid. I'd tried to pour the liquid into milk jugs, but they were hard to fill due to the consistency of the detergent, and using a funnel to get it in there just made the mess worse.

You don't need a recipe to MYO fabric softener. Just add a 1/2 cup white vinegar to the last rinse. Vinegar "kills" the soap and allows for a clean rinse. There's no smell afterwards, either (that is, so I've heard, and Andy has never reported one).

So I think we're going to go this direction for awhile. Making our own powdered soap takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and costs less than buying a good quality laundry detergent from WM, even with coupons.

Working

If you don't know already, I've started working again part-time at Sentara Highlands Home Health. Funny how all that worked out:
1. Mid-September - began orientation at SHHH.
2. Two days later, Andy was asked to work PT for the City of Covington
3. I resigned, sadly....we couldn't do both without leaving the girls with a babysitter, which we are not willing to do.
4. Andy made arrangements to work for Covington...to begin on Monday....
5. I fell out of a tree on Saturday. At 11AM.
6. I required round the clock full time care (not out of the ordinary for me, just more of it :)
7. Andy excused himself from working with Covington
8. I recovered and thereafter endured countless taunts from -AHEM- those who love me about staying out of trees.
9. SHHH called me in December and asked me to please, please, please reconsider.
10. I did.
I think its pretty cool, myself. Because honestly, back in September when I was going through orientation, I was kind of having second thoughts. But in December, I was more than eager and ready to join their team.
I'm classified there as a "Hospice Social Worker."
I've never worked with Hospice, and never had the desire to do so - one way or the other. So, as is my wont, I have been reading about Hospice and end o fife care. Consider - have you ever heard anything - ANYTHING negative about hospice? It is always more along the line of , "I was so thankful for their help. They made a bad situation so much easier to handle. We couldn't have done it without them....they were wonderful."
I'm encouraged. I am interested to see what issues of my own I have to deal with in helping others prepare for the loss of a family member.
Now, I'm very - very part-time. There is a full time social worker with the agency and as I understand, they need my credentials (MSW) to comply with state and federal regulations. Either way, no matter the extent of my involvement, I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I wholeheartedly welcome any insights you'd like to share with me about it.

I can (should not) has cheeseburger?

I've been fighting off some nearly uncontrollable cravings lately - and its a big N-O on the obvious question that follows a statement like that. Fact is, I don't know where its coming from myself, but its a dangerous obsession, and, for me, one that borders on sinful.

Its those doggone fast food cheeseburgers! What? That's crazy. Gross, even. No, really!

See, for all of my frugal life, I've always prided myself in avoiding what I see as the scam of "Value Meals" and "$4" burgers introduced by fast food chains. Working in Virginia Beach, I'd slide thorough the Wendy's drive through and get a junior cheeseburger and a small fries, feeling as though I'd cheated the system somehow, getting a lunch but not paying dollars for a full sized cheeseburger.

Then, conscious of my weight, I switched to fast food salads when I ate out. But 'tho I love me a Wendy's Southwestern Taco Salad, the resultant squabbles over which little blond headed girl gets to eat the nacho-flavored crumbs from the chip bag and -really- who gets to lick the sour cream packet, are just too much to bear.

And yes, truthfully, we shouldn't be eating out at all when we're trying to pay down debt. But hold onto your stones. With two little girls and a mama who's often hanging on by her fingernails, those golden arches look surprisingly like a pair of welcoming arms.

Weh-eh-elll, now I see what I've been missing. In a fit of indecision the other day at the register, after I'd already placed an order for breaded, processed, deep fired poultry-ish goodness (?) for the girls, the cashier suggested a "~$4~" cheeseburger for me. What the hek, I was hungry. And it was all downhill from there.

See, the burgers on the value menu have no juice. Dry burgers on dry bread. But the burgers advertised with pictures are full of greasy, juicy goodness. Add a slather of mayo mixed with warm mustard, a splat of ketchup and a hothouse tomato, top with a couple slices of dill and it is a recipe for satisfaction.

For a moment. Several, maybe.

The guilt comes in the evening...lying in bed, wondering where the vague feeling of discomfort is from. And in the morning, when the Fat Jeans, um....fit.

So, if you catch me with a gleam in my eye and a mustard stain on my shirt, please call me on it. Because in my very personal struggle with my weight, fast food ~$4~ cheeseburgers are currently The Enemy.

Homemade Laundry Soap, Part 2

Well, as for cleaning, it seems to clean as well as any other. The true test is whether it bothers our skin at all - Andy said if he starts itching to death or anything he's dumping the whole batch in the creek. If you live downstream and notice that your crayfish are especially shiny, then you'll know what happened.

But so far, there have been no complaints.

I also made another batch of detergent, using the same ingredients, but this time I chose to make a powder recipe. I used the same boxes of opened Borax and Super Washing Soda, and the baking soda cost me, oh, what - $.39/box at WalMart? Again, the bar of soap was $.79 (not on sale). So, using the products I had on hand, it was less than $1.50 for many loads. I don't have an exact number of loads, but I'll count.

Here goes:

1 scant bar of Octagon Soap (smuggled in this time, so Andy doesn't have a flashback) (use 2 cups, not packed down, but bang the measuring cup on the table to make sure its close to 2 cups. I had about 1/2 cup left over)
2 cups Baking Soda
2 cups Super Washing Soda
3 cups Borax

Grate soap finely* (now, the recipe calls for "bar soap." However, Octagon and Fels-Naphtha are soaps specifically marketed as stain removers or laundry soaps, so I chose that one. You can also use Ivory, and feasibly any other soap your family enjoys. This would also be one way to avoid the itching issue as indicated earlier.)
Add remainder of ingredients and mix well.
Mix very well.
Pour into a clean, dry apple juice bottle you've been saving for something like this.

Use about 1/4 cup for each load.
Yield: Approximately 2 quarts dry "powder"


*I used a cheese grater with a fine grate. I wish I had a box grater because this was the Pampered Chef roll-type grater I found at a thrift store years ago and it is nigh unto impossible to clean. So if you've over for supper soon and I ask if you want fresh grated Parmesan cheese on your pasta, I'd suggest you politely decline. Unless you like burping soap bubbles.

Stay tuned for updates as to the status of this experiment!