She Makes Monday (Link-up!): Freeze Meat in Dinner Portions

Today we are continuing a weekly feature -- She Makes Mondays -- where we share a helpful homemaking idea or tip and give you the opportunity to share too!

Here's what you do:
Read our tip. :-)
Go back to your blog and post your own tip -- then come back here and link up with us.
Your tip can be a from a new or already-posted post!
Please include the following sentence in your post:

Come see us for more helpful homemaking tips at She Makes Mondays!!

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know that you've posted!
And if you don't own a blog, leave us a comment with your homemaking tip so you can share in the fun, too!

Here's our tip: 
Freeze Meat in Dinner Portions

Most grocery stores now sell chicken, beef, and other meats in large packages.  When you get home from the store, take a few minutes to divide the meat you've purchased into dinner portions :

• Ground beef -- don't even remove the packaging, just use a big knife to cut the whole business into equal amounts -- of whatever you need for your family size -- peel away the packaging and dump the portions into a freezer bag (or wrap in several layers of plastic).
• Chicken -- place however many breasts or pieces you use for your family into quart- or gallon-size freezer bags.  Pour in some marinade to coat (for ease, just use some bottled marinade or Italian salad dressing works well too).  The pieces will marinate while they thaw when you take them out of the freezer later.  You can do this with flash-frozen chicken pieces/breasts/tenders as well.
• Chops or steaks -- again, divide and place in quart-size freezer bags.

She Makes Mondays (Link-up!): Hug Your Candle

Today we are continuing a weekly feature -- She Makes Mondays -- where we share a helpful homemaking idea or tip and give you the opportunity to share too!

Here's what you do:
Read our tip. :-)
Go back to your blog and post your own tip -- then come back here and link up with us.
Your tip can be a from a new or already-posted post!
Please include the following sentence in your post:

Come see us for more helpful homemaking tips at She Makes Mondays!!

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know that you've posted!
And if you don't own a blog, leave us a comment with your homemaking tip so you can share in the fun, too!

Here's our tip: 

Hug Your Candle

Pillar candles will last longer and burn cleaner if you hug them! 

After you extinguish your candle (because you've been burning it all day) use your thumb and index finger to gently press in the soft top of the candle, working your way around the top edge to even it all out.  Just press inwards until it's even and molded toward the wick, don't press too hard or you might crack the wax. 

This will prevent a "tunnel" from forming in the center of the candle.

Also, before lighting your candle again, be sure to trim the wick to 1/4" for clean burning.

Here are some more tips for candle burning success!

She Makes Mondays (Link-up!): Slicing Bananas

Today we are continuing a weekly feature -- She Makes Mondays -- where we share a helpful homemaking idea or tip and give you the opportunity to share too!

Here's what you do:
Read our tip. :-)
Go back to your blog and post your own tip -- then come back here and link up with us.
Please include the following sentence in your post:

Come see us for more helpful homemaking tips at She Makes Mondays!!

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know that you've posted!
And if you don't own a blog, leave us a comment with your homemaking tip so you can share in the fun, too!

Here's our tip:  Slicing Bananas

I learned this while working at Baskin & Robbins in the '80s... 

1. Lay the banana on the counter.
2. Cut the tip of a banana with a knife and pull away the peel all the way to the bottom.
3. With the same knife cut into the remaining peel making neat slices -- this works great with overripe bananas -- dump the slices into a plastic baggie and put in the freezer for use later!
4. Easy peasy and no touching the banana.

She Makes Mondays (Link-up!): Wear a Pretty Apron

Today we are continuing a weekly feature -- She Makes Mondays -- where we share a helpful homemaking idea or tip and give you the opportunity to share too!

Here's what you do:
Read our tip. :-)
Go back to your blog and post your own tip -- then come back here and link up with us.
Please include the following sentence in your post:

Come see us for more helpful homemaking tips at She Makes Mondays!!

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know that you've posted!
And if you don't own a blog, leave us a comment with your homemaking tip so you can share in the fun, too!

Here's our tip: Wear a Pretty Apron

I always spill something on myself when working in the kitchen or around the house, so it just makes sense to protect my clothing. And, when I put my apron on, I feel more completely dressed for work! I found mine at the local farmer's market in North Carolina.

Here are some really cute options. And here is an article with a bunch of possibilities. And, oh my! I could definitely find something here!

Hey how about posting a photo of you in your pretty apron and linking back here?

She Makes Mondays (Link-Up!)

Today we are introducing a weekly feature -- She Makes Mondays.

We'll be sharing a helpful homemaking tip and want to give you the opportunity to share also!

Here's what you do:
Read our tip. :-)
Go back to your blog and post your own tip -- then come back here and link up with us.
Please include the following sentence in your post:

Come see us for more helpful homemaking tips at She Makes Mondays!!

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know that you've posted!

Today's tip: Personalized Napkin Rings

Mine is the flashy beaded number.
Husband gets wood.
Daughter chose the pretty blue-green ring.

We've used cloth napkins for years and years and love 'em. They just feel better and work better and look better... they are just better! The only trouble is keeping track of whose napkin is whose. How I've dealt with this is personalized napkin rings. Go to your local discount store or big-box home products store and have each family member choose a ring that appeals to them -- or pick one for them if they can't come along with you. Don't worry about matching or coordinating with your decor -- have fun with this and let each person pick the napkin ring that just makes them happy. If you're lucky they might like the ones that are on clearance 'cause there's only one or two left in the store. Keep the napkins in a basket in your kitchen or just leave 'em on the dining room or kitchen table at each person's place.

Another way to do this is to have one of your particularly crafty children create napkin rings from air-drying clay.  Then have each family member choose their preferred color or design and paint the ring accordingly.

Simple and effective!