Home-Ec Guest Dear Home-Ec 101, It seems every time we take something apart for storage, we manage to lose any screws that go with the items. How do you manage not to lose the screws? Signed, Not all who wander are lost, but my screws are gone forever Ivy says: Screws are wily little buggers and will …
Dear women-in-the-know, I’ve spent my summer at a summer camp and have gotten my money’s worth out of my double stroller. It has endured bugs, kids with dirty diapers, and lugged pounds worth of stuff, but it has also contracted mildew. I’ve heard to use tilex and hose it off. Is there a natural way …
Ivy says: It’s been awhile since Kathy T has graced us with her Stupid Questions. I’m glad they’re back! On with the questions. 1. I’m having a terrible time with my vacuum cleaner. It blows instead of sucking. I know this reads like a dirty back-of-the-video-store room, but it’s my carpet that’s the dirty boy. …
Dear Home-Ec 101, What is the best way to clean the tops of ceiling fan blades? That dust gets sticky! Love, Grungy in Grange-Over-Sands Ivy says: Oddly, I enjoy cleaning fan blades. My kids get all grossed out and squeal at the nasty “worms” coming off the fan blades. It’s the awesome. Cleaning fan blades …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have this nasty smell in my bathroom. It is very hard for me to describe, but I’m OCD and it is driving me nuts. I think I have it pinpointed to the shower stall. I have totally scrubbed it however, I’m very anal about cleaning so it was already clean. I …
Ivy says: First, wish Heather a happy birthday! I’m a terrible friend, she had to remind me. Now, for the question du jour: What domestic skill do you wish you had learned? For me, my mother sews like an angel (an angel that sews, anyway), and I wish I had learned that. She no longer …
Ivy says: Heather and I were talking last night about how I’m eating about 90% vegetarian nowadays. She suggested I post recipes for y’all, and I laughed, since my cooking is rather haphazard. However, I thought I’d give you guys a primer on how I’m moving from meatatarianism (as my daughter calls it) to vegetarianism. …
Ivy says: I’ve been stressed like you wouldn’t believe lately (well, it’s a step up from being depressed, anyway) so I decided to take a luxurious bath tonight. When I was at Kroger stressing over the cost of milk, I decided to take a look at all the “relaxing bath salts” stuff they had on …
Ivy says: I am about to bawl my eyes out, y’all. Picture it. Sicily. 19…wait, that’s another story entirely. Picture it. Nashville. 2007. Our heroine, the fabulous-but-cranky BadBadIvy goes out running errands in her very favorite pair of jeans. You all have a pair like this. They’re soft, old, comfy, and your butt actually looks …
Dear Home-Ec 101, To save money, I have started incorporating a lot of dried beans into my diet. Unfortunately, I’ve been experiencing lots of, um, gastrointestinal distress. To put it bluntly, my gas is very embarrassing. I don’t want to take beano, are there any other ways to combat this? Thanks, Gina in Gaston Ivy …