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Off The Hook!

I know I’m late posting these but I wanted to share them anyway!  I crocheted each of my kids a round ripple afghan for Christmas.  Boy what an undertaking it was.  I wasn’t doing too bad on timing until Thanksgiving when my mother-in-law became very ill and ultimately passed away.  But, with determination, I managed to get them all done, even though I was working on the last one up until 9 P.M. Christmas Eve, and then I still had to finish tucking in all the ends.  But, they are done and my children love them.  That is what counts.  They love them. 

I’ve laid them across our bed to take pics of them.  To give you an idea of the size, we have a queen-size bed.

Melia’s Afghan:
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Katie’s Afghan:
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Michael’s Afghan:
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Here they are opening them on Christmas morning:

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They love it when I make things for them and I love making them things. 

This is where you can find the pattern for this particular afghan. 

I’ve already started on my Christmas 2010 stash!  Yay!  I’m hoping to get at least 1 big project per month done throughout the year for Christmas and possibly 1 small one.  It will really depend on time, material, and money for buying more yarn where needed.  My biggest goal is to use what I already have on hand first, only buying what I need to finish a project.  We’ll see how it goes.  I have a major weakness for all things yarn!

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Stain Fighter That Really Works

 

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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. 

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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. 

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The Best Brownies Ever!

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I followed a link from Organizing Junkie and found THE BEST brownie recipe I’ve ever tried!  And, believe me when I say that I’ve tried A LOT of them over the years.  We love brownies that are not too thin and not to hard but have that slight crust on top after baking but they’re extremely moist and chewy on the inside.  These are perfect!  Not too sweet and not too bitter.  You can find the recipe itself here.  At the bottom of her page, she has a nice little recipe card that you can print out with the recipe on it.   Don’t forget to check out the rest of her site.  There are a lot more great recipes there. 

 

**FYI:  I used a 9 x9 pan to get thick brownies the way we like them.  To me, there did not seem to be enough batter to fill a 9 x 13 pan.  **

 

The Moistest Brownies E.V.E.R

Ingredients below are for a double batch

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup all purpose & 1/2 cup whole wheat)

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 Inch Baking Pan (30 x 20 x 3 cm Cake Pan) Combine oil, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, mix until well combined. In a separate bowl add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add to egg and sugar mixture, and combine just until moistened. Pour into greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes (I usually bake for about 30 minutes) or until brownies pull away from pan.

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I hope you enjoy these as much as we have! 

This post is linked to:  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday