Productive weekend without the kiddo

So I met mom for lunch yesterday and let her take the little man for the weekend. We'll meet up with her tomorrow afternoon to pick him up and I can't wait. I really miss him when he's not around.

However, I didn't let missing him keep me from getting a few things done:
-Vacuumed the downstairs and boy did it need it.
-Went to a friend's house and taught a jewelry lesson to her and her grandkid (really, I just loosely plan the project with a certain set of charms/beads/pendants and a project type as the focus of the day, let them do most of the design to their tastes, help and instruct as needed).
-Helped hubby shop for a new TV over the phone while sitting at home with the pups, helped him hang/hookup new TV, helped him buy a bigger new TV and plan a return for the current new TV.
-Also got hubby to put together my new bathroom storage cabinet (plain white wood, doors, stands over toilet) or, as he calls it, the "I don't care what it is as long as I don't have to see tampons anymore thingy". 
-Had a date night with my sweetie at Peak City Grill in downtown Apex. A bit on the pricey side and my steak could have used some seasoning, but very enjoyable. Our waiter was great as was the atmosphere. Loved that we could support a local establishment and have a very nice, very adult meal. I'm sure we'll head that way again in a few months. Hubby says he gives it a 6 or 7 out of 10.
-After dinner, I decided to finally assemble the ingredients for laundry soap as shared by an old friend (recipe to follow). I'll take some to mom tomorrow and let her try it, too.

...and before we head out to get the baby boy, I'm hoping we can install the attic flooring kits I found and put a few things up there and out of the way.

I love weekends where I feel I've been productive but not rushed and stressed to do so.

Anyway, here's the laundry detergent recipe:

     Ingredients:

• 1 bar Fels-Naptha soap, finely grated (use microplane grater or a food processor)
• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 cup baking soda (optional, just think it might get rid of smells a bit and makes whites a little better looking)
• 1/4 cup OxyClean or similar product (it's completely optional)

Mix it all up really well.  It won't look completely uniform, but it's okay.  You can pour it in small batches (about a third of the recipe at a time after it's been mixed) into an old blender and pulse it a few times, just to mix it really really well and make sure any clumps are out.  I think it also grinds it a bit finer, which may help dissolving in cold water washes, but it really isn't a necessary step. 

Put in an airtight container.  You only have to use 1 tablespoon for a small load, 2 tablespoons at MOST for a large or grimy load.