Pit stain removal tips (yeah, I really just said that)

Yes, my white shirts get pit stains. It's gross, but I know I'm not the only one, and since I've found a removal method that actually works, I thought I'd share it even though it's a smidge embarrassing to admit that my armpits don't emit perfume. (It would probably stain anyway.)

A week or two ago, I got a sudden bout of fierceness and really attacked those stains because I was sick of them, along with some shirts that had perpetually smelly pits--the one you put on freshly washed, right after you get out of the shower, and in ten minutes it smells like you wore it to the gym three days in a row. Anyway, I'd read various magazine articles, internet articles, and tried a few things.

Here's what DOESN'T work:

1. Baking soda in the wash.
2. Peroxide in the wash.
3. Rubbing "an enzyme-containing detergent" on the stain, letting it set, then washing. (This does work on newborn poop stains--just FYI.)
4. Rinsing the stain with cool water, then doing #3.
5. A cup of vinegar in the wash for the stinkiness. I think it helped, but it wasn't strong enough.

What Worked:

For Yellow Sweat Stains

1. Make a paste of peroxide, baking soda, and water. Unless you're doing a lot of shirts you won't need more than a tablespoon of each.
Protect the counter with a towel, then lay out the shirt and coat the stains with the paste.
2. Let this sit for at least half an hour.
3. Rub it in with an old toothbrush.
4. Wash in hot water.
5. REPEAT.**

** I don't think it ever said in anything I read that it might take more than one treatment to see results. I could tell it had diminished the stains some, so I did the whole process at least four more times. Two of my three shirts looked almost new by this point! (And I don't mean to be gross, but the stains had been...substantial.)
Source

For De-Stinking

1. "Put a cup of baking soda in the wash if it's not too bad. For stubborn stink, read on."
Apparently mine were stubborn. :|
2. For stubborn stinkiness, dilute 3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart of warm water and soak the garment for at least one hour. [I was hurriedly typing this all into my phone in a doctor's office, having gotten it from a magazine I was reading, and it seemed to me like it might have said "or, for best results, up to 24 hours" and I left it out in my hurry. So I went for the 24.]
3. Rinse out and wash.
4. I added one cup of vinegar to the wash for good measure. It's also a good fabric softener.

This really did work! I wore one of the shirts yesterday and it didn't smell at all!

I'm not perfect at recycling and I use paper plates with only minor guilt, but I really like that all of this didn't require any scary chemicals or pesticides or anything. I mean, if it can be done naturally (and cheaply), that's gotta be better. I've been using these items so much for household cleaning and laundry that I've started buying them in bulk. It really does feel good to be green where you can!

I truly hope these tips help someone out there. I've been embarrassed by these things and even thrown shirts away because I thought there was no way to fix them. Have I mentioned I LOVE the internet and all you can learn on it?


One more interesting note: in getting the baking soda image, I came across this article for making your own simple, natural, non-aluminum deodorant! Intriguing! If I try it and it works, I'll let you know.

A little tip for my LDS bruthahs and sistas

For all my Mormon buddies, here's a tip I'm finding useful:

Know how tomorrow is General Conference, and it recurs every six months?

Do you have 72-hour-kits? Good job if you do, I totally understand if you don't. We all don't have to have everything perfect.

If you have put some together, when is the last time you checked them?

You know, batteries in flashlights, size of kids' clothing, expiration dates on food and other products, etc?

Don't you think every six months would be a great schedule for rotating and updating? And isn't the fact that GC occurs every six months like clockwork a convenient reminder?

I heard that somewhere and have been meaning to follow it for, oh, about four years now. (I first started our kits at a Relief Society activity almost four years ago.)

I finally did, last night, and good thing. Some items were fine, but every single piece of food was expired, and the only food Jamie's had was two jars of baby food. (I did used to keep formula in it when that was appropriate.) I opened a package of cookies from ours, thinking I'd snack on them while I worked if they weren't too bad, and just the smell was sickening.

It really would have sucked to have an emergency and then realize our "emergency food" was worthless.

So that's my tip:
every time Conference weekend rolls around, take the opportunity to rotate and update your 72-hour kits.

Here's another tip:
Go to bed early the night before Conference, so you don't oversleep and miss this great opportunity to hear our prophet and apostles speak.
(I.e., don't be like me. Ahemtwelvethirtya.m.)

(www.mormoncartoonist.com)

Good night!

Couponing and food storage helps

Couponing seems to be getting more and more popular lately, even popping up as the premise for reality TV shows (though the word still gets a red underline on here, so apparently it's not part of the dictionary). I've been trying to figure out how the whole thing works, but only recently have I started putting some real effort into it. I haven't had a really great trip yet, where I saved way more than I spent or even got money back for an item, but I'll get there.

Anyway, I was pointed to a site that explains things pretty well, and I wanted to share it with you:

In particular, this woman, Charlene, has a page called Where to Begin that gives a quick run-down of how couponing works, with additional resources to learn more from. It has already answered a lot of my questions!

Another site that a friend recommended to me:

This one isn't quite as user-friendly, but I'm getting the hang of it. You pick the store you want to shop at, they tell you what's on sale that week, they rate each item by how good of a sale it is, and if there's a coupon for it, they'll either give you a link (if it's printable online) or tell you which newspaper circular you can get it from (which you're supposed to have saved and filed beforehand--Charlene talks about that on My Frugal Adventures).

I finally ordered a subscription to the Sunday paper, and not only did I get excited when I saw the coupons, I felt like a grown-up. The only time I usually see newspapers is when I visit my parents. Now if I could just get myself to read them...

While I'm reviewing things I like that have to do with food, I may as well mention this little book that my mom gave me for Christmas:


This is, of course, a book based on the belief that we Mormons hold that it's very wise to have at least three months of food and other essentials stored in your home in case of emergency--not only the possibility of natural disaster, but also job loss or other unexpected changes in income. There are many testimonials from LDS members that following the counsel of our prophets in this matter has proven to be a great blessing in their lives.

Anyway, the prospect of purchasing, organizing, and storing all that food can be really daunting, and I found this book to be very helpful in breaking it down and making it doable. Ever since I finished it (yeah, I actually finished it!) I've been quoting it to other women in my ward--since the how-to's of food storage seems to be another hot topic among us.

Lol. I know, we Mormons are a peculiar bunch. But in a good way, right? :)

One thing I don't get though, and that I haven't had anyone sufficiently answer, is how to incorporate fresh foods that aren't storable. At least, there's no immediate solution for us poor suckers who have no ground to put a garden in. Someday... But this book is definitely a great place to start, and I highly recommend it!

The authors also have a website with lots of recipes and the worksheets for making your lists and planning your grocery shopping, as well as tips and advice. I also recommend ProvidentLiving.org, a website my church constructed for learning to be more self-reliant, not just in food storage but in finances, education, health, etc.

Well, I'm not living very providently at the moment since it's now after midnight, but it feels nice to post something positive, useful, and about topics I've been very much occupied with lately. Buenas noches!

Rawhide trip, plus general pics and video

I talked to my mom-in-law the other day, and she told me she pretty much looks at this blog daily to see her grandbaby--cue my guilt for not putting up more pictures and videos!

As I think I mentioned, we went with our friends to a mock "old west" town a couple of weeks ago. This is when we were getting out of cars and getting ready to go in. (That's Reagan in the background, all decked out in cowboy gear.)

The jail wagon with Joey and Allegra

On our way into the horribly cheesy "gun fight" show

I was sick for nearly a week, and I still have a pesky lingering cough. (NOTHING seems to help, either.) It was keeping poor Jason up on Friday night, so he came down and slept on the couch. When Jamie got up, he got all cozy on Daddy's pillow and loved it!

Jamie has started a really cute "blankie" stage. He loves to have one (or more) of his blankets nearby, and will at intervals bring one over to you, climb into your lap, put the blanket over himself, and cuddle with you for a few minutes. Love it.

Okay, they're not all of Jamie. But I had to share that we FINALLY found slipcovers we like, FINALLY found fabric for throw pillows that goes with them and that we both like, and I FINALLY got all four of the slipcovers made so that things look somewhat put-together in our living room! I'm so happy!

I used this tutorial to make the slipcovers, if you're interested. And I learned that if you let what will be the top overlapping panel stick out 1/4" over the outside edge on each side just at the middle part when you're sewing the three pieces together, it will lay much more nicely when it's finished.

Pretty, huh? Jason and I both love this fabric. He actually has opinions about such things, so I was very happy when I brought it home and he loved it.

This one is from just earlier tonight. Jamie's baths have even been shorter, because he loves wrapping up in his froggie towel and cuddling that way afterward! I just can't dress him right away when he's being so sweet and snuggly, so I brought him down and had Jason take a picture.

I was watching "The Work and the Glory: American Zion" (Vol 2 in the movie series) and when this 1830 wedding party scene came on, Jamie got SO excited! I don't think he squeals in this clip as much as he did originally, but wow, does he love music and dancing. It's so cute how uninhibited he is. If he hears music he likes, he grins, claps, and usually starts dancing around. I've played it multiple times in a row for him, and he still got excited every time!

Some other tidbits:

When we tell Jamie "don't touch," nowadays he gets a stern look on his little face, shakes his index finger and says, "Da doh doo." Can't imagine where he learned it...

He still will run TO you instead of AWAY from you when you pretend to be a monster trying to chase him.

He knows that a prayer usually comes after a hymn. Today during General Conference, the choir and congregation sang an intermediate hymn, and when it was over, he folded his little arms and bowed his head. He also does this when I sit down to eat my own food, even though he usually already has his and is eating in his high chair.

Did I tell you about when a member of the stake presidency, accompanied by a member of the Elders' quorum presidency, visited us one evening? Jamie was still up, running around while we visited. When the brother from the stake presidency asked if we could close with a prayer, we said, "Jamie, time for prayer," and he immediately assumed the position! SCORE! :)

Manicure Tips

Did you know...

1. ...that when removing nail polish, you should use the nail polish remover, wash your hands, then go over your nails with polish remover again--and this gets the oils off so your polish will adhere better?

2. ...using ONLY the rough side of a nail buffer over your nails before you put on the polish

makes it stay on longer without chipping?

3. That you don't have to spend a lot of money buying a Mary Kay Satin Hands kit to have

soft, moisturized hands?

• Rub baby oil, olive oil, or whatever oil you want over hands
• Add 1/2 tsp sugar
• Rub to luxuriously exfoliate
• Add your favorite body wash or soap, lather, rinse
• Finish with your favorite lotion.

Ahhhh...

That's right, ladies. I'm here for you. ;)

Slicing and Dicing

Folks out there with babies: have you seen these?Disposable washcloths. Get them wet, and the suds are built in.

A friend gave us some before Jamie was born, and I admit, I thought: "How wasteful and frivolous. What's wrong with just using baby wash on a washcloth?" Well, what's wrong is, it's not as easy. It seems like you have to pour it on there like three times to get a good lather. But these are a bit expensive compared to the old-fashioned way. So here's a way to feel better about giving yourself a break:

Cut them in half!

Some regular scissors are all it takes. Babies are small. They don't need a lot of sudsing. Now we get 40 baths from a box and don't feel so bad about spending $3-something!

Same with these. My mom bought some and didn't like them, so I took them off her hands. It's hard to see in this picture, but there are only 28 in the tub. That's not even enough to cleanse once a day for a month! What the heck, Aveeno?!

Slice and dice.

Unless you have a really large face, you don't need the whole pad. It lathers nicely. I've been cutting mine in THIRDS, in kind of a peace-symbol pattern. It makes the luxury last a little longer. And if I ever buy more, I can look at the high price and tell myself they'll last me much longer than Aveeno intended.

Muah ha ha.

Go see what might last longer if you get creative with the scissors!

And lemme know if you find anything good. :)