Showing posts with label How to. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to. Show all posts

Saturday, January 1

Play Dough

What to do till midnight on New Years Eve? We like to make our traditional candy houses! Way Fun, but it only takes so long. Then what??


Yesterday I decided to make some play dough for the kids to play with. It worked like a charm, kept them busy for hours!!! They only cleaned it up because we did it first and the candy houses lured them away!!

I love this recipe because it's easy, and way soft, a lot easier to work with!

Homemade Playdough


1 Cup flour
1 Cup water
1/2 Cup salt
1 Tbs veg oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
Food coloring (opt.)

Put all ingredients in a pot and stir constantly, scraping sides and bottom, for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat.




It will be like a paste, then start to go lumpy, then start to form a ball. When it no longer looks wet.
Turn out onto counter and knead until soft and smooth. Be careful, it's pretty warm, but cools fast! Store in an airtight container.




You can double/triple the recipe if desired. It just takes a little more muscle at the end to keep stirring it. (This was a tripled recipe without food coloring.)


Break out the rolling pin, and cookie cutters! Way fun!! (I know, we have way too many playdough tools and paraphernalia, I guess it comes from having 11 kids over the last 23 years. We've been collecting for a long time!!)

Thursday, June 10

Laundry & Stains

I have a couple of great recipes for Laundry soap. I am not sure where I placed them, but when I find them I will put them in a post.

As for the stain solutions, my husband sent me this great site.

I pulled a bunch of baby clothes out of the attic yesterday only to find that a bunch of them had turned yellow, NOT Good! We are expecting another little one in July and I wanted to get some things together.

I went to the above mentioned site from the University of Illinois Extension. I looked at "Yellowing, dinginess or graying, general soil buildup, white or gray streak" and tried it. IT WORKED. I was so excited this morning while I was rinsing them. Luckily I have soft water so I didn't have to add the water conditioner.

I've tried a few others and they have also worked. Just thought I'd share! ;)

Monday, November 23

How many of these did YOU know about?

So my husband sent me this email today! Thought you might enjoy. It's got some great ideas... no guarantees mind you, but some are definitely worth a try! ;)
Please let us know how any of these worked for you!

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A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a
knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.
(hmmmmmm...)

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Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them
neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put
Dawn dish washing liquid in it.. Pour it all over the steps. They won't
refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)

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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for
a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The
wax will fall out.

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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped
in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of
scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw
away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would
be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this way!

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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works
every time!

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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal
for inside windows.This way you can tell which side has the streaks..
Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean.
Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely
light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will
smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels
and linen.

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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3
hours prior to burning.

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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the
flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt
and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

============================================
To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or
two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to
a boil on stove top.

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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will
keep for weeks.

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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the
corn's natural sweetness.

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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your
forehead. The throbbing will go away.

============================================
Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future
use in casseroles and sauces ......... Left over wine? What's that? :)

============================================
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area
and you will experience instant relief.

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Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk
line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants
tend to march. See for yourself.

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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still,
leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to
tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and
then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer........

Clean a toilet...
Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.
The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.

Clean a vase...
To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water
and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry...
Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the
jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle...
Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak
for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain...
Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the
drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes,
and then run the hot water.