Never do your daughter's laundry and other recipes...

I swore off doing my daughter's laundry when she was 13, but when I walked into her bathroom yesterday and saw what a health hazard it had become (we're talking heavy duty mold and mildew here - like how could she not be terrified that something was going to reach up and grab her ass when she sits on the toilet?!?),  I decided to take matters into my own hands.  Out came the ton of dirty clothes and into the washer.  Unfortunately, I didn't find the tube of concealer she had in a pocket until it had gone through the washer and dryer and melted all over all her black jeans.  (One of the many reasons I swore off doing her laundry 7 years ago.) I'll let you imagine the words that came out of my mouth because anything you can think of is probably on the list.  This morning I created Mama Bee's super stain remover and crossed my fingers.  And...it worked!  So easy, too.  Like the modern equivalent of dragging your laundry down to the river and pounding it on rocks for hours.  Stop laughing.  I'm not kidding.  But it worked.  And my daughter will never know that I screwed up her entire wardrobe of black jeans.

So here's what I used:
1 tablespoon Borax
1 tablespoon Washing Soda
1 good squirt of Dr. Bronner's liquid peppermint castile soap (I imagine any flavor will work)
1 quart (guessing) of hot as hell tap water

Swish it around until the stuff dissolves.  I used a natural bristle nail brush, saturated the stains and scrubbed the crap out of them.  Then I put them back in the washer with my homemade laundry soap and dumped the rest of my "miracle stain remover" in for good measure.  Just pulled everything out of the dryer and the stains are all gone. May the cleaning gods be praised because I was NOT interested in buying 5 new pair of jeans...

Now I have to figure out that nasty bathroom.  I will be concocting another cleaning formula and will let you know if it works.

So as I was lying in bed last night, unable to sleep because my monkey mind wouldn't be quiet, I debated the idea of getting up (at the risk of waking the husband who had to get up in just a few hours) and making myself some Faerie Wine.  This is something I used to make for my daughter when she was little and couldn't sleep.  I eventually fell asleep without it, but next time I believe I'll just sneak down quietly and enjoy a cup.

Faerie Wine
Warm 2 cups of milk in a small pan - do not boil. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour in a cup and dust with cinnamon.  Sweet dreams!

We are great fans of morning porridge here.  This morning I woke up thinking about Caudle, a recipe I used to make for SCA events because it is an authentic old recipe.  There were several moments of panic when I couldn't find the recipe, but AHA! there it was in the bottom of a trunk of SCA stuff.  I immediately made some for old time's sake.  Here it is:

Caudle
1 c. oats
2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. honey
Measure the milk and salt into a saucepan and heat slowly.  Allow it to come to a simmer, not a boil, before stirring in the oats.  Simmer on low heat for 6-7 minutes. In a small bowl, beat the eggs until yolks and white are well mixed together. Add 1 T. of the oats to the eggs and mix. Then slowly mix in an additional 2 T. of oats.  Now slowly pour this mixture into the oatmeal, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes.  Add the butter, vanilla and honey. Stir until the butter is melted.

I know what you're thinking.  "What's going on with the art stufio?"  Yeah, well...I worked on it for a couple of hours yesterday and will venture in again today.  This is something that's going to take a number of days.  I did empty three boxes and find a bit of the floor, so that is progress.  Not enough to warrant a picture, though. 

Time to deal with that bathroom...