Hey Hey We're the Monkeys

My family: They make me smile.

You Know It's Summer When...

The floor next to your back door looks like this:

Our neighborhood is blessed with lots of little girls. A majority of them happened to be at our house the other day.

You know how summer is. Life is more relaxed. Bedtimes and routines are non-existent at the moment. I'm also finding it hard to come up with ideas for dinner.

Last week I clicked over to Alice at her wonderful food blog to get some inspiration. I found this recipe for Coconut Chicken Tenders.
That sealed the deal. I knew what we were having for dinner that night. Alice was managing two blogs for a while and I got to know her thru her other blog. She has decided to focus on her Food Blog full time and I completely understand. She has great pictures and step-by-step instructions for the recipes. I would love to sit in her kitchen and talk with her and taste the wonderful dishes she prepares. She's lovely. She has a beautiful family and a heart for God. You'll love her. Go get inspired~

A Woman and Her Car

Spend a couple of minutes watching this lady. She is 89 years old and has driven the same car for over 40 years. She is a real inspiration. I love stories like this.

I don't know if I could go 40 years with the same car.

Seven years is my record so far.

What is the longest you have driven the same car?

Squeaky Clean

I have been reading on different blogs and the internet about making homemade laundry detergent. Back in May I finally worked up the courage to mix up a batch. I've been using since it since May and have been extremely satisfied with it. Our clothes are coming clean just fine.

I estimate this recipe cost about $2.00-$3.00 to put together.

There are several ways of making detergent. Some make a dry mix and others a liquid detergent. I decided to go with the liquid.

These are the three ingredients used to make it. I found Zote soap at a smaller grocery store in our area. I could not find it at the big chains. Also found the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda there also. Remember Washing Soda not Baking Soda.

The Recipe:

1 Bar of Zote Soap (some use Fels-Naptha)

2 Cups of Borax

2 Cups of Arm & Hammer SUPER WASHING SODA

Large Pot

Clean 5 gallon Bucket

Use a grater and grate the entire bar of soap.

Place the grated soap in a large pot. Pour in enough warm water to completely cover the soap. Bring heat to medium and completely melt the soap. Stir as needed.

In your bucket (I actually used a 4 gallon bucket that my pool chemicals come in. It has a lid)

add the washing soda and the Borax and SLOWLY fill with hot water. Stirring continuously to dissolve. NOTE: Leave enough room in the bucket to add the soap later.

Add the soap and continue to stir until all is well mixed. You may need to come back and stir every hour so it won't solidfy too much.

The consistency is like a jello. I keep mine in the bucket I mixed it in, but after a couple of days and the mixture completely cools you can re-package if you'd like.

I have a front loading washer so I use about 3/4 cup of the detergent. If you have a top -loader I would put the detergent in and let the water help to dissolve it before adding the clothes. Using 3/4 - 1 cup of the detergent.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or ask in the comments. It was a messy process to put together, but I'm happy with it and will continue to make this as I run low in the future. Great money saver.

Yah Mon

Our time in Jamaica was great. There were lots of opportunity to relax.
Here are some pictures taken around the resort.

Hammocks are all over the grounds.

I decided to get in one of those hammocks. I read My Sister's Keeper while I was down there and Jane Austen Ruined My Life. Both were great books.

I had to get out of hammock and go upstairs to read the last chapter of My Sister's Keeper. I didn't want to ball my eyes out in front of everyone out there.

I also played golf twice with Keith, Ann and Scotty.

This is a picture from our room on the 4th floor. The vegetation there is so lush and beautiful.

A view of the oceanside of the building we were in. We stayed on the garden side.

This is the Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios. Keith and I were surrounded by lots of newlyweds. We were feeling quite "seasoned" around all those young couples. It was fun talking to different couples and finding out where they were from.

Keith and I had a great week together. It was so nice to get away and spend time doing a whole lot of nothing. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our 21 years together.


We flew back to Orlando on Sunday and there was a long line at the airport in Montego Bay. Keith and I checked in at the Air Jamaica desk, but when my mother-in-law, her husband and his son and wife (directly behind us) went to check in they were told the flight was full. We've had our tickets since February mind you. Long story short. I flew back to Orlando with Keith. Keith caught his connecting flight to Houston and I had to stay in Orlando until Ann and Scotty flew in the next morning. Air Jamaica put me up in a hotel. When Ann and Scotty finally flew in the next day I drove back to Tampa with them where my girls were staying with my parents.

While I was in Orlando I hung out with some of the locals:

Her make-up looks a little better than mine. It was an early departure that day and a little stressful when the rest of our party was left behind.

They really do say "mon" a lot in Jamaica. They also say m'lady when addressing women. I thought that was sweet.

I'll leave you with a Jamaican sunset. I probably won't ever go back there, but it was a nice place to visit and do some relaxing and hear some really nice people say

"No Problem Mon"

Dog vs. Cat

Cat is the assumed winner.

My poor little Libby came across a cat in our backyard landscaping. I heard the fight but did not witness it. I doctored her up and she's resting.

I'm back from my trip. I'll get caught up with you all soon and post about my trip after I go thru the colossal stack of stuff aka the mail and the laundry.