January 19, 2016

Great Beef StewMy secret to my powerful flavored Beef Stew has a name, "Oscar Jr". Do any of you remember owning a small appliance called the "Oscar Jr"? I have no idea how old it is. It sits on my counter right beside my stove and gets more use than any appliance in my home. I usually refer to this as my chopper, but when it comes to a beef stew, it's all up to "Oscar."

 

Mennonite Baked CornAn easy way to enjoy home-cooked corn.

 

Fabric Tape Mat for Paintings or PhotosI had a painting I wanted to enter in a local contest, but no frame that actually fit it correctly. After checking multiple stores for the right size mat and finding that I would need to have one custom ($$Cha-Ching) made for that size, I decided to improvise. Check it out!

 

Beaded Necklace Using Clothespin SpringsIf you are using wooden pegs/clothespins in your craft projects, don't throw the springs away because with beads threaded on them they can be used for jewelry making.

 

Tinkerbell (Yorkshire Terrier)We got her right after her 2nd birthday. Her owner, Debra, was a breeder with over 20 dogs. She also worked with my husband. Debra found out she had brain cancer when Tinkerbell was one yr. old. Tinkerbell had become her own personal pet. She was so scared of everyone that Debra never could sell her.

 

What Breed Is My Dog?I adopted him and his papers say that he's a Lab/terrier mix, but it doesn't say what kind of terrier. He's not very big and his tail has a bit of a curve to it. He doesn't like taking pictures so this is the best I could get.

 

Jacket Lining Stained Nylon Shell?I have this beautiful Nautica nylon spring jacket my 5 year old used to wear. I washed it in detergent powder in a bucket of water (fortunately) and the next thing I see it has blue stains from the blue interior lining.

 

Can't Lower Sewing Machine Needle?I have a Singer Featherweight II. A needle broke and I think it was inside the machine. I turned the machine over and shook; I think it fell out. I took the cover off the machine "head" and played around, then put a needle back in. The shaft that the needle fits on had gotten raised and I can't lower it.

 

What Breed Is My Dog?What breed combination is my dog? Taz is the white and brown one.

 

Replacement Cord for 3 Tier Switch Electric Blanket?I've had the heating blanket since 2012 and have rarely used it. It has been very cold and I decided to use the 3 tier heating control blanket. One of the cords has not shown red for power on. I tried putting in a new fuse, but nothing. I can't find a replacement cord.

 

Steam Iron Does Not Emit Steam?My steam iron heats well, however it does not emit steam. I added new clean water.

 

What Breed Is My Dog?Louie is around 5 months and 25 pounds. I got him off craigslist from a very nice lady who got his puppy shots. She asked the vet what breed he was and the vet guessed Jagdterrier. But he's already getting too big to be a Jagdterrier.

 

House Trained Dog Peeing and Pooping Inside?Why does our 9 year old Chihuahua pee and poop inside the home? It does not matter what time of the year. He does not indicate to us if he needs to go out, and when we take him out he will pee, but not poop, and then poop and pee inside. He even sneaks away to pee or poop!

 

Light Spots on Hibiscus Leaves?Both of these plants hibiscus grew beautiful flowers, but now seem to have some disease both on leaves and stem. Their location was changed to another part of the house, then they were brought to the original location, which has more sunlight and where they bloomed many a time, this happened.

 

Puppy Going in Crate?My daughter's Boston is 10 months old and crate trained. He has done really well for months. This past week he has both urinated and defecated in the crate every day while she is gone at work. They have had a change in routine at home and it started right after her husband started working days.

 

Two Year Old Dog Whining and Peeing Inside?My 2 year old dog has just started whinning and uncontrollably weeing in the house. He's house trained and knows he's done wrong and goes to his bed straight away. His whinning is constant at the moment. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. Could it have to do with my mum's dog that is in heat?

 

Growing Cucumbers in Hanging Milk Jugs?I am conducting an experiment this growing season to determine if cucumbers can be grown in recycled milk jugs converted into hanging planters. I intend to hang the jugs on a wooden fence and allow the cucumbers to run over the side and hang down over a garden plot.

 

Kitchen and Living Room Color Scheme...We have recently did the acid stain wash on our concrete floor and the color is reddish, our blinds are brown, and we have an olive color paint on our walls. The kitchen cabinets are brown along with our living room furniture. So what could I use to accent these colors.

 

Troubleshooting a Truck Heater?My 2014 Dodge 1500 heater and thermostat are crazy. Why does the temperature gauge stay on cold after the temp outside is below -19, but after running the truck for 20 minutes and shutting it off the heater and gauge work properly. It has gone to the dealership several times and they can't figure it out.