Knitted Dishcloth Directions ~ Thanks to Linda Crosby in Virginia for these directions! This pattern starts in one corner. You will have a triangular-shaped piece until half way through, but end up with a square.
Use Sugar 'N Cream (or comparable) 4 ply cotton knitting yarn and size 8 needles.
Cast on 4 stitches; Knit 4 stitches; Knit 2 stitches, yarn over, knit to end.
Continue this row until you have 43 or 45 stiches on needle (depending on size you want)
Next row: Knit 1 stitch, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of row.
Continue until there are 4 stitches; bind off
Sparkling Windows ~ Recently I discovered a wonderful way of cleaning windows. When the windows are clean the whole rooms seems to sparkle. My sister who lives in Germany, shared this great way of cleaning windows with me and I wanted to pass it on to you. Incidentally it also works great on car windows, without having to breath in all the ammonia from traditional window cleaners. You will need to purchase tea tree oil, and 2 microfiber cloths. Mix 8 drops of tea tree oil in 2 qt. of warm water. With one of the microfiber cloths wash the window and dry with the other cloth. It is fast, the windows look beautiful, and you get it done in half the time. Tea tree oil also works great on mosquito bites. I rub a little on the bite, the itching stops, and I don't have "bite bumps" the next day. ~ Barbara Hassell in Virginia
Use Sugar 'N Cream (or comparable) 4 ply cotton knitting yarn and size 8 needles.
Cast on 4 stitches; Knit 4 stitches; Knit 2 stitches, yarn over, knit to end.
Continue this row until you have 43 or 45 stiches on needle (depending on size you want)
Next row: Knit 1 stitch, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of row.
Continue until there are 4 stitches; bind off
Sparkling Windows ~ Recently I discovered a wonderful way of cleaning windows. When the windows are clean the whole rooms seems to sparkle. My sister who lives in Germany, shared this great way of cleaning windows with me and I wanted to pass it on to you. Incidentally it also works great on car windows, without having to breath in all the ammonia from traditional window cleaners. You will need to purchase tea tree oil, and 2 microfiber cloths. Mix 8 drops of tea tree oil in 2 qt. of warm water. With one of the microfiber cloths wash the window and dry with the other cloth. It is fast, the windows look beautiful, and you get it done in half the time. Tea tree oil also works great on mosquito bites. I rub a little on the bite, the itching stops, and I don't have "bite bumps" the next day. ~ Barbara Hassell in Virginia
Wax on a Carpet or Tablecloth ~ You can safely remove the wax by folding a brown paper grocery bag over two of three times and placing it on top of the wax. Using a warm iron (not hot), iron back and forth over the wax. The bag will absorb the wax as it melts. If the candle has a lot of dye in it, however, and your carpet is light in color, the spot may remain. I have had a white tablecloth for years with the wax removed, but the red dye still remains. No matter what I have used on the stain, it won’t budge. It happens to be at a spot where a candle holder with a candle ring will cover it. If you have an unmovable dye spot on your tablecloth, maybe a trivet could go over a stubborn spot, or a garland of ivy or flowers if it is near the center of the table. Of course, table runners are a great addition to a tablecloth and they are very easy to make with or without a pattern. There are several ways to prevent candle wax drippings. Freezing candles just before lighting them helps. You can purchase glass rings to slip down over your tapered candles to catch the drippings. A ring of wax paper could also be placed under the candle ring, where it wouldn't be seen, yet it would do the job. Using a candle snuffer rather than blowing out your candles can help prevent candle wax from being blown onto your tablecloth. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
For Bird Lovers and Everyone Else ~ http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2219299085003&source=jl999 Thanks to Alice Stoddard in Virginia who sent this card to me!
For Bird Lovers and Everyone Else ~ http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2219299085003&source=jl999 Thanks to Alice Stoddard in Virginia who sent this card to me!
Bird Watching ~ I get so much pleasure from watching the birds come to our feeders, and keep my camera handy. There are several concoctions you can make to keep the birds coming. I usually mix peanut butter, shortening and flour together. Sometimes I add cornmeal, soy nuts, raisins or sunflower seeds, but these aren’t necessary. Another concoction is simply peanut butter and corn meal. I tried mixing flax seed meal in suet, but they didn't like it, and it smelled bad to me after a few days. So we learn by mistakes!
All of these suet mixes especially attract Carolina wrens, chickadees, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, finches, catbirds and mocking birds. If you or your neighbor's Christmas tree is out by the curb waiting to be picked up, remember that you could use it to attract birds to your backyard. Stick it in the ground in an unused spot of your garden or flowerbed. The birds will use the tree for shelter. String popcorn, unshelled peanuts and cranberries around the tree. Cut a few grapefruit and oranges in half, eat out the fruit and fill the halves with the peanut butter mixture above, bacon fat or beef tallow. Ask for "fat for the birds" in the meat department of your grocery store. Sometimes it is free.
Use pipe cleaners to hang the citrus treats in the tree. Your family will have hours of entertainment and enjoyment by watching these interesting creatures! I read how one person saves the fat from cooking bacon to feed the birds. After the bacon fat is cooled to room temperature, she adds bird seed, cranberries, and raw peanuts, and shapes it into a block the size of suet blocks one can buy.
All of these suet mixes especially attract Carolina wrens, chickadees, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, finches, catbirds and mocking birds. If you or your neighbor's Christmas tree is out by the curb waiting to be picked up, remember that you could use it to attract birds to your backyard. Stick it in the ground in an unused spot of your garden or flowerbed. The birds will use the tree for shelter. String popcorn, unshelled peanuts and cranberries around the tree. Cut a few grapefruit and oranges in half, eat out the fruit and fill the halves with the peanut butter mixture above, bacon fat or beef tallow. Ask for "fat for the birds" in the meat department of your grocery store. Sometimes it is free.
Use pipe cleaners to hang the citrus treats in the tree. Your family will have hours of entertainment and enjoyment by watching these interesting creatures! I read how one person saves the fat from cooking bacon to feed the birds. After the bacon fat is cooled to room temperature, she adds bird seed, cranberries, and raw peanuts, and shapes it into a block the size of suet blocks one can buy.
Keeping Kids Warm in Bed on a Cold Night ~ Fill a hot water bottle with hot, not scalding water, screw on the lid very tightly, wrap a thin blanket around it and let your little one snuggle it and keep warm as she goes to sleep! Or use two-liter soda bottles as hot water bottles! Growing up on a farm in the north, we used to take hot bricks to bed (heated in the wood kitchen stove), wrapped in tea towels, to keep our feet warm in bed! I've actually used a hot water bottle on these frigid winter nights lately. Flannel sheets help immensely as well!
Mitten Extenders and Leg Warmers ~ Save ribbed cuffs from sweaters, sweatshirts, or just use socks. Cut off the ribbing and pull them up over the mittens, continuing up over each coat sleeve. This will keep the cold air and snow from making your children get too cold while out in the freezing temperatures. You could also make your own leg warmers in the same way.
American Doll Clothes ~ Outfits for the American Dolls are rather pricy. However, if you buy a pattern for $1 during a sale, and stock up on patterns for dolls 18” tall, you could save a bundle, and have lots of fun doing it! Of course, fabric remnants, already marked way down, with some lace and small buttons, will end up being a real bargain, as well as making some special girls very happy!
Help for Blended Families ~ The week of November 15, 2010, Focus on the Family had a very helpful three-day series about blended families on their radio broadcast. If you are a step-mom, you will find valuable help by going to www.focusonthefamily.com and either listening or ordering the CD. There doesn’t seem to be enough Christian information on this subject, so here you go!
We WHISK you a Merry KISSmas! ~ For a cute gift, my friend, Nina Graffs in Wisconsin filled whisks full of Hershey's kisses, wrapped each one in cellophane, tied with a ribbon and wrote on a tag, "We WHISK you a Merry KISSmas!" Cute little gifts!Help for Blended Families ~ The week of November 15, 2010, Focus on the Family had a very helpful three-day series about blended families on their radio broadcast. If you are a step-mom, you will find valuable help by going to www.focusonthefamily.com and either listening or ordering the CD. There doesn’t seem to be enough Christian information on this subject, so here you go!
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