One Simple Thing-Cleaning Make-Up Brushes

I'm about as low-maintenance a gal as you'll find.
However, I do wear make-up when we run errands about twice a week or on special occasions.
It's important to keep brushes clean.
This not only extends the life of the brush,
but it's better for your skin.

Here's a simple and quick way to get those brushes clean:

1.  Place 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a ramekin or shallow bowl.
2.  Add one squirt of castille or other gentle soap.
3.  Wet brush with tap water.
4.  Dip brush into soap mixture and rub in a circular motion on your palm.
5.  Rinse until water runs clear.
6.  Repeat if necessary.

After sufficiently cleaning your brushes,
lay them out flat to air dry on a towel.

Depending on how often you use them,
they may need to be cleaned weekly or only once a month.
This method ensures brushes stay clean
and helps keep skin clear.


One Simple Thing

You might enjoy these "One Simple Thing" Posts:
Watermelon Pops 
Bottle Marker 
Think Outside the Box

One Simple Thing-Easy Beans

We love finding ways to simplify our lives.
What could be better than having someone something else do the cooking?

In this case, we employ our crockpot to cook our beans.
The crockpot is a great way to keep the heat out of your kitchen in the summer.
Just add the beans, throw in a bay leaf or two, a bit of salt, add water,
and place it on low overnight.
(They can also be simmered during the day,
while tending to other things.)
Drain them the next morning (save the water for the garden),
and you're ready to go!

Having beans at the ready makes preparing meals so much easier.

They can be added to soups, stews, burgers, burritos and so much more.

They are loaded with fiber, minerals and protein,

and a great choice for meatless meals.

To get double duty from the crockpot,

after draining them, add them back to the crockpot with salsa or barbecue sauce

and heat them through.

We do a big batch every couple of weeks,

so they are ready to toss into any dish.

Since we scratch cook,

they are a wonderful addition to most anything we make.

The date and type is added to the container,

which makes it easy to see what's available 

without opening the bin.

Having cooked beans in the freezer just makes sense.
It takes so little time cooking them this way,
that they practically cook themselves!
Whatcha waitin' for?
Get slow cookin'!

One Simple Thing

Other posts on beans:

We're Fulla Beans
Belly Fillin' Beans
White Bean Ragout 

One Simple Thing-Kitchen Drawer Liners

I like lined drawers and shelves.
It not only adds color to the kitchen,
it gives a more finished look and makes cleaning a breeze.
The older I get, the more I look for 
easier ways to keep the house clean.
After all, I'd rather be gardening, reading or sewing.
With the house on the market, it just makes sense
to keep everything neat and tidy.
Here's our simple solution to messy drawers. 

I found these brown cloth napkins for a steal at a thrift store.
It's one of those things that I keep my eye out for,
as they have so many uses.
Here we used them to line our kitchen drawers.
I don't like using the vinyl liners with adhesive
because I think the glue attracts bugs.

Not all of our drawers are the same size,
so the napkins were just folded over to fit.
Custom for a fraction of the cost!

With a dozen in the set, there were enough to fill every drawer
in our kitchen, which has generous storage.




When they get crumby or dirty,
we just take them out, shake them off,
or launder if necessary.
 Our drawers never looked so good!

One Simple Thing

One Simple Thing-Muffled Drawers

While we await the perfect buyer for our home,
we're getting a few small jobs done.
It's mostly in move-in condition,
but a few little extras never hurt, right?

The kitchen in this house has tons of storage,

a real plus.

One minor problem was bothering me.

The cabinet doors and drawers make noise if they get away from you.

We don't have the fancy "soft-close" drawers,

and we don't really want to put any more money into the house, 

since it's on the market.

Big K and I are up early, getting ready for our day,

which includes opening drawers and cabinet doors.

With Lil' Guy sleeping in most days

(he's a teenager, need I say more?),

I decided to tackle this easy project.

For a few bucks and in less than 15 minutes,

we were on our way to a bit more quiet around here.

These felt pad cushions have adhesive on the back,

so all you need to do is place and press.

They come in several colors to match your cabinets.

All the cabinets and doors in both the kitchen and bathrooms

originally had these buffers on them,

but some were missing, or just looked worn out.

One package was enough to do each drawer and door in the kitchen
and both bathrooms.
With just a little effort and a smidgen of time,
peace and quiet reign supreme.
I like the sound of that!

One Simple Thing

Here are a few of the posts in our ongoing 
"One Simple Thing" series:

Basket Case
It's a Date!
Hang it Up! 
Grocery Shopping

One Simple Thing-Cast Iron Cleaning

Cast iron has been around for centuries.
It's one of the longest lasting type of cooking utensils.
This workhorse can cook everything (literally) from soup to nuts.
I am blessed to have my mom's iron skillet
and it is cherished, especially now that she's gone.
I can remember her making omelets and all kinds of roasted veggies in it.
In fact, it rarely got a day off.
The bonus with using cast iron, is that some of the iron leaches into the food,
so if you have difficulty keeping your iron stores up, (like I do),
this is a great way to add iron to your diet without having to take pills.

Before you begin your seasoning it's okay to wash it with soap and water.
I use a repurposed nylon mesh bag to scrub it well.
After this initial cleaning, you shouldn't use soap on your pan again.

After allowing the pan to dry well,
lather it with olive oil or your favorite animal fat.

Make sure you coat the outside and the handle as well.

Place it in a 350 degree oven for at least an hour. 
You'll notice the shiny patina when it comes out.
This ensures a nonstick surface .

  Once seasoned, coarse salt can be used to scrub
any stubborn remnants in the pan after cooking in it.
Usually hot water and a swipe with a paper towel is enough to do the trick.
You can season as often as you wish,
but the patina should last a good long time
as long as soap isn't used on it.
Cast iron skillets are one of the easiest things to find
in thrift stores and yard sales.
With just a little bit of time and patience,
you can acquire pans that will last your lifetime
without spending much money.

Here are a couple of yummy recipes we've featured using cast iron:

Crispy Catfish
Ghee

For more tips on cast iron care, read this.

One Simple Thing-Watermelon Pops

With summer temperatures in the 90's daily,
we are doing everything we can to stay hydrated.
Watermelon is a painless way to accomplish that goal,
as it is mostly water, but oh-so much sweeter.

I found this trick to slicing watermelon the other day,
and knew I just had to share it.
You can see the original video here.

The gist of it is making watermelon 
a bit more manageable to eat and enjoy.

 We had a quarter of watermelon left to cut up.
We are savoring this luscious and refreshing fruit
every chance we get.
We can sometimes find these icebox-sized, 2 for $5.00.

If you can cut an onion into a dice,
you can  use the same technique with any kind of melon.
Simply cut down from top to bottom,
and then cut across the width of it the same way.

You'll end up with watermelon pops
that are easy for even the smallest hands to handle.
Enjoy!


One Simple Thing

One Simple Thing-Ripe Bananas 

One Simple Thing-Pantry Door Rack

One Simple Thing-Keep It Under Wraps

 

One Simple Thing-Natural Bird Feeder

Our sunflowers were lovely this year.

There weren't many, 
but they always add a cheery touch to the garden.
Summer just wouldn't be the same without 'em.

Alas, as summer fades into autumn,
they seem to know their time is through
and hang their heads in surrender.

Along with saving seed for next year,

these sturdy seed heads can be used to feed this year's winter flock.

Seeds can be stripped from the head, left to dry and then added to feeders

or used to cover peanut butter smothered pinecones 

or paper towel rolls and hung in trees.

When grown organically, the birds can safely dine.

We decided to try a short cut this year. 

Simply fastening them to the branches where birds linger
seemed like an easy solution.
Just a bit of baling twine was used.
We hope our feathered friends enjoy these treats
all season long.

One Simple Thing