Before and After: Yellow Stain Miracle!

As we were recently moving, I realized that some of our pillows were really, really yellowed. I figured we would just use them as padding on the truck, then throw them away when we got to our new house. But then I came across this article with tips for whitening mattress pads, pillows, etc., so I figured I would give it a try.  It's always nice to save money and keep more trash out of our landfills, right?

It worked!  What an amazing difference!  See for yourself....

BEFORE: Yellowed and dingy - Bleh!

 *Please no comments about how bad these look! I already know!:)

AFTER:  Much better - clean and bright!(Note that the bottom pillow has a blue/gray cover. It is significantly cleaner, but obviously not white.)

I confess that I am slightly addicted to "Before and After" photos. There is something wonderful about seeing things that look ugly (or) dirty (and/or) plain, transformed into beautiful (or) clean (and/or) spruced-up condition.  So I often click on pictures of furniture that has been rehabilitated, rooms that have been made over, and household items that have been given a new lease on life.  It is amazing what a little TLC can do!  
I have found many of these examples on Pinterest, which is where I found a recipe for cleaning yellowed bedding.  

As you can see, our pillows were really bad... gross in fact. (It's embarrassing to even show them, but I'm hoping no one will judge me here! ) We all sweat as we sleep, and this is what happens over time. So, here's the scoop:

Laundry Whitening Recipe:

• 1 Cup Laundry Detergent (I used generic powdered stuff from the dollar store)
• 1 Cup Powdered Dishwasher Detergent
• 1 Cup Bleach* (or non-chlorine bleach if you wish)
• 1/2 Cup Borax
• VERY HOT Water, using as little as possible so your solution is concentrated

Since the goal is to create a HOT, concentrated solution to soak the laundry in, I set my load size on "small" and added a couple of pots of boiling water to boost the temperature. (I would suggest skipping the boiling water if your laundry room is on a different floor than your kitchen. Mine is only a few steps away.) 

I let the washer agitate for a minute to dissolve the ingredients, then I stopped it and put two pillows in to soak. 

The water only reached about halfway up the pillows, so after 30 minutes I turned them over to soak the other side. You can definitely soak things longer, but I was impatient.  The difference was already dramatic:

After they had soaked on the other side for another 30-40 minutes, I filled the washer up so the water would almost cover the pillows, and put them on a short wash cycle. As you can see, they are MUCH cleaner and brighter looking! Not quite like new, but WAY better, and they smell great too! Now that I've proven this recipe works, I'll be giving the same treatment to all our pillows! I think I will soak them longer next time just to eek out that last bit of whiteness.

*A word about chlorine bleach: After checking a few places online, I see that the use of bleach is controversial. Some people prefer not to EVER use chlorine bleach, and some fabrics won't tolerate it.  I decided to give it a try, since I was willing to part with these pillows if it didn't work.  If you have heirloom linens or expensive pillows, you should probably avoid the chlorine bleach and replace it with a non-chlorine substitute, or leave it out altogether.

Here's another batch of pillows I did, with similar (but even more dramatic) results:

BEFORE:Super yuck!

AFTER: Fresh and white! I'm so happy!

  I think I'll also start posting some other Before & After projects I have in mind. I have some furniture I want to paint, and it's fun for me to see the difference in photos.

Book Review: Small Town Girl by Ann Gabhart

From the Publisher:
How long can two people stand on the brink of love without plunging in headfirst?
In the autumn of 1941, rumors of war whisper through Rosey Corner. The town practically vibrates with apprehension, as if it is holding its breath. But for Kate Merritt, it seems life is letting out a prolonged sigh. As Kate watches her sister marry the man Kate has loved since she was fifteen, her heart is silently breaking. And even the attentions of Jay Tanner, the handsome best man, can't draw her interest.

Then suddenly, Pearl Harbor changes everything and Kate finds herself drawn to Jay in surprising ways. Could she truly be in love with him? And if he enlists, will she ever see him again?

In her gentle and textured style, Ann H. Gabhart tells a timeless story of love, sacrifice, and longing that will grip your heart and stir your spirit. Fans of Gabhart's Angel Sister will love seeing Kate Merritt all grown-up, as well as other characters they have come to love.

My Review:
This was such a pleasant read.  I enjoyed Gabhart's Angel Sister, so it was nice to return to Rosey Corner, Kentucky and get reacquainted with the Merritt family. 

Kate Merritt is the central figure in this historical fiction, and she is a spunky, likable young woman.  When Jay Tanner comes to town, she tries to resist his charm but can't seem to get him off her mind. Many ups and downs occur, and along the way Gabhart tackles real-life topics such as alcoholism and parental abandonment. In addition, Rosey Corner is filled with interesting and quirky characters that represent the trials and blessings of life in a small town.  It's all woven together in a charming story that is perfect for a slow summer read. 

A New Home!

We made it!  All the way to Naples Florida, and we are settling into a beautiful new house that the Lord provided (which is a whole story in itself!).

We are steadily digging out from the cardboard boxes, putting things where they belong and it's beginning to feel like home already. The week we spent traveling was a nice break between places.... it gave us a chance to look forward instead of back.  Now we are eager to begin meeting people and immersing ourselves in this community. We are ready to serve and love the people that God brings into our path.

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of moving lately, for obvious reasons.  In the Bible, God's people were frequently on the move, following His leading and guidance. Abraham and Sarah. Joseph and Mary. Paul.  When God said, "Go"- they went.

Today we don't get the benefit of direct, divine revelation. But we do have a sense of God's leading and direction, and in our case we also had several confirming indicators that have caused us to believe that it was time to "Go".  Now we have to continue to trust the Lord for all our needs, especially for Him to raise us those who will be a part of our new church. We cannot make this happen. All we can do is to be faithful and diligent in reaching out to our new neighbors, and trust that God will bring to us the people that He intends to be a part of our new church family.

Saying Goodbye to People We Love....

By far the hardest part of leaving Michigan was saying goodbye.  Parting with our son (who is staying in Michigan), our friends and our church family was emotionally draining, but still good and necessary.

What can you say to people you have known and loved for years, but won't see regularly anymore?  I tried to minimize the loss by saying to some, "This isn't 'goodbye', it's 'see you later'."  But it wasn't a very effective way to soothe the ache I was feeling.  It was also tempting to sneak away and avoid the pain altogether... but that wasn't really an option either.

So we walked through it, day by day for a few weeks, visiting and hugging and enjoying last meals and conversations with people we care about.  It was tearful and amazingly difficult at times, but gave us a sense of closure we would not have otherwise had.

I've been meditating on Psalm 126:5-6 since we sang  this song on Sunday while visiting a church on Lookout Mountain, Georgia with our son (on our route to Florida):
Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy! 
 He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him.

We have sown many tears in recent days, but we "go out weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing". May God bless our efforts to plant and grow a new body of believers in Naples.  Now we are eagerly anticipating shouts of joy.

Saying Goodbye to the Farmhouse

Goodbyes are always hard. So this past week has been tough. We have said goodbye over and over... to dear friends, to our church family, to our own son, to acquaintances around town, and to our house. The farmhouse holds a lot of memories for us, and leaving wasn't easy.

Here is how things looked while we were packing up. Quite a mess!

After two garage sales, and giving many things away, we still had a LOT of stuff!  We even wondered if it would all fit on the enormous trailer we rented. An army of friends showed up on Saturday to help us. As they were staging all the furniture and boxes in the garage, almost everyone doubted we could get everything on....

But somehow, by the grace of God and some very talented packers, everything did fit and we even had a little room to spare (but not much)!

Which left us with a Very. Empty. House.

We returned to clean the house on Monday. Tuesday was departure day, so we went back for one last walk-through.  We prayed and thanked God for the good years we have had, and the memories that each room holds for us.  But the house is no longer our home.  We hugged and cried and walked out for the last time.

We are praying for the sweet family that bought the Old Red Farmhouse... that they will be even happier there than we were.   And we are looking ahead, eager to make memories in our new home.  We are still awed by the Lord's provision of our next home, and want it to be a place where everyone who enters will feel welcomed and loved.  Isn't that the purpose of a home after all?