Fertilize Your Indoor Plants for F..R..E..E..

Before we moved to Mexico, my husband researched and thought about getting into aquaculture.  This is a process where you raise fish and grow vegetables but you use the water from the fish to water/fertilize your plants.  You use pumps to push the water through and the fish end up with clean water because the plants are like filters.

We have a fish tank and a lot of house plants so I figured, why not?  I don't have pumps and filters and all that stuff but I have a skinny pitcher that will fit through the opening on top of the tank.  I water all of my plants once a week using the water from the fish tank and my plants look amazing!

I decided to try my hand at growing a vegetable that would do well in a container on a balcony so I'm in the process of growing a jalapeño pepper plant from seed.  It has blooms and is starting to produce peppers and the only thing I did was water it with the fish tank water!  Ok, twist my are....here is a picture.

I wanted to wait to take the picture until the peppers were ready to pick but I just got so excited when I saw the little green balls that will be peppers, I had to post about it!  (WOW, now that's a run on sentence!)  See the little brown flowers in the middle of the plant?  Those are where the peppers are!  I'm so proud of my brown thumb self...
Till next time,
Okie Girl

Love to Bake but It's a Bust

At sea level, I love to bake!  I make a killer Guinness Chocolate Cake, get the recipe here, and many other things as well.  However, at the altitude I'm living at now, "fuget abot it"!  Everything I've tried to bake comes out W.R.O.N.G.

My brownies came out hard, cakes are thin and overflow the pan, quick breads are just nasty!

So, here is my plea to anyone who has or is living at any type of altitude above sea level:  HELP!!  Hope that was clear.  I need tips, hints or recipes that are tried and successful!  I hope to hear from you!

What's a girl to do?  I live at around 9000ft.  Yes, here in Mexico City I live above the normal bowl that the city sits in.

So let me hear from you, come on, don't be shy!

Quick Tip for an Easy Dinner

I know most of us wish we had someone else to cook dinner, right?!  Yes, I'm a stay at home mom but that doesn't mean I get joy out of planning and cooking my weekly menu.  I do it to save time and stay on my food budget.

So you've put in the time to plan that menu, or not, and now you find yourself not wanting eat what was planned or you have something else in the works and need a quick and easy go to.  Look no further, here's mine and I'm sharing it with you:

Any kind of meat marinaded in Kraft Zesty Italian dressing!  That's right people and it's gooooood......

Poke your choice of meat with a fork, put it in a bowl or zipper top bag and poor in the dressing.  It can set in there from 30 minutes up to 2 days.  Grill it, bake it, fry it up in a pan......I feel a really old commercial tune popping into my head involving the cooking of bacon and men.  Anyway, cook the meat according to your liking.  Pair it with a bag salad and voila!  You've got dinner in less than 30 minutes!  Can't get any easier than that, huh Rachael Ray!

For those of us here in Mexico, yes, they have Kraft Zesty Italian dressing at the Superama in Santa Fe!  This is where I live so it's really the only Superama I can say has it.  Can anyone else give other locations for this product?

Till next time,
Okie Girl

Here's one for the guys too.....

For those of you who really know me, you know I have this weird obsession with....duct tape.  Yeah, I know.... My dad always told me that it's one of those all purpose tools you should always have handy.  He was so right, thanks dad!

Here are just some of the many uses for this all purpose tool:

1. Use it to temporarily fix hoses in your car.  Yes, I've used it for this and forgot about the hose.  Months later, it was still holding strong!

2. Use it to hold bulging suit cases together when traveling.  Now that we are going from Mexico to the U.S., I can't tell you how many people could have benefited from this tip!

3. Use a small piece to hold screws so they don't roll away never to be found again!  I could have sworn there were 5 screws before....

And those are just a few of the uses!  Did you know there are books filled with all sorts of crazy uses for duct tape?  I've purchased a few books for my dad just to see if he's thought of all of them.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can buy duct tape in pink, purple, blaze orange and even camouflage!  You don't just have to have the old grey/silver color anymore.

Don't get caught without a roll.  Keep it in the trunk of your car or under the seat, I know that's where mine is!  You just never know when you may need it!

Till next time!
Okie Girl

My First Tip!! So exciting!

Bienvenidos!  This is not my first blog but my first blog that is not just about my family.

I've been told by family and friends that I have many tips and tricks stored away in the wrinkles of my brain, where is the only place I want wrinkles by the way.  So, I've decided to share all of those with you.  Oh, not the wrinkles, just the tips and tricks.  I also love to write/talk so this is my outlet for that as well.

I was getting dressed to run an errand this morning when my first tip for this blog jumped out of one of those wrinkles in my brain.

I have been asked before what mascara I use to get my eyelashes so long.  Well, any mascara will work but I usually buy Lashblast in the orange tube by CoverGirl.  I've been know to use the Lashblast in the purple tube as well but I can't find it here in Mexico.

The trick is in the application.  I NEVER use an eyelash curler, I've pinched myself to many times and pulled out my own lashes in the process.  So, here are step by step instructions for my application of any mascara:

1. Apply mascara from base to tip.  When the applicator brush is at the base of the eyelash, wiggle the brush back and forth just a bit to make sure the brush gets mascara on all of the eyelash.  Do one eye and then the other.  Make sure you give it a couple of seconds for the mascara to dry just a bit before going to step two.

2. Apply another coat of mascara from mid lash to the tip only.  Don't go back to the base as this will cause clumps.  Don't forget to give your mascara a couple of seconds to dry.

3. Repeat step 2 until you have the fullness and length you want.  Don't repeat more than three times or you will end up serious clumps, just saying...

I usually don't use mascara on my lower lashes because I end up with raccoon eyes.

If you use this tip/trick, let me know how it worked!  I always welcome comments!