Our Mobile Home

Years ago (I won’t tell you how many), when my husband and I had been married only a year, we decided to buy a brand new mobile home. It was nice to have a place of our very own instead of renting from somebody else.  It was also a nice place to live.  The two bedroom home had brand new, name brand, quality appliances which included a heavy duty washer and dryer that lasted many years.  For the most part, we used our own furniture which included our own bedroom suite.

We lived in our home for several years, until our daughter was two, and we enjoyed living there.  Storage was plentiful for a mobile home.  My favorite parts were a built in double china cabinet and the abundance of cabinets in the kitchen. And the washer and dryer!

The park where we lived was nice, had an excellent storm cellar, and we actually only had to use the cellar once.  The lots were nice and pretty with trees on every lot.  Like I mentioned, we enjoyed living there and it would be nice to have a mobile home again, this time as a cute, cozy weekend getaway in some beautiful location.

Home Office

We’re busy getting our son ready to go back to college. This year, he will be living off campus instead of the dorm, so we have been looking for office furniture such as a desk long enough to hold his monitor, laptop, printer/scanner, etc. I don’t know if he needs scanning software or not, but I’m sure he has listed everything he needs on his shopping list.  He has a great chair for his desk and a great laptop and monitor, so he’s all set there.  He does need a bookcase, though.  Once he gets the desk and bookcase, that should complete the major items on the list for his office/study.

Hard Water & Water Softeners

Depending on which part of the country you’re in, the water may be hard. I remember growing up and visiting some relatives who had water so hard that I almost couldn’t get the soap to rinse off my skin. People in these types of areas have to use a water softener to get the water to the point where they can rinse soap off the skin in a normal way. Also, clothes washed in hard water turn out dingy, don’t look clean, and aren’t soft.  Dishes washed in the dishwasher may have spots all over them.   Again, people use water softeners so their laundry turns out clean looking and so their dishes look clean as well.

Note: One advantage (and maybe the only one) to having hard water is that people get a good amount of calcium and magnesium in their drinking water.

Water Marks on Furniture

Have you ever had a get-together, maybe a Christmas party, at your house and guests left their sodas sitting on a wooden coffee table or end table? Probably nearly everyone has had that happen at some time or another and wished they had holiday drink coaster décor to protect their wooden furniture from getting those ugly water marks.

I happen to have a couple of those water marks on two different pieces of furniture, and they are hard to get rid of once they’re on the wood. I’ve tried several different solutions, but the water mark rings eventually come back. I wish I knew of a way to be rid of them once and for all.  The best thing I’ve found is prevention!

Flushing Hairspray Down the Toilet and other Plumbing Problems

One of the things I hate is having a toilet overflow and having the plumbing problems that go along with it.  Through the years, we have had that happen on varying occasions.  In fact, most people have had that problem at some time or another.

A few years ago, a friend told me of an experience with their daughter who was two or three at the time.  The little girl came into the living room and told them, “Pss pss go swimming!”  They didn’t understand what she meant so she repeated it, and then they followed her into the restroom.  She went over to the toilet and pointed to it.  Much to their dismay, for some reason she decided that the hairspray needed to go swimming and that she could flush it down the toilet.  Well, you can guess the outcome of that story and how a plumber was needed to fix the plumbing in the “swimming pool.”

We have had overflows three or more times when company was visiting.  It involved things like one person trying to flush two or three paper towels at once, another child flushing a fourth of a box of Charmin Wipes down the toilet and stopping it up big time, and another person flushing too much toilet paper at once.  You don’t have much control when company is visiting except to hide the wipes!  Then it’s time to look through the list of plumbers and call one ASAP!

*Note: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated monetarily. However, the views and opinions are my own.

My New Grilling Accessories Set Arrived!

Remember I told you I was having a giveaway for a NSF Approved Grilling Accessories Set?  Well, I received one in the mail today for myself!  I was thrilled!  If you would like to enter the giveaway for the same set, all you have to do is click here and then leave a simple comment on my blog.  That’s it!  You have a good chance of winning because there are not many entries.

The tongs are really nice, from Crate & Barrel, and they lock when you want them to stay closed.  The Rubbermaid Premier container is BPA Free, stain resistant, and is from the AVEC Easy Find Lids grouping.  The meat thermometer is a nice one, nicer than the one we have.  And the Chef’s Apron looks like something from Food Network.  It’s so easy to enter the giveaway for a set for yourself!

 

GIVEAWAY: 4-Piece Safe Grilling Accessories Set

Giveaway is now over.  Winner:  Elisabeth

 

 

* Giveaway ended Saturday, June 18, 2011

NSF is a nonprofit organization that is committed to protecting public health and safety by developing standards and certifying products against those standards.   Their cooking and grilling tips are great for the novice and the grilling expert. With summer grilling going on and the Fourth of July just around the corner, a lot of people are grilling!  Check out this news article from CBS about NSF.  Then check out the tips below and also the GIVEAWAY for a 4-piece Safe Grilling Accessories Set!

 

COOKING & GRILLING TIPS TO REMEMBER

 

1.     Start with a Clean Kitchen: According to a swab analysis by NSF International, the kitchen sponge and kitchen sink were the germiest places in the home – items that are typically used in multiple stages of the cooking and cleaning process. Avoid cross-contamination by ensuring these items are clean by:

a.     Placing wet sponges in the microwave for two minutes once per day and replacing them often – every two weeks or more as needed. A better option for kitchen cleaning are dishcloths, towels and rags. These items can be sanitized by washing on the clothes washer’s hot water cycle with bleach. Replace every 1-2 days.

b.    Washing and disinfecting the sides and bottom of the sink 1-2 times per week with a disinfecting cleaner. Sanitize kitchen drains and disposals monthly by pouring a solution of one teaspoon household bleach in one quart of water down the drain. Wash kitchen sink strainers in the dishwasher weekly.

 

2.     Defrost Foods Safely. Don’t attempt to defrost foods quickly by leaving them sit overnight on a kitchen counter. Use one of the following methods:

a.     Option I – Place a covered food in a shallow pan on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.

b.    Option II – Defrost the food item in the microwave, but keep in mind that you must finish cooking the food immediately thereafter, as some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during the microwave defrosting process.

c.   Option III – If there is not enough time to thaw frozen foods, it is safe to cook foods from the frozen state. However, the cooking will take approximately 50% longer than the recommended time for fully thawed or fresh meat and poultry.

 

3.     Practice Proper Marinating. If marinating food, marinate in a refrigerator overnight and dispose of any leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw meat. While acids in marinades can help tenderize meat, too much vinegar or hot sauce can cause meat to be more stringy and tough.

 

4.     Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold Hot foods need to be kept at temperatures above 140 F and cold foods less than 40 F. Between these two temperatures, bacteria can multiply very rapidly and reach dangerous levels in as little as two hours.

 

5.     Don’t cook with your eyes; Cook with a thermometer. In order to ensure food has reached a safe internal temperature, always use a certified food thermometer. Any leftovers should be put away within two hours (one hour if the temperature is over 90° F).

 

6.     Avoid Cross Contamination. Since bacteria can easily spread from one food to the next via dripping juices, hands, or utensils, think ahead to avoid cross contamination.  Don’t use the same utensils and plates for raw and cooked foods, and always remember to wash your hands before preparing and consuming food.

 

With these great safety tips in mind, here’s a giveaway for safe grilling accessories.

 

Win it:

One lucky reader will win the 4-Piece Safe Grilling Accessories package as pictured below.  This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Saturday, June 18, 2011.  Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

 

  • Grilling Tongs (Locking) from Crate & Barrel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • NSF Meat Thermometer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • NSF Certified Rubbermaid (BPA Free, Resists Stains)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • NSF Apron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandatory Entry:

Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed.  See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page.  Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done this or if you already subscribe.

 

Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry.  And if you’ve previously subscribed or followed Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too.

  • “Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)
  • Follow me on Twitter (1 extra entry)
  • Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)
  • Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with the Safe Grilling Set for this giveaway. I was not compensated monetarily for this article.

Wordy Wednesday: Covered Glass Candy Dishes

My mother-in-law collected dishes from thrift stores and antique stores.  She really enjoyed looking at dishes and I guess going with her to look at dishes inspired me to collect some of my own.  I collected a few covered candy dishes years ago, and I really like them for candy, nuts, or anything that is small, looks good in a glass dish, and needs to be covered. In this picture, one has pecans in it, another has pistachio nuts, and I don’t remember what the third dish has in it, maybe walnuts.

Product Review: Desk Chair from CSN Stores









What did I choose to review from CSN Stores?  This time, I chose a desk chair for our son who’s in college.  He was thrilled when we brought this chair out to him.  It’s very comfortable, has padded arm rests, a padded seat, and is stylish to look good in a dorm room, home office, or even a business.

Again, I’m impressed how quickly the chair arrived!  Every time we receive something from CSN, it arrives in just a few days after ordering it.  And what’s great about CSN is that they have a lot of products with free shipping.  That makes for an even greater value for the money!

By the way, CSN Online Stores is such an easy way to shop! I never had shopped online until the past couple of years. I’ve found CSN so easy and convenient plus I don’t have to go around to a lot of different stores trying to find a good deal.  I recommend CSN for your online shopping, however, use “Sort by: View by price: Low-High” and find those with free shipping for the best deals. They have 200+ online stores from which to shop.

* CSN provided me with the chair for this review. However, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review. This is my honest opinion of their product.


Home Lighting

Some day I would like to update our hall bathroom.  I was looking at Murray Feiss lighting and found some home lighting that I really like.  The lighting that’s in our hall bathroom is swag lighting, one light on each end of a long vanity counter top.  Our daughter, Christi, had a great idea that I may decide to do.  She suggested taking the fixture down and spray painting it with a bronze color and then getting different glass globes.  That sounds like a great, inexpensive idea for updating the lighting!

Vaporizers

During the winter, the air in the house gets so dry on cold days. We need the heat to stay warm, but it sure does take the moisture out of the air. We run a vaporizer in our bedroom nonstop during those times to put humidity back into the air.  Some people might use a Volcano Vaporizer to put not only moisture in the air but also essential oils.  These oils are released through hot air vaporization through patented technology.

Vapir Vaporizers have retro designs available to add style to the herbal aromatherapy experience.  The Extreme Vaporizer has a remote control which offers convenience as well.   We use a Vicks Vaporizer to keep our bedroom air from getting too dry while we sleep, and it works well to keep the humidity in the room.  When the temperature gets down into the twenties for a period of time, I usually will run two vaporizers, one in our bedroom and one in the living area.  They really do make a difference in the humidity level and eliminate static electricity in the air.

Note:  This is a sponsored post.