New blog!

I have a new blog! Thanks to some Facebook suggestions, it's called Blogging at Tiffany's. :) http://bloggingattifs.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading Newlywed, Unscripted!

Uh oh

My mouth literally dropped open when I pulled up my blog this week and saw that it's been more than two months since I wrote anything. I have, however, been keeping notes of things I WANT to write about, so that must count for something.

Because I have such a long list of topics but I'm also itching to start a new blog, I'm going to wrap this one up with a summary of last weekend, then start fresh. ...

Pete and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary in 5 days. Since we'll be at Western Carolina celebrating another momentous occasion that weekend (happy early graduation, Amanda!), we decided to start the festivities early with a weekend at The Cove near Asheville. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. One of those places you don't want to leave cuz it's just that awesome. The first picture is from the common area of our cabin, called Pilgrim's Inn. The second was taken in the main lobby of the Training Center where you check in, eat, attend conferences, etc. It's also where I decided I want mountainy looking furniture in our dream home. (Along with a laundry chute, swing, bay window and room for a punching bag. Oh yeah. I keep a list.)

We decided to do a "personal spiritual retreat," which basically means you do your own thing with the intention of growing closer to God. On Saturday, we hiked to the overlook -- the steep way because Pete said it would be quicker, even though I said rushing and sweating isn't romantic -- and met another couple who we saw the night before. They were really friendly and probably the only other ones there who were our age. We ended up hiking down together. This was taken at the overlook as we celebrated our first hike with name tags. (You're supposed to leave them on at all times when not in your room.)

Later, we went through part of a booklet they gave us with a bunch of spiritual questions. It was good to talk about where each of us are with God, how content we are with our lives, where we're going, etc. We don't get much time like that where it's completely peaceful with no distractions. (No TVs in the room and I added a no phone rule.)

We also visited the chapel. We were the only ones there so I stood at the pulpit. :)

Another thing we talked about last weekend was what we've learned in two years of marriage.

Pete's list
- You do different things when you're married. Example: Before - Go out with the guys for a drink, play more video games, spend a weekend snowboarding. After - Host movie nights, do yard work, go to The Cove.
- It's nice to have someone to talk to when you get home - to listen to your problems or happy thoughts and to support you along the way.

My list
- Appreciate the small things: having breakfast together before a busy day, having someone to share dog duty with, hearing his voice over the phone at the end of a long day.
- It's easy to disappoint another person. Sometimes it's our own fault for having unrealistic expectations. Only God can fill our deepest needs.

So there you have it. It's been two years since I started this blog as a newlywed, and now it's time to move onto the next chapter. Next chapter, here we come!

Wishy washy

A friend of mine told me last summer that she makes her own laundry detergent. Pete and I finally made a batch over the weekend, and I'm pretty sure it's going to last a year or so. In true Tiffany fashion, I documented the experience.

Step 1: Buy 4 materials: Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, borax, Fels-Naptha Soap and a 5-gallon bucket. I picked up the first two items at the grocery store. Pete ordered the soap from Amazon, which was about $3 including shipping. I also got a bucket at Lowe's. It's gray and boring, but it gets the job done. I think altogether, everything came to about $20. I won't have to buy another bucket, and the washing soda and borax will last a LONG time.

Step 2: Grate the bar of soap and add to a pot of hot water. I don't think the pot we used has ever cooked soap before. And I doubt the cheese grater has ever grated soap, but at least I didn't have to wash it. ... Kidding.

Step 3: As you grate the soap, stir and stir and stir until it dissolves in the water and looks like so. 

Step 4: Fill the bucket halfway with water, then add the soap mixture, borax and washing soda. You stir some more, being careful not to leave any chunks of the ingredients. 

Step 5: Fill the rest of the bucket with water, stir some more, secure the lid and leave it overnight. The next day, it's a gel, so you stir some more before using it. (There's a lot of stirring in this recipe.) 

Step 6: For every cup of the detergent, you add a cup of water. We figured the easiest thing to do is fill an empty detergent bottle halfway with the homemade detergent, then fill the rest up with water. Shake it up, then add a lid full of detergent to your laundry. The water doesn't get sudsy, but the laundry smells fresh and clean. You can add some essential oils, but we didn't. 

 Step 7: Fold clean clothes! 

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 cups Hot Tap Water

1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda**

½ cup borax

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over med-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Fill 5 gallon bucket half full of tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

To use: Dilute concentrate mixture 1 to 1 with water. Shake well before each use, mixture will gel.

Optional: Add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons once soap has cooled. (lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil)

HE machines ¼ - ½ cup per load

Standard machines ¾ cup per load

** must be “super washing soda” baking soda will not work nor will Arm & Hammer detergent.

The smudge

Pete got a magazine in the mail a while back with a wide selection of men's work clothes. He was quick to point out that almost every model had a smudge on his cheekbone, which is highly unrealistic. 

Take this picture for example. The guy looks like some kind of contractor. He's holding an electronic device, blueprints perhaps and wearing fairly clean clothes. But then ... a somewhat round smudge on his cheek. Why?

Or this picture. Pete said it looks like he's holding a tripod so he's probably a surveyor or something. But look, the same kind of smudge. Where would that come from?

Here's one of my favorites. (First, I'd like to say that I've never seen a worker in that pose with that look on his face.) So here you have a flashlight on one side and a level on the other. And here it comes ... the smudge. From what?

And finally, an electrician (I think) with a peculiar rub of dirt on his jawbone. I guess screwing in a fixture is pretty dirty work. ... 

I would also pick on the girly magazines like Victoria's Secret models with pouty lips, that distant look in their eyes, windblown hair and a pair of heels to go with their matching unmentionables, ... but I won't subject you to those pictures. :)

Shrinking beauty products

I'm noticing a bothersome pattern in my beauty products: The most-used item in a set is always the smallest. Yes, the green tea moisturizer on the far right might LOOK like a comparable size, but it's really a measly ounce compared to the 4-ounce cleanser and toner and 2-ounce repairing treatment (which, for some reason, does not have a large "3" on the bottle to indicate its place in my daily regimen). So why are the first two bottles twice the size of the third bottle and four times the size of the moisturizer? Did my face shrink between steps two and three? I'm pretty sure I'm covering the same surface area. 

On the upside, I just got my new shipment in and the new moisturizer is now 1.7 ounces. The repairing treatment still lags behind. At least we're getting somewhere. I wonder if other feisty customers complained. ...