Domestic Technicians Blog
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Declutter Your Home Fast
Home Decorating Made Easy
Now, you can create heart-stirring rooms easier and faster than ever before by using a breakthrough new approach to home decorating. And you get it all in one complete package - The Awaken Your Interior Designer! Collection. (1037 photos/illustrations)
Welcome to Domestic Technicians
Domestic Technicians is for the savvy person who is looking for ways to help better manage their home.
Gone are the days of the ordinary housekeeper. Today's homemakers do much more than just cook, clean, and sew. Running a home is a business in itself! We are no longer housekeepers and homemakers, but are Domestic Technicians. We do everything from parenting to homeschooling to having a home business to entertaining, and manage to juggle a marriage and children and stay in a budget while shopping.
Domestic Technicians offers advice and resources concerning the business of keeping house. We cover home decorating, home repairs and renovations, cooking and recipes, home and garden, home furnishings, organizing, entertaining, family and children, weddings and marriage, home office, gardening, homeschooling, and so much more.
Be sure to check out our books area. It's updated often, so keep checking back.
Printable Quilting Stencils
Quilting, as you might have already discovered can turn out to be a lot of fun and a great means to give your creativity full rein. If you’re already hooked with the wonderful craft of quilting, you would certainly be on a lookout for great new patterns to work with and spike up a whole new challenge for you. The great news is, there are actually a number of printable quilting stencils online that you can get for free. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Among the popular website sources of printable quilting stencils is www.stensource.com, where they have an extensive catalog all available in PDF or Portable Document Format files. Some of the printable quilting stencils include Bobbi Smith stencils, Pepper Cory, Philomena Durcan and Barbara Chainey Printable Quilting Stencils. You will certainly be agog with the great new stencils that will surely put your sewing prowess to the test. Another highly recommended online site is www.needlepointers.com, where they also offer free printable quilting stencils that you can easily use as guides in any quilting project. All of the designs are available in two sizes – 3” &6” or 4” & 8”. However, if you should prefer you change the sizes, you can easily do that by using a copy machine or even a scanner to alter the sizes according to your preferences or as needed in your project. You will definitely have more fun with the new challenges presented to you all for free.
As many of the professional quilters learned through years of experience is the fact that one of the difficult stages in quilting is actually on deciding what particular theme or design pattern to use. However, with wonderful inclusions in the online catalog, you will probably enjoy browsing through a number of printable quilting stencils. Let’s face it, the more choices the better it is since you will have to take in consideration to choose a theme that will naturally blend with your existing interiors and complement your home decors. So it’s important not to be carried away with the wonderful designs and keep in mind that it should not stand out like a sore thumb in your bedroom or living room. Another tip when choosing a pattern, make sure that it is well within your skill level. A beginner has certainly no business meddling with some really intricate designs that are for advanced quilters. Otherwise, there’s an all to ominous possibility that you will just end up ruining the fabric.
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Copycat Recipes Cookbook
Get Organized
Home Organization Guide
Blogging for Dollars
Get Paid to Blog
Homemade Marshmallows
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
confectioners sugar for dusting
Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit
while you make the syrup.
Meanwhile combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a
small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees
on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the
dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the
mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix
thoroughly.
With a sieve, generously dust an 8 x 12 inch nonmetal baking dish
with confectioners sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan,
smooth the top and dust with more confectioners sugar. Allow to stand
uncovered overnight until it dries out.
Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them into squares. dust
them with more confectioners sugar.
Spinach Casserole
2 pkg. of frozen Chopped spinach
1/2 to 3/4 stick of margarine
8 oz. of Cream cheese
Parmesan cheese
Breadcrumbs
Cook the spinach according to package directions and drain off the water.
Melt the cream cheese and margarine over low heat. Mix the spinach, cream
cheese and margarine together and place into a casserole dish. Sprinkle
with the Parmesan cheese and a little more heavily with the breadcrumbs.
Bake for 10 to 15 (will be bubbly) at 350 degrees.
Crockpot Mexican Casserole
6 corn or flour tortillas, torn into pieces
1 can ranch-style beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can rotel tomatoes with their juice
1 lb of ground beef or turkey which you have browned with chili
powder and garlic powder and drained
8 oz. cubed velveeta cheese
Place in order given in your crockpot. Cook 3 to 4 hours on low.
Good served with salad for complete meal.
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The Baby Bedding Challenge
Having a baby is the most wonderful experience a woman can have as it is a fulfillment of the biological function of the female species. After the giving birth process, the real work begins. Feeding bottles, diaper changes, immunization records are just a few of the things the new mom have to learn quickly. And one important thing to consider in the arrival of the baby is the kind of baby bedding he or she will use. According to Dr. Mark Brandenburg (http://www.baby-place.com/crib_safety.html), the number one rule to follow in choosing the right baby bedding for your precious infant is safety. The second rule says safety and the third rule emphasizes safety. We are to conclude that it is not enough to say it, it must be emphasized that baby bedding is critical for the comfort of the baby.
In his article on how to find the perfect baby bedding, it must be neither too hard nor too soft. In the past, sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS was attributed to very soft baby bedding. This happened when the baby's mattress is too soft that his nose and mouth gets covered and the air he exhales is the air he breathes. This is dangerous for him since he would breath carbon dioxide rather than oxygen and the effects could lead to drowsiness, coma or even death.
There are a lot of styles and makes in choosing the baby's bed. And with that, it follows that the baby bedding must be a perfect fit with the chosen equipment. The three major selections are: a bassinet, a crib or a cradle. What differentiates one from the other? A bassinet is an oblong-shaped basket that serves as a bed for an infant. But sometimes, round bassinets are also available. A crib is a bed that is flanked with high side bars for a baby or young child's safety. Cribs are usually more economical since the baby can use it from infancy to two years. While a cradle is a small low bed that an infant uses that has rockers on its stand. In all these, the material used to make the equipment should alert and signal to the mom how much safety precautions are needed.
Bassinets are usually lacey and full of trimmings. The baby bedding must fit the bassinet so that the baby's space is enough for him or her to be able to roll from side to side. The crib is usually square, thus, mattresses can be fitted to the size of the crib. The baby bedding usually is a set of coverlet and small pillows. Hotdog pillows can also be placed inside. However, the pillows should not be more than two or three lest the baby can stand on them and could fall over. The cradle can come in various sizes and shapes. Some moms prefer cradles so that when the baby is cranky, he or she can be rocked to be calmed down. The baby bedding for a cradle should follow the shape of it. Not much can be placed inside it since it is used mainly to rock the baby to sleep. However, one need not the three to keep the baby safe, warm and secure. One will do and this would depend on the parent's preference. The most preferred would be the crib since it can be used for a long time.
Now that we've covered the basic equipment, how do we furnish it with baby bedding? We have already established that the baby bedding should fit the sleeping equipment to avoid accidents and other untoward incidents. The most suitable material to use is cotton as it is absorbent and cool to the baby's skin. Different designs must be used to stimulate the baby's color and pattern recognition. Therefore, the baby bedding is a crucial factor in keeping the baby happy and healthy.
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