Keep it simple. Contraptions abound but all you really need to dry foods are heat and good air flow. Here is one of many setups using fabric and a vented hard surface. I’m using the tray from an old dehydrator that quit working but any vented hard surface such as pot strainers would work. For [...]

Just about every frozen treats on sticks, homemade or bought, drip everywhere. Unlike us grown-ups who race to finish our treats before even wasting a drop, our kids dawdle, savor every lick leaving a big sticky mess all-over. Keeping them from enjoying these delightful popsicles is simply not an option! Finally, I found a work-around [...]

I love to be outside. During the long, hot, late Spring/Summer/early Fall months of Texas, the best time to be out is in the early dewy morning and early evening, the same time the mosquitoes are most active. I’ve never fully enjoyed the outdoors during those times as I have been cast as the human [...]

For me, mix-at-home cleaners are all about using the least number of products and ingredients, whether it’s synthetic, natural, or somewhere in between. I do not use natural soap, lemon juice, cream of tartar, club soda, or many food stuffs that you might come across in ‘natural’ or ‘green’ cleaning recipes. Oftentimes, you can usually [...]

As you’re thinking about mixing your own cleaners, I bet you’re finding that the internet is overloaded with homemade recipes. Trying to make sense of all the recipe variations is just as, if not more confusing than reading and deciphering commercial product labels. The confusion is enough to shy anyone away from making their own [...]

Many people don’t realize that detergents (surfactants), either full strength or diluted as in the homemade all-purpose cleaner, are all that’s needed to remove many common household stains like food, dirt, and grass. Whether you are dealing with clothing, carpet, upholstery, or any surface throughout your house for that matter, it is better to start [...]

First and foremost, I make my own household cleaners to save money and reduce the amount of products we use. Most of them are redundant anyways, just the same basic ingredients in different proportions, packaged and marketed differently. My must-have list is surprisingly short: vinegar baking soda chlorine-free laundry detergent – surfactants Unlike many homemade [...]

This past weekend, I found stackfuls of one-piece infant potties at IKEA for $3.99 but were on sale for $1.99!!! They looked stable and easy to clean. I’m glad to see how readily available they are now, about four years too late for me. Maybe they’ve been around for awhile but I just don’t find [...]

If you’re wondering about my absence from the virtual world lately, it’s because I’ve been knee deep in my garden. The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous! In many ways, I much prefer to garden in the Fall than in the Spring. It is the best time to: get your plants in and/or plan out [...]

If I didn’t already have plans this weekend, I would be dragging my family to the 7th Annual Garden Festival of Roses at the Antique Rose Emporium in San Antonio. By the way, it was from the owner Mike Shoup’s rose book, Landscaping with Antique Roses (no longer in print) where I (re)discovered my passion [...]