Miscellaneous Useful Information

 

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.  (You can also place the unwrapped mints right on top of the hot brownie.  When they melt just spread them around.  I've got a cookie recipe that does it this way.  Much easier.) Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the food chop per. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. 1. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. (This works real good.  I usually spray the skillet first.  Also a good way to reheat French fries.) 2. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. 3. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 4. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 5. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. 6. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 7. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 8. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 9. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 10. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small l safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone. 11. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 12. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 13. Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 14. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair... 15. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 16. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal (or uncooked grits) where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer ! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter a after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well,...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free -- that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn y our house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!  We tried this and it's really true.  (When I sent this to my cousin she immediately replied to tell me her daughter had a fire in her dryer from this very thing.  We tried it and the water didn't go through.) PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.   I'm adding a few other hints I have used and really like.   Treating Sunburn - Mix equal parts of olive oil, cider vinegar and, yes, rubbing alcohol.  Place in a spray bottle and spritz on the burn.  It is very healing and soothing.  The alcohol helps to dry up any little blisters.   To get onion smell of your hands simply rub a piece of stainless steel flat wear on your hands and the smell will be completely gone without even washing your hands.  It's unbelievable!  I have a stainless steal sink and sometimes just rub my hands on it.    A really good facial cleanser - Mix equal parts of Witch Hazel, and once again,  Rubbing Alcohol.  I've used this for years and it's really cheap as well.

 

 

Bananas

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain.
Read on:
Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:

Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia:

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:

200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:

Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):

Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use:

Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:

Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:

According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:

Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.
It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

sunscreen

I have always wondered about this and I saw it on the M&J Show this morning. The SPF rating on sunscreen is only for UVB rays, not UVA. UVA's cause aging effects and UVB's cause sunburn. Both can cause skin cancer. There are sunscreens that protect against both UVA & UVB, but they aren't regulated by a rating yet. So it's difficult to really know what you are getting. Consumer Reports did a study on it and found that No-Ad brand SPF 45 was the "best buy" choice for protecting against both UVA & UVB rays.

The price of sunscreen had no relation to how well it blocked the rays. Even brands that can only be purchased from a dermatologist were tested. Creams and lotions worked better than sprays, only because sprays aren't applied as thick. A higher SPF rating doesn't mean better protection. It just means you can stay out in the sun longer before reapplying. For example, if you can usually only stay in the sun 10 minutes before getting burned, an SPF 30 will allow you to stay in the sun 30 times that long, or 300 minutes. So if you have a lower SPF, just reapply more often. And of course, if you will be in the water, waterproof sunscreen is a better choice.

Consumer Reports Sunscreen Report

Consumer Search Sunscreen Report

May 2008

Emma's Graduation
Congratulations, Emma! We knew you could do it! ;)

Graduation got rained out and moved to the gym. I have never heard of that happening before, it was really weird for it to rain that much in May. So it was all crowded and hot and stuffy in there and the talks were long but luckily there were only like 200 students graduating.
Adree's Baby Shower

I only get to see Adree like 2 or 3 times a year now that she lives freakin far! So I was glad that I got to help with the shower. I got this really awesome chicken salad sandwich recipe from Chandra and I made it the night before and it took like 3 hours but it was totally worth it. Emma was also staying with us that weekend so Hill & Emma got to go to the shower too. Adree got lots of cool presents and I'm so happy for her and excited to meet Bryson!
Mother's Day

My mom came down the Friday & Saturday before Mother's Day so we all went out to dinner at Outback with my mom and grandma. Then on Sunday, we had dinner with Jason's family. So we got to spend time with both sides of the family. Jason and Halle gave me flowers and chocolate. :)
More Pictures:

May 2008

Battle at Kruger

This is a really neat video! I saw it on Inside Edition. It's kinda long though, so I will summarize. This baby buffalo gets attacked by lions near the water. Then a crocodile comes up and tries to get him too, playing tug of war with the lions. The lions finally get the calf, then his herd comes back and saves him! Cute!

New Air Conditioning Unit!

Today we got a new A.C. unit for our house. The one we had was the original one from when the house was built in 1978. It was not efficient at all and very expensive to run in the summer, even if we kept our house at 82 degrees!
So we are pretty excited to have a new one.


More pictures:
May 2008

April 2008

Happy birthday Jason! He turned 27 on the 8th.
It was also Hill's birthday on the 13th!
More pictures have been posted in the April 2008 album.

April 2008

I also added more pictures of Hill & Tyler's wedding reception:
March 2008

We are still just keeping busy with work and in our spare time we work on our house. Last weekend 4/25 we got some gravel and Jason & Rachel and Chad & Kimber came over to help spread it out in our front yard. Well, the guys helped and us girls sat around and watched. :)
This weekend we are going to use our tax refund to buy a new A.C. unit for our house! Hooray!
My new job is still going great. On 4/23, I went to visit the girls I used to babysit for 3 years. It had been 2 months since I started the new job and they missed me. It was good to see them. But my new job is working out much better and I'm really thankful that I found it.