Every once in a while, Pinterest does me the favor of not making me feel like a completely uncrafty loser. 

When we bought the homestead almost a year ago, we inherited quite a few things: those three chickens I won't shut up about, a drawer full of random plastic containers, the ugliest office curtains ever made, a garden run wild with persistent morning glories, and a giant pile of ancient bricks. I'm calling them "ancient" because every time The Husband and I talk about what to do with them, we keep adding a few decades onto their age and now it's to the point where we don't remember how old the previous owners said the bricks really are. 

So I decided to love the chickens and throw out the plastic junk and the hideous curtains. The Husband poisoned the morning glory and stacked the bricks up neat and tidy in the back part of the garden where they forlornly waited to be put to use. 

Enter: Pinterest

I first "pinned" the idea of making a birdbath out of bricks over a year ago to my "Super Cool Ideas" board (I really must come up with a different "super cool" name for this board) where it was quickly forgotten amid 100+ other "super cool ideas".  Then around three months ago, I came across it and repinned it to my "Great Outdoors" board. I wish I could say that was when I had my "Aha! Moment" and started building this "super cool" birdbath in our "great outdoors". It was not. No, I squirrelled (FUN FACT: Squirrelled has the longest spelling of any standard English word with one syllable if you don't spell it the American way and if you don't use an accent) away this idea until it popped back into my consciousness a couple of weeks ago. 

Enter: The Husband

Because I can sometimes be more of a dreamer than an actual transport-bricks-across-a-long-expanse-of-yard kind of gal, I delegated the building of the birdbath and used promises of chicken-fried steak to lure compliance. And The Husband did not disappoint. (Neither did the steak)

Here is a close-up:

No mortar was needed; the bricks were stacked in a random pattern that ensures stability. He placed an old saucer on top and added a couple of broken terracotta pieces so our feathered friends will have a place to perch. A few ferns and some Lily of the Valley were planted at the base and should look nice and lush soon. And once we decide on what we're doing with the rest of the bed, this should all look "super cool". 


Now I just need to revisit my Pinterest boards and figure out what to do with the rest of the bricks... 

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. Only Martha Stewart and every single one of my ex-boyfriends can make me feel more inadequate. Just when I think I've got my crap together....BOOM!!! I find out that the "good" moms are making Monet waterlily paintings out of broccoli and kale for their kids. And buying $30 bento boxes for carrots and string cheese! A life-sized replica of Westminster Abbey made out of empty toilet paper tubes?!? Are you freaking kidding me?!?
However, every once in a while, I come across something that doesn't take an advanced art degree to make. I present....Laundry Soap. This is by far the best idea I've seen on that soul-sucking site.. 

1. It's economical.
2. I'm capable of making it. 
3. It actually works.

To make four batches, you'll need less than $12. I make this much at a time and it lasts for around 6 months. 

Buy:
1 box of Borax
1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 
4 bars of Fels-Naptha laundry soap
2 large bowls

Using a food processor, grate the 4 bars of laundry soap. They will resemble cheddar cheese. CAUTION!! They do not taste like cheddar cheese. I was making this just yesterday, went into the laundry room for something, and heard The Husband exclaim, "Oooh! Cheese!" I stopped him just in time.
Put all of the shredded soap into a large bowl and add 4 cups of borax and 4 cups of the washing soda. 
Change out the shredder attachment on your food processor to the regular metal blade and add your soap mixture (in small batches), process, and add to second bowl. You will have a powder that is slightly more coarse than store-bought powdered detergent. 
I use 1 - 1 1/2  TB per load of laundry....2 TB if I'm washing The Husband's stinky gym clothes. 

Questions you may have:
1. Is this *really* that much cheaper? Yes!! Yes!! A thousand times Yes!!
2. Will it work in my HE washer? I'm not a Whirlpool or Maytag expert so I do not know if the manufacturers would recommend this detergent. I do know that I use it in my Maytag and my mom-in-law uses it in her Kenmore and we have yet to experience a problem. In fact, I don't have that musty smell in my washer that so many HE owners complain about having. 
3. But what if I'm making a monster batch of this stuff and I lose count and accidentally add in an extra cup of washing soda? The Horror!  I've done this and noticed no difference in cleaning performance.

So will I continue to "pin" on Pinterest? Yes. Because for every 100 times that I feel like a failure, there's that one time that makes it all worth it.