Category: Life Skills

How to Make: Old-Fashioned Sun Tea

Brewing Sun Tea from katienormalgirl.com

Old-fashioned sun tea is a treat that I look forward to every year. I love the way that the slow brewing process makes the tea taste crisper. As I drink it, I can just picture the generations of people before me that sat in rocking chairs out on their porches, sipping on sweet iced sun tea.

Cutting Mangos Can Get Dicey

How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com

Mango season is almost over, so be sure to scoop up a couple of these yummy fruits the next time you’re in the store. When selecting a mango, pick one that is firm with just a small amount of give. You want a firmness between an apple and a ripe peach.

If you haven’t sliced a mango before, then you may not realize that there is a large seed in the center. You need to be careful to avoid cutting the seed because it’s very hard and your knife could slip and…well…bad things man…bad things. Also, don’t cut too close to the seed because the fruit around it is fibrous and not very tasty. Check out the pictorial below for some tips on how to dice a mango!

How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step1

How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step2 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step3 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step4 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step5 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step6 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step7 How to Dice a Mango from Eating Seasonally on katienormalgirl.com-step8

Now that you have this wonderful bounty, what shall you do with it? It’s tasty as-is, or you can toss it together with some raspberries and blueberries for a fancy fruit salad. There’s mango martinis, mango smoothies or one of my favorites…mango salsa.

 

No matter what you pick, it’s bound to be delicous because these little guys are at the peak of freshness and flavor through the end of the month.

 

Enjoy!

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Ditch the Dryer Sheets…Freshen Laundry Naturally with Herbs

Use herbal dryer sachets to prevent static in the dryer from katienormalgirl.com | #DIY #natural #sustainability

Ditch your dryer sheets and embrace the latest trend in simple, sustainable living…dryer sachets!  These chemical-free, all-natural alternative to dryer sheets have been growing in popularity as people try to eliminate unnecessary chemicals from their homes, but have you ever wondered how they work?  In this week’s column, I’ll tell you why they work and show you how to make your own.

What Is A Dryer Sachet And Why Does It Work?
A dryer sachet is a lot like any other sachet, it’s a bag or pouch made of porous fabric that is filled with fragrant herbs. What distinguishes dryer sachets from their culinary counterparts, is the type of herbs that are used in it. Most dryer sachets are made exclusively with lavender because it is a highly fragrant herb that eliminates static cling, and the residual smell left on clothing, repels moths. I’ve added fragrant rose petals in the custom herbal blend below, because I enjoy the light scent in combination with the lavender.

Dryer Sachet Herb Blend
The ingredients for this dryer sachet mix are gentle enough for sensitive skin and can be used when laundering children’s and infant’s clothing.

You’ll Need:

  • 1/4 c. dried rose petals
  • 1/4 c. dried lavender buds
  • 4-5 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
  • 1 dryer sachet*

*Dryer sachets can be purchased online or you can make your own using an old sock or stockings. You can also sew your own reusable and refillable dryer sachets, using fabric scraps or an old t-shirt.

Assembly:
Place the herbs in the dryer sachet of your choice and add the essential oil drops. If using an old sock or stockings, add the herbs and securely tie the end, or ends, into a knot.  If you have enough fabric, you can tie a double knot to be safe.

To Use:
Each sachet can be used 7-10 times (the sachets can be used more than 10 times if you don’t mind a reduction in scent). Before each drying cycle, remove the sachet and pinch it between your fingers a few times, to release the herbal essences.

When you’ve used the bag and no longer notice a strong scent in your laundry, you can deodorize and freshen your vacuum cleaner by sprinkling the herbs on the floor and vacuuming them up!

katie: normal girl

Saving Energy: Adjusting Your Water Heater Temperature

It’s officially Autumn in Florida. How do I know? Because this past weekend I adjusted my hot water heater’s temperature gauge. For those of you that don’t know, I adjust my hot water heater’s temperature gauge seasonally. When the outside temperatures drop, I turn the gauge up and when we welcome back warmer temperatures, the gauge goes down. It’s little things like this, that helped contribute to my power costs only being $35 last month.

But back to the reason for the adjustment…

For a cold weather wimp like me, the mornings are chilly (in the mid 60’s…the 60’s you guys!). So I need my shower to have lots of hot water, unlike the summer time when I only need a bit of hot water.  I opened up the hot water heater panel, adjusted the gauge and voila!, more hot water.

Perhaps you don’t know how most hot water heaters work and how this can save you money. The simple explanation is this: most hot water heater temperature gauges are set between 120°F-125°F. Your hot water heater, heats water to the set temperature, then the water cools a bit and the heater, heats it back up again. It does this all day long to ensure that the moment you want hot water, it is available. If you’re not using all of the hot water in your tank, then you can turn the temperature down to save money. That’s what I do in the summer, when I set the gauge to 100°F.  But now I’m cold (in the 60’s, remember?), so I adjusted it up to 115°F and as it gets colder, I’ll adjust it up to 125°F.

Want to try it yourself?  It’s easy!  Grab your screwdriver and I’ll show you how.