The Ice Ball Experiment

Sometimes posts just happen, and are not planned.  

That is the case with the Ice Ball Experiment that happened because of my daughter.  A few weeks ago I saw online that someone had made an ice ball, and given it to their pets.  I shared it with her because we have cats that always seem to be thirsty.  

On Saturday night she went to Homecoming, and when she came home she had some balloons with her. The next day, I did not notice that the balloons were missing.  That is, until my son asked me why was there a giant ball of ice in the freezer.  I had no idea.  After I went to bed, she had used some of the balloons to make the ice ball.  A couple of them were knotted too tightly and popped.  One though, she was able to untie, and fill with water.  While it was being frozen the ice ball expanded popping the balloon. I can see why my son was confused, there was literally a ball of ice on top of the frozen veggies.   If you want to make an ice ball of your own, you can find balloons at the dollar store.  

We sat the ice ball out to see what would happen.  Within a few minutes, we had our first curious kitty.  

Success!  She loved it.  

This one was not quite as sure what to make of it.  She looked rather confused.  

We will call this an almost success.  While she never did lick the actual ice ball, she did drink the water on the side of it.  

You will need a large bowl or container to put the ice ball in when you set it out for your pets.  It did not melt for several hours. but when it did, there was good amount of water left in the bowl.  Now that we know how easy it is to make, and that the cats will use it, we will make an ice ball again. It would be good for when you know you are going to go away for a couple of days, or if your pets always seem to need their water bowls filled up. 

Read More »

Are Your Eggs Still Safe to Eat?

I had not planned on writing this post today, it kind of just happened naturally.  I wanted to make some eggs for breakfast this morning, when I noticed the date on the end of the carton. It was dated about 3 weeks ago.   I wanted to know if my eggs were still safe to eat. 

I had heard somewhere that eggs were still good well  past the date on the carton, but I could not remember for how long.  I did some research, and found several sites saying the same thing.  Do you remember my post about the How to Figure Our the Expiration Date of Wilton  Candy Melts?  I found out that the number system on eggs is very similar.    You will see two numbers on the egg carton along with a date.   The number that begins with a P, that is the number of the plant where your eggs were processed.   The other number, in this case the 086, is the date the eggs were packed based on the Julian calendar.  To figure out what day it means, just look up Julian Calendar in your browser, and you will see several choices to choose from.  I found out 086, means March 27. 

I also found out that sell by, best by and expiration date all mean the same thing, and it will say different things depending on the plant.   That date can not be more than 30 days after the date the eggs were packed, according to USDA regulations.  So even though it says the eggs expired on April 25th, that is definitely not the case.  If you get rid of your eggs by the date on the package, you are throwing away a lot of eggs that are still good to eat. According to What's Cooking America eggs are safe to eat  4 to 5 weeks after the date as long as they are stored properly. 

I also found out that there is a very easy test to see how fresh your eggs really are. To check, just fill a bowl or glass with cold water.   If the egg sinks and lays flat, it is still fresh.   If your egg sinks and stand up on it's side a little like this one, that is okay too.  They are still fresh enough to eat, and at the perfect stage to turn into hard boiled eggs.  Did you know that if you use a very fresh egg for a hard boiled egg it is much harder to peel?  So if you want to take a batch of deviled eggs to a party or picnic, they will look a lot better if you use eggs a few weeks old.  If your egg floats you should throw it away  because it is no longer fresh.  Another interesting fact that I learned.  The reason why an egg that floats is no longer fresh is because their shell is porous.  Air enters the egg through the shell. The more air inside the egg, the older the egg is and the more buoyant it will be.  It is also best to store your eggs inside the carton on the inside of the fridge.  Storing open in the door will cause your eggs to go bad much sooner.  

The next time you want to make eggs, be sure to try this simple test and figure out if they are still safe to eat. 

Read More »

New Year, New Resolutions

I took this picture one year ago today. We were hit with a foot of snow and frigid temps the day before we went back to school.  We ended up with a few extra days off.  Yesterday evening, it looked like we might have an extra day off this year as well..  Temps dropped from close to 40 to below zero with wind chills, turned all the rain we got the last few days into very icy roads.  The kids and I love school breaks, and the first day back is always hard. Getting up at 6 a.m. this morning was very rough.  We had mild temperatures the entire break, so getting up in the dark, on the coldest day of the season so far was not something we looked forward to.  In addition to being thrown back into the school routine, the Robotics season started over the weekend, and dance starts back up this week.  We have several busy nights ahead of us.  It is like going from 0 to 60, when you are not prepared. We feel like we have whiplash today.  It will take us a few days to get back into the swing of things.  

Getting back into the swing of things in other areas of life, is something many people think about this time of year.  The New Year makes one say they want to lose weight, and exercise more.  They may want to save more, and spend less. A big one for me over the years is to become more organized. (which just does not happen)   Going from 0 to 60 with resolutions is a sure way for it to fail.  Just like getting back into the school routine takes awhile, starting a new resolution routine takes a bit of time to as well. 

Starting this  month of January, I am going to be posting about common resolution goals, and how to realistically achieve them. In fact, I am going to be working on them myself, and share my progress on the blog.  Hopefully you will find something helpful along the way that will help you to your new year goals as well. 

Organization  I make this goal every year, and every year I fail.  I am just not an organized person, and I found out a few years ago that I have adult ADD.  This year I have no choice but to become more organized.  We may be  moving later in the year, and I have to get rid of a lot of unused stuff before we do. 

How I plan to achieve this goal.. I am starting in one room at a time, working on  a small task every day. I know I can not do too much at one time.  Not only does my schedule not give me a lot of extra time, but I know I will burn out too quickly. I will share tips I find, and anything ideas that work for me that may help you as well.

Lose Weight   This is a very common goal for a lot of people.  This has been my goal the last few years.  Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroid disease, and since then, losing weight has been difficult for me.  I did not have issues with my weight until the last 4 or 5 years or so. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted to (don't hate me) and I sometimes forget I can no longer do that. 

How I plan to achieve this goal..  The last couple of months I have been taking my oldest to appointments for some of her health issues.  A medication that she took made her gain a lot of weight, and she has not been able to lose it.  We have ruled out some other possible causes, and this past week saw the dietitian at the endocrinologist office.  Some of the ideas for her, I can use as well. Together, hopefully, we will both lose some pounds.  I found a great 100 calorie snack cookbook before Christmas, and hope to be sharing some healthy, low calorie recipes on the blog.  

Spend Less  I have actually been working on this for awhile, and have been pretty successful.  There are areas I still  need to work on though, like impulse buys.   I will be sharing more tips on how I save money at the grocery store, Target, and other stores.  By using smart shopping strategies I was able to get items worth $750 for only about $200 for Christmas. I will be posting more ideas on how you can do that too. 

Pay Off Debt  This resolution for me actually goes along with getting more organized. I have many items that are worth some money that I plan on selling online this year. This is a new experience for me, but I know once I figure out how to do it, the house will look better, and I will be able to pay off some bills.  I hope to share some of my strategies and tips as I find what works and what doesn't. 

Cook More   Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, our schedules are going to be crazy the next few months.  Robotics is several nights a week, and dance is too. The times of the two activities are not at the same time.  While we might not be having traditional sit down dinners frequently, I hope to share more quick and easy meals, and crock pot dinners for busy families just like us.   

Do you have any resolutions that are you are working on?  Any good tips that you want to share?  I would love to hear about them. 

Read More »

How to know if your Wilton Candy Melts have expired

Today I had planned to make a project using my Wilton candy melts. I pulled out all of my bags of candy to see what colors I had available to use. I was actually quite surprised at how many bags I had stored in my baking area.  I knew I had not bought all of the bags recently, which got me wondering if any of them had expired. 

 

I looked all over the bag, but did not see an expiration date.  I did see each of the bags had a code in the lower left hand corner of the bag.  The date posted though did not make a lot of sense.  I was pretty sure that 14 was the year 2014, but I was not sure about the other numbers. Well it turns out that it is a date, but you have to do a little research to know what it means. ''

The numbers are not the expiration date, but the date the candy is made.  It also is not based on the calendar that every one is used to, but the Julian calendar.  Here is what the code 14071 means., 

The 14 means it was made this year. Yea! This is a newer bag.   The next number indicates what day of the year  it was made based on  365 days.  071 means it was made on the 71st day of the year. While I knew that it was would mean sometime in mid March,  I wanted an easier way to figure out dates  without pulling out the calendar each time.  I found a Julian calendar online and copied down these numbers.  

January 1-31

February 32-59

March 60-90

April 91-120

May 121-151

June 152-181

July 182-212

August 213-243

September 244-273

October 274-304

November 305-334

December 335-365

The numbers for March are days 60-90, with 60 being March 1st and 90, March 31st.  Day 071 turns out to be March 12.    This bag of candy was made on March 12, 2014.   Unopened bags of Wilton  candy melts  are freshest  18 months from the date they are made, which means this bag is good until September 2015. 

I went through all of my bags and about half were still in the 18 month window. I put large stickers on the bag, so I could see at a glance the date I needed to use it by. A few are getting close to their date, so I marked them to make sure I used them first.  

Opened bags of candy should be stored in a air tight container or sealed plastic bag.. Some of my bags were past the 18 month window and just folded over. The rest were in plastic bags. I will be throwing  those away,  and buying new.  I had only  a couple of unopened bags that are past 18 months.  According to Wilton's website unopened bags past 18 months are still okay to eat, but may be harder to melt, and not their freshest.  If you have older bags, it really will depend on what you are making and what you feel most comfortable with using.  If it is for an important project or party, it will not taste it's best. so in that case I would throw it out. 

I am so excited to learn how to date my candy melts. It will definitely make it easier to know what to use for future projects.   I hope this will help others who use candy melts too. 

Here are some fun products you may want to use with your Wilton candy melts. These items are definitely on my wish list to try. (affiliate links) 

Read More »

DIY Play Ice Cream Shop - Feature of the Day

We are a few weeks into summer vacation, are your kids saying they are bored yet?  Becka from Probably Crafting  has a fun and inexpensive idea for your kids to have hours of fun.   With just a box of ice cream cones, paper and some creativity, she set up a play ice cream shop for her kids.  Be sure to stop on over to see how to put together an ice cream shop of your own, and other think outside the toybox play ideas. .  Thank you so much Becka for linking up this great idea to Dare to Share. 

Read More »

How to Make Perfect Bacon

Several months ago, I found the perfect way to make bacon in the oven.  Once I started making it this way, I never went back to making it in the skillet.   I personally have never liked making it in a skillet.  I almost always burned the bacon, because I hate standing around getting splattered by grease.  I would often walk away, only to find out that I should have come back sooner.   The oven method is so easy, and a lot less messy.  

Read More »

Unusual Nail Polish Tips - Feature of the Day

Having two girls, we have A LOT of nail polish at our house.  I seriously have no idea how  many bottles I could find. I know I have seen a least a few bottles  in pretty much every room in the house, with the exception of my son's room.   As you can imagine, with that much nail polish,  I had to check out Fluster Buster's  32 Unusual Uses for Nail Polish.  I knew a few of the tips on the list, but there are some I never heard of before.  If you have a lot of nail polish as well, because sure to check out Fluster Busters Unusual Tips post.  Thank you so much Robin for linking up to Dare to Share!

Read More »

Household Management Binder - Feature of the Day

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to become more organized. I have to admit, I have not done much yet this year with the kids home from school 3 extra days this week.  When they do go back though, I plan on getting back into the swing of things.  Kim from Kims Kandy Kreations  share some really good ideas on how she stays organized with her Household Management Binder. I think keeping everything in one place like this is something I really need to do.  Check out all of Kim's ideas  on Kims Kandy Kreations here.   Thanks so much for linking up Kim! 

Read More »

Check Out My Job Chart

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links 

I just found out about a website that I think sounds very interesting.  It it is called My Job Chart.  It is an online site where kids can earn points when they do their daily work or chores.   It is a great way for them to learn about money because they can decide whether they want to save, share or spend their points.  If they want to save for a special reward, Amazon is working with My Job Chart so you and your child can chose the reward, and link it to their account..  I don't know how many times we have tried to something like this on our own, only to have the chart misplaced or forgotten about.  Another great thing about My Job Chart,  it is FREE to use!   Want to give it a try wth your kids? You can sign up here

Read More »

Video Case Storage - Feature of the Day

Today's Feature of the Day is an amazing tip, and I can honestly say I  don't think I have not seen anything like it before.   Do you have a lot of photos  or postcards that are stored away, so you never see them? Or are they all over the wall, and you want would like to make things look more organized.   This post by Wesens-Art shows you a great way that you can  neatly  display them, and have them on hand to show your family and friends. You can see how she did it, on her blog Wesens-Art here.  Thanks so much for linking up on Dare to Share!

Read More »

Saran Wrap Nail Art - Feature of the Day

Having a 12 yr old girl who LOVES nail polish, I was intrigued by the link that said Mystical Saran Wrap Nail Art by Spud Nails. I mean really, aren't you a bit curious how you use saran wrap on your nails?  I know I am, and so is my daughter. We actually really like the effect that Del got on her nails with the saran wrap trick.  To see how she did it, and to get more nail tips and idea, check out Spud Nails here.  Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Del! 

Read More »

Nail Care 101- Feature of the Day

Unless you live under a rock, and I am pretty sure that most people do not,  then you have seen the current  fad of nail art.  You don't have to go far to find hundreds of pictures of fun designs and colors.  Enter nail art on Pinterest, and thousands of boards will appear.   I recently read that there were  2.5 million google searches on the subject in the last month.   What I really love about this post on nail care from Ange of Hair Spray and High Heels is she shows how to take care of your nails with an extensive list of great products and tips. You nails need to be in good shape to look good in all that polish.  I have two girls who love to paint theirs, so I am going to share Ange's list with them so they know there is more to nail care than just polish.  You can check out Hair Spray and High Heels and see her full list of great tips and products HERE.  Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to Share Ange! 

Read More »

More Garage Sale Tips

I survived this year's garage sale.  I feel it was a success. I would have liked to have made a little bit more than I did, we did very well  for not having any high value items.   The most expensive items in this sale were $10. While it was a bit sad seeing the kids toys being hauled away, it warmed my heart to see them going  home with little kids who will enjoy them once again. 

We were definitely glad to have this tent for shade, especially on the last day of the sale.  It was sunny all three days, but the temps went up by several  degrees each day. Thursday was the busiest day by far.  It also had the best temperatures in the mid 70s.  On Friday, the crowds were a bit smaller,  and the weather a bit warmer in the 80s.  Saturday morning was super slow, but traffic picked up in the afternoon. It was also when the weather was sweltering at 92 degrees. Whew, we were feeling the heat on that day.

If you have a lot of small plastic toys like we do, here is a fun idea to try at your sale.  Place them in a basket and sit it in a location where kids can easily look through them. The toys will keep the kids busy, so parents can look around, and there is a good chance that they will be allowed to bring one home.  

Our best customer was a little girl who was about 7 years old. She was so excited when she saw all of Kara's toys. She had so many items that her mom had her put some of them back, because she wanted way more than she had money to spend. She ended up with a Barbie lap top, a crown,  a Selena Gomez photo album, a bunny water bottle, an Etch a Sketch, and a starfish. (I gave her a bit of a price break for buying so much!)  She had to use one of chairs to hold of her finds while she  was busy shopping. 

I was so happy to sell this toy.  I even apologized to the mom when her son picked it out because it never stops talking. It is a matchbox track that  says.. "who dares to wake the mummy" over and over again. It has a sensor, so it was easy to accidentally set it off.  She was about to become a 3rd time mom, so she knew what she was getting into, and told me she would make him keep it in his room. 

Having a lot of garage sales, you get to know the types of shoppers that you will see during the day.   When grown men basically jump out of their cars and run as fast as they can to the sale, you know they are looking for tools or parts. It is actually kind of funny to see their reaction when they see all the toys and the fact we have no tools to sell.   Another type of shopper we have seen (also usually men) are people looking for deals that they can buy dirt cheap, and resell on Ebay for a profit. They usually show up first thing in the morning.  I had an experience with one of these shoppers before at a previous sale.  I had a large plastic container filled with about 50 children's videos. They were marked $1 a piece which was actually quite reasonable. On the very first day of the sale, just as we were opening, he asked if he could take the entire container of videos off my hands for $5. Um, NO! The container itself was worth $15. He didn't even have kids with him, so I knew he was looking to resell them.  I went on to sell many of those videos for $1 each, and still have my container.  My favorite type of customer is the young family with kids who are looking to save some money by buying used items, or grandmas looking to by things for their grandchildren. They usually can find something they want to buy. 

Last week when I was preparing for our sale, I asked some of my blogging friends for their favorite tips.  Some of them consider themselves garage sale veterans, and had some great ideas and posts to share.   If you are looking to have a sale, or go to a sale, these tips are for you. 

Merissa from Little House Living, has several garage sale articles that are quite helpful. 

The 10 Types of Yard Salers

Frugal Clothing Shopping at Rummage Sales

How to Have a Yard Sale (Traditional and Online)

Rummage Sale 101

Rebecca from Franticmommy also has some good garage sale articles to share.  

9 Things You Should Never Consider Selling at a Garage Sale

Decrapify by Having a Garage Sale

Monika from Life with Lovebugs sells muffins from the Costco bakery to her shoppers and sells out every time.  This is a great way to keep the customers happy and make a little bit more money. 

Laura from Now Things are Cookin' says to be prepared to bargain.  She is the type of seller who wants to get things out of her house. When you find a sale with a motivated seller, you find some really great deals.  

You can read even more of my favorite tips here, and here.

 

Read More »

Garage Sale Tips, Part 2

In case you missed my tips from the other day, you can see part one  here.

My feathery friends came to my garage sale again this year. I still remember the time a few years ago when a man sitting in his car waiting for his wife said, " Umm, the lawn ornaments are moving!"  Last year they stood in my front yard for a time, and greeted delighted  customers when they parked their cars.  

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

One of my favorite places to go to get garage sale supplies is the Dollar Tree.  I stock up on price stickers, plastic tablecloths, tape, and wipes.  This year I also picked up some neon cut outs that were the perfect size to for signs that could be placed on  many items.  

Another thing that I like to do every year is to use my small three drawer rolling cart to keep everything I need in one place.       

In the top drawer are supplies we might need like extra price stickers, pens, batteries and a calculator.  In that black box is a set of mini screwdrivers that I got at the Dollar Tree .  I try to check items that need batteries to make sure they work.  It only costs a few cents per battery since they also carry those at Dollar Tree.  

In the middle drawer I keep extra paper towels and wipes. Even though you can not see them, I also have a couple of plastic tablecloths in case I need those too.   We keep the cash box in the bottom drawer.  This works great for a couple of reasons. It keeps the money out of sight, and it makes it much more difficult for someone to grab the cash box and run.  Not that, that has happened to us, but it's better  to be safe than sorry.  

This year we sectioned the garage into color zones so there was some organization to where the items were located.  The girl items were in the purple zone. 

Boy items were in the red zone.  Household items  and neutral toys were in the white zone.  

We put bigger items in the driveway, so cars driving by could see them. We sold both the beauty salon and kitchen today.  

This isn't the best picture, because I forgot to take it until  the last minute. To make the day more comfortable for us,  we sat under our pop up tent that I bought last year to use at parties.  It kept us out of the hot sun, and the red awning attracted more attention to our house.  

Sometimes it is hard to say good by to our favorite items, so when it is time to go, I take a picture.  My daughter LOVED her beauty salon when she was younger. I need to find the picture of her when she first got it. She was so tiny, that she was several inches shorter than the mirror.  Now she towers over it by a few feet.   A man from a mowing crew at my neighbor's house saw it when he was mowing the lawn. When he was done, he came over and told me he wanted to buy it for his daughter who just turned three. He knew she would be so surprised when he brought it home from work.  My daughter and I were both happy that there will be another little girl who would love to play beauty salon as much as she did.  

One day of the sale down, two more to go!  

Read More »

Garage Sale Tips, Part 1

Our sub is having a sub wide garage sale this coming weekend.  It starts in two days, and I am not quite ready. Since this is a yearly event, I have done quite a few of them. I thought I would share some of my favorite tips.

One tip is "DON"T to wait to the last minute to set up" which is what  I did  again this year..  This is how my garage looks right now.  It  seriously looks like a toy store exploded in my garage. There are toys everywhere!  Now that they kids no longer play with their toys, I told them it was time for them to sell them.  We have more toys than we know what to do with.   When it is all set up, there will be quite a nice selection of boys and girls toys.  Parents are either going to love me or hate me when they visit our house.  

Another tip for today is about tables.  Did you know that Ikea sells table tops for only $6 and legs for $3.50 each. I just found that out myself.  The legs can be removed, so it makes  for easy storing.  I bought two tables  for under $20 a piece.  They are a really nice size, and will hold a lot of stuff. After the sale,  I plan on putting them in my craft room. I am also going to use them for upcoming parties, because they make perfect banquet tables. 

Well I better get back to work, the sale is in only two days.   Stay tuned for Part 2 and more tips! 

Read More »

I Saw It on Pinterest- Corn on the Cob

I am starting a new series called "I Saw It On Pinterest". How many times have you pinned a great tip, project or recipe, and then never looked at it again. I am going to try out some of the things I am pinning to see if the tips really work,  and the recipes really do taste great 

When I saw this pin on Pinterest from the blog Holm Family Cookbook, I was intrigued.  I love corn on the cob, but hate removing the husks and silk.  It normally takes me a long time to clean off each ear, and then boil them  in a large pot of water.  According to this pin, there is a way to cook the corn in the husk and have it slide right out.  It sounded too good to be true, so I had to try it.  

There is just a little bit of prep work to do first.  Remove the outer most layer of the husk. This step took me only seconds. The hardest part for me was to cut the bottom off the end of the corn above  where it begins to round down.  I didn't have a very big knife, and I wasn't exactly sure where to cut it. 

I placed them in the microwave on a damp paper towel for 8 minutes. Holm Family Cookbook has a great chart with cooking times for the number of ears you want to make.  This picture was taken right after I cooked them. I have no idea what was going on with the husk on the right.  I didn't even notice it until I downloaded my pics.   Cooking them this way  was much easier than boiling in a large pot of water.  

My corn  didn't slide right out, but that could be because I might not have cut high enough on the ear.  You know what though, it didn't matter that it didn't slide out, the husk easily peeled away in one big piece. 

What was left were warm ears of corn that were SILK FREE,. Clean up was a breeze since the husk came off in one piece.   Even though this did not work for me 100%, it definitely worked well enough that I am definitely going to do this again.  

Read More »