I have created a new webpage complete with my company name. Cents with Cyndi will be on that page as well as free patterns and items to purchase. Please follow my exploits at www.4leftshoes.com
Thank you so much.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Colors, colors everywhere!
I fall in love with colors the way other people fall in love with books or music or.....other people. I feel colors. They speak to me, not literally. I am head over heels in love with the color black right now. It makes me feel safe and cocooned, so to speak. That got me curious about how other people respond to color. My daughter, who has become a vegetarian and an enviromentalist has changed her favorite color from pink to green. This is not a concious decision She now hates pink and everything she associates with that color. I think she is trying to put off that little girl persona as she turns into a young woman and feels pink makes her younger. Please, don't tell her I said that.
Using color to describe how you feel is nothing new. I feel blue, tickled pink, green with envy, I see a red door and I want it painted black. The ancient Egyptians and the Chinese practiced something called chromotherapy, or using colors to heal.
I looked up these colors and what they mean.
RED- was used to stimulate the body, mind and the circulation. (Red makes me feel angry)
YELLOW- was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body. (Yellow to me, is a hopeful color)
ORANGE- was used to heal the lungs and increase energy levels ( I hate orange)
BLUE- believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain. (Blue is boring)
GREEN- is a cool color that symbolizes nature and the natural world. ( I just painted my kitchen green. I love it)
INDIGO- cured skin problems. (ooooookkkaaaayyyyy)
BLACK- is often used as a symbol of menace or evil (naw!)
WHITE- represents purity or innocence. (yawn)
PURPLE- is the symbol of royalty and wealth ( purple's cool)
PINK- is essentially a light red and is usually associated with love and romance (Why do they paint prison walls that color? hmmmmmm.)
There is a color test at this website, http://www.axlife.com/luscher/ My daughters and I took it and it was pretty right on. My love of black says that I defiantly oppose any sort of restriction or opposition. ( Yeah, that's me.)
All this is pretty interesting (or boring) but, how can I add color to my home to get the feeling that I want?
Like this:
*Create an analogous color scheme by selecting colors that are located next to each other on the color wheel.
Read more: How to Use a Color Wheel to Find Which Colors Go Together | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5733011_use-wheel-colors-go-together.html#ixzz1TYa0hLL8his:
.
Using color to describe how you feel is nothing new. I feel blue, tickled pink, green with envy, I see a red door and I want it painted black. The ancient Egyptians and the Chinese practiced something called chromotherapy, or using colors to heal.
I looked up these colors and what they mean.
RED- was used to stimulate the body, mind and the circulation. (Red makes me feel angry)
YELLOW- was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body. (Yellow to me, is a hopeful color)
ORANGE- was used to heal the lungs and increase energy levels ( I hate orange)
BLUE- believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain. (Blue is boring)
INDIGO- cured skin problems. (ooooookkkaaaayyyyy)
BLACK- is often used as a symbol of menace or evil (naw!)
WHITE- represents purity or innocence. (yawn)
PURPLE- is the symbol of royalty and wealth ( purple's cool)
PINK- is essentially a light red and is usually associated with love and romance (Why do they paint prison walls that color? hmmmmmm.)
There is a color test at this website, http://www.axlife.com/luscher/ My daughters and I took it and it was pretty right on. My love of black says that I defiantly oppose any sort of restriction or opposition. ( Yeah, that's me.)
All this is pretty interesting (or boring) but, how can I add color to my home to get the feeling that I want?
Like this:
*Choose colors of a same tint to create a monochromatic color scheme. On a color wheel, each division, or section of colors are set in blocks like the spokes on a wheel. Monochromatic colors are colors that are all chosen from one of the 'spokes' of colors. For example, a green monochromatic color scheme would include colors in a range of green from the outer edge to the inner circle all in the same color block.
*Choose complementary colors by selecting colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.
*Choose a split complementary set of three or more colors by choosing one color and then the colors an equal distance from either side of the complementary color on the color wheel.*Create an analogous color scheme by selecting colors that are located next to each other on the color wheel.
*Create a triad color scheme by selecting three colors that are an equal distance from each other at any point on the color wheel
Now that you know all about colors go add some color somewhere. Buy a pillow (on sale of course), paint something (no white walls) or just paint the town red. Do whatever you feel like doing, just do it. Read more: How to Use a Color Wheel to Find Which Colors Go Together | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5733011_use-wheel-colors-go-together.html#ixzz1TYa0hLL8his:
.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Prepare an emergency kit week 1 and how to handle a hurricane.
Disasters can strike at any time. What a cheerful way to start a blog, right? However, this has been on my mind for a while. I know I need an emergency preparedness kit but who can shell out 100 bucks for something that may never happen? I don’t have an extra hundred and I’m betting you don’t either. What we are going to do for the next few weeks is assemble one together. Each week we will discuss a disaster and how to handle it and I will give you the items you are to add to your kit
. Here is this weeks got-to-gets.
1)Container to hold your Kit.
(this should be a waterproof large container. I am decorating this box with my grandson to make it less scary in an emergency. I’ll post pics next week.
2) 1 Flashlight for each person + extra batteries
3) Current family picture and photo of each family member
4.)Can opener
5) List of important phone #’s and insurance id numbers (laminated if possible)
Include everyone’s cell phone numbers as well as doctor, dentist, other family members, etc.
6) $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters
7) one gallon of water.
This needs to be a sealed unopened container and not just a milk jug filled with water. The water will get slimy Don’t put this in your container but beside it.
Below you will find the disaster du jour. Enjoy!
If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should.....***Listen to the radio or TV for information.
***Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
***Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
***Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
***Moor your boat if time permits.
***Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
You should evacuate under the following conditions
***If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.
***If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well fastened to the ground.
***If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
***If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
***If you feel you are in danger.
If you are unable to evacuate, go to your safe room. If you do not have one, follow these guidelines:Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.
***Close all interior doors—secure and brace external doors.
***Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm - winds will pick up again.
***Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level.
***Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.
Our families are our greatest treasures. Let’s keep them safe.
. Here is this weeks got-to-gets.
1)Container to hold your Kit.
(this should be a waterproof large container. I am decorating this box with my grandson to make it less scary in an emergency. I’ll post pics next week.
2) 1 Flashlight for each person + extra batteries
3) Current family picture and photo of each family member
4.)Can opener
5) List of important phone #’s and insurance id numbers (laminated if possible)
Include everyone’s cell phone numbers as well as doctor, dentist, other family members, etc.
6) $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters
7) one gallon of water.
This needs to be a sealed unopened container and not just a milk jug filled with water. The water will get slimy Don’t put this in your container but beside it.
Below you will find the disaster du jour. Enjoy!
If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should.....***Listen to the radio or TV for information.
***Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
***Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
***Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
***Moor your boat if time permits.
***Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
You should evacuate under the following conditions
***If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.
***If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well fastened to the ground.
***If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
***If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
***If you feel you are in danger.
If you are unable to evacuate, go to your safe room. If you do not have one, follow these guidelines:Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.
***Close all interior doors—secure and brace external doors.
***Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm - winds will pick up again.
***Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level.
***Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.
Our families are our greatest treasures. Let’s keep them safe.
Lowering your air conditioning costs
Here in North Carolina, as with most of our country, we are having a heat wave.
The only way to keep cool is to run the air conditioner. Though we are cooler at the moment, we will surely boil when we get the power bill. The average central air unit uses about 3500 kilowatt. Your home computer uses from 150-350, depending on the type. You pay around 15 cents per kilowatt of power used, I’m going to stop calculating the cost because I am going to have a panic attack. Instead lets talk about ways to cut that cost.\
1) Lower the thermostat. Each degree below 78 degrees will increase your energy use by 3-4%
2) Fans can make you feel 3-8 degrees cooler allowing you to turn your AC up higher.
Central AC costs seventy times more to run than a fan. You need to make sure your ceiling fan is blowing DOWN.
3) Turn your AC off while at work. It’s a myth that leaving the AC on while you’re away at work uses less energy than turning it on when you get home.
Here's why:
Heat goes to where it's not. That's why heat from outside goes into your cooler home. With the AC off, at some point your house will be so hot it can't absorb any more heat. When you come home and turn the AC on, the AC removes all that heat.
But if the AC is on when you're gone, then you've turned your house into a heat magnet. But keeping it artificially cool, there's no limit to the amount of heat it can absorb. It can always absorb more heat. And your AC has to remove that heat constantly. Your AC kicks in and removes some of that heat, then the house is cooler so it sucks in more heat from outside, so your AC kicks in again and removes that heat, and so on.
This means that throughout the day, your house has absorbed way more than one houseful of heat. And your AC had to remove it all. By contrast, with the AC off all day, then it has to remove just one houseful of heat when you come home and turn it on.
4) Clean or replace your AC filter every month. A dirty filter makes your AC work harder, which uses more electricity.
5) Cut the grass from around the unit. Tall grass can restrict air flow and use more electricity.
6) Plant shade trees around your house.
7) Keep direct sunlight out. Direct sunlight can raise the temp of a room 10-20 degrees.
8) Create less heat inside your home. Use your crock pot to cook, or grill outside. Replace your lights with compact fluorescent lights. They use less energy and produce less heat.
I’m going to try all these things except planting the shade tree. I don’t really think that tiny baby tree from the garden shop is going to cool my house. There is no way to calculate the savings today but I will let you know when the next bill comes in. Stay cool, everyone. See you next time.
The only way to keep cool is to run the air conditioner. Though we are cooler at the moment, we will surely boil when we get the power bill. The average central air unit uses about 3500 kilowatt. Your home computer uses from 150-350, depending on the type. You pay around 15 cents per kilowatt of power used, I’m going to stop calculating the cost because I am going to have a panic attack. Instead lets talk about ways to cut that cost.\
1) Lower the thermostat. Each degree below 78 degrees will increase your energy use by 3-4%
2) Fans can make you feel 3-8 degrees cooler allowing you to turn your AC up higher.
Central AC costs seventy times more to run than a fan. You need to make sure your ceiling fan is blowing DOWN.
3) Turn your AC off while at work. It’s a myth that leaving the AC on while you’re away at work uses less energy than turning it on when you get home.
Here's why:
Heat goes to where it's not. That's why heat from outside goes into your cooler home. With the AC off, at some point your house will be so hot it can't absorb any more heat. When you come home and turn the AC on, the AC removes all that heat.
But if the AC is on when you're gone, then you've turned your house into a heat magnet. But keeping it artificially cool, there's no limit to the amount of heat it can absorb. It can always absorb more heat. And your AC has to remove that heat constantly. Your AC kicks in and removes some of that heat, then the house is cooler so it sucks in more heat from outside, so your AC kicks in again and removes that heat, and so on.
This means that throughout the day, your house has absorbed way more than one houseful of heat. And your AC had to remove it all. By contrast, with the AC off all day, then it has to remove just one houseful of heat when you come home and turn it on.
4) Clean or replace your AC filter every month. A dirty filter makes your AC work harder, which uses more electricity.
5) Cut the grass from around the unit. Tall grass can restrict air flow and use more electricity.
6) Plant shade trees around your house.
7) Keep direct sunlight out. Direct sunlight can raise the temp of a room 10-20 degrees.
8) Create less heat inside your home. Use your crock pot to cook, or grill outside. Replace your lights with compact fluorescent lights. They use less energy and produce less heat.
I’m going to try all these things except planting the shade tree. I don’t really think that tiny baby tree from the garden shop is going to cool my house. There is no way to calculate the savings today but I will let you know when the next bill comes in. Stay cool, everyone. See you next time.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The curse of the poison Ivy plant
Hi! Today we went to a visit to the doctor to get rid of a terrible case of Poison Ivy. I am very allergic to this stuff and try to stay away from it as much as possible. My dog, however, is not that considerate. She loves to run through the woods behind our house bringing the dreaded oil into our home. From what I have been told Poison Ivy contains a toxic oil called urushiol, which causes the allergic reactions. I am the only lucky one in my family who is allergic to it. Lucky me.
After spending $85.00 at the doctor's office and then $16.00 at the pharmacy I decided to do some research on home remedies as well as ways to get rid of the plant. If you are as allergic as I am I don't recommend these home remedies. Go to the doctor and get those nasty steroids. My family just cringes when I am put on steroids. They make me quite irritable. Lets cover some ways to get rid of the plant before we even get in contact with it. The first thing you have to do is identify the plant. Poison Ivy grows as a single stem plant or as a low growing vine that can climb objects as it spreads out. Three distinguished shiny leaves grow from each plant stem
There are lots of commercial weed killers out there but they all have harsh chemicals. I don't want to use those methods.
The most interesting way I found to get rid of the demonic plant is GOATS. Yes, goats, namely Spanish and Angora goat breeds. They love the stuff. I would love to get a goat but my husband said if we get one more animal he's moving out. Since I just learned how to make biscuits for the man I better not get a goat.
I read other ways such as Boiling water. You boil water (that's easy) and immediately pour it over the top of the plant. They say this will kill most any plant including ones you don't want to kill so be careful around those friendly plants.
Another way is a homemade spray
1 cup of salt.
8 drops liquid detergent .
1 gallon of vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the
salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the
liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can
also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray
bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the
vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants
you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid
spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water
supply.
Or you can pull it up by the roots (Don't do that)
No matter which natural remedy you have used, it is likely that the roots of the poison ivy will survive and it will eventually grow back. That's why to pull it up by the roots.
As for home remedies once you get the rash this is what I found out.
1. Bleach on cotton balls applied to the rash area-don't use if on the face. (Duh!)
2. An over the counter product called Zanfel. You must ask for it from the Pharmacist and it cost around $35.00 dollars.
3. If in contact with the plant wash clothes in hot water as soon as you get home. Take a shower in Luke warm water, hot water will spread it.
4. Place ice compresses on the area/
5. Concoct a paste of baking soda and water and spread it on the affected area. Freshen the application every two hours for a total of 3 applications each day. Before going to bed , pour a cup of baking soda into a lukewarm bath and take a soak.
6.If you have any leftover (cold) coffee in your cup, pouring it the rash.
My favorite idea is to keep your dog and yourself inside until the first freeze. No money saved today. I may not write tomorrow depending on how grouchy the steroids make me. See you next time.
After spending $85.00 at the doctor's office and then $16.00 at the pharmacy I decided to do some research on home remedies as well as ways to get rid of the plant. If you are as allergic as I am I don't recommend these home remedies. Go to the doctor and get those nasty steroids. My family just cringes when I am put on steroids. They make me quite irritable. Lets cover some ways to get rid of the plant before we even get in contact with it. The first thing you have to do is identify the plant. Poison Ivy grows as a single stem plant or as a low growing vine that can climb objects as it spreads out. Three distinguished shiny leaves grow from each plant stem
The most interesting way I found to get rid of the demonic plant is GOATS. Yes, goats, namely Spanish and Angora goat breeds. They love the stuff. I would love to get a goat but my husband said if we get one more animal he's moving out. Since I just learned how to make biscuits for the man I better not get a goat.
I read other ways such as Boiling water. You boil water (that's easy) and immediately pour it over the top of the plant. They say this will kill most any plant including ones you don't want to kill so be careful around those friendly plants.
Another way is a homemade spray
1 cup of salt.
8 drops liquid detergent .
1 gallon of vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the
salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the
liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can
also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray
bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the
vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants
you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid
spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water
supply.
Or you can pull it up by the roots (Don't do that)
No matter which natural remedy you have used, it is likely that the roots of the poison ivy will survive and it will eventually grow back. That's why to pull it up by the roots.
As for home remedies once you get the rash this is what I found out.
1. Bleach on cotton balls applied to the rash area-don't use if on the face. (Duh!)
2. An over the counter product called Zanfel. You must ask for it from the Pharmacist and it cost around $35.00 dollars.
3. If in contact with the plant wash clothes in hot water as soon as you get home. Take a shower in Luke warm water, hot water will spread it.
4. Place ice compresses on the area/
5. Concoct a paste of baking soda and water and spread it on the affected area. Freshen the application every two hours for a total of 3 applications each day. Before going to bed , pour a cup of baking soda into a lukewarm bath and take a soak.
6.If you have any leftover (cold) coffee in your cup, pouring it the rash.
My favorite idea is to keep your dog and yourself inside until the first freeze. No money saved today. I may not write tomorrow depending on how grouchy the steroids make me. See you next time.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
vanilla air spray
Today's adventure is not as time consuming as the previous days have been, nor as cost effective. My house is in desperate need of some attention and I had to make this fabulous website. Not bad for a computer illiterate baby boomer. In the process of my house cleaning I made two things. The first was vanilla scented room spray. Air fresheners are not that expensive but they are full of chemicals and you spray them into your room and thus into your lungs. A common harmful ingredient of air fresheners is limonene. Limonene irritates the eyes, mouth and skin. It can also cause dizziness. I may also contain Petroleum distillates, cancerogenic benzene compounds, phthalates, methylformamide, terpinolene, methoxybanzaldehyde and butanoic acid. None of those things sound like something I want around my children or grandchildren. The air spray I made contains Vanilla (which has vanilla and alcohol in it) and water. Here is the recipe:
1-4 ounce clean spray bottle
1and 1/2 ounces of distilled water
1 and 1/2 ounces of clear vanilla extract.
Fill the bottle with vanilla extract and water, Let the bottle sit for one day before use. Shake the bottle prior to each use. Mist lightly in the room. Be careful not to allow the air freshener mist to fall onto furniture or into open beverages.
I sprayed the living room with the air spray and it smelled very good. It wasn't too overpowering like some air fresheners can be. My daughter came home from work, walked in the door and asked what smelled good. I think we have a keeper. No I didn't save any money but I did save my babies lungs from some chemicals.
The second thing I made today was homemade dish washing liquid. I use Ivory dish soap and when I found this recipe I was excited because I wouldn't have to change brands. My kiddos are allergic to detergents with perfumes in them.
Here is this recipe:
1 pint of grated Ivory soap
1 gallon of water
Place into a pot and stir over medium heat until it boils, stirring occasionally, until soap dissolves. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let liquid partially cool. Pour into a clean container and cover tightly. Use as you would any other dish liquid.
A bottle of Ivory dish soap is around $2.00. I use a bottle every two weeks making my total for a month to be around $4.00. The soap cost me around 1.50 so my savings for this month are only $1.00 bringing our total for the month to 26.54. Not too bad. See you folks tomorrow. :)
1-4 ounce clean spray bottle
1and 1/2 ounces of distilled water
1 and 1/2 ounces of clear vanilla extract.
Fill the bottle with vanilla extract and water, Let the bottle sit for one day before use. Shake the bottle prior to each use. Mist lightly in the room. Be careful not to allow the air freshener mist to fall onto furniture or into open beverages.
I sprayed the living room with the air spray and it smelled very good. It wasn't too overpowering like some air fresheners can be. My daughter came home from work, walked in the door and asked what smelled good. I think we have a keeper. No I didn't save any money but I did save my babies lungs from some chemicals.
The second thing I made today was homemade dish washing liquid. I use Ivory dish soap and when I found this recipe I was excited because I wouldn't have to change brands. My kiddos are allergic to detergents with perfumes in them.
Here is this recipe:
1 pint of grated Ivory soap
1 gallon of water
Place into a pot and stir over medium heat until it boils, stirring occasionally, until soap dissolves. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let liquid partially cool. Pour into a clean container and cover tightly. Use as you would any other dish liquid.
A bottle of Ivory dish soap is around $2.00. I use a bottle every two weeks making my total for a month to be around $4.00. The soap cost me around 1.50 so my savings for this month are only $1.00 bringing our total for the month to 26.54. Not too bad. See you folks tomorrow. :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Homemade frozen biscuits VS storebought frozen biscuits
Hello, Hello! Today we are going to explore the wild and crazy world of (cue the scary music) biscuits. Now, I am a southern girl. I was born in the south but raised all over the country. It's a long story and needs to be played with piano music in the background and I don't know how to add that to my blog, so we will just skip that part, The important part is that I never learned to make biscuits, shocking but true. It is also important that you know I adore my husband, almost as much as he adores biscuits. With all that adoration going around you would think I would get up at the crack of dawn and make my dearly loved husband biscuits. Yeah, right! I can barely open the package of frozen biscuits and pop them in the oven in the morning. I can barely find the oven. Actors are not, on the whole morning people, even if they are not doing a production. Thus lies my dilemma. Frozen biscuits are expensive. A bag of 12 costs around $4.00. That's about $.400.00 a year for my family. I have a big family.
I decided to make my own biscuits. That Sister What ever her name is doesn't look any smarter than I do. If she can do it so can I. I guess she is smarter than she looks. Making biscuits is hard until you get the hang of it. I tried several different recipes to no avail. Don't look at my kitchen right now, it's not a pretty sight. One batch I made was supposed to be especially for freezing and then cooking. My grandson loved them. He is 7 months old and teething. He could gnaw on that thing all day and it wouldn't melt. I finally found a recipe that worked. I will include it at the end of this blog. It was very easy and very tasty. It even got a thumbs up from my picky daughter. I made the recipe but doubled it and then I made another batch and doubled it. It yielded 24 biscuits. I put them on a cookie sheet covered in foil to freeze them and then placed them all, except for my test biscuits, in a plastic disposable storage bag made especially for frozen foods. However, I won't throw it away. I will just wash and refill. The recipe calls for the biscuits to cook 10-13 minutes. It took ten in my oven for the non frozen biscuits and 15 for the frozen biscuits. You may know if your oven cooks fast or slow and can adjust the time. If not, just keep an eye on them. By making and freezing my biscuits it cost me $.81 for 12 biscuits. Over a year that would total to $121.00. I think I'll do this again. This months savings with a previous savings of $20.25 is (cue the drum roll) $25.54. This is only day three folks. So, in the morning while my husband is showering, I'll stumble into the kitchen, open my freezer and take out a two biscuits. I'll pop them in the oven and throw some flour on my face like the lady in the rice krispy treats commercial. Then I'll be rewarded with a big kiss from my husband for working so hard. Then I'll tell him "I haven't even had my coffee yet. Leave me alone" :P Here is the recipe:
1 and 1/2 cups all- purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
Heat the oven to 426 degrees F.
Sift together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour mix and add the milk. Add shortening and begin kneading with hands (to cut in) the shortening and flour the milk until thoroughly mixed. Turn onto floured board and kneed gently 6 to 8 times. Pat dough to 1/2- inch thickness. Cut into biscuits. Place on baking sheet and brown in over 10-13 minutes.
This will make 6 biscuits.
If you are making to freeze see above in the post. Happy Baking.
I decided to make my own biscuits. That Sister What ever her name is doesn't look any smarter than I do. If she can do it so can I. I guess she is smarter than she looks. Making biscuits is hard until you get the hang of it. I tried several different recipes to no avail. Don't look at my kitchen right now, it's not a pretty sight. One batch I made was supposed to be especially for freezing and then cooking. My grandson loved them. He is 7 months old and teething. He could gnaw on that thing all day and it wouldn't melt. I finally found a recipe that worked. I will include it at the end of this blog. It was very easy and very tasty. It even got a thumbs up from my picky daughter. I made the recipe but doubled it and then I made another batch and doubled it. It yielded 24 biscuits. I put them on a cookie sheet covered in foil to freeze them and then placed them all, except for my test biscuits, in a plastic disposable storage bag made especially for frozen foods. However, I won't throw it away. I will just wash and refill. The recipe calls for the biscuits to cook 10-13 minutes. It took ten in my oven for the non frozen biscuits and 15 for the frozen biscuits. You may know if your oven cooks fast or slow and can adjust the time. If not, just keep an eye on them. By making and freezing my biscuits it cost me $.81 for 12 biscuits. Over a year that would total to $121.00. I think I'll do this again. This months savings with a previous savings of $20.25 is (cue the drum roll) $25.54. This is only day three folks. So, in the morning while my husband is showering, I'll stumble into the kitchen, open my freezer and take out a two biscuits. I'll pop them in the oven and throw some flour on my face like the lady in the rice krispy treats commercial. Then I'll be rewarded with a big kiss from my husband for working so hard. Then I'll tell him "I haven't even had my coffee yet. Leave me alone" :P Here is the recipe:
1 and 1/2 cups all- purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
Heat the oven to 426 degrees F.
Sift together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour mix and add the milk. Add shortening and begin kneading with hands (to cut in) the shortening and flour the milk until thoroughly mixed. Turn onto floured board and kneed gently 6 to 8 times. Pat dough to 1/2- inch thickness. Cut into biscuits. Place on baking sheet and brown in over 10-13 minutes.
This will make 6 biscuits.
If you are making to freeze see above in the post. Happy Baking.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Reusable sandwich wraps
Hello again! I hope to find you all well and ready to save some money while being clever. Today's project was quite interesting. I got this pattern for making reusable sandwich wraps from, of all places, the Internet. My daughter has become a hipster and is always looking for ways to be greener. When I told her about this project she was very excited. Here is the website I got the instructions from:
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2010/02/01/fused-plastic-sandwich-wraps/ Now let me warn you they tell you that fusing the grocery bags is difficult and they are right. I tried it over and over and couldn't get it to fuse everywhere. It would fuse in some spots but not others. I even tried using my heat gun. Don't do that. It's not pretty. In the instructions it talked about using a gallon sized clear plastic storage bag
(like Ziploc) to cover the fused grocery bags if you are worried about the safety of the grocery bag. I pondered on that point and thought "Hey, wouldn't be easier to just cut the zipper off the storage bag and sew that to the cloth?" You know what, it was. The whole project went a lot easier after I threw the grocery bags in the recycle bin. I couldn't get the 12x12 size it called for in the instructions so I just trimmed the edges to make it square. To the fabric I measured one inch extra on all sides and continued like the instructions said. Alas, no cute saying in my wrap but I can always add a little pocket to the outside of the fabric before sewing so I can slip a note inside for my child to read. I can just see my teenager rolling her eyes and blushing as she opens her note in the school cafeteria. Oh, I am definitely adding a pocket now. After I made this bag I wondered how it would hold up with the sandwich in it. Would it still be fresh at lunch time? So, I made a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich, put it in the wrap and set it aside for five hours. It was still fresh and yummy. I was curious and looked for some other ways to make these bags and found some pretty cool looking ones. This one is my favorite and I think I'm going to make some of these. You can find it here http://www.craftstylish.com/item/43227/how-to-make-a-reusable-sandwich-wrap There are tons more out there. I just typed in reusable sandwich wrap in the search bar. All this is great but did I save money? Yes I did. The box of storage bags I got on sale for less than $2.00. I used leftover material from other projects. I pack three lunches a day, five days a week. Counting only the sandwich that's sixty bags a month. I can get 20 bags at the Dollar Store for, wait for it...a dollar. Long story short....Bags for the sandwiches alone would have cost me $36.00 for the year. This project cost me just pennies per wrap. So I would say the sandwich wrap savings would be $2.75 per month. Not much on its own but for the year it would add up. Also, that saves the landfills about a thousand bags a year from my family alone. That's my adventure for the day. Savings for this month with my prior balance of $17.50 is now $20.25. Cool beans! Join me tomorrow as I try my hand at baking. Frozen biscuits in the store aren't that expensive and who has time to make biscuits from scratch every morning. I am going to try making the biscuits and then freezing them and then baking them later. Wish me luck. I am already nervous about this one. <3
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2010/02/01/fused-plastic-sandwich-wraps/ Now let me warn you they tell you that fusing the grocery bags is difficult and they are right. I tried it over and over and couldn't get it to fuse everywhere. It would fuse in some spots but not others. I even tried using my heat gun. Don't do that. It's not pretty. In the instructions it talked about using a gallon sized clear plastic storage bag
(like Ziploc) to cover the fused grocery bags if you are worried about the safety of the grocery bag. I pondered on that point and thought "Hey, wouldn't be easier to just cut the zipper off the storage bag and sew that to the cloth?" You know what, it was. The whole project went a lot easier after I threw the grocery bags in the recycle bin. I couldn't get the 12x12 size it called for in the instructions so I just trimmed the edges to make it square. To the fabric I measured one inch extra on all sides and continued like the instructions said. Alas, no cute saying in my wrap but I can always add a little pocket to the outside of the fabric before sewing so I can slip a note inside for my child to read. I can just see my teenager rolling her eyes and blushing as she opens her note in the school cafeteria. Oh, I am definitely adding a pocket now. After I made this bag I wondered how it would hold up with the sandwich in it. Would it still be fresh at lunch time? So, I made a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich, put it in the wrap and set it aside for five hours. It was still fresh and yummy. I was curious and looked for some other ways to make these bags and found some pretty cool looking ones. This one is my favorite and I think I'm going to make some of these. You can find it here http://www.craftstylish.com/item/43227/how-to-make-a-reusable-sandwich-wrap There are tons more out there. I just typed in reusable sandwich wrap in the search bar. All this is great but did I save money? Yes I did. The box of storage bags I got on sale for less than $2.00. I used leftover material from other projects. I pack three lunches a day, five days a week. Counting only the sandwich that's sixty bags a month. I can get 20 bags at the Dollar Store for, wait for it...a dollar. Long story short....Bags for the sandwiches alone would have cost me $36.00 for the year. This project cost me just pennies per wrap. So I would say the sandwich wrap savings would be $2.75 per month. Not much on its own but for the year it would add up. Also, that saves the landfills about a thousand bags a year from my family alone. That's my adventure for the day. Savings for this month with my prior balance of $17.50 is now $20.25. Cool beans! Join me tomorrow as I try my hand at baking. Frozen biscuits in the store aren't that expensive and who has time to make biscuits from scratch every morning. I am going to try making the biscuits and then freezing them and then baking them later. Wish me luck. I am already nervous about this one. <3
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My first post and homemade laundry detergent.
Hi! This blog was a brainstorm in the middle of the night. I get those quite frequently. I can't be the only person who is struggling with ways to save money and yet doesn't have a clue how to do so. As a child growing up, home made meant we banged the biscuit tube on the counter before baking, as opposed to buying them at a local chicken restaurant. I need to save money and yet I need to keep my family's standard of living where they are comfortable. I do not know how to make homemade bread or create a living room suite out of two Popsicle sticks and a dab of hot glue. However, I am going to try. I'm not really going to make the Popsicle stick furniture, but I am going to try the other stuff I see done. Each day I will try something new. Some things will fail, I am sure but somethings will succeed, I hope.
Today's adventure was with homemade laundry detergent. I got the recipe online and went to the local mega-conglomerate store for the supplies. I figured I was spending about $18.00 a month on laundry detergent. That averaged out to around $216.00 per year. Yikes! The homemade stuff cost me approximately $2.00 for a month. I'm not a math whiz but I think that's a pretty big savings, almost $192.00 a year. The cost is perfect but cost is not the only factor. Did it work? Yes, it did . We have an older dog that sometimes doesn't make it outside to do his business. He had wet on a blanket that was left in the floor by my grandson. I thought urine smells and stains would be a great test for this cleaner. I washed it with a 1/4 cup of the liquid and washed it just like I would any other time with store bought soap. It smelled wonderful, had no stains, and no residue from the soap. I am sold! I think today was a success. Here is the recipe:
1 QUART OF BOILING WATER
2 GALLONS OF HOT WATER
2 CUPS OF WASHING SODA (found on the detergent isle)
2 CUPS OF BORAX (again found on the detergent isle)
2 CUPS OF BAR SOAP (grated)
You may use Fels-Naptha soap, Ivory soap, Sunlight soap, or Kirk's Hardwater Castille
(Do not use soap with heavy perfumes)
LARGE 5 GALLON BUCKET
FUNNEL
CONTAINER(S) WITH LID(S)
Add finely grated bar soap (I used Ivory) to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted. I kept stirring because I didn't grate if fine enough and the soap clumped together.
Pour the soap into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
You may use a container with a lid to store your soap. I saved several empty detergent bottles. Actually, I may thank my kids for not cleaning the laundry room very well and thus leaving several empty containers on the shelf, making me think I had more store bought detergent than I did but that's another blog.
I would use gloves it transferring the soap to smaller bottles. Even with a funnel I spilled some on my hands and they dried them out.
As the detergent ages it gels. You need to keep it in an airtight container and then shake or stir before use.
That is my experiment for today and now that I have laundry detergent I must go wash some towels. See you tomorrow where I make an alternative for sandwich bags, which not only waste those pennies but are horrible for our environment.
TOTAL SAVINGS FOR THIS MONTH- $17.50. Not too bad. :)
Today's adventure was with homemade laundry detergent. I got the recipe online and went to the local mega-conglomerate store for the supplies. I figured I was spending about $18.00 a month on laundry detergent. That averaged out to around $216.00 per year. Yikes! The homemade stuff cost me approximately $2.00 for a month. I'm not a math whiz but I think that's a pretty big savings, almost $192.00 a year. The cost is perfect but cost is not the only factor. Did it work? Yes, it did . We have an older dog that sometimes doesn't make it outside to do his business. He had wet on a blanket that was left in the floor by my grandson. I thought urine smells and stains would be a great test for this cleaner. I washed it with a 1/4 cup of the liquid and washed it just like I would any other time with store bought soap. It smelled wonderful, had no stains, and no residue from the soap. I am sold! I think today was a success. Here is the recipe:
1 QUART OF BOILING WATER
2 GALLONS OF HOT WATER
2 CUPS OF WASHING SODA (found on the detergent isle)
2 CUPS OF BORAX (again found on the detergent isle)
2 CUPS OF BAR SOAP (grated)
You may use Fels-Naptha soap, Ivory soap, Sunlight soap, or Kirk's Hardwater Castille
(Do not use soap with heavy perfumes)
LARGE 5 GALLON BUCKET
FUNNEL
CONTAINER(S) WITH LID(S)
Add finely grated bar soap (I used Ivory) to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted. I kept stirring because I didn't grate if fine enough and the soap clumped together.
Pour the soap into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
You may use a container with a lid to store your soap. I saved several empty detergent bottles. Actually, I may thank my kids for not cleaning the laundry room very well and thus leaving several empty containers on the shelf, making me think I had more store bought detergent than I did but that's another blog.
I would use gloves it transferring the soap to smaller bottles. Even with a funnel I spilled some on my hands and they dried them out.
As the detergent ages it gels. You need to keep it in an airtight container and then shake or stir before use.
That is my experiment for today and now that I have laundry detergent I must go wash some towels. See you tomorrow where I make an alternative for sandwich bags, which not only waste those pennies but are horrible for our environment.
TOTAL SAVINGS FOR THIS MONTH- $17.50. Not too bad. :)
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