Thought I'd share a couple of neat things I found out.

Piecrust- If you hate cutting the butter into the flour like I do, you can use a cheese grater instead! Just cut off as much butter as you'll need and grate it into the flour. The great thing about this, is that you can use frozen butter, which will give you a much flakier crust.

We have a lot of scrap wood that the kids use for building blocks. It's hard to tell them apart from scrap kindling wood. If you save all the little broken crayons that are too tiny to use you can do this: Heat the wood blocks- we just put them on the woodstove, but the oven would work- and then rub the bit of crayon on the block quickly. The wax will melt right into the wood, it makes for very colorful blocks that are less likely to give kids splinters. The blocks should be smooth, maybe sanded a little for best results. You can even draw doors and windows, letters, etc on the blocks!

If you have any neat ideas, please list them here!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 23, 2001

Answers

To keep the inside of sweatshirts fluffy, NEVER put in clothes dryer, even for a minute. I read this someplace and have tried and proved it.

To prevent crying when peeling or slicing onions, keep them in refrigerator. To remove onion smell from your hands, dampen hands, sprinkle with salt, rub, then wash as usual. I also rub salt on inside of iron skillet I've just used to fry onions, then wash it to remove onion smell.

-- gibson girl (bobtravous@email.com), November 24, 2001.

Rebekah, I love the idea for the pie crusts. I never thought of that but it is so simple I should have. This is what I enjoy about this board, great ideas that are so simple. keep it up everyone!

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), November 24, 2001.

For keeping socks together in the wash: sock locks. Use a different color for each person.

I fold all laundry (because I only do full loads and have to mix people's laundry and have to keep straight)put in baskets. When I put baskets in kid's rooms I add a few things that are on the floor or out of place for them to put away.

Keep things near where you use them.

Clean up the kitchen as you cook. Keep the sink filled with hot soapy water for dirty dishes.

I have a typed computer list of things I normally buy (typed in three columns) I print it out on the backs of junk mail and cut into threes. I keep one in my daytimer each week and add to the list or star the items I need when I go to the store. I also keep a mini list going on the refrig.

Have a kids brightly colored folder in the kitchen where notes from school, calendars, phone numbers go.

Throw away recipes your family doesn't like or mark the recipe in a book as you go. Same thing for good items.

Make twice as much dinner as you need and freeze one for later.

Never go out of a room without taking one thing that needs to be put away elsewhere.

Keep a basket at bottom of stairs for things that go upstairs.

This sounds simple but is hard sometimes: keep pens, pencils and paper near phone.

Read calendar before you go to bed.

Clean kitchen before you go to bed or start the next meal.

Throw junk mail away as you go through it the first time.(save anything that can be used for scrap.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 24, 2001.

Do your homegrown cukes get bitterer as the weather gets hotterer?

Slice a one-half inch or so off the STEM end, put cut ends together and rub. It'll foam up around the edges. Discard the stem end and a small slice along with the foam. No bitter!

-- carol (kanogisdi@yahoo.com), November 24, 2001.