Cleaning Shortcuts for the Kitchen

 

With the holidays coming around, keeping the house clean has taken top priority here. We have guests drop in from time to time all year long, but the most stop by at Christmas time. And with a toddler running around messing up things as fast as I clean them, I have to clean two things at once sometimes just to stay ahead. So, I am sharing today a few of my favorite cleaning shortcuts. Well, I am not sure shortcut is the proper word, more like multi-task cleaning.

We have a glass top stove and I have done my best to keep it looking like new. When we purchased the stove it came with this little sample bottle of cleaner. And at the time….it was $6 to get another bottle of it. Then I was introduced to Soft Scrub at half the cost. It has been my stove’s best friend since.

 

 

Everyone has their choice of cleaner for glass/cook top stoves and here is my reason I use Soft Scrub: I clean my kitchen sink at the same time as my stove. With Soft Scrub, you have to rinse your sponge a couple times to get the cleaner and the grime off the stove. So, I figure while I have the sponge full of the cleaner, might as well scrub the sink I am rinsing it in too!

And now I not only have a clean stove, but a clean sink too. No need to drag out separate chemicals or make it two separate tasks. Two things clean; one check mark!

 

I also apply the same logic to the microwave and our coffee maker. I use the same cleaners for both: vinegar and dish soap. Now, I don’t put dish soap through the coffee maker, but I do use the soap to clean the carafe and the filter basket. After I pour my mixture of vinegar and water through the maker, I take the hot vinegar-water over to the microwave and let it steam clean the debris inside. Once the vinegar-water has cooled enough for me to handle, I bring out the carafe and add a bit of dish soap and finish scrubbing out the microwave. Then I wash the carafe and basket with the remaining soapy-vinegar water. The microwave plate gets a good scrubbing with it too. Then I run plain water back through the coffee maker and once that cools a bit, I give the microwave a rinse with the new water. There may be some vinegar traces in the water, but I am ok with using it to wipe off the soapy solution from the walls of the microwave.

 

Well, there you have it….two of my favorite kitchen cleaning multi-tasks, or “short-cuts.” Check out my previous cleaning posts for more tips and short-cuts.

 

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/08/rotating-tasks.html

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-rhythm-to-cleaning.html

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-guest-phenomenon.html

Do you have a favorite cleaning short-cut?

 

Happy Cleaning Y’all!

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Owl Bowling Game

I embraced the task of Room Parent this year at kiddo’s preschool. And it has been so much fun so far. It has given me so many chances to get out the craft supplies and make all kinds of stuff.

For his Fall Party, I wanted to have an interactive game, so I came up with these cute little owl bowling pins.

I don’t have a pattern to share but the owl shape is super easy to come up with. Just sketch out a few patterns until you have the size you want.

 

 

Here are the supplies you will need:

6 empty 2 liter bottles

1 can of spray paint (the kind that sprays onto plastic. I used Krylon brown)

3-6 sheets of brown craft foam

2-4 sheets of yellow craft foam

Heavy duty double sided foam tape (I found mine at Home Depot)***

Super glue (the gel kind works the best)***

1 foam pumpkin

 

I sketched the shape of the owl faces. I started with a large circle and went from there to add the winged tips. I was able to get two faces per piece of craft foam.

I cut small rings out of the yellow foam and then cut triangles for the beaks.

To make the eyes more defined, I also cut circles out of the brown foam before adhering the yellow rings and beaks with the super glue.

Once my bottles were spray painted and dried, I used the foam tape to stick the owl faces to the bottles.

 

***I tired regular glue and regular double sided tape but they came apart. Super glue and the heavy duty foam tape held the best; even after being knocked over hundreds of times by the kiddos.

 

You could weigh the bottles down with water or beans or etc. But for the little kids I decided to leave them empty so they would be easier to knock down. If you weigh down the bottles, you will need a heavier object to roll into them than a foam pumpkin.

Enjoy Y’all!

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Solving the sticker dilemma

I used to love stickers as a kid. I would jump for joy when I would get them with gifts, at school, parties, in my stocking at Christmas, etc. About 90 percent of my childhood things have a sticker stuck to it somewhere. I never understood why my mother HATED stickers. They were so cool! How could you not love stickers??

Well, now that I am a parent myself, I see why my mom hated stickers. When kiddo gets stickers I TRY to sit with him as he arranges them on paper or activity books or adheres them to appropriate toys (racing stripes and numbers on cars…that type thing) However, somehow there will be stickers stuck to something they were not meant to. The fridge, the doors, the hardwood floors…. And they gain this magical ability to become like concrete and never come off, even with the hardcore adhesive remover. And Heaven help you if you forget to remove one from an article of clothing before it goes in the wash. What a mess!

So, I solved my sticker problem in two parts. #1: don’t give the kiddo stickers. #2 give him window clings instead!

He loves them! They stick to the fridge, to the windows, to his whiteboard easel, on the washer, the dryer, the mirror…. AND THEY COME OFF!! YAY! No more goo-gone fumes!

They have these little vinyl pieces of fun for every season at our local dollar store. If there is a holiday, you can guarantee there is a sheet of window clings to go along with it. So our little sticker loving kiddo can have fun sticking these all over and mommy doesn’t yell and scream.

Sticker problem solved!

God Bless Y’all!

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Fall Leaves Vase

Sunday September 22 is the autumnal equinox, or also known as the first day of FALL! My most favorite time of the year!!!!

With a homemade pumpkin spice latte in my hand, I began decorating the house with the beautiful fall décor I have made and collected. As well as planning out some crafts for new things.

Last year I purchased several bags of artificial fall leaves at my local Dollar Tree; not really having a purpose for them yet. So this year, they became a beautiful (and CHEAP!) piece of fall décor that is now adorning my living room.  

We all have those clear vases from flowers we get on special occasions, right? Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Valentine’s day…. Well, my craft room has been overflowing with them for a few years now.

I dusted one off, filled it with the artificial fall leaves, tied on a bit of tulle and I had myself a lovely decoration.

 

So, free vase, approximately $3.00 total for the fall leaves and tulle I had on hand. Super cheap fall décor!

Check out some of the crafty fall items I made last year:

 

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/09/halloween-wall-hanging.html

 

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/09/little-fall-crafts.html

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!

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Once a month shopping: one year later

 

 

Well folks! We have officially been on the once a month shopping/making everything from scratch switch for a FULL YEAR!!

And it has been a fabulous year. During this past year we have changed and “perfected” our shopping and cooking. We have tried lots of new recipes, found even better ways to shop and save that doesn’t involve clipping scads of coupons, we have lived stress free from weekly shopping trips and penny counting.

This year we were able to save enough money from our new shopping and eating habits to actually go on a week’s vacation! And we spend much more time together since we aren’t rushing off to the store to get this or that, or trying to hear one another over the table at a crowded (and expensive) restaurant. And the words “let’s just get take out” have not crossed our lips. Now our taste buds call out for nice home cooked meals.

And the icing on the cake: Hubs and I lost almost 100 pounds together by switching to mostly homemade foods!!!! Hubs lost 60 pounds and I’ve lost 35 pounds! NO EXERCISE ROUTINES. Simply eating what we wanted, in moderation, and making it homemade instead of pre-boxed meals with lots of salt, preservatives, and chemicals. And you have all heard that stress causes weight gain, right? Well, our new method of shopping and money saving has lessened the amount of stress, aiding in our weight loss too.

While the weight loss is fabulous, it was not the driving force to making this change in shopping and eating. It was for the money. Well, it was to save money. Or spending less money on food and still getting what we NEED. And we did just that. I don’t spend each day checking the bank account to see if I can get food items at the store because the money was already set aside, the food has already been purchased and I know there is left over money in the bank because we have all that we need. There is no reason to go back to the store.

During this year, I posted on social media sites to my friends and family about our triumphs along the way. Several people asked how we were going about once a month shopping and saving money and losing all that weight. After referring them to this very blog and other blogs I drew inspiration from, a handful of my friends tried the switch too. Some were very successful, some didn’t find it appealing, and some took bits and pieces of the idea and made it their own.

With their permission, and excluding names, I have decided to post what it was they liked or disliked about once a month shopping/ making everything homemade.  Let’s name them Friend A, B, C and D.

When asked, “How did once a month shopping work for you?”

Friend A:

“Shopping trips are much easier and faster and I don't have the question of ‘what's for supper?’ anymore! A major time and money saver. I will never go back to the old way again! I now know how to do it and can stick to a grocery budget!!”

Friend A is a full time working mom and has three small children. Her family lives on a full working farm. So added to her already busy work load, the farm requires A LOT of attention. Now, she has lots of time to spend with her family outside of her career and farm work since she doesn’t have to use that extra time to go grocery shopping.

Friend B:

“While I wasn't successful it did cause me to rethink my shopping habits. I actually make fewer trips to places like Target and Wal-Mart, too, because my week does not revolve around a shopping trip and errands.”

Friend B is a stay at home mom of two. She has dietary restrictions that call for lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. When stored correctly, most fruits and vegetables can last a whole month; however there are some that cannot, like some berries, and bananas. So a weekly visit to the store or farmer’s market is needed. But as you read it, Friend B changed her shopping habits in other areas.

Friend C:

 “Instead of a whole months worth of shopping, I take it two weeks at a time. I live in a small apartment and do not have to storage space for a month’s worth of food and household items. I spend one Sunday making up frozen meals for a few dinners, planning out menus for the rest of the nights and pre-packing a few lunch items for the week for my kids. We also just began making our own breads (loaf breads, tortillas, rolls) My kids love helping me make them! And it has saved me so much time and energy trying to make it to the store every week. We also eat out less because I am not so exhausted from working all day, going to the store and trying to make it home to cook dinner and help the kids with their homework. On nights like that I fell into the temptation of ordering pizzas or grabbing drive thru burgers. Now I just grab a meal out of the freezer that I premade and help the kids with homework while it cooks.”

Friend C is a full time working, single mom of 2. Space is a big factor to consider for once a month shopping, especially if you have a larger family or live in a smaller home. Friend C has also seen the impact of preplanning changing her eating habits. Think of the money saved from not buying fast food. And think of the health benefits!

Friend D:

“This has been a life saver for my family. And a money saver as well. Since I don’t make multiple trips to the store each week, I am not picking up extra items that we really don’t need and saving so much money. And I love impressing my friends by making homemade goodies that taste better than store bought.”

Friend D is a stay at home mom of 2. Her husband’s job has down time during the cold months, so saving money the rest of the year is very important when paychecks are thin. And speaking of thin, Friend D has lost 20 pounds since she made the switch to mostly homemade food as well.

 

When other friends or family members say “Well, I just don’t have time to sit down and plan a month’s worth of menus” or “I don’t have time to bake everything from scratch, it’s faster to buy the boxed version.” HERE YOU GO FOLKS!! Whether you are a stay at home mom (or dad even!) or you work 40 plus hours a week. It is possible to do. And even Friend B, who couldn’t work once a month shopping in to her strict dietary needs, changed her shopping habits in other areas of household needs.

So check it out y’all. Give it a try! And let me know what you think.

Check out the previous posts I wrote here:

 http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/11/once-month-shopping.html

http://wherethewalnuttreesgrow.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-absence.html

We have changed a few things.

**We get bulk cooking items at Costco and get our regular food items at two stores; Aldi and Kroger. On occasion I will get things at Wal-mart instead of Kroger. Usually that happens only if I need an out of the ordinary item. (like the month we had to buy school supplies.)

**We make all our breads from scratch. Biscuits, tortillas, rolls, buns, sandwich bread.

**We also had a small garden this year and that cut down on our fresh vegetable costs. We also canned some of our overages before they spoiled.

**We will soon be trying our hand at making and drying our own pastas.

**We are also going to try to make homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheeses.

 

Do you have any ways of shopping or cooking mostly from scratch that you want to share? Did once a month shopping work for you?

 

God Bless!

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Scrap wood sign

A while back we gave the little farmhouse bathroom a long overdue makeover. New fixtures, flooring, fresh coat of paint, and new baseboards. When hubs was cleaning up after our project was finished, I had him save some of the scrap pieces of baseboards. I had a plan!

 

I absolutely love all the worn, weathered and antique signs you see everywhere nowadays. Especially some of the ones found on Etsy. Not wanting to pay a small fortune for some of them, I decided to make one of our own. Hubs and I LOVE coffee, so it seemed appropriate to make it the theme for my first try at making a wood sign.

 In Microsoft Word, I created my stencil. I centered the word “coffee” and inserted the same clipart image of a coffee cup on either side of the word. Printed it out, rubbed a pencil on the back and transferred it to my scrap piece of wood.

I chose lime and turquoise for my colors, since that is the soon to be colors in our kitchen (We still haven’t painted yet!) I outlined the images in brown to make them stand out against the white background.

Once the paint was dry, I took a piece of sand paper and roughed up the scrap wood a little to give it just a little weathered look.

I hammered in the saw-tooth hanger on the back and voila! Done.

Here is the finished project.

 

Super easy!

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Homemade Suddenly Salad: Ranch and Bacon Pasta Salad

Before our switch to mostly homemade foods, Hubs and I always had a few boxes of our favorite side dish, Suddenly Salad Ranch and Bacon Salad. When we stopped buying the boxed items, we stopped buying Suddenly Salad. I tried, and was successful, in recreating the suddenly salad. (We chose to omit the peas from ours.)  

It’s super simple folks:

8 oz of SMALL shells (I found them at Wal-Mart)

1 tablespoon oil

3-4 mini carrots, grated

1/2 cup frozen peas
 
2-3 tablespoons of real bacon bits (or 2-3 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled)

1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip (or your favorite mayo substitute like yogurt)

3 Tablespoons of homemade ranch seasoning (see it here)

2 Tablespoons of milk

Pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil 3-4 cups of water, adding the oil at the start.

Add the pasta

Boil for approximately 5-6 minutes then add carrots and peas

Continue to boil until pasta reaches desired tenderness.

Drain, and rinse with cold water.

Transfer to large bowl.

Mix mayo, ranch, milk, and bacon bits into small bowl. If the mix is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of milk. You do not want it to be runny, but you also do not want it to be exceptionally thick.

Stir in to cooled pasta.

Can be served immediately or refrigerated prior to serving.

 

 

Like I said, simple!

God Bless Y’all!

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