DIY Cookie Sheet Cleaner

 

Simply put  about 1/4 cup of baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a nice paste.

Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease. You can usually just use your fingers, but you can also use a small sponge as well.

Christmas Candy Sleighs

You'll Need:

Hot glue gun

1 standard Kit Kat bar

2 candy canes

10 Hershey bars (stacked 4, 3, 2, 1)

ribbon & a bow on top

Directions can be found here: http://ellynsplace.blogspot.com/2011/12/candy-sleighs.html

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

A great choice for fall and Thanksgiving treats!

For the crust:

1 sleeve graham crackers

½ stick (4 T.) butter, melted
2 T. sugar
2 T.brown sugar

For the filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1-ounce package cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, plus extra for garnish if desired

Instructions:

Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse the crackers into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, sugar and brown sugar and pulse until combined.

Spoon the crumbs into individual 9-ounce plastic cups (or other individual sized cups for serving). Place in the refrigerator to set while you are preparing the filling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until light and creamy.

 Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and pudding mix and beat until completely mixed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are well combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix again until well combined.

Change your stand mixture attachment to the wire whisk. On slow speed, fold in the tub of Cool Whip until well combined.  Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.

Using a large pastry bag with a large tip, or a spoon, top the graham cracker crust in each cup with the pumpkin mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish with additional whipped topping if desired.

Recipe and photo source: afamilyfeast.com

DIY Ant Killer

Simple and made with common household ingredients.

A small, shallow dish
5 Tbsp of baking soda
5 Tbsp of powdered (or confectioners) sugar

Mix the two powders together and then place small amounts against the walls or other areas where you would not normally walk but where you would normally see the ants.  You can also leave some in a dish, as the picture shows.

The ants will be attracted to the sugar and will eat some of it and collect more to take home to feed others, so all of them will get their share.

The sugar and baking soda powders are similar in size and, once mixed together, the ants cannot separate the two items, so, as they eat the sugar, they will also ingest the baking soda, which they would otherwise never touch. This is the reason for using powdered sugar.

Once the ants eat the baking soda it will react with the formic acid in their stomachs and cause gas. The bodies of ants are unlike humans and they cannot eliminate gas so it will build up inside them and cause them to literally explode

 

NOTE: Powdered sugar is essential. You cannot use regular white sugar because of the larger grains
of sugar.   The powdered sugar mixes exactly with the baking soda.

Image and recipe source (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/groups/foreverfitwithpatti/

Frog Mosaic on a Rock

I don't have the directions for this project.  I saw it on Facebook today.  If I find directions I'll add them.  It looks like a really cute garden decoration.