Shop Hop Saturday!!

Shop Hop Saturday is new and the brilliant idea of my good friend Ruthi with abitosunshine!
Please click the button at the end of my post to be taken to her post and join us!

I know that one of my goals for this new year is to keep on crafting....and keep on adding those crafts to my etsy store.  I joined etsy over a year ago but didn't do anything with it.  It's only been in the past 2 months that I've gotten busy with it.  It will continue to grow.

For this weeks post, rather than highlight new items, I would like to take you to all of the different places online where I sell.  (please right click to open in a new window or tab as I don't know the coding to automatically open the links in a new window--thanks!)

Gifts Galore and More--- This is my original business website.  It's still active, but has not been updated for a very long time.  The prices were not even changed with the last postage increase, and another increase is upon us now.  To be honest, I have NO idea how to edit it!  The coding and programming that the owner of the domain uses is above my head.  I'm afraid of messing things up, and just do not have the cash to have her fix it up for me.  I will be contacting her soon, and may just take this website down. 

Online Craft Mall  ---  I've been a member of the online craft mall for many years.  My Gifts Galore web front is from there as well.  I have several items listed in the mall, but there are also a lot of great crafters there.  The link will direct you to the squidoo lens that I built on it.  If you are a crafter, I highly recommend joining this as membership if very very reasonable, compared to what other similar sites charge.

Jerky Direct --- I've been in this business since Oct. 2008 and love it.  I don't work it as I should.  It's a nice business and very affordable.  The jerky is all natural, and no preservatives and tastes awesome!  Again, this is the link to my squidoo lens that I built on it.

Homeschoolbuy ----homeschoolbuy is an auction website.  It's free to list homeschool or homestead related auctions.  I've let this one go and have to re submit some of my school books.  I will be working on that some today.  Again, the link about it will go to my squidoo lens.  Please help me earn more on squidoo by clicking and upping the ranking of these lens.  I sure appreciate it.

Zazzle  ----I've been working here and there using what I think are my best photos to create items on zazzle.  These are what I have so far.  I have several other photos saved to make in to items.

blujay ---  I've had my blujay store for a very long time.  Before getting going on etsy all of the crafts that I had made and ready to ship were listed in my etsy  store.  I'm on my mission of getting them moved to etsy.  A lot of my crafts are still here as well as a variety of books and other misc items.  Blujay is totally free to list on and your items continually re-list until sold, which is wonderful!

etsy  ---my new favorite spot to list my crafts and my store is growing all the time.  I've picked up a lot of new crafts that I enjoy since opening my Gifts Galore and More website and you will find all those in my etsy store, plus some of the items that are in my Gifts store as I get them made to list.

Whew!!  Are you tired yet?  I sure am!  I have a lot of goals for this year, and I am very thankful to Ruthi for starting this blog hop to help keep me motivated to keep on keeping on with my goals.
From this week forward I will just be listing new items added to my stores since my last posting.

Thanks to all for reading, and I hope you will hop along with us and get the word out about your own shops online!

Life is Good! (blog award)

I'm so pleased that someone has chosen me to receive a blog award!

This one comes to me from my friend Ruthi of Poetic Creations by abitosunshine.   Thanks so much Ruthi!

Here are the things you have to do when you receive this award:

1. First, thank and link back to the person that gave the award.
2. Answer the 10 survey questions.
3. Pass the award along to other bloggers whom you think are fantastic.
4. Contact the bloggers you have chosen to let them know about the award.

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren't anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?

I didn't realize that I was blogging anonymously...at least in the way that my email wasn't shared in my blog profile.  I have since changed that!

2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

I guess you could say that I am stubborn in my endeavor to earn a living on the computer.  I've been at it for 14 years now and still don't have it!  Years ago there were so many wonderful reward programs out there and it was so easy to earn hundreds of dollars in a month.  It's gone way down hill and I have switched to other endeavors online.  I'm getting there slowly, mostly through my blogging, but still not even close to making what could be called a living.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Yep.....someone who is getting older......one things I plan to do with the new year is to get back to using the numerous beauty aides in my cabinet.  I've rec'd them over time to try and review, but stopped using them after the reviews were done.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Dr. Pepper....that's my drink all year long!

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

Time for myself?  What is that?  Life has been crazy for me of late always out going and doing for others.  When I am home, I am trying to do housework first, but generally look forward to a full evening of just sitting in front of my computer.

6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life?

stated above.....to earn a living online.  I'm working on things right now....getting myself more known out there....started up an etsy store.....advertising myself in some social networks.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?

I pretty much kept to myself in school.  I did end up pregnant as a junior is high school.  I was always on the honor roll.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?

The birth of my first child...keep them closed to see the births of my other 3 children....and now 7 grandchildren.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events?

I used to share my day each day in my blog here when I first started.  I've pretty much gotten away from that part of it.  Of myself, all I mostly share now is my crafts I am working on.   I do share personal blogs over on sidetick each day.  What I've done during the day, rants, etc.

10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

Considering that my mother calls me 15+ times in a day, I can honestly say I would rather read a book.  In fact, I just took on the 2011 challenge to read 52 books in 52 weeks.  Click the link at the top of my blog to read more about it.  I'm looking forward to doing the best I can to read one book (and review it) in the year 2011.


Having accepted the Life Is Good award from Ruthi, I am passing it forward to: 

Household Cents


Being Frugal and Making it Work


Dnbuster's Place


Confessions of a Thrift Store Shopper


Every Day Crochet

WIP Wednesday 12/29/10

Welcome to work in progress Wednesday in conjunction with Every Day Crochet.   Please click the button at the bottom of my post to play along, or check out what others have been working on.

I did finish the toothbrush rug I was working on and it's now listed in my etsy store. You can check it out here if you would like.
I started another, but only have the initial braid done, so I didn't take a photo of that.







I got out the strips and squares for the strip quilt I am working on for sewing club at church. I had finished sewing on the strips on 4 squares at our last meeting. (haven't trimmed them down yet).  I sat in front of this computer and pinned on the first 2 strips on each of the other 24 squares that will go into the quilt top.

I also got some of the squares cut to use on the next strip quilt I am going to make myself.  I needed to cut the squares to see how much of the black sheet I would have to use to finish up that toothbrush rug.  Well, for the size I am making, I am 23-10 inch squares short.  I will have to find another sheet to cut later.  I barely had enough of the black left over to finish the last round on the rug, but I made it!

I have a whole list of things that I want to get made before March 19 when I am taking part in a monster garage sale at the state fairgrounds.  Want to see what all is on my list?  You can find it here in one of my blog's on sidetick.  It's extensive, but if I keep on keeping on, I can complete everything in time.   Stopping in Early Today

Don't Miss Extreme Couponing!!!

I can't wait until 8 pm EST this evening to watch Extreme Couponing on The Learning Channel!!

I am thankful that due to the holidays we don't have the usual choir practice this evening and I will be able to watch it.   I've been looking forward to it ever since I first read about it being on.

Nathan Engels (MrCoupon)(of weusecoupons) along with three other people will be featured.

He built something that was about 15 feet tall!!  They filmed it's creation and it was almost entirely donated to local foodbanks!  TLC also filmed their giving aspect of couponing!!  During this episode theye donated around $6000-$7000 in product to a fantastic pantry!!!  (we share this not to brag, but to lead by example, giving is such an amazing aspect of couponing!!!)

They also interviewed Amanda (who is one of the Couponers on the show) and some of her interviews are already available on FrugalTV (their YouTube channel - click the frugal tv banner!!)

Today they are uploading 20 new episodes/interviews to their YouTube channel, so I encourage you to check it out and subscribe!  I can't wait to go watch them myself!!

Click this banner to check out weusecoupons and sign up so you don't miss out on the good deals.  It's an awesome forum.

Click this banner to check out frugaltv....you won't be sorry!

cinch!--Book Review

Cynthia Sass, the creator and co-author of the New York Times Bestselling Flat Belly Diet presents her new break-through, 30-day weight loss program Cinch! targeted to end overeating, leaving dieters feeling full and satisfied while enjoying the best food combinations to burn fat and boost metabolism.
Cinch! by Cynthia Sass, M.P.H, R.D. and co-author of Flat Belly Diet
Conquer cravings, drop pounds, and lose inches
Stop counting and start living.

I want to say from the get go....if one of your New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight, this is a must have book.  You can find it on amazon here Cinch!: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches
.  Just out today, December 28, 2010!!

I jumped on the chance to sign up with one2one network to review this book.  I didn't want the book for myself, but instead for my 14 yr old daughter.  For some reason she just keeps gaining weight.  I can see pretty much that it's because she eats almost constantly and isn't very active just sitting in front of her computer most days....or riding in the car with me.

I wanted to see what Cinch! was all about.  What I found out is that it's all about a whole lot!!

My daughter really wants to try the Cinch! plan.  The plan starts out with a 5 day fast forward program, in which you can lose up to 7 lbs in those 5 days.  It's based around just 5 foods, along with approved beverages and approved seasonings.
If you so choose, you can skip this part and go right in to the Cinch! core plan.
If you choose to do the fast forward, you then would do 25 days of the core plan.  If not, then 30 days of the core plan.

I am just so impressed with this book.  The nutrional advice, guidance and education alone makes this book priceless to me.  I learned so many things I didn't know as I turned each page.
I do not need to lose weight....just the opposite in fact....I need to gain weight.  One thing I learned was the importance of maintaining scheduled times to eat to fuel my body.

Let's go back to the 5 day fast forward plan.  You are given a shopping list as well as recipes for those 5 days.  Now, you use the same recipes each day for the 5 days.  You can mix them up for variety over having the same thing each day at each time.
There is a test in the book to help you determine if you should do the fast forward, or just start in with the core program.
I've asked my daughter if she was sure she wants to try this.  Her answer time and time again is a resounding YES!  We've not started with it yet as we are gathering up the groceries, but we are well on our way.

The next step is the 25 day core program.  With it, you use the same 5 foods, plus a lot of others.  Cynthia Sass has provided over 100 recipes in the book for cover breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner and beverages.  You even get to indulge each day with dark chocolate...yes, every day!  Recipes are included for some great dark chocolate treats as well.

As you are doing the core program you will learn what the "puzzle pieces" are so that after the 30 days you can stay on the right track with the program.
Are you worried that you are away from home too much to stick with a time schedule for meals and snacks?  Not to worry, she covers this in the book as well.  She even gives you ideas of what to order when you go out to eat at a restaurant.

One chapter is dedicated to questions that you might ask...with the answers.  As I stated earlier, the information in this book is phenomenal.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a better reign on their health, whether they want to lose weight or not.

You can find Cynthia Sass and the book at these links:

• Cynthia's Bio  »
• Cynthia's Weight Loss Blo  »
• Cynthia Sass on Twitter  »
• Cynthia Sass on Facebook  »
• CynthiaSass.com  »
• Cinch!  »

Disclaimer:  I was not paid to do this review, all opinions are my own.  I was sent a copy of the book through one2one network for the purpose of my review.
 

Giveaways Linky Tuesday

Happy Tuesday to all.  It's time to share your giveaways!

The linky remains active until the following Tuesday, so feel free to list all throughout the week.

Please make sure to list the prize as well as the end date.

Thanks and good luck!

Mailbox Monday 12/27/10

I am late getting this posted today.  Please join in on the fun and/or see what others have gotten free this past week by clicking the button at the bottom of my post.

Slow week for mail this week for sure, especially with a day off.  I did get some good things.

magazines: Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.
3 Christmas cards--Thanks!
envie that included coupons for me and a Kentucky postcard for Jasmine's 50 States book--Thanks Lisa!
Cinch!--Book to review for one2one network
Check for some books I sold through homeschoolbuy

In my email this week:  $3.50 paypal from matrixmails.  I also got a last minute order of a fabric bag through my etsy store.

That's all folks  :)