Wine Cubes - Freezing Wine for Future Use

"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

- Julia Child (Attributed)

I'm a lot less picky about the wine that I use for cooking than I am about the wine I drink.  And, on occasion, I open a bottle of wine I've never tried, take a sip, and immediately move that particular wine to my "don't buy again" list.  But I hate letting it go to waste since around our house wine is a luxury, and I also don't like scrambling for a recipe that I hadn't previously planned on preparing that week.  So, what to do?  It turns out you can freeze it!

The Supplies:

Wine

Ice cube trays

A freezer

The Process:

Pour wine into ice cube trays, put in freezer, let sit at Least 24 hours.  

It's a lot less messy to leave them in the trays, but if you need the trays for other projects you can pop the wine cubes out and put them in a ziplock bag and return them to the freezer.  They will be a little slushy because alcohol has a lower freezing temp than water, but they'll hold their shape well enough.  This is super convenient for the next time you have a recipe that requires wine and you don't want to use the good stuff.  They may lose alcohol content over time, but most recipes cook the alcohol out of the wine anyway, so it's just a flavoring agent. 

What an easy way to keep something from going to waste!

Cheap window insulation

Want a cheap, temporary, and easy way to insulate your windows and lower your winter heating bill?  It isn't too good to be true!  For just a few dollars (or possibly "free" if you've moved recently), you can quickly and easily insulate your windows for winter, without losing your natural light!

How, you ask?

Bubble wrap.

Yep, bubble wrap can be utilized to insulate your windows and help keep your home warmer.

The Supplies:
Bubble wrap (I used the smaller type but I've seen websites that say the big bubble type is fine too)
Scissors
A spray bottle or water or bleach disinfectant anywhere spray

The Process:

Cut bubble wrap sheets to fit window panes.  The don't have to be perfect.  To save time you can cut one to fit, then use it as a template to cut a stack of 6 layers of bubble wrap at a time.

Once your sheets of bubble wrap is cut and ready to go, finely mist your windows with your squirt bottle.  I like to use my homemade bleach disinfectant spray because it lessens the chances of there being a mildew smell later.

Sorry this doesn't show it really well.  It doesn't take much, just a fine misting.

Look at your bubble wrap.  There is likely a smooth side and a bumpy/bubbly side.  While the glass is still moist, put the bubble wrap on the glass with the bubble side towards the glass.  This creates a space with lots of air pockets that will help keep warm air in and cold air out.

Repeat until all your windows are done!  If you have scrap pieces, you can save those and do patchwork pieces in oddly shaped windows or in windows where the bubble wrap isn't quite big enough.

Before   /   After

As you can see, this method still allows plenty of natural light in.  It can also be used as a way to add a little privacy to rooms without having to put up curtains or blinds.

It works for all different window and window pane shapes and designs too.  Here's some other windows in my house I've done so far.

You can see on the right side of this window where I pieced in some bubble wrap.  It really doesn't have to be perfect.

In the spring you just peel the bubble wrap off your windows and store it for next year.  If it starts to come a little loose before you're ready for it to come down, just peel the sheet off, spritz the glass with some water, and reapply.  It's That easy!

Home Made Hair Detangling Spray

At about $6/bottle, detangler is Expensive!  And if you have really thick, curly, and/or long hair, it's kind of necessary if you want to comb your hair quickly without ripping out handfuls of it in the process.  So, I decided to figure out a way to make my own, and I was not disappointed by my Google search, the ease of this recipe, or the results!

Ingredients:
Hair conditioner (Any kind.  In fact, this is a great use for sample packets)
Water
A spray bottle

I reused a detangler spray bottle I had finished, and conditioner I already had.

The Process:
Squirt some conditioner into your spray bottle.
Fill the bottle the rest of the way with warm water.
Put on cap.  Shake for 30 seconds.
Spray onto damp hair after showering to easily comb hair.

That's it!

The various websites I read recommended between 1 teaspoon and 2 tablespoons per cup of water.  My hair is very long but very fine, and I found that a teaspoon in my 9 oz. spray bottle was enough to detangle and smooth without leaving my hair looking greasy.  Adjust the ratio of conditioner to water based on your hair type.

The Results:
I've been using this detangling spray for about a month now and I couldn't be happier!  It is So much cheaper than buying it at the store and it works just as well!  I have not tried spraying it on dry hair, since my personal experience with detangling sprays in the past is that spraying it on my hair when it's dry makes it look greasy.  But since everyone's hair is different, find out what works for you.