When Life Gives You Lemons...

I firmly believe that we constantly throw out things we could completely reuse. I feel we don't really put forth the effort we used to, when it comes to re-purposing things. For the record, I certainly don't feel the U.S. is alone in this. Think back to stories family members have probably passed down about how they made something out of virtually nothing, because they had to. In his younger years, my grandfather-- who we called Daddy Tom, made a TV stand out of wooden crates and used it until the day he died. In fact, the craftsmanship was so good, I would have never known it wasn't purchased, had he not told he himself.

I'll be the first in line to tell you I can hardly hit a nail with a hammer, much less turn a piece of wood into anything, besides splinters. Here's my point: We all have things we can re-use in some way. Here are a few examples to get your brains churning and hopefully keep all of us from throwing things out:

1. A couple of months ago, we were given a LOT (!!) of apples and pears. My family enjoys eating them, but we're not on an all apple/pear diet or anything. We ate them, until I felt like a fat worm, then I got creative. We had several dinners to attend, so the dessert we took was a cobbler (recipe below), as my self-diagnosed ADHD won't sit idle enough for me to whip out a criss-cross pie lattice. What we didn't use then, I cooked and froze for future uses.

A couple of weeks later, we were given blueberries. There weren't really enough to use in a cobbler (and my family was starting a cooked fruit revolt), so we made muffins

With as many people as there are going hungry worldwide, but most especially in our own backyards, let's stop throwing food out. If your family won't eat something, let my mantra resound: Give it away! Be sweet to someone and make something as a token of your unanticipated appreciation. Public service workers like fire fighters, military people, and teachers (ahem, shameless plug) will be extremely grateful for your thoughtfulness. Need a good cobbler recipe? This is my mom's. It's extremely simple & extremely good!

COBBLER RECIPE

• 1 stick melted butter/margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large can cooked fruit (if you cook it yourself, it ends up being about 3 cups)
• Mix first 4 ingredients. Spray 9x13 pan, pour in fruit, top with flour mix. Bake at 350' until golden brown

2. My friend Chelle has creative juices that I wish I could squeeze, bottle, and sell. A few months ago, she found a fun bed sheet at Goodwill and turned it into 2 pairs of shorts for her boys and a top for her daughter! You can see the rest of her ultra-cool creations here.

3. My friend Kim recently bought a new house. Like many of us, who married more than a handful of years ago, she had a mirror that she really liked, but was over its gold frame. Yes, kids, 'twas once fashionable to have furnishings that made your house resemble that of Louis VIII. :)  Kim got creative and painted that frame. First brown, then black, to allow the frame to take on a copper look. It looks fantastic!

4. If you just can't do anything with "it", if nothing else, to quote a commercial, "give it to Goodwill" or Salvation Army, or whatever charity turns your crank. There are plenty of people who can see the potential in something and save it from the landfill-- not that I'm that person, but somebody is!

While my Daddy Tom could turn crates into furniture, I'm doing good to turn blueberries into muffins. That said, give old things new life by re-purposing them or sharing them with someone else that can use them. When life gives you lemons, do something with them, get creative, and save on, friends! :)