WFMW: Grocery Bag Holder

I am a huge fan of re-purposing everyday items! The idea I would like to share with you is one I just learned about recently, but I can't remember where I got it from. (I'm thinking it's from Woman's Day, but I'm not positive about that.)

When I go grocery shopping, I like to keep the plastic bags that they come in. I mostly use them as trash bags in our kitchen, but I also like to stuff them in packages to provide extra cushion and also to share vegetables with our neighbors during our growing season. For the last 3 years, I've designated a drawer in the kitchen to store my neatly-folded grocery bags, but no matter how neat and orderly I stacked them, that drawer was always in a state of disarray! The very second I would pull out a bag, the whole stack would become unfolded.

The idea that I just learned is that you can take an empty kleenex box (I use the cube-shaped ones and they work really well) and stuff them with grocery bags. I admit, I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't think this would be the solution I was hoping for, but you'd be surprised how many grocery bags will fit in one of those boxes. I fold each bag as flat as it will go and shove it inside the box and I was able to fit probably close to 100 or more bags in easily! And when I want to pull one out, I'm able to get just the one instead of a whole bunch of followers!

So that's my tip. And the best part is that I got a kitchen drawer back in the process - YAY! More storage space in the kitchen is what works for me!

Fall Clean-Up...Continued

OK - I think Jason and I have finally finished getting our gardens and yards cleaned up in preparation of the winter season. Here are the final things we have crossed off our list:

Spring Bulbs We finally planted our spring bulbs! Experts say you should do this prior to the first severe freeze. We actually didn't get around to planting them until after our first hard freeze. But since then, the weather has warmed up tremendously (we went from 40s to 80s) so I think we should be okay. I guess we'll find out in March/April. We definitely don't recommend waiting so long to get your bulbs planted - I just hate pulling out perfectly good marigolds, when I can wait another week or two for them to stop blooming.

Mulch We added a generous layer of mulch around all of our trees (especially the young ones) and also to my butterfly garden, where I have a lot of perennials planted. This is definitely something you want to do if you live in a region where there is harsh winter weather. One thing I've learned, is when mulching trees, be sure to leave a small ring around the base of the trunk to prevent mold and other diseases.

Vegetable Garden Jason finally put his vegetable garden to bed, yesterday! The hard freeze killed his tomato and pepper plants (thankfully he pulled all of the fruit off the day before) and he's removed all plants and covered the garden with fallen leaves.

Yard Art We pulled out all of our yard art, hosed them off and have stored them away until spring. Also, we put a polycrylic coating over our garden center, which we were told would weatherproof it during the winter. (We also sprayed a polycrylic coating on all of our yard art earlier in the year, and they still look as good as the day we bought them!)

Anyway, those are just a few things that we've done to help prepare for the fast-approaching winter season. What tasks do you hope to accomplish to keep your yards ready for the cold weather? Leave a comment!

Food Friday: Pumpkin Cookies

Mmmm! Here's another recipe that I haven't yet tried, but looks super easy! I'm thinking of trying it out this weekend. If I do, I'll post a comment to let you know how they turned out. Happy Halloween everyone!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c cooked pumpkin or pie filling
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to bowl. Mix. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-minutes or until golden brown.

WFMW: Swivel Sweeper

When my father-in-law came to visit last June, he bought us a Swivel Sweeper. Normally, I don't pay much attention to products that boast "As Seen on TV!" labels on them...but I must say, this particular product has made keeping our floors clean so easy!

We have wood floors throughout most of the main level of our home, so I'm always chasing after dust bunnies and crumbs left over by the kids that I babysit. The Swivel Sweeper makes it so easy to clean these things up without a lot of work or effort on my part.

I will say, though - the product says it can be used on both hard floors and carpet. I have found, however, that using it on the carpet does not work as well. Maybe that's just me? I still highly recommend the Swivel Sweeper, though!

Clean floors always work for me!

Continuing with Fall Clean-Up Ideas

With fall in full-swing, Jason and I are busy cleaning up our gardens and preparing them for winter. The idea that I want to share today is a short and easy one.

Behind our property, is a row of tall cottonwood trees. In the fall, they drop all of their leaves...right into our backyard! Raking them up is no fun, but we've recently learned how to use them to our benefit.

Instead of raking up the piles of leaves and disposing of them...we just rake them right into the vegetable garden. The fallen leaves provide protection from winter's harsh weather and come spring, we'll just move the leaves aside and tuck them around new plant growth to prevent weeds and to retain moisture. The leaves will eventually break down and nourish the soil.

What are you doing to prepare your yard for winter? I'd love to hear any tips you might like to share! Feel free to leave your comments.

A super easy idea that makes a big difference!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine, butter or shortening
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter. Gradually add sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Blend in beaten eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients. Combine pumpkin and milk. Add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture.

Pour into a bundt pan and bake at 350* for approxmiately 30 minutes. Let cool for 1 hour.

Drizzle with sugar glaze (1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk, mixed until smooth.)

WFMW: Extending the Life of Jack-O-Lanterns

I am pleased to say that Fall has arrived here in the Midwest! It’s definitely my favorite time of year, as I enjoy cooler temperatures, bright yellow mums…and pumpkin carving!

It may not always look like it, but a lot of time and effort goes into carving my pumpkins. (My pumpkins usually need extensive repair done to them before they’re ready to light up the front porch!) You can imagine my disappointment then, when just days later, my jack-o-lantern is showing signs of mold and shriveling. Thankfully, a friend gave me a tip to help extend the life of my jack-o-lanterns.

Try spraying your finished jack-o-lantern with a diluted bleach solution to prevent mold. Then, to keep the cut edges from getting that shriveled-look, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

Sounds easy enough! Enjoying my pumpkin display longer is what works for me!