Fun Friday Tips - April 10th

It's time again for Fun Friday Tips. I love Fridays! Work is over, school is out, kids come home to visit, etc. So here are the tips for this week:

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
Ronald Reagan

DIET TIP OF THE DAY:

Q: How often and how long do I need to work out?
A: To ensure you continue to progress and avoid the dreaded plateau, follow the FITT Principle when you plan your workouts. FITT stands for:
FREQUENCY - How often you work out
INTENSITY - How hard you work out
TIME - How long you work out
TYPE - What kind of exercise you do

Your body adapts to an exercise program after a period of time. Keep it challenging by changing one or more of the FITT elements.

CLEANING TIP OF THE DAY: How to Remove Candle Wax, By Susan M. Keenan

I was excited when I found the instructions on how to remove candle wax. Rick blew out one of my candles a while ago, and it splattered everywhere! It went all over the candle holder, the furniture, the floor. So, if you've had a similar problem, here are the instructions...

Wax drippings can be removed almost as easily as they accumulate. Depending on the surface type and the location of the wax dripping, different methods can prove successful for the removal of candle wax. Several easy to follow sets of instructions are offered here. Simply select the appropriate one for your needs.

Tablecloths, Cloth Napkins, and Placemats

Once wax has dried onto a tablecloth, cloth napkin, or placemat, several steps are required to remove it properly and completely. The first thing to do is to apply an ice cube or ice pack to the wax. This will make the wax brittle, allowing you to scrape off what you can. Use a credit card or a thin butter knife to gently scrape away as much of the wax as you can. Never use a regular dull knife that has serrated edges since this may damage the cloth.

Once you have carefully removed as much of the wax as you can, it will be necessary to get your iron and a few clean paper bags. Place one paper bag underneath the cloth while you set the iron to heat on a medium to medium high level, depending on the fabric. Place a second paper bag on top of the wax.

Gently iron the area until the wax has been transferred to the paper bag. Throw the paper bag with the wax residue into the trash once it has cooled. Repeat the process with another paper bag until all of the wax has been removed.

Unfortunately, if the wax came from colored candles, a stain may appear on your tablecloth, napkin, or placemat. If this is the case, pre-treat the stain and follow the laundering instructions for the tablecloth, napkin, or placemat. For the best results, launder the soiled fabric as soon as possible.

Wooden Furniture

Occasionally, the wax from our brightly colored candles drips onto our furniture, especially our wooden buffets, bookcases, and tables. In order to remove the wax drippings, simply apply an ice cube or ice pack to the wax to harden it. Gently scrape off as much wax as you can with a plastic credit card or other nonabrasive item such as a thin, dull butter knife or a smooth, plastic ruler.

Some of the wax residue may remain on the wooden furniture, especially if you have been extremely careful not to scratch the surface of your furniture. Simply use a soft, clean cloth and apply a bit of cream furniture wax to the area. Rub gently and remove the remainder of the wax residue.

Carpets and Upholstery

Candle wax often finds its way onto our carpets, area rugs, or upholstery. How this happens is no real mystery, as many people move the candles while they are still lit. Additionally, people sometimes forget to allow the wax drippings to cool before moving a candle once its flame has been extinguished.

If this happens to you, simply freeze the wax with an ice cube or ice pack. You can also use a commercial product that is designed to freeze wax on carpeting or upholstery. Once the wax is frozen, use a clean, blunt object to shatter the wax. Immediately pick up or vacuum the pieces of wax from the area. If you wait too long and the pieces soften, then you will need to refreeze them.

Glass Votive Holders

The best thing to do with glass votive holders is to prevent the wax buildup in the first place. If you place a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the glass votive prior to placing the candle inside, it should prevent the wax from sticking to the votive.

However, once you have wax stuck to the votive, you should clear a small area in the freezer and gently secure the votive inside to freeze the wax. Allow the votive to sit inside the freezer for several hours to ensure that the wax freezes. After several hours have passed, attempt to pry the wax loose carefully with a dull knife, preferably a butter knife.

The wax should easily become dislodged. Any remaining wax residue can be removed by washing the glass votive in a solution of hot, soapy water.


RECIPE OF THE DAY:

This is a yummy treat that Michael's girlfriend, Ashley, made for us last weekend. I'm not sure what it is called, so feel free to figure out a name for it!

COMBINE:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light Karo syrup
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick of butter
Bring to rolling boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp. of vanilla. Pour over 2 bags (about 25 oz.) of Bugles. Stir and enjoy. :-)


SONG OF THE DAY:
Here is one of my favorites songs - from the 2nd Narnia movie, Prince Caspian. I love Regina Spektor's voice. It's called "The Call". If you'd like to listen to it, scroll down the left side of my blog until you get to the music player.

Have a great day!

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!

Fun Friday

I'm excited about today's blog. This is the first Fun Friday Tips that I've done. My Friday blogs will be for quotes, tips, recipes, etc.

Earlier this week I found a picture among my son's stuff from Japan - in the picture, Grant list things we should "Take time to..." do. I've been looking forward to sharing it with you:

Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to play, it is the secret of staying young.
Take time to be quiet, it is the opportunity to seek God.
Take time to be aware, it is the opportunity to help other.
Take time to love and be loved, it is God’s greatest gift.
Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream, it is what the future is made of.
Take time to pray, it is the greatest power on earth.

I really like the reminders this gives us - all good advice. Grant actually wrote it out in Japanese Kanji - pictured here. Cool, huh?


QUOTE OF THE DAY: (I've had this hanging by my boys' rooms for years)
"Try not to be a man of success, but rather of man of value."
--Albert Einstein

DIET TIP OF THE DAY: (this is for me more than anyone else!)
Is it worth it? Everyone likes to enjoy an occasional dietary indulgence now and then. But before you open a bag of chips or the lid of a pizza box, consider what it will take to burn off that splurge....

Ice Cream - 1/2 cup (270 calories, 17 g fat)
Work it off with...
70 minutes of walking, 29 minutes running, 33 minutes swimming, 46 minutes dancing, 38 minutes biking, 92 minutes yoga

Potato Chips - 1 ounce (155 calories, 11 g fat)
40 minutes of walking, 17 minutes running, 19 minutes swimming, 26 minutes dancing, 22 minutes biking, 53 minutes yoga

Sandwich Cookies - 3 cookies (160 calories, 7 g fat)
41 minutes of walking, 17 minutes running, 19 minutes swimming, 27 minutes dancing, 23 minutes biking, 54 minutes yoga

Cheese Pizza - 1 slice (330 calories, 11 g fat)
85 minutes of walking, 35 minutes running, 40 minutes swimming, 56 minutes dancing, 47 minutes biking, 112 minutes yoga

YIKES! (This is from Better Homes and Gardens Diet 2009 magazine)

SPRING CLEANING TIPS: (It's that time again - at least for me. Windows are a big problem at our house, simply because we have so many. My husband refuses to hire someone to clean them, so he does them himself. Here are some pretty good tips to make the job easier...)

* Make your own spray cleaner. Fill a spray bottle with 3 tablespoons ammonia, 1 tablespoon vinegar & the remainder with water.
* Dust blinds by wrapping a cloth around a ruler. Spray cloth with a dusting spray and run the flat end across each blind.
* Shine windows using old newspaper.
* Clean windows on an average temperature, preferably overcast day to avoid streaks.
* Dry windows outside in one direction then inside in the other direction. If you see a streak, you will know which side is the offender.
* To clean window sills, pour diluted rubbing alcohol on a cloth and rub the entire surface.Then dust off the sill with a clean cloth.

RECIPE OF THE DAY: (I'm going to share my favorite recipe - this is a sweet bread recipe that is a huge hit wherever I take it. I found this recipe years ago in a Bed and Breakfast cookbook from back East. I only make it maybe once or twice a year, because it's pretty heavy on the oil. You'll love it - I promise!)

POPPY SEED TEA BREAD
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. butter flavor
2 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. and 2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. poppy seeds
1 1/2 t. almond flavor
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients well for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 60 minutes. (Sometimes it takes longer - bake until golden on top - don't overbake). Cool in the pans for 10 minutes - then take out of pans.

Glaze:
1/4 c. fresh orange juice
1/2 t. almond flavor
3/4 sugar
1/2 t. vegetable oil
1/2 t. vanilla
Heat in saucepan until sugar melts. Prick top of bread - cover with glaze (cover the entire loaf - sides as well as top). Use all of the glaze.

Mmmmmmmm!

SONG OF THE DAY is posted on the left side of the blog page - under "About Me". This is a song by Colbie Caillat, and it's called "Realize". I love her voice! Go ahead and push play and listen.

That's it for today. Have a Fun Friday!
-Kara