Things To Do Around The House This Fall

By Pocatello Electric

The colorful season of fall has arrived! The time of harvest is also the time when the air gets cooler and the days are shorter.  Let us get ready to stay warm and cozy at home. As every season changes, there are a bunch of things that need to be done.  Here are 6 things we must do around the house to transition into fall:

1. Keep gutters free of leaves

2. Cover the patio furniture

3. Bring out throws and carpets

4. Bake and freeze seasonal fruits and veggies

5. Clean the chimney

6. Check doors and windows (to ensure insulation and avoid water damage)

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

www.tailbase.com

Activities For The Labor Day Long Weekend

by Pocatello Electric

We all like long weekends, but sometimes we don’t know what to do. Labor Day is a perfect day to take a break from any work, including housework and laundry! Take time to rest a little and spend some quality time with friends and family. Here are some ideas for a successful long weekend:

Play outside!
Is the sun shining and is the weather good? Take advantage of this perfect combination to organize a game of soccer or baseball with people you like to be with. If you are not sport buffs, just take time to sit in the backyard and talk about your favorite movie or anything that pleases you and your guests!

Make a brunch!
We all love to spend a little more time in bed on weekend mornings. Of course, the best thing after that is a good brunch with fruits, pancakes and chocolate milk!

Do nothing!
Sometimes, the only thing that we want to do during a long weekend is nothing! Just hanging there with a cup of coffee; observe nature in your backyard; or sitting by the window and leaf through a book or a magazine. Take a deep breath and relax…

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

www.tailbase.com

Back To School Tips & Ideas

by Pocatello Electric

Back-to-school is for many of us synonym of supplies, lunch, home works, mess and lunch again! When this time of the year is coming, we start to stress, to be tense and we are trying to be organized (which is not that easy sometimes!). Here are some organizing tips to help everyone being more relaxed at the back-to-school:


Make a space for children’s backpacks: 
In the lobby or anywhere else, take time to make an exclusive space to put the backpacks when child come back from school. It could be a storage bench, a wall shelf with hooks, a big basket or a large storage box.

Create a study area: 
To facilitate the productivity and reduce the homework time a study area is a must. Ideally, it should be a quiet place without any source of distraction like TV, video games, tablets, cell phone or any toy. The room could be filled with bookcases, a bench and/or chair, a work desk and maybe comfortable furniture where to read and study like a small sofa or a recliner.

Prepare in advance: 
To save time and avoid stress in the morning, preparing in advance is a good thing! The day before or even during the week-end, we can prepare lunches, sport clothes and organize backpacks for the upcoming week.

Choose outfits the night before: 
If we are still lacking time in the morning, choosing the outfits the night before could make the difference!

Content provided by: @Tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Summer Is Coming Soon: It's Time For Parties!

by Pocatello Electric

The sunrises are knocking at your windows.  It’s time to celebrate the return of the warmer season of the year with friends and family… it’s time for BBQ parties! Let us give you a plan for a perfect, delicious BBQ party that nobody’s stomach will ever forget:

Make your own BBQ sauce! Take a look at a delicious BBQ sauce recipes you can use for ANY meat you want!

Prep. Time: 5 mins / cook time 45 mins 

·         1 ½ cup ketchup

·         ⅓ cup Apple cider vinegar

·         ⅓ cup Soy sauce

·         ¼ cup Worcestershire

·         1 TBSP minced garlic

·         1 tsp dry mustard powder

·         2 TBSP yellow mustard

·         ½ tsp black pepper

·         ½ cup minced onion

·         ½ tsp garlic salt

·         2 tsp red pepper flake

1.    Simmer all ingredients for 45 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently.

2.    Strain chunks out, and refrigerate until ready to use. Flavor improves overnight.

Then, make two or three different salads with fresh ingredients like; avocado, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, apples, corn, pineapple, shrimp or whatever you like!

Try to grill something else than meat. Veggies have a pretty good taste after spending a few minutes on the grill!

Make a fresh homemade juice! Lemons and frozen fruits are excellent choices. For adults, add a punch of their favorite alcohol to personalize their drink!

Finish this delicious and pleasant meal with a fruity ice cream, and there you go!!! The perfect BBQ party is done!

Content provided by: @Tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Tips To Optimize Your Laundry Room

by Pocatello Electric

 Shelves + laundry baskets: 
As good for clean clothing as for the dirty ones, multiple baskets are so useful in a laundry room. Sometimes, the only problem is space. A simple way to solve this dilemma is with shelves! Installing shelves is fast and easy. You can put them under the washer and dryer or on the sides if you have enough space. Then, identify each basket with how you want to separate your loads; blacks, whites, clean stuff, etc.

Clothes line across the room: 

When the sun is gone and rain is all over the city, an outside clothes line is not very useful. Solve the problem with an inside one! Under the machines or close to the window are perfect spots. This is an easy, economical and ecological way to dry clothes inside the house, without a dryer.

"Lost & found" board

Isn't it frustrating when you lose socks in the dryer and never see them again? A simple solution is to make a dating place for socks! Take a cork board, pins and a little space on the wall and there it is. To make sure everyone in the house understand this new tool, identify it with an original but clear name like Lost & Found; Clean, Single and looking for mate, etc. Be creative! 

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Produce Storage Tips

by Pocatello Electric

We all know that most of the veggies and fruits can be stored in the freezer to be kept longer but there are other ways to conserve them. Here are some tips on how to properly store your fruits and vegetables.

1. Lettuce and greens: Keep them fresh and crispy. Wash them in cold water before putting them in an opened plastic bag with a towel paper into the fridge.

2. Carrots, celery and peppers: Cut off the top or remove the green head (peppers) and put them in a closed plastic bag. It will keep the freshness and maintain the nutritional value. Celery and carrots can also be stored in a closed plastic container full of water.

3. Fresh herbs: This time we need the freezer. Use a tray to make ice cubes and put your herbs in it. Add some olive oil into all the little holes.Then put it to the freezer and add those cubes to your recipes when needed!

4. Bananas and avocados: Keep them on the countertop when they have not been cut. When they are halved, wrap them and straight to the fridge they go. Wrap the banana in foil, whereas the avocado should be wrapped in plastic.

5. Potatoes and onions: The best place is the dark pantry to avoid oxidization when they have not been cut. Once they are halved, your can put them in a sealed plastic bag into the refrigerator to keep them fresh for a few days.

Did you know?
You can freeze vegetables and fruits, but you can also freeze yogurts and milk! You must have noticed that the milk turn into a yellow-beige when defrosted. This is perfectly normal and due to the fat content (if you have skimmed milk, it should not change color).

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Spring Cleaning Tips For Kitchen Appliances

by Pocatello Electric

Spring is coming soon and we all need to plan our great spring cleaning!

Sometimes we don't know where to start and it seems very long and complicated. Many people seem to fear the terrible kitchen! If it's your case, do not panic and let us help you with some tips to make it easier and faster. You will never see the kitchen clean up the same way!

Stainless steel appliances: All you need is vinegar, oil and two easy steps to make it shine.
1. Spray your stainless steel surface with vinegar and wipe it off in the direction of the grain with a paper towel.
2. Dip a soft cloth in a bit of oil and polish your appliance in the direction of the grain.

Back off a little bit and see the great results!

Microwave: You will need a water, lemon slices and that's it!
1. Full a bowl with some water and put the lemon slices in it.
2. Put the bowl inside your microwave and warm it for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl and wipe the inside of your microwave with a soft cloth. All the gunk should be removed easily.

For a durable result, wipe the inside of your microwave every time you use it. It only takes a few seconds!

Blender: Two things: soap and water.
1. Put soap and warm water in your blender.
2. Start to blend and let it do so for a few seconds.
3. Rinse, dry and done!

Stove (drip pans): All you need is baking soda and soap.
1. Remove the burners and the pans from the stove.
2. Shake the pans over the trash to remove the most of the gunk.
3. Combine the baking soda and the soap in a little bowl (1:1 ratio) and apply the paste all over the drips generously.
4. Scrub them a few second and let the mixture sit on it while you wash the hood of the stove.
5. Lift up the hood and wash the inside with the same mixture as the drips and remove it with a wet cloth.
6. Shut the hood, rinse the pans and replace them.

Now the top of your stove looks like a new one!

Refrigerator: Soap, warm water and a cloth well do the job.
1. With a bucket of warm soapy water, start by cleaning the doors and all the outside of the fridge.
2. Continue with the inside of the doors. Remove all the stuff and make sure that your wash all the baskets. Then replace the stuff.
3. Remove the stuff from the freezer and wash it from the top to buttom. Don't forget the air vent!
4. Remove all the stuff from the shelves of the refrigerator and wash them one-bye-one. Do the same for the drawers and let them dry while you clean all the sides of the fridge.

Take advantage of this moment to throw away the expired food and reorganize your storage strategy!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com