mysignsoflife

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little ’stringy things’ off it. That’s how the primates do it. 

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! 

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream; then beat them. 

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. 

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 

Reheat Pizza Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.

Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size and get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

Reheating refrigerated bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 

Squirrel Away!

 To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it. 

Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress.. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and … ta da! … static is gone. 

Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out. 

 Hate foggy windshields?

Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 

Conditioner

 Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 

Happy January 13th, 2008

Women expect men to read their minds. There! I said it. 

We say yes when we mean no and many of the things we say don’t really mean what you think they mean.  I’m not saying it’s right, and I don’t suspect this trait is going to change anytime soon.  So, here are a few inside tips to help you understand…

#1 Fine:

This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to stop talking.  

#2 Five Minutes:  

If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.  Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.  

#3 Nothing:  

This is the calm before the storm.  This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.  

#4 Go Ahead:  

This is a dare, not permission.  Choose your actions carefully!

#5  Loud Sigh:  

This isn’t actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she knows you don’t understand what she is saying  and wonders why she is wasting her time standing around and arguing with you about nothing.  (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

#6 That’s Okay:

This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man.  That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

#7 Thanks:  

A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint.  Just say ‘You’re Welcome’.  Although I must add ~ this is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ ~ that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all.  DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’, that will bring on a ‘whatever’.

#8 Whatever:

This is a woman’s way of saying F— YOU!  

#9 Don’t worry about it, I got it:  

Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself.  This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’  For the woman’s response see #3.

This was light and fun.  If you really want to learn more about the differences in male and female conversation styles check out Deborah Tannen’s book: “That’s Not What I Meant!”, how conversation style makes or breaks relationships.  Tannen is an internationally acclaimed expert on communication. 

S’all,

Happy January 3rd, 2008

Happy New Year!  

Many thanks to those who have been sharing their wisdom and experience when it comes to the topic of teens and sex.  It really helps to hear how other people are handling this topic.  I think one common thread regarding this and almost any other topic is open communication.  It’s pretty common sense, that’s what my head tells me, and I’m usually pretty good at it.  But when it comes to boys and moms, keeping the conversation going can be a challenge.  But I’m up for it!

The simple act of blogging on this topic has helped me already.  Over the holidays, I found myself recalling comments from fellow bloggers and incorporating them into conversations with my sons. 

So again, many thanks!