Tips Tuesday

My tips for today are going to be for the dog lovers out there. I have always known that chocolate is bad/poisonous for dogs, but never really knew why. I also thought that was about the only thing. Well, apparently not. Here's an updated list of harmful foods for you to learn about.

1) Garlic and onions: damages their red blood cells which causes anemia.

2) Macadamia nuts: causes muscle and nervous system problems.

3) Avocados: cause damage to the heart muscle.

4) Grapes and raisins: damages their kidneys.

5) Bread dough: forms gas in their digestive tract and the fermenting yeast can cause alcohol poisoning.

6) Xylitol (in sugarless gum): lowers blood sugar levels because it increases insulin secretion.

7) Chocolate: stimulates the nervous system and heart.

All of these things typically cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. However, some of the more scary symptoms can be tremors, seizures and even comas. The reactions vary from item to item and dog to dog. Best advice... Keep out of the reach of dogs!

Tips Tuesday

Today will be quick but I just had to do some tips today since I have missed the last 2 weeks!


1) Need a cold pack? Freeze one part rubbing alcohol and 3 parts water in a freezer bag. The alcohol keeps it from freezing solid and it stays moldable. Really works well!


2) If you have any artificial flowers that need dusting, place them down in bag, pour in some salt, and shake vigorously. The salt will knock off the dust better than just trying to dust them with a feather duster.


3) To remove permanent marker from wood floors or solid counter tops, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. 


That's all for now. Gotta get back to packing! 
Have a great day~

Tips Tuesday

Here I go again... posting tips at almost midnight. Maybe they will just be a welcome surprise on a Wednesday morning after you thought I wasn't going to get them done. :-)

1. Need to give that microwave the once over? Dive into your fresh fruit. Cut a lemon and squeeze the juice into a microwave-safe bowl and then put the lemon in there as well. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook for 3-5 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl and set aside for next tip below. Wipe out the "nuker" and it will be clean and fresh.

2. To sharpen the blades of your disposal, put a few ice cubes in, plug your ears and turn it on. Or, I guess you would have to turn it on and then plug your ears.  When the ice is gone, throw that lemon (from previous tip) in as well and your disposal will be smellin' as fresh as the microwave.

3. If you have scuff marks where they don't belong (they don't belong anywhere, actually), use a new tennis ball to wipe them away.

4. Go out and buy the All You magazine that I told you about last week. This months coupons add up to over $100! I will have to let you know how much I can save when I go through them all.

I must tell you that this sweet gal tested the marshmallows in the brown sugar tip from this post. She left me a comment to let me know that she went right away to do this with ONE of two bags. Just the other day, she pulled out the brown sugar to season her carrots and just had to let me know that there was a BIG difference in the 2 bags. Very Cool!

Tips Tuesday

Maybe someday soon, or let's just leave it at someday, I will get tips posted at the beginning of the day. At least that way they can actually be read on Tuesday instead of Wednesday!

Money saving tips for today:
  1) If you are a Wal-Mart shopper, look for the All You magazine at the checkouts. This little jewel is put out by Time Inc. (Time Magazine and People) and is chock full of coupons. The May issue has just over $90 worth of savings. Granted, you won't use them all, but the magazine only costs $2.49 and will easily pay for itself. Within the first few pages on the far left, there is a full list of all of the coupons. That way you can even check them out and decide if it's worth the purchase.

  2) Got a favorite scent to wear? Check and see if there is a body spray/mist in your fave smell. Many times a spray will cost up to half of the price of the cologne or perfume.

  3) Like to shop online? Make sure and look for coupon codes before making any purchases. Put those search engines to work and save up to 50%. The most common savings (that I have come across) are 15-20%. Hey, that will help with shipping! You can even find codes for free shipping with some companies.

You may not be a coupon shopper. I wasn't really until about the past 3 years. I struggled with the fact that I didn't want to keep track and it just seemed like too much trouble. Well, I can't say that I have gotten much better since I started (I waiver back and forth) but I am trying. I heard someone say once that not using a coupon is like throwing your money in the trash. Think about it this way... if someone gave you 50 cents, could you throw it away? Could you actually look at those 2 quarters and then put them in the trash? That, in essence, is what we are doing when we don't use coupons. Ugh. I think I will try harder.


Before closing, I feel the need (in case Hubby ever reads this blog) to insert an omission from yesterday's post.  I neglected to add that just after The Beast made its first appearance the other day, Hubby reached into his truck and pulled out a large bouquet of wildflowers. He had stopped to pick them before getting lost and losing his phone. When they first made their appearance they looked quite ragged. They had been riding in a truck for almost 5 hours without water. And now some crazy lady was spouting off at the mouth in their presence... I am happy to report that with a little TLC and proper burial (sink incinerator) of the less fortunate, I now have a beautiful bouquet of yellow and white wildflowers. That remind me of The Beast.

Tips Tuesday

I can't believe it is already Tuesday again! Boy, when you make a recurring commitment, it comes around quickly. Makes it seem as though the weeks are flying by. If there wasn't a calendar on my wall and weird Oklahoma weather to convince me, I would almost swear that it should be fall.

Back on track~

1. I used this tip just 2 days ago... rub a touch of Pam (or oil of your choice) around the outside of the rim on your jam jar. You can also do the same for the inside rim of the lid. I would suggest that you put it on a paper towel instead of spraying so you don't end up with Pam jam. :-) This keeps the lid from sticking.

2. To get the shower door clean and shiny, rub with a damp sponge soaked in vinegar. The smell will evaporate!

3. If your bathroom mirror tends to fog, put a little bit of shaving cream on a rag, spread it over the mirror and then wipe off with a clean rag. This should keep it fog free!

On another note, I finished my blog re-do homework and sent it in. Got a message from my blog gal and we will soon be underway. Yipee! You should see the results in about a week and a half. Can't wait!

Tips Tuesday

I know that I am very late posting tips for today but I do have some to share! I really did start this on Tuesday... just didn't finish 'til Wednesday. :-)

1. When hanging a picture with picture wire, wrap Scotch tape around the wire in the center. This will keep the wire from slipping on the nail. Your picture will stay level. That is, of course, only if you hang it level in the first place!

2. To make your freezer run more efficiently, add water bottles to fill empty spaces. (First empty out a bit of water.) When needed, you have frozen bottles to rub tired or aching feet over; to fill an ice chest instead of loose ice; to take to your child's sports event, hiking, etc. so that by the time your child/you need a drink it will be nice and cold.

3. Spray your plastic wear with non-stick cooking spray before you store tomato based leftovers in them. This will keep the stains away.

Another short and sweet "tip day". Gotta get some sleep!

Tips Tuesday

This is a bit late, but I wanted to sneak a few tips in for today.

1. To clean up broken glass, use a piece of bread. This is for the tiny slivers after you have used your common sense to sweep up or vacuum the larger pieces.

2. If your fingernails are a bit discolored, you have 3 good options to brighten them up. You can soak them in lemon juice (Make sure you don't have any cuts or hangnails!) or denture cleanser for about 5 minutes. You can also wipe them with a cotton ball that has hydrogen peroxide on it.

3. When putting a curtain on a metal rod (the flat ones), put a plastic baggie over the end and wrap a rubber band around it to secure so that the curtain will slide on easily and not snag.

4. This is a sticky one. :-) To remove chewing gum from faux leather, use cooking oil on a rag. It will take a little elbow grease too!

5. If you are pushing your knee high boots to the back of the closet, roll up a magazine to slide into each boot. That will keep them standing tall until the cooler weather rolls around again. You can also use empty wine bottles.

I have used all of these tips at one time or another so they are proven. However, if you are wondering about the gum... I didn't do it and neither did the girls. Hmmm.

Tips Tuesday

And so begins another day of tips. One of these days I might actually list them in some organized fashion. Some day. Here's todays...

1. Since the warmer weather is making it's debut, ice cream is sure to follow. When making ice cream cones, place a miniature marshmallow in the bottom before adding the ice cream. This will keep it from leaking all over your sweet babes hands and onto that favorite outfit. (An oldie, but maybe somebody hasn't heard it yet.)

2. Another warmer weather tip is for your blooming plants. If you are needing that purdy thang to show some more flowers, there is a proper time to prune. If you have an early bloomer (spring), then you should prune it just after the blooms are gone. For later bloomers (summer), they should be pruned in the early spring before their blooms.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with them. Don't know why this works but apparently it does.

4. If you over-salt a soup/stew, peel one of those potatoes you just saved and add it to the pot. It will soak up a lot of the salt.

5. Cleaning tip of the day is for baked on goods. Have you heard about putting a dryer sheet in the pan/pot and letting it soak overnight? I've actually never tried this but hear that it does work. I usually just pull out the old trusty SOS pad. However, if you happen to have run out of these wonders, wad up a piece of foil (not too tight) and it will do the trick. This one I have used a gazillion times. It works. Too cool. Oh, but for goodness sakes, don't do that to a non-stick pan. I guess if it is non-stick, nothing would be stuck on anyway, right?

Hope you found a handy tip today. I would love for you to send me any of your favorite tips to share.
Have a good one!

Tips Tuesday

Yes, I know it is actually Wednesday. It has taken a couple of days to recover from the Easter holiday. Later today I will post some Easter pics and an actual Wednesday post.

1. If you are going to plant anything in a pot this spring, place a coffee filter in the bottom first. Then put your potting soil on top. This will keep the soil from leaking out but will allow excess water to drain.

2. When needing to remove hard water stains from a shower head you can use a baggie and vinegar. I use a quart-size freezer bag and fill it about halfway with vinegar. Pull it up over the shower head making sure that the whole thing can be immersed. Wrap a rubber band around the neck a couple of times to hold it in place. After about an hour you can remove the bag and rinse. You may need to use a toothbrush to remove and pieces holding on.

3. Place fabric dryer sheets under your car seats to keep it smelling fresh.

4. When you are taking medication (capsules), there are 2 different ways to get it to go down without a hitch. If the capsule is heavy (i.e. - Tylenol, Advil, etc.), fill your mouth with water, toss your head back and swallow. That's how we've always been taught, right? Here's the kicker: If your capsule is light (i.e. - probiotics, herbal supplements), fill your mouth with water, look down (don't lean over), wait a second and then swallow. Since the capsules are light, they float to the top of the water. If you look down (just lower your chin), then the capsules flow down easily. If you throw your head back as with heavy capsules, they tend to get stuck on the back of your throat. This is one of my favorite tips ever!

Tips Tuesday

So excited about the tips I have to share today. I am branching out and going to list 7. Woohoo!

Kind of gross to think about this first one but we will end on a good note. I'm just sure of it.
1. You know we have always been told when flying out of the states... Don't drink the water. This also applies to water on airplanes. When it was tested, one in six planes tested positive for E. Coli. Ick! Wonder what that means about washing your hands in that tiny closet thing with a toilet of sorts?

2. Before washing your socks, safety pin them together and there will never be missing socks coming out of the dryer. Or you could do like this man and number your pairs with a sharpie. Seriously.

3. Since Easter is fast approaching, use rubber bands to wrap around your hard boiled eggs before dying. You come out with some pretty cool stripes.

4. Spring is here and outside time with family is a must. If you find that there are ants wanting to join your party, pour boiling water down into the anthill. No description needed as to what will happen to the ants. Much safer than pouring gas on them and lighting them on fire. Yes, Hubby used to do that. Ugh.

5. After washing a head of lettuce, you can place it in a clean lingerie bag (one kept just for this purpose). Go outside and practice your windmill. If you want to get real creative, you can pretend you are going to throw a javelin (for goodness sakes, don't let go!) or work on some leg & booty firming squats. That would make it fun, right? Then your lettuce will be dry and ready for a salad.

6. Before mixing that to-die-for batch of cookies, spray your beaters with cooking spray. It keeps the batter from clinging and keeps your family members healthier by not having as much raw dough to eat off of the beaters.

7. If you don't have one of those cute little terra cotta things to put in your brown sugar to keep it soft, just throw in a few marshmallows. Moist every time.

Hope somebody learned something today!

Tips Tuesday

Since I have only just begun blogging, my style has not hit its peak. I only have a handful of followers to date (although I do have 2 or 3 that read but don't follow) and I am not sure who my audience will be. But, one of the things I love to do is to share tips and tricks that I learn. Without further ado, I begin my very first "Tips Tuesday".

1) The best time to shop for groceries is on Wednesday. Only about 11% of people pick this day to poke and prod their fruit and veggies. Fewer shoppers in the store means a healthier heart for me!

2) If you are needing juice from a lemon, lime or orange, nuke it in the microwave for 15 seconds before squeezing. You will get twice as much juice.

3) There may not be many that eat white bread any more, but if you do, toast it first. Your blood sugar will rise 39% less than if you stuff that soft, gooey mess in your mouth. (We used to have competitions in elementary school to see who could get the most pieces in their pie hole. No wonder we drove the teachers crazy after lunch!)

This is the saddest. Are you sitting?

4) There is as much saturated fat in a Twix candy bar as there is in 11 (yes, eleven) strips of bacon. I understand that saturated is much better than trans, but 11g. of any fat just can't be good!

So, there you have it. Anybody learn anything new?