I have to keep this short today, because we’re under attack - BY ANTS. It happens almost every summer, though I’m not sure why. This year they came in a little later than usual, but here they are. They are coming in behind the stove, around the bathroom sink and of all places through a tiny hole in my closet (right were the rack support is bolted to the wall).

We try to stay away from commercial ant poison as much as possible and have been using baking soda sprinkled around the outside, hot soapy water on the inside etc. I’ve even tired drawing a chalk line around the outside of the house, but that doesn’t seem to work at all.

I’d appreciate any suggestions on what else to try. Ok, off to squish some more ants.

photo credit: Sir Mervs

Ok, it’s time for the next round of the Best Hillbilly Housewife Website Awards. This month we’ll be voting on Discount and Coupon Websites.

Take a moment to nominate your favorite below. You have from now through Sept. 14th at 11:59 pm to nominate your favorite site.

On September 15th I will put the nominations up and we will vote through the end of September.

Can’t wait to see your favorite coupon websites.

Susanne

Is it really Friday already? This week has just been moving too fast for me

Of course that also means it’s time for some frugal fun and this week we’re making our own playdough.

I’ve been doing this with our daughter for years. She loves playing with playdough, but I can’t stand the smell of the commercially available stuff. So we started making our own. I feel better about letting her play with something that isn’t full of chemicals and paints, and I think the texture of the homemade stuff is a lot better. It’s much more plyable than the store-bought version.

Here’s my favorite homemade playdough recipe. You can color it just about any color with food coloring and it stores well in the fridge. I think we have just as much fun making it as we do playing with it.

I also love the fact that it is made with ingredients that are waiting in my pantry anyway, so this is easily done at the spur of the moment.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Do you want to hear something embarrasing? When I first started baking our own bread, I’d still buy a loaf of regular sliced bread at the store each week. I loved the way the homemade bread tastes, but couldn’t manage to slice it in any way that would allow us to make something even remotely resembling a regular sandwich. it was great cut in thick slices, or just torn into chunks and I’d serve it with various soups, stews and dips.

I kept trying though and eventually came up with some simple tricks that make slicing homemade bread easy-breezy. Here they are:

• Let the bread cool completely before you try to slice it. It will work much better than trying to slice warm bread.
• Use a large, sharp knife with a serrated edge. Don’t push down while you’re cutting the slices, instead use a sawing motion. This will keep the bread from being squished down and you usually avoid tearing it this way.
• For thin, even slices, use a bread slicing guide. I picked up a large serrated knife a while back that had one built in, but you can also pick up some that will work with any knife. Just check for them at a houseware store, or in the houseware department of your local superstore.

Update - Several HBHW readers also suggested using an electric knife to cut bread. I haven’t had a chance to try it myself, but it sounds like a great idea and I think you should give it a try, especially if you already have an electric knife.

Use those tips and then just keep at it. Don’t worry if the slices aren’t all that even or thin at first. You’ll get better with practice. On the upside, your homemade bread will beat out the store brand in flavor and freshness any day of the week.

photo credit: Dan4th