dirty little secret

dirty little secret:

"I work at a church cleaning at nights, the same time the carpet cleaning man works.  He has a 'secret concoction' that he's used to clean floors in school buildings.  I figure if it works for hundred of kids, it can work for my little carpet.  The best part of this concoction is that it is made of simply household ingredients!

What you need:
Rubbing Alcohol
Dawn Liquid Dish Soap
Spray Bottle
Rag (s) 

What to do:
Mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol and dish soap together in spray bottle 
Spray a mist on your dirty carpet and let set for about 30 seconds or so
Rub the soiled area with the rag
If your carpet is heavily soiled, like mine was, you may need to spray again and rub.  I did this about four or five times!  If your rag gets super filthy, get a new one...trying to clean with a dirty rag is not effective!
The cleaner dries pretty quickly, but will leave a light smell of alcohol.  I vacuumed the carpet after cleaning and it took a lot of the smell away.

50 Uses for Vinegar

50 Uses for Vinegar: "

I found this list of uses for vinegar on the internet…it is amazing how many things you can use vinegar for! I hope you find something you can use! For a listing of even MORE uses (1001 to be exact), click on this website: http://www.vinegartips.com

1. Kill grass on walks and driveways.

2. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until plants have starved.

3. Increase soil acidity. In hard water: one gallon of tap water for watering rhododendrons, gardenias, or azaleas.

4. Deter ants. Spray vinegar around doors, appliances, and along other areas where ants are known.

5. Polish car chrome. Apply full strength.

6. Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with full strength vinegar; rinse.

7. Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on areas you don’t want the cat walking, sleeping, or scratching on.

8. Keep dogs from scratching his ears. Use a clean, soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.

9. Keep chickens from pecking each other. Put a little in their drinking water.

10. Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar over night.

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

12. Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons to water before boiling eggs. Keeps them from cracking.

13. Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Dot the irritation with vinegar and relieve itching.

14. Relieve sunburn. Lightly rub white vinegar; you may have to reapply.

15. Condition hair. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to dissolve sticky residue left by shampoo.

16. Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons to bath water.

17. Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

18. Soothe a sore throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle and then swallow.

19. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.

20. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give you an overall healthy feeling.

21. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.

22. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.

23. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength vinegar.

24. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

25. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

26. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.

27. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the lunchbox over night.

28. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.

29. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

30. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through

31. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.

32. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

33. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.

34. Clean china and fine glassware. Add a cup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.

35. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.

36. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

37. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength vinegar.

38. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.

39. Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron’s water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

40. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

41. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

42. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar before washing.

43. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.

44. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

45. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.

46. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.

47. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.

48. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.

49. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.

50. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.

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Friends, A free gift just for you...to bless you as you serve the Lord and your families. Click here to download your free copy of Hints on Child Training by H.C. Trumbull (Kindle Edition).

These 'gifts' will change from time to time!

To share with others, please direct them to Graham Family Ministries to subscribe. Thank you!

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Gifts...Would you consider giving the gift of hope to a child today? Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion today!.

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Related posts:

Lavender Linen Spray

Homemade Wipes

"

Whatever

Whatever

Home Joys Recipes

http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2008/10/make-it-yourself-pizza-sauce.html

Black Bean Burgers

7 Fat-Fighting Dinner Recipes

Ready For Romance: Kisses In The Kitchen

Ready For Romance: Kisses In The Kitchen: "

This recipe is from the Hershey's Website. I tried it out, and it was rather delicious. If I get the chance to try them, I will probably post more Kisses recipes from the Hershey's site..

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES

Source

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 36 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates or HERSHEY'S HUGS Brand Candies
• 1 can (16 oz.) vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

Directions

1. 1 Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt alternately with milk, beating until well blended. Cover; refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
2. 2 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.
3. 3 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Spread frosting onto cookies, leaving about 1/2 inch around outer edge unfrosted; place chocolate piece in center of each cookie. About 3 dozen cookies.

"

RPM Explained: the workout and the certification process

RPM Explained: the workout and the certification process: "

Many of you asked about RPM after I did the training 2 weekends ago. This posts goes over what RPM is and how the training/certification process works, plus some of my thoughts on Les Mills and the RPM training itself. This is a pretty text-heavy post but I hope it helps those of you who were interested!

What is RPM?

RPM is the indoor cycle program developed by Les Mills. In RPM, you ride to the beat of the music and the workout is choreographed (like all Les Mills groups fitness classes), meaning it’s the same format every time. The music and specific choreography changes every 3 months with new “releases” but the overall format always remains the same – you’ll have a warm-up track, flat speedwork, mixed terrain, hills, mountains, cool down and stretching. You won’t necessarily have to listen to the same songs over and over for 3 months since instructors can mix in songs from old releases to keep things interesting. Because the format stays the same, you can always know what to expect, can guage your progress and know that you’ll get a great workout, instead of dealing with hit and miss instructors, music, preparation, etc.

Wait, so what is Les Mills?

Les Mills is a New Zealand-based company that creates choreographed workouts, trains instructors through a rigorous certification process who then deliver the classes in gyms across the world. A gym has to be licensed with Les Mills to have the classes in their facility and a Les Mills certified instructor cannot teach at a gym that is not licensed.

The thing that makes Les Mills programs different than a regular group exercise class you’ll take is the research behind the programs; the entire company is devoted to creating effective workouts. They have medical professionals, fitness professionals, and a whole bunch of others at the top of their respective fields that help create the 8 programs that Les Mills offers (ranging from cycle to weight training to a yoga/pilates mix to martial arts). For example, some of the contributors to developing RPM are professional cyclists. Pretty cool.

Why did you, Ms. Teri Zawrotny, want to get certified in RPM when you already teach cycle?

I started taking Body Pump (the Les Mills weight-training class) last February. I’ve always considered myself in pretty good shape from all the running I do and, at the time, was teaching a weight-lifting class at another gym. However, within just a month of doing Body Pump just 1-2 days a week, I noticed visible changes in my body. Within 3 months, I had definition in places I never had before, particularly my hamstrings and shoulders, which I loved. I was hooked. In addition to Body Pump, I started taking Body Flow and became a 100% believer in Les Mills programs. The Les Mills programs motivate me like no other group ex class has before and I always leave feeling like I got a great workout and I’ve developed many friendships from going to Body Pump so I especially looked forward to going.

As I learned more about RPM from other instructors, the program sounded very similar to how I try to develop my cycle classes: music driven, challenging but accessible, and capable of delivering results. I have spent hours listening to music to determine the best part of the songs for climbing, for sprinting, for recovery based on the musicality and beats of the music. Oh hey, that’s very similar to the RPM program. RPM uses the music to enhance workouts and motivate, not simply as background music. Les Mills also works with instructors to become GREAT instructors, and I was ready to step up my game as a instructor and really get to a place where I could help change peoples’ lives. RPM delivered on all aspects for me: music, coaching, connecting and results. And they even make it easier for me since I don’t have to spend hours and money on iTunes, building my own playlists.

How does the certification process work?

First you have to have a gym to “sponsor” you; it doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily pay for your training but they are the gym that is licensed with Les Mills and will (likely) hire you to teach. You can only sign up for the training if the gym you select on the website approves you to take the training. Les Mills does this to prevent their program quality from getting diluted; they want to know which gyms they are working with to know that everything is being delivered the way they intend.

Next, you’ll attend a 2-day training (8 hours each day) for RPM (it’s longer for some programs). On the 2nd day, you have to teach an entire track from memory (I was assigned the Mountain Climb). So, you’ll spend the entire night after Day 1 memorizing your assigned track.

If you don’t pass the initial 2-day training (passing is determined by a number of criteria, including the presentation of your assigned track), you may just have to work on certain aspects over the next month or so until you do pass, or you may have to retake the entire 2 day training. You’ll know at the end of Day 2 which pass level you fall into. If you do pass the training, you’ll then work on memorizing the entire choreographed workout (typically 9 songs). Within 90 days, you must send in a DVD of you teaching the entire release and mail it to Les Mills, where they will evaluate your knowledge of choreography, technique, coaching, etc. If you pass, you’ll be ready to teach on your own!

Did you enjoy the training?

YES YES YES. It was incredible. We were lucky enough to have an RPM trainer who lives in Winston Salem so many of us knew him beforehand. He was so inspiring and really made me want to become the type of instructor that makes workouts fly by, that are fun, that get people coming back and that change lives. We all know those kind of instructors; but that doesn’t happen overnight. Our trainer was so encouraging and when giving feedback for improvement, he never made anyone feel bad or embarrassed (even when watching video of ourselves!). The program itself is great, but I feel our trainer made the weekend…dare I say…magical.

How can I get involved if I’m not an instructor and don’t want to be? Go to the Les Mills website and click “Find a Class” at the top to find classes offered in your area!

Other notes if you are going to a training:

• I used 3 changes of clothing each day. Having 4 would have been nice to change into dry clothes at the end of each day.


• Pack a lunch – you only get 30 minutes to eat and you’ll want that time to listen to and study your assigned track.


• Bring a small DVD player if you can. But it’s not necessary.


• Bring snacks. You’ll want more food than a usual day because you work hard and you work all day.


• Your butt is gonna hurt. Nothing you can do about it.


• Have a good attitude! Be friendly! Get to know the others in the training. It’ll be more fun that way.

Phew! Catch all that?

Does your gym have Les Mills programs? If so, what’s your favorite? If not, does it interest you or does the “repetitive”/choreographed nature turn you off?

*Note: This write up includes my personal thoughts and explanation of Les Mills and RPM from my experience. I do not formally represent them and they are not paying me for this glowing endorsement.

"

this week's honor roll - reuse your christmas lights

this week's honor roll - reuse your christmas lights: "christmas time is OVER. bittersweet. i'm not that big into christmas decorations (i.e. red and green EVERYWHERE), so i'm glad those are gone, but i do love christmas lights. i wish we could keep them up all year round without neighbors thinking we're either lazy or white trash. hehe. :)



so, i've been thinking of different crafts or decoration ideas where i could utilize my christmas lights all year round. and this is what i found on the interwebs.

1. cute wall hanging from me and my bucket.

2. i know, it's a long way until halloween, but isn't this crescent moon pumpkin from country living great?

3. i love this paper pennant garland from once wed.

4. amazing round string lanterns from sallygoodin.

5. this lighted piece is like lite-brite for grown-ups! from of paper and things.

6. learn to make flower lights at craftser.

7. this heart wall lamp is perfect for valentine's day! from paper, plate, and plane.

8. pretty and easy-to-make fairy light centerpiece from wandering mist.

9. these doily lights are so delicate and pretty! from the slightly obsessive bride.

hope you enjoy!

"

Paint Chip Clock

Paint Chip Clock: "

This clock is one of my favorite projects. It's a paint chip craft taken to a different level. There are some really awesome paint chip projects out there, but I was determined to come up with something a little different. That's when crackle medium entered the picture and this paint chip clock was born!

Read more and get the instructions >>

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE"

 More on how Tru's potatoes grew

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE": "So my potato tower has gotten a resurgence. In fact there are more flowers on now than there were before. As I need some potatoes, I just dig a couple out, and leave the rest. I figure until it get too col, the best place for them is in the ground. They are elevated, so are well drained and should not rot in the ground where they are situated. I am; however, getting a little anxious to break that baby open!

"

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE"

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE": "

I haven't taken any pics of my potato tower for a while. It's been so hot, I didn't feel like doing much. Anyway, here's what it looks like today. Some of the plants have died back, but some are still growing.

From what I've researched on this, it says you can rob a few potatoes from the died back plants. So, I harvested a few for supper tonight. These are from the top layer. They look good enough to eat! I think I will, thank-you very much!

May15,2010 May27,2010

June8,2010 June18,2010

June29, 2010

July 11, 2010

"

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE"

THE COLOSSAL POTATO TOWER VENTURE - "UPDATE": "I haven't harvested any potatoes for awhile, but today I decided to dig a couple up for supper.
This is the first potato I dug up. I put a coffee cup next to it, just to give a perspective of the size. It is the size of


2 large potatoes.

Hubby was with me and we both started to laugh. I said, ' I guess that's supper .'







Anyway, I'm still debating whether or not to break the whole thing open 'cause there is still quite a lot of green going on up top. We haven't had a killing frost in our area yet, so I guess that explains why these tater plants are hanging on for dear life. I'm also waiting for my horseradish to turn brown to harvest that. I suppose it will all come at the same time.


Have a Great Evening !

"

POTATO TOWER...THE REVEAL!!

I want to try potatoes in the garden this year. This looks like a fabulous way to plant them.

Potato Skyscraper/Tower here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rGWZAIjsTU

POTATO TOWER...THE REVEAL!!: "

This is what it looked like when I first planted it...

This is at peak growing...

And this is just before I broke that sucka open. It really shrunk down.

It didn't exactly all fall out, like the guy said it would, but close enough. I could brush the soil away with my hands where the potatoes were growing.

I don't know if you can tell or not, but I raked about 2/3 of the soil back into the spot to compost over the winter. That way I'll have my first layer for next spring already there.

Here's my harvest. About 7#. Add to that about 5# we harvested earlier, it comes to about 12# or so. So, I doubled my input, 'cause I planted 6# originally. So It comes to about 25 cents a pound for fresh potatoes. That's not too terrible. I did expect a better harvest, but this is certainly better than the none I was able to grow in the ground before. Add to that no digging to harvest and I think we have a winner.

Here's my largest potato...

And here's the smallest!

So, to recap:

Pros

It didn't take up much space

It looked pretty good as an architectural planting

It was pretty maintenance free, except for watering and a couple of 'wheat' weeds from the straw

The harvesting was easy

I actually got a harvest

Cons

Not as good of harvest as I would have liked

I plan to do this again next year, but I think I'll skip the Kennebecs. We weren't real thrilled with them and prefer the Reds and Yukons.