Easy home made fire starter using things around the house

Needed~
empty egg carton
lint
wax

I started by just collecting all the needed things. I have a cereal box near my dryer to collect lint and a jar under my sink for wax pieces. I filled the egg carton with lint and melted the wax over a stove before pouring it on top. This worked great as a fire starter and was what we used to start our fire this Christmas. It is also a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Ways to reuse wrapping paper

It is that time of year again where wrapping paper is everywhere. This year instead of throwing it away try to reduce, reuse, and recycle it! Here are some ideas to try~
~shred it to use as fill in future gift bags
~festive book  covers
~make small gift bags
~origami
~wrap wall pictures and add a bow to make a gift look on a wall
~art projects(wrapping paper collage, paper wreath)

~scrap booking                                                                                                                                         

~filling for packing boxes

~Line the box of bookcases or draws

~line the bottom of bird cages

Side note~never burn wrapping paper in a fireplace!

Extension cord protection for outside lights

To help lights stay dry this winter cut two holes into a storage bin and place the cord inside. This help keep the wires from shorting and having to be reset. 

2 week meal plan

This is one of our two week meal plans. I try to always change them up every two weeks so it is never the same but this is one we recently used. Now of course you can changed it up to be your own, I know some nights will be busy for me so I plan to make them as simple as possible.

2 Week meal plan~(Dinners)

Day 1~ Loaded baked potato bar
Bake potatoes and set out things like cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, chives, mushrooms, cut up ham or anything else you enjoy
You can also wrap up the potatoes in foil and then place them in a slow cooker to cook, making this dinner even easier.

Day 2~ Meatball sandwiches
Homemade or frozen meatballs  place in rolls and top with cheese. Heat in oven till cheese melts.

Day 3~Grilled cheese and soup
If you use tomato soup you can add topping for it like goldfish and cheese

Day 4~  Stuffed Pasta&  gravy with garlic bread

Day 5~ Pizza night! Frozen if busy or homemade if not. My kids like plain~ dough, sauce and different kinds of cheese

Day 6~  Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole
Start by cooking the chicken and shredding it, stem the broccoli and cook the rice. Then mix it all in a big bowl add cheese and one can of cream of chicken soup. If you need to make this quicker use frozen broccoli. Heat in oven(set to 350) for about 10 mins.

Day 7~ Meatloaf night

Day 8~ Hot dogs and beans

Day 9~  Quesadillas~ filled with cheese and chicken but you can ad beans and salsa too

Day 10~ Shepherd's pie
Cooked ground meat, with veggies over mashed potatoes and topped with cheese

Day 11~ Fish & chips

Day 12~ Sloppy joes

Day 13~ rice and veggies
My kids love rice so we just make some and add cooked veggies to the top

Day 14~ Tater tot casserole
this one is a new one for me and I am still trying to perfect it

Day 15~  Eat out day, normally this is the day we do food shopping and get anything else that we need to get done, done


For breakfast we normally do cereal on week days and weekends we do one of these~
~toast topped with avocado and egg
~toast & eggs
~ hash brown and egg omelette
~veggie omelette
~pancakes or waffles
~corn beef hash and egg

Lunch is the hardest thing for me to plan but some we love are~
~Peanut butter, jelly and banana wrap
~netalla and banana sandwiches
~lunch meat sandwiches
~yogurt and fruit
~bacon, lettuce and tomato wraps topped with blue cheese dressing

Benefits of wood ash in a garden

If you have a fireplace or a wood stove, cleaning out ash is a job. We normally do it after every few fires here.  It sucks but worth it for our garden (or compost pile!).  Ash changes the pH in soil.  This can be good for some plants or even your lawn.

What plants benefits from wood ash~

Parsley

Lavender

Oranges

Okra

Asparagus

Juniper

Avoided adding it to~

potato plants

blueberries

most annual garden veggies

Other uses for wood ash~

melt snow

de-skunk pets

repel slugs and snails

control pond algae

Remember~

do not add when planting seeds

only use ash from untreated wood

always wear eye safety glasses and a mask (wood has a high pH level.  It is so strong it should be treated the same way you handle bleach) 

store ash so it stays dry until use

do not apply when it is windy

What is meal planning and why is it important?

Meal planning is writing out every meal you will have for each day of the week, though some do it for a whole month. I started meal planning awhile ago now and I do it for every two weeks. I only do it for dinner and sometimes lunch because we are set in what we eat for breakfast with my two little ones.  It has saved me so much money when food shopping. Besides meal planning I also look for deals at my local stores. I am not a couponer and dont have the time for it but  I have cut my bill almost in half by just being papered. Most food shopping places have the store set up to where you are looking at something you dont necessarily need but looks good enough to buy at every isle and by the time you are  checking out you realize you bought way more then needed. So next time you get ready to go shopping set out some time to write down at least the dinners you  will be having, you will be surprised how much money you save. I will soon be sharing my meal plans monthly but I want to make sure I have the right measurements before I share. I am one of them people who go by dashes, and pinches then 1/4 cup lol

ways to reuse a Christmas tree when Christmas is over

~Chip it an make mulch

~throw into the woods or in water to make homes for wild animals

~use branches to make wreaths and garland

~cut pieces off to make fire starters 

~recycle it, check with your local town to see if there is a drop off center

 ~DIY coasters made from the tree trunk

  ~Fire wood

~cut off branches to cover a perennial bed and help protect it from the snow

~make it a nature tree, add bird feeders and things for the animals before placing it outside (here is ours form a few years ago http://funthingstodowithurkidz.blogspot.com/2013/12/nature-tree.html)

~add shavings to bowls of potpourri

~use pine needles to make tea..Yes it is do able!

4 ingredient easy Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a easy recipe for busy people out there. It's quick and delicious! 

You will need~

Pie crust (of course you can make your own or buy all ready made)

1 pack of cream cheese

3/4 cup of sugar

1 can of pumpkin

2 eggs

First mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Then add in the pumpkin and cream cheese.(make sure the cream cheese is soften, it will be easier to work with like this) Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 for 45 mins. Let it cool for a hour and place in fridge. I topped mine with a little bit of cinnamon before baking but not needed.