Household Tips

This is from awtr.blogspot.com/2011/12/household-6s-12-tips-for-christmas.html

1. Keep your organization right by your side! Check out some of the many smart phone applications that can help you to keep things straight. One of my favorite apps is Grocery Guru- it’s lets me keep my grocery list and pantry inventory with me all the time. If I’m home and need my husband to pick a couple things up, I can email straight from the application to my husband. There are apps for grocery shopping, recipes, tracking gifts, and keeping tabs on your budget.

2. Make a list and check it twice! Make a list of people you plan to gift. Note their favorites (color, sweaters, funky socks, etc) and sizes. Decide what you will gift and go get it. Then, just check it off. This method will work for those of you who shop all year long and store gifts and for those of you who shop during the season. However you choose to organize yourself it will certainly help from gift giving to party planning.

3. If party planning is on your list, go potluck! Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your friends and family. Have the host provide a main dish (turkey, ham, maybe lasagna?) and invite each guest to bring their favorite holiday side dish! You get some variety, learn something about each guest and spend less time out of the room.

4. To spend less time and money on hostess gifts, choose a small, pretty craft that you can make in large batches. One of my favorites this year is sugar scrubs. I found several sugar scrub recipes that have similar ingredients and spent an afternoon mixing and packing them into jelly jars. With a little ribbon and pretty label printed off my computer, I have a stack of gifts that will encourage the recipient to take the time to care of herself! That’s my kind of thank you.

5. If you are shopping in the last few days before Christmas, go with a plan. Know what store you are going to and what item you are looking for. These busy shopping times make it very difficult to browse! To avoid dealing with parking, have a friend or spouse drop you off and pick you up while they’re running another errand and then return the favor!

6. Use for freezer! Find recipes that can be made a month before so you won't have to worry about meal planning and preparation on those busy weeknights leading up to the holidays. Do the same for your holiday meals. Many rolls can be made up to a week before the meal and frozen. Mashed potatoes, and some casseroles can be made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight. Choose a dessert that can be made a day or two before the big day so you don’t spend Christmas morning listening to your family playing in another room!

7. Remember, when filling out your calendar with parties, shopping and goodwill to make sure you schedule time for fun. Go see the Nutcracker, community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony or sit with the family looking at family photos while sipping hot chocolate and eating Christmas cookies. There’s no need to over commit! Nothing takes the fun out of the holidays faster than over committing.

8. Find fabulous ideas for making Christmas special! One of my favorite finds this year to tape streamers to the kid’s bedroom door after they go to sleep so on Christmas morning they get to break through the streamers like it’s Monday night football! My two year old might just bounce off this year, but I’m keeping it in mind for when he’s bigger!

9. Plan ahead for your cherished family traditions. Gather whatever supplies you will need to help keep the tradition enjoyable.

10. Plan ahead with gifts. A friend of mine has cabinet that I call the gift closet. What my friend does is buy gifts throughout the year and then stores them in this cabinet. This way she has emergency gifts on hand for any occasion and she can keep Christmas presents hidden. Some ideas are to keep on hand are scented candles, bud vases, card games, specialty teas and coffees and those homemade salt or sugar scrubs.

11. As Christmas winds down and you’re packing things away, take the time to inventory your decorations. Are the lights burning out? Ornaments broken? A stocking have a hole? By inventorying your supplies while you are handling them, you’ll be a step ahead next year and able to hit up the after Christmas sales.

12. Storage! I recently found at fabulous blog Design a la Mod for storing Christmas ornaments without buying expensive specially designed containers. So our number ten tip is using plastic cups and a piece of cardboard, any plastic tub becomes a perfect home for ornaments the rest of the year.

Have a Merry Christmas, all!

Feeding baby can get very messy.

 

Removing stains and spots is always tricky in any household. Add to that grubby children and babies spilling food all over them and you have trouble!

Cleaning with kids: how to clean your house with the kids about

Do you sometimes wonder why you bother cleaning your house with littlies around?

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Unfortunately, clothes washing is not as easy as simply gathering all your dirty washing and throwing it into your washing machine. If this is your idea of laundering then let me tell you it is a sure fire recipe for disaster. Read on ....

Ah Yes!

These quick housecleaning tips are what I need.

You see the house is a mess...again. Why do I even bother attempting the impossible? I'll tell you why I do it.

For one thing, I don't like living in a mess.

Another reason - people tend to show up unexpectedly.

 

That last reason alone is enough to get me to make sure that the path to the bathroom is cleared of rubble. Also that the bathroom itself is clean with smells of pine.

If your house is a mess...

Again...

Here are ten(10) quick housecleaning tips to help you out.

Read on . . .

Vacuum Sealed. The easiest way to open a vacuum sealed jar is to gently tap the top on its edge  on any hard surface ( work top. ) Hey presto jar will open easy peasy, this works every time. -- lucy brown

Awkward Bottles. A tip for all those girls out there who occasionally lack the oomph to open screw-top water/juice bottles but are too proud to ask nearby guys for help... If you are at home, a rubber glove or bottle gripper will give you the power you need to get into the stickier ones. However, these are usually in short supply at work in the office, so carefully wind a rubber band snugly around the lid and try again... Magic! Clare -- Cheeky Pixie

 

'I don't suffer from insanity... I enjoy every minute of it!'

Getting a Glass Lid (top) from a Glass Jar. We had trouble getting the glass lid (top) from a glass jar. Temperature differential did not help nor did rubber bands and rubber gloves. With eye protection and gloves, one of us held the jar whilst the other levered the lid using vice-grip pliers. The knob was protected with thick rubber bands and a rubber rest was on the edge of the jar lever point. It took a little time and patience but we were successful with not one but two jars. -- Dr John BROWNBILL.

Markings on Food Bags: For markings on foodstuff and on freezer bags you could use an old lipstick to write the name of the foodstuff in the box or plastic bag.Lipstick is edible stuff so safe. -- Pushpa Kishore Mehta

Zip Top Freezer Bags... I Have difficulty getting them open? Take scissors and snip a fair sized "V" in one side of the top strip (don't cut into the 'sealer') and you will find it easy to gain access without the frustration. Also if you find it difficult to fill small freezer bags you might try putting them inside a measuring cup, folding a small flap down over the edges of the cup. Then it's easy to fill with foodstuffs and prevent the bag collapsing and the resultant spills. Same holds true for larger bags if you find a suitable sized bowl or can to place the bags in. -- "Shelly"

Bleach Smell: To remove bleach smell from hands (and that slimy feeling) pour a little vinegar or lemon juice over your hands then rinse. (bleach is alkaline, vinegar and lemon are acid, so they cancel each other out and balance the pH of your skin.) -- Candace Downing

Fragrance: My hint is that to make a room smell nice spray a fragrance you like onto a light bulb and when you turn on the light bulb it will let of the smell with the heat. -- h. fitch  22 Mar 2004 - Caution - Only do this when the bulb is cold - Ed

Butter Dish. To keep butter from sliding around on the butter dish, heat the dish with hot tap water, dry off and then put the butter stick on the dish and then into the refrigerator. It will melt just a little of the butter which will freeze when put in the fridge. Doesn't slide around when you are getting butter. -- Ron S  

Keep your socks together in the wash and dry process. Get some safety pins and keep them by the washing machine for your socks .Pin the toes of the socks together so you save time matching them up after the laundry process. -- Tammy Dixon  Kingston Springs, Tn

Recycle Grocery Bags I have recently fixed a pair of 3M Commander hooks - the kind that come off any surface just by pulling the tab - onto the sides of my kitchen garbage bin - the kind that fixes onto the inside of a cupboard door. I put the Commander hooks, one on each side a few inches below the rim and upside down. Instead of buying expensive garbage bags I can now hang a pair of plastic grocery bags from the hooks and tuck the edges neatly round the top of the bin. You know how these bags have an annoying habit of gradually sinking into the bin as they fill up - well, with the hooks they can't do that and when the bin needs emptying, I can just unhook the bag and tie the handles ready to toss down the garbage chute. It's also a great way to use up grocery bags instead of throwing them away. (Ingenious hint - Ed) Hope you think this is worth passing on via your interesting web site. From: "Meg Gagie"

 

Save on Cleaning Materials. The best thing for cleaning anything around the house is very hot water with a squirt of good quality washing up liquid, and a window cloth (the best one is a reasonably priced Vileda window cloth found in Wilkinsons ). I like the water as hot as possible therefore I use rubber gloves, and ring out the cloth as much as possible. I use this for cleaning windows (in and out), mirrors, tiles, marble furniture, even the bedroom furniture, dusting around the house, car windows, anything that you might use cleaning products or polishes. Guaranteed not to leave smears. I haven't bought any cleaning products or polishes for about 8 years. -- "A M"

This is for anyone that has a problem with pet stains and odors - even skunk. "Nature's Miracle" is fantastic!! It can be bought at Pet Smart. It is to be used full strength. It's rather expensive, but it does the trick. We have a dog and has been great for the occasional accident so don't know how well it would work on cat pee. But, it did work on removing the skunk odor from our deck and shrubs that got sprayed one night. It's really terrific stuff!! --  Mary Frankenfield

When we had our first baby we were living in a one bedroom flat. Patrick didn't have a nursery, he had a 'corner'. These clever parents created a nursery in a cupboard. Yes, a cupboard. As mother Jordan Ferney notes, Harry Potter also lived in a closet and he grew up to be a fine young man. Read More»

                    Charming Bedroom Makeover Add Color to Laundry Room Bath Redos Under $2,000

   

Fresh Ideas for Spring Decorating   We're itching for spring, and we know you are too! So here's a little dose of inspiration to bring a touch of this fresh season into your home. From pretty flower arrangements to bright colors, add a splash of spring into your home this month!   •   Inspired Spring Decor   •   20 Ways to Refresh with Color   •   Fresh Spring Living Room   •   Spring-Inspired Paint Projects  

                   

Easy Spring Centerpieces Decorating in Yellow 10 Flower-Arranging Tips             Arrange-a-Room          

Design the room of your dreams with a click of your mouse! With our FREE tool you can customize the size and shape of your room as well as add furnishings.

I don't know about you, but I look at these and I don't see the whoile pictures they present, but bits out of the pictures that I can use for myself. I hope you have as much fun browsing as I am! It comes from here: www.bhg.com/

Built-In Banquette Ideas Banquettes are literally the benchmark of kitchen furniture. See how these homeowners created storage, style, and space by building bench seating into their breakfast nook.
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  Semicircular Banquette

Banquettes offer a casual, at-the-table alternative to dining in the kitchen. This wide, semicircular built-in is perfect for large family meals, or for enjoying your morning coffee and paper with your feet up. To balance the generous seating, proportions are kept low and lean. In lieu of a high back, comfy pillows adorn the bench, maximizing light and views while keeping the nook feeling open.

Easy Tabletop Container Gardens Liven up your outdoor living space with colorful container gardens. These creative ideas show you how.

Denny Schrock

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  Classic Simplicity

What could be easier than decorating a table with a mound of colorful geraniums? Bright red blooms in an aged clay container coordinate beautifully with this classic tiled tabletop and sculpted concrete base.

Build a stone-look trough garden.

Design anything from a container garden to your entire yard with just the click of a mouse! Start designing now!

Fast Fabric Facelifts Check out these ideas -- each using a yard of fabric or less -- and get started with your own decorating redos.
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  Patchwork Headboard

Use scraps of coordinating fabrics to create a modern patchwork-effect headboard. To make the headboard, cut 8-inch squares from stiff florist's foam and 1/4-inch plywood. Cut 8-inch squares from quilt batting and place over foam squares. Glue all layers with Styroglue. Cut fabric into squares large enough to wrap the foam squares with at least a 1/2 -inch overlap on the back. Staple fabric to the back with a staple gun. Cut a piece of 1/4-inch plywood a few inches wider than your mattress on both sides. Line up the squares facedown in your desired pattern and attach them to each other with heavy-duty tape. Top them with the plywood, and drill wood screws at 8-inch intervals to secure all the layers. Attach ring hooks to the back of the plywood to hang the headboard on the wall.