For the luxury of a spa treatment without the expense, create your own formulas. Exfoliants are fun and a good party of any beauty treatment. They work by sloughing off dead skin cells that can make your skin dull or cause break outs. You can create your own scrub and experiment with different recipes until you get one that works perfectly for you. While not all of the ingredients listed below are all natural, you can feel confident about choosing ones that are, if that is a concern for you. You can also avoid any ingredients that may cause allergies. … Continue reading →

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) has long been used as a beauty staple. Learn all of the different ways that you can put this product to use in your beauty routine and save money, not to mention space in your bathroom cabinet. Fix your eyebrows. Use a clean fingertip or a mascara wand to apply a tiny amount of petroleum jelly to your eyebrows in a sweeping motion. Start from the inside and go toward the outside in one moment. Instantly tamed brows are yours. Remove your eye makeup. Put some petroleum jelly on your eyelids and then wipe it off again … Continue reading →

There I was down in the basement, picking up our new playroom yet again. The kids were upstairs in the living room playing a new dance game on the Wii. They were having a lot of fun, judging from the giggling and the various stomps and booms I was hearing through the basement ceiling. I admit that I had an ulterior motive for being down in the playroom–to identify some items that could get passed on to other kids. Every once in a while, I would climb the basement stairs and ask the kids, “Hey, can we donate item x?” … Continue reading →

Now that we have gotten through the back to school transition at home (my kids went back this week on August 29th), the next thing on my list is to start preparing our home for the inevitable cold and flu season. Once the cooler weather (and the school, sports and other activities) arrive, so will the sniffles, the fevers, the aches, etc. Getting the home ready early will save me a lot of headaches, some of them literally, I think. Get the Sick Day Supply Because sick days may mean that no one is going anywhere, it is really helpful … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I went downstairs in the morning and was greeted by a very bad smell. Apparently for some reason, one of the pots I used for making stock was put away dirty. Another (clean) pot had been stacked in it, so it was assumed to be clean. Yuck. A smelly kitchen can be a challenge, whether is from something that could have easily been prevented, such as my pot fail or something that is sometimes unavoidable, such as lingering cooking smells. Fortunately, there are some fast fixes that have nothing to do with spraying chemicals in the air, mostly about … Continue reading →

Do you automatically reach for the Clorox whenever you need to get something white? While this old habit can really get sturdy whites whiter, it can also cause damage to clothing, especially synthetic fibers. I learned this the hard way when my expensive performance socks wound up not only whiter but also lighter because the fibers broke down leaving bare threads and holes behind over time. Before you even put anything into the wash or hamper, give it a good once over. Inspect any white clothing as you take it off. This way you can either wash the items immediately … Continue reading →

Okay, well maybe not my best friend, but they are certainly useful. When it comes to family, those cupcake liners can really make my life easier in the kitchen and even on the road. I first discovered the wonder of cupcake liners when preparing for my son’s birthday. Not only could I use them to help decorate his castle cake (turrets anyone) but they made desert go so much easier than I expected. Everyone around her expects ice cream at a birthday party (can you blame them) either with the cake or sometime afterwards. I found that scooping out the … Continue reading →

Do you have more single socks than pairs? Is your single sock stash growing to the size of Mount Washmore? If you have this very common problem, take a look at this good idea that will help you keep those socks together. I really don’t know why I didn’t think of this idea because it is so simple. But the truth is that I read it in a magazine. The little light bulb flashed over my head, and I am determined to to institute it as soon as possible. I’m going to go out and purchase a large lingerie bag … Continue reading →

You never realize how often you go to turn on a light inside the walk in closet or any room even when you know the electricity is out. It’s force of habit almost to reach for the switch. It makes us realize how dependant we are on it these days. Here is a list of the things you can’t do and those things you should do when the power is out. You can’t listen to radio and get updates about what is happening or turn on the computer unless it runs by battery. It makes you realize that a backup … Continue reading →

Quick! Company is coming over and your home smells like a mixture of last night’s fajitas and the stinky garbage can. There are no commercial air fresheners on hand, and you heard those things can be bad for your health anyway. What can you do? Try one of the following quick and natural air fresheners for your home. White vinegar works wonders when it comes to cooking odors. Keep a small bowl of vinegar near the stove while you are cooking. This hint comes straight from Heloise. Carpets and rugs tend to hold on to order. Do you remember those … Continue reading →