Sending wishes for four special ladies: Carol, congratulations on the new baby in the family and hope you are feeling better now that your meds have caught up to you. Susie and Anita, prayers for you that you will be better soon. Sassy, I'm hoping the situation with you brother has improved. Take care of yourselves! The sun has been out here the last two days which is helping. We had bad storms the day before that. We have been getting rain regularly since January and I guess we forgot about the problems it brings - my winter sown containers get flooded and then I spend a few days completely taking the tops off in the daytime so they can dry out a bit and recovering them at night. At least I don't seem to have lost anything yet. However, now that I have planted over 100 containers, it is quite a project! Actually, most of the milk jugs seem to be able to handle the rain, it's all my smaller "use anything style" containers that are having the bad problems. I will definitely save the milk jugs to use again next year. Actually, we go through lots of milk at our house but nearly all the milk jugs now are opaque rather than transparent so there are only a few that we can save. Sometimes I cut the whole top off the opaque ones and try to use them, but then the plastic that I put over the top does not hold up well to the heavy rain. I use rubber bands to attach plastic to the top of the container and those seem to snap apart every few days. Maybe eventually I will get just the right set up. However, the plants in the ground are happy as can be and I will have wonderful displays of daffodils and tulips this year. Will have to post pictures soon. Jeanne

I'm new here :-) and this may or may not help, but I make my own laundry detergent - I'm allergic to a lot of scented products, so it's the best option I've found. My basic recipe is 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup Borax, 1 bar castile soap (grated; can also use 1 bar Zote or Ivory, but the castile is 99 cents at my grocery!). Can add 1/4 cup Purex crystals for scent. Shake it all up in a bottle and use 2 tbsp per load. This is great for HE washers since it doesn't foam up. Our clothes are so much softer and cleaner now - we even stopped using fabric softener altogether! It's much cheaper than purchasing detergent and, for me at least, has been great allergy-wise. You might give that a try!

Just a bit of info I found on the internet regarding *Glycerine* soap -vs- Transparent soap Melt and Pour Soap:� Also known as solid Glycerin. Pure glycerin, animal or vegetable based, is always liquid and can only be solidified by the addition of plasticizer chemicals. To produce a foam, detergents are added. This method is simply making soap from soap and is more expensive than starting from scratch. Melt and pour soaps may have natural ingredients added to them but they are synthetically based. This type of soap can actually be drying to your skin! Transparent Soap:�This soap is made clear by adding solvents such as alcohol to prevent crystals from forming as the soap cools. Transparent soap is often referred to as Glycerin Soap. However, this is a fallacy as glycerin is not needed to produce a clear or transparent soap. This soap can be drying to the skin.

Bath Crystals 2 cups of rock salt Glycerin Food coloring Essential oil of your choice You can make your own bath crystals with rock salt crystals, glycerin, essential oils and food coloring. Prepare your work area with newspapers. Measure out 1/2 cup of the salt in to four different glass jars. Choose a color for each jar of bath crystals, keeping in mind the essential oil you will use to scent it with. Measure out 6 drops of glycerin into a bowl. Add one or two drops of the chosen food color into the glycerin. Stir the coloring evenly into the glycerin using craft stick or metal spoon. Quickly stir the mixture into the salt of one of the containers. Mix until the color is even, or leave it partially mixed for a more textured result. Continue this procedure with each jar. To scent your salts you will need essential oils such as lime (enlivening), peppermint (exhilarating), lemon (refreshing), cinnamon (stimulating), tangerine (calming), lavender (relaxing), patchouli (peacemaking), rosemary (awakening), rose geranium (renewing), etc. You can get these at candle shops or craft stores. The words in the parentheses are the aromatherapy benefits derived from each scent. Choose a fragrance to complement the color of the salt you have already tinted. Add 20 to 25 drops of an essential oil for each cup of colored salt crystals, using a separate dropper for each scent. Mix with a metal spoon to blend thoroughly. Pour the bath crystals into a decorative jar, put on the lid and label. To use, add two tablespoons or more to a warm tub of bath water. Relax and enjoy. A Note of Caution: Be very careful when using essential oils. They are strong enough to dissolve or mar plastic and wood finishes. Undiluted oils can actually burn the sensitive skin of your lips and tongue. They are also strong enough to burn your eyes. If you get full-strength oils on your fingers, wash your hands immediately with soap and warm water. Be sure not to rub your eyes with oily fingers. If you do get oil in your eyes flush them with clear water and call a doctor.