Dear Home Ec 101, My cats seem to drop enough fur to make a few new cats on my furniture every day. It’s ridiculous. How can I both prevent this and keep my furniture fur-free? Thanks, Fuzz Butt Ivy says: There are several things you can do to help keep the pet hair at bay. …
Ivy says: Oh, Home Eccers. Heather’s on the road for the next couple of weeks, and today I’m so sick that Mr. Ivy actually stayed home to take care of me. But the posting must go on, so here’s a little guide to keeping illness from making the rounds in your house. I wish I …
Dear Home Ec 101, I live in an apartment, and my kitchen is open to the living room like in most apartments. The house always has a remnant cooking smell even when I keep all the doors and windows open. My carpet, couch and everything smell. It is a little embarrassing when i have company. …
Ivy says: It’s Wednesday, y’all. Let’s play a game and forget it’s the middle of the week. Tell me, what are your favorite and least favorite household chores? Sure, I’ll go first. My least favorite list could go on forever, so I’ll cut it down to two. I hate, and I mean really, really haaaaate …
Dear Home Ec 101, I accidentally spilled some candle wax on my favorite pair of jeans. What should I do to get it out? Signed, Waxy Buildup Ivy says: This is actually a fairly simple fix. First, scrape off any excess with a butter knife. Then all you need to do is take a warm iron …
Ivy says: I remember reading Amy Dacyzyn’s book The Tightwad Gazette many years ago. Amy herself had said people were tee heeing at her about what would happen when her kids turned into teenagers and started wanting name brand clothing and such. I tee heed myself, since my mom was never one to care much …
Heather says: I may be scarce for the next couple weeks. The summer of insanity will conclude with the grand finale of myself and four children* driving to Minnesota. Mr. Heather will be joining us later. I’ve been busy this past week putting together final details: house sitters, dog sitters, holding the mail, all the …
Dear Home Ec 101, Here’s my situation…Mr. Knots has a tie that needs some attention. It has a few stains but he needs to wear it Saturday night and I don’t necessarily want to take just a tie to the dry cleaner. It’s a satin like material. Do think Dryel would work for that? Signed, …
Ivy says: School starts here in Tennessee on Friday. Yeah, you read that right. 2 days from now, I’ll be shuffling kids off to school. I can’t decide between being really excited to have my house quiet all day and not have to be fielding questions all day like, “Can I play on your computer?” …
Ivy says: Today’s my brother’s birthday- I can’t believe my LITTLE brother is 30 years old now! But that’s what happen when you get all old and stuff. 😉 Anyway, due to school being about to start and a bunch of other little things, I’m pretty broke. What’s a sister to do for a gift …