Organization Tips

I've been trying to put a video up on organization tips, but for some reason it isn't working, so I'll just give you the gist of the video myself. Following these useful tips will surely make your home a lot less cluttered.

1. Make sure everything has a home. If everything has a place that it belongs, putting things away will take much less time. You won't be wondering around trying to "find" a place for the stuff that's been laying around for days (or weeks, or months).

2. If it will take two minutes or less to put something away, don't put it off. Do it right away. I know around our house, the bathroom supplies seem to migrate out of the bathroom and into other parts of the house. Brushes end up on end tables in the living room, fingernail clippers end up on the kitchen counter, etc. Buy yourself a small, cheap tote. Collect all the items that belong in a certain room and put all the clutter away at the same time. It only takes a minute to collect the bathroom supplies laying around my house and put them all away where they belong. The longer stuff sits out where it doesn't belong, the more likely other things will join it and before you know it, you'll have clutter everywhere. Put things in their place right away.

3. When you want to buy something new, like a new face cream, decide if you really need it. Is your current face cream almost gone? If it's not, are you willing to throw it out to make room for the new one? The rule is: for every new item in, throw one old item out.

4. To make room in your cupboards, drawers, etc. throw out/get rid of anything you haven't used in over a month. Chances are if you haven't used it in that period of time, you aren't going to miss it when it's gone. This applies to clothing, food, bathroom supplies, etc. Why keep something you aren't using anyway?

With these tips, your space should be a lot less cluttered, and your life a little more organized!

Random Household Tips

Here's a list of random tips that can help to make the job of cleaning your house easier!

Shout that carpet clean.
When it comes time to clean stains on your carpet or rug, the laundry stain remover Shout works perfectly. It's cheaper than carpet stain remover, it won't fade colored carpet and works just as well if not better.

Cleaning dirty kitchen blinds
Fill bathtub with very hot water. Add 2 cups 409, 2 cup ammonia, and 2 cups Simple Green. Take blinds down and place in water, dunk them a few times and let sit for 1 hour. Rinse and re-hang to dry.

Hard water stains
To get hard water stains off bath room fixtures use Prell shampoo and water. Scrub gentle and rinse.

Bounce out those bugs
Bounce sheets in storage where clothes or other cloth items are stored keeps away insects and critters.

Wine Racks

A great way to dress up your kitchen is with a wine rack. A wine rack adds a touch of class and the different colored bottles are very attractive.

WineRackStore.com has quite a variety of quality wine racks. Whether you're looking for a wine rack for in your kitchen, or racks for in your cellar, you're sure to find what you're looking for here. They even offer free shipping on every wine rack.

Take Care of Your Mattress

A lot of people don't realize that there are things you can do to make your mattresses last longer. A mattress is big and cumbersome, but it still needs special attention. Use these tips to keep your mattress newer longer.

1. Turn a mattress over, and rotate it end to end every three weeks for three months. Do the same every couple of months thereafter.

2. To keep a mattress from sliding around on the box spring underneath, place a nonslip rubber mat between the two.

3. Don't use the handles on the sides to lift the mattress. They aren't designed to handle that kind of weight. They are intended for moving the mattress while on the bed.

4. Allow the mattress to air out in the sun once in a while. It will keep the mattress fresh and clean smelling.

Laundry Sorting-My Way

With a family of five, there's always laundry to be done. Laundry is my job, every day. I have a system for getting it done that I think works pretty well. Sorting the laundry might seem like common sense, and it probably is, but I've learned a couple things over the years that keeps our clothes looking good and lasting longer.

Sorting is key.

1. Separate colors and whites. (I know, common sense. But stay with me.)

2. Wash jeans separately. Jeans are heavy duty, and are rough on other clothing if washed together. Buttons and zippers are hazardous to their health. I found this out the hard way many years ago when I threw one of my favorite t-shirts in with a load of jeans and it came out of the washer twisted and mangled in the zipper of one pair.

3. Wash towels separately. Dark colored towels in one load, light colored towels in another load. Trust me. Your towels will last longer and look nicer this way.

4. With five people in the house, there's usually enough socks by the end of the week to do a whole load. I will do a whole load of socks, setting the washer to soak for a half hour before washing. This allows me to add bleach/vinegar to the soak cycle and the socks come out sparkling white.

5. Wash any delicates separately. The ideal thing to do is to put them in a nylon laundering bag to wash so they don't get tangled, but if you don't have a bag, washing them separately is still good.

6. Wash all other colored clothes together, paying attention to colors. Wash dark colors with dark colors, light colors with light colors.

7. Any other white clothes besides socks can be washed together.

8. My husband is a machinist, so his work clothes are absolutely disgusting. These get washed separately.

I don't know if any of this will help any of you or not, but it's what works for me.

Oh, and one more thing. This is one of my biggest pet peeves around here. If and when someone else in the house decides to do a load of laundry, they take whatever is in the dryer and throw it in a basket, leaving it to wrinkle. I personally hang and fold everything directly out of the dryer so nothing wrinkles. The key is to do it while the clothes are still warm!

Younger Looking Skin

Limit sun exposure and protect your skin with sunblock when in the sun.

Use a mask to tone and tighten your skin. The tightening effect is cosmetic and temporary, a mask has other benefits such as cleaning out your pores, and conditioning your skin.

Brighten droopy eyes by grooming eyebrows. This gives the illusion of lifted lids, and having more skin showing at the brow bone opens up the entire eye.

Instant Eye Lift by curling your eye lashes.

Downplay wrinkles by applying highlighter to creases.

Don't use face powder, it can collect in creases and make wrinkles more prominent.

Put your hair in a ponytail. It’s a youthful hairstyle, and Bangs do a great job of hiding forehead wrinkles.

Use a good moisturizer to hydrate and plump up your skin cells.

Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine makes it very unlikely that the skin cells will ever pick up enough water, even if you drink a gallon of water a day.

Avoid Yo-Yo dieting. Yo-Yo dieting will cause your skin to stretch and become less elastic.

Reduce or eliminate dairy. Dairy products are for many people difficult to digest and mucous-forming. Try soy or rice milk as substitutions.

Try not to frown. Over time, the frown lines will become more visible.

Avoid cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke exposes you to damaging free radicals that will accelerate the aging process by damaging the micro capillaries in the skin.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid refined sugars, flours and processed foods.

Exercise regularly.

Dry Elbow Treatment

Dry elbows are not only painful, they are unsightly. If you suffer from dry elbow patches, or ankles, or knees, try these tips to get rid of them and have smooth, moisturized skin.

Sugar Scrub

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup olive oil

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Massage scrub into dry patches. Leave on for thirty minutes then wash off.

Crisco

Apply Crisco to elbows before bedtime. Cover with an old pair of socks that have the toes cut out to protect clothing and bedding. In the morning, your elbows will be much improved.

Lemon Salt Scrub

Squeeze the juice out of two halves of a lemon. Add salt and use as an exfoliant to sluff away dead, dry skin. Then, lean on a table with each elbow in each half of the lemon you just squeezed. Remain this way for ten minutes. Repeat daily until dark patches are gone.

Lemon Soft Scrub

Combine fresh lemon juice and baking soda to form a thick paste. Apply to elbows, massaging to exfoliate. Leave on for fifteen minutes then rinse. Apply a thick moisturizer or Vaseline.

If you have thick dry patches, you may need to repeat these tips multiple times to achieve beautiful, smooth skin.

Warm Weather Pet Tips

With summer coming up fast, I thought I'd include some tips to help keep your pets safe and happy.

• If you keep your dogs outside as the temperatures start to climb, make sure they have shade to get into, and plenty of cool, fresh water to drink.

• As much as your dog loves to ride in the car, do not take them along if you plan to be out of the car. Even just a few minutes in a hot car is enough to cause damage.

• If possible, keep your dog trimmed short in the summer. Less hair makes for a cooler, happier puppy.

• We keep a small plastic toddler pool in our back yard just for the dogs to play in. When it's hot, they love to lay in it to cool off. Be sure to change the water daily.

• Walks and playing are good for your dog. Just don't overdo it in the heat. Give your dog time to rest, drink, and cool down after a workout.

• If your dog is out in the woods, or hiking with you, be sure to check him for ticks when you get back. Check in his ears, and under his tail, too.

• Make sure to have a flea collar on your dog for the summer. Or better yet, treat him with flea medication. You can find it at WalMart or at your vet's office.

• With the warm weather comes more time outside the house and more contact with others. Make sure your dog is up to date on his shots to avoid any problems in case he would bite someone.

With these tips your dog should be happy and healthy throughout the summer!

All About Eggs!

How many times have you boiled eggs only to have them not peel nicely? Or had them crack during boiling and run out all over the pan? Well, there's a couple tips that will help you in your quest for perfect eggs and then some.


1. Use this handy little tip to find out if your eggs are fresh or stale.
Immerse your eggs in a pan of cool, salted water. If they rise to the top, they are stale. If they sink, they are fresh.


2. Raw or hard-boiled?
Spin the egg. If it wobbles, it is raw. If it spins easily, it is hard-boiled.


3. Poached eggs
Add a couple of drops of vinegar to the water when poaching eggs. It will keep the egg from running all over the pan.


4. Cracked shell?
A couple of drops of vinegar in the water will also keep the egg from running out of its shell if cracked during boiling.


5. Do you want more meringue for your buck?
Add one tablespoon of water per egg white to increase the quantity of beaten egg whites when making meringue.


6. Peeling hard-boiled eggs
Quickly rinse boiled eggs in cold water after boiling and the shells will peel beautifully.


7. Another peeling tip
Fresh eggs usually do not peel nicely. Buy your eggs one week before boiling them and they should peel nicely (don't forget to rinse them in cold water after boiling!)


8. Fresh yolks
Cover egg yolks with cold water and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh for days.


9. Great tasting coffee
Add eggshells to coffee after it has perked for a great taste.