Susiej

Do you need to make cream turn into ice cream? We had our recipe, our hill, our cans,

and our thermometer – for educational purposes, of course.

We sealed in the ingredients,

notice the paint on the hammer.

and we started rolling…

and rolling

and rolling.

The can was cold.

We opened it up; we tested the ice, hoping to reach our 6-degree mark… still too warm.

So we rolled again.

Still, we had cream and no ice cream.

So, not so great of a plan. But, I have found a way to minimize my grocery trips to the store. Read more here. And, you can read my report on the four-boy wedgie test. Hanes has new “no ride up” underwear, and the boys test them out, here.

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There are countless uses for vinegar in the laundry room. However, none quite matches vinegar’s amazing ability to eliminate wrinkles, eliminating countless wasted hours behind the ironing board.

Use scented (with 20 drops of essential oil), or straight distilled white vinegar. Simply mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle.

Spray the vinegar on dry clothes and most wrinkles will disappear as the vinegar dries. Keep a bottle in your closet, as well as by the dryer, and spray away the wrinkles as you need. If using the oils, this is a great way to scent your clothes, and your closet. Shake the bottle each time before use.

For heavy duty wrinkles, you may have to break out your ironing board. If that’s the case, keep a spray bottle of equal parts water and vinegar (and essential oils) to use as a spray starch. The vinegar helps you make sharp creases and crisp lines in fabric.

Now, for the monster part:

This spray also does double-duty as a monster spray. At night, when someone has nightmares, this spray has an amazing ability, especially when mixed with lavender oil, to soothe little ones back to sleep. The “mediciney-yucky” part of the vinegar, assures the little ones that yes, the monsters are all gone now, and the spray has done it’s job.

And, don’t you love it when a GREAT FAMILY, rated G Movie hits the theaters? There’s one coming, August 15, Fly Me To The Moon. Watch the trailer, here.

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Easily… with a dab of Ammonia. Cloudy or clear… either one works.

Just thought you’d want to know.

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13 Ways To Make Doing Laundry Like Taking a Bubble Bath

Some girls love bubble baths, but I love laundry. Some days, I go hunting through the house for sour-smelling clothes that I can transform into lavender-scented bundles. Trust me; transform your laundry room into an aroma-scented haven, and you’ll transform your life. Soon, you’ll relish laundry day as that one non-hectic day of your whole week. The fruits of your labor will permeate closets, dressers and linen closets for weeks. Seriously; how can you not LOVE a machine that does all the work that your Great Grandmother used a washboard to do?

1. The first step is to eliminate all artificial scents from your laundry supply shelf. This includes dryer sheets. Google the health effects of artificial air fresheners, and chemical dryer sheets and look at the list of toxins.
2. Invest in some pure essential oils from the health food store – scents that not only have a heavenly aroma, but also are actually good for your body, and repel fabric-eating insects. Lavender is a great one to start with.
3. Next, disinfect and deodorize your washing machine so that your clothes will not absorb a lingering musty smell. You can do this pretty easily by pouring two cups of vinegar into your machine, and run a full cycle — without any clothes or detergent. If your water is very dirty, let the agitator run for 8-10 minutes, open the lid and let the vinegar sit overnight. In the morning, empty the basin and run the washer through a complete cycle with two cups of vinegar. Do this every six months to eliminate soap scum, and musty smells.
4. Basic soaps: Stock your laundry room with Borax, Epsom Salts, distilled white vinegar (not apple cider vinegar), and for tough stains, plain, unscented Tide Detergent and Oxy Clean. If you have a high efficiency washer, skip the Borax and buy only the unscented HE deterge rent powder. Borax creates too much “suds,” the major failure of HE washers.
5. Scent your laundry: Open your jug of distilled white vinegar, and drop in 30-40 drops of your favorite essential oil. French laundry mistresses have used lavender for centuries. Let the oils permeate the vinegar for about a week before using.
6. Open your box of Borax, (or HE detergent if you have an HE washer) and pour the powder into a clean empty container with a lid. (An empty oxy-clean bucket will work.) Drop 20-30- drops of essential oils into the Borax, and stir thoroughly to mix the scents. Cover and let the scents mix for about a week before using.
7. Basic laundry soap: If you have a regular top loading washer (one that doesn’t require HE soap), for each load, add ½ of the amount of detergent you usually use, combined with the other half of Borax. If I’m washing whites, I’ll also add a ½ cup of oxy clean. (Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer.)
8. Add 1/2 cup of scented vinegar to each load along with the detergent. It fights germs, keeps your colors from bleeding, and deodorizers your laundry.
9. Use your scented vinegar in place of your fabric softener in the Rinse Cycle to eliminate static cling, remove pet hair and complete dissolve and rinse away soap.
10. To get REALLY white whites - -try this. Fill your washing machine with hot water and one or two cups of oxy clean. Add your laundry and let the machine agitate. Then, lift the lid and let the laundry soak in the oxy clean water overnight. In the morning, let the wash run itself through.
11. Buy some doggie toys at the grocery store — the kind with balls and pokey things, for about $1.00. Use those as dryer balls (that sell for about $20). They do help lift the laundry and help things dry faster — I also throw one in the washer.
12. Ring around the color: Make a paste with 2 parts white vinegar to 3 parts baking soda, and let set for 20-30 minutes.
13. Picked up a plastic-coated wire and made a new clothesline. Sleeping on a pillow line-dried in fresh air is as warm and cozy as a chocolate chip cookie. If you haven’t indulged in this little luxury lately, I think it’s time you tried it again – if your local authorities will allow it.

Thursday 13

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with my prized beans. You know you’ve reached success when you’re skeptical Father says, “I’m amazed at how well your fort does look after all.” Despite the junkyard trellises, the discarded branches and posts full of Irish Spring Soap. Not only can I say that the fort a success, but the beans are so mighty, Jack-In-The-Beanstalk BIG, I think I should win a prize or something.

If any of you have grown beans before, you know that for maximum flavor, the beans taste best when picked just before they rich full maturity. However, this variety, the Jack-In-The-Beanstalk variety, is meant to grow beans that are 10-12 inches in length. The beans, primarily because they are fresh off the vine when I cook them, have this succulent, earthy, light taste that makes you ALMOST want to ban sour cream potato chips from your diet forever.

The 20 foot vines on the fort have wrapped themselves so beautifully around those junkyard trellis so

that all you see are those big, beautiful draping leaves, and no longer the pathetic, sight-for-sore-eyes monstrosity.

If you’re thinking about building a similar fort, I encourage you to get these Jack-In-The Beanstalk Seed from Seeds of Change. The vines seem to be very hearty, and give you quite a show in one short season.

One evening I saw humming birds fluttering around from white flower to white flower. It was one of those moments when you knew as soon as you left to grab your camera, the birds would be gone; so, you might as well just stay here and enjoy their amazing delicate dance from flower to flower.

The Japanese Beetles were difficult to battle against, but the vines seemed to be undaunted by a few little holes in the leaves. Still, the boys reported that one morning a “huge spider web caught thousands of Japanese Beetles.” It was knocked down before I could witness the web.

Not only can I say that the fort a success, but the beans are so mighty, Jack-In-The-Beanstalk BIG, I think I should win a prize or something. If any of you have grown beans before, you know that for biggest flavor, the beans taste better when picked when they’re small. This variety, however, the Jack-In-The-Beanstalk variety is meant to grow to 10-12 inches. The taste is amazing. Because they’re fresh off the vine when I cook them, the beans have this succulent, earthy, light taste that makes you ALMOST want to ban sour cream potato chips from your diet forever.

The vines on the fort have wrapped themselves so beautifully around those junkyard trellis so that all you see are those big, beautiful draping leaves, and no longer the pathetic, sight-for-sore-eyes monstrosity. I’m very excited about my Dad seeing the fort, now in all its green glory.

If you’re thinking about building a similar fort, I encourage you to get these Jack-In-The Beanstalk Seed from Seeds of Change. The vines seem to be very hearty, and give you quite a show in one short season.

One evening I saw humming birds fluttering around from white flower to white flower. It was one of those moments when you knew as soon as you left to grab your camera, the birds would be gone; so, you might as well just stay here and enjoy their amazing delicate dance from flower to flower.

The Japanese Beetles were difficult to battle against, but the vines seemed to be undaunted by a few little holes in the leaves. Still, the boys reported that one morning a “huge spider web caught thousands of Japanese Beetles.” It was knocked down before I could witness the web.
so that all you see are those big, beautiful draping leaves, and no longer the pathetic, sight-for-sore-eyes monstrosity. I’m very excited about my Dad seeing the fort, now in all its green glory.

If you’re thinking about building a similar fort, I encourage you to get these Jack-In-The Beanstalk Seed from Seeds of Change. The vines seem to be very hearty, and give you quite a show in one short season.

One evening I saw humming birds fluttering around from white flower to white flower. It was one of those moments when you knew as soon as you left to grab your camera, the birds would be gone; so, you might as well just stay here and enjoy their amazing delicate dance from flower to flower.

The Japanese Beetles were difficult to battle against, but the vines seemed to be undaunted by a few little holes in the leaves. Still, the boys reported that one morning a “huge spider web caught thousands of Japanese Beetles.” It was knocked down before I could witness the web. Next year, I have bigger plans, as I write at Midwest Parents.

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This view: is it better clouded with dirt or streaks?

After our lake house endured an entire weekend of 14 boys and 7 Dads, an Indian Guide Tribe, the men graciously chipped in to split the cost of a domestic engineer to tidy up the place after they left. Actually, an act of grace that helped me sleep through the night in the period that loomed ahead of the trip. The “boys weekend” was fine; except for the one incident when one boy thought it would make a great show to spray a can of Off in the air and light a match… INSIDE the house. No one or thing was hurt in the process. But wow, what a learning experience for all the rest of the boys present. The two little boys and I were away for that weekend; thank God for tender mercies.

Knowing the angel with cleaning supplies would soon be arriving, I felt that it might be time to bring the windows “up-to-par.” So, at around 3 p.m., I set out with a bucket full of water, vinegar and a dash of vegetable soap. By 9:00 p.m. my shoulders were searing with pain, as I stood and looked out of my now-smeared and streaked windows, among bottles of car wash, rubbing alcohol, Glass Plus and vinegar, with a pile of charcoal gray towels, rags and t-shirts.The windows have been neglected so long that the dirt is actually etched on the windows.The I should have cried; instead I was too harsh with the kids, pushed my oldest to pour cereal for everyone’s supper and sent them all too bed. My 12-year-old was a little too mouthy, so I gave him the job of washing all the dishes from the day. I was so sad.

While he was busy with that, I picked up a household manual I had lying around, which, maybe, perhaps, I should have looked at first, and discovered the following streak-free window cleaning formulas:

Here’s the first one:
1 cup of clear ammonia, to 3 cups of water.

The second one:
Two tablespoons borax dissolved in 3 cups of water.

And the third:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup ammonia
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 3-4 quarts of warm water.

Mix and put in a trigger spray bottle.
Spray on the windows then wipe with a warm water rinse.
Rub with a dry paper towel or lint-free cloth.

When the cleaning goddess arrived the next morning, I explained my dilemma. The secret, she says, is in the squeegee. Eliminates the need for any rubbing – no streaks.

She offered to give me an estimate for the windows… I’m still thinking about getting my own squeegee. I can’t stand to be outdone by a window.

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I know these pictures have nothing to do with this post, but I have so many emails requesting more pics of the lake.  So, here they are.

You certainly can’t keep you unopened milk in the fridge while you’re gone on vacation. If you’re leaving by plane, give your perishables to a neighbor. If you’re traveling by car, pack whatever perishables you’re currently using in a cooler. Our cooler usually has our current milk jug, the eggs, the sour cream, the yogurt tub, the butter, and the half-cut watermelon. You can pack those little miniature cereal boxes that make their own bowl and use those as snacks on your trip. (Only if your kids don’t fight over the Coco Puffs, because there’s only one of those in that variety pack. And usually the kid who gets the CoCo Puffs won’t finish his bowl/box, because the coco is a tad too strong for little kid’s palettes. Yet, they never remember this, and insist it’s their turn to have the Coco Puffs. The nice part is, during the squabble, I can quietly sneak off with the Fruit Loops undetected.)

If there is a fridge at your destination, simply move the perishables from the cooler to your next fridge. Because the last thing you need when you’re unpacking clothes, is to have to run out to the store for food.

In much the same way that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Ma did, I spend the few days ahead of the trip making batches and batches of provisions with the sole purpose of avoiding a trip to Wal Mart for as long as humanly possible. Some of these “batches” include hummus, and black bean dip frozen into serving-sized portions. I also make Snickerdoodle and chocolate chip cookie dough, cooked chicken breasts that I’ve frozen for salads, lemon syrup, and of course, paint cans.

I admit the problem with all this prep is that by the time you’re done, nobody needs a vacation quite like the cook.

But, of course I have my beans… Soon, I’ll be updating the success of the fort, Cowboys and Indians and stuff like that.

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• When your children put a paintbrush in their hands and start dipping into the oil-based paint quicker than you can say STOP, Vaseline will eventually get the paint off their hands, their clothes and their shoes. If you scrape for a long time. At least they can stay busy wiping the Vaseline off their hands in the grass for awhile. This is a much safer solution than Mineral Spirits.

• This is by far, the stupidest tip I have ever used. The tip was to line your paint pan with aluminum foil. When you’re done painting, you simply throw away the foil, and there’s no need to clean your paint pan. I’ll tell you why this is stupid: Foil tears easily. Sometimes the foil isn’t wide enough to cover the whole pan, so you need to piece one on top of the other. The result? Paint seeping down under the foil, out of reach of your roller. Pretty soon, your rolling will loosen the foil off the edges, and the next thing you know, you’ll lift your roller, hit the wall and see that a wad of aluminum foil sticking to the wall.
• It’s a great idea to tint one of your primer cans with your final paint color. Explain this to your 12 year old, who is helping you paint, very clearly. Otherwise, he’ll notice that his white colored wall is much different than your Quietude primed wall – so before you know it he’ll dip into your tinted can and re-cover his white walls. In about 30 minutes, you’ll be out of primer, and you’ll soon be trying to figure out how to get your paint-stripped toddlers into the van and into the paint store to buy an extra can of primer.

• This box of painter’s plastic is perfect if you’d like to experience a nervous breakdown in your near future. Especially if you’re in an open area and there is a breeze. An old sheet would have worked much better.

• When your 4-year old decides he likes the color of your paint so much, that he dips his entire hands into the paint bucket, stop before you grab the rags. This is the perfect opportunity to capture those handprints you’ve been putting off for so long. Something I didn’t take advantage of when the opportunity presented itself. I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown from the plastic… and everything else.

Artwork by my 12 year old, at a previous, un-stressful, time.

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Life rarely falls nicely into place for me. The dinner I meticulously cook is shunned by at least two boys; my morning tea is cold by the time I have time to drink it; and the toilet seat is usually wet. This is why it is so difficult for me to express the great pleasure I feel when I arrive at the lake, and see that the Bean Fort it is miraculously thriving; despite our absences, the deer, the rabbits, the slugs and are inability to water the fort like we should. Still, this fort, which has taken me 10 years of failed attempts, is thriving.

Those little Jack-in-the-Beanstalk tendrils that reach out and grab the junkyard poles captivate my heart. The black plastic has efficiently eliminated the need to weed, although I did tear out some baby weeds last week that were growing along the edges. The sandy soil has stayed moist; thanks to the plastic.

The plants, that started from this big fat seed, are now stretching to 6 feet, expertly winding themselves around the bamboo poles. Many plants were running out of places to twine, and had already started the journey back down the pole.

I spent an hour or so in my fort admiring their delicate tendrils, while I worked to add string from the current poles to give them more places to reach, stretch and grow. One vigorous bean ran out of “pole” and was climbing back down again. I tied string to the top of the pole, and connected it to the one directly opposite; to create a “roof”.

A storm knock down a pine tree (yet, remarkably, my fort was unscathed!), giving me a new source of “poles.” I dug three more holes along the perimeter of the fort for these new “poles,” which added a bit more of that “enclosure” feeling within the inside of the fort. They kind of give the fort that “petrified forest” look, a neighbor commented.

And, some extra height. A bonus. Insects, so far, have only attacked on plant. The offender left holes all along the leaf, turning it into a shadow of green lace.

I know from my 10 years of failure, that these holes could be the kiss of death for the entire fort. I briefly entertained the idea of using some kind of insecticide, but wisely decided against it. I scratched my head and thought, “what would Mr. Green Jeans do?”

Mr. Green Jeans was the beloved farmer from my favorite childhood show, Lucy’s Toy Shop. Then, relying on my solutions from Hot Pepper, Toilet Paper Tubes and Irish Spring, I remembered the chive plants planted by the back road. Using a shovel, I dug both up, and planted them strategically around the fort. (Hot Pepper Wax has been difficult to track down this year.) We’ll just have to wait and see if it works.

I know it’s a wild chance, putting all my dreams in one place; in a few simple seeds that could easily be destroyed by the force of nature. With parenting, it’s hard to know if what you’re doing today is helping. We wont’ know for decades the impact of our parenting choices. But with plants; you see results in a week. Instant gratification is something that’s seldom seen in the important parts of life.

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This summer, our hill at the lake will be used in yet another ingenious way: to make ice cream for our root beer floats. I was tempted to buy the traditional ice cream maker, but there are so many choices; I quickly became overwhelmed looking at all the bells and whistles. And besides, I have all that boy power just dying to get put to use. Plus, the process of making ice cream by hand… literally…. in the can… is is a great way to introduce some lessons in science. There is the ice cream in a bag method; my boys would surely break the bag in the mixing process. So, I’ve decided to go with the ice cream in a can method.

1. The first challenge is finding the can. Many recipes suggest using a coffee can, but who buys coffee in a can anymore? A better idea is to ask for an empty paint can from the paint store. You’ll need two: A quart, and a gallon.
2. Ask your kids to tell you the freezing point of water — or teach them — 32 degrees F, or 0 Celcius. Then, ask them what happens when we put salt on icy sidewalks. Ask them to start thinking about why we need salt to make ice cream.
3. In the small, clean can, add one cup of milk or half and half, one cup of sugar, and one teaspoon of vanilla.
4. Optional: add one tablespoon of chocolate syrup — or frozen strawberries.
5. Use a hammer to seal the lid tightly.
6. In the larger can, combine the ice and rock salt. Use a thermometer to record the temperature of the rock and salt mixture.
7. Use hammer again to seal the lid tightly.
8. Take turns rolling the can down the hill, for about five minutes. This will “solidify” the ice cream.
9. Explain what’s happening: the ice melts and combines with the salt. This “brine” has a lower freezing point — lower than 32 degrees.
10. After five minutes of rolling, open the large can, and take the temperature of the ice. It will be colder than it was the first time.
11. Open the smaller can. The colder brine was able to get the milk mixture cold enough to freeze to a solid, to create ice cream.
12. You know you’re going to have to whip up another batch right now; the fun was really rolling the can down the hill.
13. An instant way to eliminate the ice cream headache is to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Teaching a toddler how to do this is something you won’t soon forget.

Pictures to come…
Thursday Thirteen

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