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Hello,
We have a bunch of great Brainstorm ideas sent in by Joesgirl today. They include looking for alternate uses for Boots, Frisbees and Skateboards.
We also have 9 new requests.
It's threatening to snow here in the Pacific Northwest. Not something we see a lot. Brrrrrrrrrrr...
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's Tips
Tips and ideas for using frisbees, other than throwing them. Post your ideas.
Cookie tray - turn upside down and fill with cookies for your child's birthday party.
Plate holder - to stabilize a paper plate at picnics, fit it into a Frisbee.
Pet dish - when you're out roughing it with your dog, a Frisbee works well as a food or water dish.
Birdbath - punch through the Frisbee's edge at 3 points, insert wire plant hangers, hang from a tree and fill with water.
By joesgirl
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I love to be organized and one things I do in my closet is keep my shoes in the clear plastic shoe boxes and I label the end with the color and style of shoe. It is very easy to find what you need in a hurry and very easy to put away. Happy walking.
By Di
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Using Pillow Shams for Storage
If you have pillow shams for your bed, you can fold extra blankets into the shape of a pillow and put it in the sham. This saves linen closet space, dresses up the bed and provides extra warmth on demand for your guests.
By renee stefan
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Store Wrapping Paper Inside the Roll
After Christmas, if you take your leftover Christmas wrap off the roll, roll it back up, and place it inside the cardboard holder it will keep better for next year.
By Sharon
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Swimming Belly-up Goldfish Remedy
Recently a friend gave me two large gold fish they didn't want anymore. The one kept swimming belly-up (upside down). I was told it was a sign she was going to die soon. I couldn't take it watching her struggle! What it is, is a sign of infection and it affects their balance and buoyancy. It can't be cured.
But, I remembered an OLD, OLD remedy! I did it and it WORKED! I gave her early sweet peas. I smushed them between my fingers and put them in the tank. She ate them after 1 hour she was swimming right side up like nothing. So, each day I feed her the smushed peas towards evening. In the morning she gets her regular fish food. Now, she swims with grace and beauty!
Remember it is not a cure, because there is no known cure for this.
By LilHoneyBrat
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Make Cornbread In A Sandwich Maker
Jiffy Muffin mix will make two batches in a sandwich maker and doesn't crumble like the baked in the muffin tins.
By Syd
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For a Limited Clothing Budget
If you are on a limited clothing budget (and who isn't?), always think SEPARATES. For example, a pair of black pants or a black skirt could be paired with multiple tops to create several different outfits. Different accessories also jazz up your "new" clothes!
By Becki in Indiana
What are your tips for saving money on clothing?
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This worked very well this year. We have family over and serve buffet style. Cook a whole turkey breast in a slow cooker ahead of time. In a separate slow cooker do thighs for your dark meat. Slice after it has rested. Keep warm in the oven until dinner time, arrange slices on a serving platter and serve. Not as much waste with bones as a whole turkey.
No last minute rush when everything else is cooked and ready to dish up.
By Syd
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No last minute fixing the gravy if you are cooking a whole turkey.
Make stock from turkey necks and giblets, then use the Tone's Turkey Gravy Mix, restaurant size container purchased at Sam's Club, use the turkey stock instead of water. Quick and easy and very good homemade taste!
To make two quarts gravy, use 2 quarts hot stock and 2 cups of the turkey gravy mix.
By Syd
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After Holiday "Marked Down" Turkey
Buy a fresh turkey that has been "marked down" after the holiday and cut it up like you would a chicken. Vacuum seal in Food Saver bags in separate meals and freeze. Cook later in the slow cooker.
By Syd
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Tips and ideas for using old boots, other than wearing on your feet. Post your ideas.
Umbrella stand - Weight the bottom of an attractive old leather boot (a riding boot perhaps) or a tall rubber boot with pebbles or marbles and place near your home's front or back door.
Birdhouse - Take an old boot outdoors and hang it upside down. It probably won't be long before wrens, swallows, or chickadees build a nest in the toe area.
Doorstop - Fill a boot with golf balls or pebbles.
Fish bucket - Keep your just-caught fish fresh; bring them home from the river in a water-filled boot.
By joesgirl
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Make Hard Cookies Soft and Fresh
Place a slice of bread or the heel slice of bread on the bottom of your cookie jar to turn crunchy homemade cookies into soft fresh cookies.
By Pamela S. Kusmer
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Preventing and Treating Shiny Worsted Wool Garments
If the knees or elbows on worsted wool garments become shiny from wear, try steaming them; hang them in the bathroom while running hot water in the shower.
To prevent sheen, always press heavy cotton, wool, acetate, rayon, linen, permanent-press, and dark fabrics on the wrong side. Or use a pressing cloth.
To get a high sheen on polished cotton, add half an envelope of unflavored gelatin to the last rinse.
By Joesgirl
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Can't Find a Shoehorn? Shoehorn Replacement Ideas
No shoehorn? Use a tablespoon, a soupspoon, or a rubber spatula. Or use the narrow end of a silk tie to ease your heel into the shoe.
By joesgirl
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Wearing Evening Attire To Work
Going straight from the office to an evening affair?
If you're a woman, wear a simple dress or ensemble to work and bring accessories-earrings, bracelets, necklace, a pair of dressy shoes, and an evening wrap, such as a brightly colored shawl or silk blouse to wear as a jacket. A length of black satin ribbon, 1 1/2 to 3 inches wide, can serve as a last minute evening belt or hair tie. The finishing touch; a showy silk tassel (you can buy one at a drapery store) attached to the zipper pull of a leather handbag.
If you're a man, wear a dark suit to work and bring a clean shirt, fresh tie, and perhaps a silk handkerchief, if that's your style. A flower in the lapel does wonders, too.
By joesgirl
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Predicting Weather Based On Cloud Patterns
Puffy white clouds sailing across a blue sky indicate continuing fair weather. But if they mass together to form tall, anvil-shaped clouds, be prepared for a lightning-filled thunderstorm, even if the sun in shining brightly.
Striped frosty clouds high in the sky indicate the probability of light rain; dark, layered clouds overhead mean steady rain or snow. If you are ever lost at sea, look for the patches of stationary woolly clouds that usually form a little to the windward side of an island.
By joesgirl
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Ice cream retains its texture and quality best at 0 degrees F; put a thermometer in your freezer and adjust the setting accordingly.
Ice cream picks up freezer odors easily, so store the carton in a sealed plastic bag.
To soften a quart of ice cream for serving, put the carton in a microwave on DEFROST for 40 seconds.
Be aware that if you replace ice cream with ice milk or sherbet, you'll be eating less butterfat but consuming more sugar.
By Joesgirl
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Re-Evaluate Your Food Needs From Time To Time
Having recently gone through our pantry (and throwing stuff out! egad!), we decided that we needed to do some rethinking about what we buy. It does not save money to buy things that you don't eat, no matter how much they are on sale.
For instance, we used to buy many different types of cereal based almost solely on what was on sale. But our family of teenagers and adults have developed different tastes. They eat more variety, yogurt, waffles, bagels, toast, eggs, etc. We sat down a wrote down the kind of cereal that gets eaten around here. Wheaties, frosted miniwheats, cheerios, raisin bran, old fashion oats, and cream of wheat. Many of those can be purchased at Aldi's or in store brand. We are revising other things that we buy as well.
By Cindy
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Saving Juice from Canned or Frozen Fruit
Whenever we eat canned fruit or frozen fruit, I save the juice and put it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I put them in the baggies and put them in the freezer. We then use them for milkshakes by taking a few ice cubes and milk or plain yogurt and mixing them in the blender. My kids love them and it is sweeter than any store bought yogurt.
By Tina
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I use colorful cloth or plastic tote bags as storage for many things: reusable plastic bags, bits of fabrics and trims, travel items, scarves and shawls, gloves and mittens. I hang the bags from cute racks or pegs so they look nice. Most of the bags are purchased from thrift stores or from department stores.
By Ann
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New Year's Resolutions - You're Likely To Keep!
Start the New Year off by making a list of things you want to accomplish in your home this year: declutter, donate, paint, organize, shampoo carpets, clean drapes, etc.
You are more likely to keep these resolutions, than things most people put on their "wish list" of New Year's Resolution! Who knows, If you are active in this project, the exercise you get, may lead to weight loss too!
By Syd
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Food Saver Tip - After Holiday Food
Vacuum sealing individual meals of leftover turkey and gravy, ham or roast beef and freeze, it stays fresher when vacuum sealed. They can be heated in the bags in boiling water.
By Syd
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Instead of buying flavored oatmeal, cook regular oatmeal and sweeten with jam.
By Lynn
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Tips and ideas for using hanging shoe organizers, other than for organizing shoes. Post your ideas.
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Tips and ideas for using skateboards, other than as a mode of transporation or sport. Post your ideas!
Laundry cart - keep a basket atop a skateboard directly below the chute. When you're ready to do the laundry, simply roll the load over to the washer.
Decorative shelf - support an old skateboard (or just its deck) with 2 shelf brackets in a child's room.
Paintmobile - prevent backaches when painting baseboards and lower walls, sit cross-legged on a skateboard and roll along with your paintbrush and can.
By joesgirl
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You need never (or at least rarely buy baby food) if you just plan ahead.
Bananas - just mash over ripe bananas with a fork or in a blender if you have a lot. Extra can be put in an ice cube tray and frozen for later. Serve alone or with cereal.
Cereal - Baby cereal is very convenient, but you can put oatmeal in the blender with boiling water and it will be very creamy. Cream of wheat is an excellent cereal for babies and Cream of Rice is even better. These are not instant but cook up very quickly in the blender with boiling water.
Fresh or frozen carrots can be cooked up and mashed as well as frozen peas.
Instant potatoes are easy as well and blend well with many other vegetables.
Just remember not to salt or sugar any foods given to babies. It is much better for them to learn to eat foods without these additions.
By Debra
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Are your linen closets always messy? The fix is easy.
For towel sets:
For baby bath sets:
For sheet sets:
Fold the top sheet into a size close to the fitted bottom sheet.
Wrap the top sheet around the bottom, then slip the pillowcase over them both, making the set a complete package wrapped in the pillowcase. If there is more than one pillowcase, tuck it inside with the sheets.
This keeps your closet neat, tidy, every 'packaged' set stacks really well, and all you have to do to retrieve the set is grab the package.
Pat
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Fresh-Scent In Your Dishwasher
To remove gross stale smells from your dishwasher add 1/4 cup lemon juice to the compartment designated for the soap. Then let it run while empty for one cycle. The acetic properties of the lemon juice naturally get rid of the strongest odors. I did this and it worked pretty good.
Stephanie
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New Requests:
I am looking for ways to re-use formula canisters. They are very similar to coffee cans.
Sandi
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Crocheted a Hanger For a Hand Towel
I have a hand towel in my kitchen that has been crocheted so that it attaches to my drawer. Now, I've gotten a nice new cotton kitchen towel that I would like to crochet into and make a similar item out of. I can't figure out how to get the crochet hook into the towel to make the hanger? I thought of something like a hole punch but they are too big. All advice is welcome!
Kate
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I am looking for craft ideas to make with gloves, I have over 2 dozen that someone gave me. They are men's cotton/canvas gloves. Any ideas?
Terry in TX
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Looking For Website That Gives Pet Advice
Does anyone know of a web site I can go to and find information about animal behavior problems -- for example, a question and answer type site. Thank you.
"Mike"
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Preparing Dried Cayenne Peppers For Cooking
I have successfully dried some cayenne peppers that I grew in my garden this past summer. How do I grind them up to use them in cooking? Do I use the whole pepper or should I remove the outer skin before I chop them up?
Annie
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Caring For Stainless Steel Kitchen Center
I just bought a new kitchen center with a stainless steel top. I would like to know the best way to clean it and take care of it.
Thank you.
Pam from WV
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Preventing Mildew In The Bathroom
I have heard if you stash a few pieces of charcoal in a corner or two in the bathroom it would absorb moisture and discourage mold. I have used Damp-rid before but it gets too expensive. Has anyone ever tried this or know of any other things to try that are cheap?
Stephanie
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Solution For A Flooded Garden Allotment
We have recently taken over an allotment and are planning to grow vegetables. My problem is the previous occupier dug lots of holes for projects they never finished, and now all the holes are flooded with water. Please can someone suggest how to fix this - I am concerned that what I will do will just send the water to the next plot. Thanks
Oxford Jane
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Mysterious Dark Color On Corduroy Pants
I have a pair of light colored corduroy pants and they are covered with some sort of dark color from the washer. I already dried them and they are just sitting there with this dark color all over them. How do I get it off?
Crystal from Minnesota
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More Reading:
Poisons Under Your Sink: Hidden Dangers of Cleaning Products
By Glenn Beach
The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has recorded many exposures to household cleaning substances that were serious enough to require treatment in a health care facility. Incredibly, according to the AAPCC the largest number of occurrences of poisoning in 1993 were due to cleaning products - drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, bleach, soaps and detergents.
View Article: Click Here
Decorating with Fabric: Ten Fool-proof Secrets to Combining Patterns
By Pamela Cole Harris
Would you love to be able to combine fabrics just like the designers do? Did your last attempt look like a color-blind, half-drunk orangutan with a plaid fetish decorated the room? Here are ten easy secrets to combining fabric patterns that will make your room look like a million bucks!
View Article: Click Here
Simple Living in a Materialistic World
By Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC
We were sitting in the family room. My kids had finished their first day back at school after the holiday break, and my wife was working late. Michael, my six-year-old son, was finger knitting. Sarah, my eight-year-old, was knitting a scarf. I sat near them and folded clothes. Occasionally someone would share something that had happened during the day, but otherwise it was quiet.
View Article: Click Here
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