Wash on Monday

Do you wash a certain day of the week? Our schedule allows for wash on Monday and Friday....with an occasional load on Wednesday. Laundry is one job that I really enjoy. My girls all know how to sort and select temperature and cycle. They can check pockets and treat stains. However, most of the time, this is my job. My quiet time. I love the smell of clean laundry, especially with my homemade laundry soap--which is soooo much more economical than the store bought kind. I make a couple of big batches twice a year, it costs me about $35/batch which equals less than .10/load and roughly 700 loads/year or just less than 2 loads/day.

For me, ironing is part of the laundry.....laundry isn't done until the ironing is done. I find that if I hang or fold immediately when it comes out of the dryer, my ironing pile is relatively small. I do have girls, so there are always a few ruffles and of course the hems on most skirts and then there are Rick's dress shirts, pants, and handkerchiefs (those increase during allergy season,lol). I also iron my top sheets, at least at the top edge where they like to curl. 

If I don't have a little helper when I'm folding, I like to pray for the person whos clothes I am folding. It's a habit I developed shortly after marrying and now it just comes natural. I pray that God will bless and protect the person I love while they are wearing the clothes I am folding/ironing. Sometimes I just thank God that I have that person in my life! I count my blessings and believe me, they are more in number than the unmatched socks! Smile. (Now if I could just apply that same principle to unloading the dishwasher (a job I don't love as much), we'd be in great shape!

The other day, I noticed that it was time for a new ironing board cover. Have you ever noticed the poor selection they have available in the stores? Well, I figured, why not have something fun and cute to look at, so for half the price of a new one, I made my own. I LOVE it! It just made laundry that much more fun--and now I don't even want to put the board away in the closet. Ha! I simply used my old cover as a pattern and re-used the same pad even. If your pad needed replaced, that would be simple enough to do with a thin piece of quilt batting. I don't really like to sew, but fast projects like this one are fun! 

For Home Ec, I had the girls help me make new covers for the living room couch pillows. They are completely removable and washable. I like the natural look--and the fact that they are quite springy. They look almost white, but they are more of a cream color and almost cheesecloth style. I found out that at least one of my daughters likes sewing about as well as I do, which = not at all. 

In other sewing related news, I started working on Easter baskets. Our kid all have a special travel-size pillow that I periodically make a new case for. This year, they will have a new pillow case in their Easter baskets. I love how they reflect their personalities. 

Kayla: calm and soothing

Kalli: bold and vibrant

Kammy: horses and NO lace!

Kaite: all frills and pink

Kade: fun, boyish and barking!

Speaking of Easter baskets, we need washcloths, so I remembered this fun way to fold them and will be tucking these handy little bunnies into their baskets as well! Our kids aren't much on candy, so I like to come up with fun alternatives. I am grateful that they are always thankful for useful things!

One more little thing. As I was supervising SAT's the other day, I noticed that I had some fabric left from the chair re-covering project we had done, so I quickly put together this fun runner for decor around Memorial and Independance Day. Until then, it looks real nice in they school room!

One thing just leads to another here.....speaking of school, we have 7 official weeks left. Some of the girls may be done a bit sooner than that. Either way, we are all (teacher included) looking forward to a break! Can't believe Kayla will be a Junior and Kalli and Kammy in 7th and 4th. Okay, gotta run--spelling words and diapers call!