Easy way to enjoy pomegranates

Can you call me an expert on pomegranates just because we happen to have 2 delicious trees in our backyard? Hardly. But, I do have some skills I've picked up that have made enjoying pomegranates much easier. Read on-


1- You know when your pomegranate is ripe on the tree when it starts to crack. (I know it looks like that's when it's old and gross, but when it first cracks is the perfect timing to pick.)

2- Get the biggest, widest bowl or container you can think of, and place it in the sink. This will catch your seeds you are about to whack.

3- Crack the pomegranate in half and place one half in your left hand, seeds down. Whack the fruit with a big, heavy spoon. You'll notice the seeds fall into your hands and into your container! Repeat with all of your pomegranates. The fruit will stay good if kept chilled for 8-10 days.


4- You can now pick through the pile and take out the little yellow rind pieces; Or- you can submerge the seeds in water, and most of the rind will float, allowing you to take a strainer to remove it.

5-Enjoy your pomegranates by the spoonful! I like to put mine in sprite and eat it as if it were a float, or just plain! My husband enjoys pouring milk and sugar over a bowl of the sweet little nuggets. MMMM... Delish!

Quickie

Earring organizer

Easy peasy! An old screen, a frame that just wants to be loved, a little hot glue to hold the 2 together, and viola! I now can find my earrings more easily; And-- I think it's cute!

Soak!

 

Spray any tough job with either water or your favorite cleaner, work on something else for the next 10-20 minutes and then make your attack! The water will do most of the work for you. No need to scrub back and forth- just wipe clean without breaking a sweat :)

I have an idea...

or maybe a few ideas!

Stay tuned for a biweekly update on new tips to make your home a more enjoyable place to be.

JPG Magazine: Photos: "A Light Bulb Moment" by Paul Roberts robertsconsultancy.com

Random Cleaning Tip 102

Have you ever moved before?
Have you ever been REALLY overwhelmed with cleaning in the midst of your move?
Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that your house is cleaner than it's ever been and you don't get to enjoy it?

Most people will answer "yes" to all of the above.

I put together a Moving Checklist to enjoy the fruits of your cleaning labor!

The idea behind it is so that you can do the things that will need to be done when you're not way stressed out and can enjoy the clean for the months leading up to the move.

You can rearrange and recreate this list to your liking, but here's what I hope to conquer with my move coming up-

6 months before:

• Go through your closets and make a generous D.I. run

5 months before:

• Organize "The Junk Drawer" in the kitchen. (Everyone has one of those, right?)

4 months before:

• Go through all paper stashes in the house and file the necessary stuff and throw away as much as possible.
•  Make any repairs to the house that you'll need to do when you move anyway. (holes in the wall, blinds, etc)

3 months before:

• Get a list from your landlord (or just make your own) of what needs to be cleaned. Pick up any items you could use like the packing boxes, tape, etc.
• Clean out and dejunk the bathroom cabinets. Pack anything you can.
• Go through the storage room and pack anything you know you won't use til the next house, and get rid of stuff you probably won't use again.

2 months before:

• Clean under the kitchen sink. Clean anything you can in the pantry. (packing, and dejunking along the way.)
• Dust all blinds and windowsills.
• Dust baseboards.

1 month before:

• Deep clean the oven and refrigerator (fridge is best done when you're low on groceries!)
• Do a good wipe on the outside of the kitchen cabinets

The month of:

• delegate specific jobs for people to help with driving, loading, last minute cleaning.
• Handle all the million other jobs that'll need to be done this month!

As you create your own check-list remember to put the things you'll enjoy the results of most, first. Also remember to put things that wont get completely 'undone' by the move first on the list.

Random Cleaning Tip 101

Sometimes our yard gets ignored in the summer because it's just too hot to spend any time out there. I have these little weeds that like to continually poke through the cracks in my driveway and sidewalk... I found a way to get rid of them that gives me some good satisfaction...

Cheap, Natural, Easy Weed-killer?

Salt, and/or Vinegar!

I tried both, and they both are doing the trick. I liked the apple-cider vinegar the best- it totally killed it on the spot. (I'm not a fan of the vinegar smell, but since it's outside it's only a brief encounter). Salt apparently makes it really hard for anything to grow anytime in the future too. So, not good for garden beds-- but perfect for sidewalk cracks!

Stubborn toilet?

Before

Do you have a toilet that looks like this?





Your "After"

And you scrub your guts out, only to make it look like this?



After we're done with it

We take the stubborn toilet, and leave it like this when we're done.

Spring Cleaning

$10 off a cleaning scheduled

by Mother's Day!

(Which is May 8th by the way).

Great gift for mom! A professionally cleaned house? What could be better?
 
I always take out everything from my mom's pantry, wipe the shelves, toss really expired stuff, and organize it with labels and everything for a gift. She loves it.