How to get rid of yellow toenails

I love to paint my toenails.  I have since I was young.  I have had polish on my toenails for the last twenty years.  My favorite color for my tootsies is red.  There is one drawback to red toes and that is the yellow color the polish leaves behind.  I have found a neat way to get rid of it.  Soak you feet in a basin of warm water and two to three denture tabs for about five minutes.  Then scrub with a nail brush or a tooth brush.  The yellow should be gone.

The most amazing peanut butter cups ever

When I was in second grade I, along with most of the kids in my grade school, got the chicken pox.  My mom made these for my sister and I to help ease the misery.  I have made these dozens of times since then.  Everyone says that are even better then  Reese's pb cups.

For the chocolate:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

6 pieces of chocolate flavored almond bark

For the filling:
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

First mix the filling together and roll into balls (12 or 24 depending*).  They should be soft but hold their shape.
Set them aside and melt the almond bark and peanut butter together according to the directions on the back of the package.  I prefer the microwave method. It is extremely important to do it as directed and not try to rush the process.  You will burn the almond bark and it will taste nasty (personal experience)

Once melted place a small amount of the chocolate mixture into a baking cup (like for cupcakes).  Take one of the balls and smash it a little so it is more like a hamburger patty than a ball.  Place the patty in the same cup as the chocolate then cover with more of the chocolate mixture.  Repeat until all the cups are full.  Place in the freezer for about five minutes to set hard.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

*This recipe will make either 12 full size baking cups or 24 of the small baking cups.  I prefer the small ones because these are rich.

It's the pits

There are some stains that just that are the pits.  Armpits that is.  That nasty yellow stain on tee shirts and under shirts.  I have finally found something that works.  It is super simple.  Make a mixture of one part dawn dish detergent (the plain blue kind) to two parts hydrogen peroxide. It works on all kinds of stains. You can use this as a spot remover for small stains or make a larger batch and submerge the garment in the solution. 





This awesome stain remover was found here: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2008/10/style-secret-the-only-spot-rem.html

V is for Vick's

I used to take care of a patient that ate Vick's when he had a chest cold.   Yes he ate it.  I don't recommend this but I do have a couple of  uses for Vick's beside as a chest rub.

*For night time coughs apply Vick's to your feet and put on a thick pair of socks before bedtime.  This relieves the coughing.

*Vick's can also alleviate headaches.  Dab some Vick's behind your ears.  I know it sounds kooky but it really works.

Window Clings

We decorate the windows in our office with window clings for every holiday and season possible.  Sometimes we can't find just what we are looking for so I went on the hunt to see how to make my own.  I found a method that works really well.  You take either parchment paper or those clear page protectors found in office supplies.  Take an image you want to make a cling.  Paper clip the paper with the image to the parchment or page protector.  Kind of like when you would trace stuff when you were little.  Then take Puffy Paint and "color" in the image.  Allow to dry on the parchment or page protector for 6-8 hours.  They have to be completely dry.  Carefully peel from the parchment or protector.  Then stick onto the window.  These don't stick really well to cold windows.

Sap removal

We have always had a real Christmas tree.  I love the smell and the look of a real tree.  I do not care for the sticky fingers you get from the sap.  To remove it use olive oil.  Put a small amount of olive oil in your hands and rub them together like you are washing the.  The oil should remove the sap.  As an added bonus the oil acts as a lotion and leaves your hands soft.

Non skid socks

This one I can take no credit for but I love it.  You know those ugly socks they give you in the hospital to wear so you don't slip on the floor.  If you don't know of these socks trust me they are UGLY.  The hospital I work at currently offer these fashionable accessories in light blue and bright yellow. Now you can make your own for home. This comes from the Happy Lil Homemaker.  To make your own follow this link                                                                                                                      http://www.thehappylilhomemaker.com/2010/11/non-skid-socks.html  

Natural way to unclog drains

We have a drain in our bathroom that gives me fits from time to time.  It starts draining slowly and progressively gets worse.  The solution is the same concoction used in science projects to make volcanoes.  Baking soda and vinegar.  I love that combo.  Ok so what you do is take a funnel and pour about 3/4 cup of baking soda.*  Follow that up with a cup of vinegar and watch the bubbling start.  Wait about thirty minutes then run warm water through to clear out the drain. 


* I eyeball the baking soda so this is an estimation.

Shoo fly don't bother me

This one comes from my dad. My mom and dad had a lot of cookouts at their house.  I thought he had lost it the first time I saw him putting plastic storage bags filled with tap water on the food table in the garage as well as hanging them from the doorway. "What are you doing???"  "They keep the flies away" he said.  This method has it doubters but it has always worked for us.  So if you stop by for a cookout and see bags of water think nothing of it.  He is just keeping the food safe from those pesky flies.

Peroxide to combat stains

OK this one has a bit of a back story so bear with me please.  I was in nursing school and had to wear an all white uniform. Long story short I had a dressing change go bad (arterial spray was involved).  Let's just say my white uniform had blood stains it.  Horrified I went to the charge nurse about ready to cry.  She promptly grabbed the bottle of peroxide and some 4x4 gauze and started scrubbing.  It all came out!!  Now it works best if you do it  before it dries and the stain sets.  If it has set in them it needs to soak for an hour or so then wash as normal.  Peroxide is another fabulous mutlipurpose cleaner.  More uses to come :)

Sugar lips

Winter time is hard on your skin.  Your lips are not immune.  They get dry and crack.  There is an easy fix.   Make a paste of sugar and petroleum jelly and gently brush on dry, peeling lips with a toothbrush until they are smooth. 

Dirty Dishwashers Beware

 Would you eat off the inside of your dishwasher?  I am going to guess the answer is no.  Then why would you eat off plates that were washed in a dirty dishwasher.  There are commercial products to clean your dishwasher.  These  cleaner sells for around four dollars a bottle.  Now to be fair I don't know how many uses you get per bottle but I bet the cleaner I have found is cheaper.  I use lemonade.  Yep powdered no sugar added lemonade.  The citric acid busts up scum and grime.  You take two of the single lemonade packets (think Kool Aid but any brand will work*) and place them in the soap dispenser in your empty dishwasher.  Run a regular cycle.  Your dishwasher will be sparkling clean and smell much better.

*It has to be lemonade.  Other powdered drink flavors will not work.  Also it needs to be the kind you sweeten when you make it, not the kind that is pre-sweetened

Stinky laundry

 It always sounds like a good idea.  You start a load of laundry as you are getting ready for work with every intention of throwing it in the dryer before you head out the door.  Of course you forget all about it until sometime later that day.  When you get home you open the lid to the washer and there it is... the wet laundry with the sour smell.  To fix this add one cup of white distilled vinegar to the laundry and run a rinse cycle.  The sour smell will be gone and there is no vinegar smell left behind.

I  make my own laundry soap and one of the perks is that wet laundry doesn't seem to sour as easily.  For the recipe follow the link below.    

http://makeitandsave.blogspot.com/2011/10/liquid-laundry-soap.html

Uses for Vinegar take one

Vinegar has over a hundred of uses.  I love the stuff.  Here are a few uses for it while cooking:

~Add a few drops into the water while you are boiling eggs.  I keeps them from cracking

~If a recipe calls for butter milk you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let stand for    five minutes

~Use vinegar in an overnight marinade to tenderize tough cuts of meat.

Bon Appetite !

Pretty Pictures

Has your little one ever drawn a picture for you on your wall?  Walls must call out to toddlers “Look at me all nice and mark free.  Now go get your crayons and draw Mommy a picture” There is an inexpensive way to clean it.  You put some toothpaste on a damp cloth, rub the stain, and then rinse with a clean wet cloth.  Make sure you use the plain old white non-gel toothpaste.  Nothing fancy like whitening toothpaste.  Use the cheap stuff like the original Colgate

Sock it to me

For minor aches and pains a heating pad can bring relief.  You can make your own microwaveable heating pad.  You take a clean sock and fill it with either dry corn or dry rice.    You can sew it closed if you are so inclined.   For those of us who don’t sew you simply secure the other end with a rubber band and/or ribbon.  Microwave for one minute followed by thirty second intervals until you reach a desired temperature.   The sock will conform to where the ache is.  This works really well for neck pain.   

Baby wipes

Ingredients:
1 c water
1 tbsp baby wash
1 tbsp baby oil
1/2 of a roll of paper towels you have cut in half with a sharp knife


To make the wipes:

1. Mix all the liquid ingredients together.

2. Put paper towels in a large mixing bowl and pour the mixed liquid over the top of the paper towels.

3. Let the mixture soak through for approximately 10 minutes.

4. Turn paper towels upside down and allow to sit for another 10 minutes.

5. Pull out the center cardboard core and the wipes will pop up through the middle of the roll.

6. Store your homemade wipes in a gallon-size plastic bag, storage container with a lid or re-use an old disposable wipes container.

Plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is...

Company should be here any minute and the toilet could use a cleaning.  No toilet cleaner... No problem.  You can drop a couple of Alka-Seltzer tabs into the toilet.  Let them set in there for about twenty minutes then clean as you normally would.   Denture cleaning tabs will work for this also.  I have seen both of these products at the dollar stores.

Cruddy coffee maker

Coffee is a must in the morning.  For the best tasting coffee you should clean your coffee maker monthly.  It is fairly easy to do.  You fill your coffee reservoir with 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water.  Run the mixture through the maker like you were making coffee.  When it is finished dump it out and run a full reservoir of water to rinse out any residue.

Now for burnt coffee.  Is that not one of the stinkiest smells ever.  If you have discovered burnt coffee in your pot first turn it off and let it cool completely.  After cooled add 1/2 cup ice* and 2 tsp salt.  Swirl the ice and salt mixture around for about a minute.  Discard the ice in the sink and follow the steps above clean the maker and the pot. 

*smaller ice works best but crushed ice will not work

Recipe to recipe: Tacos to soup

One easy way to save money is to take supper from last night and make into supper tonight.  One of my favorites is to use leftover taco meat to make Santa Fe soup.  Our hamburger comes in 1.5 lb packages so we always have leftover meat. 

*Santa Fe soup:
Leftover taco meat
1lb Velveeta (half of the log) cubed
1 can kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 package Knorr taco rice
1 can Rotel
3-4 cups of water depending how thick you want it.
Serve with corn chips

Combine all ingredient and cook on low for 4-6 hours in a slow cooker.  This will thicken the longer you cook it.  My husband likes it really thick like a dip.  It can be cooked on the stove but you must watch it or it will burn on the bottom

*I generally cook on the fly.  I don't use exact measurements so the amount of water is my best guess.  You can adjust the water and cheese to taste.

Paw print removal

                                                                            

We have an all glass front door.  My two year old can't keep his hands off it ...literally.  His finger prints are all over the inside and outside.  He calls them his paw prints.  I have heard about using vinegar to clean windows before but had never tried it.  I won't post something I haven't tried myself.  This afternoon we got home from shopping for groceries and I began to clean.  I went to the laundry room to get the window cleaner.  None there.  I don't remember using the last of it.  I am pretty sure my husband "borrowed" it and forgot to bring it back in from the garage.  I decided to give the vinegar a try.  To my surprise it worked very well.  I was worried it would leave a pickle smell behind but it didn't.  Here is what I did:

Take a spray bottle (I used on like you use to wet down your hair) and fill it 4 parts water to 1 part white vinegar.  No more paw prints.

The secret to soft skin......

Drumroll please............................ Crisco!  I know the first reaction is usually "gross".  At least that is what I thought when my son's doctor told me I could use it on his ezcema flares.  But you know what it works and it is cheap especially if you buy a store brand vegetable shortening.  Ok so here is how you use it:

~For ezcema you apply the shortening to the flare then wrap in cling wrap overnight.  The cling wrap keeps it in contact with the skin.

~For dry cracked heals apply the shortening to your feet.  Put on an old pair of socks overnight.  Repeat as needed.

~For your face  yes I said your face.  Wash your face and apply a thin layer before bedtime. It keeps your skin well hydated and firmer looking. You don't look greasy when you wake up either. If your skin is prone to blemishes then I would not use it on your face. 

~For everywhere else.  You can use vegetable shortening as you would any other moisturizer after a shower.

As Loretta Lynn says "Crisco will do ya proud everytime"

Three sheets to the wind

The last post was about using dryer sheets to pick up hair.  Well that is not all they can do!!   You can:

~ Place dryers sheets in stinky shoes overnight to get rid of the smell.  I use these in my dress shoes.  I am sure it would also work in sneakers.

~Remove stickers from the inside of the dryer drum.  My boys leave stickers on their shirts all the time.  Sometimes one get past me.  I have read this works for gum on the inside of a dryer also but my boys don't chew gum so I haven't tried that one.

~A used dryer sheet can be used to remove deodorant marks from clothing.  If you don't have any used around don't use one right out of the box.  I did this once.  It made a bigger mess than I already had.

There you have it.  Three more uses for dryer sheets.

A hairy situation

I cut my husband's hair last night.  Afterwards he took a shower.  A little while later I went into the bathroom and it looked like a hair bomb went off.  What to do what to do??  I took a dryer sheet and attached it to a swiffer.  The sheet picked up all the hair.  I use one everytime I clean the bathroom.  When you are finished sweeping the floor toss it in bathroom trash.  It helps keep your bathroom smelling nice.  I don't have indoor pets but I bet they would also pick up pet hair.  Who would have thought that dryer sheets would be the answer to a hairy situation.

Bat those eye lashes

Have you ever heard that mascara was made from Guano?  You know bat poo.  Well it is not true but stop and think about this.  Do you know what is in your mascara?  You can use aloe on your lashes.  I put a little on an eyebrow brush and apply to my lashes.  Make sure to avoid getting it in your eyes.  I then use the comb side of the brush to seperate the lashes.  This works just as well if not better than clear mascara.  The aloe conditions the lashes and when it dries it sets them like hairspray would. 

Wendy the good little witch and her friend Hazel

  I thought with it being Halloween I would share with you uses for witch hazel.  I recently bought a 16 oz bottle at Wal-Mart for under $2.00.  First let me start by saying I have seen many uses on various websites that include ingesting witch hazel for a multitude of symptoms.  I do not recommend this.  The FDA does not regulate any kind of supplement that is sold over the counter.  That being said I have used it topically for many things. 

Witch hazel can be used as an astringent to help clear up/prevent acne.  It can be applied to the skin to ease the pain of a sunburn.  You can apply it to a bruise three times a day to make it fade quicker.  Dab a little under you eyes, avoiding
                                   direct contact with your eyes, to shrink the bags under your eyes.  You may have
                                   heard of using hemorrhoid cream to shrink those bags.  Witch hazel is one of the
                                   active ingredients in those creams.





 

Oatmeal.... it is not just for breakfast

My son has ezcema and at times gets some pretty nasty flares.  We have splent plenty on lotions and ointments, one cost $100 for a tiny tube!!  Something that I have found helps is oatmeal bathes.  You put a cup of plain oatmeal, not the instant kind, in a food processor or blender and process into a fine powder.  Add the oatmeal to a warm but not hot bath.  If you have flares on your face you can cook the plain oatmeal as directed and let cool.  Once cool apply to your face, leave on for 15 minutes then wash off. 

feelin the burn

Ever since I got pregnant with my second son I have had a problem with heartburn.  I am not talking about a little discomfort.  I mean wake you up out of a deep sleep, throat on fire heartburn.  I was going through a bottle of antacids every couple of weeks.  I only used a particular kind and flavor that cost around $4 a bottle.  I thought it was well worth the price.  One night it was a wake up on fire night.  I went to the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet and confronted my worst nightmare.  I was out of antacid.  I was in a panic.  What was I going to do?  Then I remembered my uncle Doug telling me that he eats baking soda when he had heartburn.  Hmmm  was it worth a try?  At this point I was willing to try anything.  I could not make myself eat baking soda but I was willing to drink some dissolved in water.  I took a spoonful of baking soda and disolved it in a small amount of warm water.  I held my nose and chugged it down.  I stood there for a couple of seconds and proceeded to  have the biggest burb in my life.  Relief was instantaneous.  No more antacids in this house.  Instead of paying $4 for a bottle of antacid I pay under a dollar for a box of baking soda.  I will warn you it does not taste the greatest but it is totally worth it!

Noodle use your noodle

When my oldest was little he loved a show called PB&J Otter.  They were brother and sister otters that would figure out problematic situations by doing their noodle dance.  The dance song started with the line noodle use your noodle.  One night I came home with the full intention of making beef and noodles from leftover roast.  I opened my freezer and started digging for my favorite brand of frozen noodles.  None in sight.  Great now what was I going to do.  I got out my cook books and started looking.  I came across an egg noodle recipe that seemed simple enough.  They turned out wonderful!!  I was paying around 3.50 a bag for my favorite frozen noodles.  This recipe makes the same amount and costs 75 cents. 

2 cups flour
2 large eggs
2 tbsp of oil*
2 tbsp of water
2 tbsp of milk
1/2 tsp of salt.

Beat the eggs.  Add in the oil, water, salt, and flour.  Mix well with a fork to form dough.  Roll thin on a well floured surface.  Cut into then strips with a pizza cutter.  Drop into boiling broth.  Cook for 20-25 minutes.

This works well for beef and noodles or chicken and noodles.
*I used olive oil once and it gave the noodles a different taste.  We didn't like it so I stick to canola oil. 

Balms away

It is that time of year again when the heaters come on, the air dries out, and the cold winds blow.  It is chapped lips season.  Have you ever flipped over your lip balm and read the ingredients.  I feel like I am back in high school chemistry class (shout out to Mr. Reeves).  I recently looked at the ingredients in a tube of Nivea Kiss of Smoothness lip balm.  It had over twenty ingredients.  I could pronounce two, water and lanolin.  By the way did you that lanolin comes from secretions of the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing mammals.  In plain english.... sheep sweat.  Yummy huh.  I went searching for a truly natural non-animal sweat containing lip balm.  I found many.  Most of them had ingredients that I would have to go to a specialty store to buy.  No savings there.  I finally came across some recipes using vegetable shortening as the base.  I have that in the pantry so away I went.  This is the one I came up with. 

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/8 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 squirt natural honey not the cheap honey flavored corn syrup.
1 empty clean small container.  I actually use an old prescription bottle.  Anything you can come up with is fine as long as it is cleaned and dried before you put the balm in.

In a microwave safe bowl melt the vegetable shortening.  Add the oil, vanilla, and honey.  Mix well.  Put into the cleaned container to cool and set back up.  You can use any extract you like to flavor it.  If you would like it colored use food coloring. 

*  I use this as a preventitive balm.  I am not sure how well this would work healing severely chapped lips. 

Biore be gone

I can remember standing in the bathroom with my sister counting  1.....2.....3.  We would pull off the dried Biore strips.  We would then hold them up towards the light to see what we had just pulled out of our pores.  "Eww gross look at that! "  Now a days I don't spend money on black head removal.  It is fairly easy to do it at home.  You will need:

School glue and time.

Apply a thick layer of school glue to the affected area*.  Let it dry completely.  This is a very important step or it won't work.  After it is dried slowly remove.  Hold up to the light and say "Eww gross look at that!" 
That last step is optional :)

*I have used this on my nose only but I am sure it would work on any area.

Liquid Laundry Soap

This is where it all started.  My first home made savings.


4c hot water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax


Grate the bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5 gal bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soap, and borax. Stir well until all the powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit over night to thicken. Stir and fill a used, clean laundry soap bottlle half full with soap then the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use. Use 5/8 cup for top loaders and 1/4 for front loaders.

This is Michelle Duggar's recipe from her site http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value

I love this stuff!!