Days gone by ,,,

Been on holiday the last few weeks ....

came back and feels like we are in mid-summer here in Sicily!

This is from last fall ... the boy is wearing a folkloric outfit that was commonly worn 50 or more years ago.

Our landlady has a picture of her son in a similar suit.

Maletto's Strawberries

The main street in Maletto during the Strawberry Festival ...

 flag performers have finished one performance and are off to another.

Household tips

Found these while purging a pile of papers ... not tried and true (yet) ....

To safely get rid of ants:

In a bowl, combine 1/2-cup molasses, 1/4-cup of sugar and 1/4-cup active dry yeast.
Pour an 1/8-inch of the mixture into shallow bowls or saucers and leave them on counters, in cupboards, under the refrigerator ... anywhere you have seen ants.  The molasses and sugar will draw the ants in ...since they can't digest the yeast, they will die after eating the mixture.


To protect recipe cards from splatters:

Rub the surface with the flat end of a white candle.  The wax will make the paper water-resistant and you can wipe away the food or grease before the stain sets.

Household wipes substitutes:

Layer coffee filters in a resealable container and add just enough multi-purpose cleaner to dampen each one.  The filters will have the power of your favorite cleaner and since they have longer fibers than paper towels, they can stand up to more scrubbing than paper towels can.

I'm going to go try this one out now ... we use coffee filters when heating things in the microwave.

I do a quick wipe down of the bathroom most mornings just before leaving for work ... wiping out the sink, the window ledge, tub ledge and commode top takes just a minute or two ...while paper towels don't cost a lot of money ... filters are a heck of a lot cheaper.    Had planned to get a dozen or so cheap wash cloths to keep pre-dampened with cleanser in a container on the window ledge ...this may work out a lot better.

Baby blankets

Three of the baby blankets I have crocheted over the last two months ...

one of the volunteer activities I do with the

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

When DH and I car-pool or go on road-trips, I generally crochet

most of the way.  Nice de-stressing activity and I can still hold a conversation or check out the scenery.

Santa Workshop gifts

One of the groups I volunteer with runs a Santa's Workshop for kids to get gifts for parents and siblings.
We collect items all year round from the local community and pull other items from our thrift shop (in new or excellent condition).  Prices range from 25-cents to a dollar or two.

We often have a lack of male oriented gifts ...had these jars in the cupboard (originally planned to make "smelly jellies" for holiday open house gifts ... but haven't taken the time). 

A bit of wrapping paper to cover the lid, stamp a tag and when December rolls around will fill the jars with peppermint candies or candy canes.