Laundry

It was time to do laundry but I was out of detergent.  Time to make some more.  

To make it, I mix 1 1/2 cups of washing soda, 1 1/2 cups of Borax and 1 grated soap.  I've been using Dr. Brommer's lavender soap. 

 The best thing I ever discovered for laundry was a wash board.  I can't believe these things ever went out of use.  They make removing stains easier than I have ever found.  This shirt below had a black streak of grease from one edge of the sleeve to the other.  10-15 minutes of soaping and scrubbing and the stain was gone as if it never happened.

Before:

After:

A cake

 Work has been pretty rough lately.  Our new area manager is the kind of guy who watches security footage to find something wrong so he can write you up...and fire you if he doesn't like you.  Which is exactly what he did to my supervisor I have had for the entire almost 10 years I have worked for this company.  We got a new building manager a few months ago and he was really fighting for us, finally getting supplies we had been lacking but the area manager refused to get us.  The area manager didn't want to hear anything the building manager had to say and would yell at him to shut up and do what he says because he's the boss.  So the building manager is gone now. :o(  Things look bleak at the building now.  I don't know why I haven't been written up yet.  I am sure it will happen though.  So for the building manager's last day, I made this cake.

The flags I actually made for Adam's birthday cake for his party with his friends.  That was supposed to be yesterday but things didn't work out so there was no cake...but I have the flags and bunting for future birthday parties.  

This is bad lighting, but here they are.

Winter warmth

Some years ago, I tried making a coat for Jack but it fit so horribly, even though I used a pattern, that I gave up.  I used the same pattern and made one for the dogs.  It fit just as horribly.  So I drafted my own pattern, slowly, as I went along.  They are identical except that Gretel's covers her chest and stomach but Hansel's only covers his chest.  Can't cover a male dogs stomach and keep a clean coat.  I had to patch Hansel's right away after he gnawed on it.  Then the next day, he destroyed his.  *SIGH*  A waste of a weekend day!  Gretel still has hers but he takes it off of her.  Grrr!  He is such a menace.  But I still think they are really cute coats.