April 6, 2011

Seafood SoupPeel and de-vein shrimp. Flake crab meat. Chop green pepper, onion, celery into coarse pieces. Crush or chop garlic very fine. Slice carrots thin. In blender, blend tomatoes until they become liquid, but still chunky.

 

Chicken and Rice SaladMix chicken, rice, celery, bell pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, salad dressing mix, and salt in bowl. Serve in lettuce cups

 

Peg's Spicy Meat PiesThis is adapted from my great-grandmothers recipe. She never wrote anything down, so I recreated from memory. They are my family's favorite. They can be made ahead and frozen. Served with mashed potatoes or rice and a salad.

 

Sweet and Crunchy Filled Grilled HamWith a sharp knife, cut pocket 4-5 inches along the side of the ham (large enough for a hand). Run knife inside through center and around inside almost to edges. Mix stuffing ingredients together.

 

Greek Barley SaladThis salad is great whether served at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator.

 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese IcingWith the coming of spring brings an old, yet great, recipe for those family get-togethers that is scrump-delicious. Simple and easy to make, I'm betting it won't last long when everyone bites into your freshly homemade dessert.

 

Dark Mother BreadThis is a delicious honey wheat bread that tastes excellent topped with apple butter or dipped in soup.

 

Delilah and Scarlett (German Shepherds)Scarlet is three and a half year old sable coloured, long haired German Shepherd, and Delilah is an eleven years old black and tan, long haired German Shepherd.

 

The Basics for Starting Out on Your OwnAs colleges prepare for graduation, thousands of people prepare to enter the workforce. There's a promise of paychecks and prosperity, but there's also the threat of dangerous levels of debt.

 

Use Fruit and Veggie ScrapsRecycle your veggie and fruit trash! In separate bags - one for fruit and the other for veggies, save all your scraps that you go through for the week. For veggies save onion tops, carrots, tomato ends, potato shavings, etc. You can use these to make veggie stock.

 

My Frugal Life: Trying My Best to be FrugalEvery day, every shopping trip, in all my endeavors, I try my best to be frugal. Yet, I am not a cheapskate and I consider myself to be a very generous person.

 

Free Online Education CoursesI found a great place for free online education. It is by the Goodwill Community Foundation. They are online education courses on things such as Math, Reading, and Computers. I have been studying up on math for my child.

 

Baby Shampoo for WoolensNever spend money on special laundry detergent for woolens that need gentle care. The cheapest baby shampoo is just as mild and effective and you need very little of it.

 

Pear BlossomsI shot this photo of a pear tree in the sky.

 

Dempsey (Boxer)Dempsey is a 2 1/2 year old Boxer. I love my niece's boxer so much, that my niece and nephew purchased Dempsey as a Christmas present for me. He loves to run and chase balls. At 80 lbs. he also thinks he's a lap dog.

 

Scenery: SunriseI woke up very early one morning and took these pictures from my front window of our beautiful sunrise. I hope you'll like my sunrise, and will vote for "our good morning world"

 

No More Fishy HandsTo remove the odor of raw fish from your hands, squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon into your hands, rub your hands with the juice, and rinse them well.

 

Reducing Cabbage OdorTo keep cabbage odor to a minimum when cooking, put a piece of celery or a wedge of lemon in the kettle. It will soak up the odor.

 

Coffee Grounds for Clearing DrainsCoffee grains are great for compost, but they're also great for clearing drains. So don't throw them away, but flush them down your sink. It's really worked for me. I haven't had a problem with blocked pipes since a friend recommended this tip.

 

Pluto (Newfoundland/Standard Poodle)Pluto is a 2 year old Newfoundland/Standard Poodle. He likes to steal things. He will take things like gloves and whatever else seems of interest, and then sheepishly come to me, and show me what he has done. In this picture, he's showing me the catnip toy he stole from the cat.

 

Star Anise Paper GarlandSix semicircles have been joined together to create a flower-like form or star anise spice garland. I have chosen decorative Japanese papers to make them.

 

Garvan Woodland Gardens (Hot Springs National Park, AR)This scene reminded me of an old painting. There's a beautiful remote wooded area locally called Garvan Woodland Gardens, where there's lots of carefully planted flowers, but also quiet areas like this where nature provided the flowering trees and lovely scenes.

 

Use iGoogle's Sticky Notes For RemindersI have iGoogle as my homepage and one of the options that comes with this program is "sticky notes". Anything I want to remember, I type on the sticky note and whenever I open Internet Explorer, there it is - easy.

 

Yarn Keepers From Recycled Soda BottlesI learned this tip from my mother many years ago. Store your skeins of yarn in 2 liter soda bottles. Cut the bottom off, thread the yarn through the top, and tape the bottle back together. No more tangled yarn!

 

Cookie (Mixed Cat)Cookie is 3 year old mixed breed. We got him at a potato farm where we went to buy organic potatoes. Cookie was only one pound and very skinny and sickly.

 

Use Non-Stick Spray on Egg BeaterTry spraying your egg beater with non-stick cooking spray before you use it to make cookies or cake. There's less clean up and this prevents it from clumping up your batter.

 

Plan Your MenusI have a friend who budgets wisely every month. She has raised 2 children and gone back to school herself with what she saved. She owns her own home and about 4 acres of land.

 

Scenery: Florida FlowersHad to snap this picture, while I was on vacation. I had only had seen snow for months.

 

Tips for Hiding Thinning HairBeing 77 year old, my hair is thinning. I can't afford Joan Rivers Cosmetic Hair Color to fill in the thinning area so I tried using my dry powder eyebrow color on my scalp, just like she does on her TV ad. It did a pretty good job of coverage.

 

Hide Vegetables in SauceMy friend is caring for her aging father-in-law, who has refused to eat most vegetables. I know this is a problem with many kids, too, and I have found a very simple solution.

 

Teaching Your Children About MoneyOne day while I played dress-up, I had decided that I needed to go to the "store", so wearing one of Mom's white tee shirts, a scarf, and my mom's tennis shoes, I grabbed her purse and proceeded to put my play food in a little basket.

 

Keeping Cats Out of the GardenTo keep cats out of the garden, make some small holes in the bottom of an old plastic milk jug. Put some mothballs inside the jug and put lid back on it.Hang it on your garden fence or close to the garden.

 

Sleeper Sofa Repair?Can I buy new supports to hold the slats in place on my sofabed?

 

Kitchen Tile and Paint Color Advice?I have to choose between a beige tile with a little of light gray marbled look, or a brown tile with beige and light brown marbled look for my kitchen. I am looking to paint the walls a terra cotta orangy brown color or a green.

 

Looking for Hair Spray Similar to Joico's Old Formula?Does anyone know if there is a comparable hair spray to Joico's Blast? This formula was a very good product until they changed the formula. It is now no different than any other hair spray's hold! I am looking for a spray that stiffens the hair and keeps the hair in place.

 

Talent Show Themes?I need some themes for talent show. Any ideas? Thank you.

 

How Long Does It Take a Detergent Bottle to Decompose?How can I find out how long it takes a detergent bottle to decompose?

 

Can I Leave Wild Strawberry Plants in Vegetable Garden?I have just raked my veggie garden out so that I can start planting soon. I discovered that under all those leaves and pine needles I have lots of wild strawberries growing. If I leave them and plant my veggies, will they bother the veggies at all?

 

Surprise Birthday Party Ideas?My wonderful sister is turning 30. She is a very simple, frugal person. She did hint at her siblings that she was turning 30, which means, we need to throw a low-key surprise party. She loves flowers and gardening. Any ideas? Please help!

 

Training a Dog Not to Bark?I have a Welsh Corgi mix that barks at everything! When we first got her at 4 months she was very quiet, now she won't stop. It is getting to the point that my husband has told me give her away or take her to the pound. Does any body have any suggestions how to stop it?

 

Rooms Added On to House Seem to Be Detaching?We bought a house a couple of years ago. We are now witnessing the add on sunroom detaching itself from the original part of the home. We noticed it a little with the carpet coming away from the wall, but now the ceiling looks like the nails are coming out of the drywall.

 

Gift Ideas for Mother's Birthday?My mother's birthday is next month. I have about 5 thousand Indian rupees. (My grandmother has a lot of money she can give, how much ever I want.) Money is not a problem.

 

Boosting My Energy Level?Although I eat a healthy diet and exercise most days, I find myself eating hard candies all day, not because I am hungry, but more to give me an energy lift.

 

Homemade Powdered Coffee Creamer?Please help. I would like recipes using dry powered milk to make coffee creamer not the liquid, but the dry coffee creamer. Many thanks.

 

KFC Blueberry Cake Recipe?Can frozen blueberries be used in the huckleberry cake from KFC?

 

Remedy for Split Ends Other Than Trimming?How can I fix split ends except trimming? Please suggest some alternative solutions. Thank you.

 

Planting Seeds After Using Vinegar for Weeds?I was looking for a weed killer that would kill a grass like weed, but it is not grass. I found this homemade recipe:

 

Pruning a Hydrangea?A friend of my husband gave him a start of a hydrangea last year. Do you cut it down and if so when?

 

Unclogging a Bathtub?In my bathroom the face basin and toilet drains properly, but the bathtub does not, it drains outside of my house. I ran a snake in the pipe and that did not help, what can I do?

 

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen and Adjoining Living Room?We are renovating our kitchen. It is a smaller 10 x 10 kitchen. We are adding an island as well. The cabinets we picked out are white, our countertops are going to be a grayish black, and our floors are semi-dark gray wood laminate.

 

Discount Grocery Store in Missoula, MT?I am looking for a store in Missoula, Montana, that sells discount groceries items. I don't mean a dollar store.

 

How Do I Make a Slipcover for a Wingback Rocker?How can you make a slipcover for a chair? I have a overstuffed wingback rocker from my son's nursery I'd like to use in the living room.

 

Pesticide Treatment Left Strong Odor in House?There is a tomcat urine odor in our family room and I can not find the source of it. It didn't start until after the pest control person sprayed our house, inside and outside, for bugs. We have pest control out 2 times a year, but this is the first time it left a urine odor.

 

Remedies for Hyperpigmentation?I have pigmentation on my face and took treatments from many different angles, ex: kaya, apolo skin specialist, etc. I have taken chemical peeling and dermabrasion, too, but the pigmentation comes back. Please suggest how I can get rid of this once and for all.

 

Ink On a Leather Couch?How do I remove ink stains from a leather sofa?

 

Homemade Nail Buffing Cream?Does anyone have a good recipe for homemade nail buffing cream? I'd like to find a simple one that makes nails shiny and stronger. Thanks!

 

Can I Keep SSI and SSA Benefits When Enrolling in College?How can I keep my SSI or SSA benefits after I graduate and go to college? I'm going straight out of high school and I come from a very poor family.

 

Making Homemade Barbeque Sauce?I want to make a homemade barbeque type sauce, but not super sweet. I have ketchup without corn syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic and onion powders, hot sauce, and a few other things that might work. I don't want to waste the ingredients just mixing things.

 

Buying a Sisan Steam Iron in the UK?Anyone know where I can get a Sisan steam iron in the UK?

 

How Do I Roast Pistachios?I accidentally bought raw pistachios thinking they were just roasted and shelled. They're expensive, so I need to know how to roast them. I have sea salt. Do I just stick them in the oven or could I do it in a skillet?

 

Making Infant Dresses?I want to know more about cutting methods of infant dresses.