Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

Today is Father's Day, and I hope you take a moment to express your love and gratitude to all the Father's in your life.  Happy Father's Day to my own Father, my Husband, Son's and Son-in-Law's, my Grandfathers, my Uncles, and my Brother-in-laws.  We are grateful for the positive contributions you make to our family.  And for us all, I am hopeful that you will join me in expressing love and appreciation to our Blessed Father-in-Heaven.

"One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...."

Remember that little song from Sesame Street..."One of these things is not like the other".  Well I want you to look at the picture above and figure out which is not like the others.  Is it the shape?  Is it the type of glass?  Have you figured it out yet?  

I love Apothecary jars, but I have shied away from purchasing them because I hate to pay the hefty price. I have found them starting from $25.00 to over $40.00 each.  I just couldn't make it myself pay those prices. I did, however, find one of these at Ross yesterday for $10.00. That didn't hurt as much....so I paid the price.  

But, I didn't want to pay it over 3 or 4 times.  I found this suggestion on-line. I love brilliant people like this and decided to give it a try.  The suggestion was related to making Apothecary jars from.....(are you ready for this?).....materials from the Dollar Store!  So, I went, I shopped and I brought things home to use!

I purchased all of these things (except the Loctite glass glue) from the Dollar Store.  I purchased 2 candlesticks, one goblet, a vase, a glass, and a package of 3 glass bowls (next to the glue).

Because these are glass, I wanted to ensure that all the glue residue from the price tags was removed.  I used "Goof Off" to complete this task.

I pulled off the paper portion of the tag. I took a paper-towel sheet and poured some of the "Goof Off" liquid on it.  

I stopped a little over half-way through to show you how effective this liquid it. It completely removed all traces of the residue.

I inverted the vase and the glass.  I put the "Loctite Glass Glue" on the bottom and placed the inverted candle-holders into the glue.  You have to leave these alone for a long time to make sure that the glue adheres.  

Here is another view.

To make the lids, invert the bowls.  The instructions above suggest that you purchase glass doorknobs.  I looked at them, and they were very pretty in the store. But, they cost between $5.00 - $10.00 to purchase, and again I didn't wish to spend that type of money on these utilitarian containers. Instead, I took clear glass pebbles purchased from the Dollar Store (that you would use in a vase to hold flowers) and glued 2 on top of each other for the 'knob'.

For this 'jar', I used a goblet and placed the inverted bowl on top.  I love this one!

So there you have it.  One Apothecary jar that I purchased for $10.00 and 3 that I made for under $10.00.  

So what do you think?

Renewable Resource?

In my last post, I talked about Batteries and storage.  Having Batteries is one thing, but getting to recharge them is another.  Can you recharge disposable batteries...Yes!

I saw this advertised on a television network late one night when I couldn't sleep.  I decided to give it a try as it said it will recharge traditional batteries. "Hmmm" I thought, that would be wonderful if I could recharge traditional batteries.  I purchased it.  It is called the "Renu-it pro series (Professional Grade Disposable Battery Regenerator).  Although I didn't purchase this device from Amazon, it can be purchased there.  It costs about $30.00.

I like the read-out.  It lets you know if your batteries are 'bad' (meaning that they will not recharge) or if your batteries are charged.  

I like the indicator lights. I like that you can charge different sizes of batteries at the same time. Additionally, you can stack the batteries on top of each other (like AA or AAA) to charge them.  You can see the red lights on the indicator. If they are solid, they are not chargeable.  If they are flashing, the batteries is or can be charged.  Notice also that you can charge NiCD, Alkaline and NiMH batteries.  

I also have rechargeable batteries as well.  Although the still picture cannot show it, the display has a 'wave-like' motion to show that it is charging.

Things to Consider:

• You should always inspect the batteries, particularly the Alkaline batteries for leaking.  This should be done before and after charging.  Place the batteries on tissue or paper for about an hour after charging to check for leaking. Any battery that is leaking should be disposed of.
• I have found that the recharged 'disposable' batteries do not hold a charge as long as fresh batteries do, so keep that in mind.
• One reviewer on Amazon suggested that you should charge your batteries when you have about 1/3 of a charge left.  You will need a meter to do this.  In his experience, you have a higher chance of charging the battery.
• If the device you put the batteries in is fairly costly, consider using fresh batteries to avoid the chance of leaking.
• You will save money by recharging your batteries!  This is a big deal!

You need more than Batteries in your emergency supplies. Consider getting a meter and a recharger to make the most of your battery investment.

Consider it!

Power to the People!

One of the basic needs we all have is power.  Lets face it, we live on our devices, expect that things will light up and work, and also entertain us.  The biggest nightmare I used to have on Christmas Eve was that I forgot to get batteries for the next morning!  

I try to keep a supply of batteries on hand for everything.  I also keep a supply in case of a loss of power or when we are camping, hiking, or just out and away from the house.  My children have found my little stash and I am stocking it more than using them at this point.  I am still trying to find a solution to this little challenge, but it is not a big issue.  I am glad they come home to visit. If that means loosing a battery here or there, then I certainly come out with a win when I get to spend time with them.

I found this Range Kleen WKT4162 82-Battery organizer with Removable Tester on Amazon. It costs just about $10.00.  (FYI, I have not received any remuneration for mentioning this product).  It holds 25 AAA Batteries, 39 AA batteries, 4 9-Volt batteries, 8 C batteries, 6 D batteries, and room for a 5-Button cell batteries (in a top swivel drawer).  That's a lot of power and a lot of options.

It comes with a battery tester.  I love this thing!  It can either be attached or removed for use.  It can check all the batteries that are stored in the tray! Watch this!

As you can see the arm moves so that you can maneuver it to meet your positive pole.  These are AA Batteries.

I had to hold the D-Cell battery in place for the photo.... (now you all know that I am double jointed in my thumb).

The 9-volt took me a minute to figure out how to use the meter.  You have to hold it by the poles, not from the top-bottom as you have seen above.

Here is a bird-eye view.  It holds a lot of batteries.  It even comes with mounting screws if you wanted to mount it to the wall.

Storage:

I traditionally purchase my batteries from the shopping club.  If you notice, they are sold at room temperature.  When I was growing up, I had several family members store their batteries in the refrigerator and state that it increases their shelf life.  In researching different manufacturers of batteries, the prevailing suggestion is to store them at room temperature.  Well, what is room temperature?  Different folks prefer their homes cooler while some prefer their homes to be warmer.  I choose to keep my in garage refrigerator. They are out of the way, and I don't run the risk that someone will spill something on them in the Garage refrigerator.  (That refrigerator is for extra produce, Rooster Seniors Sodas, and other stored items. No left-overs in there!).  

I checked the life of the Batteries (how long they hold a charge) of the Duracell Coppertop Batteries that I purchased.  I think this is just as important as having them available. Here are the particulars:

• D-Cell:  10 years
• C-Cell:  10 years
• 9-Volt:  5 years
• AA-Cell:  10 years
• AAA-Cell:  10 years

So, check you supply.  Do you have enough for emergencies.....let alone Christmas morning!

Check out your supply today!

Stuffed and Delicious!!!

Yum!  It's finally Grilling Season, which is one of my most favorite 'seasons' of the year!  I have a new Gadget that I wanted to try and it turned out very well. 

I recently purchased a Kitchen Collection Stuffed Burger Maker on a recent shopping excursion with my daughter.  (I love the Kitchen Collection store...so many fun things in there!).  I had seen another brand of this device being advertised on the television by a well-known chef.  When I saw this device, my thinking was that I can always afford $6.00 just in case it didn't work.  

Here is a pictorial view (with my suggestions) on how to use this device to make delicious stuffed burgers.

Take a small ball of fresh Hamburger and press it flat with the 'lid'.

Then add your desired toppings. We used Cheddar Cheese and real bacon bits. I found that you really don't need to put a lot in the middle.  Some instructions suggest making a small well in the middle to hold your stuffing ingredients. I used both methods, but the burgers appeared to turn out the same in the end. 

Then I placed another small ball of hamburger in the device and pushed it flat with the lid.

Follow the directions and unscrew the lid according to the arrows on the lid.

There is a black bottom plate (see it on the bottom of the burger?) that you push to help dislodge the burger. Then you carefully dislodge the bottom plate.

This is how the burgers look from a side view. In some burgers, you could see a 'dividing line' between the layers, but most you could not.

This is where I would give you a 'word of warning'.  Spray your grill with a cooking spray before placing your burgers on the hot grill.  As you can see, some of them stuck and 2 of them came apart as Rooster Senior attempted to flip them.

This is how it turned out!  The Burger was delicious and I loved it!  There were not complaints.....or leftovers.  

What is the take-home message?

• Grilling is actually practicing an emergency skill.  
• If we had to eat from the grill, this would be a fun edition to your meal planning.
• All of the ingredients for these burgers came from my food storage.  The Hamburger was from the freezer (in 1 lb bags), the cheese was also from the freezer as was the bacon.
• The condiments, (including the Relish that I canned last fall) came from my food storage as well.
• You can have quick meals that are delicious and inviting from your Food Storage Staples.

Consider getting one of these devices.

They are inexpensive and fun!