Get a load of this!!!

I have been learning so much lately about many different things. I feel that everyday I am learning and growing and improving. I have learned about Eco-friendly and wallet friendly cleaners (like white vinegar), how to frugally cook everyday gourmet food for a decent price, and most recently......how many ways you can re-use a dryer sheet! Here are some fun handy tips on how to use again those "retired" dryer sheets....

• First, a word of advice: dryer sheets can cause buildup on towels that can make them feel slippery and reduce their absorbency. To avoid this problem, try reducing the number of times you use dryer sheets in each load of towels..

• If you have a casserole or pan with burned-on food, fill it with hot water, toss in a softener sheet for several hours (overnight is fine too..), and the burned-on food will slide right off!

• Run a needle and thread through the sheet to prevent static from tangling the thread.

• Wipe the TV screen, blinds, or any other surface that attracts dust with a used sheet to reduce the static electricity that attracts dust.

• Place a used sheet in luggage, drawers, closets, trashcans, under car seats, and in your laundry bag or hamper to give a nice fresh scent!

• Tuck into shoes before placing them in your luggage. Shoes will smell fresh and you can use the dryer sheet to buff shoes and remove dust after wearing them.

• Polish chrome to a brilliant shine after cleaning

• Use it to wrap Christmas ornaments or other fragile things before boxing them up for storage. The dryer sheet will protect them and you can wipe Christmas ornaments prior to hanging on the tree to reduce static electricity and repel dust.

• Wipe car dashboards with a used sheet to shine and repel dust.

Bottom line: Retired dryer sheet have plenty of uses left, so don't waste them. AND don't use new softener sheets for any of these purposes. Pick up a used (or gently loved, retired...whatever you want to call it..) instead! I put my used dryer sheets in an empty tissue bow I keep on top of the dryer. This way they are always handy.

Apple Crisp

So I here is a yummy recipe to use up apples!I seem to always have some lurking around the fridge... I like to think this recipe is lower in fat because it doesn't use as much butter as other recipes... Apple Filling: 3 pounds apples 2 T. lemon juice 1/2 c. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 T. flour Topping: 1/2 c. walnut bits 1/2 c. flour 3/4 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 T. chilled butter 1 c. rolled oats 1 egg white Directions: Combine apple filling in 9x13 in. pan. In separate bowl, mix topping and evenly distribute over apple filling. Bake 375 for 30 minutes, or until apples are cooked through. Especially yummy when served with vanilla ice cream or cool whip!

No More Monkey Business!

Some African tribes have learned that greed can be used to trap and catch monkeys. The men carefully cut a hole into the side of a large gourd just big enough for a monkey to insert his open hand into. Then the men carefully hollow out the gourd and put in some favorite monkey food, such as bananas and nuts. Next the hunters tie the trap in a tree branch where the monkeys are known to gather. While the hunters watch from their hiding places, monkeys attracted by the scent of the enticing food soon gather. After much chatter, one monkey will usually reach into the gourd and greedily grasp the food. The problem, of course is that it cannot withdraw its hand without releasing its fistful of food. That is when the hunters move in. If only the animal was willing to let go of his coveted bait he could have his freedom. But, unwilling to do so, he pays the price of being captured. As I read the story above, I was struck with the question; what things in my life am I greedily hanging onto that are going to ultimately lead to my own demise? What innocent traps have Satan laid in my path that I am unwilling to give up? Something for all of us to think about........

Crickets...

I really hate crickets, and when I told this to Mark one time, he only replied sweetly with..."Well, didn't you like Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio?" to which my reply was, if I ever see a cricket wearing a top hat, carrying a cane, and singing - than maybe I would be OK with that! When I married Mark, I knew that I was in for quite the experience. Not only was I now married to someone serving in the military, but this wonderful man that I love so dearly, has a love for ALL God's creatures. When I say all...I mean ALL. Since we have been married, we have housed tarantulas, a king scorpion, at one point or another 10 snakes, (all of which were in cages. However, that didn't mean one or two haven't escaped at one point or another!) That is not even including the food we have housed for them. Rats, mice, gerbils, crickets...ugh! But, all this has been very educational and I have a new view of our awesome Creator. How perfectly every creature is made. I tend to lean more towards the normal pets, I have a very poofy white bunny named Jasper, who thank heavens prefers rabbit pellets and alfalfa to the menu our other carnivorous friends enjoy. Mollie, my fun loving miniature dachshund, snacks on kibbles and sweetly bats her eyes at dinner guests hoping for some handouts. Our latest addition? Fish. We have lots of fish. Beautiful koi, and a variety of goldfish. What a privilege to be able to observe all of these creatures God has created so closely! I have been learning so much about them, and how delicate they really are. They are beautiful, but if the water conditions are not just right, they can't survive. Another amazing creation! This summer, we adopted a leopard gecko. During the summer the geckos would try and drink from the pool and then fall in and drown. We felt so bad for them, that when Mark found a 2 1/2 inch long gecko and some gecko eggs, they were promptly put in their own cage. The gecko, we dubbed "Leo" and thought he was quite cute. I never thought the tiny white eggs would hatch, but they did, and we had three baby geckos! We eventually let them go because we had a hard time finding crickets small enough for them to eat. Here is what we would do to find crickets...try and imagine this... Its too hot during the summer days for the crickets to come out, so as soon as the sun would go down Mark would flood the ground next to the porch with the garden hose. Then with me holding a flashlight I would try and follow these tiny pin head crickets as they jumped onto the cement to avoid drowning. While Mark would try and run around and catch the crickets with his hands. Now, I HATE crickets. They freak me out and so I would be jumping around scared to death one would jump on me, with Mark shouting "There's one! The light! Shine the light on it! Don't move!". As you can imagine it wasn't working very well and Mark did some research and went to plan B, which I disliked just as much as plan A.....breeding crickets. Now, he assured me that they would be living outside and set up a breeding ground in a 10 gallon aquarium. After their "home" was ready, I only had to help him find a male and female crickets. Which involved Mark picking up every cricket he found and determining the sex. HA! Then the colder weather came...and into the house they moved. I wouldn't stand to have the cage in the kitchen, so they were permanently moved and settled in his office. The only challenge left has been making sure they have water. This has challenged my sanity! I dread opening the cage lid, and moving aside the water sponges to make sure none of Mark's "cricket friends" drown when I refill the water dish. So here is how the scenario usually goes....I open the lid, take a deep breath and hoping that there are no crickets near, stick a spoon carefully down into the water bowl and then scream and shriek when crickets come jumping out! Just thinking about it now gives me the creepy crawlies! At the end of summer Mark found another gecko that needed a winter home, and it went into the cage with the cricket friends. Call it population control. Only problem: it keeps escaping! Heaven only knows where Leo the III is at this moment! Never a dull moment!