A Few Canning Tips

It's been forever since I've posted for Kitchen Tip Tuesday, but this week I came up with TWO tips to share! (You'll have to come back next week for the second one.)

Though my garden seems to be calmed down a bit this year versus last year (or maybe I planted different stuff? Dunno...), I have been doing a fair amount of preserving. There are a few things that I've figured out from last year, my first year of canning, to this year.


1) Use rubber dishwashing gloves to protect your hands from scalding steam, blurping jam, hot jars, and anything else that can and will burn you. I figured this out the hard way when I was stirring strawberry preserves and it blurped up on my hand - and of course I had both sinks full of hot water warming my jars - a blast of cold water would have felt so much better!

2) Use plates instead of dishtowels to line your countertop. Last year, I used dish towels, and they ended up soaked from wet hot jars, and they soaked all the other stuff that cluttered my countertop (I get messy when I can, and cook, and bake...). By using plates, I keep the water contained, and they just go in the dishwasher when I'm done, rather than dishtowels that need to be washed and may end up stained. Plus, the good stuff that dripped off my funnel could be scraped into a jar and not lost.

3) I have also experimented some with using a propane cooker outdoors for canning. It gets the heat out of the kitchen, and since the pot is deeper, I stack jars on top of each other. (I'm not sure if that's a legitimate practice, but Laura does it, so I do, too.) I can't take credit for the idea of using the cooker outside, my friend Kim posted about it a while back. [And I can't remember if her blog is private now or not, so my apologies if you are not able to view it.] My canner rack doesn't fit in the pot, so I line it with a clean dish towel or a couple of dish cloths first. It is a bit more dificult to keep an eye on, but keeping that heat and humidity out of the house is quite worth it.

My tips from last year to help keep the heat out of the kitchen were:
* setting a fan in the doorway to blow cool air in (while Goose was in her room for quiet time) OR blowing the warm air out of the kitchen.
* dumping my hot water as soon as I was done with it (I would also recommend taking it outside to cool and then using it on your garden or reusing it the next time you can).
* taking my jars from the water bath into the bathroom to cool - I lined the tub with a towel and set them in there. I also put the pot in there until it cooled down.

Kim's post linked above also describes her experience with reusable canning lids, which I'm quite seriously thinking about giving a try next year. Especially since I always seem to run out of lids! Maybe if I took a count at the beginning of the year and planned ahead, I could avoid that... but I'm not sure I see that happening. :>)

So far, I have canned blueberry syrup, strawberry preserves, peach jam (from the Blue Ball book), some strawberry peach "jam" (it was kind of an accident), salsa (recipe at Kim's post above - make sure to wear gloves while cutting peppers!), and tomato sauce. I prefer to do enormous batches of tomato sauce, so I freeze the tomatoes until I have a lot. For smaller batches, I cook them down in the crock pot overnight with the lid off plus however long it takes to get down to the consistency I want; for larger batches, I cook them down in the biggest pot I have. This year, I have borrowed my dad's food strainer. You dump the sauce (or whatever) in the hopper, and turn the crank. The good stuff comes out one spout, the bad stuff another. I often send the "bad stuff' (seeds, skin, etc.) through one more time to get all the good stuff out that I can. And yes, this year I remembered to add lemon juice to my tomato sauce. I still need to make applesauce (no apples from my dad this year, sniff, so I bought some) and I want to re-do my spicy tomato juice from last year with the food strainer so poor hubs doesn't have to chew it as he drinks it.

What are you preserving? Any tips for me?

Head over to Tammy's Recipes for more Kitchen Tips.

Daybook for September 7, 2010

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted a daybook. My links folder is growing, I just need to finish a couple other projects before I put a chunk of time toward a link post. I know you're on the edge of your seats. :>)

Outside my window... It feels like fall. Mornings are all of a sudden crisp and chilly. The windows are only closed if it's too cold.

I am thinking... that I need to work on write-ups for the saints on the stained glass windows at church. There's just so much to say about each of them, and I don't want to be too long winded!

I am thankful for... the decision to purchase a used jogging stroller/bike trailer. I haven't used it as a trailer yet, but we've walked over to the farm a number of times with it and I really like it. I waffled on spending the money, not sure that I'd use it, but so far it seems like a great decision.

From the learning rooms... PRESCHOOL! We are participating in a pre-school co-op with seven or so other moms and 3 year olds (final numbers are still pending). It's a great opportunity for us and I'm really excited about it.

From the kitchen... I offered to make snacks for the first month of preschool. So far, I've done butterscotch bars and vanilla wafers, except the cookies ended up completely flat and melded together. So I used a pizza cutter on them. There was a small kitchen fire while I was working on macaroni and cheese from the book How To Cook Everything, but I just blew it out like a birthday candle. (I don't think that's what "from the kitchen" means, but still...) Um, I made some chicken fried rice that wasn't great; tortillas/taco meat/beans etc., but the tortillas didn't turn out so well; and baked spaghetti.

I am wearing... an old softball t-shirt jersey and knit pants.

I am creating... plans for preschool stations. Since I have so many ideas, they put me in charge - now I have to narrow them down.

I am pondering... what life is going to be like. My father-in-law was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and the future is not at all what we expected.

I am reading... He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciszek. So far, it isn't grabbing me like it has so many others.

I am hoping... to finish a baby gift for a special friend before the little one starts walking!

I am hearing... Hubs watching Animal House - we just changed satellite providers and he's enjoying figuring out the new system.

Around the house... things are needing some love. The back screen door is falling apart bit by bit and one bathroom is having some troubles. Not sure what to do since Hubs is embarking on a stretch of weeks where he spends many, many hours each day in a tractor.

One of my favorite things... I gave Goose a toy donkey today, and she has been playing with it, a donkey from her Little People Nativity, and a donkey from her Resurrection Eggs - a Papa donkey, Mama donkey, and Goose donkey. :>)

A few plans for the rest of the week... preschool tomorrow, meeting for our church anniversary celebration Thursday morning, Altar Society Thursday evening, work on Friday and maybe hit a church rummage sale, Husker football game on Saturday (Go Big Red! It's been years since I've been in Memorial Stadium), and I think my parents are coming on Sunday. Upcoming is the semi-annual children's consignment sale where I get most of Goose's clothing.

A picture thought I am sharing... first day of preschool last week.

Build a Couch - Guest Post

My apologies for going MIA again. There has been some family ... stuff ... going on (for lack of a better word) and if you'd like to join us in prayer, please e-mail me at nettacow at gmail dot com. I have lots of links to put together in a roundup, just need to take the time to do it. Hubs, Goose, and I also visited the Nebraska State Fair today and had a super time, even with the wind gusting to 40 MPH. (OK, maybe not quite that high but it sure felt like it.)

Good news, though - I have another guest post from Christy of Zimms Zoo! Read on to see how they built a couch to fit their needs! [Interestingly, I unfortunately sat on this post for long enough that the Knock Off Wood website changed to Ana White! Oops, my bad...]
-----------------------------------
Have you ever wanted new furniture but your room is a funky shape or maybe the money is just not there or maybe you are like me and would be happy to have nothing in the room but cushions? Maybe you want something that doesn't take up a lot of premium floor space but could still seat a LOT of people? That is exactly what happened to me.

Our living room/dining room is a long narrow room and all the hand-me-down couches we have had just took up too much room and/or didn't fit the room right. So I went on a quest to find something else. While I was looking, my husband started bring home crating from his work that he thought we could re-use. It was full of staples and screws, but otherwise in good shape.

Then the most wonderful thing happened. I found Knock Off Wood, now Ana White. I LOVE that site. She has plans for the most wonderful furniture that I drool over. Like this Build a Storage Bed and these floating shelves. Then I found these Armless Sectional Piece Plans and it started the wheels in my head turning. I had all this crating that was exactly the right size and the screws that were in it were perfect too. It was meant for outdoor seating, but who cares? It would seat a lot of people, fit in the corner by the window, not take up too much space AND I could store toys under it.

After looking over the plans thoroughly, I decided that I would have my 13yo attempt to make these. He was excited because he could use power tools (imagine Tim the Toolman Taylor and his manly grunting). It took us about 3 days to cut the wood, remove the screws, and and yank out the staples (I now have the strongest forearms in the world!). We spent the next 2 days putting it together. Brown Bear (his manly alias) really did do most of the work. He cut, he sawed, he screwed, he conquered. The other kids (12,10,8 and 5) painted it. I merely supervised (which is harder than you may think with an 18 month old also wandering around the paint).

After we had it painted and moved in, I happily took the old couch to the curb! But it was kinda hard to sit on. So I started scouring garage sales for cushions. I found several at a local home decor store that were on clearance. Then I found 15 cushions at garage sale for about $5. I used the home decor ones for the seats and the other cushions for the backs. I bought a sheet and cut it apart to make pillow covers. I used this pillow slip covers tutorial from Make It and Love It for the covers. I still have a couple to finish. I ran out of steam. The boxes under the couch were made using the tutorial from this Craft Room post, also at Make It and Love It, as inspiration. My mom brought me several apple and orange boxes from her work and they fit underneath the sections perfectly. I just modpodged the paper on the front.

In short, if you are looking to update your house or look be sure to check out Ana White or other similar sites and then see what you might have lying around that could be used in place of what she calls for. She encourages the use of re-claimed wood. In fact the next project for my boy is picnic tables made from pallets. We plan on making 3 of them for Christmas presents.
-----------------------------------
Way to go, Christy - and a big high five for Brown Bear! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

I'll be linking up to Made By You Mondays at Skip to My Lou and Frugal Fridays at Life As Mom.

Link Roundup - It's a Boy! Edition

I am way more excited than I have a right to be that my blog friend Angela had a baby boy on Thursday. Her daughter was born at 34 weeks and was in the hospital for a while, so it is thrilling that she and her big boy (8 pounds) are home already. Congrats to Angela and Monte!!!

I feel like the links are going to be a letdown now, but that's OK. :>)

MAKE
Cool stuff of the week at Frugal Family Fun Blog - Rainbow Village Printable (I want a set for ME!) and Stunning "Glass" Sculpture (plus more - click around while you're over there).

In light of my current excitement level, I might be stitching up one of these Car Seat Canopy with Peek-A-Boo from Closet Crafter.

Ooh, I love the idea for this Etched Window Tutorial from At Second Street. (Though I gotta admit, I'm not sure I'd have the patience to do all that cutting! But the result is REALLY worth it...)

Sweetie Pie Bakery has a very cute Cloth Necktie Napkin Tutorial.

Stuff like this Family Initial Wall at Flamingo Toes has really been catching my eye lately!

New Nostalgia has a great post on Making Bead People - very fun!

These Natural Wood Blocks from Home In The Country are a super (and not too expensive!) idea for a little builder.

My athletic career is pretty much over, but I still dig these Soccer Straps to hold your shirt sleeves up, from Wishes Dreams Love.

This looks like a LOT of fun - How To: Make a Big as Life Board Game at Craftzine.

I had NO idea you could make your own Fabric Tape and Stickers, as shown at Natalie Jost.

No Time For Flashcards has a great compilation of Farm Themed Crafts and Books that are cute and fun!

These Pretty Girly Lights at Kootoyoo look super simple and, as the name notes, very pretty.

Neat tutorial for a Two Handed Oven Mitt at Shelly's Sewing Shrapnel.

Tuffet (what a sweet name!) has an equally sweet post on making Flower Fairies.

EAT
These Play Pool! Cupcakes are neat for any billiards lover, from A Crafty Escape.

Combining to things I love, Crazy Domestic has a recipe for Donut Muffins. Seriously, how can that go wrong??

This recipe for Green Bean Sides from the Local Cook sounds yummy, though I'm admittedly of the mind that Parmesan cheese makes *anything* better.

Another "can't go wrong" is this recipe for homemade Chocolate Marshmallows from Unplanned Cooking. Thank goodness it's after 11 or I might be tempted to whip a batch up...

Who knew? The Prudent Homemaker tells us how to Can Bananas.

Live Renewed posted on making your own Vanilla Coffee Creamer using real food ingredients.

Cardamom's Pod tells us how to make Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese. I have used this recipe from Cooking Light, although I would now use full fat milks because God made cows, you know.

Something tells me mine wouldn't turn out so pretty, but here's a recipe for homemade Potato Tots at Weelicious.

DO
This Hidden Pictures Printable at Hippos and Dinosaurs is a super cool idea for car rides and anywhere else that you need to keep a little one occupied.

JanDee Crafts is right - this Stairway IS Amazing! (Lovely "rules" of the household in vinyl lettering, stuck on the back part of the steps so you read them as you go up. Very cool!)

Here's something that I need more often than I like to admit - Stain Removal 101.

I haven't read this yet, but I need to: Tips and Tricks to Selecting and Preparing Knits at Leafy Tree Top Spot.

Katie at Kitchen Stewardship shares an All Natural Spray to Battle Bugs and Disease in your garden.

A fun way to pass the miles, How Does She? posted Are We There Yet?.

Things like these Alphabet Flashcards are nice to have when a certain little one needs to be quiet. (@ homemade by jill)

Ever wonder how to use Subscribe & Save at Amazon.com? Want Not tells you how.

It's tempting to put this under "eat" but I can't quite bring myself to do it. :>) Undercover Mama sells "a strapless undershirt that hooks to your favorite nursing bra" - how cool is that?!?

Mom's Toolbox has a great idea for Using a Shared Journal to Open Teen Communication.

PRAY & PONDER
Elizabeth Foss explains how this time of the year is A Time of Transition at Catholic Herald.

MADE ME GIGGLE THIS WEEK
Cats in Boxes at Cute Overload.

Link Roundup - Pandora's Box Edition

Wow. I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted! I didn't have very many links last weekend, so I decided to skip doing a roundup. Then Hubs and Goose and I spent this past weekend at my brother's; in fact, Goose is still there playing with her cousins. Mama is enjoying a bit of peace and quiet, although I've been doing a fair bit of thinking and pondering, and I feel like I've opened Pandora's Box on a few things. Here's hoping I can stuff back in the things that ought not be out.

One crazy thing about not posting - remember that I did a giveaway a few months ago sponsored by CSN Stores, the company that sells everything from soup to nuts and dinnerware sets to ... well, just about anything a person would want to buy and more? Well, this time I get to do a review! I am choosing a griddle, so I can make bigger batches of tortillas and pancakes and french toast go faster. Can't wait! Except I've needed to post and tell you guys about it to get the ball rolling, and it's taken me waaay too long to do so. But I'll be cookin' up a storm soon now!

How 'bout we hit some links?

MAKE
SO PRETTY - check out this Magnetic Pin Dish Tutorial from Diary of a Quilter. This might end up on my Christmas handmade gift list for my quilting MIL...

Mercy, this just about should go under "do" but I'll put it here anyway - it's an Super Quick Fishing Game from Frugal Family Fun Blog. And Valerie's Fairy Cafe pretty much sums up how my cleaning attempts go. (ooh, something shiny! ... ) Also, after reading about this Nature Study Kit From Recyclables, who wouldn't want to invite themselves over for a playdate at Valerie's? I'm not done yet - Modern Wall Art, No Mess Marbled Painting, and Pretty Peacock Pictures. Seriously, if you haven't subscribed to FFFB by now, what on earth are you waiting for???

Definitely going on the Handmade Christmas Gifts for a niece is this DIY Geoboard at No Time For Flashcards. I've seen them before, but I really like the looks of these nails.

EAT
Since I'd like to eat more squash, I'm digging this post from Tipnut on Squash Recipes.

Does anybody else think it's funny that we tend to use the slow cooker more during the winter, when it would actually be better during the summer so as to not heat up the kitchen? No? Just me? Well, anyway, check out this recipe for Slow Cooker Creamy Turkey Dinner from A Year of Slow Cooking.

Blueberries are still going strong in our stores, and I'm eyeing this Blueberry Crumb Cake from The Pioneer Woman.

DO
My "to read" pile is already far too big, but I can't help eye the sewing books in Four Favorites over at MADE.

This looks like a fun Paint and Peel Math Craft at No Time For Flashcards.

You can download free audio books at Books Should Be Free.

I love to learn more about living the liturgical year, and I just stumbled across A Continual Feast Continued, a blog by the author of the cookbook by the same name.

Some of these would be perfect for my Nappy-lovin' Goose - No Time For Flashcards has a post on Books About Cats.

Simple but fun, I like the looks of these Tree Trunk Crayon Rubbings as seen at Chasing Cheerios.

Not sure if I'll ever have one, but convection ovens fascinate me. If you have one, check out these Convection Oven Cooking Tips at Tipnut.

File this under "hope I never need to know": How To Remove Permanent Marker at Tipnut.

Need a smile at the expense of a snow leopard's pride? Check out Is...Is That All There Is? at Cute Overload.

How cute is this Wizard of Oz Party at One Charming Party?!? (hint: CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE!)

PRAY & PONDER
Faith & Family Live's post The Kids Are Alright gave lots of food for thought. [It's subtitled "a hippie mom of many reflects on 41 years of family life"]

Jennifer at Conversion Diary asks How Can Parents Help Children Stay Strong in Their Faith?.

Also at Faith & Family Live, learn how A Busy Life Can Be Prayerful.

I'd not ever heard the prayer to Our Lady of Surprises before - nor actually even heard that title for Mary, but I like the prayer!

Happy clicking, all...

Link Roundup - Hungry Bears Edition

So I bought a used bike trailer/jogging stroller. Goose and I have strolled over to the farm twice in four days, and both times I actually did a little bit of jogging with it. One of my catch-phrases is that I don't run unless hungry bears are involved, so I guess they must be around here somewhere.

Let's do something that won't aggravate my sore leg muscles, though.

MAKE
Admittedly I will definitely need Hubs and/or my dad to help with this, here are some Free Downloadable Swing Set Plans at BYO Swingset.

My favorite is the bird in flight on this Quick Craft Colorful Window Display, I am completely in love with this Simple Farm Take-Along Toy, and YOU MUST TRY THIS! (hint: it's Giant Bubbles), and I'm still laughing over the Jumping Bean Races. Also, I am stunned at how much these Super Easy Cool Comets kick the crap out of my Sponge Balls. From my very favorite-est online hangout, Frugal Family Fun Blog.

Girl in Air has a super How To Crochet Sesame Street Hats - VERY well done!

These Paper Plate Animal Crafts from No Time For Flashcards are A.DOR.ABLE!

I am completely enthralled by the Lavender Wands as described at Peculiar Momma. (There is another link to click through to see how to make the lovelies, but I have to give PM some props for pointing me to it.)

EAT
Feels Like Home lists 10 Things to Cook in a Muffin Tin, not counting muffins, of course. :>)

This might pry me away from Parmesan cheese with my popcorn (well, for a minute anyway) - Cinnamon Vanilla Popcorn at Leafy Treetop Spot.

This sounds different (and more eat-the-whole-thing-likely) than other similar recipes I've seen: My Granny's Chocolate Cobbler at The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen.

Since I seem to be famous for running out of all kinds of important ingredients and not realizing it until I'm committed (i.e. halfway mixed up), I am going to hang on to this Rainy Day Magic Chocolate Cake from Salsa Pie.

Ohhh, these Cooks Illustrated Blueberry Scones at The Review Lady sound amazing.

A nice change (with chocolate chips!) from banana bread is this Banana Monkey Bars recipe from A Soft Place to Land.

I've made something similar before to these Green French Fries at Dinner: A Love Story (hee!) but my recipe included my beloved Parmesan cheese with the bread crumbs, I think.

DO
Dr. Ray Guarendi tells us how we can get our kids to Nag No More over at Faith & Family Live.

Wish I'd have known this a few weeks ago - Momadvice posted on Freezing Blueberries in 3 Easy Steps.

How Does She? demonstrates a Great Magic Trick that even my Goose could do with a little help.

This Preschool Math Lesson with Lego Measurements from No Time for Flashcards is really cool - I like the estimating part of it.

Whoof, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all these posts, but start with Intro to Sun Protection post (my title, not Katie's...) and then hit the very thorough Natural Sunscreen Review at Kitchen Stewardship. She also has some giveaways and stuff going on, so click around a little.

Who knew? You can Remove Permanent Marker with an Eraser, as seen at Premeditated Leftovers.

I can hardly believe this Chandelier Redo with Mod Podge at The Hand Me Down House - it turned out beautifully! (A few of the middle step pictures had me wondering...)

Impress Your Kids has a review/walk through of sorts of the book Have a New Kid by Friday - I haven't clicked around much yet, but I'd like to do so, and soon!

Happy clicking, friends!

Link Roundup - Feet in the Pool Edition

This post was composed at least in part wading-poolside with my feet in said pool, as Goose occasionally keeps me awake by dumping water on my legs. Life isn't too bad on this HOT day!

MAKE
This Felt Mat, Girl Style from A girl and a glue gun is a super idea!

If you need to craft on the cheap, check out this Sock Wreath from Blue Cricket Design.

A new blog I'm digging is Crafty Mama - lots of neat project ideas over there.

Valerie at Frugal Family Fun Blog has done it again - this time, it's a Travel Play Kitchen Set that's great for small spaces, and a Mini Paper Doll Travel Set.

I got a huge kick out of this PVC Sprinkler Water Toy via Instructables.

Contrary to what Hubs might think about my garden weeding frequency, I seem to poke through the fingers of my gardening gloves in short order. I can now whip up some Handmade Gardening Gloves with the help of Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. Though I might add some ribbing at the cuffs...

Thanks to Angie at Treasures for Tots for the heads-up on this: DIY Bobbin Organizer from The Sassy Crafter. So far, I have tended to be really stingy with thread, so I don't have too many filled (or partially filled) bobbins. And I have a neat little plastic case. But still? This is a great idea.

Mine would *never* in a million years end up looking quite so neat, but I love this Utility Tote from Bag'n-Tell, with the main reason quite possibly being that the pattern uses algebra.

EAT
Regardless of my marital status, I'm tempted to give Joy the Baker's Single Lady Pancake a try.

If you have an apple abundance this year (don't think I will, sigh...), check out these Applesauce Recipes at Tipnut.

I'm super excited to find these Strawberry Cupcakes that don't start with a box mix and don't include a bunch of weird stuff that isn't really food! Thanks, Daily Nibbles!

The wheels are already turning in my mind about how I can use regular tomatoes to make Nancy Harmon Jenkins' Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce, from The Wednesday Chef.

Even though I'm currently crazy full from overindulging on cookies, I still want to jump up and make these Snickerdoodle Blondies from Brown Eyed Baker.

DO
Probably my favorite part of this post on How To Dry Fresh Herbs at Bargaineering is that it identifies which herbs are better to freeze and which are better to dry. I will have an herb garden one of these years, I will!

Chasing Cheerios has a cheap and easily stored Fun Math Activity.

How fun is this Paper City at Made By Joel??

I can't imagine ever wanting to leave this Mud Pie Kitchen at Pepper Paints.

Really, this is a DON'T DO! from The Red Tape Chronicles, See An Online Job Scammer At Work.

PRAY & PONDER
I really enjoyed this post on What Parenting Books Can't Teach at Faith & Family Live.

Happy clicking!

Link Roundup - Wheat Harvest Edition (Sorta)

We started wheat harvest... and it ground to a halt after it rained this morning. Sigh. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. :>)

So let's do some clicking.

MAKE
Oh, this looks like fun (for next year...)! Make Your Own Fourth of July Confetti Popper Rockets at Alphamom.

Also for next year, Little Birdie Secrets Party Poppers Tutorial.

Some very cute things from Make It and Love It - 4th of July Shirts, Cloth Baby Rings, and a Sewing Machine Cover.

What a sweet Simple Summer Outfit at Yards and Yards and what a cute blog name!

Goose isn't into Barbies yet, but once she is, I will plan to make some of these Upcycled Craft Doll Headbands from Zakka Life.

EAT
Tipnut gives us some ideas on Things to Make with Fresh Blueberries. Yum! Also at Tipnut, How To Make Dried Cherries. And finally, Pomegranates Tips.

Honestly, I can feel my rear end getting bigger just reading the recipe for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups at Mom, Undecided. I need to stay far, far away from that ingredient list...

Mmm, Paint Chips and Frying Pans posted a recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Syrup.

I don't know about you, but I am getting more and more hungry as I type, continuing with Peaches 'N Cream Muffins from Amy's Finer Things.

And it just continues... Pillow Cookies at Bakerella.

Phew - something that makes me not want to immediately bake, but I still want to try this Pizza Sauce from Budget Saving Mom.

DO
Kitchen Stewardship is talking Canning Basics.

If you're traveling in my fair state of Nebraska, check out these Kids Car Activities at Visit Nebraska.

Also at Kitchen Stewardship, Katie is having a giveaway, including her new Family Camping Handbook, which I can personally attest is *awesome*.

Happy surfing!

Link Roundup - "Goes Boom" Edition

This sums up my feelings toward fireworks: Musings of a Fireworks Scrooge. (You'll have to click through to get the "goes boom" part.)

To get my mind off being cranky over all the money going up in smoke and causing my 3 year old to say over the monitor every five minutes "what wazzat, Mama?", let's do some clicking around.

MAKE
While I think cupcakes are delightful in their own, I'm not opposed to simple additions to make them even cuter, like these Cupcake Wrappers Made From Doilies at Intimate Weddings.

I love this idea - Embroidery for Kids a guest post from One Hill Road at Skip to My Lou. It would make great gifts, for sure!

These Paper Globes from Hello, My Name is Heather are so, so pretty in their simplicity.

A Storybook Life has a post on How to Make Beautiful Beads From Recycled Newspaper that are lovely!

Little Apartment on the Prairie tells us How to Make Your Own Beach Glass.

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of knocking off cool stuff and making it yourself, so today's version of that tactic is this Land of Nod Inspired Floor Cushion at Living with Punks.

Sew, Mama, Sew has a tutorial on a very lovely Perfectly Portable Cushion. If you want to see all the Summer Sewing projects, click here.

I think I'm going to keep an eye out for big spoons at thrift shops so I can Make Cute Garden Markers at The Magic Onions.

EAT
Family Balance Sheet has a Grilled Summer Squash with Parmesan and Herb recipe that sounds delicious! From there, I also clicked through to Pasta with Fall Squash and Leeks. Yum.

Not sure if I'm brave enough, but I still am bookmarking this Raw Chocolate "Pudding" at Naturally Knocked Up.

Taste is Trump has a simple recipe for Fruit Leather which apparently is amazing with apricots. Now I'm hungry...

DO
I'm seriously eyeing this Simple Behavior Intervention at Chasing Cheerios for Goose, who also has a listening problem much of the time.

Katie at Kitchen Stewardship tells us how she is battling her fruit flies and How To Naturally Get Rid of Ants in Your House.

To head off the cries of "I'm boooored", Shower of Roses posted about Summer Bingo at their house.

Tipnut has some Tips for Removing Carpet Stains.

RANDOM
This is something I pray I never see, but I thought it was important enough to share: Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning, at gCaptain.

This is nothing if not random - How to Open a Bottle of Wine with a Shoe, from wimp.com.

Happy clicking! And I hope you were able to celebrate the 4th with more than just loud noises and burned-up money. :>)

Keeping My Cool

Hubs will be the first to tell you that I'm a big weenie when it comes to heat. I honestly think there's a little glitch in my system somewhere that makes me that way, but I guess I won't know for sure until I get a chance to ask the Big Guy that made me, and once I get to that point, I'm not sure I'll care anyway.

But I digress.

This summer, Goose has wanted to spend more time outside than at any other time in her little life. I am just starting to wrap my mind around the fact that means tons of bug spray and baths, let alone the HEAT. (Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite bug repelling methods, by the way - I'm still looking for one that works besides greasy DEET.)

Today, I whipped up some neck coolers and sponge balls. I looked at a few tutorials for neck coolers (including Salihan Crafts, Heather Lessiter, and Aquadiamonds) but they're all more or less the same: make a long, skinny tube of fabric, stitch across the width of it several inches in on one end, add the crystals, stitch several inches in on the other end, fold in your edges and sew. You soak the cooler in water to activate the crystals, tie it around your neck, and do your thing.

[Edited to add: I made four more for my nieces, and I loosely followed the Aquadiamonds pattern which instructs you to sew several inches in (which makes your tie on one end), add 1/4 teaspoon or so of crystals, sew a few inches up to make a pocket or channel for those crystals, add more crystals, stitch across again, etc. I didn't follow the measurements in the instructions; rather I put pins to mark where I wanted the ties to end/cooler to begin on each end, then I pinned to mark the middle, then I pinned to mark the quarter-way points. So, I ended up with four pockets for the crystals.

Since one of the coolers was for my two-year-old niece, I made hers shorter than the others. I didn't change the amount of crystals I used (1/4 teaspoon per pocket or channel) and hers got pretty tight after soaking the same amount of time as the others that were larger. I plan to re-do mine and Goose's to add the pockets, and I will decrease the amount of crystals in hers.

Also, I discovered that after two days of soaking (in a bowl - not in a cooler!), the crystals that started out smaller than the "bead" on the non-business end of my sewing pins became a bit bigger than a marble. So these things really expand - be aware.]

I made one for me and a smaller one for Goose. Here they are before and after soaking:

(Should you happen to click on the above pic to make it larger, you'll notice that the fabric has kitties on it. :>))


Yup, that's my cluttered countertop, in all its glory. I didn't bother to measure the crystals and I wish that I would have... I was trying to get that part of the project done before the 3 year old got interested in what I was doing. Her smaller cooler could probably have used more crystals, I think.

My biggest obstacle in getting these made was finding the polymer crystals. I didn't want to buy them online and have to wait for them to arrive, but I couldn't get them locally via Wal-Mart or the regional garden store chain. This morning, in a burst of creative genius, I stopped at the local flower shop - success! I ended up with about 2/3 of a cup, which is way, way more than I need, and paid $5, which I thought was too much. But it was the best I could do, and it worked!

The other thing I made was Sponge Balls. I stopped at the dollar store after hitting the flower shop and picked up two bags of sponges for $1 each. Turns out they were miscellaneous and random rejects in varying sizes, shapes and types. I just cut them into strips and went with it, though. The results are kinda cute, I thought:

I'm really looking forward to smacking my brother in the back of the head with these--- I mean, tossing them around with Goose and my nieces.

If there's a Frugal Friday this week, I'll be submitting this post, so if you want more frugal tips, check out Life As Mom.