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Savor Fall Flavors With These Pumpkin Recipes

September 20, 2016 by

It’s not uncommon to want to stay inside once the weather starts to cool down, especially since there are so many tasty fall weather recipes to try out. If you start craving all things pumpkin as soon as the first day of autumn rolls around, you might want to add these brand new pumpkin recipes to your to-do list this weekend.

Pumpkin Butter [marthastewart.com]
Instead of buying store-bought pumpkin butter, try this recipe for an all-natural, wholesome alternative. It uses only four ingredients and a bit of blending, and once it’s complete you can spread it on breads, bagels, muffins, and all of your favorite baked goods.

Pumpkin Bread Rolls with Cinnamon Butter [handletheheat.com]
Can you think of two things that go together better than pumpkin and cinnamon? This recipe not only shows you how to make tasty and adorable rolls in the shape of real pumpkins, it also offers the perfect cinnamon butter to spread on top.

Spiced Butternut-Pumpkin Soup [myrecipes.com]
If you love pumpkin so much that you even want to eat it for lunch and dinner, this is the recipe for you. It’s equal parts sweet and savory, and it makes the perfect small appetizer for all of your autumn dinner parties.

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Safety First! Essentials for Your Home First Aid Kit

September 6, 2016 by

Safety is a major concern in just about every household across the country, but you might not know exactly what to keep on hand to prevent against illness and injury. From minor cuts to major bumps and bruises, these first aid kit essentials will keep you (and your family) safe against all kinds of ailments.

  • Assorted bandages. Be sure to choose a box with a variety of shapes and sizes for all kinds of cuts.
  • Gauze bandages. To wrap arms and legs in case of a larger cut or burn.
  • Adhesive cloth tape. To securely fasten gauze bandages and wraps.
  • Instant cold pack. For soothing bruises and reducing swelling.
  • Aspirin. To reduce headaches and ease pain from minor injuries.
  • Oral thermometer. All households should have an adult thermometer, but families should also keep a children’s model on hand.
  • Non-latex gloves. For safely cleaning and dressing wounds.
  • Antihistamine. Brands like Benadryl help to reduce allergic reactions, such as bee stings.
  • Antibacterial creams. For disinfecting cuts, burns, and scrapes.
  • Antiseptic wipe packets. To quickly clean cuts and burns as soon as they happen.
  • Tweezers. To remove splinters and other small debris.
  • Rubbing alcohol. To sterilize your tools.
  • Sharp scissors. For cutting bandages, gauze, and other supplies.

First-Aid Kit Essentials [Parents]
First Aid Essentials [Healthy Essentials]
Anatomy of a First Aid Kit [American Red Cross]
First Aid Essentials [Real Simple]

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Seriously Tempting No-Bake Desserts to Try This Summer

August 9, 2016 by

If you can’t even imagine turning on the oven during the summer heat, no-bake desserts are the perfect alternatives to your usual fresh baked cookies. These oven-free desserts are just as delicious as more traditional options, and they’re often much easier to prepare, which leaves you with more time for lounging by the pool! Here are three no-bake dessert recipes to try at your next potluck dinner.

7-Layer Ice Cream Cake [marthastewart.com]
Cool off after a summer dinner with this colorful ice cream cake. Pound cake creates a sweet, dense base stacked between layers of tasty vanilla ice cream, while thick meringue is a wonderfully fluffy replacement for the usual heavy icing.

Creamy Layered Lemon Squares [snackworks.com]
Swap out your usual lemon square recipe for something much quicker — and cooler. Basic graham crackers create a crunchy crust, and the addition of ripe strawberries makes this dessert perfect for the summertime.

Hawaiian Cookie Balls [kraftrecipes.com]
The kids will adore these fun and tasty cookie balls made with sweet, crushed pineapple and flaky coconut. You can also decorate them with colorful gel icings and sprinkles to turn them into fun ducks or chickens for a child’s birthday party.

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Super-Simple Fixes for Kitchen Clutter

August 2, 2016 by

Out of every room in your home, the kitchen seems to be the space that gets used the most—and it's also the space that's first to attract clutter! Sound like you? Follow these tips to help maintain order in your busy kitchen.

  • Go through your cabinets and donate or toss out the items that are not frequently used. Your main goal is to have only the items that you love and use.
  • Create groups or categories for your items. For example, sort all of your baking items together in one section and your cooking items in another.
  • Use clear containers to store items and place them inside your cabinets. This keeps everything from being scattered all over the place.
  • Place hooks underneath your cabinets to hold mugs or use a stemware rack in the same spot to hold wine glasses. You could also use adhesive hooks inside of your cabinets to hang measuring cups or oven mitts.
  • Use rotating trays in your cabinets to hold oils, vinegars, or spices. You can also use them in your refrigerator for beverages.
  • Use a small bar cart to store some silverware or your coffee pot and mugs.

Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets [Container Store]
10 Kitchen Organization Hacks To Keep Clutter Contained [The Stir]
10 Steps to an Orderly Kitchen [HGTV]

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Fun and Low-Cost Summertime Activities

July 5, 2016 by

With all of its vacations, barbecues, and outdoor concerts, many people would say that the summertime is the most expensive season of the year. If you’re looking to stay active this summer without spending a lot of money, however, consider these fun and inexpensive activities — some of which are totally free!

  1. Go on a hike. You might not know it, but your town likely has hiking trails traversing its wooded areas and public parks. Do a quick online search to find the ones nearest to you.
  2. Have a picnic in the park. Invite a few of your friends to each bring a dish to a low-key picnic in the park. With just a few sandwiches, a light blanket, and some good conversation, you can have a wonderful afternoon outdoors.
  3. Go to a flea market. Instead of spending your hard-earned money at the mall, hit up a flea market to hunt for antique treasures.
  4. Go geocaching. If you enjoy uncovering hidden items, try your hand at this high-tech type of treasure hunting. Use your smartphone to create a geocaching account, then follow the instructions to find the geocache sites located throughout your town.

50 Cheap, Creative Ways to Have Fun (Tiny Buddha)
102 Things to Do on a Money-Free Weekend [The Simple Dollar]
12 Free or Low-Cost Summer Activities for Your Kids [U.S. News]

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Get Fit Without the Gym With These Easy Micro Exercises You Can Do All Day

June 7, 2016 by

If the idea of spending hours at the gym makes you dread exercise, you may be looking for a more enjoyable alternative. Instead of lengthy workouts, these quick micro exercises will help you to tone up and trim down without setting foot in a gym — in fact, you can do them even while you're doing other tasks!

  • Crunchless crunches. Strengthen your abs while sitting at your desk or walking around the grocery store. Simply tighten your abdominal muscles by sucking in your stomach slightly. Hold this move for 3 to 5 seconds, and then release and repeat for as many reps as you like.
  • Break for squats. While cleaning your house or even working in your cubicle, take periodic breaks for squats. Do 5 or 10 squats at a time until you complete a set of 100.
  • Relax into a wall sit. While reading documents at work or watching your favorite TV show at home, do a wall sit instead of sitting in a chair. Use your core muscles to keep you steady, and even work in some tiny pulses in your legs to tone your glutes.
  • Stop, drop and push up. When you're doing a somewhat active chore, such as walking the dog or doing the dishes, stop every few minutes to do a round of push-ups.

Mile Posts: 5 Easy Exercises You Can Do All Day [Women's Running]
Deskercise! 33 Smart Ways to Exercise at Work [Greatist]
5 Crazy Simple Ways to Fit in More Exercise [Women's Health]

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When Life Gives You Lemons, Use Them to Clean! Here’s How!

May 3, 2016 by

Did you know that lemons work as a natural disinfectant, a stain remover, a polish for metals, and so much more? Try these simple cleaning tips using the power of citrus!

  • Scrub your dirty dishes or plastic containers with a recently juiced lemon and a little bit of coarse salt to remove any stains or smells. This also works for wooden cutting boards.
  • Rub some lemon juice on a sponge and leave it in your refrigerator for several hours to remove any odors.
  • Give your microwave a good cleaning by mixing three tablespoons of lemon juice and one and a half cups of water into a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl into your microwave and put it on high for five to ten minutes. Then just wipe away any remaining spots with a dishrag.
  • Make your own eco-friendly household cleaner with citrus peels and white vinegar. Simply place citrus peels in a glass mason jar, then pour enough vinegar over top to cover the peels. Let the mixture infuse for two weeks, then strain out the vinegar into a spray bottle!

Cleaning With Lemon Juice [DIY Network]
10 Clever Ways to Clean With a Lemon [The Kitchn]
34 Useful Reasons to Load Up On Lemons [Reader’s Digest]

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Put a Spring in Your Step With These Springtime Decorating Tips

April 5, 2016 by

After spending an entire weekend checking off items on your spring cleaning checklist, you’re likely ready to add a few fun, spring-themed touches to your freshly cleaned home. It doesn’t take a big budget to decorate your home for the changing season, however; all it takes is some creativity and these adorable decorating tips.

  • Use natural items wherever possible. Go outside and gather blooming branches, pebbles, and other organic objects to use in your DIY decor. Arrange them in a clear bowl on the center of the table, or corral them in a wicker basket for a chic, natural look.
  • Switch out your throw pillows. Add a burst of citrus-inspired color to your living area just in time for spring by replacing your usual throw pillows with bright, cheerful alternatives.
  • Add a bit of green. Nothing says springtime like live plants in the home, so make a stop at your local nursery to pick up a few for your home. Ferns are an especially good idea because they make a big impact and are easy to care for.
  • Change your doormat. If your current doormat looks a bit worse for the wear from all of those heavy winter boots, switch it out for something fun and colorful or even a mat with a cheeky greeting.

Easy Spring Decorating Ideas [Midwest Living]
Inspired Spring Décor [Better Homes & Gardens]
10 Decorating Ideas for Spring [Style at Home]

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How to Host a Swap Party

March 1, 2016 by

While you may have heard of the clothing swap and the book swap, who says that you can’t swap everything that you frequently use? Swap parties are great ways to de-clutter your home while also recycling your unused items, and they’re mutually beneficial for everyone who attends. Now, how about a snack swap?

  1. Decide what to swap. Consider things that you and your friends all use, such as clothing, shoes, books, kids' toys, and music.
  2. Let your guests know what to make. If you don’t want to swap pre-used goods, host a food swap with items like soup or cookies. Just make sure to let your guests know well in advance so that they can get to cooking or baking.
  3. Pick the right amount of people. Depending on the size of your home, you might want to narrow your invite list down to only a few people (just make sure that you invite at least five, or it won’t be much of a swap!).
  4. Send an e-vite. In order to detail the instructions clearly, send all of your guests an email at least two weeks in advance.
  5. Set up a swapping area. Clear out the swap room so that you have ample space to browse, and then make displays for the swappable items, such as tables or clothing racks.
  6. Swap! Go around the room taking turns, or let your guests loose in a free-for-all swapping excursion.

How to Host a Swap Party [Real Simple]
How to Host a Clothing Swap Party – Rules & Ideas [Money Crashers]
Soup Swap Party [Soup Swap Party]

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Use the Principle of Induction to Solve the King’s Wise Men Puzzle

February 2, 2016 by

Logic puzzles using the principle of induction typically center around a number of different participants, each with equal reasoning capabilities. The solution is often based on identifying the most obvious case happening, and then asking what the next possible obvious case is once one participant realizes that the most obvious case has not happened. The King’s Wise Men puzzle is a similar induction puzzle, and you can test your wits with this challenging dilemma.

The King’s Wise Men puzzle begins with three wise men placed before a mighty king, each a candidate for the king’s new advisor. The king then placed a hat on each man’s head so that all of the men could see each other’s hat, but not his own, and told them that whichever man accurately guessed his own hat color would be the new advisor. The hats were either white or blue, and the king promised that at least one hat was blue. The men were assured that the contest was completely fair, but they were forbidden to speak to one another.

One man eventually guessed the correct hat color, and he became the advisor. What color was his hat, and how did he determine its color? To find out the correct answer, visit the Wikipedia page about the puzzle!

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