HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANNON

So we start the march birthdays. Shannon is the first of 4 march birthdays in our family. I was in labor with her on Feb 29th, leap day. We watched the clock carefully. Other interesting things about Shannon's arrival? The Sound of Music was on TV for the first time and I wouldn't leave for the hospital until all 3 hours of it was finished. (labor was nothing to me) It was the Nation's bicentennial year and everyone had gone back to old crafts and the U.S was a buzz with celebrations. It snowed the day she was born, a rare thing on any day in Ukiah but really unusual for March. The hospital she was born in was a converted home. I'd say she was born in the kitchen area and we slept in the family room. It was a hospital! All the new moms were in one room and with the snow the dad's weren't driving in to pick us up so we had an all night party. One mom had a C-section and couldn't laugh without crying. Some one had junk food and it was a wonderful first day for Shannon. Also the longest I got to stay in the hospital. With the other 4 it was a matter of hours not over night. So a Big Happy Birthday to our 2nd child, our first daughter. The calm baby that gave two very tired parents the brake they needed! We love you tons mom and dad

What does fast and easy mean?

Fast Felt Booties

Hello Ladies, Thank-you for your comments of encourage-ment

I do so enjoy passing along these fun ideas. Please offer your own thoughts as you feel the desire. As I was making my favorite oatmeal muffin recipe today I was thinking "now what does make an easy recipe, an easy project?" It seems to some of us something challenging is not hard but an enjoyable work. For others it is horrible and avoided. Same goes for recipes, and sewing and scrap books. It is all in our mind, the choice of comfort in what is easy and what is hard. Experience makes many things easier so DON'T shy away from things that are harder. If you want to learn to do something do it while it's hard and it will become easy! And the next hard thing you do is even easier. So now for my thoughts on what makes something easy.

When I cook if there are only three steps. Collect, mix, bake, then I think it is easy.

in the muffins from yesterdays easy recipes, if I take out two bowls one for dry ingredients and one for wet, I can quickly put ingredients in each bowl, combine and bake. That makes it fast, even if it takes 20 minutes to cook I have done the work part without stress and can get back to the school work, the babies or the cleaning. However cheesy potatoes has so many steps, clean the potatoes, pre-bake, cool, scoop out the middle carefully, mix middle with cheese etc and put back in shells and cook again. Now that is a lot of steps! I might save this for a special, carefree occasion but not for every day fast meals. However, again, if I make a large batch and freeze some before the 2nd baking I will have days and days worth of easy meals to look forward to. It's all in what you are able or willing to fit into your day.

for projects. May I encourage you to consider projects in your life. I found most of homemaking shows little process towards see able goals. It's so much day to day, repeating chores and training of the young that goes on in your life. Over and over. Important but not daily fulfilling. But a project no matter how easy or hard has a beginning plan, a time of creating and a finish that can be looked at and acknowledged as something you accomplished. You will in certain points of being a mother, a student, a teacher see times when you know all your past work has a good result! It just doesn't come often.

very proud of my youngest who decided to make a baby sling, she planned her project, she made it and I was happy to see it all finished on the web cam the other night. Was it easy, she will have to say. Did it make her feel happy to have something she could finish? I do hope so!

e of us like to sew, some to paint, some to garden, to write, to bake. All kinds of things we can do that we enjoy the beginning planning, the middle and the end. Think of what that is for you. Find a little something to make. I have my grandma Gardner to thank for this lesson in my life. She had a lot of grandchildren! I came in the middle of the group, yet the wonderful little gifts I would get from her hands! Little dolls, simple and so sweet. I adore them still today. And each night I go to sleep under an Afghan she made me as a little girl. I know she made one for all the grand kids at the time. She lived a hard life, through the depression and with a large family, my grandfather wasn't a kind man, no income, so very poor. My uncle sold candied popcorn, she'd make, on the street corners. Yet I remember her as a happy lady, kind and sweet. She had a beautiful garden in pots all around her home, and she always had a project going. Do you think that focus on small things, she really could do and have an effect on, helped her? I do. I think it helps keep us together. Something we can finish, so nice.

what's an easy project? First it can't take up too much space. You have to keep it from little hands, or be able to move it to a safe place between working on it. low Costco boxes are great to move a project around in.

t it has to have materials you can afford or get from others, or be made from what you have on hand. You will regret a project that hurts the budget. I've found lots of materials at 2nd hand stores. Check it out. The other thing that helps make a project easy is if it has steps that can be broken into short working periods. Most sewing can easily be broken up, I never feel that way about scrap booking, it's all or nothing for me. If you can plan little steps that fit a time frame you can live with then you will finish the project.

l enough said about that. If you go to a 2nd hand store and see a wool sweater buy it, do a gentle shrinking (I can provide instructions) and cut up and sew the cutest baby shoes you have ever seen. Nearly Free! the patten is above but you will need to ask me to e-mail you a PDF so you can print and cut out the little shoes. I have two styles, and ones a Mary Jane!

>Enjoy your week-end

Fast, Easy

Today will be fast cooking day. Now I didn't say deeply nutritious. I wish that could be a part of everything we eat, but once in a while those old fast recipes are every thing. Don't eat fast food at the drive through and you won't have to worry about, the little bit of easy, barely good for you, in these recipes. Right?

Orange-crumbed baked chicken (weight watchers)

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons orange juice, use any you have

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teas soy sauce

2/4 cup whole-wheat cracker crumbs (I don't have these around often so I use a couple slices of whole wheat bread broken into the blender and pulsed until crumbs,/p>

1 tablespoon of orange zest if working from a real orange

1/4 teas. onion power

1/4 teas ground pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs if you wish

pre-heat over to 350 degrees

I put foil on a cookie sheet and spray with non-stick spray.

In small bowl combine orange juice, mustard and soy sauce. mix cracker/bread crumbs on a flat plate or piece of wax paper combine with orange zest and seasoning.

Ready take a piece of chicken dip in sauce or brush sauce on, dip in cracker crumbs and cover well. You may need to press the crumbs all over to catch the empty spots.

Place on cookie sheet and bake 15 to 30 min. Turn over back about 20-30 min or until cooked through. Very yummy and fast

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Any old bottled Fruit Cake

Now is the time to move last years canning on and make room for this years. So you don't have home canned, this works for fruit in cans from the store too. Pre-heat oven to 350 1 quart of any fruit, or fruit mix Blend in blender Pour into large bowl and add 4 teaspoons baking soda, stir well Now add: 1 cup veggie oil 2 Cups sugar 4 Cups unsifted flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cloves (I don't like a strong cloves taste, you may) Stir until all mix together. You can put this in a greased bread pan, a bunt pan or a 9x13"pan it will take longer to cook in a bunt and shortest in a 9X13" Did you know glass pans cook faster, so cut that time down. It's done when you can put a square in and it comes out without wet dough on it. You can glaze this with some powered sugar and vanilla and a touch of water or you can frost with a butter cream, or dust with powered sugar. It's a hearty moist cake and FAST to make Bake about 40-60 mins' ************************************************************** Good Morning Vitamin C fast food With 5 kids going 5 directions breakfast could forgotten. Everyone in the family knew how to make this in the blender Single recipe large recipe 1 cup milk 3 cups milk 1/2 banana 2 bananas 3 tablespoons tang breakfast drink 1/2 cup tang orange drink Blend like crazy, pour and go! If Tang is no longer available then keep frozen orange juice around and put a spoon full in the blender. If you want more healthy stuff, add flax seed oil, protein powder, blueberries etc. Just remember the more you add the more time it makes to put this together.

************************************************************** Peanut Quickie cookies A favorite of mine in high school pre-heat oven to 350 degrees combine 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 cup peanut butter. Now this is real life chemistry. There is NO FLOUR. don't stress. it works Mix well, drop by large spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Wonderful cookies make sure they brown a bit

********************************************************************* One fast cookie recipe deserves another Pudding cookies 3/4 Cup baking mix, this is Bisquick or something you make (do you need a recipe?) 1/4 cup salad oil 1 egg 1 small package of instant pudding 2 tablespoons sugar Mix until dough forms a ball. shape 1 teas balls and flatten on cookie sheet. A glass dipped in sugar to flatten makes a bit of sugar sparkle on the top. bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until lightly brown

******************************************************************* Oatmeal muffins (my friends mother made these when we got home from dates) pre-heat oven to 425 degrees 1 cup sifted flour 1/4 cup sugar 3 teas. baking powered 1/2 teas salt Mix well The trick with good muffins is don't stir they too much once the liquid is in. So mix everything well while you only have dry. Add 1 cup quick cooking oats. I've used old fashion and the muffins are fine, just different. in a 2 cups measuring cup or a bowl put 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons veggie oil and 1 egg. Mix this up well. Now stir liquid into dry just enough to moisten everything. Fill 12 greased muffins slots 2/3 full of dough and bake for 15 mins. Yummy ******************************************************************* Banana-chocolate chip muffins preheat oven to 400 degrees Mix dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 sugar 2 teas baking powder 1/2 teas salt Mix wet ingredients: 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup oil 3/4 cup mashed banana (kids love to mash with a fork!) Stir wet into dry just until blended Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 walnuts if desired. Pour into greased muffin tins, makes 1 1/2 doz Bake 20-25 mins

************************************************************ Fast Chicken (pour this over fresh rice) butter any size pan (this has to do with how much you want to cook!) put boneless chicken breast on the bottom (I cut them into weight watcher size deck of cards servings) place slices of good Swiss cheese (a must) over the chicken Saute onions, and celery any amount place over cheese stir together: 1 can cream of chicken soup (for about 4 chicken breasts) 1 cup of sour cream Spoon over top of veggies cover the whole area bake un-covered 1 hour. This is good stuff....thanks Shan Sutton for sharing this recipe with me years ago, it's a family favorite!

what's a mom to do! follow-up ideas

I love music! It is my fastest easiest way to lift a mood I can't control. Here are some of my favorite "fix my mood" songs. I finally got them on my Pocket PC and they are on my home computer and I can pop them out when needed. One time through a song can often change my thinking about life. But when it doesn't I go through the song twice or just try another song. While Phil was living in California and we were apart I made a full CD of songs to play that made me feel so much better. The months after I made that Cd were so much better than the months before. It's funny they were sad songs and they made me happy!

So my #1 favorite song to bring me up is 'Mango time', by Tony Bird. I don't get far into this song and I'm happy again. I can just picture myself climbing those mango trees and eating those juicy mango's. The best part is when he says to leave the seed so it grows for another mango tree and the future. It makes me so happy to think of those future mango trees. Sadly the clip I am giving you doesn't have the rousting start that the original music has so do get the original if you want to hear it. May I suggest a trip to Barnes and nobles music dept where you can scan and listen to ANY song.

http://bluegrass.rounder.com/index.php?id=album.php&musicalGroupId=836&catalog_id=3233

#2 My grandson, little person that he is loves 'Hamster dance'. He can just boogie to this song and once I saw how he loved this music I loved it too. If I put it on I can picture his happy dance and it lifts my spirits so much. You can find it online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76HcLEunsws #3 Recently, during the dark of a Northwest winter I came upon 'Over the rainbow' by an Hawaiian called IZ. His real name was Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. This is the happiest, song ever. I bought it on i-tunes for 99 cents. It really brings a smile. You can hear it here, just close your eyes and listen before watching the video, the video is a sad one so don't mix sad and happy. http://youtube.com/watch?v=PL-uL2M3xvM

This is just three of my big list but what I'd really like is to hear three of your songs for uplifting! Just put them in the comment area for all of us to see.

A lot can be said for putting on the beach boys and grabbing my Sand and Surf candle by Yankee candle and just being a kid with my surf board for a moment!

Grammie person

what's a mom to do!

Dear mom’s It’s a lonely job to raise children in this generation. Let me share with you how I made it work for me. I was alone a lot of the time with my five kiddos. You look inside yourself for anything that makes it easier.

I find that the Delights of the day are very important. What is a Delight of the day? Something happens that touches us and brings on these delights. It’s those moments when we feel so happy to be just where we are. But we aren’t a lot of the time, we get bogged down. Not enough sleep, the maid doesn’t come, the cook has no ideas. Oh to be rescued! You can rescue yourself with a little planning. At a moment when you don’t feel beat and discouraged make a plan. One little thing can take a day and lift it out of the mundane. Plan those moments now. You need a collection of little things that lift you out of a mood, a loneliness a bordom, a disaster. You need to know that it is there, that one little starter for the Delight of the day. What is it you ask? Let’s explore that.

What makes you happy? If you are lifted up the household comes with you most times and once they are happy you will feel better, longer. Does a great song lift your spirits? Keep that song or cd of songs near by. Pop it in when the need is there. Dance around, laugh even if you don’t feel like it. Never just suffer through a day. Even the worse day can be brought into a more comfortable zone. It may not be perfect, I just said “more comfortable”. Does being outside lift your spirits? Put a sticky note somewhere that says “when unhappy go outside for relief” Put a chair outside and call it the relief chair. Grab your little ones and tell them you are all going to the relief chair. It’s not always easy to remember these hints on those long boring days. Perhaps an adventure is what is needed. Keep a phone list of people with kids. A quick call, “meet at the park everyone bring something red or something square, or something wet! See you at 2pm”, will make the anticipation and the adventure change a day from it’s lonely place.

That brings me to people, you need people in your life! We no longer chat with our neighbors as we hang out the laundry. I learned my alphabet in the dirt under our clothes line as my mom talked with the women of the neighborhood. We need those moments with other women. Hunt them down. Some of my daughters take their little ones to story time at the library. Perfect way to meet other moms. My daughter-in-law has a group of three little boys who meet to do fun things. Remember to a child just something out of the ordinary is a fun thing. Don’t be shy about calling other women to do things. All they can do is say no but what really might happen is they will have been wishing for something to rescue them also.

Once you have a collection of ideas, music, toys that only come out for emergencies etc. You have to have a way to remind yourself to use them. Sticky notes, a list you post, refrigerator notes? What will remind you to use these ideas? I have a lot more ideas and will post them here from time to time but you can add to this blog. Help one another out. What little thing lifts you? If I could I’d give each of you a phone call each day and remind you to enjoy life more. What would I tell you to do? Make a lunch treat, go on a picnic, a walk around the block? I just finished reading the book ‘Eat cake.’ The main character felt better if she made a cake to lift her day. She had teens and her mom moved in and her husband lost his job, and her estranged father moved in and that family had cake every day, every meal!

Smiles

Keeping cut flowers fresh

Did you get flowers for Valentines? Is a bouquet in your future?

Here are some hints for making them last as long as possible.

If they come with a little packet of flower extender that's good. Gently pull the flowers up and out of their vase in one tight bundle. Trim all the stems at an angle. Stir in the powder packet. Return flowers. They should be still nicely arranged if they were to begin with.

The flower extender is really just bleach and sugar. You can do that yourself. You don't need much. I change the water every 3 days or so and re-cut the ends. I can keep a bouquet beautiful for the longest time!

I know it's not lilac season YET! But it will be and I will give you a hint on what to do for keeping woody cut plants nice.

First hint is to cut Lilac just as they start to bloom. Not in full bloom it's too late then. Cut in the morning, this is true of all cut plants. In the Pacific Northwest we have cool days and can cut clear past noon on most days and still have plenty of fragrance in our flowers. Oh yes heat not only removes important moisture from the plant but it gases off the fragrance oils. Those you want in your house! Now remove most of the green foliage. You can add leaves on their own. Make a mix of 8 ounces of tepid water, 8 ounces of a soda drink , 7-up etc. (has to have sugar in it) a teaspoon of bleach and stir. This goes in your vase. Save the rest in a plastic jug, you'll use it all flower season. This works like magic!

One last note I learned in Floral design. Most flowers like cool water, but roses like a warmish water.

So are you finding things that help on my blog? Who is reading? If you think your friends would enjoy this blog feel free to pass it long.

Grammie person

Home make pita bread

Pita is a flat bread and it is easy to make. If you don't get a pocket just fold it over your filling and it will be a Greek wrap!

In a large bowl: put 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water sprinkle 2 teas. of dry yeast over the water

Stir to dissolve, let this proof (means to let it bubble to see if the yeast is good) Stir in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. You will use 5 to 6 possible cups of flour, half can be whole wheat flour, half should be unbleached while flour. Stir 100 times or about 1 minute. Let this rest for 10 minutes to about 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap.

Stir down the sponge and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon salt (we reduce this for health reasons) and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Now add flour 1 cup at a time stiring well each time. the dough will be too stiff to stir but not dry. Can you knead the dough? on a lightly floured surface knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a fresh bowl and return dough to bowl, cover once again and let rise until double in size. 1 1/2 hours approx. Once you are at this point you can put into an oiled heavy plastic bag that is three times as large as your ball of dough. It will rise in the fridge. This can be kept for a week or so and just cooked as needed.

How to knead dough http://www.ehow.com/how_13898_knead-bread-dough.html or try this video to learn how to knead http://video.epicurious.com/?fr_chl=5327695d166c6410417d414bd98a8513acd22fa9&rf=sitemap place your baking stone in the oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees

punch down dough. Divide dough in half and work with one half at a time. you will make 8 balls out of each half. This will make 8 to 9 inch pitas. If you have little kids make them half this size. Perfect for little hands. Once you have your 8 balls sitting on the floured work space. (I use a pastry cloth for working on) flatten each ball and set it on the outside edge of your work area. In the center roll out one ball at a time to the 8 inche and less than 1/4 inch thick. Try not to roll over the edge of the dough, if this is left slightly thick it balloons better. I leave them where I rolled them out and cover with plastic.

I can roll out 8 on my counter, if you can't work with less. don't forget to flour under them or they will stick. Allow them to sit maybe 15 min. until a little raised. Place two at a time (if your stone is big enough) on your hot oven stone. This is a quick process. Bake 2 to 3 minutes. I set a timer they over cook so easy. They will balloon. it's fun. If they don't no problems. remove from stone and put on plate and cover with a towel. cook two more pitas. Don't bag them until cool. Don't worry if the balloons don't flatten right away, as they are stacked and cooled they begin to look perfect.

questions? Do ask I'll answer

My favorite meatless meal

In one word it's Falifil A Middle Eastern multi use food. I love the natural ingredients you'd find at an american health food store. Let me introduce you to the ones you need for this dish.

We will use the following for this recipe: Falafil mix, pita bread, Tahini sauce, sliced tomato, peeled sliced cucumber, onions thinly sliced. oil for frying.

Falafil mix (see photo) is a pre-prepared ground mix of chick peas, and spices. For those of you with spare time I can put a recipe to prepare your own, if I get enough requests. Lyndy's 1st grade teacher loved the fresh made falfafil and my friend Annette would make the falafil for his lunches and he would share them with any of his class wishing a taste. The prepared falfafil mix is available in the Northwest at PCC, Central market and most locations selling health food. It is a finely ground meal and to every cup of meal you add 3/4 cup of water, stir and let stand for 15 minutes. You can smell the spices as it hydrates! Easy Easy.

Tahini is ground sesame seeds, sometimes toasted sometimes not, you can buy a sauce already made in the cold area of your health food store. It's good and convenient. Or you can buy the Tahini, it's fairly hard paste, use 1 cup to 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, 3 cloves garlic crushed and some salt. Mix into a creamy sauce. Pita is a flat bread that when cooked has a big bubble in the center making a pocket when you cut the round loaf in half. It's the prefect holder for sandwich food. You can buy it at the store (aka dry and gets holes easily) or you can try the recipe I will include for Pita bread. I make tons of it. The dough keeps very well in the fridge and a bit can be pulled off and baked when ever you want fresh pita. You need an oven baking stone to cook it on and it is perfect, pocket or not!

Ok lets make dinner!

Take Falafil mix and add the water, while it is hydrating, slice up a tomato in sandwich rounds, peel the cucumber and cut into thin rounds, wash and shred some lettuce. You can prepare your Tahini sauce ahead. It tastes better when the lemon juice and garlic work into the sesame.

Now form the moist falafil dough into round balls, or flat patties. 1/2" thick on the patties and the balls cook better if the size of large olives. Traditionally these are deep fried in a good oil. They are delicious, crunchy and perfect for our sandwich. You may however bake them. Oil a foiled pan and then if you have an oil sprayer, give the top a spray. This will give you a little crispness. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 min, turn over and bake until brown and crisp.

If you do wish to fry there are a dozen safety hints and frying tips all you can get online at

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/bldeepfrytips.htm Not having a wok I use a very small sauce pan that I keep just for frying a few falafil balls or patties. It doesn't take much oil, heats quickly but I can only put in about 5 balls or 1 patty at a

time.

The Falafils fry quickly, once brown drain on paper towels. Now if you have children in the house and you are worried about all this hot stuff. Put it on the back burner, turn those handles away from the kids and with a ribbon, yarn, or jump rope put in a half circle on the floor around your "hot" area. This will help the kids understand stepping inside the area can result in burns.

Cut the pitas in half. Line the side of the Pita with tomato, cucumber, add the fried falafils some lettuce and lots of the yummy tahini sauce. Nutritious, yes very and delicious.

If you can't get tahini for the sauce a reasonable tasting sauce can be made with plain yogurt, crushed garlic, some lemon juice and a bit of olive oil. If you use Greek yogurt it will be a thick sauce if you don't a thin one. But made ahead it is good! You can serve Falafils hot or cold both are wonderful.

What about all these food recalls? Lets talk meat

If you are like me you want things healthy and natural. It's getting harder to do. We need to go back to our local communities and insist on good food. Or grow it ourselves. More on that in another blog. Today is meat. If you don't eat it, you may be better off. If you do and you want it to be really good and safe I offer these ideas.

Go organic.

When I first found some Organic ground beef at Costco I was craving tacos. I hadn't bought ground beef in a couple of years. But I remembered it being my least favorite store food. My mother severed a lot of beef in the 50's. I remember liking hamburger foods until I was about 10. Then I noticed lots of "stuff" in the meat. I don't need to gore you with what it was but it's still in our ground meat, bits and pieces. I was thinking “why did I notice the meat change in the 60's”. Well that is about the time we no longer had our own cows. Yes, we started buying our meat at the store. That was the difference, we had different standards for our own beef. You say "what does that have to do with us, city dwellers?" If you have a freezer and there is any rural land in a reasonable driving distance, make friends with a farmer. Once a year is all it will take ususally. The best place to go is small butcher shops. They do the work for all those farmers, they can give you the scoop on who and how. This way you can ask for the meat to be processed the best way possible. The farmer usually likes to sell a whole beef so you can buy a BIG freezer or see about buying 1/2's and 1/4's. You can ask me more about this option if you are interested.

But now back to the store. I bought the Costco Organic ground beef and loved it! it had nothing in it, no bad little bits. It tasted as I remembered the taste of the 50's. It was good! I'll buy it again. Here is the web site. I am giving you the page with an explanation of organic, but do explore the rest of their information. They are a co-op of farmers. This happening more in the Northwest so I know about co-op farming. As the food growing farms become bigger and bigger the small farmer is banding with his fellow small farmers and growing specialty foods. Stuff we'd rather eat. More on this in another blog I promise. Food is a great subject for women.

It's a horrible thing to hear about a meat re-call that encompasses meat going to schools. If you don't like what's happening contact your Govt representatives. I'll post how to do that in the next blog. With e-mail we can find a tiny moment (that's all we really have isn't it?) and zip a note of concern for more inspectors, and higher standards to our leaders.

I can't finish this blog without offering the idea of less meat is better. Yes, a lot of health issues result from too much beef. Now go take a peek at the Organic farms idea for safer meat.

http://dakotaorganic.com/WhyOrganic/naturalvsorganic.php

It is the piggys again!

So a little something for those babies who aren't so much any more. Remember 'this little piggy'? The one year olds love this game of touching their toes and doing the rhythm. Now something for the two's and Three's. A more lively rhythm and a lot of fun. It's not new, it is old, from Grammie's memory. Here goes: Start at which ever end of the toes you wish. Touch the first toe etc as you say this.... This little piggy stubbed his toe. This little piggy said , "Oh! Oh!" (when in the mood I carry the Oh! on and on) This little piggy laughed; he was bad. This little piggy cried; he was sad. This little piggy was very good; He ran for the doctor as fast as he could.

an old trusted stain remover

Today's hint is Fels Naptha. A large bar of great soap. It has special uses. In the 1920's they washed children who used bad language mouths out with it. YUCK. It's not good for the skin so don't use it in the shower or mouth. What it is good for is spot removing! I've kept a bar in my laundry items for over 30 years. When the traditional spot removers don't work, wet the area and the bar of soap and rub it into the spot. It’s a hard milled soap so it takes a bit to work up a lather. Make sure you get it into the stain. It's amazing how many times I've gotten out stains that wouldn't come out with anything else. New fabric is such a blend of real and unreal. Caution would be advised. I do know that most spray and wash type stain removers are designed to remove food stains, enzymes related. Fel's Naptha is a grease buster. I find if you don't wear an apron (something serviceable) while cooking you can get little round grease stains that never come out. This is were Fels Naptha shines. Look for it in the laundry area of the store and don't be shocked at its price. A bar lasts and lasts. 10 years per bar if you are lucky. One other use, poison oak , ivy and sumac. A good washing of the oozing skin with a bar of Fels' will help slow it's progress and dry it up. Smiles Grammie person

Welcome to my Blog

My world has always been one full of women and girls. I have 4 sisters, 4 daughters, 1 daughter-in-law, and 4 grand daughters soon to be five. It has long been my wish to uplift those who care for children. It's a hard job and has few helps and many tired moments. I raised 5 terrific children of my own and am now grammie to 10 soon 11 Grandchildren. I know how hard this job is! Let me find answers for your questions, recipes you'd love to use, comfort for hard times. Watch my blog for the things that matter to me and to the women in my world.