Fun Friday Tips

It's time for Fun Friday Tips again.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. -Ronald Reagan

DIET TIP OF THE DAY:
The secret to cutting calories without feeling deprived and hungry may be to choose foods that allow you to eat larger portions but with fewer calories:

50 calories each:
1 1/2 tablespoons Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream / 1 cup of strawberries

60 calories each:
4 ounces (1/2 cup) of orange juice / 1 orange

100 calories each:
8 pretzels / 3 cups low-fat popcorn

200 calories each:
one-third of a chicken salad croissant / 1 green salad topped with one-half of a chicken breast and 2 tablespoons fat-free dressing

Get the MOST from the calories you take in!

CLEANING TIP OF THE DAY: DUSTING BASICS
The disposable towels so popular right now don't clean any better or faster, just more expensively. They don't list the chemicals contained in the towels and without that knowledge be cautious using them to dust wood furniture.

An old, clean cotton T-shirt works just fine to dust. Mist the T-shirt with water and go. Lift objects with one hand and dust with the other. It's a little awkward at first but much faster.

Another way to dust - place a clean cotton tube sock over one hand, spritz with water and dust. The sock allows you to clean lamps with ease as well.

Spray a clean white T-shirt with rubbing alcohol to clean TV and computer screens. Do not use old dryer sheets, disposable dust towels or cleansers of any kind on these sensitive surfaces.

Take care using paper towels or newspapers on any kind of glass or plastic. They are made from wood and the small wood slivers sometimes embedded in them can scratch.

Visit your furniture store to find a polish to deep treat your wood furniture. Like humans, trees depend on moisture to live. That moisture must be replenished several times a year or cracking results.
(Thanks to www.doityourself.com for this cleaning tip)


RECIPE OF THE DAY:

Whenever our family attends a HERRON family reunion, someone brings this yummy cake. It's my favorite!
QUICK CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. margarine
4 T. cocoa
1 c. water

Mix flour and sugar together in mixing bowl. Combine shortening, margarine, cocoa and water in saucepan and heat slowly until shortening and margarine melt. Pour mixture over flour and sugar and mix until well blended.

Add the following ingredients to the above mixture and stir until well blended.

2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1 t. soda

Pour into a well greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately ice with the following frosting...

1 lb. powdered sugar
4 T. cocoa
1 square of margarine (melted)
6 T. evaporated milk

Frosting will melt on sheetcake. Spread carefully to avoid tearing the cake.

THANKS to Rick's Aunt Mary Herron for this recipe.

SONG OF THE DAY:
The song of the day is posted on the left side of the blog - under "About Me". This song is one of my favorite John Mayer songs. ENJOY!