The Doll Dunk of 2009

We washed all our cabbage patch dolls and hung them out to dry. The children thought this was a very interesting idea.  This was a simple thing that kept all the children’s attention for the better part of the day. I know washing dolls and doll clothes is not very amazing, but when we made it a project for children to take charge of, it took on new excitement for them! They helped load the washer and measure soap.

After the dolls were washed we gathered together all the doll clothes from all corners of the house and stripped every doll. We had close to a full load of wash. Then the children all helped hanging the clothes to dry.

After the clothes were dry they played for hours dressing and redressing the dolls. Then they wanted pictures taken with their dolls. I took the bottom picture when we were harvesting our cabbage.

Color Crayon Bible Lesson

All of our children love to color pictures and to draw. They have great imaginations. The down side of children who love to color so much, is that we have a multitude of broken crayons. We gathered all of these broken crayons into a bowl until we were relatively sure that we had them all. The children even searched the depths of the couch under the cushions.  We placed several smaller bowl’s on the table and divided into them the crayons into family color groups (reds-pinks, blues, greens….). As we did this we also were stripping the last of the paper wrappers from them,  I found an old muffin pan that I was willing to sacrifice to this great cause. We placed the crayons into the divisions of the pan by color, and some we made with mixes of colors we liked together.

We placed the pan into the oven pre-heated to 350 degrees. Then once the pan was in the oven on the center rack I turned it off and let them sit for 20-25 minutes. Then removed them and let them cool out of the reach of little fingers. While the pan was cooling we did a bible lesson on Jeremiah and his experience with the potter, in Jeremiah  18:1-6 and the verse in Isaiah 64:8. About how we are clay in the hands of our creator, and how we can let him have control and do a work in our lives.  We also read in 2 Timothy 2:20-26 about the vessels of honor and dishonor and how we can choose to be a vessel unto honor if we allow Him to do this work within us. And for a closing verse we looked at Philippians 4:8 and what kinds of things we are to dwell on. When we were finished they each got a new box of crayons and and a couple pictures to color of some pottery jars. When we knew the pan was cool enough we turned it over on to a sheet of news paper and tapped on the bottom to reveal the new coloring disks we had made, and we talked about how we made something new and useful out of the old. In the same way our creator YHWH looks to do the same in us.

The coloring disks were very pretty. But the tops do not color as well, something in the wax mixture settled to the top and does not color as well. However this was no big deal as the bottoms color very nicely. We made a combined picture showing the top and bottom of the same coloring disk shown below.

Olive Oil

Here is a link to 25 things you can use olive oil for other than food. It was interesting, and we thought you might like it and maybe have some more ideas you have found, that you could share here

I posted the partial  list below as well for your convenience.

1. Shave. Olive oil can provide a safe and natural lubricant for a close shave. Rub in an extra teaspoon after washing your body or face once finished.
2. Wood Furniture Polish. Wipe with a teaspoon of olive oil and a soft rag. Add a bit of vinegar of citrus juice to bulk up the cleaning power, and add a fresh scent.
3. Fingernails. Use a bit of olive oil to moisturize cuticles, or mix oil and water and soak your hands before a manicure.
4. Lubricate Measuring Cups and Spoons. Rub or spray olive oil on your measuring tools for easy clean-up of sticky substances like honey, grain mustards, and sugar syrups,
5. Control hair frizz. Comb a bit of olive oil through dry hair to tame the frizz and flyaways on humid days or in the winter.
6. Free a stuck zipper. Use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the teeth of a zipper, then gently ease the tab down.
7. Care for your kitty. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your cat’s food to help prevent hairballs, and provide a shiny coat.
8. DIY Lip balm. Mix olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio, with an essential oil for fragrance, and say goodbye to dry and chapped lips.
9. Stop Snoring. Take a sip of olive oil before heading to bed. It might lubricate your throat muscles, and stop yourself, or your partner, from snoring.
10. Shine stainless steel and brass. Rub a bit of olive oil on a clean rag to prevent streaks, corrosion, and tarnish.

11. Exfoliate your face and hands. Rub your skin with olive oil, then scrub with sugar or coarse salt, and rinse.
12. As you bathe. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to your running bath water. You’ll be amazed when you towel off.
13. Remove makeup. Dab a bit under your eyes, on your cheeks and forehead, then wipe with a damp cloth.
14. Cure an earache. Very carefully, use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help with earaches and excess wax.
15. Remove paint from your skin. Rub on olive oil onto messy hand and arms (or faces) and allow the oil to soak into the skin for five minutes, then rinse with soap and water.
16. Treat lice. Apply olive oil to your youngster’s hair, and leave on for at least 40 minutes. Shampoo twice, then apply a preventative.
17. Stop a throat tickle. Take a sip of olive oil to stop the itchy flicker that is making you cough.
18. Fix a squeaky door. Use a rag or cotton swab to apply olive oil to the top of a problematic hinge in your home or automobile.
19. Shoe polish. Rub down your shoes with just a spray of olive oil to maintain their shine.
20. Edited (to Explicit for our blog) .
21. Soften your skin. Rub olive oil daily on notoriously dry areas, such as your feet or elbows, especially after a shower, shaving, or waxing.
22. Easy clean up of garden tools. Spritz some olive oil on your tools to cut down on dirt buildup.
23. Condition leather. Rub olive oil into worn leather, such as a baseball glove, and let set for 30 minutes, then wipe away any excess.
24. As a hair tonic. Comb some olive oil through your hair for the vintage look of pomade without the build-up, or add a bit to wet hair for grungy, but clean, look.
25. Cure diaper rash. Gently wipe on olive oil to your baby’s bottom to help with the irritation of diaper rash.

Yard Sale Clothes

One very good idea for saving money is to spend some time at yard sales. You can find many things at yard sales, sometimes even things you did not know you needed. There are those times when you find things that are wonderful treasure.

Yesterday Jason took us to a yard sale he saw on the way home from work. It was filled with tons of baby girl clothes. Almost all of them were nice brand names like Carters or Osh Kosh. Also many of these items were brand new with tags or hangers still in place. Some of these tags had price stickers of $18.00 each. We got the whole pile for only $25.00. That is an amazing savings. (No wonder so many people say it is to expensive to have children, when they pay new prices and are not willing to use hand-me-downs for there children.) Many of the clothes we got will fit Vision now and the rest will be great for one of our next children. Plus we keep most of our baby clothes to use for the next child and pass them down, replacing some of the older items as we go. It is amazing how you can have a child 2-3 years old and have never had to spend a dime to clothe them.

Teething Chew

There are many teething toys out on the market today. Often I wonder what people did before all these neat gadgets that made raising babies so costly in many peoples eyes? There is one great idea for the teething child that we will share with you. This is letting the child chew on the cob after having corn on the cob for dinner. Every one of our children enjoyed corn cobs very much. You can cut the corn off the cob with a knife and let the child eat the corn for dinner, if you feel they are ready for corn (Vision loves corn). This will get you down to the rough texture of the corn cob which seems to feel good on their teething area, rather than giving it to them with the corn on.  Here is Vision chewing on a cob. She has a good batch of teeth and more on the way. Even if you never use this idea, it seemed a good chance to post these pictures of Vision. 

~Blessings

Meat Slicer

We got to try out our “new to us” meat slicer the other night. It worked great, making slices that were razor then to about 1 inch thick. It should work very nice for making jerky. It is also good for making our own lunch meat for a fraction of the cost in the store. True you can use a plain old knife but it was wonderful fun to see such thin even slices falling off so quick and with such ease. It may be true it is part toy, but it can save a lot of time -and money on lunch meat.

Grinding Homemade Baby Food

Making your own baby food seems to be a smart and frugal idea. The cost of store bought baby food can add up fast with a growing baby. When you are making a meal already for the family the little you need to grind your own baby food is hardly noticeable. Plus that helps cut down on leftovers.

Not only is there the obvious benefit of saving money, but baby can get used to the adult flavors and more variety of textures when you make your own. All of our children have grown up eating this homemade baby food. It has made the transitions to “adult flavor” foods a non-issue.

With all the additives in prepackaged foods these days it is even nicer to be able to make your own baby food. Knowing what is in your baby’s food is great for a healthy start and no worries about recalled baby food or some such thing.

In our culture, the old ways of mother pre-chewed food is no longer accepted. Many foods can be smashed with a fork while at the table and shared with baby. While other times this job can be made easier with a baby food grinder. We have been using the Kidco Food Mill for eight years now. It has been an amazing wonder. We looked on Amazon to get a link to where you can purchase one. While there we thought some of the customer reviews were funny. One person was complaining that they could not grind apples… ? What were they thinking, was my first thought? I guess we should be more specific in our review, about what we use it for. No you can not load the poor thing down with raw carrots, apples, or tough meat (steak). However it is great on most softer cooked foods and most canned foods. We use it a lot when we have green beans, peas, rice dishes, chili, stew, spaghetti, and the like. We have had some trouble with the skins of apricots, peaches and corn. Dishes with burger meat, or softer meat like tender stew meat can be ground without too much trouble. The Kidco Food Mill can leak some juice out while grinding but this is not a big deal if you put it on a paper towel or dish rag while you make the baby food. It is even dishwasher safe. It can also be packed along for a day on the go.

Using this baby food grinder and being happy with it’s out put, is a matter of realizing you can not make everything, but it can be a BIG help in reducing the baby food budget.

Here is a picture of Vision O”YHWH eating dinner and the Kidco Food Mill.

Hats Off

Ever wonder if you can wash a baseball hat without one of those fancy stretchers? My mother taught me how. First you find a container that fits the hat. I use my Tupperware canisters or other suitable containers. This time I used some large bowls but will have to either let it hang over the counter or set it on a smaller platform because the bill hangs below the lip of the bowl. Second toss the hat in the washer with the rest of your laundry being sure not to wash in hot water. I use the warm/cold setting. Third take it out of the washer and stretch it on and around the container being sure to shape it appropriately. The most important part to shape other than being sure the band is tight is the front panel and the top. I gently pull the hat down and flatten the front panel around the container then I shape the bill slightly so it is curved the right way. If you want it more curved you can do so now or wait till it dries. Typically with the humidity here it takes a day to dry but it may depend on how hot or damp your environment is as to how long it takes to dry.

This works so well that even my husband was amazed when I washed his hats when we first got married. They fit and he was happy to have clean hats again. I never had to use one of those “hat gadgets”. However I think this method works better than one of those and I didn’t have to waist money on one.

I Just Wanted to Know – Simple Fun

When driving home from town last night, I was thinking about a question I often think of on long drives when I am in a hurry and don’t take time to find out. I have asked in the back of my mind, how long it would take to coast to a stop without using the brakes on a very flat straight road? Anna said she never asked this question but she was along for the ride. This must be the thoughts of the kind of people who don’t get out much. A small town way of thinking, or I may just have to face it, I am weird, or is the world weird and I, the only sane one… lol. Any how we found that it takes our van .7 of a mile to roll to a stop from going 40 miles per hour ! Wow now my question I often pondered on long drives is answered. But what if we were going 55? Hmm sounds like another night of simple fun in the country. I guess this is what we do when we do not have a Wal-Mart!

Bell Peppers!

We made a good score, at the grocery store today. We got a big bag of bell peppers that were discounted. We got about 10 BIG peppers in all. A bag mixed with yellow and red for almost nothing. We thought we would have to cut out a lot of bad spots. But there was only one soft spot out of the whole bag. We cut them up and bagged them for the freezer. We cook with bell peppers a lot, as well as with onion; weather it’s Eggs, Mexican food, Spaghetti, or Anything! We chop up and freeze our peppers and take a little out of the freezer each night for dinner. Just need to build a greenhouse, so we can grow our own. They do not fair well here, without a greenhouse.