Use nine: Try softening brushes that are hardened with old, dried-in paint by boiling them in vinegar and let them stand for one hour. Then heat the vinegar and brushes come to a gentle boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Rinse well, working the softened paint out of the bristles. For extremely heavy paint encrustations, you may need to repeat the process...or head to the hardware store.

Use ten: A little vinegar and salt added to the water you wash leafy green vegetables will float out bugs and kill germs.

Use eleven: Soak or simmer stuck-on food in 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar. The food will soften and lift off in a few minutes.

Use twelve: Clean and freshen the garbage disposal by running a tray of ice cubes, with 1/2 cup of vinegar poured over them, through it once a week.

Use thirteen: In a pinch, you can use equal parts of lemon juice and vinegar to clean brass and copper. On difficult areas add a little salt to the mix for some abrasive action.

Monday, December 13, 2010

85. It's the Best Medicine!

Sunday  the house was  filled with the  delicious and  yummy aroma of our annual batch of the much
maligned fruitcake.  To those of you who think of it only as the tin that gets passed from unwitting household to household..."Think Again!"  You just haven't tasted ours!  It is full of our favorite dried fruits, nuts, brown sugar and lots and lots of El Presidente brandy!  If you don't like citron, don't add it. It is about the only thing we make without fail at Christmas.  Our daughter, Trisha, was born on January 5th and as an adult orders it for her birthday cake.  We even send it to Switzerland.  This year we will coerce her friend, Sherry, to take it in her luggage.  Keep your fingers crossed that some dastardly fruitcake hater in security at the airport doesn't accuse  her of smuggling something  illegal. Maybe they will think that she is doing the country a favor.  But as for our house, we love fruitcake. Keeping Bob down to one piece a day will be the real problem.  

I also wrote our Christmas letter yesterday, as well.  The Christmas tree  lights were twinkling and the fruitcake was baking and I decided that if the mood didn't strick me then it never would. We used to get the kids together and take a funny family picture at the beach, in the hot tub or some other wacky place in Santa hats.  When changes in family dynamics happened we tried taking the photo during the year when we were together.  Now we just have three photos and hope for the festive best.  Our heart's are in the right place.  It just takes more planning than it used to.

Tomorrow is Maggie's debut at a senior center with the Furry Friends.  We are excited and we know it will set the tone for our Holiday Season.  She is so friendly and sweet.  When we take her out and about people love to give her a scratch and she loves it.  We are certainly glad to have her in our family.  She makes us laugh and you know that laughing makes you live longer.  Especially those big belly laughs.  Those are the ones that stimulate your internal organs.  It's a proven fact...l
aughter is the best medicine!  So my prescription for the
holidays is make a fruitcake and laugh, laugh, laugh.


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