works for me wednesday: booklists

I used to walk into the library with my kids and just pick books at random, hoping to stumble upon great stories. It can be overwhelming looking at all of those shelves of books and not knowing which ones to choose. When I mentioned this to a friend once she recommended purchasing Honey For A Child's Heart. It's a book full of lists of good, quality books for ages 0 - 12. It has made the library become one of our favorites places and we have discovered many, many great books using this resource.

Our study of American History is literature based and I use Turning Back the Pages of Time as a supplement to it. This booklet is also a guide to which books to get from the library. I highly recommend it, even if you are not 'studying' American History!

Another thing that is wonderful about having these booklists is that it makes it so easily to utilize the library's online catalog. We are so lucky to have an amazing interlibrary loan system here. It is rare when I am not able to find a book. During the school year I go online, request the books we want to borrow and the majority of them are ready in a big pile for me to pick up and check out a few days later. The kids still get excited to go through the stack of books every week! It's instilling a love of reading and making learning fun....one of my major goals of homeschooling!

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas visit Rock In My Dryer!

wfmw: gel-gloss cleaner

Scott bought this Gel-Gloss cleaner at Home Depot when we got our boat out of storage this spring. We used it to clean and polish the exterior of the boat before we put it in the water. It worked great! Just this last weekend he used it to clean the inside of the boat. The chrome is sparkling again and he said that he was surprised at how easily things wiped off the fiberglass that we hadn't been able to get off with regular cleaners last year, like nail polish scratches. I had to pass this on because a co-worker of Scott's emailed me awhile back that a bottle of nail polish had spilled in her bathtub and she wondered if I knew of anything that she could use to get it off. I didn't know of anything for sure at the time. This would be the stuff to use though!

One of the reviewers at amazon.com said that it works really well to get the black marks off of her white porcelain kitchen sink. I had one of those sinks in our last house and was always battling with those marks. I wish I would've known about this product then! Hopefully it will work for you!

wfmw: teach your kids to make your coffee

Yes, that's right! They'll think it's fun. It only took a minute to show Thomas just how I like my cup of coffee - two sugar cubes, a splash of milk (or half and half, if we have it) and give it a stir. He always serves it with that sweet smile and checks in now and then to see if I need a refill. It's a good thing Scott only brews enough coffee for us to each have two cups. I'd drink way too much otherwise. Yes, that's right...I don't even have to brew my own coffee either. I'm spoiled. :)

Visit Rocks in My Dryer for lots of Works for Me Wednesday tips!

wfmw: potting flowers

I saw this idea in one of the latest issues of Martha Stewart Living and thought it was great! Buy window screen from your local hardware store or else use a damage screen that needs replaced from your own windows.

Cut it to fit over the bottom of your flower pot. The screen will stop most of the dirt from flowing out of your pot when you water your flowers. Isn't Martha so clever?!

Then plant as normal. I think this picture is so sweet of the girls working together. Such team work!

This is the very next picture I took about 2 seconds later! A much more accurate portrayal of how the planting actually went - Ava crying because she wanted the little shovel! :)

Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

candied nuts for salads

We eat a lot of salads around here. I've already shared how I make homemade croutons and thought today I'd show how I make candied nuts. On salads with fruit and vinagrettes these are especially good.

In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, put whatever nut you want to have with your salad. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Let it heat for a little bit so that the sugar just starts to melt. At that point you have to use a spatula or wooden spoon to keep the nuts moving so that they don't burn. You may want to add more sugar if there isn't going to be enough to coat them too.

Once the nuts get golden like this they are done and have to be removed from the heat immediately. Have a piece of parchment paper on the counter to put them on.

Let them sit to cool. This doesn't take long, maybe 5 minutes. Break them up and either serve immediately on your salad or store in an airtight container for later use.

See how pretty they look on a salad?! I won't be sharing the recipe for this particular salad though. It was pretty but the candied almonds were the best part about it. I'd say it was a flop.....kinda like the ribs that I served with it.

Visit Shannon's site for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

miracle cleaner

I am taking Shannon's idea for Works for Me Wednesday and sharing with you my absolute favorite cleaning product. It's called Sol-U-Mel. I have been amazed at the stains I have been able to get out with this stuff, and without a lot of effort too! This morning I just used it to get out a black marker drawing that I found on one of my couch cushions. I don't have proof but I'm pretty sure that this is the child that is the guilty artist -

Hard to believe with a face that sweet isn't it?! :) With just a dab of this product on a cloth the marker wiped right off the leather cushion. Other things that I have been able to remove are -

- oil stains in clothing....even after it's been dried in the dryer!
- sculpy clay oil residue. I didn't read the directions on the package where it specifically says to not use it directly on a wood surface. I would've cried if it hadn't came out because I had just bought the table!
- plumbers purple primer. This one I couldn't believe. My brother spilled quite a bit of this stuff on his good jeans while he was here helping my dad work on our basement. I treated the jeans with this stuff right away and put them in the wash and it came out completely!
- grass, mud, blood and other common stains

The biggest drawback to this product is that it can't be purchased in stores. It's only available through Melaleuca and it is pretty pricey if you are not a member. I have been using Melaleuca products for over 2 years now and love them but am not going to give you a sales pitch for them. I am not a distributor and do not want to be. I just know that if I ever decide to no longer be a member that I would willing pay full price for this one product to have in my arsenal of cleaning supplies.

Now I just need to find a miracle product to fix scratches in my table. This is the worst one and can be mostly covered by a bowl that sits in the middle of the table as a centerpiece at least. If you know of something I could try to minimize it or make it disappear I'd love to hear about it!

wfmw: cleaning your paintbrush

I am in the middle of a big painting project here! My hubby is traveling for work this week so it was a perfect time to tackle the project. Homeschooling and having a 1 1/2 year old has made the project a little challenging! I've been working on it after I get the kids tucked in for the night then I put some music on and paint away.

Tonight while I was cleaning out my brush (or should I say this morning...it is 1:00 am. Who needs sleep when there are things this important to blog about?!) I realized that this might actually make a decent wfmw post! I clean out my paintbrush with an old haircomb along with dishsoap. It is excellent at breaking up all of the gunked up paint that hides in the bristles of the brush. I have got a lot of use out this brush by taking the time to clean it properly.

Update - Wow! I just read through this for the first time since I wrote it last night...how many sentences can I use the word 'project' in?! :) Next time I want to write anything that late at night I will tell myself to go to sleep instead!

works for me wednesday: homemade playdough

The theme for this week's 'Works for Me Wednesday' is to share ideas to help keep your kids from complaining about being bored this summer. My kiddos love to play with playdough...I even think it's fun too! :) Here is my favorite recipe to make it at home. It stays soft for a long time if it is stored correctly.

Mix in a medium-size saucepan:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp cream of tartar

Combine and add to above:
1 cup water
1 - 2 tsp food coloring
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. When it forms a ball in the center of the pan, turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface. Store in an airtight container or a plastic bag.

There are lots of great ideas over at Rocks in My Dryer. Go check them out! :)

Update: The kids were by me when I typed up this recipe and were begging me to make it. We made an orange batch and then a yellow batch. Here they are playing with it. Gotta love those tongues sticking out....such concentration!

works for me wednesday: tennis balls

This week I washed the down comforter on my bed and thought of my Works for Me Wednesday tip while doing it. I wash the comforter in my front load washing machine on the delicate setting in warm water. The trick comes when drying it though. Put 3 or 4 tennis balls in the dryer with it while it's drying (on a medium heat setting, not high) and they will keep beating at the feathers during the drying process so that they dry thoroughly and fluff up nice. I check on the comforter a few times throughout the drying cycle to be sure it isn't twisted and trap the tennis balls so that they can't do their job. Depending on the size of the comforter you may have to do more than one dry time setting on your machine. I would only recommend this tip if you have a large capacity washer and dryer though. It has worked well for me and saves the cost and hassle of taking it to the cleaners.

For more tips visit Rocks in My Dryer!

works for me wednesday - grocery shopping prep

Here are a few ideas for making grocery shopping a little easier and a little more pleasant....

- Be prepared with a organized list. I read about this idea in one of my cookbooks and love it - when you make your grocery list take a piece of paper and make headings on the page such as - Dairy, Meat, Produce, Freezer, Shelf Goods, Miscellaneous. Then as you are going through the weekly ads and your recipes you can put each item under the correct heading along with how much of the item you want/need to buy. This will keep you from running back and forth through the store and also from forgetting things. I shop 2 different grocery stores most weeks so I also mark which store to buy the item at with the initial of the store in a circle after the item.

- Don't forget your list at home! :) Put it in your purse along with any coupons you will be using right after you get done writing it out. Also, make sure you have a pen in your purse so that you can cross the items off your list as you put them in your cart.

- Keep your fabric grocery totes and a collapsible cooler in your vehicle at all times. Then you will always have them with you when you need them. My mom gave me a collapsible cooler a couple of years ago and I love using it when I have a few more quick errands to run in town after I stop at the grocery store.

I'd love to hear any other tips from you about what makes grocery shopping easier for you. Especially about shopping with children! :)

For more tips to make life a little easier check out all of the Works For Me Wednesday tips at Rocks in My Dryer!

works for me wednesday: coffee filters for cleaning glass

My tip for this week is to use coffee filters to clean your windows and mirrors. They're lint-free, not as messy as newspaper, and cheap. I use 2 of them layered together and they work great!

Check out Rock's In My Dryer for lots more tips!

works for me wednesday: treasure boxes

Treasure boxes are my solution for controlling clutter in my kids rooms. My kids are savers. They want to save every hotel key and airline ticket stub Daddy gives them when he travels, Sunday school papers, cereal box toys.....the list goes on, everything is a treasure to them! The latest thing was the foil off of some of the chocolates from Easter that had pictures of cute bunnies. Where to put all of these things was a real issue until I bought a couple of under the bed storage boxes. They now put all of the things that they want to save but that don't have a specific home in their rooms in these boxes. When they get full they will go through them and get rid of anything that is no longer special to them to make room for new stuff. This solution works for them and for their 'thrower awayer' mama! :)

For more tips visit Rock in My Dryer!

works for me wednesday: laundry room shelf

My hubby built me this nifty shelf for my laundry room. He made it out of scrap wood we had laying around here after we built. The design is pretty clever as it is a hollow box that just rests upon a board that is screwed to the wall. It makes my laundry room that much more functional since I have more working space to place things when I fold clothes, it keeps things from falling behind the washer and dryer but yet it keeps the water and gas controls easily accessible since it can just be pulled away from the wall. It works for me!

For more handy dandy tips visit Rocks in My Dryer!

wfmw: the car edition

The theme for this week's Works for Me Wednesday is how to make life easier on the go. I almost always have all 3 children in tow with me every time I run errands so I am looking forward to picking up some more tips to make going out with them easier! Here is a listing of things that I have found work for me when out and about or when we are making the long 10 1/2 hour drive to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

- Teach your older child to help the younger ones get buckled up into their seats.This saves me so much time! I drive around a suburban and the two older kids love to sit in the back seat so they just climb in back there, Thomas buckles up Elle and all I have to do is buckle the baby into her seat in the middle and off we go.

- Books on CD. We love to listen to these while we run around town. Many good ones can probably be found at your local library.

- Keep a box of kleenex in the back by the kids. This keep you from frantically searching for one while you are driving down the road after one of your kids sneezes!

- Have your kids vacuum and clean out the vehicle! My older 2 children are 7 and 5 years old. They were wanting to do chores a couple of weeks ago to earn some money to use at the Mommy Store but I was running out of ideas for them to do when I remembered that they had recently ate Chex mix in the back of the vehicle and crumbs were everywhere. I told them they could each earn a chip if they vacuumed and cleaned out the suburban. Thomas got out the shop vac and got busy vacuuming and Elle wiped off the seats. They did a pretty good job and thought it was fun too!

- For those long car rides, having a DVD player in our vehicle has saved many tears and many "Are we there yets?"! When we take long trips I usually pack a couple of their favorite videos but also like to surprise them with a new one part way into the trip that I either bought or rented from the video store.

- And along the lines of the DVD player in the vehicle be sure to keep extra batteries in the vehicle for the wireless headphones that way you don't have to end up listening to Veggie Tales along with the kids too!

- Vehicle Bingo is a fun game to play on long trips. I remember playing it when I was younger on family vacations. You can make your own bingo cards with things that you might see along the way on your trip and the first person to find 5 in a row on their card can win a little prize you brought along. I found this link to a pdf file of an already made bingo card for younger children that is a simplified version.

Well, that is all that I can think of for now. It's time to go over to Rocks in My Dryer now to read the rest of the tips!

Update! -
I thought of this tip after I'd already published this post. Always keep a spare house key in your vehicle! I learned the value of this a month or so ago. The door from our garage into our house has one of those locks on it that you push in on the knob along with a dead bolt. The problem with it is that the button thing can get pushed in on the knob (by young children!) and you can still turn the knob from the inside and have no idea that it is locked until you try to go back into the house after the door has been closed. Having a spare key in the vehicle will always allow you to get back in! I've tried hiding one outside too but that one has gone missing (I suspect by little hands again). I've learned to have a back up plan for my back up plan!

works for me wednesday: leftover easter ham

Today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite recipes to use up that leftover Easter ham after the mashed potatoes are gone and your family has had it's fill of cold ham sandwiches. Both recipes freeze well so if everyone is getting tired of ham you can make these up and pop them in the freezer and wait to have them on a day when you haven't had time to cook. These kinds of meals to use up leftovers works for me!

Ham and Vegetable Casserole

2 c. ham, cooked and diced
2 c. potatoes, cooked and diced
2 c. carrots, cooked and diced
2 c. peas, cooked
1 1/2 c. milk
4 T. flour
4 T. butter
4 oz cream cheese
salt and pepper

Combine ham and vegetables in a casserole. In a saucepan, make a white sauce by melting butter and stirring in the flour. Add milk and stir until thickened. Add softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Mix in with vegetables and ham and season to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This casserole can be topped with shredded cheddar cheese and Durkee onions if you'd like.

Cheesy Ham and Rice Soup

4 celery ribs, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
4 carrots, shredded
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups half and half cream
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
4 cups cooked wild rice
3 cups fully cooked ham, cubed
3 cups cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
8 cups water

In a saucepan, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Add carrots; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. In a large soup pot, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in the cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted. Stir in the wild rice, ham, brown rice, bouillon, celery mixture and water. Return to a boil. Serve with a big, crusty piece of bread!

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer!

works for me wednesday: fluffy pancakes everytime

I used to always use a boxed pancake mix to make pancakes and they usually turned out ok but then I found a recipe for 'Perfect Pancakes' in a favorite cookbook of mine so I gave it a try. We didn't know what we were missing! The recipe calls for you to separate the egg whites from the yolks and to beat the whites until they are stiff. After you've mixed up the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl you then fold in the beaten egg whites. They make the fluffiest, lightest pancakes and they get gobbled up in no time!

It is definately worth the extra effort and really only takes a few more minutes. To speed up the process have one of your kids beat the egg whites for you with an electric hand mixer while you mix up the rest of the recipe. Get your griddle heating up when you first start and it will be ready when you are. I usually make a double batch and then the kids have them for breakfast during the week. Perfect Pancakes works for us! :)

Perfect Pancakes
(from Cooking With Confidence by Eunice Naomi Wiebolt)

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat griddle to 375 degrees. If you're using a stovetop skillet, make your batter before heating the pan.

Separate egg yolks from the whites, placing the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a small, deep bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside.

Add buttermilk, butter and sugar to the egg yolks; beat well. Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Do not overmix - a few lumps are all right. If you need to heat a skillet, do it at this time.

Gently fold in beaten egg whites, being careful not to overmix. Your batter should be rather fluffy, with some of the egg whites still visible.

Test your griddle or skillet to make sure it's medium hot. (At the right temperature, a few drops of water sprinkled on the surface will sizzle and dance.) For each pancake, pour about 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle and spread into a circle. Flip to cook the second side as soon as pancakes are covered with bubbles and edges are slightly dry. Serve immediately with butter and warm syrup. To serve an entire batch at the same time, cover the pancakes loosely and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips visit Rocks in My Dryer!

works for me wednesday: 'Now I'm Reading' books

A friend of mine told me about these books when I was struggling to find a reading cirriculum that I liked for my 5 year old daughter. Elle really wanted to learn to read books, not just words, like her big brother but all of the Easy Readers and 'I Can Read' books that you can pick up at Target or Walmart were just too difficult. They always seemed to introduce too many concepts in one book, even in the easiest levels.

The 'Now I'm Reading' books are great because the first book starts you off with only words that have the short a sound in them along with a couple of easy sight words. Another thing that I like about them is that each sentence builds upon the last sentence that is read. For example, the first book is called 'Fat Cat'. The first sentence on page 1 is - 'A cat.' The next sentence on page 2 is - 'A tan cat.', page 3 - 'A tan fat cat.', etc... The book is only 10 pages long so it makes it a quick read. When book one is read and the sound of short a mastered then you can move to book 2 which will introduce a story with words using short o. The first 5 books cover short a, e, i, o, and u and then you start over again with a book with the short a sound only now you will be introducing consonant blends into the words. It really is great!

Elle has now read all 20 level 1 books and just started level 2 which is introducing long vowels. She absolutely loves reading these books. They come with stickers to put on a chart or in the cover of the book for each time it is read independently. She is so proud to get those stickers! The stories are really cute. The illustrations are fun and colorful and we've even laughed out loud at some of the stories. They're perfect for preschoolers and early elementary age kids and very affordable too! Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!