Monday, April 29, 2013

Tip of the Day #307: Cleaning Oven Racks

The best way to clean your oven racks and bbq grills is to place 6 dryer sheets in the bathtub, put racks on top and fill with warm water just above where the rack sits---leave overnight and by the morning, most 'gunk' will be removed; if any remains, just wipe away with the dryer sheets! Works every time :)

LUCY'S LOCKETS WINNER!!

Our contest for a FREE LOCKET WITH CHARMS of your choice has come to an end! Thank you to all who participated and entered! :)

Now for the winner!

Drum roll..........
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BECKY YOUNG!!!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!

You will be receiving an email shortly :)

Have a great Monday everyone!!!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Tip of the Day #306: Cleaning Tarnished Jewelry

Line the bottom of a pan with aluminum foil. Set your jewelry on top of the aluminum foil. Make sure it actually touches the aluminum. Heat your water to boiling. Remove it from the heat and place it in your sink in a large bowl. Then, add about one cup of baking soda for each gallon of water. (If you need only half a gallon of water, use half a cup of baking soda.) The mixture will froth a bit and may spill over; this is why you put it in the sink.Pour the hot baking soda and water mixture into the pan with the jewelry item, and completely cover it. Almost immediately, the tarnish will begin to disappear. If the silver is only lightly tarnished, all of the tarnish will disappear within several minutes. If the silver is badly tarnished, you may need to reheat the baking soda and water mixture, and give the silver several treatments to remove all of the tarnish.

Remove and rinse completely and pat dry.

Friday, April 26, 2013

LUCY'S LOCKETS GIVEAWAY!!!





What an exciting prize we have up for grabs! Right now, you have the chance to win a PERSONALIZED LOCKET WITH 3 CHARMS of your choice from Lucy's Lockets!  Choose from a silver, gold or rose gold locket. With Mother's Day fast approaching, this would make an amazing gift to show your Mom just how special she is - OR how about showing off who is important in YOUR life as a Mommy. What about a Teacher gift or showing off you are a SURVIVOR??? The sky's the limit with these beautiful jewelry pieces!



 
 To enter the contest, please follow ALL instructions below:

1. You must LIKE Lucy's Lockets on Facebook ----> https://www.facebook.com/lucyslocketss?ref=ts&fref=ts
2. You must be a fan of A Mum 'n the Oven on Facebook
3. SHARE the contest post on A Mum 'n the Ovens Facebook Page (make sure your facebook settings are to share publicly or we cannot see any shares!)
4. Leave your name and email address in the comments and WHAT TYPE OF LOCKET YOU WOULD CHOOSE below this post :)
5. Earn additional entries by referring your friends/family to both Lucy's Lockets & A Mum n the Oven's pages. Your friends MUST write who sent them on  Mum's page so we can keep track :)
CONTEST ENDS APRIL 28TH, 2013 AT 11:59PM EST.
GOOD LUCK!!! xx







Thursday, April 25, 2013

Tip of the Day #305: Understanding Laundry Symbols

So you are doing a load of laundry, and you come across one of your brand new shirts only to find the tag inside has a symbol on it that leaves you completely clueless. This used to happen to me more often than not...thatbis until I came across this wonderful and useful chart that has pretty much every symbol imaginable!
Click to view the chart online: http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm
It would be useful to print out and keep handy in your laundry room for the next time you run into this problem!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Tip of the Day #304: Uses for Milk

1. Put frozen fish in a dish of milk to thaw. This improves the flavor and texture so that it tastes like fresh caught fish.

2. Facial Mask – milk has moisturizing properties that you can use for a facial mask. Prepare half a cup of milk powder then add a little water. Stir the mixture until you have a thick paste. Spread the milk facial mask on your face and leave it on for 30 minutes. Wash your face and rinse. Your skin will feel softer.

3. Dab milk onto mild sunburn for a cooling effect and will prevent further damage. Mix powdered milk with water and 2 pinches of salt. Apply to burn.

4. Boost the flavor of corn. Pour some milk in water and boil.  Drop the corn in the boiling milk/water mixture. Leave it in the pot until the mixture boils. Cook corn for as long as you normally, would. You will notice a sweeter taste.

5.Makeup remover and face cleanser. Make a thick paste of powdered milk and water as a make-up remover.  Rinse well after removing the paste.

6. Liquid milk cleans patent leather to a shine. Rub it with a little milk on a soft cloth. Allow to dry and then buff them.

7. Relief for Insect Bites – Milk, relieves the itch and swelling of insect bites.  Make a solution of milk, water and salt, and apply it to the bites.

8. China Repair – fine cracks sometimes are repaired by boiling them in milk. The milk proteins, will react to the china then turn into an adhesive. Remember it doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.

9. Furniture Cleaner and Polisher – Mix milk and lemon juice and you have an excellent furniture polish. You can add essential oil to the mix for a fresh scent.

10.Plant Cleaner – You can clean your plants using skimmed milk. It will clean dirt, sap and stains off of the leaves. Rinse it off of your plants after cleaning.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Tip of the Day #303: Read before your next Grocery Shopping Trip!

People can easily go overboard when it comes to spending money on groceries! Read the following tips to lower your bill and prevent you from making unnecessary purchases:

1. Create a Meal Plan for the entire
duration of your budgeted grocery bill. For example, if you are buying 2 weeks worth of groceries, plan meals for the entire two weeks.
Read about effective meal planning here: http://www.amumntheoven.blogspot.ca/2012/02/effective-meal-planning.html?m=1

2. In addition to the meal plans, make a list of all items needed and STICK TO IT! Only go down the necessary aisles and do not browse--this will, no doubt, lead to impulse purchases.

3. When making your lists, browse through your local flyers if they are delivered to your home (or you can usually find them online as well). Many people believe that hitting multiple stores for amazing sales is a good idea and will help save them money--WRONG! It is definitely not worth shopping at multiple grocers because of the gas you are spending. Check your favourite store to see if they 'Price Match.' That way, you can get the same featured deal from the alternate store all in one place! Many stores do practise this these days to stay competitive.

4. If you have small children, ALWAYS keep them home if you can. We all know kids can be unpredictable and whine or throw temper tantrums once they spot something they want. I know this firsthand with my son who throws the WORST fits while out, and I admit to giving in sometimes just to keep him quiet! So, keeping them home will allow you to get in and out by only sticking to what you need.

5. Last but not least, NEVER GO GROCERY SHOPPING WHEN HUNGRY! I am, again, guilty of this without even being aware; spending more money than wanting to because so much more 'appealed' to me. Plain and simple, fill your tummy or go shopping AFTER a meal!