More Natural cleaning ideas, and some helpful hints

 Hi all, only another week and a half of January.  February is an unknown but by the first of March we start seeing daffodls, forsythia and hopeful signs of spring, so we have another 5 or 6 weeks and the earth will start warming up here in the south. I am not much of a winter person so always glad to see spring time arrive.
   Have a couple of ideas to ease the grocery bill today, by making some cleaners out of normal household products. Lets start with glass cleaner:
 1 cup of rubbing alcohol
 1 cup of water
 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar
 Put these all together in a spray bottle, shake well and spring clean.
  Next is a grease cleaner, for your kitchen or where ever needed.
 1 cup white vinegar
 1 cup ammonia
 1/3 cup of baking soda
 1 gallon of water.
This will turn your greasy cooking areas etc into a squeaky clean area, and deodorize at the same time.
  The next cleaner is for your bathroom, sinks , shower etc.
 2 cups rubbing alcohol
 1 tablespoon  ammonia
 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
 2 quarts water.
  Mix all together and put in spray bottle. We will have the spring cleaning done before you know it.
 If you are in need of scouring powder, mix equal parts of baking soda and salt and put in a parmesan shaker, freshens and cleans well.
  My grand daughter has taken to sending me blog tips too, here are a few she sent me this week.
  Did you know if you push a straw up through the bottom of a strawberry it will hull it quickly?
  How about rubbing a piece of a walnut meat on scratched furniture to hide the scratch?
  Or get your WD40 and use it to clean your childs art masterpiece crayon drawings off a tv or computer screen.
 Save your egg cartons and use to store Christmas ornaments or other small objects.
 And last today, turn your muffin cup pan upside down, shape cookie dough over the cups,bake, and use to hold fruit or Ice Cream desserts. Hope you are not suffering winter doldrums yet, hang in, see you next week.

Grocery Store Health Helpers

 Red, yellow and russet colors are popping up on the mountains. Couldn't get a real good look today because of the rain, and the clouds sitting down on the mountains. Another week or two and it should be peak season for colors. And with fall and winter, come the assorted colds, coughs, flu, sinus and general ickys.
  So today lets take a trip through the grocery store and pick up some helpers to keep you and your family in good health.
  Our first super helper is garlic. Its a natural antibacterial, works for lots of infections. Good even for fighting MRSA. Takes good care of your heart and your cholesterol level too, just add to as many dishes as you can and eat hearty.  Lets brew up some  oil, by putting 5 cloves of garlic in a jar and covering with olive oil.  Let set a day then use on fungus infections(toe and finger nails,) an d if you have a baby with a cough, rub  between baby's toes and cover with socks,  helps a cough or an internal infection.
  Next lets grab an onion.  Chop it up and put in a container, glass is best. Cover with sugar, let sit until it turns to syrup. Keep in frig and take a spoonful of the syrup as needed for coughing, no chance of overdosing.
  You may have to look a bit, but next on the list is a chunk of ginger root. This stuff is incredible.  If you have carsick kids, feed them ginger cookies, ginger ale, anything ginger to settle the tummies. Its also good for gas, bloating, congestion, sore throat, and pain.  It harmonizes pain in head and leg cramps. Brew a tea by grating 1/2 inch of peeled ginger root into a cup, pour boiling water over it, cover  and steep for 15 minutes. You can add a dash of lemon juice and some honey if you like, but drink as much as you like. Gargle with it for sore throats.
  Next snag a head of cabbage.  Way back when my oldest son was in high school, he had an ulcer that gave him a lot of pain and trouble. We cooked up a half a head of cabbage, and besides eating the leaves, he drank the water  several times a day(keep in frig) . There is something very soothing about it, that helps heal ulcers. If you eat it as sauerkraut, it contains probiotics. You can also take a raw leaf and put over a wound, covering with a sterile bandage to help heal the wound.
 Our last produce item for today is a potato. Peel and grate, put on burns with sterile dressing.
 Lets move over to the cereal isle now, and grab a box of oatmeal. Old fashioned is best but quick cooking will work.  Oats are wonderful for skin, eczema, itching etc. Even Chickenpox is soothed by soaking in an oatmeal bath. Just tie up a piece of cloth with oatmeal inside it and drop into the tub. Use it to gently wash with. After the bath, discard the oats and wash the cloth for the next time. 
  Hope this gives you a few new thoughts, next time we will try a few more isles in the grocery store. Take care, enjoy this lovely fall weather!