Gratitude and friends

Do you ever thank your friends for being the person they are?
So many times friends are taken for granted.
They deserve far better.

Why not buy them a nice present, or organise a surprise party?

I once had a friend who wrote down everything I'd done for him during three months.
That was quite a list and I'd never realised before how much I'd done for him.
For each act of kindness he gave me a beautiful rose.

That was quite a bouquet.
I've never been moer happy with a present than the day he gave me that one.

Collect seeds

It's time to collect seeds from the plants in your garden.

Put them in a plastic container when you take them from the plants and inside the house spread them on white paper or t-towels.
Not on newspaper, because the ink might cause problems.

Let the seeds dry a bit.

Popping seeds can best be put in a box with a t-towel over it.

After a few hours to a day take the seeds themselves and put them into another container to dry a bit more.

Then store them in an envelope with name and date on it.

smelly knives

The smell of unions can stick on everything and cause a nasty smell for days.
Even knives can keep the smell alive.

But not when you use my trick.

Pull them quickly through a flame.

Yes, you hear it well.

Don't smear oil or butter on them.
Kust make them clean and dry and then pull them through a flame.

The smell will be gone.

Good luck!

Fit a candle

Tell me, how often have you been annoyed by the fact that you didn't buy the right size of candle for the holder.

Oh, I have had so many beautiful candles and I've even bought new holders for the perfect fit.

I'm happy I know better now than run to the shops.

I just hold the bottom of the candle in hot water until it's soft.

Then I press the part in shape for the holder, fit it, and wait until it has cooled down.

Works great!!

Be prepared

I can't believe that people aren't prepared for loss of electricity or a disaster.

It's so easy to put at a few centrale places in the house a few candles and matches.
They eat nothing, do nothing.

But when the power goes, these candles can be life saving.

Do you have candles available ?

Against ants

When ants have the idea that your house is their domain you're in trouble.

You have to take an effort to change the odds and to win against their long line of marching soldiers in your kitchen and at other places.

Sounding a different beat than the ants-march isn't enough.

But I know something which really works to show them their place: outside.

Use talkum powder.

They hate to walk with powder on their little feet.

So use that knowledge and their fine marching soldiers will refuse the commands to enter your house.

children's tattoo

Don't you love those lovely children's tattoos?
You can put them on everything, the window, a mug,a lunchbox, oh and on the child.

But how to remove the tattoo?

You can't use sandpaper of chemicals on a child's skin.

So use peanutbutter.
Let it soak in for a while and then rub.

It helps a lot!

Salmon wraps

Take a mexican wrap.
Spread it on the table in front of you.

With a knife spread herbal cheese on it.
Preferably french soft cheese with herbs.

On it: a thin layer of salmon.

And then: large thin slices of cucumber.

Rol the wrap and slice it in 3 cm long pieces.

Eat!

Yummy.

Stung by a mosquito?

Are you stung by a mosquito and you can't find the special anti-itch cream that smells so nice?
And those spots are growing and colour redder and redder. Ands the itching is getting worse.

You'd better run for the vinegar.

It helps very well.

Just put a bit on a cotton ball or on kitchen paper and put it on the spot.

It really, really helps!

Take a plastic bag with you.

Never leave your house without taking a plastic bag with you.

During this time of year it comes in handy for... fruit.

Take a walk in the woods and look around. You'll be able to find brambles and blueberries.

Don't take them from plants near the highway or near streets.
Walk a bit further into the wood, so the fruit won't contain pollution.

Need new furniture?

Do you need new furniture and you've got no money?

Ask your friends. Maybe someone in their family is moving and wants to find a new home for furniture.

Look at the leaflets at the supermarket. Some people first try to give furniture away before the throw it away.

Some councils have a special recycle unit. Go and have a look.

And ofcourse second hand shops are OK.
Ask the owner to keep your adress and warn you when he can't sell something and is OK with you picking something up for nothing. It's always better than throwing furniture away.

Good luck!

Almost too late for potatoes?

Ugh... I almost forgot to boil the potatoes for dinner.
The vegetables were almost ready, but the potatoes... they were forgotten.

I feel lucky that someone gave me the tip to add a bit of vinegar to the water and boil them.
Less time needed.

Smell of union

Slicing union is not only a burden to your eyes.
The smell on your fingers can be very terrible too.

Washing with soap doesn't help, but I know what helps, because my grandmother taught me.

A few drops of milk are enough to rub in your hands and make the smell of unions disappear.

Have a try!

Agenda

Children buy agenda's that start at the beginning of the schoolyear.
Grown ups buy agenda's that start with: january 1.

It's far more convenient for moms of schoolkids to have an agenda that starts with the schoolyear too.

You can use a schoolagenda for even more comvenience, because you can write down schedules, and all sorts of other things which are important for moms of schoolkids.

Beads and buttons

Children love beads and buttons, so always keep them and never throw them away.

Glueing several buttons on top of each other, with the holes alligned makes a perfect stand for incense. To make the small tower stable you can glue them on a small tile.

You can also make lovely hairaccessories with buttons, ribbons and... small bells.

Good luck!

take a pen with you

It's a good decision to take a pen and a piece of paper with you wherever you go.
But be carefull.

Penns can cause nasty stains in your clothes.

Wear the tip to the top.

Easy to remember isn't it?

Seeds

Some plants already have seeds waiting to be harvested.

Take an envelope, write down the date, place where you gathered the seeds, and the kind of seed.

Harvest the seeds and let them dry.

Close the envelope and put it at a dry place.

Until next year spring.

Be prepared for a new job-application

There's nothing wrong to prepare yourself for a job-application even when you're not looking for a job.

It saved time and nerves when you have a list of what you have done in your life, and a list of the education you have had.

When you see a nice job in the paper, all you have to do is read it, accentuate what is needed for the job and print it.

free furniture

This time of year is favorite for those who want to move house.
The result is that they can't get rid of their furniture and a look at the marketsites online can have a great result.
I saw quite some furniture offered for free.

Wow!

keeping appointments

Some people have troubles keeping appointments.
They can burden the people around them for days telling over and over about the dentist appointment they've made, and when the day has arrived they think of it when it's too late.

You can use one of those online agenda's from where you can send yourself an automated mail on the day or a day before.
Bravenet had an agenda like that. I don't know if they still have.

Otherwise ask a friend to keep your appointment in his or her aganda and mail you or give you a call.

Good luck!

No mess when cooking milk

Hot milk is a good ingredient of hot chocolate, but boiling or cooking milk can be a messy event when you're not in time to switch the flame off.

When you rub some butter around the pan the milk won't boil over.

Are you just entering the kitchen when the bubbly boiling milk has reached the rim and is going to make a mess of your furnace.
Pour a spoonful of sugar on it.


Good luck!

Sock stuck in vacuum cleaner?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been surprised by a sock.

At one moment it was on the floor and the next moment it was sucked up by the vacuum cleaner and the result was that no air came out or in the hose.

Take a handful of marbles, go somewhere safe, like in the garden en shake the marbles in the hose right on top of the sock.

It'll come out.

The marbles too, so when you shake above a bucket you'll have them back the easiest way.

Save kernels

We can do a lot of things with the kernels of fruit.

Those which haven't undergone radiation can be planetd, others can be made into beads or can be used to texture the earth in the garden.
They're also a nice decoration around plants, and you can even die them or use them in a vase to keep the flowers standing straight.

I bet you know some other used too.

planting bulbs for autum

This is the perfect time to plant bulbs for the second part of the year.

Be careful when you buy them as they should have the right year on the package.
Aslo read about what kind of compost or sand they need, how much water and if they need sun or shadow.

You can plant some small plants on top, so you want have to stare to empty places in your garden.

Good luck!

Re-use glass curtains

Many people throw away the glass curtains when they're off white.

They forget the many uses for these curtains.

Ever wanted to hang up yoghurt?
You can put yoghurt in a clean square of glass curtain, put the corners together with a thread and hang it.
The result if thick yoghurt which can be used as an ingredient in dishes or to eat just like that.

You can use glass curtains too to cover plates to keep the flies away.

After the BBQ

Cleaning the BBQ isn't fun.

But it won't be such a problem when you put the elements in the grass during the night, or between a wet paper.
The dirt will come off easily and you'll be ready cleaning in no time.

replant your lavender

It´s precisely the time now to prepare your lavender for a beautiful next year.

Dig the plant out.

Make the hole deeper... about 20 to 25 cm.

Replant the lavender and spread the branches. Put earth or compost between them.

That´s it.


Good luck!

Dirt from flies

Dirt from flies on the windowsill. That looks awfull.

After cleaning your windows take a spray and fill it with washing up liquid. Preferable a kind that doesn't have too much colour.

Spray it on the windowsill.

The dirt of flies will wash away in the rain or when you spray water on top of it.

against bugs

Do you know that aluminium and cucumber put together generate a smell that repells bugs?

Well, you know now.

A chemical reaction creates vapours we can't smell, doesn't harm plants, but keeps the bugs away.

But mind you, some birds and other animals need the bugs to stay alive.
When the bugs are gone the other animals will leave too.

Cheap books

Maybe I've given this tip before, but I'm sure you won't mind to read it again.

Many people are not aware that their library disposes itself from old books once in a while.
Instead of exchanging books between libraries they throw them away or sell them for a very low prize.

Ours sells books for 1 euro, sometimes even 5 for 1 euro.

These books are most of the time in good condition, sometimes completely new and a few times they're read to shreds. Well, in that case I don't buy them.

The only thing is that the library has put plastic over the covers and has put a number on them.
I can deal with that.