The Control Journal saved me!

The week before Christmas, my DH Randy became deathly ill. What started out as a cold-like flu morphed horribly into a very bad case of pneumonia, though I didn't know it at the time. When Randy asked to see a doctor, I knew then he was very sick. I took him to Solantic and they called an ambulance!

I had minutes to make the necessary phone calls, grab up our roomie, and drive to the hospital. I knew better than to break speed laws, much as I wanted to. While at the house picking up our roomie, I also quickly packed a few necessities for my husband's comfort. Then, I remembered one thing I'd need-- my Control Journal.

In my Control Journal was many of the things that kept me organized and --as the name implied-- in control. While our roomie drove us to the hospital, I updated the journal and made a few notes to myself as to who to call. The emergency section wasn't as filled out as I'd like, but you live and learn. That minor problem has been corrected.

As my husband was transferred from the ER of one hospital to a bed in another hospital and finally the ICU, my Control Journal and my FlyLady routines kept me from chaos both at home and while sitting at my DH's side. Now my DH is recovering, yet my house is clean and my sink is shiny.

I highly recommend the Control Journals. There's one for almost everyone and every need-- the housewife, the student, the teacher, the working woman, the financial problems, losing weight (called Body Clutter), and even one just for keeping control during the holidays.

www.flylady.net/images/OCJ.pdf is my personal control journal choice because I work at home, but if you Google "FlyLady Control Journal" you'll find a nice selection. You can also go to http://www.flylady.net/ to see and learn how to finally love yourself (FLY) and gain control over CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.) You'll be glad you did.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Leftovers 2-- Turkey Carcass Soup

Thanksgiving Leftovers are never a problem with the Dinner Diva (http://www.savingdinner.com/) on the case!

If you don't take care of the bones in short order after the turkey is history, open the trashcan and give them a proper burial. They have been good to you and your family and have fed you well. I freeze the carcass as soon as I've picked off the last of the meat to avoid the "should I use it or dump it?" quandary.


To make delicious Roast Turkey Carcass Soup beyond your wildest dreams, follow these simple directions.

First, pull the carcass apart, throw it in a roaster and fling some quartered onions, carrots and celery in there, and about 8 whole cloves of garlic. Drizzled this mess with some olive oil and toss it in the oven at 425 for about 45 minutes. Pull the roaster from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then put the roaster on the stovetop, add cold water (about 3/4 of the way up in the pan) and boil the whole thing right there (uncovered) for another hour (obviously we're talking about METAL pans here!!). Strain it, put in the fridge overnight, take off the top layer of grease and now this incredibly wonderful broth is ready for some action.

Note from Lena— I break the carcass a little until it fits in my large crock pot and let it do the work. Adding the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery are just part of good broth making, IMHO.


Roast Turkey Carcass Soup
Serves many

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast Turkey Carcass broth (see above directions to make)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of thyme (depending on taste and quantity of soup)
1 bag (10.5 oz.) extra wide egg noodles

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil till hot over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes till soft and translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook another five minutes stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper well to taste.

Now add the Roast Turkey Carcass broth you just made. Bring everything to a rolling boil; don't cover the soup. Add the thyme and the egg noodles and serve when the noodles are al dente.

Lena Austin

http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

A great gift idea for the holidays--Stick it Right on the Money Stickers

http://www.stickitrightonthemoney.com/

This has to be the most innovative way to give a plain old monetary gift some pizzazz to show you really did think about  what gift would suit the recipient.

My mother in law used to say that giving money, gift certificates, and gift cards were in a way a cop out and borderline rude. They require very little thought, and while "one size does fit all" it does show a certain casual disregard for the likes and dislikes of the recipient or even little more than a nod to the occasion.

However in today's busy world, sometimes giving cash can mean a whole lot more, especially when friends and family can be many miles apart. Cash spends well without having to worry.  

Now, with Stick It Right On the Money stickers, you can do more than give a nod to the occasion! Each frame and sticker are "Post-it" sticky, so the money isn't damaged. (That's illegal.) See the video at the website. What a great gift idea.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/

Do you love my work? Then don't download from pirates.
When you steal what I've earned, you're hurting me.

Fw: Pokey's Sharing a Cool Secret for making Holiday Ornaments

From: Quilting Daily <quiltingdaily@interweave.com>
To: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com

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Quilting Arts Gifts is a special issue of Quilting Arts Magazine devoted to the art of gift-giving!

September 9, 2010

My Recipe for No-sew Snowflakes It's no secret I'm a surface design junkie. Over the years, I have amassed an overflowing stash of fabrics that have been dyed, printed, screened, stamped, and stenciled. Not only do I despair of ever using these fabrics up in art quilts, I have to admit that some of them aren't quite art quilt-worthy. I also have to admit that, being a surface design junkie, I also collect a ton of objects that could be used in surface design. A category of those objects is cookie cutters—implements that I can assure you will never be used in the presence of butter and sugar. Soy wax, maybe. So you can imagine my delight when I figured out a way to use these extra fabrics and some snowflake cookie cutters that were gathering dust together to get a jump start on my holiday decorations. I created no-sew snowflake ornaments that are a snap to make, and I'm sharing the secret for making them with you. In fact, if you have an Accuquilt GO! Fabric Cutter, you can whip up a batch of these cool beauties even faster. I explain the process with the fabric cutter in the 2010-2011 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts, but I can't wait to share the instructions for the cookie cutter version, so here it is. No-sew Fabric Ornaments By Pokey Bolton Materials Scraps of fabric Fusible web Stiff interfacing Iron and ironing surface Fabric scissors Awl Eyelets and eyelet setting tools Decorative ribbon (at least 7" for hanging) Cookie cutters with holiday themes Fabric marker Making the snowflakes 1. Sift through your stash of fabrics and look for areas that have interesting patterns that you'd like to feature on your ornaments. 2. Following the manufacturer's instructions, adhere fusible web to the back side of the fabric with your iron. 3. Iron the fused fabric to a piece of stiff interfacing. 4. Take another piece of fabric, apply fusible web, and iron it to the other side of the interfacing so that it is double sided. 5. Place a holiday-themed cookie cutter on top of the stiffened fabric and trace the design using a fabric marker, then cut it out. Attaching the ribbon 1. Mark a dot on your fabric ornament where you would like the ribbon to loop through for hanging. 2. With your awl, poke a small circle. 3. Using your eyelet setting tools, hammer the eyelet in place. 4. Loop the ribbon through the eyelet, and tie the ends in a bow. Voila! Your ornament is ready to be hung on the tree, and your surface design efforts were put to excellent use. There are lots of make-it-quick projects like this in the new issue of Quilting Arts Gifts, as well as more complex gift-giving and home décor ideas for the holidays and beyond. Be sure to get your copy before—like your favorite cookie—they're all gone!

Pokey Bolton Editorial Director More Quilting Daily •  Blogs •  Galleries •  Quilting Arts TV •  Free Stuff •  Join Quilting Arts •  Share Your Comments

Buy Yourself Some Time Make easy, modern projects in no time with Quilting Arts Gifts Make quick work of your holiday gift list and home décor with fun, festive projects you can make in an afternoon. The 2010-11 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts offers you seven Make-it-Quick! ideas that are a snap to make, leaving you more time to enjoy the season and bask in all the compliments you'll get for your creativity. Got time for more involved projects? Quilting Arts Gifts includes more than 20 additional art quilting and mixed-media ideas that will elicit oohs and aahs from everyone who sees them. Our Gifts issue is always a best-seller, so don't miss out. Order your issue today, and complete a project the very day it arrives!

This email was sent to: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com. Privacy Policy        Unsubscribe Interweave, 201 E. 4th St., Loveland, CO 80537 ©2010 Interweave Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gift idea-- Scented body powders

Recycle Your Cell Phone

I'm a big supporter of cells for soldiers, so this artcle caught my eye. Why not keep that cell and its toxic contents out of the landfills by doing some good?

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/16/four-ways-to-give-to-charity-by-recycling-your-cell-phone.html

Baking Soda Tips for Harried Moms and Grandmas

Cleaning Baby Equipment
Little hands mean lots of exploring. Safely clean your baby’s area (play pen, changing table, crib, stroller, car seat and high chair) with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda. Just sprinkle ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda directly on a clean damp sponge and rub the item clean. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Sparkling clean and no harsh cleaners to worry about!

Cleaning Baby Toys
Don’t toy around with harsh cleaners. Clean and deodorize baby toys safely and effectively using 4 tablespoons of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water. Wash toys with a clean damp sponge or cloth, rinse and dry.

Freshen Stuffed Animals
Even Mr. Bear needs a bath. Keep favorite cuddly toys fresh with a dry shower of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda. Just sprinkle ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda on and let it sit for 15 minutes before brushing off. It’s gentle enough for use around your baby and Teddy will appreciate it too!

Cleaning Baby Equipment
Little hands mean lots of exploring. Safely clean your baby’s area (play pen, changing table, crib, stroller, car seat and high chair) with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda. Just sprinkle ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda directly on a clean damp sponge and rub the item clean. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Sparkling clean and no harsh cleaners to worry about!

Just For Kids
ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda invites you to open a box and begin an adventure! Children learn best by doing. As they explore with their hands, they push the boundaries of imagination. We have recipes, activities and experiments to satisfy the most curious and creative youngsters. Ready, Set, Fun, Go! And don’t forget the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

Baby spills on carpet
Even little ones can make big messes! Clean and deodorize baby spills on carpets by soaking up as much of the liquid as possible. Clean the stain according to the manufacturers directions and allow to dry. Then to deodorize, when the area is completely dry, sprinkle liberally with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda and let sit for 15 minutes before vacuuming it up. Check for color-fastness first before applying ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda.

Clean Walls
Clean and remove marks (even crayon!) from walls and painted furniture by applying ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to a damp sponge and rubbing lightly. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth.

Just For Kids
ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda invites you to open a box and begin an adventure! Children learn best by doing. As they explore with their hands, they push the boundaries of imagination. We have recipes, activities and experiments to satisfy the most curious and creative youngsters. Ready, Set, Fun, Go! And don’t forget the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

Clean Furniture
Clean and remove marks (even crayon!) from walls and painted furniture by applying ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to a damp sponge and rubbing lightly. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth.

ADULTS ONLY FROM HERE, PLEASE:

Because Lena can't keep it clean in her mind....

Cleaning Mommy's Toys from the "Magic Box Under the Bed" (wink)
Don’t toy around with harsh cleaners. Clean and deodorize your adult toys safely and effectively using 4 tablespoons of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water. Wash toys with a clean damp sponge or cloth, rinse and dry. Do I really have to tell you not to immerse your battery operated toys unless they're designed for water play? Wipe them down.

Play Clay-- Non-toxic clay for the kids (and Mom)

My grandchildren are into the colorful but foul-smelling Play-Dough products. I can remember my own kids getting the stuff into the carpets, and how I worried over the harsh chemicals. At one point, I had a salt recipe for making a homemade dough. This is the closest I've found. Nice part is, this one dries hard as a rock. Thank you, Arm and Hammer!


Play Clay
Welcome to the Amazing World of Play Clay™, the homemade modeling clay that becomes permanent after drying. Three simple ingredients you’ll find in your kitchen combine for virtually unlimited creative possibilities for kids of any age. Great for rainy days, birthday parties and class activities. Since it’s made of foodstuffs, it’s safe, non-toxic and economical! And don’t forget the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

What can you do with Play Clay?

Roll it, cut it, shape it, mold it, squeeze it! Use Play Clay to make decorations and ornaments, jewelry and gifts, magnets and boxes! And more! To get more great ideas, print out our Amazing World of Play Clay brochure.

Play Clay Recipe (Adult supervision required!)

2 cups ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
1 cup corn starch
1-1/4 cups cold water (add food coloring to color clay)

STIR together ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda and Corn Starch in saucepan. Add water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches consistency of moist mashed potatoes (approximately 10-15 minutes). If clay is cooked too long, finished crafts may crack. REMOVE mixture to plate and cover with a damp cloth. When Play Clay is cool enough to handle, pat until smooth. Now you’re ready to make fun shapes!

DRYING:

Air: Place finished objects on wire rack. Dry overnight (8 hours).

Oven: Pre-heat oven to lowest setting. Turn oven off , then place finished objects on a cookie sheet in oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Microwave: Place finished object on paper towel. Bake at medium power for 30 seconds; turn crafts over and bake for 30 seconds more. Repeat until Play Clay is completely dry. Let cool before handling.

DECORATING: Colored Clay -- When mixing Play Clay recipe, substitute food color for some of the water to create fun, festive colors. Paint -- Paint dry pieces with water color, poster or acrylic paints. Apply glitter to wet paint. Use felt-tip pens or waterproof marker for drawing and glue to apply details.

Decorative Elements -- Many objects found around the house and yard will help create unique Play Clay crafts. Use buttons or coins to imprint a pattern on a craft. Or accent a design with beads, macaroni, leaves, shells or bark. Either place the decorations on Play Clay while it’s soft or apply with glue to dried craft.

FINISHING: Protect finished Play Clay objects with clear acrylic spray paint or clear nail polish.

STORING: Store any unused Play Clay for up to one week. Simply place in a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and refrigerate. Do not freeze. Bring to room temperature before using.

Lena

Amazing Savings Using Vinegar

In light of the harsh economic times and the fad of going green, I decided to take another look at the many uses of common household products like vinegar and baking soda instead of harsh and expensive chemicals.

This article gives a lovely overview of vinegar:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/amazing-vinegar-house.html

I've done the vinegar soak for my hand-held shower head, and the results of its overnight soak in a bucket of vinegar and water were amazing!

I'd forgotten some of the uses, such as the vinegar solution for pet stains. However, you've never had a shinier sink until you scrub with baking soda and a wet sponge, rinse, and then shine up with vinegar! Talk about scrubbing bubbles if you missed a spot in the rinse. LOL!

I've even used vinegar as a hair rinse when I'm preparing for chemical services, like hair coloring. The vinegar breaks down any hard water deposits and chlorine from my hair.

Speaking of the bathroom, I stopped paying for expensive exfoliating scrubs. Baking soda and water is not only safer for my skin and the environment, but afterwards, I can add vinegar to the drain to keep my pipes clear. The bubbling action between the baking soda and vinegar is great.

Here in Florida, insects can be a real problem, especially mosquitoes. I spray vinegar on myself, and not only is it refreshingly cool as it evaporates, but mosquitoes find the "taste" of vinegar repulsive and are less likely to bite.

Replacing liquid fabric softener with vinegar works, too. I've done it. 3/4 of a cup in your fabric softener dispenser does the job. For my dispenser, I put in the vinegar, then fill the rest with water. I haven't used dryer sheets since I discovered this method. What's more, I have less soap residue on my clothes and they look brighter! It also removes cigarette odor from clothing. My nose thanks vinegar for that alone when I go green further and hang clothes out on the line instead of using the dryer.

Best use for baking soda-- relieving acid indigestion. My DH is prone to indigestion. Until I had my LapBand, I suffered from acid reflux. The inexpensive solution as opposed to often ineffective tablets? Baking soda in water, aka old-fashioned sodium bicarbonate. Guess our grandparents were pretty darn smart. Just follow the directions on the box. Gag it down --yes, I know, it's not pleasant-- and within half an hour the soda and the excess acid in your stomach will neutralize each other with a loud burp! (You know, acid plus alkaline...didn't everyone take science in high school?) Unless you take the soda with you, you'll be home and can burp loudly. What? You'd rather be in pain?

Ever brushed your teeth with a baking soda paste? Try it sometime. Yes, it whitens your teeth, too. You're paying how much to have the dentist do this?

More uses for vinegar here: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/vinegar/
Ten uses for baking soda here: http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/10-new-uses-for-baking-soda-10000001030037/index.html (I didn't know about the deoderant!)

Arm and Hammer had this great idea for the sneakers, but I'm doing it for those smelly work boots! Steel toe boot reek! I wouldn't mind making these and changing out the baking soda once a month, just to get rid of the stench. Bet it would work for gym bags, too.


Sneaker Peekers
This fun craft does double duty. Kids will have a blast decorating these zany creatures – and then the ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda will go to work deodorizing those smelly sneakers!

What You Need:
1 new, white athletic sock (mid-calf size)
1 cup ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
1 rubber band
6" ribbon or stringfelt, markers, buttons, and glue for decorating!

How to Make it:

1. Lay newspaper down on your work surface.
2. Fill the sock with 1 cup ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda.
3. Secure with rubber band.
4. Tie ribbon around rubber band, cut off extra sock (cuff area).
5. Decorate! Use Felt, Markers, Buttons, Sequins, etc. to make your Sneaker Peeker an animal, a monster, a flower! Anything goes!
6. Stick them in your sneakers overnight for fresh shoes in the morning!

Remember the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

Ways to Annoy a Teen #1-- Short Showers

Hey Parents! Here's a new way to annoy the teens in your home! Just don't show them the reset button! No more gallons of water waste. Why didn't someone invent this when my girls were teens?

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/1022/showerhead-with-automatic-shutoff.html

Living Green-- How to find Free Stuff

Yes, Free. My favorite price.

I am a housewife. I'm the ultimate consumer, buying stuff for an entire family, plus some extended family. I need free. Therefore, I've used Craigslist and Freecycle before. Thjs list beats all I've ever seen for freebies. Wow! Jewelry? Kid's stuff? What great ideas!

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/53/how-to-find-free-stuff.html

I'll be holding a "garage sale" on my local Craigslist. (grin)

Lena

Living Green-- Shipping Container Houses

I didn't believe it until I saw this article. Now I want one for myself!

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/8/twelve-amazing-shipping-container-houses.html

These are classsy places with all the cool features. You can even live off the grid! Whoa! I so want one. I could double the square footage I have now for the same price! Now that's a bargain.

To me, this is better than "manufactured housing" or as we call 'em here in the south, trailers. Same idea -- portable metal box made into a home. However, these buggers don't pretend to come with wheels. You put them on a permanent foundation or not, but they're still an insulated metal box. Anyone who's ever lived in a trailer can tell you an insulated metal box can be darn comfy, but I wouldn't want to stack trailers like you can these shipping containers.

I'd be willing to bet they're sturdier and weigh more than a trailer, too. Being a Floridian means I'm concerned about how weather could affect them. Not a happy thing if your trailer and a hurricane happen to be in the same place at the same time. My sturdy little cement block home took a beating last hurricane season, so a metal box had better be heavy and well-anchored. You can really anchor a shipping container!

All in all, I'm very impressed. They even come in pretty colors. Not a bad deal!