Amazing Lemons!

We all know that lemons make great lemonade, but did you know there are numerous other uses for them? Try these ideas the next time you have any extra lemons!

1. Remove ink spots from clothing. While ink is still wet, apply lemon juice liberally to the spot. Wash the garment in normal cycle with regular laundry detergent in cold water.

2. Get rid of dandruff. Shampoo hair, then rinse with water. Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 cups of water; pour through hair. Repeat every other day until dandruff disappears.

3. Deodorize a cutting board. Wash with lemon juice to rid a cutting board of the smell of garlic, onions, or fish.

4. Remove berry stains from hands. Rinse hands in the juice of fresh lemons.

5. Remove rust and mineral discolorations on cotton clothing. Use one cup of lemon juice in the washer.

6. Clean your microwave. Add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup water in a microwave-safe four cup bowl. Boil for five minutes in the microwave, allowing the steam to condense on the inside walls of the over. Then wipe clean.

7. Relieve a cough. Mix 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, one cup honey, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Heat 5 minutes then stir vigorously. Take one teaspoon every 2 hours.

8. Help soothe poison ivy. Applying lemon juice over the affected areas should soothe itching and alleviate the rash.

9. Train a dog to stop barking. Squirt a little lemon juice in the dog’s mouth and say “Quiet.”

10. Relieve rough hands or sore feet. Apply lemon juice, rinse, then massage with olive oil. Put on socks so you won’t slip on the floor.

11. Clean brass, copper, and stainless steel sinks. Make a paste with lemon juice and salt, scrub gently, then rinse well with water

Tips for Safer Housekeeping

Steps to "Safer" Housekeeping

* Spray all doorknobs, light switches and knobs and wipe down. I used straight
vinegar in a spray bottle with several drops of lavender shaken in. You can use
alcohol, peroxide (more below) or a spray of tea tree oil and distilled water.

* Use peroxide on faucets, kitchen and bathroom sinks, counters, worktables,
tubs nad toilets.

* Dissolve Borax in clean water and wipe down doorways, appliance handles, wipe
down surfaces, and mop the floors.

* Adding tea tree oil, lavender, or eucalyptus oil in my laundry. I add a few to
several drops as the machine is filling with water.

I'm sure there is lots more but these are some basics I am doing around here.

Another thing:
I already wash my hands so much I have to keep lotion around and now that I'm
doing that even more, I need more. I've started rubbing a small piece of coconut
oil on my hands and between my fingers. Instant softness!

Blessings,

Amanda

The Making of a Homemaker

tips from the experts

General
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"The relations of woman to home and society have for generations been clearly defined. Her duty to herself and her relations to the community, the state, and the government, are later developments, peculiar to our era, and still in progress"
-Mary Gay Humphreys, The Woman's Book (1894)
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"The first, most essential, and most practical part of female education is a thorough and personal knowledge of household duties."
-Mrs. L.G. Abell, Woman in her various relations (1853)
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"Whatever may have been the cares of the day, greet your husband with a smile when he returns. Make your personal appearance just as beautiful as possible. Your dress may be made of calico, but neat. Let him enter rooms so attractive and sunny that all the recollections of his home, when away from the same, shall attract him back"
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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Dining
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Graham Gems
One egg, one tablespoon molasses, two cups buttermilk, one teaspoon soda, a little salt, Graham enough to make a stiff batter. Bake in hot gem pans.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
~
Carolina Cake
One pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter, one pound of flour, half a pint of cream, one teaspoon of soda. Cream the sugar and buttter, work the flour smoothly in, next the cream, and lastely the soda, stir lightly and rapidly together, and bake quickly, in small patty-pans. Eat while fresh.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
~
Custard Pudding
Six eggs, one quart milk, six teaspoons sugar, heaped, salt and nutmeg to taste. Bake thirty minutes.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
~
"There are few things on which health and happiness depend more than on the manner in which food is cooked"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home
(1869)
~
Etiquette
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"A lady and gentleman should avoid evidences of undue familiarity in the presence of strangers. Couples who may evince a silly affection by overfondling of each other in public make themselves appear extremely ridiculous to all who may see them."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
~
"Who does not delight in fine manners? Their charm cannot be predicted or over-stated"
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
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"Ladies can not make direct moves, but they use infinite tact in giving men occasions to make them"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
~
"For a love letter, good paper is indespensable. When it can be procured, that of a costly, gold-edged, perfumed, or ornamented in the French style, may be properly used . . . As all persons are more or less governed by first impressions and externals, the whole affair should be as neat and elegant as possible"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
~
Health
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"Rise early. Eat simple food. Take plenty of exercise. Never fear a little fatigue."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
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"A raw onion is an excellent remedy for the sting of a wasp."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
~
For Freckles: Scrape a teaspoon of horseradish into a cup of sour milk; let stand six hours before using. Apply to the freckles twice a day.
-The Woman's Book (1894)
~
"When a cold affects the head and eyes, and also impedes breathing through the nose, great relief is gained by a wet napkin spread over the upper part of the face, covering the nose, except an opening for breathing"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home (1869)
~
Children
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"One of the first things that the child should understand is that it should implicitly obey. The parent should therefore be very careful to give only such commands as should be observed, and then the order should be firmly but kindly enforced."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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"Let not children be dressed in tight clothes; it is necessary their limbs and muscles should have full play, if you wish for either health or beauty"
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
~
"Try to keep children in a happy state of mind. Every one knows, by experience, that it is easier to do right and submit to rule when cheerful and happy, than when irritated"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home (1869)
~
House and Home
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"Ink spots: If soaked in warm milk before the ink has a chance to dry, the spot may usually be removed. If it has dried in, rub table-salt upon it, and drop lemon-juice upon the salt."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
~
"A piece of stale bread will often remove finger-marks from wall-paper. Rub with the inside of the crust."
-The Woman's Book (1894)
~
To Clean Carpets: "If it needs cleaning all over, spread it on a clean floor, and rub on with a new broom, pared and grated raw potatoes. Dry perfectly"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
~
Décor and Fashion
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"With your own work you can embellish at a cheap price, and yet very handsomely, if you have taste. Let the adorning of your private rooms be largely the work of your own hands."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
~
"There is nothing more cheerless than a parlor in which no sign of habitation greets the visitor"
-Lida Rose McCabe, The Woman's Book (1894)
~
"Best taste will dictate an observance of fashion, avoiding extremes"
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
~
"Style of Bonnet: A person of a delicate pale complexion should wear a hat with a pink lining. A person of dark complexion should have white lining with rose trim"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)

Being Frugal

Here are some various tips for saving:

• Do not do any impulse buying, and save for what you want instead of using credit cards.
  
• Shop thrift stores for clothes. You will be surprised at the bargains you can find. Or, make your own dresses/skirts. Patters are good investments since they can be used over and over.
  
• Use a clothes line to dry your clothes. Electric dryers can be costly. I cut my electric costs in half by hanging our clothes out.
  
  
• Always make a shopping list for the grocery store, and do not shop when you are hungry.
  
• Buy clothing that does not need drycleaning. Many items that are "dry-clean only" can be washed with Woolite.
  
• Use what what our grandmothers used to clean with: vinegar and baking soda. This will save you a bundle.
  
• Save leftover scraps of soap and put them in a jar with a little water for a handcleaner.
  
• Turn your thermostat down at night. Better yet, open the windows and leave it off until you can't stand the heat.
  
• Buy your husband a home repair book so he can learn to do those repairs himself. We just remodeled our rotten floor in the back bathroom and ended up having to do the biggest part of the work ourselves. :) We learned ALOT!!

There is great satisfaction and many rewards for spending less and using less, the most important being a stay-at-home wife and/or mother.You may even find that, instead of having less, you actually save money by working at home.

When Your Husband Loses His Job

By Mrs. Anita Koller

My husband was recently laid off for the third time in less then three years due to downsizing and restructuring of business. This last layoff is probably the hardest of the three. As the wife of my dear husband, I have stood alongside of him, and God has sustained us and seen us through financially and spiritually. I have no doubt in my mind that He will do no less this time around.
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In today's world, when a man gets laid off it is so very tempting for the wife to say, “I need to get a job to help out with the bills until my husband gets back to work.” But would God have the wife to do that? I do not believe so.
~
It is my conviction to wait on the Lord to provide for my family through my husband. He always has and most likely will continue to do so. All this means is that all our future plans have been put on the back burner, we will have to go a little while without the extras, and that new dress will just have to wait.
~
What message would I send to my children if I obtained job to “help out with the bills?” That Daddy is failure and not able to provide? The Lord has called me to be my husband's helpmate. My job is not an easy one, but it is important nonetheless. While my husband is without work, I am trying to make the best of the time at hand by continuing with my duties as a mother, wife, and homemaker. Below I have listed some of the things I have been doing thus far in hopes that it will encourage other women who are in my shoes. You can stand firm, and you will make it through!
~
~

1. Become creative in fixing meals on less money. Dig way back in the pantry and find those lost canned vegetables you have been meaning to use. Also realize that eating out anywhere (even McDonald's) is just not affordable. Be willing to not buy fancy foods, snacks etc. Bake your own bread and drink lots of water. Save the tea and coffee for a special time.
   ~
2. Have that long-needed yard sale to obtain some extra grocery money. This is also a great way to organize your home and to declutter those closets. Besides, your husband's next job may be in a different city, and you may have to move. It is a good idea to be prepared.
   ~
3. Stay home. The less you run, the less gas you use, and the less money you spend. Do not go to the store or anywhere unless you have to. When you do have to go somewhere, try to get multiple errands done.
   ~
4. Give up the extra activities like piano lessons, sports, etc. While your husband is laid off, the money can be used for more important things like groceries or the electric bill.
   ~
5. To keep the children's minds busy, help them find a way to earn money to help out with the family economy. For example, our son is starting a lawn mowing business called “Small Yard Ventures.” We have a push mower, and we live in town, so he will be able to serve others locally. Our daughter is separating some of our flowers and herbs to sell at the farmer's market.
   ~
6. Help your husband stay on track. Being laid off is very hard on men. God made them providers, and when they do not have a job they can become depressed and discouraged. It is important to ask his friends to call regularly to keep him encouraged. Also try to help him stay on a schedule. I encourage my husband to get up at the same time he would get up to go to work. I gently encourage him to shower, shave, and dress. I remind him when it is lunch time and encourage him to make phone calls. I even help him with his resume'. I have cut his hair and made ready his suit for interviews. I have made sure the computer desk is cleaned up every afternoon after he has done job searches, e-mailed resume's, and made phone calls. I have also purchased our local weekly paper as well as the Sunday paper so that he can look at the want ads. I pray for my husband often and encourage him to read his Bible daily and to seek God.
   ~
7. Many folks have offered my husband small jobs, such as hauling rocks or doing yard work, to pay him until he gets a new job. I encourage him to do this to keep his mind busy while he waits for God to open the door of opportunity.
   ~
8. We are attending Church weekly and asking for prayer from our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need all the prayer we can get.
   ~
9. I am prepared for the worst and will not be discouraged if we have to sell everything and start all over. We know God has a plan.
   ~
10. Lastly, I am too busy to look for a job myself. I already have a job! With mothering, taking care of my husband, the home, and homeschooling, I already have a few full-time jobs. The Lord will provide again. I will just have to stand firm.
    ~
    May God encourage you in the midst of difficult times to look to Him and trust that He will provide through the means He has created.

~

~

I thought this article was timely since so many are out of a job. I borrowed it from www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com

Dinner Under $.75 a plate

Chicken & Dumplings (chicken on sale) --------------4.00
Beans------------------------------------------------.25
Mac & Cheese---------------------------------------1.39
cornbread--------------------------------------------.25
*Potatoes* (free from seed potatoes)-----------------.00
Tea--------------------------------------------------.25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost -------------------------------------------$5.99

Oh, by the way....there is enough food left for me to send Jeff a plate to work and for us to have for lunch tomorrow. So, I will figure the cost on how many plates I can get out of this one meal (with everyone getting a small second helping.)

Grand Total of ------------------------------------- $.62 per plate

*We bought 20 lbs. of seed potatoes for the garden. After cutting off the eyes, I ended up salvaging 2 gallon jugs of peeled potatoes. We can get three meal per gallon. That is what you call frugal.

I challenge you to find ways of saving!!

Blessings,
Amanda

My Garden 2009

The garden is a 90'x45'

Squash--------Cucumbers----------------onion bed-------------------

okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra

okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra okra

purple hull peas purple hull peas purple hull peas purple hull peas

purple hull peas purple hull peas purple hull peas purple hull peas

green beans green beans green beans green beans green beans

onions----------cabbage-------peppers--peppers--peppers--peppers

tomatoes-(about 20 plants)-------------potatoes-----------carrots-----

potatoes------------potatoes--------------potatoes---------------------

potatoes------------potatoes-------------potatoes----------------------


watermelon & cantaloupe will go here----------------------------------

I am just learning about gardening and canning, so if you have any advice about how I have my garden laid out, please leave me a comment.

"Determined"

I labeled this post "Determined" for an important reason. I was and still am determined to bring my utility bill down. I feel we pay entirely too much on our utility bills and there had to be something we, as a family effort, could do about it.

~

I first had to make sure this would be something the whole family would be able to do and do consistently. I didn’t want to overwhelm any of us with a drastic change that would not last long.

~

Secondly, I called the water department and the electric system. I inquired about how to determine the gallons of water used and the amount of electricity used daily, weekly, and monthly. The folks at both places were more than willing to help me figure out ways of saving. They were full of helpful advice on checking to make sure I am not wasting water in various places.

~

Next, I started reading my water meter daily. Actually, I read my meter before and after I done anything in the house that used water. I read it before and after showers, laundry, dishes, supper, ect. Thanks to Beverly at the water department I finally figured out how to read my meter correctly. I determined what used the most water and ways of cutting back. Instead of constantly running the water to rinse dishes, I filled a small tub about half way to rinse the dishes in. I am saving about 20 gallons on each sink full of dishes. Instead of my little boy taking a shower, he now takes a bath. Believe me, he could stay in the shower quiet some time and none of us would even realize he’d been in so long.

~

I then focused on my power bill. I automatically knew several ways in which I could save in that area. But, there were things that I had to think about before I started this endeavor. When I was growing up, we had no dryer. I was the eldest of three and had the chore of hanging out clothes. I don’t think there was ever a time that I went to the clothesline and failed to tell myself, “I will never have a clothesline. I will have a dryer. I hate doing laundry. Why don’t they just buy a dryer? I will have a dryer…I will have a dryer… I will have a dryer…” Needless to say, I failed to realize that the reason we had no dryer is because it was the main way of running ones electric bill to an outrageous price for absolutely no reason. I am beyond that now. I still love the ways clothes smell when fresh from the dryer. However, I am also beyond that. I do not use my dryer anymore. I do still have it, but I don’t put it to use. It sits in my laundry room as a folding table and I enjoy saving money by using it as a table instead of a dryer. It has also challenged me to keep my laundry done up daily instead of having a couple laundry days a week. My clothesline is actually draped from pole to pole in the carport, one on each side. I don’t have much space, so that is the reason I must do one load of laundry each day. I do hang my clothes in my room on a rack to keep the freshness of the fabric softener in them.
Surprisingly, as an adult, I love to do laundry. I also love saving my family money.

~

Finally, I realized that my a/c could possible be turned up a few degrees and we’d probably never notice. We do have ceiling fans and that is the way we’ve been staying cool. I turned the a/c up to about 79 to 80 degrees. We have only had a few sweltering day that I wished I had left the thermostat alone. However, since my windows are usually up and the doors are normally open there is always a nice breeze blowing through the house. It reminds me of my Nanny’s house when I was small.

~

Are you are ready for me to tell you how much money we saved on our bills? Our power bill went from $193.00 last month to $137.00 this month. That’s a savings of $56.00 in only 3 ½ weeks. I could have saved a few more dollars if I had started a week earlier. Our water bill has gone from $80.00 to $58.00. That’s a savings of $22.00. I do plan to keep on and save even more next month.

~

I didn’t mentioned the savings we are getting on our phone bill by disconnecting the caller id, the internet by lowering our package, and Direct TV by having it disconnected. I also raised our deductible on our homeowners insurance from $500.00 to $1000.00 and that gave us a savings of $70.00 a month. We have a total monthly savings of $268.00. Now that’s a great job!! I love my sweet hubby and I enjoy making his hard earned money go much further. Oh, we won’t even talk about the money I saved by canning and freezing a ton of produce this summer. That’s for another post.

~

Gotta get goin’!!

I don’t want ya’ll (my internet friends) to cause me to get behind on my chores.

~

Blessings,

Amanda

Frugal Thinking

As of January, 2008 we were debt free, except for our mortgage. It is the most comfortable feeling in the world. We had many trials through the past few years with money, however God saw us through it.

As I went through bill today, I wondered if there was more I could do to save money. After all everyone has utilities. But I wanted mine to be as low as possible.

I wash a load of clothes each day. Therefore, I use the dryer once a day as well. That is something I will do without unless I am made. LOL.

On my phone bill, I called and turned off the caller ID, call waiting, and call forwarding. That saved my a total of $10.50 a month.

On my internet, I called and changed my package from the $44.44 package to the $29.95 package. The lady told me that people have told her that they can't tell a difference in the speed after changing packages. I will see as of tomorrow.

On my Direct TV, I called and changed from the Total Choice Plus to the Choice package. I also had my Starz disconnected since the same movies play over and over all month. I lost some channels, but no many. We hardly watch TV as it is. Daddy watches more than anyone because he likes movies.
While I was on the phone going over my package and bill, I realized that I was being charged an extra $4.99 a month for a fifth receiver that I never had. We actually only have four and have always had four. So, let's figure what I am now saving from Direct TV. Oh, they gave my Showtime free for a month and a $5.00 credit on my bill for three months. That puts me at saving... $20.00 a month.

There are always ways to save money if you look hard. I know we will not miss a thing that I had cut off. I hope this inspires you to look for ways to save at your house.

Blessings,
Amanda