Hey, all!

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Life hacks:

Y'know how toothpaste tubes don't roll up and stay there? Use a mini-sized Chip Clip (for snack food bags), an dfold the tube, usin gthe clip to hold it in place. No more unexpected air bubbles of doom, and you know how much toothpaste you really have left. (Also, duh, squeezed from the bottom, as is proper ;-P )

Use leftover cream of tartar or baking powder to polish metal. B/c it's slightly acidic, you can use it with fair safety to polish stainless steel tableware, pots/pans, sinks, as a paste, and rinse with warm water. My mom used it to clean her white nurse shoes, too, but I never did think it worked.... Anyway, if you have expired cream of tartar or baking powder around, there you go. (Do not use on grout!)

A bay leaf in the storage bin with flour, pasta, sugar, and/or rice will not flavor the item in question, but can help keep food moths away. Keep the bay leaf on top. Or, like I do, tape it to the underside ofthe lid with a tiny bit of tape. Change out every 6-12 months as you feel necessary. (I use realllllly fresh ones so they last about a year for me. Dried-from-store maybe 6 months. Climate willing.)

Place uncooked rice in a pan, not even a drop of water, and shake it around till it's hot. Place in aluminum foil, fold up, and put a cloth around the "packet". YOu now have a no-microwave flexible rice heating pad!

If you don't have aloe vera handy, the goopy center of cucumbers is a quick substitute on sunburns or dry skin. I just spoon it out and slap it on, but some people will add stuff and do stuff. You can also use thin shavings of cucumber (use the peeler on the cucumber flesh) for a "skin mask". Slap 'em on, feel the love. Also nice on sunburn, or minor burns from the kitchen. And, duh, cold b/c they were in the fridge. Double bonus.

Where one bug goes, others will follow. And if you squish the bug? Yep. OThers wil still take that path. So wipe down with a bit of citrus-based (real lemon oil from a lemon) cleaner. Many bugs, like stinkbugs and ladybugs, do not go where lemon has been. Or you can just put lemon zest in a bottle of water,  fridge it, shake it up, and use that. Whichever. Fresh lemon zest, btw. I know, so inconvenient.

Fruit or veg came in a mesh bag? Save the bag for a surface-safe scrubby. Or save several and rubber band them together, which is what I do.

Cut tomatoes last to help remove any lingering odor/etc. from other veg on your cutting board. Works well for thsoe of us who cut onoins, hot peppers, etc., and reallllly don't want that residue around.

Bought fish and it smells a bit like, well, fish? Soak in milk for an hour, and then rinse. THe milk really works wonders at removing the icky "fish" smell.

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And, on that note, I'm gonna go ice my stubbed toe. And dream of sleep. And all that.

May your weekend be a good wind-down from the week!