I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. -St. Paul

I have been reading a lot lately. Whenever I have a moment to myself, I open a book. I feel like this grounds me, no matter where I am. Reading is always something familiar that I can do. It makes me so content.

I do not necessarily need a book in order to be content. I look for the positives in all situations. Sometimes that may seem like an impossible task, but it is not. There is always something you can do or experience that will give you peace no matter how turbulent life may seem.

Taking care of myself makes me feel better about any situation. Sometimes I spend a little extra time preparing myself a nourishing meal or setting aside time to exercise. Going for walks and appreciating nature makes me content. Those things nourish the body and the soul.

A less physically productive hobby of mine is watching youtube videos of lions and giraffes and elephants relaxing in their natural habitats. It makes me feel so calm though. Those animals certainly seem content, regardless of if they have a giant house or babies running around them or a large group of friends. They just need food and water and they are good to go. I definitely at least have those things.

Your attitude towards your surroundings really alters the way you experience everything. If you are negative, everything seems so much worse. If you are anxious to reach a new stage in life, you ignore and neglect the stage you are already in.

Another facet of this is financial. Some people desire more, but more stuff just brings with it more troubles. It is better for me to be grateful for what I do have, rather than focus on what I lack. God always provides me with a home and a few earthly friends I can count on. I am truly blessed.

Being content is one of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned.

A Life Well Lived

 I want to….

Be kissed under the mistletoe.

Go for a ride in a hot air balloon.

See a celebrity that I actually recognize.

Go on a cruise.

Take horseback riding lessons.

Get certified to scuba dive.

Go to a desert and ride a camel.

Try escargot.

Go on an extensive kayaking trip.

Grow a garden that I can be proud of.

Bring ballet back into my life.

Own a piano.

Go to Ireland.

Get married.

Learn how to tune and repair pianos.

Sing an opera.

Own a really pretty dress.

Hear from God with 100% certainty.

Write a book.

Tithe regularly.

Go to the Kentucky Derby and wear a big hat.

Have a reading nook.

Ring a church bell.

Use only candlelight to see by for a week.

Own a house with a porch.

Have a child.

Zip line.

Build a treehouse.

Have art supplies and use them.

Create my own family traditions.

Play the stand up bass.

Write thank you notes just because.

Join the Peace Corps.

Make all my own bowls and mugs.

Go to Tuscany.

Rock climb up something awesome.

Read the entire Bible straight through.

Have a signature dish.

Visit Redwood National Park – I love those big trees!

See the Northern Lights.

Get a deep tissue massage.

Ride a gondola.

Go to Africa.

Fast for three days.

Have a recipe box.

Kayak in the Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico.

Have on really nice picture of myself.

Go Whale Watching.

Really learn Russian.

See cave art.

Be able to do the Scorpion yoga pose.

Give someone life changing advice.

Be able to do a split.

Have a library room in my house.

Plant a tree and then watch it grow. Maybe an American Chestnut.

Get a wild haircut.

Knit a scarf.

Call a customer service place and just thank them.

Forgive everyone.

Fill a notebook with all the things I’m grateful for.

Catch a fish.

Touch a starfish and any other undersea critter.

Teach a child to play a musical instrument.

Be in a church choir.

See a platypus.

Watch baby sea turtles hatch.

Hop on a pogo stick.

Build a doll house.

Learn Calligraphy.

Make a quilt.

Design and build a pond in my backyard. Frogs please!

Own a bakery.

Make a comic book.

Give a $100 bill to a stranger.

Be able to do a back flip.

See giant animals in the wild.

See a Broadway musical.

Sleep in a hammock.

Learn to belly dance.

How to Remove Rust from Knives

I noticed the other day that my knives look absolutely terrible. I have no idea if there are any health reasons not to be using rusty knives, but they sure look unpleasant.

 I googled my problem and everyone recommended lemon juice. Who knew? So here are my unappealing knives before I tackled the rust.

I did not have gallons of lemon juice to spare so I poured about half a cup into a baking pan and then added water to cover them for a proper soak. I left them in there for about half an hour. When I removed them, I dipped a regular scrubby sponge into the lemon/water concoction and scrubbed the rusty spots. This worked well for the smaller spots, but the big rusty marks on the tip were still apparent. My solution was to pour some lemon juice into a cup.

 This cup is half lemon juice, half water. A much stronger combination. These soaked for another half an hour or so. I also flipped them over and let the end of the handles soak for a bit. They also had spots that I did not take pictures of. I did not notice them until I was scrubbing them after they were in the pan. Just a 10 minute soak removed the rust easily from the handles. For some of the tougher spots that seemed to be embedded into the "grain" of the knives, I just used my fingernail to scratch them off.

 I would recommend not even trying to big pan step and going straight to the mini soak in a cup.

 Tada! My knives now look as good as new! In my reading, I discovered that you are not suppose to put knives in the dishwasher? Again, I had no idea that was the case. Good to know! Hopefully these should stay sparkly and awesome for a long time now. =)

How to clean a deep fryer!

It was time. Time to break down and really scrub this thing up. I have tried before, washing it in the sink in soap and water, the dishwasher, bleach cleaner....with no results! My husband told me the grease just stained it and it wouldn't come off. After finding some new cleaning methods, I decided to try it again.

As you can see, my deep fryer is nasssstyyyy!!! How on earth have we been eating out of this gross thing?! Good news!!! Even for a deep fryer as bad as this one, there is hope! But as a warning, it took some work!! This was not a 5 minute and be done with it job.


Tips! :)
*Wear old gross clothes! You will stink. 

*Don't have plans for awhile after starting. This is time consuming, and in the end, you will stink. 

*Wait until the kids are napping. This is gross and you won't want to fill sippy cups with *those* hands!

*Wear gloves especially if you have sensitive skin to keep from getting chemical burns!

*Unplug the deep fryer!! Set the heating unit aside while cleaning. It cannot get wet. It may ruin the motor :) 

What you will need :)

*A dirty deep fryer (a given)

*Vinegar

*Baking soda

*A box of magic erasers (I used 2 for mine)

*Hydrogen Peroxide
*A sponge

*A scrubbing tool

Part 1- The lid. 

This part was annoying, but I felt so accomplished when I got it done! For the top of the lid, I used a magic eraser. I did NOT use one on the inside because magic erasers contain chemicals that you would not want to get in your food. 

I used the magic eraser on all the stainless steel, the handle, and the outside of the window. Basically, the whole top. It took a little scrubbing, but it is the easiest way to get the grease off the outside. I have tried many chemicals and just plain water, and this works the best by FAR!!

For the inside....

I put it in my sink (which was free of dishes) so the dirty inside was facing up. As you can see, I have about a  half inch of gunk. Dried grease mixed with gross food. Ick!! I put a layer of baking soda all over the inside so it covered the whole surface. Then, I SLOWLY poured vinegar onto the top, careful not to pour too fast and just wash all the baking soda off. Then I would scrub at it a little. The reaction between the baking soda and vinegar loosens the stains. I repeated these steps a few times until I got most of it off. Then I made a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (which will form a paste) and I rubbed it on the stubborn spots. That should set for at least 30 minutes. Then I scrubbed it off with my scrub brush. 

While I waited for that to set, I moved on to part 2. :)

Part 2-The body

This is simply the stainless steal outside. As you can see, mine had a lot of grease stains that ran down and the handles were just gross!!

For this, I used a magic eraser all over the outside. Then I took a wet rag to wipe it down. I finished it off with a dab of baby oil to give it some shine. :) 

Very easy! (The easiest part!) And, it looks SO much better when guests come over!! 

Part 3- The inside

Well, the first thing I did was to remove the grease. I put mine into an empty milk jug until I can dispose of it properly. Do NOT put it down your sink! Thats not a good idea at all. I removed the grease before I ever got started.

Right now, the inside is just gross. How did I ever feel like cooking food in that?! I never did get mine perfect. :( But I got it SO much better!

I started with my trusty baking soda and vinegar!

These two simple, non harsh, ingredients are so potent when together! I got off what I could using this and scrubbing like a mad woman! Then I boiled enough water to completely fill up my inside container, and I let it set in hopes the rest of it would be loosened by the hot water. I used a bottle brush with a long handle to run along the inside and it loosen quite a bit of gunk the baking soda and vinegar missed. I was unable to get it all off. That stuff sticks in there like cement!! But I made a MAJOR improvement! 

**Disclaimer-After putting the boiling water in the inside part, please note it will be hot!! Don't stick your hand in it :)

Part 4-the basket. 

There really isn't much to this one. I just had to scrub it. Since its mesh and has all the holes, I couldn't make any magic happen. In fact, I had to use my finger nails at certain points to get it off :( :( :(

I did find using a toothpick in the small holes helped poke some of the grease chunks out. I used my sponge on the rest and I sprinkled baking soda on it. I just scrubbed it for awhile. 

Part 5-The dishwasher!

I ran the basket, the lid, and the inside through the dishwasher. While I did this, I wiped off the coils (the part that gets hot to heat the grease) and magic erased the knobs and little screen. 

I also showered. It was very much needed! 

Then I put it all back together. It looked SOOO much better!!! 

There you have it!! Not too hard. Just time consuming (or it was for me) and takes a little work...but SO worth it!! Good luck! I would love to hear how it worked for you!!

Also, don't wait 2 years before deciding to clean it again and it might not look as bad as mine. ;) I will defiantly do this more often for less work!!