Quick Tips

Here are some quick tips I've put together:

-Refill plugins or wallflowers with essential or fragrance oil.

-Use a rubber band to remove a stripped screw.

-Use bulldog clips for cord control.

-Store knives upside down in a knife block to avoid dulling the blades.

-Use WD-40 to remove crayon marks from just about any surface.

-Mix 1 tsp dishwashing soap (not detergent), 1 tsp cooking oil and 1 qt. water in a spray bottle for a safe, natural way to kill ants without harming children or pets.

-Rub a piece of chalk onto greasy stains - the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable in the wash.

-Use plastic eggs as snack containers.

-Pour a packet of lemonaid Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup of an empty dishwasher and run to clean lime deposit and iron stains (the citric acid cleans the inside).

-To freshen your drain, pour 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt down the drain, follow with 1 cup heated vinegar down the drain (it will foam and bubble. Let sit for 15 minutes, then run hot tap water for 30 to 60 seconds.

-To clean the microwave, heat a bowl of water and vinegar for 5 minutes. The steam will dissolve stuck-on stains. Simply wipe off.

-To clean a mattress, mix well 1 cup baking soda with 4 drops essential oil (lavender works well). Using a kitchen strainer, sprinkle the mixture over the whole mattress and let sit for an hour or longer. Using the vacuum hose, thoroughly vacuum the entire mattress. This will get rid of dust mites and leave the mattress smelling fresh and clean.

Green Rum Punch

I got this recipe from my cousin and it is DIVINE and so easy to make!! It has alcohol in it, but you really can't taste it. You can also make it without alcohol. This recipe makes enough for about 10 people.

INGREDIENTS:
For Freezer:
2 pkg. Blueberry gelatin (dissolve per package instructions)
1 cup Cold water
1 qt. (large can) Pineapple juice
1 1/2 qt. Sunny Delight Citrus
8 oz. Real Lemon juice
2 cups Sugar (you can use less if you don't want it to be as sweet)

For Serving:
1 L Ginger Ale
1 L Lemon-Lime soda
375 mL Bacardi light rum
2 or 3 Types of citrus fruits (and 2 or 3 of each type) - lemons, limes, oranges, etc.
Liquor (whiskey) to marinate fruit in

3 to 24 Hours Prior to Serving:
Slice up citrus fruit; pour liquor (whiskey) to cover bottom of container; cover fruit with liquor and place in refrigerator

DIRECTIONS:
To Freeze:
1.  Dissolve packages of blueberry gelatin according to package directions.
2.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
3.  Stir in water, pineapple and lemon juice, and Sunny Delight.
4.  Freeze.

3 to 4 Hours prior to serving, remove from freezer and thaw until slushy.

Serving:
5.  Stir in ginger ale and lemon-lime soda.
6.  Stir in rum.
7.  Pour into punch bowl.
8.  Float fruit (pour excess marinate into punch).
9.  Add ice as needed.

Enjoy and please drink responsibly!

Make Your Own Febreze

 Here's a simple way to make your own Febreze for just $0.15 a bottle! You'll need:

32 oz. spray bottle
1/8 cup of your favorite fabric softener
2 Tbsp. baking soda
Hot tap water-to fill the bottle to the top

Just shake and spray! It's from Fake-It-Frugal.

Comfort Meatballs

These are so good and easy to make. The recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman.

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lb ground beef

3/4 cup quick oats

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp very finely minced onion

1 1/2 tsp salt

Plenty of ground black pepper

4 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup flour

Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 to 6 Tbsp minced onion

Dash of Tobasco

1. Meatballs: In a bowl, combine the ground beef and oats. Pour in the milk, then add the onion and salt. Add the black pepper, then stir to combine. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and refrigerate them for 30 to 45 minutes.

2.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread the flour on a plate. Dredge the meatballs in the flour, then brown them in batches until light brown. As they brown, place them in a rectangular baking dish.

3.  Sauce: Stir the ingredients and drizzle over the meatballs.

4. Bake for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 8

Make Your Own Scented Room Spray

Tutorial here. It's from Under the Table and Dreaming.

Dixie Cup Garland

Check out this incredibly cute and super easy to make  Dixie cup garland from Hey Gorgeous.  Directions here.

Mod Podge + Fabric = Beautiful Barstools

Makeover your boring barstools using this easy tutorial from The Crafting Chicks.