Removing Decoupage From Table?
Yup, Id probably sand it down and re-finish it. Not knowing the compound with which it was begun, I cant suggest a solvent I would trust. One has to be careful with that stuff; sometimes it creates more problems than it solves. Also Id check around with my...
Cleaning Up Dried-on Egg
Ive never used salt to clean dishes but it sounds like a good idea. Thats all I ever use to clean my cast iron cookware. I never soak it and I dare anyone to come near it with soap. Just hot water, a clean soap-free rag, and salt is all I need. I just scrub...
I Need a Good Multi-Grain Bread Recipe?
Anna, Id hate not having a bread machine, and my brother bought one from a friend who was having a yard sale. It was an old model but had hardly been used at all, and she sold it to him for $2.50. If you shop the yard sales and thrift stores you should be able...
Hot Buttered Rum Batter
Liquor is optional? Bwahahahaaaaa! No, seriously, my first thought upon reading this recipe was, Hmmm... Ill bet it would be nice to use with hot cider (not necessarily hard cider) instead of water or milk. I confess to a fondness for dark rum, so Id probably...
Favorite Stores?
I have to say it depends upon what Im shopping for. The Dollar Store, Family Dollar, Freds, Big Lots, etc. are all very good and offer good values. If Im shopping for groceries I prefer Aldi, Food Lion, or Winn-Dixie. There is a small menswear store in town...
Help, I dont have a whole lot of money and it's Christmas time!
Your brother likes Rap Music? There is no such thing. There is Rap and there is Music. They have nothing to do with one another. Ive been making music for forty years, so I am pretty sure I know what music is, and Rap aint it. As far as a Christmas gift, my...
Make Your Own Etched Glass Bottles
This sounds like a great idea, though I must confess I have no idea what an etching medium is. I expect you could also do pretty much the same thing with a Dremmel, though Ive never tried... and you would surely want to wear eye protection and a face mask that...
Sock Matching Made Easy
Ive been doing this myself for quite some time; I have one brand of white cotton tube socks, and one of black cotton socks. When I buy them I buy a bunch, a couple or three dozen pair. I figure the less time I spend washing socks, the more time I have to fool...
Sock Matching Made Easy
I remember the old Gold Cup socks days, when every guy had to have a pair of socks to match his shirt. I think the socks were four dollars and fifty cents a pair, and were talking 1966 dollars here. They were great socks, but I sure wouldnt pay that for them...
Faster And Less Painful Dog Nail Clipping
I think every do-it-yourselfer should have a Dremel. Those tools are truely amazing. And buy the best one you can afford along with attatchments and you will never be sorry. Youll be amazed at the stuff you can do with these things! One note of caution: dont...
Lemon-Sage Turkey with Wild-Mushroom Gravy
Kathy, this sounds like a great recipe. I only have two problems with it: discarding the giblets and adding water. Those giblets are going into my gravy, and I seldom add water to anything unless Im making stock. (You can make this with the giblets and neck...
Locate the Bargain Bins
I mostly check out the deals on beef and lamb. They often mark it down if its a day out of date, and I find really good prices. Tip: steaks and beef roasts are generally better if theyve gone slightly out of date. They are most tender and flavorful just before...
Teen Senior Lounge?
The main thing Id say is get a good, efficient coffeemaker. The second thing Id suggest is a nice dart board. Also, you might consider putting in some bookshelves and setting up a book-swap program that everyone in the senior class can use. Bring one, take...
Teen Senior Lounge?
Oh, one other thought: I took woodshop all through junior high and high school, and Id have jumped all over an idea like this! If your school has a woodshop class youll probably find members who will build you most of what you need, furnature-wise. That should...
How do I make a head board for my bed?
Yeah, I wouldnt touch pressboard for that. My dad built one years ago out of cedar that was really nice, but if I were building one Id make it out of solid oak, walnut, etc... some kind of hardwood. Put it together with wooden pegs and glue. You can pass it...
Too Much Liquid in Stew?
Sounds like a great idea! I will have to try that too. For my beef stew, I have several tricks I use and I think its the best I ever tasted. One, the liquid I use is beer (I seldom use water to cook anything unless making stock). Then I add a very small amount...
Reprogramming the Universal Remote
Hi, Linda! White-out has been handy for a lot of projects for me. Ive used it on black construction paper, along with white shoe polish and a black Sharpie to do some pretty cool posters. The black Sharpie is mostly to correct mistakes, and I do not claim to...
Don't Lend The IRS Your Money
Absolutely right. Ive had a lot of friends who intentionally paid more withholding tax than they should have so they could get a big tax refund. I told them, that is just plain crazy. You get no interest on it; why not open a savings account and put your extra...
The High Cost of Baby Food
Years ago, parents would just chew up a small bite of whatever they were eating and then poke it in the babys mouth. This seems pretty crude today, now that we have better ways to do it, but before there was Gerber (or blenders or food processors) thats how...
Winterizing Your Mower
Pam, it is not supposed to be acceptable to drain this stuff on the ground because it eventually drains down to the water table, polluteing wells and such. I consider this pretty much hogwash. When I worked at an auto repair shop, wed buy junk cars now and...
Make a Keepsake Collection
Im not pitching for Hallmark, but they also have the best gift wrapping paper youll find, and some great tree ornaments. Tip: if you can, buy this stuff right after Christmas and store it for the next year. Most places put it on special with great After-Christmas...
Crispy French Fry Tip
Yup, use ice water. I like to slice mine thin and cook them really crisp, then salt them well and pour cider vinegar (or malt vinegar if its handy) on them. If youre into ketchup that works too, but I dont have much use for that stuff.
Cooking Cabbage
I havent tried this with cabbage but it will probably work. When cooking brussels sprouts I add a celery leaf to the pot. It cuts down the odor and takes the bitterness out of the sprouts. Its amazing what that one little celery leaf can do! And you dont have...
Tar on Car?
Many years ago a friend of mine and I were double-dating a couple of girls and the road to their homes was being paved. We were in my friends dads brand new Pontiac and got tar all over it. We took it off with kerosine, but then had to wash it immediately with...
Stretching That Gourmet Coffee
Yup, but you have to experiment with the mix. Years ago (before I lost my sense of smell) I used to keep pounds of gourmet coffee beans in my freezer. I love Kona, but it doesnt have quite enough bite for me. I was paying (back then; its more now) fifteen bucks...
Insulating a Pet Door for Winter?
If the pet door is fit pretty loosely you could snug it up with weather stripping. Also, it sounds like your critters are house trained, so I expect if you sealed the door up they would ask to be let out when they need to go. Housebroken dogs dont like to go...
Corn Bread Tips
Ive found the best thing to cook cornbread in is a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. The way I do it is melt a couple tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet and swish it around good to coat the pan, then pour it into my batter and mix it in, then pour the...
Frost in my Frost-Free Freezer?
Make sure your defrost motor is working. It blows warm air through the freezer from time to time, to take out the frost.
Keeping Kitchen Food Staples Stocked
This is a great idea, and can also be a big money-saver. My Mom used to catch certain things on special and load up on them. When a local store had a really good deal on her brand of coffee, chicken broth, mayonaise, bathroom tissue, etc. shed usually buy their...
Scratched Plastic Bath Tub?
Julia, this is just a shot in the dark but I suspect there are auto-body products that would be perfect for such a job. McGuires makes a great line of such stuff, as do several other companies. You might want to talk with someone in an auto parts store that...
Looking for Meatloaf Advice?
I use about 2 parts lean ground chuck to one part hot pork sausage and very little bread or crackers. Also usually tomato paste instead of ketchup in the mix, and an egg or two (depending on how much Im making). Beyond that pretty much anything goes... garlic...
Thrifty Uses for Salt
Great salt tips! Using it to control fleas is a great idea; Id never heard of that. I use boric acid for a number of pest control problems but it must be used very carefully so pets and children cant get to it. I use salt or baking soda for scouring many things...
Keeping Track of Leftovers in the Refrigerator
Good ideas! I have a particular problem with this because some years ago I lost my sense of smell. Now it is difficult for me to tell if leftovers are still good. I think Ill combine both methods to help keep track of this stuff. One trick I learned many years...
Clutter Control Tips?
Yup, thats me. Im a 53 YO male packrat from a long line of packrats (on my Moms side). This fact of course results in a lot of clutter. There are a lot of great tips here but one just occured to me and I intend to start today. The plan is this: set aside a...
Help for Sluggish Dishwasher?
My ex-wife was a sluggish dishwasher. There was no help for her. (Sorry folks, I just couldnt resist that one).
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
This sounds interesting... Ill give it a try! The one Ive been using is from a book that came with my old microwave. It is easy and very good on ice cream: 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup sugar dash of salt 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Combine chocolate...
Avoiding Ironing
Except for a few cotton dress shirts (which I usually only wear to weddings and funerals; I wish people would quit that foolishness!), I never iron anything. I buy clothes that say little or no ironing, and I always choose no. But yes, hanging or folding things...
Inexpensive Dry Cleaning?
This is a bit strange and I wouldnt try it on just anything, but automotive brake parts cleaner seems to be about the same stuff as dry cleaning fluid. I tried it on a favorite old wool cap which had become quite soiled with motor oil, grease, dirt, etc. After...
Best Computer for My Money?
Personally (and Im no super-geek) I prefer to build or re-build my own boxes. Im not a gamer or graphic artist so I dont need a hot rod, just something to get the job done. I have an old Pentium III 450Mhz, and it works pretty well though Id like to double...
