Monday, March 21, 2011

Must Have Monday! Wyler's Single Pack Lemonade to Go



Here is one thing that I simply cannot live without! Wyler's Single Pack Lemonades to Go. There are no calories and they taste great! I get them for only $1 a pack at The Dollar Tree and you get 10 of them. Keep them in the house or tuck them away in your purse for on the go and you don't have to worry about spending money on drinks while out! A great quench to your thirst!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tips Tuesday! Cleaning Windows


Onto the windows of our spring cleaning...

Just imagine, one minute you're looking through a foggy mess and then - in a flash - you have a crystal clear window on the world! Here are some proven tips to make window washing a snap!

Washing

Use vertical strokes when washing outside windows and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.

For a real shine, rub a blackboard eraser over a newly washed window.

Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too fast, and probably streak.

Always wash windows from top to bottom.

Consensus of opinion has it that crumbed up black and white newspaper dipped in vinegar is the absolute best way to wash windows. Dip paper in vinegar and wipe the glass until almost dry, then shine with dry newspaper or cloth.

Other cleaning solutions

Mix 1/3 cup ammonia in 1 gallon water Or 1/2 cup ammonia, 1 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbs cornstarch mixed in a bucket of warm water.

On cold days, add 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol to each quart of water to prevent icing.

Keep a spray bottle filled with 3 Tbs ammonia, 1 Tbs white vinegar and cool water on hand for spot cleaning windows and mirrors.

For painted windowsills, dilute rubbing alcohol with water and rub with a cloth. It gets rid of spots,and the sills look freshly painted.

To avoid taking down curtains when washing windows, drape them through a hanger and hang them from the curtain rod.

For outside windows, dip a long handled mop in cleaning solution, wash, then hose off. Throw a clean towel over the mop to dry.

A long handled car wash brush attached to a hose works great, too!

Straight vinegar will get those outside windows really clean.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Must Have Monday! Purex Crystals Softener


I cannot tell you how much I am in love with these crystals!!! As a Purex Insider, I received a 4 load sample to try out and held a giveaway for 3-28 oz bottles. Those winners are so lucky!!!

These crystals leave the freshest scent on your clothes for a long period of time. I didn't get around to doing laundry for a few days and our worn clothes still smelled fresh!!! This is a new staple on my shopping list!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Special Time Sunday! Happy (Non) Birthday


Birthdays come but once a year. How about having a non-birthday?

A non birthday is simply a birthday party on a day that is not your real birthday!

1. Bake or buy a birthday cake. Have your family blow out candles (everyone gets a turn)

2. Put all of your family members names into a hat and draw a name (name exchange), 1 name per person to buy a gift (no more than $1)

A fun way to spend some time together :)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Swap a Recipe Saturday! Taste a Rainbow


I found this yummy cupcake recipe for St. Patrick's Day on familyfun.com
Taste a Rainbow

Here's what little leprechauns look forward to on St. Patrick's Day: a magical snack that can add color to the grayest March afternoon. Pot of gold not included.

Ingredients:

White cake mix (we used an 18-1/4-ounce box)
Food coloring (red, blue, green, and yellow)
Baking cups
Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare your favorite white cake mix, then divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. Following the chart below, dye each bowl of batter a rainbow color.

RAINBOW COLOR DROPS OF FOOD COLORING
Purple 9 red and 6 blue drops
Blue 12 drops
Green 12 drops
Yellow 12 drops
Orange 12 yellow and 4 red drops
Red 18 drops


Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so on, following the order shown. As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.

Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe directions. Before serving, remove the paper wrapping, and if you like, top each cupcake with a whipped-cream cloud.

Frugal Friday! Zero in on the best buys.


It is Frugal Friday, 1 day late. I found this article in AllYou magazine, March 25, 2011 issue.

Zero in on the best buys

There are many warehouse-club bargains to be had, but these are real steals!

Prescription Drugs

You can save more than 50 percent on common prescriptions at clubs compared with other pharmacies. Be sure to shop around, though, as costs vary between stores within the same chain.

Bottom Line: At Costco, 20-milligram Lisinopril pills (a generic blood pressure drug), cost less than $10 for 100; the price is more than $56 at CVS. That's almost an 82 percent savings!

Big-Ticket Electronics

National discount chains and online retailers offer similar prices as warehouse clubs do on televisions. Where you can find significant savings, however, is on the clubs' generous extended warranties and return policies.

Bottom Line: a 42 inch Vizio LCD HD television comes with a 2 year warranty and a 90 day return policy at Costco. The same TV as Sears costs only $20 more but has a one-year warranty, and you have just 30 days to bring it back.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Things to Make Thursday! Homemade Potpourri


Up to making something homemade? How about some potpourri :) I found this recipe on allfreecrafts.com.

Homemade Potpourri

Beginning with the first show of spring daffodils, you can start making a simple and fragrant kitchen windowsill potpourri. You will need a large clean jar, and scissors to cut an assortment of coloured and fragrant flowers as they appear in your garden.

Shown here is a jar of homemade potpourri packed with daffodils, lily of the valley, violets, bleeding hearts, roses, geranium, sweet william, pansies, viola, veronica, lavender, lemon balm leaves, citronella leaves, phlox, clover, and, just to add tang to the pot, the cut up dried peel of oranges and lemons. If you have some sprays of eucalyptus that is past its prime, wash off the dust, pull off leaves, and add these leaves to your potpourri flower jar as well.

I simply cut a few blossoms off each flower when they arrive in the garden and add to the mason jar. The drying process is simple...you just let the blossoms dry out in the jar with the aid of the sun shining through your windows.

As you add more blossoms, you should stir the lower layers of potpourri with a kitchen fork or spoon, and add the new blossoms on top. Don't pack the blossoms and leaves down too tightly- you want plenty of air space to encourage quick and complete drying.

By July, you could have several of these potpourri flower jars starting to fill to capacity; it is up to you whether you continue to add the August phlox or the fall asters. You might like to have one jar of predominantly roses, or another packed with mostly lavender; the fun is in experimenting to find the one you like the most.

I chose to add lots of citronella and lemon balm, as the smell was so fresh and pleasing that I couldn't resist it. It also had the added benefit of not requiring the addition of essential oils; the fragrance was aromatic enough to stand alone, although I did add some chopped up orange and lemon peel, after I had used the fruit. I might add an essential oil later, to refresh the potpourri when the first natural fragrances begin to fade.

That's it: a kitchen windowsill homemade potpourri of spring and summer flowers from your garden. What could be easier?