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"This idea could also be used to preserve children's artwork (making gifts for grandparents) . . . or to help your youngsters learn multiplication tables, metric conversions, birds, wildflowers, or anything else!"

Rebecca Blackburn makes her own carob chips by combining equal parts of peanut butter, carob powder, and honey. The Washington Stater heats the ingredients, then spreads the mixture about 1/4" thick on buttered plates. Rebecca "solidifies" the carob treat by setting the plates in the freezer for about ten minutes. After that, she cuts the candy into 1/4" squares for use in cooking and baking.

When Dave Tyser's boots begin to smell a little less than fresh, the Belvidere, Nebraska reader slips them inside a paper bag and pops them in the freezer for several days. He reasons that bad odors result from fungus or bacterial growth, and that the chilly temperatures will effectively reduce the problem.

For some reason pilot lights always seem to be located where they're next-to-impossible to get at! Well, the next time one of these little flames goes out in your house, try this bit of lore from Rick Oprisu of Carmel, Indiana. He lights a long piece of dry spaghetti with a match and uses the slow-burning piece of pasta to reach the troublesome spot safely and easily.

Delbert Unruh makes a low-cost but effective burglar alarm using a quart glass jar and marbles. The Mt. Lehman, British Columbia resident places marbles two inches deep in the jar . . . and sets the glass container on a ten-inch pedestal just inside his front door every night before going to bed. Delbert feels certain that the sound of falling marbles (and breaking glass) would quickly awaken everyone in the house.

And speaking of marbles . . . still another Canadian MOTHER-reader — Graham Noble of Kamloops, British Columbia — gave us this idea for relaxing your feet after a long hard day. Graham says to find a board that's just slightly larger than both your feet, and then glue or nail 1/4" doweling around the perimeter. After filling the tray with marbles of varying sizes, you can remove your shoes and rub your feet over the little glass spheres. According to Graham, not only is this procedure relaxing and good for your feet, but the tray makes a good storage spot for marbles . . . and even looks pretty!

Whenever you heat your oven to cook an evening meal, you can let that expended energy perform another useful task, suggests Mrs. Jerry Russell of Van Buren, Arkansas. After removing a dinner and turning off the stove, she places a big pot of water in the still-hot oven. By the time the meal is over, the liquid is generally hot enough to wash the dishes.

This winter, utilize the heat that invariably rises to your ceiling to make beef jerky! Beaverton, Oregon reader Ralph Kirkman ties a line, from one wall to another, about six inches below his kitchen ceiling . . . then hangs thin strips of meat-using "S-hooks" made from ordinary paper clips-to the line. The meat stays out of the way and dries quickly and inexpensively. [EDITOR'S NOTE: When following this procedure, of course, you'll have to keep an eye on your jerky-to-be . . . if the room isn't hot enough, the meat could spoil before it "cures".]

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