CLEAN CAR HACKS! How to Clean & Organize Your Car!

I subscribe to the above channel posting as she has to good tips for cleaning your car and shares some unique products.well and well worth a watch.

Note:  Links to products she shows are on her channel below the video.  Most are under $20, but a few of them there may be a lower cost alternative, so I have included that below as well. 

In the video, she has inexpensive DIY Window Cleaner and a DIY Seatbelt cleaner and I plan on trying out the window cleaner some time.

CRAFT FOAM PAINT BRUSHES TO CLEAN VENTS
I think this is a pretty genius idea.   Most of the craft shops sell individual ones for under $1 or you might be able to find a small bag at Dollar Tree.

WINDOW SCRAPER
She uses a plastic window scraper to get bits off a window or windshield and it links to a pan scraper, but you might be able to pick up cheaper at Walmart or a pack of putty scrapers from Home Depot for around $4.

FLUBBER LOOKING DUST CLEANER

I have to say I have never seen anything like it, but I am intrigued and it looks like it might be fun to play with.   The cost is currently $7.99 on Amazon. 

In Googling, I did find a https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-make-cleaning-slime-for-electronics/ that uses borax, white Elmer's glue and water that would be much cheaper to make and it looked like it was working on a keyboard.  This may be a DIY in my future.

Photo;  Screenshot from video

Screenshot from video

BLINGED STEERING WHEEL COVER

This her mother got it for her and it is currently on Amazon for $14.57. 

Although I have picked up steering wheel covers at Walmart on clearance for $3 before and I suppose you could pick up bling ribbon from Dollar Tree or a crafts store and glue it around the outside that it might be slightly cheaper, it is not likely to last up as long and probably worth the investment.

CREVICE STORAGE BOXES

I had considered making something to attach to the door of my car to hold things, but I like this idea of utilizing the crevice between the console and seat to store things better and it looks upscale.

Currently, a set of 2 for $16.95 (on Amazon and it comes with spacers to help keep it open a bit.  If I had a nicer vehicle it might be worth investment, but on Ol' Red, my 2000 Hyundai Accent, it would probably look too much out of place, so space may continue to be an occasional 2 pocket binder holder.

SEAT HOOKS

I had not seen this before, but I love the idea.  I checked Walmart's website and although they have some individual ones that are cheaper, they also look more flimsy, so the deal for a pack of 4 for $6.90 on Amazon does seem like the best deal so far.

SILICONE BAKING MOLDS FOR IN CONSOLE 

It would make sense to have something you can put in and take out, but I have never had an in-console drink holder like this, but these cupcake molds can come in handy for a variety of things and can be picked up inexpensively at end of season Christmas sales.  I think the last ones I bought were at Walmart for $1.25 for 6 at after Christmas sale.

CAR SEAT PROTECTOR WITH TWO POCKETS 

If you cart around a young child in a car seat, at $24.97 on Amazon, it is probably going to be worth the investment.

A cheaper, but less aesthetically pleasing alternative that I used when my son was young was an old baby blanket and vinyl table cloth picked up at a 75% end of a season clearance sale on top of that.

CAR ORGANIZERS

For a hang on the back seat organizer, Sew Can She has a tutorial to make your own backseat car organizer, but the large grommet kit, even with a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby or similar one JoAnn's will cost more than buying one.  Making your own though would you could use a cheery fabric and it would be one of a kind, but both Amazon or  Walmart and have several inexpensive options.

I don't have one presently, but the last one I picked up for $2 from a thrift store and it looked brand new. 

In the past, I had purchased a trunk organizer off of Amazon that had a place for cold storage in the center in the past but found wasn't using it like I thought I would.   

Instead, I replaced it with storage cubes like this from Dollar Tree for $1 each and inserted a box approximately the same size inside for structure to hold up better.

Target Has Beauty Tip Basics

Photo; Source

It seems like lately Target has become invested in marking their beauty products and they now have basic beauty tips on their website.

The segments are short, concise with lots of pictures and a good overview.

A tip I picked up under their finding your foundation match is to test on your nose and forehead.  

On the Eyeshadow and Contouring it shows basic products, tools and a standard application that could be flattering for an everyday looks, but keep in mind contouring takes a lot of practice and blend, blend, blend, blend, blend to look natural and not like your face is dirty or a clown-like appearance, especially in harsh Summer light.   

The one title that I disgree with though is How To Grow Hair Faster.  There isn't really any way to do that, although your overall health, nutrition, and use of heat products that can damage hair can impact growth and breakage.   I can attest that I was not able to grow my hair past shoulder length until I stopped bleaching, blowdrying and hot-rollering my hair.

They also have tips on natural and curly hair, skincare, beating dandruff and cleaning make up brushes so if you are interested in any of those types of things might want to poke around that area and check it out.

Target Beauty Tips link

Food Trend - "Easy For You" Heat and Eat - $7.99 the Pound Entree and Sides

I spotted this neary the dairy section at the Kroger in Southgate Plaza and it is in a refrigerated case offering heat and eat gourmet type entrees and sides for $7.99 lb.

The instructions indicate heat up the product in a covered skillet for 8-12 minutes. 

Without having tested out I cannot say anything to the taste, a few issues are:

• Labeling -  obviously one this is that everything needs to be clearly labeled and in the 3rd picture down 3 items are not.

• Costs - Cheaper to make from scratch, some by a little, some by a lot.   The entrees would be more worth the cost as the products cost more than the sides.

• Time  - Cilantro Lime Rice can be made from scratch in the same amount of time and a fraction of the cost with using the Cilantro Lime Rice recipe at Closet Cooking and Minute Rice or any other quick cook rice.

• Freshness - would be fresher and have more nutrients than frozen, but not sure how they would handle the "best by" date on something like this and would be a question I would ask the store before purchasing.

• Ease - The more complicated the dish might be to make from scratch, the more it might be worth it.   

• Time - being ready in less than 15 minutes on a weeknight might be worth it, but if you can postpone at least part you can make Ina Garten's Garlic Roasted Potatoes in about an hour with little prep work for $3-4 per pound.

• Prep - If you don't eat a certain food and no experience preparing, such as chicken, preparing from scratch could be disastrous to prep from scratch and might be worth it.   Live Science has a good article on proper chicken prep to avoid Salmonella and cross contamination.  Like wise on Shrimp, that center vein in shrimp is their digestive tract and needs to be removed.  Epicurious has a video on Youtube how to devein them.

For me, I could see any of the shrimp dishes possibly being worth it for a special occasion for family members as I don't eat seafood, but would have to buy a little and have a seafood lover try it out first. 

What do you think of something like this?  Is this something that you think you would buy and if so, what types of dishes would you try?

Sides:  Cilantro Lime Rice, Parmarella Mac & Cheese, Garlic & Herb Roasted Potatoes

4 Shrimp dishes and Salmon Ravioli

Mushroom Truffle Risoto on left, Roasted Pepper Mac and Cheese on right, center item not labeled.

Prime Rib Strips with Mushrooms and Gravy. Orange Mango Chicken, Chicken and Sausage, Rustic Roasted Tomato Basil Chicken and Vegetables.

Mary Quant Style Mini-Dress - Link to Free Pattern

Photo:  Snapshot from pattern

I stumbled across this via a vlog I follow on Youtube called Michoumakes by lovely English woman who sews, designs and crafts.

In the link below she shares a story about on a field trip to the London when she was in a design class and how they bought something small at two of the expensive stores so they would have a high end shopping bag to show off on the train ride home, but also shares a link to the V & A Museum of Art and Design where they currently are showing a collection of the iconic 1960's designer Mary Quant.

I was just a young child when she was popular and the first designer I ever recall my Mom talking about and she thought the style would be cuter on younger girls if they wear a pair of shorts underneath for modesty.  I think some of the Simplicity and McCalls pattern she sewed for me were knock-offs

The V & A has a link on their site to a free pattern for a Mary Quant Style Mini-Dress that was made by mother-daughter team of Alice & Co Patterns.

It is an A line shift dress with several variations available.  I think it is really cute if you are younger and have the legs to show off, but if I make this, I like, the woman at Michoumakes would wear it as a top as my mini-dress days are long gone.

For those that do make this you can share your creations on social media #WeWantQuant @vamuseum @aliceandcopatterns.

Link to pattern on V & A 's website here

Red Robin Smoky Jack Tavern Double Burger - Review

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Red Robin Smoky Jack Tavern Double with endless fries and a side of ranch dressing for dipping. The barbecue sauce is smoky with sweet with a hint of bourbon whiskey and really makes the burger. #Red Robin #SmokeyJacTavernDouble #whiskeyriverbarbecue #BottomlessFries #ranchdippingsauce

A post shared by Kathryn (@kmomcrafter) on Dec 23, 2018 at 1:26pm PST

I shared this on my Instagram page and thought I would share it here as well.

I had previously signed up for Red Robin Royalty with is a free loyalty program on their website and texted "JOIN" to 98666 (they previously discontinued their app) and received a "Buy One Burger Get One Free" coupon.

The above burger was a little over $7.99 plus tax on their "Tavern" menu, which our waitress pointed out is smaller than the premium burgers, which the coupon was good for as well, but we were fine with the smaller burger.

This sandwich is a simple on with the addition of the barbecue sauce, but as I indicated in my Instagram, the sauce is really what makes the burger better.

It  two burgers topped with a bourbon whiskey barbecue sauce, Pepper Jack Cheese, red onions, pickles, lettuce and mayo.

Their burgers included their "Bottomless Fries" on the side, which means you can order as many side of fries.  We usually order mayo on the side but we were asked if we wanted to try their Ranch or Campfire Mayo sauce. Above pictured is the Ranch, which was not quite a good as Hidden Valley's Ranch Dressing.

I also tried the Campfire Mayo (not pictured) and it was a light orange color but mostly was a smoky sweet flavor with a slight tang that was neither tastes of ketchup or mayo.  It was not something I cared for, but I could see many other people that like that sort of flavor enjoying it.

Even with two soft drinks our total bill before tip was under $20 and even with a 20% tip was under $22.00 and was simple as we we only had to enter my phone number in the kiosk that was at the table.

The burger is something I would purchased again, but I would probably ask for an additional side of the barbecue sauce to be sure the entire burger was completely covered (there were a few small spots along the edge that weren't) even if I have to eat it with a fork and knife.

I will give a warning on the games on the at table kiosk as we had a situation at Applebees where we thought the game was free and we were charged $2.99 and there was no indication of that there was a free prior to starting the game.  I suggest avoiding them and enjoy a conversation with the party(ies) you are dining with instead.

Advent of Kindness Calendar for December

In today's day and age the retail pushing Christmas deals even before Halloween we can get so lost in buying presents and worrying about making the day special we forget to make everyday special and give acts of kindness.  

A co-worker posted the above on Facebook and I thought I would share it here as they are simple acts that almost anyone can do.

Jesus is the reason for the Season and God gave us the ultimate gift and we should try to pay it forward when we can.

Little Caesar's "ExtraMostBestest" Pizza Promotion

Little Caesar's Pizza started a promotion a month or so again to for a grammatically incorrect "Extramostbestest" pizza that you can create with 1 to 4 toppings with topping that are to be "edge to edge" starting at $6, but up to $11.25 + tax if you "build your own" with 4 toppings, but they do have $10 for a Veggie or Supreme (and prices may vary based on what region in the U.S. that you live).

The flyer I received encouraged using their mobile phone app, but I decided to stop in and see if it was an online-only app or if you could order in store.

It was available to order in the store and they also advertise the "make it a meal" where you can add 2 liter of pop and other items for an additional charge.

I place an order for a Pepperoni pizza and sat on a nearby bench and waited about 10 minutes for it to be made/baked. 

Close-up of the "ExtraMostBestest" menu; unfortunately my phone does not have a zoom and some of the detail was lost when cropping.

This is the pizza that I ended up with and I snapped the picture as son as I got in my van, so the pepperoni did not migrate to the center during transporting it; it came that way.

It did have a lot more than a typical pepperoni pizza we had purchased in the past, but it is not quite "edge to edge".  I think the additional pepperoni and cheese does improve the flavor and texture of the pizza in comparison to a regular Pepperoni.  A drawback is the extra topping also add extra calories, around 300 more for this pizza so it is another factor to consider.

In comparison to other take-out pizzas it seem like there sauce is mostly just tomato and lacks spices and their crust lacks the yeasty bread taste and more like a quick bread.

While this is not my favorite pizza place, it Little Caeser's, it is to most affordable one and is a good deal if you need to feed a few people on a limited budget and limited on time.