Small Change for G & M!!

Many of you may have seen my Facebook, twitter, and Instagram photos of the new fundraiser that Jason and I have started. For those of you who don’t follow me on any of those social media avenues, here is what this little fundraiser is all about!

For the next four weeks we are asking people to fill a jar, mug, baggie, shoe…anything that can hold change…with your spare change from the end of the day. A few months ago I made a coin jar out of a mason jar with the outline of Africa. We’ve been filling it up with our loose change and cash ever since. I thought that this might be an easy way for an entire family to be a part of helping bring home our little girls.

If you want to make a jar here are the easy-peesy steps to make it happen:

Items needed: mason jar, sharpie, Africa cut-out, chalkboard paint, small paintbrush

1. Find a mason jar at a grocery store or in your cabinet

2. Print off an outline of Africa from the internet. I downloaded this outline and resized it to fit my jar.

3. Grab a sharpie and outline the continent.

4. Use a small paintbrush and paint inside the outline.

5. Let it dry and you now have your own Africa coin jar!!

 

On Monday, September 16th dump out all the change and count it with your little ones (or you can do it on your own :)) and take it to the bank. As a way to help you out, I’m asking you to donate your change to our online tax-deductible account with AdoptTogether. Once the spare change is in your bank account, you can go online and donate your change to our account! If you do want to give us the change, you can mail a check or if you live in Tucson, give it to me in person.

Our hope and prayer with this simple fundraiser is that more people will hear about how God is working in our lives and in the lives of our children on the other side of the world. Please share this post with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. We want God to receive the Glory in giving our small change to help make BIG changes for our little girls who are waiting for their mommy and daddy to come take them home to a forever family!

As a side note, we received new pictures yesterday of G & M! oh. my. heart. They are getting so big and they are SO beautiful! The change in their pictures from February to now is unreal. I am thankful every day that we have the ability to provide food, medicine, supplements, and clothing for our girls through their foster home while we all wait to be united!

Keep praying that we pass court by September!

And start filling up those jars!!

Thank you from the bottom of this mama’s heart!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Last night on Instagram I posted a picture of some homemade soap that I had made with a friend over a year ago. Yesterday I finally finished the 5 gallon bucket off! I’m planning on making some more today and thought I’d share the recipe with all of you! So many of you asked for the recipe last night and this morning, so here it is!!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

(Front or top load machine-best value)

Ingredients: 

4  Cups – hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar*
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda**
½ Cup BoraxDirections: -Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)*Visit the Fels-Naptha website to find a store in your area that carries the product. I found mind at the local Wal-Mart store.
**Arm & Hammer washing soda can be found in most stores. I found it at my local Fry’s grocery store.

(This recipe comes from the Duggar Family blog)

I have a front load washer, so with each load, I used three tablespoons of the detergent. In addition to the detergent, I add Oxy-Clean to keep the whites a little brighter. I also do not use fabric softener anymore because of the toxins it contains. So instead of store-bought fabric softener, I put 3 tablespoons of vinegar in each load!

Some of you may not have room for a 5 gallon bucket near your washer, so I would recommend using a smaller Tupperware container to hold a portion of the bucket and keep the “big guns” out in the garage or in another storage area. I have space for it, so I don’t worry about that. The recipe also says you can add essential oils if you would like, but I didn’t. The scent of the Fels-Naptha bar is a very clean scent and I never noticed that my clothes smelled bad.

I have loved using this as my detergent because it’s cheap and it’s natural! If you have more questions about this detergent or are interested in more of the natural house cleaners I use, just let me know!