Spaghetti Squash Cleaner-Outer

Cleaning the seeds and pulp out of a spaghetti squash is not easy! It got a lot easier when I used a serrated-edge grapefruit spoon. :) This time I baked it in the crockpot with spaghetti sauce and mushrooms, then shredded the squash into spaghetti strands and threw away the rind. Yummy, yummy! You could add sausage or meatballs, but it was very good even without the meat.

Raise the Red Flag!

We really try to be frugal with our electricity. In the summer, we try to keep the air conditioning set at 78 degrees, and in the winter, we TRY to keep the heat set at 68 degrees. But sometimes you're just too cold (or hot), and need to adjust it a little temporarily. The problem was, we would adjust the temperature, and then forget to set it back, maybe for days. There's no point in heating or cooling the house to a comfortable level when no one is there! We do have a programmable thermostat, which is wonderful, but we needed a reminder to turn it back to normal. So, now when we adjust the thermostat, we put a red bandanna over it to remind us to set it back.

We also use the red bandanna to hang on the doorknob on the door leading out to the garage to remind us of other things -- turn off the fireplace, take the food that's in the refrigerator, etc.

Be sure to remove the bandanna whenever you've taken care of the task, so it doesn't lose it's meaning. You could also use it in other ways -- hang it on the refrigerator handle to remember to defrost something, hang it around your neck as a reminder about something else.

Extra hint: This winter Dear Hubby has programmed the thermostat to warm up the house at get-up time in the morning for an hour and a half. This helps us get motivated to get up, AND really helps with showers.