Tablecloth Storage

About once a year we have enough family visiting us that we need to bring out the folding tables.  Folding tables require tablecloths.

This year when the family descended upon us for Christmas, I did not have time to iron our tablecloths.  Oops.  (Trust me, with my baby ironing a tablecloth for a casual, family dinner without wrinkles was not a priority.)  However, I remembered a tip that I learned on some morning show years ago about tablecloth storage that I implemented before putting the tablecloths away.

Hang a tablecloth on a pants hanger to keep it wrinkle-free in storage.

Since my tablecloths came out of the dryer wrinkle-free, I did not iron them.  Instead, I just promptly folded them and hung them with the pants hanger.  I made sure to hang them along the hem and not the fold.  Instead of using valuable room in my closet where the tablecloths could be smooshed and wrinkled, I hung them in our laundry closet.  It works for me!  

Picture Collages

One fall Saturday morning when my husband was busy with the children's sports program at our church, I decided to take the kids to the local county park (9 months pregnant).  My purpose was for photos, but they thought we were just on a nature adventure.  We were checking out the oak, maple, and pine trees...and their cones and acorns (well, not on the maples).  Along the way I was taking photographs, hoping to capture a few good ones.  Of my 76 photographs, a few came out well.  I'm thankful for digital technology!

Same photos are used below, but use a different layout.

I made collages of a few of the pictures using Picasa- a free photo editing program.  (It does not store the pictures for you, but uses what is already on your computer.)

Typically, I prefer the picture pile (bottom collage) over the mosaic grid (top).  This time, I may like the grid better.

I have used the collage in the past to create a bit of a fun "summary" of our year to include in Christmas cards.  Oh, and it's cheap, too.  Just the cost of a print!

  Just thought I'd share in case you were interested in making your own.

Just curious...which style do you prefer?  Picture pile or grid?  Does it depend upon photo content?

Pantry Organization

When we built our home three years ago, we tweaked the original floor plans for a few things, including two things that I knew I wanted: laundry on the second floor and a pantry.  (Oh, I really wanted a mud room.  REALLY.  And I still do. However, the price tag was one that was not logical to me.  Some things can't be a priority...even if highly desired and practical.)

My pantry is tiny, but I am thankful for it.  Up until recently, it was also a wreck, though I cleaned it out about once a month.  A couple weeks before the baby was due, I realized that a baby sitter would never find anything in that pantry because my dear husband always has to ask where something is or have me find it.

The solution...labels.  (Maybe not what you think.)  I did not go out and purchase lovely plastic bins to keep all my dry goods looking neat and organized, though that would be nice.
Instead, I just figured out exactly what should be on each shelf, and created labels to make sure that I knew where things should go, and hoped that my husband would use them, too.  Here's how.

• I emptied all of the pantry shelves.  Maybe I should say that first I cleaned off my island and table so that I could empty the pantry.
• Then I made a pile of items that were duplicates or so rarely used that they could be stored in the basement.   I also decided that the few baking items that were in the pantry should be moved to my baking cupbard.  Only sensible, huh?
• I also checked the expiration date on some items that I knew I had not used in ages.  It was a good idea since something was a couple years past expiration.  Please take note that they expired after our move.  I did not relocate expired foods.
• As I put items on the shelves, I grouped them together by what made sense to me, I used masking tape and Sharpies to make temporary labels.
• I used the temporary labels for a couple of days in case I wanted to make adjustments.

Then I made my labels and attached them to the wire shelving.

The picture below may not look like an "after" picture, but it is.  Trust me.  It is organized!

Simple, right?
(Well, except that shameful pile of snacks!)

Wondering if it's been successful?  How about this?  On just day two or three, he asked where an item should go.  (It was a packet...not so obvious.)  I love it, and it has continued to work for over a month now!

It may not look all neat and tidy, but it is organized.

Did you notice that there was no "before" picture?  Well, I didn't touch the floor of the pantry.  It looks awful, because it is.  Proof?

Let's see.  Cereal.  Empty egg carton (to take to the farm to purchase more).  Brown plastic lids for kid painting.  Bread maker.  Two tubes-one for parchment paper and the other is a mat for kid crafts.  Random reusable bags.  Plastic shopping bag.  Cut cereal box for kid crafts.  And other unknown items.  Shameful.

Did you like the look of the labels?

They came from Just Something I Made, and she has other colors, too!  

I printed them on tan cardstock for a neutral look in my kitchen, but they could be used for countless things.  Love them.  And I didn't even laminate them!

I finally figured out that keeping some of our frequently used workbooks and coloring books lying horizontally on the bottom shelf was taking up precious space, but I didn't want them to be moved to the bookcase.  In the pantry, M and E know they can pull out a book and their crayon/marker box.  My solution was a magazine holder.  (This was also about the same time that I decided to recycle ALL of my old magazines.)

Now, can someone please help me figure out how to keep baby bottles organized?  They just can't be tidy!

Providing Meals for a Others

With the recent arrival of Baby E, we have been extremely blessed to have been given several premade meals!

One of my friends brought a premade (but not precooked) meal to us in early October when I was still pregnant.  When I went to make it, I was impressed with how she wrote the baking instructions for us.  Instead of including a little piece of paper, she wrote directly on the plastic wrap!  I thought it was brilliant!

The basic meal was in a 9x13 Pyrex dish.  The dish was wrapped with plastic wrap where the directions were written.  On top of the plastic wrap she had placed peppers and croutons in baggies (separately).  Then the entire dish and baggies were wrapped with aluminum foil.  All nice and neat, you know?

(With a baby who needs to be held all day long, making meals seems a near impossible task right now.  May I say how incredibly thankful I am for these meals!?  The bonus is that one meal usually lasts us for two or three dinners!  So thankful!  I look forward to passing on the blessing of meals for those in need.  We've been helped with all three births of our children and two of their long hospitalizations...and truly grateful and remember it when I know of others in need.  May I also say that I was very thankful after the kids' hospitalizations for the meals.  I had actually said "no thank you" at first...because I was healthy and didn't want to put others out when I was capable.  But I had also been in the hospital with each child...and much had been neglected, including ourselves, and the meals really helped us, as a family, to return to the new norm.)

Writing directly on the plastic wrap or tin foil would also work on your own freezer meals!


What works for you when preparing a meal for a friend?  Have you been on the receiving end?

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

My first experience with fruit flies was in college.  I had a crazy (wonderfully good crazy) professor who taught a great class called Science for Elementary Education (or something like that).  We basically created a habitat for fruit flies and then invited them to come live in our 2-liter bottles.  

My next experience was not so contained.  When we returned from our honeymoon, our apartment had fruit flies.  The source?  A shoulder bag I had used for school...and the RIPE banana inside of it.  

A couple weeks ago we had fruit flies.  I actually started using my garbage disposal on a daily basis because of those pesky flies. 

Right about that time, a friend mentioned that she had success using vinegar to remove fruit flies.  Thank you, Stephanie!!  I decided to try it, too.  I put one drop of dish detergent in a little bowl of vinegar.  

The nasty pests would visit the bowl, but they didn't drown.  So I put plastic wrap on it and poked holes in it. This was even less effective.  But I knew Stephanie and others had had success with vinegar, so I took off the plastic wrap.

The next morning I took this picture.  (The vinegar seemed to turn cloudy.)

The little dears finally drowned!  I had victory...at least over some of them.  It took a while, but they are gone!

Keeping It Simple

We tend to have low-key birthdays around here.  As of now, the children haven't truly had a birthday party where they invite friends, though last year when we were visiting family in October (the month of both M and E's birthdays...and likely this baby's, too) so we had a big family party at a local park.

This year was especially low-key since no grandparents were with us to celebrate M's fifth birthday.  It was the four of us.  Being two days from my due date (kind of like when E was due on M's birthday...but that year we had company for her birthday) I needed to keep things simple.

For decorations, we made a balloon banner.  

 I simply took a threaded needle through the tips of the balloons.

(Not our first balloon banner, but I love the simplicity of this one!  Inspired from here.)

Above M's seat at the kitchen table, we also hung some balloons.  In the past, we've always tied helium balloons to the birthday child's seat...but I love how this looks.

 M was able to choose her own birthday dinner.  Funny, I don't think she has a clue that some people eat McDonald's when they are not traveling.  Had she, though, we would have done it.  Notice that it is meatless. Chocolate milk is our birthday drink of choice around here.  Posting the menu in the kitchen was a big hit.

 I made her cake.  It wasn't pretty (mine never are), but she loved it.  It had a heart with a "5" in the center.

Our gifts were also simple, but she loved them.  

I can't believe she is five years old!  E will have his own turn for a celebration very soon!  It will be much the same as M's, though we'll likely have at least some family around if the baby has been born.

My husband and I were very grateful that we were able to be home (and not at the hospital having baby #3) to celebrate the big occasion!  

Simple Birthday Decorations

This past weekend we celebrated the 60th birthday of Derek's mom.  It was a low-key surprise party, with mostly family and just a few friends as guests.  But it still celebrated Janice!

We hung sixty balloons through the dining room and living room.  Many of the balloons were split between two balloon banners.  (See inspiration photo/directions here.)  Instead of using tape or glue dots, these balloons were tied to the ribbon with thread.

 We also saw another neat idea of hanging balloons from the ceiling to make them look like they were floating in the air like helium balloons...without the helium.  Each of the balloons below had a thread tied to them.  However, the person hanging the balloons didn't know the idea behind the thread, and just hung them.  I thought it still looked fun!

Depending on when the baby arrives (due within days of both M and E's birthdays), I would enjoy doing something like these simple decorations for them, too.  We'll see what the reality is.  I certainly don't have air in me to blow balloons though!

It was a fun party, and most importantly a good way to celebrate a great woman.

New York City Preparations

Our preparations for our recent visit to New York City probably began a couple years ago when I began reading to M about the Statue of Liberty.  Since we have family there, it was time for a visit!

1. First I wrote a few sentences for M to read.  Even if she was not reading, I may have still done this and read it to her.  She loved learning about the trip in this fashion.

Though M pretended to think about where we were going, I think she knew immediately!

2. Using handwriting paper, we made a list of who and what we wanted to see in NYC.  M then traced the letters.  Later I told her about how NYC is called the Big Apple.  She added to word apple to the her list...and spelled it correctly!

3. We began reading Cricket in Times Square before she knew of our visit.  It's a great book for preschoolers because most of the characters are animals, though intended for much older children.  The chapters are short, and include a full page illustration in each.  And of course, it introduces things about NYC!  (FYI, I recently learned this is part of a series!)


4. We read our favorite Statue of Liberty book.

5. I found some great printables about the Statue of Liberty.  The dot-to-dot may have been M's favorite.  Here and here are some that are pretty awesome.

6.  Though not part of our preparations, the day after we returned home as part of our "recovery/rest" we watched The Muppets Take Manhattan.  We really like the Muppets around here!

Ham Problems

Over the weekend we determined that it would be best to use the delay start feature of our oven.  (Having lived here for nearly three years, we had never used it.)  We wanted to have a mid-day dinner and would not be home from church until late morning.  Saturday night we practiced see how it worked.  Sunday morning my brother-in-law walked me through the steps that he had done the previous night.  Everything looked good to go.

We arrived home a few hours later...and the ham was cold.  (Boy, was I thankful to have already read at the Smithfield ham site to let the ham sit out at room temperature for a couple of hours before roasting.)  Derek's grandmother had the brilliant idea of just slicing the ham off the bone and frying it!

It worked perfectly.  I put Derek's aunt to work frying the ham, and she did a great job, despite her lack of cooking skills.  (I know she can cook a hot dog, but, and she admits, not much else.)  It turned out very tasty, and since we still roasted the remaining meat and bone, we were able to make gravy, too!  We were able to eat dinner at a decent time thanks to frying the ham.

I thought I'd share in case you have a ham emergency someday!  As it turned out, our electricity went off while we were at church.  My alarm clock was blinking when we went to bed, so that is how we found out!  Mystery solved!

Keeping Children Hydrated

Our kids have been rather ill for the past two weeks.

Our daughter, especially, didn't have an appetite.  That's no surprise for a sick child.  Much more important is keeping them hydrated when they are ill.

An easy way to do this is by having a tea party!  My children had four or five pitchers of water during their tea party, and most of it was drank by my sick daughter.  (E wasn't sick at that point.)

We love our little pitcher set from Tupperware.  It's perfect size for young children to pour themselves and was great for E when he was first learning to drink from a cup.

Pancake Shapes

We often have pancakes or waffles for dinner.  I love nights like that when everyone enjoys dinner.  Despite the treat that pancakes for dinner might be in itself, I do like making it a bit more special.  A while back I shared how I make monogrammed pancakes using a medicine syringe.

On some other evening I wanted to get creative with the pancakes again, but I wanted to do something different.  Using the medicine syringe again, I drew up pancake mix.  I drew a basic outline of a couple of shapes and then filled it in with additional batter after letting the outline cook for a few seconds.  Then I just flipped when they were browned. 

Works of art?  No.  Smiles for my kids?  Definitely!  They loved them.

The only downfall is that my daughter has started to expect something special with her pancakes.  Last week when we had them, she asked if there was an M for her.  Oops.  She forgave me.

I'm linking up to ABC and 123's show and tell  and Kids Get Crafty today!

Organizing Christmas Ornaments

With my daughter now four years old, we learned what great joy she had when I handed her an ornament of her own to hang on our Christmas tree.  Last year we made several ornaments like the snowflake button ornament, salt dough handprints, and this year we made the handmade paper ornaments.  We have some that have been purchased, and others that were made at school or church.  I decided it was time to do something different.  I wanted the children to have a special home for their special ornaments.

This year when we put away our ornaments, I designated each child a nice box.  Their own ornaments will go in their own box.  It's really that simple.  Then next December when we are decorating the tree, I can hand each child their own box and they can have a blast decorating!

Book Review Sites

Oh, how I wish books were rated like movies are! I really wish I knew ahead of time the language and sexual situations that each book contained.  I am somewhat sensitive to these, though I do read (and listen to on CD) books that contain mild situations or language.  Eventually, this is going to be even more important to me as my children begin reading independently.

Just last week I listened to Charlotte's Web to see if my daughter might be ready for this classic tale.  Though she is four years of age, she is definitely not ready to hear about how Wilbur is supposed to dinner...and becomes depressed...and to top it all off his best friend dies, even though his life is saved.  A great book?  Yes!  Appropriate for my daughter?  No.  Not yet.

So what is a parent to do?  Well, for me, I read blogs, ask friends, and use our church library in addition to the public library. ( I know that just because a book is at a Christian bookstore or church does not mean that it is biblically sound.  Many Christian publishers now allow curse words in their books.  I have no tolerance for that, though I do not mind mild language in non-Christian books.)   For many book bloggers, I think if you even just ASKED for an author recommendation, they might be able to help you if you give them some criteria!

• Christian Children's Book Review- CCBR reviews lots of Christian children's books (for all ages), but they also have highlighted a few mainstream books (in detail) like The Magic Treehouse series and the Twilight series.  
• Library of Clean Reads- Laura is an author herself (great book!), and reviews adult and children's books.  She rates them as needed, but most of them are "clean."
• Squeaky Clean Reads- This is a site that lets YOU, the reader, rate books!  Of course, you can also search for books by title or genre to find out if a book you are interested in is clean.  I haven't used this site nearly enough since I just recently learned of it.
• Good Clean Reads- This site has a very clear rating system that lets you know what to expect when it comes to language, sexuality, violence.  Another new site to me, but one I intend to use a lot!
• Reading to Know- Carrie reviews children and adult books, fiction and nonfiction from a variety of publishers.  She is my good friend, and we like many of the same books, so she is a great resource for recommendations for me...and maybe you, too.
• The Literate Mother- This has a wide variety of mainstream books, most unfamiliar to me, but still worth including in this list.
• Focus on the Family Book Reviews for Parents- Includes a plot summary, Christian beliefs, authority roles, authority roles, profanity/graphic violence, kissing/sex/homosexuality, and discussion topics in each review to help parents understand what to expect in a book.  (By the way, if interested in the same reviews, plus opinions, of movies, check out Plugged In.)

Where do you turn to for book reviews?  Please add any additional legitimate resources in the comments and let us know why you like them!  (Spam will be deleted!)  

A Gift Idea for Teachers...

As a former teacher, I collected lots of gifts at Christmas-time and the end of the school year.  I was always thankful for them!  I also only taught for eight years.  Some teachers (especially ones with long careers) may not need another mug or Christmas ornament, but I can still tell you who gave me which ornaments.  (I also wrote on some of them to help me remember...)

If you are looking for an elementary teacher gift, you cannot go wrong with books.  Gift certificates to book stores or Amazon would also be appreciated.  If you know they drink coffee, then Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts would be appropriate.

My all time favorite gifts were of personalized stationary.  One year I was given some notepads with my name on them...perfect for sending notes home or to the school office!  Another year I was given a stationary paper set with my name.  I loved them both so much.

Photo from Plum Paper

This year, I decided to give M's preschool teacher personalized note cards.  I purchased them through Plum Paper's etsy shop, and just love how they turned out!  I chose to go with a repetitive flower design (similar to the one above).  Other shops might have teacher-y designs, but I wanted Mrs. S. to be able to use the cards for personal use, if that is what she desired.  I got my cards in just 5 or 6 business days, so if you are still thinking about a teacher gift, you have time!  I would definitely recommend Plum Paper!

I was given several unique gifts during my teaching days...one was a giant dancing snowman that also sang.  It responded to movement.  The students loved him, but I never, ever would have bought him myself, but what a  huge hit!  Another was a Christmas sweatshirt.  It was cute, but it was not a gift I would expect to get from a student.  One girl gave me coasters with drawings of Korean life portrayed.  Diane was from Korea (and lived with her uncle here), so they were perfect and fully unique.  (I still have them, too!)     Oh, the chocolate chip cookie pie that I love was first given to me by a student!

More than anything, as a teacher I appreciated the heart-felt words of a parent.  When I taught junior high, some students even wrote their own notes.  "Thank you" goes a long way for a teacher.  Tucked away, I have those notes from parents and students.

Disclaimer:  These cards were not for review...I just wanted to share.

Monogrammed Pancakes

In the past week I have not been doing too well in the kitchen.  Friday night I made apple crisp without brown sugar.  It was thrown away.

Yesterday was even worse.  I decided to make my cousin's chicken soup (so good!) and some bread.  I had just learned about Irish soda bread.  Since it is quick, I wanted to try it.  I used this recipe.  Well, I ran out of all-purpose flour.  So I used a combination of all-purpose, bread, and white wheat.  That is not what killed the bread.  It's called soda bread for a reason, you know.  It uses baking soda instead of yeast.  Well, guess what I did!?  I used baking powder instead of baking soda.  Maybe it was okay, but the soda bread wasn't appealing to Derek, so we didn't eat it.

Oh, remember the soup I wanted to make?  Angie suggested a 3 pound chicken.  Mine was six.  AND I only allowed about three hours to cook it.  It wasn't going to be ready for dinner at five o'clock, so we had pancakes instead.   I used my homemade pancake mix from the cupboard.

First, I should say that this idea of writing in pancakes is not mine!  I'm not sure if I saw it in a magazine or on-line.  Unfortunately, I have no idea where I saw this.  If you know, leave a comment so I can give credit!

To make a monogram, smiley face, or anything else is quite simple.  I used one of our many medicine syringes, and I filled it with pancake batter.  Then I wrote the children's initials (backwards so when they flip they are correct) on the griddle and a smiley face for Derek.  After they were cooked, I poured additional pancake batter on top.  Then, you just flip and serve as you normally would!

My kitchen woes didn't stop there.  Notice how dark the pancake is.  Two of my pancakes stuck to the griddle and wouldn't flip.  I did turn down the temperature control (which is not accurate), but the griddle was still acting funny.  I think it's time for a new griddle, and I'm not sure I can hold off until Christmas! 

(I did manage to make the fudge nut bars and blueberry coffee cake this week.  Successfully.  Whew!  See, I have much to be thankful for!)

Any Time Rolls

I just love fresh, warm bread.  My bread machine makes a 1 1/2 or 2 pound loaf at a time.  We tend to eat a lot when the bread is fresh and hot, but not so much after it cools unless we have company for dinner.

I decided to turn my bread dough (from the machine) into rolls.  You can, too.  It's really easy.

First, I made my favorite bread recipe in the bread maker (no special recipe needed).  After the dough was mixed, I broke the dough into pieces and rolled it into little balls, as seen below.

I placed the dough balls on a cookie sheet.  For crustier rolls, space them about 2 inches apart.  For softer rolls, place them closer together so that when they bake they touch edges.  You can even bake them directly in a cake pan if you want softer rolls.

Let your dough balls rise as directed in your recipe.  Then bake them just until they are starting to turn brown.

When completely cooled, separate your rolls, if desired, and freeze your rolls in a zipper freezer bag.

When you want fresh, steaming rolls, pull them from the freezer and bake for 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees!  It really is that simple!  

Saving Paper Towels

Since having children three and one half years ago, we have used a crazy amount of paper towels. During every meal their little hands and faces need to be cleaned. The table and high chair need to be scrubbed instead of a quick wipe of crumbs and often needed a bit more than just soapy dish water.

 Until recently, I used a lot of paper towels. Around the same time that I started using vinegar to clean, a friend explained to me how she is able to not use so many paper towels. This may be common sense to most people, but I had never really considered it before.

 So I'm sharing it. Taking my friend's lead, I bought some simple waffle weave dish cloths . I don't prefer them for washing dishes, but they are fabulous for cleaning the counters, stove top, and table. (I love knit and crocheted dish cloths best for washing dishes. If you have never tried them, I recommend it!) I bought some just for cleaning because 1.) I wanted a lot of them and 2.) I wanted them to be easily distinguished from dish cloths, dish towels, and the old cloths/rags that can be used in the bathroom.

 I don't know how many paper towels I am saving, but it is a lot! We do still use paper towels to wash the children's faces and hands, as needed, but unless the mess is awful, we rip a paper towel in half before wetting it.

 I have a good reason for using paper towels instead of a dishcloth or other wet cloth...when I was a child, my mom would clean my face with a dishcloth and I hated it! A paper towel is somehow better...and I know it is clean.

 Cleaning with vinegar and using dishcloths to clean are just some simple ways that I am trying to be nicer to my home planet while saving money. I may not be too green, but every bit is helpful in being a steward of God's creation. Do you have any other simple tips for me? (I know Earth Day is this week, but I had fully intended to post this for the past month, and just finally wrote about it.)

Freezer Organization Part 2

Last Friday night I had a burst of inspiration and cleaned out my fridge and freezer.  We've lived here for 1 1/2 years...and I had not properly cleaned the freezer or refrigerator in all that time.

I bought some plastic bins to attempt to contain and organize a bit better.  I used one bin for vegetables.  Beside it I put some of our frozen fruit (and a bowl of French onion soup).

The other is for prepared meats like my leftover chicken, meatballs, and such, but not large meats like whole chickens or roasts.

The best freezer surprise: leftover cinnamon rolls from Christmas day.  They were a sweet reward after all was clean!  (And I just realized that I never shared that recipe with readers...I will need to do that!)

The weirdest surprise: I found a feather from about 9 months ago when we were helping Meghan learn how to blow properly.  Weird.

The worst surprise: Apparently organizing the freezer didn't really create any more room in the freezer.  I actually struggled to find a "proper" home for some stuff.

I have used the bins for a week now, and think they are working out pretty well for me.  My freezer is well-used.  I know not everyone is like us, but I just wanted to share what is working for us.

You can read Freezer Organization Part 1 from last summer and how I have changed my way to freeze chicken breasts and pork chops.

Why My Husband Hates When I Clean

Really, I drive my husband crazy when I clean.  It's a new thing, really.  And it's not like I need a perfectly clean house.  (HA!)  It's far from clean.


In fact, our house is quite "comfortable."  You know, it's lived in.  We have toys throughout.  Our island always has a pile or two growing on it...and often a stray butter knife and some crumbs leftover from the previous meal (or more).  We are both the kind of people that can go to bed without picking up the clutter and toys.  Some might call that laziness.


So how is it that I am driving him crazy?  Vinegar.  I started mopping with a vinegar and water mix a year or so ago.  I only mop, at most, every two weeks, so that was tolerable for him.  I like that it is chemical free.  Vinegar is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and incredibly frugal.  What's not to love?  Well, a little smell.  All cleaners have an odor though, right?  Apparently not all odors are created equal.


A couple months ago I decided I wanted to start using a vinegar as my all-purpose cleaner, especially in the kitchen.  Though I know good ol' soapy water cleans the counters and table just fine, sometimes I want a bit more kick to remove the syrup, medicine, or jelly.  (Oh, yes, E's anti-seizure medication is very sticky!)  I used to turn to whatever was under the kitchen sink, but then I read somewhere that using a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water would be very effective in cleaning...and it's safe for kids.  It took me quite a while to get an empty spray bottle.  (Do NOT reuse a bottle that had chemicals in it for this.  Just recycle it!)


Well, a month or so ago I finally bought my empty spray bottle!  I promptly wrote on it that it was vinegar, since I didn't want it to mistakenly get sprayed, and filled it with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white vinegar.  I went to town cleaning my countertops and our kitchen table.  I went on to clean E's high chair.  I spot cleaned under his high chair.  It felt great to clean!


Then Derek came home from work.  The smell really does disappear as it dries, but he really hates it!  He noticed it immediately.   I think he may have gagged a bit.  Sorry, Dear.  He told me he was surprised I could stand it since I tend to be sensitive to bad odors.  But I continue to clean with it, though I do try to do most of the spraying/cleaning several hours before he gets home from work.  He has asked that I light a candle, so I do if I'm still cleaning when he is in the house.


Our three year old has noticed the stink, too.  She tells me about it when I am cleaning...but she also puts her nose to the table to really inhale the full vinegar scent.


Vinegar has lots of uses.  One of these days M, E, and I are going to make a volcano erupt.  In the meantime, you can visit Vinegar Tips or the Vinegar Institute if you are interested.  Both sites have tons of ideas for cleaning with vinegar.


A friend suggested I use essential oils to change the smell of the vinegar and water solution I use.  I don't have any, so I have not done this.  Does anyone have any other tips for me?  I want to continue to use vinegar, but it really is not much fun to torture my husband.

Freezing Meat

I try to be frugal when it comes to groceries.  I try to spend two dollars or less per pound on meat.  (Last week my husband bought a beef roast that was not on sale.  I think he was hinting to me that he is tired of chicken!)

Since we buy on sale and stock up, we need to freeze lots of meat.  I'm sure you know that it's best to remove meat from the grocery store packaging before freezing it.  In the past I would place two chicken breasts in a quart-sized freezer bag, remove the air, and then make sure there was plenty of space between the breasts so they would thaw easily.  However, I decided I was wasting a lot of plastic bags and even a bit of money that way.

So I decided to go about freezing my chicken breasts and pork chops  in a new way.  Honestly, I think this is doing even better at keeping away the ice crystals that always form on my meat.

First, I rinsed and trimmed my meat.  Then I placed each breast on a piece of plastic wrap.  Then I wrapped it tightly.  I placed all of my wrapped meat into a gallon-sized freezer bag and labeled it with the type of meat and the month/year.

So far, I have frozen several family packs of chicken breast and one family pack of pork chops in this manner.  It is a bit more work, but I think I it's worth it.

I even took pictures.  However, I can't seem to find them on my computer at the moment, so please forgive me.

Next I need to organize my freezer.  Seriously.  It's awful!  Any suggestions?

(Don't forget to enter the giveaways!  One is for a children's book, the other you get to pick.  I am excited for both!)