Vinegar; don't you just love it

Here are multiple uses for the most common and cheap, non toxic cleaning liquid that we all have in our cupboards, WHITE vinegar! (note while most of these suggestions use white vinegar, I do not recommend ingesting white vinegar at all. It is not a natural food, in fact, it is not a food at all. It is simply a chemical created to mimic the real thing - apple cider vinegar-usually or other natually soured products

Increase soil acidity.
In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons, gardenias, or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.Kill grass on walks and driveways. Pour full strength on unwanted grass.

Deter ants.
Spray vinegar around door and window frames, under appliances, and along other known ant trails.

Keep cats away.
Sprinkle vinegar on an area to discourage cats from walking, sleeping, or scratching on it.

Relieve itching,
by using a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with Vinegar straight from the bottle.

Cure for colds. Mix one-quarter cup Apple Cider Vinegar with one-quarter cup honey.
Take one tablespoon six to eight times daily.

Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

Laundry
Use in machine machine to cut soap.

Keep bright colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.Freshen up the washing machine.

Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum.

Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of vinegar.

Boil better eggs by adding 2 tablespoons water before boiling. Keeps them from cracking.

Coffee machine
Vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers. Fill the reservoir with vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished. (Be sure sure to check the owners manual forspecific instructions).

Brass, copper and pewter will shine if cleaned with the following mixture. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of distilled vinegar.

Clean the dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

Get rid of fruit flies by setting out a small dish of undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Create your own window cleaning solution by combining 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a gallon of water.

And one more great idea sent by reader Evelyn Mae,

My favorite vinegar tip (other than the GREAT ones you have already posted)
is...pour white vinegar into a shallow, open type bowl and leave on the counter
for a few hours or overnight to eliminate the 'fishy' aroma left from cooking
fish!

What's your favorite vinegar tip?

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Super Summer Sale

Good Morning Ladies,

I just found out about an awesome ebook package that Crystal Paine has put together! She is offering over $100 worth of ebooks for only $5.97 - TODAY ONLY! After today the price goes up $3 a day until it is over on Sunday. I have several of these ebooks already and Crystal writes clearly and very down to earth and her books are so practical. They are absolutely excellent, first class and beautifully designed products.


This package includes:

Supermarket Savings 101 Course

Simple Tips for Successful Home Management

Simply Centsible Breakfasts

Simple Centsible Suppers

How to Start Your Own Business

Menu Planning Made Easy!

Homegrown Business

The Bread By Hand eBook

Momma's Guide to Growing Your Groceries

Thriving On One Income

and a whole bunch more!

Grab yours today at this link: Click Here! for the Summer Sale!



Have a wonderful day!
Janet

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Wacky Wednesday- The Fastest Aerosol Can in the West!

This is Jonathan's idea of safety when attacking wasp nests with chemical spray: Spray for the nest, an umbrella for the spray fallout(which is toxic when in contact with skin), overalls and dorky glasses for the stingers. (He should have had a breathing mask on as well!) Of course, he didn't want a harness or safety rope because we all know that falling from 18 feet in the air and breaking your back is a lot less scary than getting stung by a wasp ;-)

The nests... covered in spray.

Fastest aerosol-spray-can in the west.

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Consider what God's Word says about Children's Education, by Julie Beth Lamb

Therefore do not worry, saying what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? (or what shall we teach? or how can we afford it?) for after all these things the gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, (and point your children there continually) and all these things (the education and materials your children need) shall be added unto you (and them) Matthew 6:31-33.

And you, fathers (and mothers), do not provoke your children to wrath (by teaching them secular views that are contrary to God’s Word and take them out from under His protection), but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (all day, not just when the government’s hours of training are over) and having good will doing service (learning the important lessons of serving family and community), as to the Lord (through whom all things are possible) and not to men (from whom we should be set apart) Ephesians 6:4,7.

God will feed (and provide everything needed) His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom (and make sure they are prepared for His good plan, with His work and through His people, not with government curriculum) and gently lead those who are with young (in the right way to educate their children for Him) Isaiah 40:11.

For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord (plans from His word for your protection and guidance, your obedience and preparation for His use) plans of peace and not of evil (so you don’t have to be afraid to just trust and follow His ways and not man’s ways)to give you a future and a hope (our hope lies in loving and fearing God) then you will call upon Me and find Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you (and your schooling concerns) and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (God will be found in prayer, His Word and Godly curriculum, He will not be found in government school curriculum and ideas) Jeremiah 29:11-13.

Train up a child in the way he should go (discipling him in God’s ways, by His instruction) and when he is old he will not depart from it (he will love God and obedience to Him and will have been walking with Him through the school years) Proverbs 22:6.

And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea (as parents we have a great privilege and responsibility to protect and train these little ones as God intends, never putting them into a situation or training them with curriculum that could cause them to stumble) Mark 9:42.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies (and every moment of our lives) a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (not defiled by ungodly training). And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (by a constant focus on God and His Word), that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (we must be set apart from the traditions of the world and pressures from others who say that it would be too hard or costly to follow God rather than the world’s way. We must trust God that if we allow Him to guide our children’s steps, through a Godly school life as well as a Godly home life He will conform them to His righteousness and prepare them for His usefulness) Romans 12:2.

May the God of Grace show you His way to educate the children He has entrusted to you.

Used by permission.

JulieBeth Lamb thanks God for allowing these words to flow through her and prays they are a blessing to others as God has allowed them to bless her. She and her husband Rex are the leaders of a homeschool group in Oakdale, California. They have been homeschooling their five children since 1993 and have three still to graduate. Contact her at Cowgirl4Ever@clearwire.net or 209-838-6062

Microwaves and What I Do For Fun!

Microwaves are not the miracle machines they were made out to be and with recent evidence that they are downright dangerous. I bought my first one many years ago and through the years have used it less and less and less. Now, I'm microwave free and lovin' it. I defrost in the kitchen sink and it is as easy and convenient. With so much of our food being raw recently, I simply have no need of it most of the time.

But I've had a hard time getting my kids off the convenience. When your kids are little you do everything for them but when they are man size with man sized appetites keeping them from using the microwave when your back is turned is next to impossible. They love to melt cheese on toast or make themselves mini pizzas late at night. Explaining to them that what happens when food is microwaved seems to willingly go over their heads. (They are actually very intelligent but sometimes have selective reasoning when it comes to food) My oldest son's recent bout with cancer last year walloped all of us to smarten up and take control of our own health and that included unplugging the microwave. (I cannot remove it. It is a built in model)

I love to garage sale (no this is not a change of subject) I have found not only the most unique items but virtually do all my shopping, clothing, household goods and even Christmas and birthday shopping at yard and garage sales. Not only do we save a whole lot of money but we also make money buying and reselling used books and other media that I find at sales. (Another post another day)

My most recent great find is a Flavorwave Convection oven. It uses infrared (an intense spotlight) and acts very similar to a toaster oven but I can do roasts, hamburgers and if I can find round muffin trays, I may even be able to do baking as well. Our first try was pizza and it did a great job. I originally bought it for an upcoming Church Family camping trip but quickly realized that it works very well as a regular oven and I can ditch my microwave for good. Furthermore I have been reading how much gas stoves emit formaldehyde,(Gasp) I am glad to minimize the use of that appliance as well.

So how much did I drop for this baby? guess... I'll give you a hint...originally it was 89.00 plus tax and shipping. The original receipt was included in the instruction booklet and they only used it twice.
Any guesses? Okay, you cannot guess (I play this game all the time when I come home from my Saturday morning shopping sprees) $20.00. Normally I offer about 30% less than the asking price and it is often readily accepted but this time they said it was so new that they would like to keep it at 20.00 but would throw in several cookbooks for the same $20.00. I accepted, I then promptly listed the cookbooks on Amazon for $5.00 and $13.50. If they sell at those prices then I will have virtually gotten my new toy for 2.00! Now that is what I call fun.

Now it's your turn. Has any one else gotten a really good garage sale buy recently? Any garage sailing tips?

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Natural Beauty Products Part 2

Ha, I found it. A natural deodorant that works, is inexpensive and easy to make. Yep, you can make it yourself. It's a little too easy and you may not believe me that it works but I have been testing it for over a week and under several circumstances and it has come out with shinning colors. It is..... drum roll please.... baking soda and coconut oil! That's it.

I cannot even remember what amount of each. I just took a Tablespoon or two of coconut oil and poured and worked in enough baking soda to make a thick paste and then I crammed it into a small film canister so it would be small and available for use. I just press off enough to make a small paste and smooth it on and it seems to soak in and disappear.

I have used lavender essential oil sprayed right from a refillable perfume bottle for some time in the past but for some reason it seemed to stop working after several months.

I also heard somewhere that you can put a drop or two of tee tree oil in the coconut/baking soda mixture to help with antibacterial effects. So far I haven't found this necessary but will try it if the effect wears off over time. (I really do not expect it to)

Everyone's body chemistry is different and I'd be interested if anyone else has had similar success (with this recipe or any other particular one.

I'm sure you have baking soda on hand and if you do not have coconut oil you can usually pick it up at any health food store nowadays or even a grocery store that has a Health Food section. You will need only a small amount to try it so be sure to use the rest of the coconut oil in cooking. It is wonderfully fragrant and has many, many health benefits.

Below is an excerpt from an article by Dr Mercola talking about the dangers of using common drug store deodorants.

".... I need to explain that one of the simplest, least expensive and non
toxic alternatives to deodorants is simply plain soap. Antiperspirants are far
more dangerous than deodorants, but I haven’t used either for over two decades.

An additional benefit of stopping these CHEMICALS is that you will stop
producing the yellow stains in the armpits of your shirts. Those stains are NOT
due to your sweat but rather caused by the chemicals you are putting on and in
your body."

Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help break it down and flush it out of your body.

When you put these chemicals on your skin, however, they are absorbed straight into your blood stream without filtering of any kind, so there's no protection against the toxins. Instead, they are in large part going directly to your delicate organs."

Using natural deodorant is such a benefit as there are loads of lympth glands under the skin in the armpit area. It is downright dangerous to put chemicals on the skin in that area that STOP perspiration. The intent with natural deodorants are that you do not stop perspiration, just stop any bacterial growth that cause odor. We do that by creating unfavorable conditions that are not harmful to the skin nor the underlying lymph nodes, and allowing proper drainage as it should be. On another note, the less toxic you are internally, the less troublesome body odor will be. Perhaps that is another post, internal cleansing!

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily

Natural beauty products Part 3

On to skin and hair care again as I have found some really great additional tips and tricks.

The best things to use on your face as a scrub is steel cut oats, Epsom salts warm water, and an egg yolk.

A good natural moisturizer has always been unrefined sesame oil or coconut oil as I have already tried and love using coconut oil.

A good mask for dry skin is mashed avocado! Nothing beats plain old diluted cider vinegar as a toner. ...and last but certainly not least....drink water and practice good sleep hygiene! Nothing beats a good night sleep....zzzzzzzzzz

And for the occasional break out use an all natural acne fighter- Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring without resorting to harsh commercial acne medication (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards).

For the hair, I have tried this and IT WORKS! Add a Tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water and keep in a squirt bottle in the shower. Instead of using shampoo, just soak your hair with the soda mixture and your hair will come out soft and clean without shampooing! This will save your hair from being stripped everyday or, in my case, every other day and gives it time to rebuild it's natural luster. I have been skipping the conditioner as well as it seems it was simply a film that attracted dirt and making frequent shampooing more necessary. I have used in the past, with good success, a diluted solution of apple cider vinegar to make the hair nice and shiny. (1 T or so to a couple of cups of water)

That same vinegar solution is also good as a skin toner and apparently so is Witch hazel. I haven't tried this yet so if you do try it let me know what you think.

Another thing I found in my research, (but have not tried) is the use of peelu vegetable fiber toothpastes. (don't have a clue where to get these)

Apparently, you can also use the same deodorant mixture-coconut oil and baking soda as a natural toothpaste. (sounds weird doesn't it?) I think I will try this next.

I have also been told that coconut oil massaged into the scalp before bed stimulates hair growth and makes the hair stronger.

And yet another use for Baking soda. I substituted baking soda for regular dish washing powder and it worked! I have been looking for a natural replacement for several months (maybe years) I have tried borax and it seemed to work for a while but so I hear that it may not be a good choice anyway. I plan on using baking soda for a week or so and access the outcome. If I feel it does not do a good job of disinfecting I may add a little Hydrogen peroxide. Anyway, I will let all who are interested know how it comes out, ...er... in the wash... (Sorry couldn't resist.)

My next post, Part 4 will be on natural hair colors. Until then, have a non toxic clean day.

Living a Lifestyle of Learning daily