Homemade Wood Furniture Polish

Check it out! I am the kind of person I have to see it, than try it kind of gal. (Sorry about the hand print on the other side) 

Remember when I told you I could skip some aisles in the grocery store? Well one of the many is the Cleaning supply aisle........ And the above is proof that it works! I love this stuff and the added benefit is that my hands get an extra dose of oil and are soft and supple after I get done...two birds one stone, can't beat that!


Here it is! Try it! Be sure and use and old cotton rag or t-shirt and just put some on a rag and rub it in. (NOTE! if your furniture has a polyurethane coat or is Laminated this will NOT soak in)

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice (bottle is fine)
1 Tablespoon Olive oil

Put in jar and shake...That's it!
  Let me know how you like it I love it!

One Man's Trash is Another's Treasure!

Especially if you Love Old jars and need Good Canning Jars too!

Look at these Beauty's...Wire ones......Old Kerr Jars........Corn Oil Jug's (makes good Wine fermenting jugs :) )

My Favorite is the old Clorox bottle...will go good with my other antique jug's  that I put my Homemade Laundry soap in!

What a find!! All we had to do was clean out under my mother's  house (a 1944 house built by my Grandfather) and they were our's for the taking!

Homemade Microwave Popcorn...YES! It can be done!!!

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Ever buy Microwave Popcorn? Do you know you can make it yourself for next to nothing! All you need is a bag of Real Popcorn , a brown paper bag, a stapler and of course a microwave.

Now you have to put in 3 Tablespoons of Popcorn, a little spray of Non-stick spray or spray butter if you want...Press all the air out of bag, roll the top of bag down twice and staple it one time to keep closed...( for some reason the staple does not spark in the microwave, I do not know why?!?!?)  Pop in the microwave and You got Microwave Popcorn without the added expense of Store bought! Enjoy!

Let Them Eat Bread...........

It's Easy!!! Everyone should know how to do it!!!! Not with a Bread machine........Kneaded with your bare hands...........kinda good old fashion bread.....so here it is!!!

Homemade Bread

2 1/2 cups Flour ( may need  more when kneading)
1 Cup Very warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar or Honey
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tablespoons Oil

Put All Ingredients in a Large mixing bowl (reserve one tablespoon of oil)  ( I use an old Tupperware bowl that has a lid) Knead.......Push..........Pull....Get your hands dirty......any way you like it....but do it for 5 MINUTES......Set a timer if you have too.... Than form a ball in the center of your bowl and put the reserved oil on the ball of dough.....cover and let raise until it has doubled in size.....could take an Hour to a couple of Hours...depends of the weather :)............ Then once it has doubled in size punch it down and form into a loaf to fit your bread pan.........Place  formed loaf in a warmed  ( NOT Hot just warmed up a bit oven) WITH a Pan of HOT WATER to help with the 2nd rise...It works trust me!!!! Once it has risen the 2nd time take out the water and bake at 350' for about 30-35 mins.............

  Homemade bread that everyone will love! Good Luck!......Try it!! You may like it....!

Today We make Boxers

As Pre-K starts for my son today I will have a few hours of quiet time this morning. In the past I have bought Men's boxers that my husband has liked at a retail store for a awful lot of money! However, due to the fact that they have changed the style of them he as agreed to let me make him some to wear. I call them custom fitted boxers :). So far he has liked them and I get to choose really cheesy material so everyone is happy! Cost? 6.95 for the pattern, 1 1/3 yard for material, (scrap $0) and some elastic for the waist band (scrap $0)....retail store cost 8.00 a pair! So off to make more boxers Today to Flop in the wind!

Another Secret Confession

I love Apron's!!! I really do! Cute ones...Plain ones....

It takes me back to a time when men dressed for work, hats, slacks, pressed shirts.... and woman wore dresses daily...( Not like today when you see woman at the grocery store in their PJ's!!!)

When I started learning to sew this is what I started out on...no pattern...just me and my material... The possibilities are endless!!.. ( and for little boys too...Oh What fun they can have turning them into Tents and Capes.. :) )

So here is to the Women who have gone before us...My Pledge to them is "I Will Wear My Apron Proudly!"

Changes are a comming ......

After the row I had with my current Cable/Internet provider I will be changing providers so will be without Internet service for a few days! Thanks to all that have been viewing my new blogg...just remember I am still new to this cyber world too :) Back in a few!

As for the Red Rosie Pickles they came and went............ Only left with two jars to my self :). The dried food went just as fast to the lucky suspects who were willing to try it....The final prototype (our personal sun dehydrator)   is done and we are giving it ago for the next few days.

Will be in touch in a few. Until then ......Let  Your Underwear Flop in the Wind!

When Life Hands you Bitter Cucumbers...........

Make Red Rosie Pickles!!!!...

Then Pull the Plant and Start over...

(Ever tried a bitter cucumber? It taste like what a Skunk smells like!!!)

All you need is a little of this.........

And 5 days of Soaking and Boiling........

 

Boiling and Soaking

And Today...Day 5...We will do some Canning and savor the taste of  a Lovely, Sweet, Cinnamon Treat known as Red Rosie Pickles.....

Waste Not Want Not!

There is a Thief among Us!

There is a Thief among my Square foot garden....SHE is hanging around the tomatoes
Can you spot her?

This is Jill our 14 week old Parti Cocker Spaniel....We found her playing with a tomato the other day....Now I know where she is getting them from....She is PICKING only the red ones and eating them.

Caught in the Act! Most people have Pest in their garden's Cats, Birds, Insects.....But here is my very own dog eating up my precious tomatoes......(Still pretty funny I think)....Never have seen a dog eat them before....

Only a face a true dog lover could love! Meet Jill my Tomato Thieving Dog!

Have a Great Weekend and Let Your Underwear Flop in the Wind!

Why I have decided to let my underwear flop in the wind

I was born in Texas raised in Louisiana and moved back to Texas about 3 yrs ago. I was raised a City girl, but in my 20's I fell in love with horses, riding, roping, you name it I loved it!  I worked in sales traveled around Louisiana a bit meeting lots of neat people. Then we were transferred to the Panhandle of Texas!

Who-ray! Now I have to live completely on one income! Oh Boy!  A Challenge! So that is where it all begins. I am now Flopping in the Wind so to speak.

I thought "Our Grandparents cooked from scratch, canned, sewed, gardened and lots more..... So?!?!?  Why can't I?"....All I can say is Thank goodness for the Internet! 3 yrs ago I could not cook completely from scratch, nor sew or grow a garden or Can the food...the list is endless...I was a true City Girl.....but here I am....I have tried many "Frugal/Green" ideas... some have stuck...like making my own home cleaners! What a great feeling to go into the Grocery Store and know I can skip about 5 aisles due to the fact that I neither need nor want those items or I can make it myself! Go ahead and Laugh! (I do all the time...it's good for you!) I can make my Laundry soap and it cleans better than anything on the market for PENNIES per load. I spend maybe $20.00 a YEAR while other people spend $20.00+ a month that is roughly $240.00 a year on just laundry soap!  See Frugal :)  Come along and join the fun! There is nothing like "letting YOUR underwear flop in the wind!"

Today we Dehydrate

I have been Canning for the past couple of weeks and MAN is it Hot! So I decided to try another route.....DEHYDRATE...sounds easy enough! And HOT enough (outside) too!

Yep! That is a South Louisiana Engineered Dehydrator…(We are at Big John's (My Father) house what did you expect?) That is an old screen with its mate the storm door….(another model is in the works as we speak)

Now in go the trial suspects…Cherry tomatoes, zucchinis and a few apples…in a few days we will see what happens!

If all goes to plan in two day's we will have Dehydrated veggies!...AWWW Man! Now it raining! ...Well lets see what happens tomorrow!

For the NON Traditional Knitter...Ever tried Loom Knitting?

A Big Thank you goes out to Bethany Dailey at http://gettinitpegged.com/ for sending and having my Christmas project put in a PDF file to share on another board....so here is an easy LOOM knitting project

Loom Knit Scrubbie


Designed by Quinna Emory, 12/08/08

SKILL LEVEL:

Beginner (Level 1): Basic stitches including increasing, decreasing and finishing skills.

SIZE OF FINISHED PROJECT: One size; Approximately 5 inches wide X 3½ inches high

MATERIALS

• Yarn: 100% Cotton – Peaches & Cream

Candy Cane was used in the sample

• Loom: 14 pegs of a large gauge loom –

Knifty Knitter Round Blue Loom was used in the sample

• Other supplies: 1 yard of fabric netting

NOTES

• The amount of yarn and netting listed about will produce about five or more scrubbies.

• Netting: I bought 1 yard fabric netting

($ .77). I laid the netting flat and cut in a continuous strip about 1 1/2" wide.

Then I rolled it all up on an old paper towel holder and used it as I would a strand of yarn.

• Instructions are for a strand of yarn and a strand of netting held as one worked as a flat panel.

• Pegs are numbered from left to right.

• The first stitch in each row is slipped.

• Stitches: E-wrap

• Techniques: Flat panel bind off, crochet cast on.

ABBREVIATIONS:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

st = stitch

WY = working yarn

EK = e-wrapped knit stitch (also called twisted knit stitch)

KO = knit off

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Do a crochet cast on 14 pegs.

2. Slip peg 14; e-wrap & KO pegs 13-1.

3. Slip peg 1; e-wrap & KO pegs 2-14.

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until 14 rows have been completed.

5. Work a flat panel bind off; cut yarn and tie off. Finishing

Weave loose yarn tails and enjoy!

You can throw these in the clothes washer and they wash really well.

Urban Homstead and all that goes with it!

Taken with a Cell phone...But look at all the Home Made Goodness!

The start of my New Blog....Homesteading and all the Trails and Failures that go along with it!...So as of today MY UNDERWEAR SHALL FLOP IN THE WIND!