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WFMW: Freezer Tip
It could just be that everyone else knows this wonderful simple and oh-so-very-helpful freezing technique.It all started with me wanting great breakfasts for my children that go beyond cold cereal but I am a lazy “breakfast cooker”- meaning I love for us to have pancakes and waffles but I don’t want to get up any earlier to make them.
I happen to really enjoy my sleep in the morning.
So we decided to try for making pancakes and waffles on the weekends and freezing the delicious efforts. We found it hard to chisel the pancakes apart without leaving pieces of them stuck to the others.
And I hit upon an idea.
I laid the cooled pancakes out on cookie sheets in single layers and put the cookie sheets in the freezer. A couple hours later, when they were frozen to hockey puck status, I worked them off the cookie sheets with a spatula and put them in large Ziploc freezer bags. I do the same thing with waffles. Currently, I have not tried it with French Toast.
I have used the same trick with onion too- dice it, lay a single layer on the cookie sheet, freeze and bag and put back in freezer.
Cookie dough is of course another one- scoop onto the cookie sheet just as if you were putting it in the oven- but put it in the freezer instead. So, instead of freezing a tub of cookie dough I have frozen individual cookies ready to pop in the oven. I find I actually make cookies when I do this.
Plus this had the added bonus of making me feel oh-so-ultra-efficient.
Find more techniques, tips and tricks at Rocks in My Dryer where every Wednesday is Works For Me Wednesday.
Good Morning! It's Works for Me Wednesday!
My quest for frugality takes all types of twists and turns. I get some great ideas and some really wacky ones.There are times the wacky ideas work and the seemingly great ideas crash and burn (ie some of those ridiculously huge bulk food purchases from the warehouse club- what family really needs a 5 gallon bucket of salsa?)
I digress.
The following doesn’t exactly fall under wacky but a couple of friends have raised their eye brows at me . . . . .
I freeze left over fruit juices, juice from canned fruits, the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries in small Jell-O molds to be used instead of ice in punches and other yummy beverages. I keep the molds in the freezer and add to them as I come across dribbles of juice left in containers and such.
Warning- beware of freezer burn- use the juice ice within a reasonable length of time.
I must say that the maraschino cherries juice along with juices from some sliced strawberries tasted incredibly slurpy delicious in our lemonade this summer.
Find other (perhaps more helpful) Works for Me Wednesday tips at Rocks in My Dryer.
WFMW: Really cheap trick for gourmet coffee taste
Today is Works for Me Wednesday [Sponsored by Rocks in my Dryer] where others pool together their resources, ideas, sanity-saving tips and more in one special Mr. Linky Spot- Shannon’s place.Today’s Works for Me Wednesday is courtesy of my dear brother. I don’t know where he got the idea but I believe it to be worthy of WFMW.
An extraordinarily cheap way to give a bit of gourmet taste to your coffee
When adding coffee grounds add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon on top of your grounds.
That’s it. That’s all you need to do.
Ta Da! Cinnamon flavored coffee!
So simple and simply divine yummy-ness!
WFMW: 5 recipes with 5 ingredients or less
Today being the 1st Wednesday of the month means it’s Theme Day for Works for Me Wednesday. Today’s theme is to share recipes that are 5 ingredients or less.
I happen to love such simple recipes and already have a few available for trying- so I'll share links to 5 of my best 5-ingredients or less recipes:
Ranch Chicken
Triple Fudge Brownies
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Crockpot Lasagna
I am a big fan of my crockpot. Check out more great recipes by clicking on Recipes under catagories in my side bar AND by visiting Rocks in My Dryer- the official site for all your Works For Me Wednesday tips.
WFMW: Easy way to send your kiddo packing
It has been a long time, but I am jumping back on the Works for Me Wednesday bandwagon today with a wonderful tip from a very good friend of mine- a tip for simplifying packing for your kiddo’s trip to summer camp.The trick- 2 gallon size Ziploc baggies.
Mark each baggie with a day of the week that the child will be away at camp and fill it with one complete set of clothes for that day. Smash the bag flat and squeeze every last bit of air out as you zip it closed.
This simple solution if helpful because:
a Packaging and squishing takes up less space
a Your children will know exactly what to wear
a You can tell if your son ever changed his clothes (and undergarments) at camp all week.
This tip would also be great for family vacations when you are packing more than one child’s clothing in the same bag.
Find more handy tips and tricks every Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!
WFMW: Lint roller- another use
Today is the Greatest Hits Edition of Works For Me Wednesday- where WFMW tipsters go back in their archives and share at least one of their greatest tips with the populous . . . . . here's mine.
Today’s handy tip comes from a bright idea I had out of necessity. Yesterday we had a light bulb shatter and scatter pieces all over our bathroom floor. I swept the whole floor and then swept it again. Since we are still walking around the house barefoot, I knew I had to make sure I picked up every miniscule piece of glass. My flooring is off-white so it was quite difficult to see every piece. After sweeping I ran my hand lightly over the floor to see if I had it all and of course, I cut myself on a itty bitty piece. [insert heavy sigh here]. So—here’s my big idea for making sure you pick up every last piece—a lint roller. I have a sticky sheet lint roller and so I rolled it over the whole floor once, threw away that sheet and then rolled it again (we won’t mention the dust bunnies it also picked up).
What a super idea!
I also plan on trying this the next time a light bulb breaks on the carpet too- no matter how great the suction on my vac is- I don't get the pieces that get embedded way down deep.
Don't forget to check out other greatest hit tips today at Works For Me Wednesday Central- Rocks in My Dryer.
WFMW: My favorite shopping sites
Today is the first Wednesday of the month and that means its Theme Day for Works-For-Me Wednesday. The theme today is share your favorite on-line stores/shopping sources.Here is where I find I go most often:
For great gifts, homeschool resources and all things Christian (this is where I order our Adventures in Odyssey and Jonathan Park CDs and other wonderful DVDs) I use Christian Book Distributors. In fact, I look here before I even go to my local Christian bookstore. Only a handful of times have I found the same item cheaper someplace else.
For other homeschool resources: I like to check Rainbow Resources. There’s oodles and oodles of stuff here- their print catalog is bigger than the phone book!
I love LOVE love books- so I also love Amazon.com- especially checking out the marketplace for new or like new for way cheaper amounts! We’ve also had great success buying computer games and DVDs this way.
I simply drool over the goodies at etsy. Oh the completely loveliness that is found there! My wonderfully creative Sister-in-law has a shop there and she makes the absolute most adorable taggy blankets for babies- so soft and fun! [Note: She has the most ADORABLE cowboy taggy blanket on there right now for only $9!]
And I've become an apron girl in the past couple of years- so I love to buy the discount aprons at Kitchenwears. And you just have to check out the Girl Aprons too- my daughters love these aprons! The quality is spot-on and the prices are even better! The sale girl aprons are only $5!!!
Well, these are my most favorite places to go. I hope you find some treasures!
And don't forget to check with our Hostess, Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer for oodles upon oodles of more terrific WFMW shopping sites today!
WFMW: Lapbooking resource
Each and every Wednesday Shannon hosts Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer. WFMW is all about sharing tips and tricks and knowledgeable tidbits.I was recently introduced to a helpful little website by a friend and thought that I would pass on the goody-goodness.
The following is a website that has free lapbooks for many wonderful story books and can be adapted for different age ranges. Click HERE for site index (listing of all the stories).
Right now I am doing a bit of lapbooking with my preschooler, Mr. Conductor. We will start with The Mitten (a very good January read) and see how it goes from there.
There are loads of helpful tips on the site and much, much more.
Digital recipe book?
Today is another BACKWARDS WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY hosted by the lovely Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer.Backwards WFMW is simple- instead of sharing a tip or helpful trick—you ask a burning question and hope your readers have the answer you need.
So--- Here is my Question:
Awhile back someone mentioned a website to me that allowed for a type of digital scrapbooking for recipes—you type in the recipes & pick backgrounds etc. . . . . . Does anyone have any idea what this would be or be able to point me in some type of direction?
Thanks!
WFMW: How to: Snow Removal
Works for Me Wednesday is back.
I have to admit that my tip today is rather strange . . . . .
But with over 15 inches of snow and more falling as I type—this is what came in handy today.
First— if you don’t have any ice melt to put on your sidewalk- you can substitute the following: table salt (but it’s gonna take a lot), Sand (if your sandbox isn’t frozen- we keep a small Rubbermaid container of sand in the trunk of our car to add weight and be ready for helping add traction) or – my new favorite Water Softener Pellets. You know the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. I knew my little container of table salt wasn’t going to do the whole walk- but throw out a couple of scoops of those pellets and TA DA!!!
2nd tip: Don’t you just hate it when you’re shoveling and the snow just sticks to your shovel? Spray your shovel with cooking spray (Like Pam) and it’ll slide right off.
So those are my wacky but really useful tips for today.
Find more wonderful tips at Shannon’s- our lovely hostess for Works For Me Wednesday.
Photo:
WFMW: Polish silver in a pinch
A couple of weeks ago I noticed my silver candy dish was in dire need of polishing . . . . and me without any silver polish . . . .
So I was thinking and popping my head in cupboards and such trying to find something- I heard cabbage leaves are great for polishing but I don’t keep any of those on hand.
I did, however, have some toothpaste . . . . and I thought I remembered hearing someone say something about using your toothpaste to clean silver.
It really works, folks! Cleaned up slicker than slick and left a minty clean fresh smell in its wake!
It worked for me!
Toodle on over to Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday creative whatnot.
Works for Me Wednesday: Dinner
Today is another 1st of the month special edition. The tips today are for those never-fail-always-have-on-hand meals for when you just can’t think of anything else. I also must preface this by saying that having a menu plan does eliminate some of this- there’s not frantic rush here at 5:30 pm—scrambling to see “what’s for dinner” but you should always have a never-fail-always-have-on-hand meal for those “Oops times” like forgetting to thaw the chicken or when you’re missing an vital ingredient for a meal- you just gotta have at least one Fall Back Dinner or shall we call it Plan B Dinner.My Plan B Dinner: Chicken-n-noodles, bread and butter, pickles
Chicken-n-noodles:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 oz) canned chicken
½ cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 pkg. egg noodles
Salt to taste
Cook noodles with salt. While noodles are cooking mix remaining ingredients together in small sauce pan and heat slowly. Drain noodles and stir in other (heated) ingredients. To add a bit of “zip” to this simple recipe- I often put a couple or so tablespoons of ranch dressing.
Serve w/ bread and butter and sliced pickle spears for a quick, simple and always on hand dinner.
Quick Company Ready Dinner: Oh, no you just found out you’ve got company for dinner- in an hour! My solution: One Pot Salsa Beef Skillet and cornbread. Have enough on hand so that you can double the salsa beef skillet if necessary. Make the cornbread from a box mix. Voila- you’re done.
What you want dessert with that? Try my famous Triple Fudge Brownies- makes enough for a crowd, the ingredients are always easy to have on hand and it bakes in half an hour- bake the brownies in the oven with the cornbread, while you’re cooking up your skillet on the stove top.
Enjoy.
Find more quick, tried and true, have on hand recipes over at Rocks in my Dryer.
WFMW: Christmas card short cut
My Works for Me Wednesday Tip--
Short Cut for Christmas Card writing.
First off, I must admit that I don't really like signing, addressing, licking, stamping and mailing all those Christmas cards. I just don’t. I tried the Christmas letter for a few years too and found I couldn't keep up with that either. So in an effort to simplify my holiday to-do list without totally doing away with the Christmas cards- I've found a short-cut which is probably border line on the Etiquette of Classic Christmas Card Sending scale.
Here’s what I do- Using my computer I make labels saying “May the Light of Christmas shine in your hearts all year long. (Or some other phrase- I do change it year to year.) Merry Christmas! The Wagners (and then I add all our names here).” I print them off and the kidlets and I have a crazy peel and stick session. Oh, and the kids lick all the envelopes for me- because they like to, not because I make them. Really.
And so- no more holiday hand cramps for me! And that’s my tip today!
Find other wonderful tips over at Shannon’s-- Rocks in my Dryer.
WFMW: Easy Dessert *Updated
The following is my all time favorite recipe to take to any and all gatherings as my “dish to pass”. I love this recipe because it’s easy, I always have the ingredients on hand and it’s frugal. Oh, and its chocolate- now, what’s not to love?!Triple Fudge Brownies
1 box chocolate cake mix (I love to use devil’s food)
1 box chocolate pudding mix
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups milk
Whisk pudding mix and 2 cups of milk, add in cake mix and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into sheet cake pan [15x1 pan] and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar after brownies are cool to touch.
Very good served a la mode.
For other handy tips, click on over to Rocks in my Dryer- where you can tune in each and every Wednesday for Works For Me Wednesday.
**Updated to Add Cost:**
Cost breakdown: Cake mix-79 cents, pudding mix 33 cents, chocolate chips 99 cents (all from Aldi's) and 2 cups of milk 38 cents.
Total Cost for Brownies: $2.49
WFMW: Used dryer sheet uses
It’s Works for Me Wednesday again and today what’s working for me is to recycle a previous Works for Me post from my archives. Some may call this lazy- I call it a prudent savings of time and effort (on my brain). Truly- we have a full, full day here and I simply want to enjoy it. ----------------------------Okay- here's my handy-dandy tip.
Used Dryer Sheets: Dryer sheets can really only be used once in the dryer but still have a lot of sniffy life left in them. I save my used dryer sheets for many different uses.
I put a couple of used dryer sheets in our tent before we tear it down and put it away for the season- this keeps it smelling fresh instead of musty.
I put a sheet in our ice chests for the same reason.
I put them in our winter boots before storing them and with the beach towels & bathing suits before storing also.
I've been known to put them in a really stinky pair of shoes. [At least one for each shoe and then place in plastic grocery bag, knot and let sit for a few days.]
I toss one into each duffel bag, suitcase or travel bag.
I often will use the "used" sheet to wipe down the lint trap and door to my dryer- it's great at catching the lint.
I also use it to wipe down the sides of my washer where we may have a few detergent or fabric softener dribbles- cleans nicely.
Put them under the seats in the car- change as needed- really helps absorb the stale odor of McD's French fries from our last drive thru run.
Toss one or two in when packing seasonal clothes.
Use for dusting "stuff" around the house. [Mr. Conductor loves to do this.]
I often keep a couple in a plastic baggie in my purse for taming static electricity on clothing.
I toss one at the bottom of each trash can (and the diaper genie)- great for absorbing odors and also catching leaks. Change as needed.
Mr. Steady's softball bag. Enough said- may take 2.
I'm sure I've used them ingeniously in other ways but the thoughts are escaping me at the moment. If you have another great use for dryer sheets- please share with me in the comments. There are probably more uses than I'd have dryer sheets for (especially since I don't use them all the time!)
Now visit the Dryer blog residence for more Works for Me Wednesday Tips and let's not forget that next week's WFMW is Backwards Day- when we post those burning questions instead of tips.
WFMW: Extending a girl's wardrobe
My Works for Me Wednesday tip today is how I extend the life of my girls’ wardrobe.T-shirts: I extend the life of nice T-shirts and polo shirts that have made it thru the summer still looking good- by purchasing a couple of cheap long sleeve shirts in solid colors for each girl. I purchase one white long sleeve shirt and one in a solid color that coordinates well with most of their shirts. For example- Sassafras loves pink- (this girl has a lot of pink tops) so I purchased one white top and one green one as the green goes well with pink.
Layering shirts also has the added bonus of keeping them warmer than just one long sleeve top. [I purchased the girls long sleeve tops at Wal-mart for $5 each.]
Too Short Skirts and Dresses: I pair these with leggings and pants. And if the dress is short sleeved- we add the sold colored long sleeve top too. I didn’t come up with this on my own- I must give a hat tip to the girls in my youth group at church. It seems layering is the way to go.
Also: While at a Christian Concert this year I saw a singer wearing a long sleeved top under a short sleeved blouse. I very much liked the look and plan to copy that myself this fall.
And that, dear readers, is what’s workin’ for me today. Don’t forget that
WFMW: Label Books, CDs and DVDs
I haven’t forgotten that today is Works for Me Wednesday even though I am in the thick of this series of posts!Here’s today’s tip- Label your books, CDs and DVDs before you lend them to others. With CDs and DVDs- stick a label on the disc too! We’ve found this to be quite important since we loan out our stuff a lot and also borrow movies from our friends (who could give Netflix a run for their money)!
[I blocked out our info in the photo- wish I knew how to blur it but I don't]
I just used some computer labels and my print shop program to make our labels- nothing fancy. The labels read “Personal Media Library of” followed by our name and phone number. Our books are labeled “Please Return this Book to:” and our info. I have even made these for my children’s’ books and CDs as Maiden is always sharing her books and Adventures in Odyssey CDs with her cousin and then her cousin can’t remember what she’d borrowed . . . .
To be even more obnoxiously organized- we keep a lending sheet on the magnetic board in my office that lists what we’ve borrowed, what we’ve lent and the dates it was borrowed followed by the date it’s returned. Why? Because even though I’ve put lovely labels on everything- I couldn’t remember who I lent the item to and we all know that after x amount of months the lent item becomes absorbed into the borrower’s home and is therefore their possession!
Oh, And also to remind my niece what she’s borrowed!
And that dear readers, is what’s workin’ here today. Click to your hearts content at Shannon’s blog- there are over 150 tips and tricks there today!
Works for ME- Alka Seltzer
Works for Me Wednesday----Alka Seltzer- I never use this for its “intended” purpose but you will always find a box in my house . . . .
Why? Because it has many other wonderful uses!
For example- need to really clean your toilet but don’t have time (or don’t want to scrub/touch it?) Drop 2 Alka Seltzer tablets in the toilet bowl and let set for about 20 minutes then flush.
Another great use- removing stains from the bottom of a glass vase. Fill the vase with water and add a tablet or two. I have many small “violet vases” and they tend to get “cruddy” but the openings are too small for me to get in and give them a good cleaning- so I make up a small pitcher of water and 2 tablets and pour it into the various vases and let them sit on the counter for awhile. I come back later, rinse them out and voila! Clean!
You can use Alka Seltzer tablets to clean your jewelry too- but be careful- it can harm some jewelry (like my sterling silver ring!). Make sure to soak your jewelry for only a couple of minutes- don’t let it soak forever and ever!
I have found it cleans my gold wedding ring like a dream (and since I wear it all the time it gets rather icky).
Just like vases- thermos bottles (especially with the glass inserts) are hard to get good and clean- fill with water, add 2 tablets and soak for 15-30 minutes depending on how bad the stains are.
Unclog a drain- Okay- this one is FUN- drop 3 tablets down your drain then pour a cup or so of white vinegar down after them. Wait a few minutes and then flush with hot water. If your drain is super clogged and you do this- the bubbling and such that comes up will fascinate your kiddos!
So the moral of the story- keep Alka Seltzer in your cupboard!
Many more interesting and helpful tips are available over at
WFMW: Query
I have asked this before . . . but now I have the collective ear of the Works For Me crowd and am hoping for even more helpful hints, tips and tricks.I have a 3 yo boy and am now unhappily blessed with the distinct aroma (or should I say noxious odor?) of boy p*e in my bathroom.
SO- How do you combat the smell of boy p*e and give your bathroom that fresh-as-a-daisy (or close to it) sweet-sigh-of-nosey-smelling-contentment euphoria?
And while we are at it- I’ve gotta ask- does anyone soak soiled unders in anything while waiting for the wash? I’m getting pretty tired of trying to come up with enough clothes for a load so that I can wash the boy’s stinky drawers.
Thanks in advance, dear readers!
Please check out Shannon's Backwards Works For Me Wednesday today- we're posting queries and questions instead of tips- looking for answers . . . . Go on and see if you can't answer a few and don't forget to post a conundrum of your own.
WFMW: Lint roller to pick up glass
Today’s handy tip comes from a bright idea I had out of necessity. Yesterday we had a light bulb shatter and scatter pieces all over our bathroom floor. I swept the whole floor and then swept it again. Since we are still walking around the house barefoot, I knew I had to make sure I picked up every miniscule piece of glass. My flooring is off-white so it was quite difficult to see every piece. After sweeping I ran my hand lightly over the floor to see if I had it all and of course, I cut myself on a itty bitty piece. [insert heavy sigh here]. So—here’s my big idea for making sure you pick up every last piece—a lint roller. I have a sticky sheet lint roller and so I rolled it over the whole floor once, threw away that sheet and then rolled it again (we won’t mention the dust bunnies it also picked up).
What a super idea!
I also plan on trying this the next time a light bulb breaks on the carpet too- no matter how great the suction on my vac is- I don't get the pieces that get embedded way down deep.
Check out more Works for Me Wednesday tips at Shannon’s.
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-Bilbo Baggins
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DD8- Sassafras My Sassy middle child. She holds her own so sweetly and has such an empathetic heart. While real Sassafras is used for flavoring- She is that added spice of flavor to our family.
DS4- Mr. Conductor- The train aficionado in the family. He likes to think he's in charge and often is! He's also the biggest Oreo fiend in the family.
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