Bad Water!
Do you go swimming…lake, ocean, pool? Do you have hard water? I’m sure your hair is not loving any of it. Here’s something that’ll help lessen summer hair…conditioner. I know what you’re thinking…”Duh! Of course I use conditioner!”…but when do you use it? After the damage has been done? Here’s what I do…right before I enter the water, I spray in some leave-in conditioner and really concentrate on the ends. Hair is like a sponge and will soak up whatever moisture hits it first. Make sure the conditioner gets there before the bad water;) So, remember…sunblock, conditioner, then water:)
Fun DIY Olympic Rings
Okay…it’s not a tip…but with all of the posts about the Olympics, I couldn’t help but post a pic of my Olympic Rings:) It’s not a good pic, but you get the idea. I bought hula-hoops from the dollar store, stripped them down(thankfully they were clear), pulled some lights through the hoops, wrapped them in colored cellophane and tied them together. The colors are much nicer than the pics show and they glow more too:( If you look carefully, there is a little “torch” under the rings. I put one of those burners for chaffing dishes in my birdbath and bingo…I had my torch:) My kitchen widows have red, white and blue lights…so does the rest of the house. I’ve had the lights up since Memorial Day…I knew I would have several reasons to light them, so I just left them up. If you knew me, you would know that I go crazy during the holidays…like,see our house from space crazy;) The summer is so boring for me, so I was so happy one of my babies(yes, teenagers are babies too;) became interested in the Olympics. I would never have made these for myself. Now, I can use them every 2 years! Yay!
Flip Ya For Real!
When you get down to the last bit of lotion, shampoo, detergent, oil, etc., don’t just throw it away. I know most of what’s left ends up on the side of the container when you try to get some out, but all is not lost. Flip it! Flip the bottle and the next time you go to use it, it will have all settled right by the opening…no waste:) I even go as far as cutting the bottle open to get every last little bit. I have issues;)
PS- If you’re wondering…the title is a line from “The Usual Suspects”…we use it more times than we should, but I just couldn’t resist:)
Eggshells In My Bowl!
If you make scrambled eggs, a piece of shell must have made its way into your mixing bowl. Next time, don’t get your fingers dirty trying to get the shell out. Leave it! That’s right, just give your eggs a really good scramble and slowly pour them out. The broken pieces will stick to the side of the bowl. Go ahead…break a few eggs;)
Shifty Tablecloth?
Do you have a tablecloth that refuses to stay on the table? Tak it! Use Fun-Tak…or the like…around the edge of the table in a few spots and it’ll stay put. It’s not just for posters;)
Polish + Earrings = No Pain:)
If you’re like me, you can’t wear cheap/fun earrings…of course they would have to be my favorite kind:[ My earlobes have a bad reaction to the metal. So much so, that they become red, swollen, tender and hurt for days. Should we give up our cheap/fun earrings? NEVER!!! Polish them! I polish the posts with clear nail polish, which makes a barrier between the metal and my ears. No more pain!!! I also paint the inside of costume jewelry, to avoid the blackish green marks it can leave on my skin.
Crack Is Wack!
Do you have an annoying little crack in your wall that you keep spackling and painting, only to find that it cracks again…and again…and again? Put the spackle away and….caulk it! Use paintable caulk to fill the crack and paint over it. Unlike spackle, the caulk will expand and contract with the wall:) I had to use caulk in an area that’s right below my kids’ room. It seems kids can’t walk around without pounding on the ground like mini Hulks;)
Hugs and Kisses
In light of recent events, the tip I have for you today is to hug and kiss those you hold dear. There are 12 families that no longer have that privilege. If only for a few moments, hold them tight and tell them all the reasons why you love them.
Shave Cream…Not Just For Shaving!
It never fails…company is dropping by any minute and you notice the bathroom hardware has spots all over it and you’re out of cleaner:( Shave it! Spray some shaving cream on a rag or paper(towel or toilet) and give it a good wipe. It’ll shine right up and if you have a girly one, it will make your bathroom smell fresh as could be…of course manly is also good;) In a pinch, I’ve even used it to clean inside the toilet.
Not Done Painting…
…but you are done painting for the day? Don’t bother washing the brush…cool it! Wrap the brush in Saran Wrap and put it in the refrigerator. It’ll keep for a couple of days. You can use a cling wrap from the dollar store if you want…no need to waste money:)
Why Are You Crying?
Oh, you’re cutting onions! I don’t blame you. I cry too. By that I mean, my eyes water so bad that I can’t see for about 10 minutes after the cutting is done!!! That is until I learned something about onions. The onion is spraying its little toxins when it gets cut, hence the burning eyes. So, here’s what I do to avoid the tears…I peel off the “paper”, rinse the onion under water, cut off both ends and quickly run everything under the water again. I run it under water after each of the next 2 big cuts and then it’s fine. I haven’t cried in years…at least, not because of an onion;)
Like Butta!
Cutting chicken cutlets into strips can be an accident just waiting to happen…or any meat for that matter. The meat slides all over the place and your hands get slippery, so holding the knife can get tricky. What do I do? I freeze it! I partially freeze the meat, so I can get a nice, clean, even cut. I don’t freeze as hard as a brick, just until it’s hard to bend the meat. Once it’s ready, you can slice it as thin or as thick as you want. A good knife will cut through it like butter;)
Get Your Motor Runnin’!
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying…it’s not the destination, it’s the journey? Well, my family lives by that saying. We love road trips! However, vacations are expensive and usually only last 1-2 weeks. So, what do we do to get that road trip feeling? We get lost! Yep, we get in the car and drive to somewhere we’ve never been. We do this all the time and the kids love it! We are lucky enough to live near 3 other states, so we have many options, but you can do this anywhere.
Here’s what we do…we gas up the van, pick a direction and just drive. Once we’re in an area we’ve never been to, we look around to see what stands out. We check out the GPS to see if there’s anything to do close by. We find a local place to eat…nothing fancy, a hot dog stand will do:) We have been to countless parks and beaches and free mini zoos. Sometimes we wind up in the strangest places. One time, we ended up in what looked like a ghost town, that had a nuclear power plant right across the bay…how did we get here!?! We had no idea what we thought we were going to see, but it wasn’t that:) So, we got out and took some pictures and joked about how we should have brought a pole to catch some 12 eyed fish! The rest of the ride was spent making up stories about deformed animals and the people who lived in the ghost town. There are all sorts of interesting places right around the corner. It only takes a little gas to check them out, so get out there and see what your area has to offer:)
In other words…GET LOST!!!!
Ziploc Luggage?
Okay… not really luggage. However, packing for a trip should always include Ziploc! Most people use baggies for sundries and snacks, but a few of us use them for clothes. When the kids were little, I would pack a complete outfit in a gallon sized baggie…socks, underwear, shorts, shirt…repeat 14 times. It made the trip so much easier. I could ask my husband or the kids to get an outfit…and it would match;) I never had to think about what they were going to wear and since I ironed before the trip, and they were snug in a bag, I never had to iron on vacation! Believe me…that’s a big deal for me:) It also kept the clothes safe from spills. Ziploc, what would I do without you!?!
Beach Blanket + Ziploc = No Headaches!
Holding down a blanket on a windy beach can be a pain in the butt! Simple solution…baggies. Take 4 quart size baggies with you, fill them with sand when you get there, then throw them on the corners of your blanket! We use the gallon size for our tent. The sandwich size would be great for towels. When you’re ready to go, just empty the bags or use one to save the sand as a memento of your trip:)
Cheap Beauty Tip…a.k.a. Lube It Up 2!
Do you have dry, cracked feet…I mean fossil feet? That’s what my kids call mine when they are extra dry…I’ll get them back when they start dating and I break out the really embarrassing pictures;) To be fair, I walk around barefoot 24 hours a day…as long as I’m at home, of course. I hate shoes and socks, so my poor feet take a beating. Well, I have a cheap, relatively quick, trick to fix them right up…petroleum jelly! Right before I go to bed, I put gobs of it on my feet and then carefully pull on a pair of socks. My feet are greatly improved by the morning. I do that for up 3 nights, depending on the fossilization;), and they become smooth like a baby’s bottom! You can use the cheap kind at the dollar store…it works just as well as Vaseline:) I also use it on my upper eyelids when they start to look a little thin and droopy…plumps them right up!
The best friend your skin could ever have!
Do What With Toothpaste!?!
Do you have tiny holes in your walls, from tacks or nails, but no spackle? Here’s a quick fix…white toothpaste! Just spread some toothpaste on, like you would spackle, let dry, paint. Make sure it’s plain white paste…gel is no good! I have used this tip more times than I can count…kids like tacking things to walls;)
Another use for toothpaste…pimples. Just put a dab on a pimple right before bed. It won’t make it disappear, but it speeds up the process of bringing the problem to a head…pun intended;) BOOOO! I call myself on a corny joke foul!
