Nunsense and Laundry Detergent

First:
Last weekend Spencer and I went to see Nunsense which was being done by ERCT.  It was the most fun I have had in a long time!  The writing for this play is really funny, but without a talented cast much of it would have been missed.  The erct cast was indeed talented! I laughed my butt off and had a big smile on my face nearly the entire time!  It wasn't just the comedy, the singing was also wonderful!  I think it's rare to find a play that can be gut-busting funny for adults and still be family-friendly, Nunsense is one of those gems!  There's a few "hells" and an "ass" or two if I remember correctly, but it's a pretty clean show.  I can't say the same for the after party with the cast and friends though! :o)

Thank you to everyone involved in Nunsense for the fabulous entertainment!

Now, Second:
While Friday night was spent laughing, eating, drinking, and telling dirty jokes about a local bbq place... Saturday night was spent making soap.

Laundry detergent to be specific.

I've known it was possible for years, but never tried it.  I thought it would be too hard to find the ingredients, too hard to make, and didn't trust it to work.  I was wrong on all accounts.

I could have taken pictures of the process, but the blogger which posted the recipe that I followed already did that for me, so you can see her full post by clicking here.

What you need:
1 5-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid
Borax
Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap
After driving around and searching Walmart I ended up finding all the ingredients at Cub Foods in the laundry isle, and the bucket I got at Lowes.  Making the detergent was pretty easy, but I thought I had done something wrong because the next morning when it had cooled completely it was gross.  It was lumpy, slimy, and gloppy.  Not something I wanted to be messing with.  After posting a question on the above blog, and doing some internet research, I came to the conclusion it turned out exactly like it usually does... watery, slimy, and gloppy.  This really isn't an issue though because I used a funnel and a measuring cup to fill an old laundry detergent bottle up about 3/4 of the way, and I shake it up a little before each use just to make sure it's all distributed evenly.  I use an entire cap full (2/3 cup) plus a little more in each load, and have been really pleased with the job it's doing!  There was a blanket that the dog had been laying on and then had been left outside for weeks that was really stinky, one washing and it smelled fresh and clean!

The best part, and only reason I'm making it, is that it is SO cheap to make! For my initial batch of 5 gallons, I spent $16 (8 for the soaps and 8 for the bucket).  Since I only needed 1 cup of the borax and arm and hammer washing soda for each batch, those will last me quite a while.  The only thing I'll need to replace will be the Fels-Naptha soap... which only cost me $1.09!  That means in the future I'll only spend $1.09 for 5 GALLONS of laundry detergent! 

So to wrap all this up, if you get the opportunity to see Nunsense... go!  And if you'd like to save money and practically do your laundry for free, try making your own laundry detergent!