June 6, 2011

Melon CoolerPuree all ingredients in food processor or blender. Chill.

 

Hash Brown Potato SaladIn 3-4 quart saucepan, cook potatoes with onion and peppers in a large amount of boiling water, covered, 6-8 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain well.

 

Quick and Easy Rice and BeansThis is super quick and easy, especially if you use leftovers. You can change the ingredients easily, use different beans, sausage, or salsa, and add in what you want.

 

Greek Veggie WrapsEasy and tasty, and can be made a day ahead by wrapping individually in plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator.

 

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Spice CupcakesThis is the easiest cupcake recipe I've ever used and the cupcakes are SO moist!

 

Secrets for a Long and Happy MarriageMy granddaughter surprised me with a last minute invitation to her wedding. I had been teasing the couple about making their marriage last as long as mine, so I made her a special card that listed "Secrets for a Long and Happy Marriage."

 

Candy Striped Rose BudIn this first picture the rose bud caught my eye as I was heading out to the side garden. After I downloaded it, I went to re-size the picture, and to my surprise saw these two aphids, single file, heading down the red strip like it was a road.

 

Keeping Bettas In A Community TankFor many years I thought that Bettas had to be kept in a tank all by themselves, because they would fight with any other fish that was in there with them. I want to clear that up.

 

Sassy (Cat)Sassy is a 6 year old cat, that we adopted from a family that had a sign in their yard saying "kitten needs a good home". At the time we were traveling and living in our RV.

 

Attach Plastic Bags To Wall For StorageIn our bathroom cabinet, there is only one shelf. I used double sided tape to secure snack-size bags to the back wall along the top to store light weight things, such as cotton balls, q-tips and band-aids.

 

Keep Dishes Cold OutsideTo keep salads and other foods cold when you're cooking and serving out-of-doors, you'll need to do a little bit of planning and know which bowl you'll be putting your salads in ahead of time.

 

Dishwasher Tablet to Clean ToiletI am aware the the chemicals in the detergent for dishwashers is similar to that used to remove stains in toilets, so I put the little dishwasher tablets into the toilet, and it works.

 

Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids (and...If I do not make plans to keep my son busy this summer, he will be perfectly content to waste his days watching TV and playing with his DS. So I plan to set up a daily schedule for him.

 

Craft: Tables from an Old TreeOne of the oldest trees was blocking our garage. I have no choice but to cut it down, but I did not want it to go to waste. I asked my brother if he could make it into tables for the garden.

 

Peeling Hard Boiled EggsFor quick and easy clean up when peeling hard boiled egg, lay a piece of cling wrap on the kitchen bench before you start to peel the eggs. Then when you have peeled the eggs, just throw the peel and wrap in the bin.

 

Wildlife: Oriole at the FeederThis guy comes to visit at least 3 times a day. We give him half an orange once a week. One usually hears an oriole before he sees it. When I first heard his call, I looked up and couldn't see anything.

 

Get the Most From Your DryerIf you have to use your dryer in the Summer months, why not get the most from it? As we should all know, it is very important to clean the lint from your filter with every load, but you should also clean the filter screen itself once a month.

 

Spray Mower With Cooking SprayWhen mowing your lawn, spray cooking spray on blade and under deck so the grass won't clog up your mower. This works like a charm and we have a swampy lawn.

 

Reuse Plastic Food Containers for StorageAny time if my mother would buy sherbet ice cream, she would usually keep the containers to clean out first and use the containers for anything.

 

Donate Items as You Identify ThemOne day I'll see an item in a different way than I did maybe a few months ago. What was once important, no longer is, and it feels good to let go of something; to be less attached to an object.

 

Save Money By Joining a Coupon TrainI'm a single mom on a tight budget. I'm always looking for ways to save money and I think I've found a great one! It's called the coupon train. It's a group of people from all around who trade their unused, current coupons with other people.

 

Wildlife: Tree FrogI found this little guy on the handle of my grill after staining my patio. I thought it was a piece of tree bark, and then thought it was an unusual stone. I went to pick it up, and it was soft...ewww.

 

Embroidery Floss for Hand SewingBeing the frugal person I am, instead of buying a spool of thread to match the item I am hand sewing, I keep on hand a bag of embroidery 6 strand thread that has many choices of colors to chose from.

 

Joke: Man in GymAn old guy (not in the best of shape) was working out in the gym when he spotted a sweet young thing.

 

Garden: Blooming MagnoliaOur 50 foot magnolia is blooming, huge beautiful fragrant white flowers. Sweet smells of spring my favorite season.

 

Password ProtectionI have a unique way for remembering my passwords. I came up with a simple sentence that I can remember, for instance:"I love hot fudge sundaes and chocolate cake 2 !" My actual password would be: ilhfs&cc2!

 

Homemade Flea TrapPlace a small amount of dish soap in the pie pan or bowl, and add enough water so fleas will not be able to swim out (about 1/2 inch). Fasten extension cord with night light plugged in so they extend out over the water.

 

Hindu (German Shepherd)My beautiful German Shepherd "Eigenschaft Heartbreaker" (Hindu), with his best friend Michael from Canada. He never left Michael's side during his three tours in the "Land Down Under'.

 

Personalized StationeryMake Dad his very own personalized stationery and then package it in a cute briefcase. Add a nice pen for him to write with and you will have made a great gift from just a few supplies.

 

Remembering Cell PhoneI used to forget my phone whenever I had it on charge. Now, I use an ice cream stick (the rounded kind). I wrote the word "PHONE" on it. Whenever I have my phone charging up, I place the stick on the end of my table where I am sure to see it.

 

Product Review: Scott Naturals Toilet PaperProduct Review: Scott Naturals Toilet Paper

 

Fix Garden Statue with ToothpasteSomehow the head of one of my garden statues got broken off. My hubby glued it back on, but there was a still a gap at the break, and you could see the dark glue, not nice.

 

Solar Lights For Emergency LightsIf you use those little solar lights outside, they can come in handy during a power outage at night. Bring them inside and you have light, then take them back out in the morning to recharge.

 

My Frugal Life: Fun When You're BrokeIn college, we were all short on cash, so here of some of the ways I made it during the hard times. They were some of the best times in my life.

 

Rocks for the GardenOn our spring vacation, hubby and I went to a beach with LOTS of beautifully rounded stones, and I gathered some up to put around the statues and other garden ornaments in my apartment garden.

 

Wildlife: Urban Fawn (Brookfield, WI)This fawn is a few days old. It was born in our yard, here it is resting under a tree near our house. The Mom is nowhere to be seen. It was found by my wife while picking garlic mustard in our yard.

 

Buying HBA (General Merchandise) and Food Banana Boxes?Where can I buy wholesale HBA and food banana boxes by the pallet, near southeastern Alabama? Thanks.

 

Getting Clematis Seeds?How do you obtain seeds for a clematis bush?

 

Cleaning Algae From a Pond?I moved into a new home and there is a 50 gallon pond in the front yard by front door! It has green algae along the walls. I bought a $50 filter and pump at Lowe's and it doesn't do the job. I have bought stuff to put in the water which also does not seem to help.

 

Mary of Puddin Hill Baked Potato Salad Recipe?Does anyone have a recipe for baked potato salad? I would really love to have the one from "Mary of Puddin Hill" just at the edge of Greenville, Texas. I know the small red (new) potatoes were baked and it had bacon in it.

 

Killing Weeds But Not the Ice Plants?I, too, am trying to find a weed killer for ice plant that will kill the weeds, but not harm the ice plant. Any one know of such a product?

 

Setting Up the Snack Table for an Adult Field Day Event?I will be having a field day event for adults. I have a couple of donations for the event like chips, juice, etc. I would like a fun way to display the snack/giveaway table. What should I put the items in, containers, boxes, etc.? Please help.

 

Getting Rid of Calluses on My Feet?I have calluses a half inch thick on the bottom of both my feet, the whole bottom of my foot is covered with it. How can I get them to go away without cutting them off with a knife, like I've been doing?

 

Discontinued Wallpaper: Kitchen and Bath Focus, Pattern #26458736, Page 131?I am searching for a discontinued wallpaper. Information Type: Wallpaper
Pattern Number: 26458736
Book Name: Kitchen And Bath Focus Vol. VI
Page Number: 131
I need 4 double rolls.

 

Growing Italian Cypress Trees?Can I plant Italian cypress trees in the Dallas area? Would they thrive in the hot and dry summer weather here? I need tall trees by my back fence to block out some obnoxious teens who live in the 2-story house behind me.

 

Zucchini Not Setting Fruit?Why do I not have zucchini squash even though there are lots of blossoms? When the blossoms fall off, a tall stem that looks as if the flower fell off is all that remains.

 

Light Supper Menus Ideas for a Home for the Elderly?Please can someone send me ideas and/or recipes for menus for light suppers for the elderly in an old age home. They already have homemade soup every night with toast, but we need another dish. They get hungry during the early evening.

 

Replacement Parts for George Foreman Grill GGR50B?Where can I find temperature probes for George Foreman Grill GGR50B?

 

Painting Dark Wood a Light Color?I have an old house with "knotty" wood pine walls which are very dark in color. I don't think they were stained, although I can't swear to that. How can I get them to a light grey color?

 

Whitening Synthetic Fabric Clothing?How can I whiten non-cotton white items like bras and panties? Non-chlorine bleach doesn't do the job. They get a grey look after many washings, even though we have a water softener.

 

Cleaning a Steam Iron Sole Plate?I have a film of junk on the bottom of my iron from an unknown source. Is there anyway to remove it or do I have to throw out my iron?

 

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen with Oak...I have honey oak cabinets with black rustic hardware and white appliances. Our kitchen is painted a light cream with a yellow undertone. We would like to paint it a color to bring out the dark in the oak instead of hightlighting the honey/orange tone.

 

George Foreman Grill That Does Not Heat Up?My children bought us a large George Foreman grill for Christmas a few years ago and I just tried it out. Low and behold the bottom of the grill does not heat up. It barely gets warm. What can I do to resolve this problem?