Create a citrus deodorizer in the kitchen

Dear Readers: To save money, you can create your own citrus deodorizer for your house.

It will cost less than buying commercial ones, and will smell just as good and help mask odors. Here’s how to make one.

1. Fill a large pot with water and add any citrus — grapefruit, orange or lemon in slices, wedges or rinds.

2. Add a dash of cinnamon or cinnamon sticks and simmer on low heat.

3. Make it even spicier by dropping in other spices like nutmeg or a peppermint stick.

4. Watch the pot closely (never leave unattended) and don’t let it boil dry. Pour into small glass jars. Punch holes in the lids and secure them tightly. Then place them around your home and enjoy the aroma.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Ahh, tradition. We love it this time of year.

Who has a Christmas pickle? This is an ornament (doesn’t have to be a pickle) hidden deep in the tree, and the first child to find it gets an extra gift from Santa or is surely guaranteed good luck for the upcoming year.

This is a fun tradition; why not give it a whirl?

Heloise

Dear Readers: Your kids will have fun with this idea. Buy plain, white nonadhesive shelf paper, several small round sponges and poster paint. Then let the painting art party begin! Your children can dip the sponges in the poster paint and then create colorful designs and patterns on the shelf paper. When done, they will have created their own wrapping paper.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Have guests staying with you?

If you want to serve pancakes for breakfast, make the batter the night before and pour it into a clean, plastic squeeze bottle that you keep in the fridge.

Then, in the morning, you can squirt the batter into serving-size pancakes, and you’ll have more time to chat with your guests!

Heloise

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: This is Lucy, my Boston Terrier. She is 13 years old and misses her mommy, because she’s got a broken hip.

D. Stitz

Readers: To see Lucy, go to www. Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Heloise