9 Cool Organizing Ideas Using a Tension Rod That You May Not Have Thought Of Yet

I have two things on the homestead that need addressing this week. One is I have a few tension rods unused in my closet. Second is my home which is getting pretty holiday-time messy. 
So it's time to organize and I found these great ideas to use tension rods. In fact, I am so inspired that I am ordering more tension rods. They have so many cool uses that I have come up with more along the way.

1. This one I am doing right away. JenThousandWords.com did a beautiful job organizing under her kitchen sink with a tension rod for her spray bottles. You can read more here.

2. This idea comes from KellyHicksDesign.com. She uses a tension rod at the bottom of a curtain in her bathroom to make a clean design. Her blog for more info on this idea is here.

3. What about using tension rods in your drawers? MontanaPrairieTales.com shows an ingenious way to organize plastic storage lids here. I will be using this idea with my canning lids and rings. Plus you can use a tension rod to hang your canning rings up under a cupboard or at the top of a pantry shelf. 

4. This article by OneGoodThingByJillee.com shows how much nicer wrapping gifts would have been this year if we'd done this last year. Let's make Christmas 2016 a bit more organized!

5. BHG.com shows a cute way to hide the clutter of things and cords under a table or desk by hanging curtains on tension rods between the legs of the table/desk.

6. A great way to use extra space in the closet is to run a tension rod from front to back along the side wall and hang extra jewelry, scarves or small clutches from it. This idea came from Pinterest. 

7. I am so doing this one right away, too. OneGoodThing.com shows how a tension rod along the back of a cupboard can elevate and organize spices! Sweet!

8. Tension rods used vertically in a cupboard help to keep cutting boards, lids, cookie sheets, baking pans and a host of other items both organized AND taking up less space as shown on BHG.com.

9. TheHouseOnMillsBrook.com shows us that you can make any drawer into a hanging file drawer with tension rods. I am doing this this weekend, too.

Please send us photos of any tension rod projects that you do and we will share them with our beloved readers. 

And while we are using things in a new way, here are some ideas of things to do with mouse pads and things to do with bath puffie scrubbies. 

Dehydrating Apples for Healthy Snacking

So we just dehydrated apples because we had quite a few and I didn't want them to go to waste. Apples are very easy to dehydrate and make a great snack. Especially for the healthy New Year New You : )

I use my Excalibur Dehydrator, which I love. 

Frankly I don't do anything to prep the apples, like citric acid or lemon juice, because I find that they come out just fine without adding anything to them. (There are links below to directions should you decide that you do want to do this, but our pics show that you don't really need to do this step).

1. Slice your apples. Peel them first if you'd like. We don't do that, but you could.
I use my handy dandy apple slicer to get uniform and thin slices and plop them on the trays. 
2. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. (optional)
3. Dehydrate at 135 degrees (F) for 6-8 hours. This batch went in for 8 hours because these McIntosh and Delicious Apples were pretty juicy. 
4. Store them anyway that works best for you.

You can seal them in bags or jars and they will last 4-6 weeks. 

You can also use your Foodsaver to have them last longer.
I save all glass jars from anything, like spaghetti sauce, gravy... and use the jar sealer attachment on my food saver to seal them up. You can also, of course, use mason jars. 

You can also add another hour or two to the process and dry them all the way to apple chips. Apple chips last longer because more of the water is removed. My family just prefers the regular apple slices less dry.

This link gives some directions for ascorbic acid and lemon juice to keep your apples from browning during the process if you'd like to include that step. Again, I don't because it's never been an issue for me. 

You can check out our dehydrating dog treats page if you're in a dehydrating frame of mind. 

Some Up-cycling Ideas and New Ways to Re-use Old Mouse Pads

While cleaning out the office today I just came within 2 inches of throwing out an old mouse pad.
"No!", I said to myself. If we are going to stay on track towards homesteading then we have two mantras to keep in mind to save money. 
1. Don't just buy new stuff.. try to make something rather than buy it.
2. Don't waste old stuff. Everything should have a new purpose. (here's what we did with our old twin bed frame, we made a kitchen island!)

So what can you do with an old mouse pad? Here are some ideas that I found.

The most popular thing out there seems to be using it for a trivet if the top or bottom doesn't have plastic coating. This is a great idea. See it here on RealSimple.com.

From RealSimple.com

InspirationsForMoms.com has 5 other cool ideas. She writes:

 1) Quiet your cabinets. Cut your mouse pad into nickle-sized circles and glue them to the corner of cabinets doors. Say goodbye to those loud bangs!  

3) Catch the condensation. Cut up some mouse pads to use them as drink coasters.
4) Open jars with ease. Use the rubber underside of a mouse pad to loosen the stubborn lids of jars or bottles.

From InspirationsForMoms.com

5) Line your dish cabinets. Yes, cabinet liners are pretty cheap. But if you have old mouse pads just lying around, they are FREE. Place them in you kitchen cabinets to protect your dishes.
6) Protect your floors. To prevent table legs and chairs from scuffing your floors, cut your mouse pad into small pieces and glue each piece to the bottom of a leg.
You can visit her blog here.

We also have a post on recycling bath puffy scrubby things here.These are some really valid and great ideas and I will be a few of them.
If you have any other ideas, please let us know so we can add them and share them.

Ally's Christmas Crack - a Tasty Sweet and Salty Treat

This taste sensation was introduced to me by one of my co-workers. Ally brought this in to share with the office and it disappeared within minutes. 

Here's what she told me to do...

You need about 25 saltine crackers,
1 cup light brown sugar
2 sticks of butter
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
Optional walnuts, broken candy cane pieces, broken cookie pieces or what ever typing seems fun to you.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.
Layer the crackers across a cookie sheet in a single layer. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium sauce pan, melt the 2 sticks of butter and one cup of brown sugar. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture up to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes. It will turn a nice caramel color.

Poor the caramel over the crackers evenly.
Put the sheet into your preheated oven for 3 to 5 mins. Keep a close eye on it. You just want it to start bubbling. 

Remove from oven.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the pan. The heat will soften the chips until you are able to spread them out over the whole pan. 

If your going to add toppings, now is the time. I added walnuts because that's what hubby-licious likes. Smashed candy canes would look pretty. That's what I am doing for my next tray because they are going to be a hostess gift.
Place the pan in the freezer for 15 mins.
Take the pan out, lift a corner of the candy and start breaking it into pieces.
Serve, enjoy and watch everyone's happy faces while they eat this.
It makes a great hostess gift of you make a batch and put it in a cute container or basket.
Thank you Ally!

Sea Monkeys (yes, sea monkeys) as a muse for Permaculture Gardening

Even auto correct is concerned that I am typing about the right thing and is trying to auto correct the capitalization of Sea Monkeys as we speak.

These are such a fun throw back to child hood for me. They make a fun little smile gift for people and I have some that I care for in my office. No one at work is allergic to Sea Monkeys : )

You can buy them here.

The real reason that I am writing about them beyond their cuteness and the affinity I have for my little guys after having received them as a gift from Emily, is that they are a little microcosm that has me reflecting on permaculture gardening. #Permaculture gardening is developing a space until it meets all the needs of its inhabitants, from food and shelter to fuel and entertainment. 

When you first get your sea monkeys, they come with the shelter (the container) and food, the starter stuff for the water and also a little turkey baster type thing to aerate the water. 
They are not self sustaining. You need to add food regularly and also aerate the water just about every day for them to grow and live in your office as pets. 
Eventually, how-ever, you can foster an environment where algae starts to grow in the little tank. I was super excited the first time I saw that the algae was growing and there were little tiny air bubbles coming up from it. My monkeys were on their was to a self sustaining permaculture environment! It takes a lot of pressure off of 3 day weekends : )
Permaculture emphasizes the use of native plants or those that are well adapted to your locale. The goal here is to plant things you like, while making sure they have a purpose and benefit the landscape in some way. 
The algea in the tank acts as a food source for the monkeys and also by aerating the water, they are no longer dependent on my to sustain life! 
I want to take this premise and move forward for the planning of my permaculture garden and land for 2016. How can our land better sustain itself and us? What steps should I take first. What needs will be met? 
I'll post more on this in future blogs as I move along in the process. 
I'd love to hear your ideas and see what you have done if you have a permaculture set up in place. 
In the mean time... here are sea monkey tips for newbies who plan on getting these cute little guys (Sea Monkeys)

:
1. Follow the directions clearly for setting up your tank. 
2. If you can't do a north facing window, just leave the side of the box up during the super sunny days.
3. Feed them on Tuesdays and Fridays and only use the small side of the scoop. Feed them even when they have algae. It's a treat.
4. Be super happy if algea starts to grow for you, too. It takes a few months.
5. Aerate the tank every day until you get algea. (they will make it over the weekend)
6. If you cycle through and don't get babies to keep your tank full, you can buy regular brine shrimp. Only use the little scoop side to pour a tiny amount in your tank. You get TONS!