Yummy homemade spaghetti sauce

Something to do with all your tomatoes:
This recipe is from Karen Noyce, Rachelle Simmons' mother.
This makes 4 quarts, so you'll probably double it or quadruple it like I did, depending on how many tomatoes you have.

12 c blended tomatoes, peeled
30 oz tomato paste
3 chopped yellow onions ( I put these in the blender as well)
3 bay leaves (remove after)
3 tsp oregano
1 tsp fennel
3 tsp basil
3 TBS salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp lemon juice

Mix all together except lemon juice. Simmer 2 hours or more until desired thickness is reached. Put 1 teaspoon lemon juice in each quart jar. Ladle in hot spaghetti sauce. Put on lids and adjust rings. Process.

Canning Peaches

The basic idea (so easy):

1) Skin and de-pit your peaches
2) Place them in quart jars (wide mouth works best)
3) Add warm sugar water to each jar of peaches (like 4 to 1 ration of water to sugar).
4) A boiling bath in your canning pot for 20 mins
5) Remove and let cool
6) ENJOY

Heartburn?

Just a little cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with a glass of water will do the trick. It tastes awful, but totally works. I learned this from my Mother-in-law back when I was dating Marc and it has saved me through two pregnancies.

Just Bleach It

This post will be way too simple for most, but I think it will come in handy for some. Every time I would stain something, inevitably someone would say, "Just bleach it". I never really knew how this would work. I tried several methods, but was never happy with the end result. I finally came up with the following plan and it works great (if you have a better way please feel free to share).

-Start your washer running with hot water.
-Add about 1/2-1 cup of bleach
-Add clothing you want bleached
-Wash
-Tumble dry
-Enjoy a new looking article of clothing

This doesn't just work on whites. I have been pleased with the results on pastels as well. Good luck!

Potty Training

This tip comes from my friend Danielle. She said that the best advice she got when it came to potty training was, "Don't. Your child will do it when they are ready." With this she stopped a year's worth of struggling with her daughter and when she was ready (at age 3) the process handled itself.

The following 3 things . . .

A good bib

A safe highchair

and a yummy Popsicle

Can buy a mother of a toddler a good 15-20 minutes of time when needed

What I really leanred in college

I think we all could share a story or two from our college day's living conditions. One particular house I lived in was really bad. I could go on and on, but by saying that you couldn't shower when we ran the washing machine, or else you would have backed up yucky water in the tub probably paints a pretty good picture.

Another lovely thing about this house was the mold on the bathroom ceiling. We concocted all sorts of plans on how to get rid of it (one plan included rain jackets and brooms), but then JEN moved in and with the magic of water and bleach in a spray bottle, she sprayed all the mold away! It was amazing. No scrubbing needed.