Making Rice Bags - solutions for keeping warm

Well winter has finally decided to arrive, and it's making up for lost time by coming in with a bang.  Two feet of snow and its still snowing.  So I decided to make some new rice bags for our family.  The last two we have are starting to smell funny and really we need one for each person and beds.  The kids just love having their cold beds warmed before they get tucked in and a hot rice bag is great when you've just come in from two hours in the freezing cold.  They cuddle up on the couch wrapped in a blanket with a rice bag in their lap.

These are so ridiculously easy to make I cant see how anyone bothers buying them.  They are cheap too.  You could even use old t-shirts or pillowcases to make them.  It only took me 1/2 hour to make 6 with both my 14 and 6 year old daughters helping me.  You can add some drops of essential oils to make them even more soothing.  Lavender, rose, lemon, ceder, or balsam fir would be good.  All you do is heat them in your microwave for 4 to 6 minutes depending on how hot you want them.  Make sure to make them small enough to fit in your microwave!  I put them in the kids beds while they are bathing so that their beds will be nice and warm by the time they get in.  Remember that we heat with wood so the upstairs is much cooler than the downstairs.  These are also great for sore muscles and sore bellies.  You can also freeze them for headaches and burns.

Sewing the bag leaving a small opening to pour the rice into

The ready to fill bag

pouring the rice in, just use the cheapest rice you can find (but jasmine rice lets off the nicest smell)

After filling the ricebags 3/4 full I sew up the hole and ready to go!  Now we have six so no more fighting over them.