Friday in the Country

Wrap sets of flatware in pretty napkins and tie with ribbon ready for a buffet meal.

To keep nylon or satin ribbon from fraying, carefully singe the ends with a flame.  Be sure that you have already cut on an angle.

Suffer short term memory loss?  Keep a pen and sticky notes in every room in your home and write down things when you think of them.

Save printer ink with a couple of simple things.  

A). Print in draft mode unless printing formal documents or letters.

B). Calibri and Times New Roman fonts use less ink than others.

FRIDAY in the COUNTRY

Rubbing alcohol will cut through hairspray residue in your bathroom.

Easy border instead of wallpaper:  bring the outdoors in. Using double sided tape, stick various leaves high up along the ceiling on the wall.. spray paint the wall around the leaves .. you can reuse the leaves by moving around .. Large fallen fall leaves and airy fern leaves really pop.

Tie a home sewn gift with self fabric – a strip you've cut or torn away. The selvage makes a nice “ribbon”. Or make a fabric bag to hold your gift, from tiny to very large.

A quick napkin ring, any time of year: ribbon tied in a bow, silk flowers wrapped in a circle or brightly colored pipe cleaners.

Friday in the Country

Make make your own watercolor paint with equal parts of water, clear or white liquid dish detergent and food coloring; start with 1 teaspoon each.

Fill 1 or 2, 2 liter or 2 quart plastic milk or soda containers with water and keep in the freezer. You’ll have fresh water in case of a natural disaster.  If your chest or upright freezer isn’t well stocked, fill in the empty space with additional containers of water to freeze. A well filled freezer operates more efficiently than an empty one. Remove as the space is needed for food.  THEN, after the ice has completely melted, water indoor or outdoor plants with that water instead of just dumping it down the drain. If you have a power outage, the containers of ice might keep your food safe. Do not open freezer during a power outage.

Yes, Cola beverages really do clean off the corrosion on battery posts on your car battery (buy .

Old drawers make great storage spaces under the bed. If handles are missing, drill sets of ¼” holes in the front of each drawer, thread clothesline rope through holes and knot on the inside. This is also a neat way to add “beach” décor to a room.

Keep a glass squeegee in your car to remove new-fallen snow from your windows – no scratching - clean swipe!

Friday in the Country

1.Sewing: don’t have a good thread match?  Try light gray!  

2. Save slivers of bar soap: they‘re great for pattern marking on fabric. 

3. Use bar soap to make drawers slide easily – just rub it over the sliders.  This also works well on sticking sliding glass and closet door tracks.

4. Clean out an empty, large spice container and fill with flour.  Great for flouring cake pans.

5. These are fun: For a cocktail party, or, if the little ones are stuck in the house for yet another snow storm, make some of these for a "party" atmosphere:.  Mini Shish Kebabs.  Soak toothpicks in water for 10 - 15 minutes.  Thread onto the picks, cooked, cubed ham and pineapple or chicken and dried fruit, ham and maraschino cherries and grill ..  add cubes of cheese when ready to serve. Use your imagination! You might marinate chicken bites in a mixture of teriyaki and garlic pepper, then grill with pineapple or peach bites.  Serve while still warm.

© 2014 Cat Brennan

Friday in the Country

Here is the first 'Friday in the Country' post.  There is no rhyme or reason for these posts; just pulling from an array of "Good Ideas" that I've used and saved over my many years of home keeping.  If you would like to share your own with me, you may get published here another Friday.

1.  To sharpen dull scissors, cut through fine sand paper a couple of times .. good as new. 

2.  It’s a good idea to wash and dry your scissors periodically. Very often, your scissors aren't really dull, and just need this simple attention. 

3.  For loose wooden knobs on drawers, dip the screw into clear fingernail polish.  This also works for loose screws in your eyeglasses. Be careful not to get the lacquer on your lenses. 

4.  Do you remember ‘Energine’ Lighter Fluid? The stuff is great for removing label and tape goo from glass jars. It’s really great for getting black marks off your linoleum. Because this method can leave a surface slippery, be very sure to wash thoroughly with soap and water.  FYI, WD-40™ will also do this type of cleaning, IF you can stand the odor.  

Hope you have a great day, whether you live in the country or simply wish you did.

©2014 Cat Brennan

FRIDAY in the Country

Friday is coming!!
Starting Friday, February 21st, I'll post a new fact just for fun every Friday .. there may be more than one on any given Friday .. They may be fun, could be fact, could be foolish.  Just "tune in" every Friday to see what kind of frolicking I'm up to.  Since my blog is now 4 years old, I thought I would change things a bit.

© 2014 Cat Brennan

Country Produce: Fresh or Frozen

Most of us like fresh fruit and veggies; because of faster and more efficient shipping methods than even 20 years ago, out-of-season produce is often available, but at what cost? Taste is a big issue for me, especially tomatoes. Blehk!!  Hot-house-grown tomatoes leave a lot to be desired. You really don’t have to have tomatoes to make a good salad.

One of my favorite supper salads includes diced apples, chopped nuts, diced cucumbers, finely chopped sweet onion, diced bell pepper and shredded carrots.  Add an Asian Sesame Dressing, or a simple oil and vinegar and dinner is ready.

Frozen fruit and vegetables are a good alternative to over-priced and hot-house “plastic” varieties.  These cold winter months are a great time to purchase frozen produce.  Generally speaking, fruits and veggies are packed at their peak, so the selection will be good.

Be very careful to rotate and exchange foods in your refrigerator-freezer on a regular basis.  The ‘frost free’ feature in your appliance will play havoc with food left for any length of time.  Don’t purchase an abundance of any frozen food product unless you have an upright or chest-style freezer in which to store your cache as you are risking losing some food.  If you just have to purchase a huge amount because you just can’t pass up a good bargain and have no extra freezer, plan on using that food within 2 to 3 weeks.

Check with your local County Extension office to find out what is fresh during these cold months, and year-round.  A county agent can be your best friend.  That agent can identify bugs and other vermin, wild varmints, soil condition, water safety and much more.

“White sales” used to be very popular ‘back in the day’’ and linens usually are on sale at this time of the year. Other good buys in this off-season include carpeting, motorcycles, cell phones, furniture and luggage.  You probably should wait until mid February to purchase new televisions and home theaters.

I hope your week is filled with Country blessings.

© 2014 Cat Brennan