When life gives you lemons...

When life gives you lemons....make some lemonade!

That was the plan, however the heat got to the lemons before I did. I bought a large bag of lemons from Costco that looked very lucious and lemony, and wonderful. I brought them home and put them all in a bowl on the kitchen table as I usually do. This makes them available and in sight to remind me to use them. Alas, the heat made them mold and I lost almost half the bowl full.
I separated them and threw out the bads ones and began juicing the rest on the old fashioned glass hand held juicer I found at an antique sale last summer. I saved the juice in the fridge to keep it for future use. Then I remembered that my mom who lives in the desert, who also has a lemon tree, would do juice her lemons and then put the juice in ice cube trays to freeze the juice and then store them for future use in plastic baggies.
It adds just the right zing to iced tea as well as some much needed cooling these days. Possible three digit temps around here in the next week and very few have airconditioning. We need to find cool wherever we can find it.

Enjoy!

Frugal Friday Tip

Marsha at Suficient Grace for Suffering Saints has a wonderful Frugal Friday tip.

If you find yourself with a small bit of time of your hands try her idea for a Stay-Cation.

It's my kind of vacation and if I had time I would try to invite myself! :)

Sewing Lesson #4 Making your own dress form

A seamstress should have her own dress form. However if you have looked into buying one it is not a very frugal purchase. But wait help has arrived. I have seen written directions on how to make a duct tape dress form but they didn't quite help me. This video was a great help in figuring out exactly how to make and store a dress form.

Make your own dress form

Sewing Lesson #3 Fabric Basket Liners

I love to collect baskets at Garage sales, thrift stores and anywhere else I can find them gently used. Sometimes they come with a liner, but often not. Watch the video to learn how to make beautiful liners for your baskets. It's so simple, and a great project to begin with.

Sewing Basket Liners.

Sewing Lesson #2 How to thread a sewing machine

I remember having so much difficulty with step when dad first bought the famles of the home a sewing machine. I am not mechanically minded, and left the threading to dad. After moving out, I had to learn to do it myself. It really is not as intimidating as I thought. I learned how on my own by trial and error. Here is a video to help you get started.

How to thread a sewing machine

Sewing Lesson #1 Learning to read a pattern

I'd like to begin a series on learning to sew. I inherited the portable Kenmore sewing machine that my dad bought for my mom and sister and I to learn to sew. I was the only one that really used it ...about 35 years ago...wow...so when I got married and left home it became mine. I have used it for the occasional project here and there, and basically taught myself to sew over the years. I am by no means an accomplished seamstress, and would like to improve my skills so I thought I would compile a series of videos and info that would help me improve, and in turn help any readers that would like to do the same.

Let's begin...

Learning to read a sewing Pattern

Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups QUICK OATS

2 beaten eggs

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamom

1 teasoppn salt

1 cup milk

Place all ingedients in a mixing bowl

and mix well

Pour into 9 inch square pan

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

Cut into squares

and serve hot

topped with milk

and assorted toppings...

rasins, nuts, fruit...