Letter of Appreciation
December 19, 2009
We’ll take a short break today from Barbara’s usual household tips and post congratulations to her son, Kevin, who received a Letter of Appreciation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Police for outstanding performance in a difficult situation that arose as he was working as a security guard a at a University Hospital facility early this month. As the Letter states:
MEMORANDUM
TO: Guardsmark Security Offier Kevin Harris
FROM: FTO James B. Granade
SUBJECT: Letter of Appreciation
On Saturday, 12/05/2009, at approximately 0225 hours, Security Officer Kevin Harris was conducting a foot patrol of the Callahan Eye Foundation Hostpital, and overheard a disturbance on the first floor of the building. Security Officer Harris acted swiftly in responding to the area to investigate the disturbance. Upon arrival, Security Officer Harris encountered a male and female who were having a domestic dispute, and quickly assessed the situation and alerted the UAB Police Department of a possible domestic violence incident. Security Officer Harris maintained control of the situation until arrival of the UAB Police, and gave a detailed account of events leading up to the arrest of the male subject for domestic violence and possession of drug paraphenalia. The professionalism and attention to detail by Security Officer Harris ensured the safety of all visitors and staff at the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, and for that I would like to say thank you for a job well done.
Sincerely,
James B. Granade
Field Training Officer
Well done and congratulations to Kevin–we are all very proud of you!
Out, danged [grease] spot!
December 16, 2009
If you have a grease spot on a piece of white clothing, Barbara says to wash it with a load of clothes in hot water, and add a cup of bleach to the load (a bit less if it’s not a full load), which usually gets rid of the grease spot. If the spot is on a piece of colored clothing and you can’t use bleach, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to the spot, along with a few drops of dishwashing detergent. Then rub it in for about two minutes (rub with an old toothbrush if the spot is very stubborn) and then wash as usual in a load of colored clothes. That will usually get rid of the spot.
Easy Airing for Linens
December 14, 2009
If you want an easy way to freshen up and air out your pillows and comforters between washings, put them in the dryer with a fabric softening sheet and set the dryer to tumble for about 15 minutes.
If you have a stair-rail handy near your bedroom, Barbara has an easy way for you to air your feather duvet or comforter and redistribute the feathers nicely. Put the duvet over the rail with one half 
hanging on each side and fluff and shake the comforter and let it hang while you change the linens.
For a lumpy duvet or comforter, try putting it in the dryer on tumble for a few minutes with a couple of tennis balls. This can help redistribute the filling.
Cut Flower Care
December 12, 2009
Fresh cut flowers are a great way to congratulate or cheer up a friend, to brighten up a sick room, or just make your home pretty. Barbara has some great tips on keeping those flowers looking good for as long as possible. When making an arrangement to carry to a friend, punch holes in a raw potato with a screwdriver and insert each stem separately. Your bouquet will stay fresh longer and you won’t have to worry about the water sloshing on you when you’re carrying it. If you’re trimming flowers to put in a vase, cut stems at an angle with a sharp knife or scissors under water to prevent the formation of air bubbles, which can stop the flow of water up the stem.
More Fresh Scents and Garlic Bread
December 10, 2009
If you’ve ever stored very garlicky leftovers in a plastic container, you know that plastic can pick up the scent of garlic and hold onto it for a long time. Not too bad if most of your food is garlicky or compatible with the smell of it. But what if you need the container to store banana pudding or cranberry salad–yuck! You don’t want to mix those foods with a garlic smell. Barbarock has a trick for you, passed down from her Aunt Mattie May Swift: just take a piece or two of newspaper, crumple it up and store it overnight in the container. In the morning, the smell will be gone.
And the reason Barbara thought of this tip today was because she just made some garlic bread for her husband and needed to deodorize a plastic container that had held the garlic she’d minced ahead of time . As a bonus tip, here is Barbara’s recipe for easy low-fat garlic bread that meets many dietary restrictions: take a loaf of French bread and slice it in 1.5 inch slices. Lay them out on a foil-covered cookie sheet and spread each piece with a spread made from 1/3 cup low-fat butter (Barbarock uses I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter, but use whichever one you like) mixed with 1 tbsp of fresh minced garlic (substitute garlic powder if you’re short on time) and 1 tsp of dried parsley. Just spread on the bread and heat the bread enough to melt the mixture through.
Fresh Scents
December 3, 2009
Barbarock has a lot of tried and true odor-fighting tips for keeping your house smelling fresh. Here are just a few:
- After you take out the kitchen garbage, clean out the can and sprinkle a little kitty litter in the bottom to keep odors in check.
- Place a few dryer sheets in a closet–on the shelf and on the floor–to keep clothing and stored items smelling nice.
- Dispose of lemon, lime, and orange peel by grinding it up in the disposal to keep the sink smelling fresh.
- For persistent sink odors, mix 2-3 tbsp. of bleach in a cup of hot water and pour it down the drain.
- Keep a box of baking soda in the refrigerator and change it about once a month–schedule a good fridge cleaning for that same day.
- If you fry fish or onion rings in a Fry Daddy or other frying appliance, put a small box of baking soda in the appliance between uses to neutralize odors.
Do you have any odor-control tips? Share them with us here if you do!
Turkey Encore: Soup’s On!
December 2, 2009
When the last slice of Thanksgiving turkey has come off the carcass, Barbara uses all that is left in her usual thrifty manner. She takes the turkey bones and boils them for about 20 minutes with chunks of onion, celery, and a few carrots. Then she strains the solids out and adds chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, and whatever other vegetables are on hand. She adds salt and pepper, and sometimes a couple of chicken bouillon cubes. She adds a can of stewed tomatoes and some pasta and simmers it for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Sometimes she adds leftover green beans or vegetables from the holiday meal at the last minute, since they are already cooked. She serves this to her family with cornbread, so they can extend the holiday meal out for another day or two.
Barbarock Holiday Tip – Prepare Food Ahead
November 30, 2009
When Barbara was a young mother, she often had to work many hours a day, so a day off at the holidays with her family was a rare treat. She learned early on to prepare as much of the holiday meal ahead as possible so she could enjoy the day without spending it all in the kitchen. If you’ll be cooking over the holidays, take a page from Barbara’s book and prepare as much of the food in advace as possible.
Here are a few of Barbara’s ideas for foods to prepare ahead: (1) chop up celery, bell pepper, and onions and freeze them in bags a week ahead of time, (2) hard boil eggs several days in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until they’re needed, (3) make and refrigerate sweet potato pie filling a few days ahead of time and then put it in the crust and bake it when you’re ready, (4) get greens and beans ready to cook–wash them and put them in plastic bags so they’ll be ready to cook immediately.
By doing more ahead, you’ll have more time at your holiday celebration to put up your feet and enjoy the day with your family and friends.
The Magic of Endust
November 23, 2009
Barbarock loves Endust. It helps her do her job. Here are a few ways Barbara uses Endust to keep things nice and clean.
- Spray it on a glove and dust mini-blinds and venetian blinds with your hands.
- Spray a little on a dust mop and let it sit and dry for 10-15 minutes. The mop will get up more dust without leaving streaks.
- Spray a little on a duster or rag, and get the dust off furniture while you also give it a shine.
- Don’t use endust on swiffer products. Barbarock likes swiffer dusters for quick dusting, but says they don’t add a shine to wood furniture.
So break out the Endust and add a little Barbarock shine to your home!
Pickle Juice
November 16, 2009
Barbara has discovered a use for leftover pickle juice. Since meat-tenderizer isn’t allowed on her husband’s diet, and since much of the meat she cooks needs some tenderizing, she has had to get creative in how she prepares the meat for cooking. Like many of us, she buys pickles and has a lot of juice left over in the jar after they are eaten. Since much of the juice is made up of vinegar, a natural meat tenderizer, she saves the juice in the jar. When it is time to prepare the meat, she puts it in a plastic bag, adds a quarter-cup of the pickle juice (for a roast or large piece of meat, use about a half-cup) and leaves it to marinate for about two hours. And then she cooks the meat as usual. This tenderizes the meat without adding as much sodium as is found in other meat tenderizers.
Meet Barbara Harris--wise woman, friend, caretaker. Discover her secrets for keeping a tidy, lovely, well-run home here at the Barbarock Blog.