DIY: Laundry Detergent

Have you ever attempted making your own laundry detergent? I have just started recently but I'm sold! I like how it smells. I like how inexpensive it is. I like that it only takes about 5 minutes to make. I searched the internet for different homemade laundry detergent recipes and most are very similar. Here's my recipe based on my preferences:

The Ingredients:

1. Fels-Naptha soap. This soap is incredible. It is very powerful and it smells so fresh.

2. Washing Soda. (Not baking soda!)

3. Borax. I knew that this was made for laundry but had previously only used it mixed with glue to make gak in elementary school... Borax's purpose is to make clothes brighter and remove odors.

I found all of the ingredients in the laundry aisle at Walmart. I also found them all at Publix but the soap cost a bit more there.

How to:

1. Grate 1/5 of a bar of Fels-Naptha soap into a large pot.
2. Add 4 cups of water and stir over medium heat until all soap shreds melt.
3. Add 1/4 cup of Washing Soda and 1/4 cup of borax and stir just until they dissolve.
(You can also stir in 1/2 oz. of an essential oil at this point if you want. I don't.)
4. Remove from heat and stir in 12 cups of water (room temperature or warm). Ta Da! You did it!
5. Pour into container. I pour it into a leftover, empty laundry detergent container (1.17 gal). Other people put it into a bucket or a pretty dispenser etc. As the detergent sits, it will gel a bit more.

How much to use:

Use 1/2 cup of detergent per load of laundry. Provides enough for 32 loads.

How much does it Cost:

Just over 1 cent per load!
Fels-Naptha: $0.97 for 5 oz bar. 1/5 of bar= $0.19
Washing Soda: $3.97 for a 55 oz box. (1/4 c. washing soda weighs 2.2 oz.) 
1/4 c. washing soda= $0.16
Borax: $3.97 for a 65 oz box. (1/4 c. borax weighs 1.8 oz).
1/4 c. borax= $0.11
$0.19+$0.16+$0.11= $0.46 for the recipe. Under 50 cents for 1 gallon of detergent.

Forty-six cents for the entire recipe. Each recipe provides enough detergent for 32 loads. So each load costs just over a penny!


I've enjoyed making this. Hope you will, too! :)

Words like Daggers

I've been thinking a lot about words lately. Do I use my words to tear down or to build up? "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Prov. 12:18) Rash words are spoken without consideration of how deeply they might cut. They may be forgotten by the speaker but linger as a sharp sting on the hurting. I try to remind myself often that everyone experiences pain and many people are currently right in the middle of a difficult time. What a shame it would be if I added to the burdens of those who are struggling instead of being a kind hand that lifts them up.

When I am hurt, I take solace in Jesus. He has experienced the pain of every sin without fault, which I surely cannot say about myself. How painful it must have been for Him to love people so much that He came to die for them and yet have them speak so harshly against Him. I can imagine their tones as they repeatedly tried to trap Him with their questions. Their haughty eyes as they rejected Him for not being the kind of leader that they wanted. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isa. 53:3) We were so cruel to Him. And yet, He has been so gracious to us. What a humble Savior we have.

Oh how I desire to be like Him. I want to be kind like He is kind. I want to encourage others the way that He encourages me. I want to build up His body and never tear it down. I want to be a woman of forgiveness and grace. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Ps. 19:14)

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."(Ephesians 4:29-32)

Let us cling tightly to Jesus, our haven against the stinging rain. And let us be carriers of His forgiveness and grace to all people.

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." (Prov. 16:24)

Fifty Times More Intimate Than Porn

            I attended a state university for three years. While I was there, several of my classes began to show pornography. They found all kinds of excuses to show it to us. Sociology classes wanted us to understand people’s desires. Communication classes wanted us to know how to effectively advertise. Women’s Studies classes wanted to show us how men distort women’s bodies. Etc., etc., etc.

I remember sitting in my classes staring down at my desk waiting for it to end. Other times I walked out. Sometimes, teachers pointed me out for being “afraid of a little porn.” I remember leaving my class crying and thinking, how much is this “education” worth if I have to unlearn it later. I worked hard to guard myself from taking in this kind of pollution and without my permission it was being forced upon me.

There’s a lot of talk these days about 50 Shades of Grey. They recently released the trailer for the movie, which is scheduled to debut on Valentine’s Day. The book has been classified as an erotic novel and coined as “mommy porn.” I could say a lot about how much I hate pornography. I hate that it is so abundant. I hate how it ruins lives. I hate how it hurts women. I hate how it hurts men. I hate how it hurts God.

I urge you, when pornography is delivered to you in a carefully wrapped package, marketed to you, praised by your peers, glamorized by the media, see it for what it truly is- POISON. That is not your spouse! It is decay in your bones. Refrain. Resist it. Say no. Run away! Flee!

I am reminded that we all have a great desire for intimacy. We crave closeness and rightly so. We were created to have that longing. There is a God who lovingly, carefully created you. He formed your body in your mother’s womb. He knows every bit of who you are. He knows every part of you, even the number of hairs on your head. And, he loves you. He sacrificed everything to be with you. You can trust him with everything—with your pain, your insecurities, your heart, your mind, and your body. He will never leave you or forsake you.

There is such intimacy with Jesus. When you become a believer, you are IN Christ and he is IN you. You are joined to Christ, just as spouses are joined together. There is a real connection that is personal and intimate. You are joined to him and he gives himself to you. And in him, there is intense pleasure. You are one with him. I pray that you will seek him and find your desires fulfilled. May you find all that you need in the presence of your great Savior.

In Him,

Lauren

The Steubenville Trial, Sexual Abuse, and Jesus

The day after 16-year-old Jane Doe attended a high school party, she began to uncover what had been done to her that night. She asked her friends what happened and they told her that they took care of her. Only later, as she received photographs and texts, did she find out that her "friends" had actually sexually abused her that night.

Jane Doe went to a party and became intoxicated.

She was abandoned.

Many of her acquaintances saw that she was unconscious and being "taken advantage of" and did nothing. They walked away.

She was abused.

She was seen multiple times throughout the night being carried around only partially clothed or fully undressed. Young men later testified about things that they had done to her while she was unconscious.

She was mocked.

Several young men offered each other money to urinate on her.

She was betrayed.

When the case went to court, two of her best friends testified against her, saying that she was often drunk and known to lie.

I wept over the horrors of that night. The abandonment, the abuse, the mocking, and the betrayal. I mourned for Jane Doe and prayed that she would find comfort, hope, and peace.

Then, the verdict came. 2 young men were found guilty of rape and sentenced to juvenile probation for 1-2 years.

As the media spoke of the victim and the outcome of the case, it was soon very clear that their sympathy was toward the perpetrators and not toward the victim. The reporters found it so tragic that the young men would have to spend 1-2 years in jail. They mourned the loss of the young men's football careers. They did not speak of the victim's pain. (You can watch the coverage here.)

Others spoke of the victim, but not with compassion. Instead of consoling the victim, they blamed her. Bloggers and Tweeters urged girls to not wear skimpy clothes because they too could hurt a young man's future by causing themselves to be raped. WHAT? Don't get me wrong, I think modesty is important. But, dressing immodestly and drinking heavily are not tacit agreement to rape. Please, let's not get that confused! Other teenagers wrote on public forums that those guys just did what any guy would do in their situation. UM WHAT? Let's hope not. One member of the faculty of the school that the young men attended even taunted, "How can she really be scarred for life if she can't even remember it?"

As I read the articles and responses from the public, I was livid.

"While one can be involved in a car accident that can produce trauma, one does not merely have an incident of molestation—like having an accident. So while friends and family never side with the other car or tree; friends and family often side with the abuser AGAINST the abused." - Dr. Andrew Schmutzer

I was deeply grieved as I thought of all who have been sexually abused. I have heard such tragic stories. I have witnessed great depravity. And I have shared pain with many friends who have been victims of abuse. My heart is so heavy and grief stricken even as I type.

I lamented to God. How long will this suffering last? How many of my brothers and sisters will 

experience such grief and shame? Who can save us?

As I prayed and mourned over the abuse, I looked to the God of all comfort for hope. And I was reminded, we are never alone in our pain. God has shown me His faithful presence through the most difficult situations. He is with us. Jesus is present in our pain, and He can relate.

He was betrayed.

One of Jesus' own followers, Judas, betrayed Him for a measly 30 silver coins. He betrayed Jesus with a symbol of affection, a kiss (Luke 22:47-48). Jesus' close friend handed Him over to be killed.

He was abandoned.

When Jesus was arrested and taken away to be killed, His friends all left Him and fled (Mark 14:50).

He was mocked.

People spit on Jesus' face and struck Him with their fists (Matt. 26). They taunted Him while He hung on the cross, giving him a crown of thorns to wear and vinegar to drink.

He was abused.

Jesus was physically abused. He was punched, scourged, and beaten severely (Passion of the Christ). Jesus was abused sexually.  He was stripped of His clothing and hung on a cross to die a shameful death. As He hung unclothed on the cross, He bore all of our shame.

You are never alone in your pain. Jesus knows pain. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of many sorrows, well acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:3).

He doesn't leave us in our pain. He takes it upon Himself. In His death, Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4). No matter how great are the sins that we have committed or had committed against us, Jesus bore them all. He took all of our sin, all of our shame, all of our pain, and all of our grief upon himself.

If you are united to Christ, you are a new creation. You share in all that He is. In Him, we are made whole. Blameless. Righteous. Clothed in pure white garments. In Him, we are set free.

If you read this post, I'd love to hear from you.

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Helpful Resources:

Ministering to survivers of sexual abuse

A Theology of Sexual Abuse