HELPFUL HINT WEEKEND THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

I've used vegetable oil for sticker removal for years, but I've recently read that peanut butter is also good for this. Makes sense, there is oil in there! It works well on glass, copper & brass. Just rub a little on the area & wipe off!
Sunday Update: Especially for moms, someone just told me that peanut butter gets gum out of hair. Beats the scissors alternative!

Of course, the best hint I can give is to eat it! :)

Now here's a recipe (from the Jif website) unlike any I've ever seen for peanut butter. Sounds yummy!

If you try this recipe, please come back & post on the comments how you like it! My hubby has acid reflux pretty bad right now and I cannot make it until he's better.

PEANUT BUTTER TACO SALAD
Ingredients:
• 1 pound lean ground beef OR 1 poundlean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 head iceburg lettuce, chopped (about 8 cups) plus additional for garnish
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped plus 1 medium tomato cut into wedges for garnish
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup mild salsa
• 1/2 cup French salad dressing
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• Avocado slices (optional)
• Sour cream

Directions:

BROWN ground beef in medium skillet on medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain. Stir in peanut butter, taco seasoning mix and water until blended. Cook and stir 5 minutes.

COMBINE lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onion and beans in large serving bowl. Stir salsa and dressing in small bowl until blended. Pour over lettuce. Toss until evenly coated.

SPRINKLE 1 cup crushed tortilla chips on top of lettuce. Spoon meat mixture on layer of chips, then top with cheese. Sprinkle remaining chips around edge of bowl. Garnish center with additional chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, avocado slices and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

TOUCHING UP Helpful Hints

I have a three ideas on how to do some touching up. I'm hoping you gals will have more ideas to add to the comments.

Use nail polish on chips on vases & other painted surfaces. It is waterproof when dry, and of course, available in LOTS of colors!

Model airplaine paints can be purchased at hobby shops and many toy stores. They are great to touch up repairs on lamps, ceramic, porcelain, furniture, etc.

When my prim wood items get chipped, I use watered down black or brown paint for getting rid of that fresh wood that has been exposed. Apply the paint on to a soft, clean cloth and gently touch it to the damaged area. Then use another cloth that is dampened with water on one end and dry on the other for wiping and blending. Use paint sparingly and keep wiping, alternating with the damp cloth and a dry cloth, to blend into the rest of the piece. Best to start out easy and repeat as needed rather than coating too much on that you can't get off. (I don't use stain to do this because I usually like how the paint method turns out in the end much better. Just my taste.)

Office Progress

My new office is slowly coming along. I've spent a lot of time filling up the cupboards with all the "stuff" that had been "stuffed" in all kinds of places. It's so wonderful to get organized!!!

This room will be cottage style and needs a lot of finishing touches yet. The color was supposed to be a light green, with a touch of blue, but it looks more blue than green. Oh well, it's still pretty & I love the color. I needed it to be light so that the rooms adjoining the porch wouldn't become too dark, and it has worked!

Hopefully I'll have it completed within the next week or so.

WEEKEND HELPFUL HINT - Shoe Polish

I found one use for shoe polish for which I was unaware. Other than shining up those old shoes, try using black or brown shoe polish to darken over-bright metal hinges on cabinets. Apply sparingly with a soft cloth and rub into grooves. This is not permanent and should not be used near fabric or on places where people will touch, such as drawer pulls or knobs.

Do you have another use?

Please share with us!

GETTING AN OFFICE!

On top of everything else going on, Praise God, I'm getting a new office!

We never used our front porch because the it's so close to our busy road that you could hardly hold a conversation sitting there. With desperate need of space in our small home, it's now enclosed with lots of insulation and windows, not so noisy any more, and a perfect new place for my office! Long and narrow, but still perfect for me!

I won't have to squeeze into a corner of another room any longer! It's a work in progress ..... but here's how it's coming along.

HAIR SPRAY & LEMONS

HAIRSPRAY
Don't just keep your hair pretty, use hair spray to remove marking pen, tape & price sticker residue from glass (spray on and wipe off thoroughly) and to pretreat ink on fabric before washing.

But how about drying those pretty roses? Thoroughly spray them with hair spray, then hang them upside down until they have dried completely. Takes at least one week.

LEMONS
Tarnish Removal - A lemon, cut in half and dipped in salt, can be used to remove tarnish from old copper items. You can also rub a lemon juice and baking soda paste onto chrome or copper, rinse and then wipe/buff with a soft cloth or paper towel.

Stain Removal - Rub lemons onto fabric stains like ink, juice or rust as a natural stain remover.
Ant Deterrent - Lemon juice is said to repel ants, so try spraying it around places where they frequent.
Air Freshener - An equal amount of lemon juice and water added to an atomizer freshen your air naturally!
All Purpose Cleaner -  An equal amount of lemon juice and water added to a spray bottle is an effective kitchen and bathroom cleaner and can also be used on walls (spot test first). A small amount of lemon juice can also be added to vinegar based cleaning solutions to help neutralize the smell of the vinegar.

Cleaning the microwave can be such a pain, especially when the kids have spilled over and continued cooking then it dries up! To make your job easier, heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; then wipe out the oven. It will not only make cleaning easier, it will neutralize old food odors!
Toilet Cleaner - Mix 1/2 cup borax and a cup of lemon juice for a powerful toilet cleaner that will leave it smelling extra clean!
Lime Scale Removal - Use a half lemon to clean the lime scale off a sink or taps/faucets; rinse well.
Laundry - For bleaching purposes, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle and hang clothes outside to dry. A teaspoon of lemon juice thrown into your wash can also help your clothes to smell fresher.
Dishes - A teaspoon of lemon juice added to your dishwashing detergent can help boost grease cutting power.
Drains - Hot lemon juice and baking soda is a good drain cleaner that is safe to use in septic systems. If you have a garbage disposal unit, throw in some lemon peel from time to time while it's working in order to keep it smelling fresh.
Chopping boards - Rub lemon juice into your wooden chopping board, leave overnight and then rinse. Wood chopping boards appear to have anti-bacterial properties anyway, but the lemon will help kill off any remaining nasties and neutralize odors.
Glass and mirrors - 4 tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with half a gallon of water makes an effective window cleaner.
Degreaser - Straight lemon juice can be used as a general degreaser.
Furniture Polish - 2 parts olive oil or cooking oil mixed with 1 part lemon juice makes for an excellent furniture polish!
Hair - To lighten hair, dampen it with lemon juice and sit out in the sun for an hour. I've read that the juice of a lemon mixed with one cup warm water makes for a great hair conditioner. It should be allowed to stay in your hair for a few minutes then washed off. Exercise caution if you have a sensitive scalp.
Cuts, stings and itches - A small amount of lemon juice pour onto minor wounds can help stop bleeding and disinfect the injury (it will sting a bit). Lemon juice applied to itches, poison ivy rashes and wasp stings is said to relieve discomfort.
Hands - The smell of fish can linger on your hands, even after scrubbing with soap - rubbing your hands with lemon juice will neutralize the smell and leave your hands smelling wonderful.

Do you have more uses for these items? Please share with us! :)

Most of the uses for lemons was found at: http://www.greenlivingtips.com/ Check them out for all kinds of green living tips!

KEEPIN' DRY

We sure have had more than our share of storms here in Ohio this week! Looks like it will be another day or two of this before it passes. *sigh* At least the flowers are looking great! :)

On a more cheerful note, I've been reorganizing my shop here on the farm. Got some new sewing machines (used, but new to me) and had to adjust my set-up so that I could fit in and not take up any more floor space from the retail part of the building. Here's just one display in the shop. Will spare you the "machine" photos. Nothing pretty, but very practical and for a great price, too!