Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013

Okay i am endeavoring to do new things this year.  However reading for me never goes out of style.  Jioning a reading challenge is a new thing though.

Historical Tapestry is hosting a historical reading challenge.  This is great because I am going over my Jane Austen compendium and Lauren Willig is dropping a new book and there is so much historical fiction out there i want to get to.

You don't have to be a blogger in order to do this though they have a linki list.  Just comment on how you plan to participate.

There are different reading commitment levels available which are great for the bibliophile to those who read occasionally or just take while to read because they are falling asleep with her Kobo mini on and wasting battery life ( not me but you know who I'm talking about..lol)

"During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th century reader - 2 books
Victorian reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History -25+ books"


So any kind of historical fiction and pick your level and start reading.  I think i may comitt to the Medieval level.  That means i can blog about each book and tweet about the cahllenge.  so it'll get me coming back to the blog and writing a bit more.


excellent!


so excited.


Book #1: Pride and Prejudice 

can't say enough about this book.  It's just awesome. 

You can also follow Historical Tapestry on Twitter: @HistoryTapestry

Can't wait to get in on more of the conversation.  Let me know if you join.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay you thrifty people. I have finally taken on the task of making my own laundry detergent.  I was actually in the grocery store picking up a box of Arm & Hammer lavender powder detergent, i was looking up price comparison to see if Amazon subscription could actually save the family some cash, when in my results came up Mother Earth News for make your own lavender laundry detergent.  The ingredients were so simple.  They had a quantity set to last for one year and I made enough for 3 months (didn't have a big enough container).

Recipe:

1 year for family of 4

16c.     Baking Soda
12c.     Borax
4c.      Castile Soap bar grated
3 TBS. essential oil

I chose to forgo the essential oil and used a bar of Dr. Bronner's soap in Lavender.

I also added BioKleen Oxygen bleach ( socks people..for the sake of having white socks!) Didn't measure cause i had a small amount left and the tube says to add only a few Tablespoons to a load, so I'm not worried that there is too much.

Once everything was in the canister I closed the lid tight and shook it to mix all ingredients.

The dosage per load is 1/8th cup.  Awesome!  And the original recipe is supposed to last for one year.  I broke the formula down ( actually did math sans calculator..amazing!) for 3 months and wrote it on one side of the canister so I'd always have it.  I also stuck a 1/8c. measure in there, a cheap little plastic one so if it breaks down it's not a big deal to replace.

Directions on top of lid for those who don't normally do the laundry so half of it is not used in one load. 

 This detergent took me about 10 minutes to make because of the grating but it was so worth it.  The smell from the Dr. Bronner's Soap is wonderful. 

Can't wait to see the results of my first load of laundry. 

Money break down:

Baking Soda store generic brand 4lbs or 64oz: $2.09 or 3¢ an ounce

Borax 76oz $3.38 or 4¢ an ounce.

Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap Bar 5 oz: $3.54  or 7¢ an ounce

BioKleen Oxygen Bleach Plus 32 oz (amazon) $9.80 (w/ prime) 3¢ an ounce.


3 month recipe Cost

4C. Baking Soda = 12¢
3C. Borax =   12¢
2C. Castile Soap =  $1.12
1/2C. BioKleen (guessing i had a small amount in there) = 12¢

Total=  $1.48  for 3 months of detergent

How cool is that! It is way less then a single box of Arm and Hammer Lavender powder detergent.

This is too exciting.  Gonna need to get a larger canister to make more!  wow!

REVLON Colorburst Lip Butter review

I love the new balms by Revlon and L'oreal that are out!  They are creamy and soft and butter and provide just the color level i need.  Today's review is about the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter.  I got the shades: Strawberry Shortcake and Cotton Candy.

Got them at Ulta on a BOGO special.  Very happy about that.  I needed some nice pinks that were not feeling heavy on my lips..it's too hot here in Tejas to have heavy lipstick on, but gloss is too light. Thank goodness for the Colorburst Balm.  They are creamy, pigmented, light and moisturizing.  It has shea, coconut and mango butters that make it ultra moisturizing.

Here is the swatch:

On the left is Cotton Candy, on the right, Strawberry Shortcake.

I really love the creamy pink of Strawberry shortcake.  It's dreamy and so girly.  Cotton Candy shows up on me as a pink that has a hit of gold shimmer. It's got a more sheer application and looks delicate and fun.  Both made me smile. 

The balms run about $7.49 on Ulta and I've seen them for lower at Target and a few other places. Also don't forget you can get $1 off coupons on like ebay ( got like 6 $1 off coupons from ebay for like $2 bucks).   So that will make even more savings! 

What I like about these over the L'Oreal balms is that these have a longer staying power. I love the L'Oreal, they have a nice silky feel too, but the pigmentation of the Revlon is much better. So want to get more of these balms.

Great buy for hits of color and moisture!