Thursday, January 13, 2011

Summertime Tips

SUMMERTIME TIPS 
The first three tips come from www.stretcher.com with their permission.

Summer Cookouts ~ Cover a cotton ball or swab with a light coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and use as a fire starter in your open fire or fire range. This is much cheaper than traditional fire starters. And they hold their flame for about five minutes, which is plenty of time to add that dry wood. - Ang

Summer Dreams ~ My husband and I spend a lot of time on our veranda in the hot summer nights. We used to live in home with a deck and had tiki torches lit for bug control. When we moved into our 1926 Victorian home, we wanted to keep the feel of the home with wicker furniture, but we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. I purchased small hurricane lamps at Big Lots for around $4 each and filled them with citronella oil. It keeps the bugs away and throws off a beautiful glow. ~ Tressa M. in Tamaqua, PA
 
Basement "Air Conditioning" ~ Our basement is very cool in the summer. The temperature
generally runs in the sixties. So we opened a panel of the heating duct leaving a clear passage between the basement and our living room via the intake air vent. On top of the grate (on the living room floor), we placed a regular fan flat over the grate so that it will pull the air up into the living room. Within minutes, the temperature drops in the living room and eventually circulates into other parts of the house. During the day, we keep our insulated curtains pulled on the south side of the house to keep the heat out. Finally, I do most of my cooking in the early morning. ~ Sarah C.
 
Natural Ice Cones ~ Freeze 100% juices with no sugar added in ice cube trays - orange, grape, pineapple, apple, cranberry, grapefruit or a combination of juices.  You could also blend strawberries with pineapple juice and freeze that combination.  For a special treat with no sugar, crush the juice cubes in the blender and spoon into small paper cups - the cups many of us use in the bathroom.  Both kids and grownups love these cool refreshing naturally sweet treats!
 
Easy Way to Clean Your Grill ~ Layer soaking wet newspapers on a hot grill after using it, making sure it is turned OFF.  Close the grill, leaving the wet newspapers on several hours or overnight to allow the wet newspapers to loosen the grilled-on food.  Lift the lid and clean with a wire brush. - This idea came from Ruth Ann A. in Virginia a long time ago and it works!
 
 

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