Spring has Sprung

Celebrate the start of Spring by making handprint tulips. *Warning* It may get a little messy so have wipes nearby to keep the mess to a minimum.

Materials Needed

-White construction paper

-Green finger paint

-Red (or pink) finger paint

Instructions

Dip the forearm (from elbow to wrist) in green finger paint (or just paint forearm with a paintbrush).

Press the arm down 3 or 4 times onto a sheet of white construction paper to make the stems of the tulips.

Now dip the hand (excluding the thumb) into red (or pink) finger paint and stamp on top of the stems (holding the thumb up) to make the tulip flowers (keep the fingers close together).

Tips to Help You Save $$

My Chris sent me this article - it was too good to not pass along.

For the Dishwasher's Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

"Let me start with soap. The No. 1 sin, according to repair people and appliance experts, seems to be adding too much soap to washing machines or dishwashers.

Washing machines and dishwashers are made to use far less water now than older models and, therefore, need less soap. And detergents have also become increasingly concentrated. So a little goes a long way. Following the instructions on the soap container is a good first step.

Washing Machine

Too much detergent can make your clothes stiff and shorten the life of your machine. An excess of soap can also cause a buildup of mold and mildew.

'If people see suds, they think their clothes are getting clean, but that's wrong - it means you're using a lot of extra detergent.'

Use this test to determine if you are oversoaping. Take four to six clean bath towels, put them in your front-loading machine (one towel for a top loader). Don't add any detergent or fabric softener. Switch to the hot water setting and medium wash and run it for about five minutes.

Check for soap suds. If you don't see any suds right away, turn off the machine and see if there is any soapy residue. If you see suds or residue, it is soap coming out of your clothes from the last wash.

Dishwasher

Too much soap is also a problem in dishwashers and can cause dishes and glasses to look filmy Again, check the detergent container for recommended amounts - you definitely don't have to fill up the entire soap container in the dishwasher.

Also, if your plastic items come out still wet, that doesn't mean your dishwasher is not doing its job. Most dishwashers today emit less heat than the older models, so plastic doesn't dry completely.

Loading the dishwasher right will also get your dishes cleaner. Load large items at the sides and back of the dishwasher so that they don't block water and detergent from reaching other dishes.

Place the dirtier side of the dishes toward the center of the machine for more exposure to spray.

Load silverware in the individual silverware slots most dishwashers now include. If you have an open basket, mix forks, spoons and knives to prevent them from sticking together.

Also, remove baked on food and large chunks, but prerinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher is not only unnecessary, it wastes thousands of gallons of water and could actually result in dirtier dishes - the soap needs something to work against to get the dishes clean.

Dryer

One dryer sheet is all that is needed. If you throw in many sheets, they can liquefy when the dryer gets hot and gum up the dryer.

Clean the lint below the removable filter.

Clean the lint off the dryer where it vents outdoors.

Oven

Use the self-cleaning mode more than once a year - otherwise, so many food particles have built up that when they burn off, smoke will billow throughout your entire kitchen."

Bottom line: Less is More

Happy St. Patty's Day

Here is a traditional Irish bread to make for St. Patrick's Day. The recipe is super easy and would be a great recipe to get the kids involved with.

Irish Brown Bread

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything but the buttermilk in a large bowl and stir the ingredients with your hands. Make a well in the mixture and pour in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk.

Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining cup of buttermilk as you combine the ingredients. The resulting dough will be wet and very sticky.

Dust your hands with flour, shape the dough into a ball, and place it on a floured cookie sheet (I used a nonstick baking mat to help with clean up).

With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball, widening it with the sides of the blade as you cut.

Bake the bread until it's golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Makes a crusty, dense loaf about 7 inches in diameter.

Shamrock Toasties

I have to apologize for the lack of photos. Actually Harley should be apologizing. He decided to eat the whole package of English muffins. Crazy dog. I think he may have hummed a few lines of "God Save the Queen". He should have been humming "I better not eat these or else I'm gonna get my backside smacked for eating the Queen's ingredients."

Shamrock Toasties

Green Pepper

English muffin

Cheddar Cheese

To make one, slice a green pepper crosswise near the pointed end to get a small, three-lobed shamrock shape. (If your pepper has four lobes, you've got a lucky clover instead.) Cut a small slice for a stem.

Toast half an English muffin, then top it with a slice of Cheddar and the pepper shamrock. Place the muffin on a tray, then broil it in a toaster oven until the cheese is melted.

-from Family Fun Magazine

Uh Oh!

Sorry there was no post today. I thought there was a scheduled post but was too tired Sunday night after getting back from Snow Camp to look. My excuse for today? Laziness. The plain and simple truth. We'll be back up and running tomorrow.