Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Who Knew?



COFFEE FILTERS

Coffee filters. Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing, even the large ones.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect china by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

19.. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.

25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

26. Use to cover drain holes in bottom of flower pots, before placing soil in. Water still drains, but soil stays in.


OH YEAH, THEY ARE GREAT TO USE

IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS TOO!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

It's Complicated

I'm sorry to have been a bit MIA this week. I've had a busy week at school and I have been exhausted this week. As a matter of fact I am writing this at 6:30 Friday night. When I'm done I'm heading to bed.

Two weeks ago Britt and I went out to lunch and the movies and had so much fun that we are trying it again today. She is meeting me for lunch at our favorite restaurant. Both of us are craving that french onion soup again.

After lunch we are heading to the movie theater to see It's Complicated. I am looking forward to a good laugh. Everyone I know that has seen this movie has loved it and said how funny it is. I like Meryl Streep and I think Steve


I have two more weeks of school before our February vacation. I have a week off. I am looking forward to a restful week.

I don't know what the weather is like where you live but it has been so COLD here. Yesterday it was 20º out for a high. The wind chill made it feel like 5º...yes I said 5º. It will warm up this weekend but not by much. I hope where ever you are you are staying warm.

take care,
Dawn

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What is it with kids and ketchup?

My son Tim is such a picky eater. I have been trying to expand his repertoire of meals. He puts ketchup on EVERYTHING! This past Thanksgiving he ate turkey with ketchup. Sunday night I made a roast beef dinner and he ate it with ketchup. The worst so far has to be this past weekend. We got Chinese food last weekend and Tim ate beef teriyaki with ketchup!!!

I am happy that he is trying new foods but EWWWWW!!!!!!!!

take care,
Dawn

Monday, January 25, 2010

Happy Birthday Dad

This is a repost from Father's Day a couple of years ago. Today would have been my father's 76th birthday. He passed away in October of 1998 and I miss him so much. Tim and I made a birthday cake for him yesterday to have today in celebration of his birthday. Oh, how I wish he got to meet Tim.

So dear friends, here is my dad!





Here is my dad with me when I was a baby!

This is the way I remember my father most.

I made a small little scrapbook of my dad with a poem in it that says:

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure



When I come to the end of the road,
and the sun has set me free
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?


Miss me a little-but not too long
and not with your head bowed low,
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me - but let me go

For this journey that we all must take
and each must go alone
It's all a part of the Master's plan
A step on the road home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the hills we know
And bury your sorrow among the trees
Miss me- but let me go.



take care,
Dawn





Saturday, January 23, 2010

Social Graces

I consider myself to be a very friendly person. I also like to think that I am well mannered. With this is mind, I have to say that I just don't understand why people can be unfriendly. I work in a public school and I can't tell you how many times I have passed someone in the hall and said hello to them with absolutely NO RESPONSE! How hard is is to be respectful and simply say hello.

I will say that there are many in my school who will say hello, share a smile and just make you feel good just to see happy people!

Speaking of school. I was home on Thursday sick. I spent most of the day in bed watching TV. I had a bit of a fever and an awful headache. I woke up on Friday feeling just fine and I am looking forward to my weekend.

I was supposed to bring the sweater I made for my great niece to her on Thursday but I am sure my niece wouldn't have liked it if I came by sick! I dropped it off after school on Friday. Luckily it is still a bit too big for her. I was worried that it would be too small.

Enjoy your weekend.

take care,
Dawn

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Da Da...Da da da da da...da da da da...da da da da


In case you couldn't figure out from the title that is Mackenzie's new favorite song. It's the theme from Star Wars. On Saturday Mackenzie got a new Star Wars toy, Darth Maul. She was so excited to get it that she wanted to come over and play Star Wars with Tim. I picked her up on Sunday morning. She had her Star Wars lunch box full of her Star Wars guy ready to go. She and Tim played for hours!!!! Tim brought out his Star Wars Legos and they had a grand time.

Mackenzie is wearing the sweater I made for her last year. (If you click on the picture you can see a bigger version and see the sweater better).

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Massachusetts talk but "wicked" is a very popular word. When we were driving to my house she was telling me that when her brother Jack left with her Dad to go to a relatives house and when her mom left to do what she needed to do that their dog, Joey, would be "wicked" sad. I don't know how Joey felt, but we were "wicked" glad to have Mackenzie for the day.

take care,
Dawn

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

It is finally done!


This past summer I started a sweater set for my great niece, Christina. She was born in August and honestly, I didn't think it would take so long to finish. It was the kind of knitting that required me to think about what I was doing so I had to wait to find the times I could devote to doing so. On Monday morning I finished the collar on the sweater and then I made the hat on Monday. The hat was quick to knit. My fingers were sore by the end of the night.

I called my niece and told her it was done. I will be bringing to her on Thursday after school. I hope she likes it. I also hope that the baby hasn't outgrown it. It is a size 6 months and she should get some good "sweater" time out of it. Now, if my niece were to have another baby girl sometime it would be a great hand me down.

When my niece, Tonja (Christina's mom) was four years old I made a sweater for her. I found it years ago and Tim wore it. I've given it to Britt and Mackenzie has worn it. I am guessing Jack will have a go at it too. Who knows, Christina might even have the chance!

Now to go tackle that hat I'm trying to make myself.

take care,
Dawn