Okay…  We have lived in the country for a year and are turning into country folk.  LOL  We have our first big garden this year and so we have froze peppers, I made a batch of pickles, (with many more to come) and we took the kids, picked corn and made freezer corn tonight.  It turned out sooo yummy!  (hopefully it will be as good when it is thawed and re-heated).  The kids husked all of it, hubby got all the kernels off, and I washed, cooked and bagged. We ended up with 14 quart size freezer bags - a total of 37 cups of corn.  I think we will probably go again in the next couple days and do another round.  I also have zucchini sitting in the kitchen that I plan to make into bread and freeze…  So do any of you do summer canning or freezing?

My Mother in law sent this to me, and I found it quite informative, so I thought I would share.   

1. All this time you’ve just been putting Bounce in the dryer! It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.  It also repels mice.
 
2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
 
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don’t get opened too often.
 
4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
 
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
 
6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
 
7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
 
8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
 
9. Put a Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
 
10. Prevent thread from tangling.   Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
 
11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual  sheet of Bounce inside an empty luggage before storing.
 
12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
 
13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean.  The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
 
14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
 
15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing an area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
 
16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
 
17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
 
18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
 
20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
 
21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

We tried this the other night - it was so much fun and so quick and easy!

Homemade Ice Cream…In a Bag!

• ½ cup half-and-half
• 1tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 sandwich Ziploc bag
• 1 gallon Ziploc bag
• 3 cups crushed ice
• 1/3 cup rock salt

Put first 3 ingredients in the smaller zip lock bag, and seal bag (make sure it is tightly closed!) put ice and rock salt in the larger bag, then add the filled small bag, seal the large bag.

Squeeze bag until ice cream is thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove small bag, unseal and eat with spoon. You don’t even need a bowl!

These look so good! http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/recipes/fudge_brownies_1104.asp

Take a peek around the site and you will find free samples to parchment paper, foil and a slow cooker liner too!