DIY Milk Jug Seed Starters

This is a great way to make a low cost, actually free,  cold frame for your  outdoor seeds that winter outside or to do seed starting inside for starting seeds indoors for the spring. We are doing this one. Getting our seeds started very soon indoors so they will be ready for planting outdoors. Or planting indoors in 5 gallon buckets. I have a few items that I want to do indoors. Will be easier for when we get our land to be able to take the plants with us.

But this simple and free milk jug seed starter is a great way to start...

• Cut a gallon milk jug in half horizontally. Leave one edge intact so that it will act like a hinge. 
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• You can throw away the cap. But, my creative son is wanting to save them to somehow make an outdoor "rug" with. Have them bottom up so that you can use it to scrape mud off shoes.
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• Punch several drainage holes into the bottom of the jug.
  
  
  
• Fill the bottom with a few inches of potting soil.
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• Moisten it well and plant the seeds.
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• Close the top cover and secure with some duct tape.
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• Place the jug inside a clear plastic bag and twist tie closed. Since it is in a clear plastic bag it is like its own greenhouse. 
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• Place in a sunny spot outside out of the way , so it will not be bothered or have to be moved.
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• Before transplanting , harden off the seedlings by taking the jug out of the bag and propping it open.

This is a frugal way to start your own garden or to garden indoors. Easy and fun to watch them grow.

Protect Your Money

This time of year there are many ways that you might lose money or be conned. A lot of bad people take advantage of others during the holidays. Here are some ways to easily safe-guard yourself and your money.

• Ignore any junk mail that comes to your home. Just trash it. 
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• Buy a shredder. Shred any paper that you plan on throwing out. Shred it before you throw it out so no one can get into your trash and find personal information or anything else they could use to steal your identity.
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• Don't have checks mailed to your home. Have them directly deposited to your checking account. 
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• Get referrals before you have any home repairs. You should be the one looking for a repairman, not them just randomly knocking on your door. This is something that happens a lot when there is a disaster. Con artist repairmen know that people are needy when something bad happens and take advantage. 
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• The government, IRS, or utilities will not call your home randomly wanting money. This is a tricky scam. There have been some here lately in our town where the local power company calling people and saying that the person has to pay a huge amount of money to keep their power on. A couple of people have fallen for it and not long after phone call their bank accounts were empty. Sad! So watch out for any phone calls from someone saying you owe a bill. Even when a actual bill collector calls say that you will wait on the paper bill and then pay it that way.
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• Stop and think before you act. Never give out credit card info or write a check until you are absolutely sure that it is for the right thing. 

Check out scams on http://www.snopes.com.

Check out businesses on https://www.bbb.org/.

 

Bake A Cake In A Jar

This is such a cool idea. Bake the cake in the canning jar and then you can store it. You can use box cake mix or make your own cake.

• Always use the wide mouth straight sided glass canning jars.
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• Lightly coat the inside with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
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• Fill the jars only about half way to give the cake room to rise.
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•  Keep the mouth clean to ensure a good seal.
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• Be careful when removing the jars from the oven.  
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• Store in the fridge or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Let The Sun Do The Cooking!

Use the free heat of the sun to cook your food. It is easy and energy efficient. It saves on fuel cost and  in the summer helps to keep you cool by not having to heat up the house with your stove. With solar cooking it is cooked with lower temperatures that will not burn the food and makes it easy to just let it cook away without stirring or checking all of the time. Set it in the heat of the sun and come back after a few hours to a well- cooked meal.

A great idea is to set it up on a table that can spin so that you can make it follow the sun during the day. Makes it easy for us with bad backs, also. Don't have to pick up the whole cooker, just spin the table the bit that it needs turned.You can easily cook all year long with a All Season Solar Cooker.  You can bake bread, cookies, and cakes in a solar cooker. The best thing to make , since it is set and cooking all day, is stews, beans, soups, and casseroles.

You can easily make one. The links below have plans for making them and recipes.

• http://www.solarcooking.org
• http://cookwiththesun.com

Having a solar cooker is great for kids , also. They can learn to use one easily and be cooking in one in no time. My son was 7 years old when he made one out of a pizza box. It worked pretty good. He baked cookies in it and did some hot dogs. It was fun for him and he learned a lot about the sun and how it works.
Get the whole family involved.

COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR FAVORITE THING TO COOK IN A SOLAR COOKER>>>

Flu Fighting Tea

 Mix this up and drink it while it is still warm.

NEED:

3 cups of water

Juice of half a lemon

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 inch of fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon of cloves

1 teaspoon tumeric

a pinch of cayenne 

Add everything to a pot and bring to a boil.

Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Pour the tea through a strainer and add 1 tablespoon of honey.

DRINK THIS WHILE IT IS STILL VERY WARM.

Have A Sore Throat? Have A Hot Toddy.

I have been suffering with a cough and sore throat for a week now and it is worse at night. This is what I made the other night so that I could sleep. It worked.

NEED:

1 1/4 cup of orange juice

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of honey

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 shot of rum

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring it ALMOST to a boil. Just let it get hot.

Turn off the heat and add the rum.

Pour into a large mug and drink it while it is still hot.

Tips For Winter Camping

You have got to take extra precautions if you are planning to camp in the winter.

1. Keep track of the weather forecast before you go camp. The weather can change on a dime in the winter.

2. Take more than enough food and preps. You never know what could happen and you might be stuck for a few days because of a snow storm.

3. Have several ways to keep warm. They have foldable wood burning stoves now that would help. Plus have sleeping bags that are graded for below zero weather. Have layers on with thermal underwear. Gloves are a must.

4. Navigation tools for getting anywhere safely in a winter storm. If you have to get anywhere to safety , you need to be able to navigate. Know you surroundings.

5. The right boot could save your life. It can get very slippery in the winter and you have to have traction. My son also has a great Folding Collapsible Travel Hiking Walking Stick Trekking Pole , that he takes with him every time he hikes and camps.

6. Only camp in places that are frequented by other campers and are known camping sites. You will be easily found and you can easily find your way out if the winter weather gets to bothering you.

7. It gets darker earlier in the winter than it does in the summer so have plenty of lighting and batteries.

If you prepare for everything - you can camp in the winter!

Yummy Cake Mix Cookies!!

 Some cake mixes you can use, or try your favorite out.  - 

Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

 

Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Strawberry Cake Mix

 

Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist Carrot Cake Mix

 

 

Easy enough your kids could make them!

I stock up on cake mixes everytime they are on sale.

NEED:

1 package cake mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

Mix all together.

It will be a thick dough.

Roll into small balls and flatten onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tons of styles of cookies to make with any of the different types of cake mixes. One of my favorites uses carrot cake mix and are iced with white icing!

 

 

Preparing Your Home for Wind Damage Before A Storm

Back in 2008 we had a major wind storm here in Indiana, really the whole east did, because of a hurricane that then brought the wind to us. We lost our roof, a few outdoor toys, and our power ( for 3 days)  because of it. There are things that you can do to keep the damage down to a minimum.


How to Avoid Wind Damage

• Know your risks. Do you know the hazards in your community? How often do floods or wind storms occur?When there is a wind storm in your area will power go out?
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• Ensure that your roof sheathing is properly installed. The roof sheathing is the boards or plywood nailed to your roof rafters or trusses. During a heavy windstorm, wind forces flow from the roof down to the exterior walls and then the foundation. Homes are damaged when wind is not properly transferred to the ground in a storm. Properly installed sheathing helps to ensure wind is transferred correctly. Make sure the sheathing nails haven't missed the rafters. If they have you'll need to redo them.
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• Make sure end gables are secured to the roof. 'In a hurricane or other wind storm, the side walls of the roof (end gables) take a real beating and can collapse. Gable bracing often consists of 2"x4"s placed in an "X" pattern at both ends of the attic: from the top center of the end gable to the bottom of the brace of the fourth truss, and from the bottom center of the end gable to the peak of the roof,' Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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• Check that your garage door is properly secured. In a windstorm the garage door can be easily ripped off allowing wind to enter your home and blow out doors, windows, walls and even the roof.

• Protect your windows with storm shutters. Installing storm shutters is one of the best ways you can protect your home from high winds. You can purchase these in wood, aluminum or steel.

If you take the measures to secure your home, than you should be able to weather any storm.

Food Storage Recipe - Spinach & Mushroom Soup

Quick and easy soup to make.

NEED:

1 1/2 cup of milk

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 box of frozen chopped spinach

1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

In a large saucepan , heat the milk and potatoes on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the spinach and the can of soup.

Cook until the soup is bubbly and the potatoes are tender.

Stir it frequently while it is cooking.