Ok, I am gonna get a couple of things off my chest this morning, so I can enjoy the rest of our visit. First off, last night I fell asleep watching the food network, ok? So when I wake up this morning, there is one of those paid infomercials for DIET and exercise crap on TV! Are you kidding me??? They are trying to sell diet and exercise crap on a channel devoted to nothing but food and 50% of the chefs are not exactly the thinnest people you have ever seen?! What kind of message does that send? And who is the idiot who thought that was a good idea? Come on people... seriously! Ok then, we all know that every person has at least one issue that just sends them in a rant. I have a few... and I must admit, its a doosy! The other night I saw a commercial on TV for a show called "Toddlers in Tiaras"... and I blew my top! It showed these little girls... I am talking maybe 5 at most... all dolled up and the overzelous pagent mothers teaching their KIDS to be adults. I'm talking waves, sexy walks, smiles, you name it! OMG that SOOOO ticked me off! Does the world not remember a poor little "pagent baby" named JON BENET RAMSEY who was MURDERED? OHHHHH it makes my blood boil! Babies and little girls do not need to wear more makeup than I do and be (in my opinion) exploited like that! I'm sorry, but in my opinion, no good can come of that and cheaply made trophies are not worth my child's life! I think the mom's do it more for themselves than the kids. Ok I'm gonna shut up now and get off my soapbox cause I'm "All Shook Up" now!
Ok, we got some frugal tips today about a topic of favoritism of my mom's LOL! LAUNDRY! Yes, there are lots of ways to be frugal and save money on doing your laundry. Now I will admit, I don't like doing laundry at all! If there was a way to have it magically do it itself, I would be in heaven. But alas, I have no magic wand to say poof and its done LOL. So frugal tips are the next best thng I suppose! Hope these help ya a bit!
Laundry Tips
1. When washing dark clothes for the first time use cold water and put salt in the water. The salt helps set the color. To brighten dark clothes after they have been washed several times, repeat the procedure.
2. Black clothing tends to look brown after several washings. To restore the black color, add coffee or strong tea to the rinse water.
3. Many garments labeled "Dry Clean Only" can be safely handwashed using mild soap like Woolite and cold water.
4. Cut dryer sheets in half before using. They still work just as well. Keep a kleenex box on the dryer for the used ones - use to dust furniture.
5. To dye fabric a brown color inexpensively, soak it in a bucket of strong black coffee. This technique will also camouflage a non-removable coffee stain on a white table cloth.
7. You do not need to wash with hot water unless you are trying to sterilize your laundry. Use the warm or cold setting to save money. Set your rinse on the cold setting. Washing in cold water can save the typical family over $120 a year!
8. The best overall laundry tip: Make your own laundry detergent and fabric softeners! It works great, and costs so much less!
9. When you first switch from store-bought detergent to homemade, wash laundry once with washing soda alone to get rid of the detergent residue and avoid yellowing of fabric.
10. Even your washer needs to be washed once in a while. Run the machine on hot water, normal cycle, and add a bottle of vinegar to clean the soap film and scum that's built up inside.
11. Wash and dry clothes inside out to prevent fading.
12. Tie or pin socks together for easier sorting.
13. Use a mesh bag when washing/drying socks, especially baby socks.
14. Close zippers, button buttons, and tie strings before washing and drying. This keeps clothes from being tangled together.
15. Spot cleaning - Use Tilex Shower Spray (mildew) to spot bleach on clothes that can be bleached, but you don't want to bleach the whole load.
16. Always empty the lint trap every single time you dry clothes in the dryer.
17. If instructions aren't printed on the washer lid, type, laminate, and hang them over the machine.
18. Label or color-code bedroom baskets to prevent laundry room mixups.
19. Pilling is caused by items rubbing against each other in the washer and dryer. Prevent it by turning susceptible clothes inside out and washing them in a mesh bag or a drawstring pillowcase.
20. The difference between "Dry Clean" and "Dry Clean Only" is fragile fabric, but washable. Dry cleaning fluids are tough on fabrics, so whenever they can be avoided, the life of a garment is prolonged.
21. Make your own Spray Starch - 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1 pint cold water. Place in spray bottle and shake well before each use.
Ok kids, let's make something wonderful. Its craft time! Now its just a few more days til the Christmas Challenge starts, so life will be crazy soon LOL. But "Its Now or Never" to get them done cause band starts August 2nd, so I will be one busy woman LOL! Today I think it would be rather interesting to try making a gift idea for the one who loves to read in your life. Make sure to go and visit the website for the crafter's great step by step instructions and pictorials!
Craft Idea of the Day: Patchwork Notebook Cover
Materials Needed:
a thread-bound composition notebook
around 15 charm pack squares (or 5 x 5-inch fabric squares)
a piece of neutral lightweight fabric cut 11″ x 27″
fusible webbing/iron-on adhesive (I use Heat ‘N Bond Lite)
rotary cutter and mat OR scissors
Ok time to talk about a hunka hunka "Burning Love"... ELVIS! Elvis' very first single was in 1954: "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky." Elvis recorded several singles for Sam Phillips, owner of Memphis' Sun Studio, and first toured locally as the "Hillbilly Cat," singing in a style associated with black musicians like B.B. King. Signed by RCA in 1955, he became an overnight sensation on radio and in concert halls, singing both up-tempo rock songs and haunting ballads. His performance style featured a commanding voice and a charismatic stage presence sneers, twitches, pelvic gyrations leading to mass hysteria among teenage audiences and threatening parents and religious leaders. In 1956, Elvis, already a millionaire at 21, began his film career. His 33 movies (the last in 1972), vehicles for his singing and personality, were box-office, if not critical, successes.
Elvis once said....
"It's hard to explain rock and roll music. If you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me, I can't help it."
Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. The couple had a daughter, Lisa Marie, in 1968, and were divorced in 1973. With the advent of The Beatles and other artists of the so-called British Invasion in the 1960s, Elvis' popularity declined and he cut back dramatically on personal appearances, concentrating on his films. Elvis made a stunning comeback as a rocker with an electrifying TV special, simply titled "Elvis" and broadcast on December 3, 1968. In the early '70s, Elvis resumed touring and achieved great success, especially in Las Vegas. A new generation of fans were won over with a new series of hit records. During his lifetime, he sold some 600 million singles and albums.
Now on the journey of PERFECTLY PRESLEY favorites, we learn that the King loved his egg pie in the mornings. So what I bring you is the "traditional" simple egg pie. BUT let's gived it that super twist... and that's more simple than the recipe! Some chefs nowadays call this an egg custard pie, some even call it a quiche. I just call it Southern Comfort in the morning! YUM!
Egg Pie
Ingredients
5 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 stick butter
1 unbaked pie shell
Directions:
Beat eggs
Add sugar and beat well
Scald milk and butter in boiler
Pour scalded milk and butter mixture into egg mixture, beating well as you pour it
Add vanilla
Bake in pie shell in 300 degrees for approximately 30 minutes
Pie is done when it will quiver in center only
Now, here is the fun part... jazzing this up! Elvis probably loved to eat this with another one of his favorite foods... some burnt bacon. Yes, you heard me... BURNT bacon! While I don't recommend burnt, I can say that if you make some crispy bacon and mix that into the pie before baking... OMG! YUM! How about some browned breakfast sausage, some creamy cheese, some sauteed onions, you name it! You can add lots of sauteed veggies, cheeses, etc. Its kind of a fail-proof recipe and ANYTHING will spruce this up from BLAND to BAM! You could even buy a can of smoked oysters at the Dollar store and throw those in for a snazzy seafood surprise (drained of course LOL)!
Well folks, that's all she wrote for today. I hope the King and I have inspired you to get up and "Rock-a-Hula"! LOL... so "Don't Be Cruel" and join me tomorrow for more fantastically regal rock trivia and food! Until then... HUGS!
If you exchange the milk for buttermilk and have fewer eggs, that pie is dangerously close to being Buttermilk Pie, another Southern favorite. I wouldn't add nothing to it personally; it sounds good just like it is. Didn't know Elvis liked burnt bacon. We should have met in that life....I too, love bacon very well done (maybe not burnt). We would have been wonderful together. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou have to give Priscilla a little credit. Elvis always had swarms of girls and women around him everywhere he went. Everyone was dumbfounded when they announced they were divorcing, but you got to admit it was bound to happen. It takes a lot to overcome those kinds of odds. But he did truly love her. It was definitely sad.
Those were great laundry tips. I do most of those and a whole lot more. Nothing better then the smell of a freshly washed load of laundry. I used to hang dry when I was young, but weather is so unpredictible and my bones dont work as hard as they used to so my dryer gets lots of use as well as my washer. A pet peeve of mine is having to go to a washateria or laundermat place. Those places, granted, are useful for some people but not for me. Besides taking a whole LOT of money to use the facilities, you never know what the person before you washed in the washer you are fixing to use. Think about it people......poopy diapers on baby clothes, stinky sweaty socks and underwear, and other gross body fluids. I even once saw a woman put a bunch of greasy oily rags in one of the washers. THAT IS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. Cities call in professionals for some of that stuff in emergencies!! I love love love that I dont have to go to washaterias any more. Can you all tell that I am a germaphob when it comes to certain subjects? LOL
Alrighty. Time to relax for a while. Sitting at the computer does absolutely no good for my ailing backbone. Gonna go click away on the Animal Rescue Site, then lay down awhile. Have a great day everyone and remember to hug your loved ones today. They will get just as much joy as you do out of it. Til next time......
the laundry tips are awesome! thanks! since we're on that subject, my kids tie dyed shirts at school last week and their teacher gave instructions and it said to wash separately on hot many times before adding to other clothes. how many is a many good times? i'm sure you would know frugal mom! LOL. 1 shirt in a extra large load on hot is not very frugal
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