Overheard at our house...

Me: You know how I make our own laundry soap?
Josh: Yeah, why?
Me: Well, I thought we'd try some DIY dishwasher detergent.
[pause]
Josh: I only know of two other people that make their own dishwasher detergent: Procter and Gamble.

So, you may think I'm nuts. My husband does! But I thought it was worth a shot. It's inexpensive, it's all natural, and it's super easy to make.

These are the ingredients:

Yes, that's Kool-aid. Yes, it seems really weird. That's because you need citric acid and it is otherwise hard to find.

Here's the recipe, from this blog.
2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Baking Soda
4 small packets of lemonade Kool-Aid (you can also use 4 tablespoons of citric acid--if you can find it)
White Vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients together and put in a jar.

Use 2 tablespoons per load. (1 tablespoon in the open cup and 1 in the closed locking cup) Pour some White Vinegar into your rinse aid receptacle and your glasses will come out sparkling!


The cost savings? It's less than half the cost of purchasing detergent at the store. More like 1/3 of the price. And, no harsh chemicals.

AND - most importantly - it works great. Very clean, very shiny dishes come out of the machine each time.

80 Years

My mom's dad is 80 today.

I love this man.

He calls randomly, just to chat.

He is an Ohio State fan and likes to rub it in.

He calls me "Jess-tica."

He is on Facebook.

He once had me convinced that I was going to fly to Florida on a "bi-plane" and that I'd need to get old-school Amelia Earhart glasses and a scarf.

He was - and still is - a tease.

He used to ask if I wanted to go to "the Springs." To me that meant a pool/lake. To him? Bed springs. Meaning a nap.

He remembers that I love grits and makes them for me for breakfast.

He used to like to tell me that my grandma had bought my cousins diamond earrings, and didn't buy me any, just to get a rise out of me.

He loves produce markets. We've visited a variety of them together, from New York City to Montreal.

I'm so thankful for him. He loves his family very well.

Wordless Wednesday: Polka Dots

[St Lawrence River, Quebec City, QC]

Through the weeks.

A number of you have asked whether or not I've continued to take a weekly photo of Caroline.

Okay, I'll admit it. By "a number of you" I mean to say my mom, my grandma, and my husband. So about 30% of my overall readership.

But the answer is yes.

Mostly yes. I'm not super strict, but we're still at it. And no, I still don't know what we'll do with all of these pictures once the year is up. Baby book, yes. But hopefully something beyond that, too! I'm cooking up some ideas.



From day to day and week to week, I don't see changes in her. Like, at all. As in, I feel like I could fool all of you by just posting pictures from the same day.

But I'm thankful I have this little project to look back on. I mean, from week 3 to week 8? TOTALLY DIFFERENT. From week 12 to week 18? CHANGES. I also like to capture little details that are a part of our life at certain times. Around week 19 she liked her Bumbo seat. That was a short-lived phase. By 24 weeks she was juuuust starting to sit up on her own. For seconds at a time. A love affair with Sophie the Giraffe came around week 27, and by week 32 she was trying her darnest to move forward to grab toys.

She's still not super successful at it, by the way.

So through this we've got a little chronicle of our growing girl... it is a joy and an honor to behold.

Road Trip, Stop #3: Savannah, GA+

[Okay, since we've now been on a second road trip, a certain husband of mine suggested I finish the posts about the first one.]

After meandering around the low country of South Carolina, including a lunchtime visit to Beaufort, we made our way to Savannah, GA.

Wait. Let me just say that Beaufort was a darling little gem. I'd really like a double-decker porch like this someday:

Savannah was a different kind of charming from Charleston. Stately, historic houses, yes. But a bit more of an eclectic feel overall.

Plus, I had no idea about Savannah's squares. Dotted throughout the city are these little city squares/parks. Like, everywhere. So unique and picturesque! They were so fun to happen upon when walking around town. The squares were specifically planned by the much-loved city founder, James Oglethorpe, a name we saw all over town.

Any fans of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil out there? Here's the famous Mercer House.

And the Pirate's House from Treasure Island? We ate there. The food was only so-so but the history was cool. Built in 1753, and still in business? Crazy.

Caroline enjoyed the swings.

And the hotel pool.

And some snuggles with her dad.

The beach (Hilton Head Island, a side trip while we were there) only got mixed reviews.

And in closing, I'll leave you with this very ladylike picture of our girl. She does this the entire time she's in this stroller.

Next stop: Atlanta. Then home again!