If you’ve got kids then you know how prominent stains are in your laundry.  I don’t know know about you, but I’ve tried many different stain treatments over the years.  I’ve tried soaking, spraying, straight detergent, expensive treatments, and inexpensive treatments, but none have worked as well as this one does.  It can even remove a lot of set-in stains!  Even the tough greasy ones or grass stains that just never seem to want to let go.  

No idea what I’m talking about?  Well, let me tell you.  It’s a tried and true treatment that, for whatever reason, most people have never heard of it.  In fact, it can be very difficult to find.  Still no idea?  OK – I’ll tell you.  Better yet, here’s a picture for you.  It’s nothing fancy, and the cost is minimal. 

Yep – that’s it!  But, it can be very difficult to find.  I ended up getting mine from drugstore.com.  But, there are lots of places online so be sure to look for a good price, and possibly free shipping.  Also, some people have reported finding it at your local Dollar General/Family Dollar stores and some local grocery stores, but none in my area carry it. 

I can’t begin to tell you how many shirts and pants I have saved over the last couple years since I finally decided that since I couldn’t find it locally, I would order some.  One bar of Fels-Naptha will last you a long time. 

To use, just dampen stained area with water (I use a small spray bottle) and then rub with Fels-Naptha.  Let set (I usually leave overnight), and then wash as usual.  If stain is very heavy, you may need to wash in warm water and repeat process.  Just make sure to air dry between treatments.  This prevents the dryer from setting the stain in further.  Yes, I have also removed set in stains that did go through the dryer without my knowledge, but they usually come out much easier prior to being dried in the dyer. 

This post is linked to We Are That Family. 

I don’t think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron…

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.  After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.  In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.  When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.  Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.  I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron.

I love to cook and bake. My favorite place is to be in the kitchen cooking meals for my family. And I’m always looking for new gadgets or replacement utensils for my kitchen. I’m sure that there are many of you out there that also have cooks/bakers on your gift lists and you’re not sure what to buy for them, so I thought I’d give you a few ideas:

– Wooden Spoons – I love wooden spoons, and good ones are hard to come by. I love the ones that have a good thick, long handle on them so that I can use them in stock pots.

– Whisk – I have varying sizes of whisks and use them all of the time. But, there are a lot of days that I wish I had more than 1 of my smaller one. Those really come in handy when needing to whisk small amounts of something. Yes, I know you can use a fork, but a whisk is more fun.

– Measuring Cups/Spoons – As every good cook knows, you can never have enough measuring utensils. When I’m giving some as gifts, I like to look for some that I would use, but also look for some that are seasonal. It makes cooking that much more fun when you’re using fun utensils.

– Bamboo Utensils – This is another great idea. Yes, it’s similar to the wooden spoons, but these are actually a lot better and last longer

– Scraper – I use mine all of the time for things such as scooping up lots of chopped veggies to scraping up bits of dough off of my mat after making breads.

– Silicone Spatulas or Spoonulas – This is another item that I know I use all of the time and I’m convinced that you can never have enough of. When I have a big baking day, I always seem to run out of them, even when I’m washing and reusing them.

– Serving Platters – I love to use nice platters when I’m having a get-together. Even though they are usually casual, it makes it feel more special.  It makes my guests feel more special. 

– Cookie Cutters – If you know someone who likes to bake cookies, try finding a nice set of cookie cutters.

– Apron – An apron is a must have for any serious cook/baker. You can find a plain white or colored apron for just a few dollars, and you can get some fabric paint and dress it up a bit. Or buy some fabric paint and have the grandkids make grandma/grandpa a personalized apron with their handprints, and you could write their name, date, and age below them.

– Pot Holders – These can be found very reasonably priced or, if you sew or quilt, you could even make some! Just another item in the kitchen that you can never have enough of. 

– Dish Towels – My towels have been well loved over the years and are really beginning to show it. New towels are always welcome in my kitchen, and I’m sure your cook/baker will feel the same way!

– Baking Basket – put together a basket of their favorite cooking ingredients such as a box of cake or brownie mix, sprinkles, box of powdered sugar, a spoon or spatula, cupcake liners.

– Dinner Basket – Put together an Italian dinner basket. You could include a box of pasta, sauce, garlic bread, and bagged salad mix, and a bottle of favorite dressing.

Here are just a few ideas to help you find that special cook/baker on your list something nice! Hope this gives you some great ideas!