Shop Hop Saturday 6/11/11

Good Morning!  I think most of you know I've been a lot of busy this week with my daughter Heather having her first child.
Zelda Drucilla was born Sunday June 5 at 2:44 pm weighing in at 7 lb 8 oz and 20 inches long.

I have kept busy in my blog this week.  I hope you will check out my recent posts.  I put up 2 new giveaways and I have one that ends tonight.  Please click over to the Reviews/Giveaways page and check those out.

I got in a special order for 3 fabric bags, so I've been working on those.  I also started another set of the double thick hotpads to list in my etsy store.  I've been working daily in reallysmartdeals to get my products and websites listed and put in a few banners.  I still need to put together some text ads to be in rotation.  I didn't realize they started where every so many sites you visit you earn 2 cents and can get paid at $5....that is cool and a great incentive to me to stay active there getting my products seen!

Here is a program you might want to check out.  It's called Crowdtap.  You earn points for quickhit questions and for participating in discussions.  You can also earn money for the discussions.  They often have surveys that are worth money and they even sometimes send you a product to try.  It's lots of fun!  Also, you choose a charity and every time you cash in Crowdtap donates to the charity of your choice.  I've chosen the ASPCA.  You earn $5 when you refer just 5 friends too!  I hope you will click over and join in.


I can't really think of anything else for this week.  I want to thank Ruthi of abitosunshine once again for hosting this each week.  Click her button and join us!
 

Prefense Foaming Hand Sanitizer Review and Giveaway

With a new granddaughter born June 5, my bottle of Prefense Hand Sanitizer couldn't have arrived at a better time!
When little Zelda and my daughter, Heather, were released from the hospital many people came by my house to see them.
I went around with the Prefense giving everyone a squirt.  A squirt is a squirt of foam.
The first reaction of everyone was how Prefense didn't have that strong odor that other hand sanitizers have.  Everyone was also impressed when I told them that the Prefense lasts through up to 10 hand washings.

The 1.5 oz bottle that I received and hold 120 sprays.  Since you will usually only need to use it once a day for protection all day, this will last a long time.

Why Prefense hand sanitizer is superior to others on the market!

    •    No alcohol! Prefense is made of all-natural ingredients and has absolutely NO alcohol in it!
    •    Our technology protects you for 24 hours or 10 hand washings! 
    •    Prefense is non-toxic and safe for kids! It will not hurt you if swallowed!
    •    Prefense is silica based which means it doesn’t dry out your hands like traditional alcohol sanitizers.  It actually smooths and softens your hands. You can totally see this when you apply it!
    •    Prefense protects against staph, strep, E.coli, drug resistant MRSA strains, and more. We fight germs that other hand sanitizers can’t.
    •    Because “one spray lasts all day” our 1.5 oz Prefense Foaming Hand Sanitizer offers 120 applications, costing only $.08 per day, compared to $1.20 per day with alcohol hand sanitizers. 

Please visit http://www.prefense.com/products/  to see all the products they offer.  They've just added a new product--sanitizing wipes to the line-up!
The pricing is very reasonable!

Prefense is giving away the large 8 oz bottle of the foaming hand sanitizer to one of my lucky blog readers!!

Rules:
Giveaway begins June 10, 2011 and ends June 24, 2011 at 9 pm CST.
Open to residents of the U.S.
You must include a way for me to contact you if you win.  If it's not in your profile, then please leave your email in one of your comments.
Mandatory entry must be done first or other entries will not count.
Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Mandatory entry:  Leave me any comment at all--very easy!

Additional ways to earn entries:

1. Follow Prefense on twitter @prefense

2. "like" Prefense Hand Sanitizer on facebook

 3.  Follow my blog with google friend connect.


4.  "like" Marsha's Spot on facebook


5.  Follow me on twitter @marsha32


6.  Share this giveaway on your own blog, on twitter, in facebook, on gather, or any other place it's allowed.  This can be done up to 5 times during the giveaway for up to 5 entries.


7.  Subscribe to my blog by email.  (3 entries!)


Good Luck!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Altamont Augie by Richard Barager--Book Review

Altamont Augie by Richard Barager
Published by Interloper Press
ISBN 978-0-9830661-0-1

Altamont Augie is Richard Barager's first novel and is a historical novel set in the 60's during the Vietnam War.

In Altamont Augie we find a man who is wanting to write a screen play based on the life of a man who drowned in the late 60's at a concert at the Altamont Speeday. This man was never identified. He want to identify the man for his screenplay.

In his research he find a photo, in the photo he recognizes a woman to be his own mother. In the photo she is with a man. Upon inquiring to his mother who the man is in the photo with her, the story of Altamont Augie begins.

We are taken back to the 60's and the story of David Noble and Jackie Lundquist. They are college lovers who clash when he joins the marines in rejection to the antiwar movement that she embraces. Their love endures even though they are fighting on the opposite side of the fence in the matter.

We are taken to Vietnam and the fighting there while David serves his country. I was impressed by the words as I read and could see and feel Vietnam.
Once David returns home Vietnam doesn't ever leave him. He and Jackie pick up their love affair even though she is also seeing someone else.

There is a lot of sex, drugs and rock and roll along the way as well. All part of those famous 60's.

I enjoyed reading the book. I can honestly recommend the read, especially for those who already enjoy reading historical fiction.

I want to note that in the back of the book, the author has cited many resources that he used in his writing. These resources gave him ideas, inspiration, factual incidents, and general information. All used to make the book what it is.
Another interesting note is that he also has added a "playlist" to the back of the book. This playlist lists each song that is mentioned throughout the book, in the order that it's mentioned. In fact, you can visit Altamontaugie.com and listen to them all and transport you into a 60's state of mind.

Just released this month!! Buy your copy on amazon!



Disclaimer: I was sent a uncorrected advance galley copy of Altamont Augie for the purpose of my review from Press & Beyond. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Frugal Friday 6/10/11

Good Morning!
Friday came right up on me very quickly again. Being so busy this past week with a new grandbaby, I didn't get my shopping posts in so I will list them here.
We didn't do any shopping at the grocery store other than stopping in for milk a couple of times.
Well, that's not exactly true. I did take advantage of the sale on soda. The deal was if you bought 3-12 packs of Coke products for $10 you got 2 boxes of Ritz crackers free. We drink Dr. Pepper, which here is considered a Coke product. I bought the 3 12 packs and picked up the 2 boxes of Ritz free. I used a $1 coupon on the 2 boxes of Ritz so I got 3-12 packs of Dr. Pepper and 2 boxes of Ritz for just $9 plus sales tax.

Another quick trip to the grocery store was to use my free coupons from Kraft First Taste for the Oscar Mayer Sandwich Combo and the Combo lunch meat. I also picked up some All detergent on sale for $2.99 and I used a $1 coupon. The cashier cheated me out of .30 on one of the free OM coupons and I ended up paying $3.18 with sales tax for the 3 items.

At Wal Mart I picked up my box of Carnation Instant Breakfast for $3.58 after $1 coupon. I also picked up 3 more bottles of the Spic and Span spray cleaner. I used the $1/2 coupon so 2 of the bottles were .47 each. On the 3rd bottle I used a .55 coupon so that bottle was .42. I also picked up 3 skeins of cotton yarn on clearance for $1 each. I spent $8.58 total for all with sales tax. (I hope when I get back to Wal Mart this evening to buy more of the yarn!)

At Walgreen's I over spent on what a true frugal person would spend. I was shopping yesterday (Thursday) and figured they would be out of a lot, so a stack of coupons and no set plan on what to buy. Here is what I ended up with:

2-NatureLuxe Gloss Balms on sale for buy 1 get 1 50% off. I used $5/2 coupon making them $3.12 each.
Bic Soleil on sale for $5.99, used $3 coupon making them $2.99 and got back $2 in RR's
2-GLEE stationary on clearance for .25 (fillers to use my RR's)
2-Colgate 360 toothbrushes on sale 2 for $5, used $1 and .75 coupons making them $3.25 for 2, got back $2 in RR's.
2-Reach Toothbrush 2-packs on sale 2 for $5, used 2-$1 coupons making them $1.50 each, got back $3 in RR's....but, bonus RR's of $1 since I bought the 2-packs!
3-Cascade Action Pacs on sale for $3.99, used 2--.50 coupons and 1-.25 coupon making them $3.49 and $3.74, got back $3 in RR's. (I wanted one of the Tide Stain Release and the use the $3 coupon but of course they were sold out)
1-Travel Size Colgate toothpaste for .99 and I used a $1 coupon making it free.

I used 3 RR's totaling $5.50 from my previous shopping.
I paid $24.45 (told you it was too much!) of which $3.27 was sales tax. I saved $19.50 in coupons total. I rec'd back 5 RR's totaling $11.

Notes: I'm happy with my shopping, it's just that I didn't really have that kind of money to spend. However, it's a fair bet that everyone on my Christmas list this year will get a new toothbrush as part of their health and beauty package. I have gloss balm that I love to use. And, I don't have to worry about running out of dishwasher tabs for awhile. The razors are also stacking up in my gift tote to go with the packages as well.
Also, it was very strange, but I had the gloss balms in my hand and they hadn't gotten rung up, but the $5 coupon went through the register just fine. This I can't figure out. I know the whole family friendly coupon thing and I did have other P&G things in my cart, but I also had a coupon for each of the other items? It was when I ran out of products compared to coupons that I realized they were still in my hand and gave them to the cashier.

I'm going to stop for today. I do hope you will share your frugal type posts in my linky below! Keep us all inspired and in the know please.

Squidoo Hopping 6/9/11

Welcome to another week of squidoo blog hopping. If you know others who blog about anything squidoo, please let them know about this hop and encourage them to hop along.

I didn't get much done in squidoo this past week. Most of you know that my daughter gave birth to my newest granddaughter, Zelda, this past Sunday. Hey, if you don't, you can see a photo of her in her in her going home outfit in my WIP post yesterday. Yes, I am a very proud grandma!

I updated my Traffic Exchanges lens. Reallysmartdeals has a new owner and it just keeps improving. You even earn cash along the way while surfing too. Many people use the banner and text link exchanges for their squidoo lenses!!

I also updated my Crafts as Gifts lens, adding the baby hat and baby set that I made for Zelda.

Check out KitchenMonki.com!

Tools to help you combat the soaring price of groceries

If you head-up the grocery shopping effort for your family, you’ve probably noticed the soaring price of food – especially perishables. Even though your grocery list isn’t getting longer, it seems like you’re spending enough to feed the entire block. Well, you’re not imagining things. It’s a fact that we’re paying almost 70 percent more over the past two years for common kitchen staples, like eggs, bread, milk and chicken – and prices are expected to continue their upward trend.

Unwilling and unable to scrimp on quality foods needed for creating healthy family meals, many parents are turning to the web to help off-set their grocery costs. One popular strategy is pilfering online coupon sites like Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and ValPak.com. Online coupon use is skyrocketing and companies are issuing twice as many as they did just three years ago – so you’ll likely find a larger variety of savings on the web than in your newspaper insert. And make no mistake – you can certainly save big if you’re willing to put in the time to hunt. Another emerging strategy is using the web to help build a smarter grocery list. 

Recent studies show that in-store marketing can drive up to 50% of the total grocery purchase – so you could save significant money simply by being more organized.

Lastly, there are also a handful of mobile apps that can help you scan bar codes and compare prices on the same product at various stores. Check out apps like Frugal, RedLaser and Grocery iQ to name just a few. Comparing prices at several different stores and figuring out where to buy what can be a lot of work – but these technologies aim to eliminate that headache – and the savings are well worth it.

With escalating food prices, it’s smart to put technology to work for you. Yes, you may have your own tried-and-true methods for capturing grocery savings – but adding these high-tech strategies into the fold may be a nice compliment to your current efforts and help reveal additional savings that you might not know about otherwise.

In an effort to help busy home cooks get more out of the monthly food budget, they can now turn to KitchenMonki.com, a website that allows shoppers to organize their recipes in an iTunes-like fashion and have an e-grocery list delivered to their mobile phone via text message or email. But here’s the cool part: Kitchen Monki’s grocery lists are broken down aisle-by-aisle. When it comes time to shop and you’ve got a detailed “plan of attack”, you’re more apt to bypass the lure of in-store marketing (and in turn, spend less money). Peripheral items and junk foods are specifically engineered to capitalize on unorganized shoppers who browse each aisle for meal and snack ideas as they go. (Recent research shows that in-store marketing can drive up to 50% of the total grocery purchase.)  Kitchen Monki also scales your recipes, which can help frugal shoppers ensure that they’re not purchasing more than they need of pertinent ingredients.

Again, groceries are a capital expense in most households, but using tools like Kitchen Monki can help you save in areas that may otherwise go ignored. Plus, it's an excellent complement to the art of "couponing". 

With so many using apps on their cell phones now, I think this sounds like such a great thing to add!   The best part is that it's 100% FREE and takes only seconds!

WIP Wednesday 6/8/11

Well...one WIP is complete!  That would be that my daughter had her baby this past Sunday  :)
You know I have to show her off some.  Here she is in her going home outfit yesterday at 2 days old.  Zelda Drucilla was born at 2:44 pm on June 5.  Weighing in at 7 lb 8 oz and measuring 20 inches.

Now on to the projects I hope to work on this week.
First off, I am still working on using up the varigated yarn and making it into the double thick crocheted hotpads.  A few will still be made to donate to church, the rest will be listed in my etsy store in sets of 2.  I did get 2 sets listed this past week.  In the background is also 3 books I will get reviewed on my blog this week as well as hand sanitizer to review and have a giveaway with.

I have an order for 3 fabric bags, one of which will be made with the brown corduroy.  I'm heading to Wal Mart in a few for the rest of the  materials.  The other material in the photo I've already bought to make into bags to sell.

I want to turn these fat quarters into hot pads.

And the toothbrush rug that I am making for our basement floor.  It's not been worked on for 2 weeks with other projects but I have it uncovered to work on this week!

 Click the banners below to join in on any or all of the WIP Wednesday blog linkys that I take part in.

Baby Bond Nursing Accessories Review and Giveaway!

BabyBond nursing sash covers mom, not her baby. 
*BabyBond Original is worn with shirts that are accessible to nurse from the top and has a built-in burpcloth and matching pouch storage pouch.


*BabyBond Flex is worn with shirts that are accessible to nurse from the top and has a removable burpcloth and matching pouch storage pouch.


*BabyBond Couture is adjustable and can be worn with shirts that are accessible to nurse from the top or the bottom. It rolls up into itself to store.


BabyBond is machine washable, 100% cotton, and made in USA.


Visit their website at http://babybondnursing.com/main/
to see the choices available of style, sizes and colors.


You may also watch an instructional video on how to use the Baby Bond at http://www.youtube.com/user/missyreder




I was excited with a new granddaughter on the way to  be able to review the product.  My daughter is breastfeeding and she was excited to be able to have the Baby Bond as well.  It was just that anxious wait for the arrival of little Zelda to be able to use and review the product.


Here is a photo of my daughter receiving her Baby Bond at her baby shower.

Heather chose the Baby Bond Couture in black for the one she wanted.
Once her and Zelda were released from the hospital, she came to my house.  With so much company coming by to see new baby, she was anxious to give her Baby Bond a try.  She said the instructions were easy to understand.  She chose to use it this time with the wrap around her belly and up.  (This is shown in the above video link).
Here is a photo of her nursing.  She is wearing a black shirt so you can't see the accessory well, which is a plus.  It's also the reason that Heather chose black for the color as she wears a lot of black.  By the way, Zelda was born June 5 at 2:44 pm.  This photo was taken the afternoon of June 7.

**Can't wait to see if you win and want to order now?  Visit Baby Bond and use the code MARSHA for a discount!!




Baby Bond has graciously allowed me to host a giveaway.  One of my blog readers will win their own Baby Bond Nursing accessory!
Sponsored by Tomoson.com


Rules:
Open to residents of the US.
Giveaway begins Wednesday June 8, 2011 and ends Wednesday June 22, 2011  9 pm CST.
Winner will be chosen using random.org.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information or another winner will be chosen.
Mandatory entry must be completed first before other entries will be counted.
At least one comment must include a way for me to contact you if you win.
Leave one comment for each entry.


Mandatory entry:
Visit Baby Bond and come back and comment on which style and color you will chose if you win.




Additional ways to earn entries:


*"like" Baby Bond on facebook 


*follow Baby Bond on twitter


*Follow my blog with google friend connect. (right column)


*"like" Marsha's Spot on facebook (left column)

*subscribe to my blog by email (upper left column)


*Join my blog frog community and subscribe to daily emails (right column)


*Share this giveaway on your blog, on twitter, facebook, gather, or any other website where it's acceptable to share.  (This can be done up to 5 times during the duration of the giveaway--leave comment each time)




Good Luck!






I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Mailbox Monday 6/6/11

Sorry that I don't have a photo to share this week.  It's been a crazy week.....I mean crazier than usual!
I didn't really get all that much in this past week:


Time magazine
People magazine
Sports Illustrated magazine
3 envelopes of coupons from a gather connection
Home Depot Home Improver flyer
Card from National Consumer Panel to scan the code each week and transmit to enter a sweeps
2 pieces of hausernet mail at my mom's house
Coupons from Kraft First Taste including free Deli Fresh Combos and free Sandwich combo
Book--You Can Draw a Graphic Novel to read, review and do a giveaway here on my blog
Book--The Sword of Darrow--this came to Jasmine for her reviewing the preview of the book earlier.


I did also get paid $40 in paypal from gather.


I'm going to leave you this week with a photo of my new granddaughter.  Zelda Drucilla born 6/5/11 2:44 pm  7 lb 8 oz  20 inches.