New Purex UltraPacks Laundry Detergent!

Purex has done it again! Coming in February 2012---New Purex UltraPacks laundry detergent!
The Ultra packs will come in Mountain Breeze and Free & Clear as show below.

I requested the Free & Clear to try as my husband is sensitive to soaps.
Could doing laundry get any easier? These are pouches, similar to what you use in your dishwasher. Just throw one in to the washer and get your laundry started. No measuring!
I'm already a real Purex fan--adding the UltraPacks to their line has made me even more. My teen loves not having to measure. Honestly, I think she has always tended to use too much detergent when washing her clothes. With the UltraPacks she just throws in a pack and she and I both know it's the right amount of detergent. I'm sold!

Each Purex UltraPack laundry detergent pack is pre-dosed with liquid detergent.
Purex squeezes all the performance of their new triple action liquid formula into just one powerful pack.
No more mess, no more spills, no more heavy jugs.
Each UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double the cleaning power in every drop.
Each UltraPack dissolve quickly once the washer is started, even in cold water.
They are formulated and safe for all machines, including High-efficiency machines.

Instructions--
Make sure you hands are dry before handling the UltraPacks because water dissolves the film.
Put 1 pack in the washer before adding clothing--2 for very large or heavily soiled loads.
Make sure you put the pack directly into the drum, even in front loader washers.

FreeSamplePurex.com is coming back in February 2012 as well. Be on the lookout on the website beginning in mid-February to send off for your own free sample of Purex UltraPacks! I will also be announcing here on my blog when the samples are available.

Would like a chance to win a coupon to try the UltraPacks free?? Enter below!

Disclaimer: Purex provided a free sample of their UltraPacks laundry detergent so I could write a review. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

TGIFF!-Quilt Top and Name Tag

This isn't a complete finish, but it's my part of the finish.  I make a lot of the quilt tops for sewing club at church.  The other ladies finish the quilts.
I've had this one sitting and only working on it bits at a time for months now.  I am glad to have it together.  It will be a small quilt for a child.  We donate our made quilts to the local domestic violence center.  
Now I am working on cutting squares for a scrappy quilt.  One of the gals at sewing club wants to see my up my experience.

 As you know, I started attending the local quilt guild group last November.  I paid my membership dues in December.  I found out that one of the drawings each month is only for members who have made their own nametags.  This is my hurry up job of a name tag.  I made this while at sewing club at church this month and it probably took me about 10 minutes.  (The other drawing at guild is for fat quarters.  Each month is a different color.  You bring one to be in the drawing.  Usually what is brought in is divided into 4 bags for 4 winners drawn.)

 That's it for my report this week.  I do hope to complete my flower fabric quilt by next Friday.  I'm heading in to my sewing room in a bit to sew together the backing and start getting it laid out for pinning.

Frugal Friday Link Up--5 Uses for Milk

Welcome to Friday!
This week for me has been mostly a crafting week.  I am working on getting through my yarn stash as well as my plastic canvas stash.  I'm also working on quilting and things.  I do not want to, or need to, buy anymore craft supplies until I use up what I have!  This could take 2 or 3 years, maybe more, so I am in good shape on getting things made.

I just finished reading through a book that I want to share with you.  It's called Self-Sufficiency.  It's a complete guide to baking, carpentry, crafts, organic gardening, preserving your harvest, raising animals and more!
It's published by Skyhorse publishing, Inc and the ISBN is 978-1-60239-999-0

This is a very large hard back book, consisting of 458 pages.  There are loads of photos and illustrations to teach you how to live sustainably, live simply, and live independently.  
I'm in love with this book!  I have the link to it on amazon below.

There are 3 other books in the series--Back to Basics, Homesteading, and Simpler Living.  I intend to add all of them to my collection and really get serious about all of this!

Self-Sufficiency: A Complete Guide to Baking, Carpentry, Crafts, Organic Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More! (The Self-Sufficiency Series)





Now I want to move on to sharing from the 99 Cent Solutions book. This week I am sharing 5 uses for milk.
1. Shave your face. Use milk i place of shaving foam. Warm full fat milk and pat it onto your skin. While shaving continue to pat more milk on to keep your skin wet. For men this is probably just an emergency fix, but for us women and shaving our legs, we may never go back!

2. Relieve a child's itchy skin. Mix powdered milk with just enough warm water to make the thickness of heavy cream. Add a tiny pinch of salt and spread it over the affected skin. It's milk enough that you can reapply it as often as necessary to bring relief, just rinse off the previous application and slather on a new one.

3. Take a milk bath! Cleopatra did it, so why not? Milk moisturizes and softens the skin. Pour 2 or 3 cups of milk into the bath as the water runs. You can also use one cup of powdered milk. You can even add a little scented bath oil if you wish. Soak for at least 10 minutes for best results.

4. Sweeten fish and corn. To avoid the wateriness you usually get when thawing fish, place the unwrapped block in a shallow dish of milk to thaw. It will taste fresher when it's cooked. Add 1 cup of milk to the pot of boiling water for corn on the cob and you will get sweeter corn.

5. Have a milk massage. Add a few drops of essential oils to a little milk and spread it over your skin or use it in a bath. Make the solution up fresh when you need it. This will avoid the greasy feeling of the carrier oil.

Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals Review and Giveaway!

As a Purex Insider I received a 2012 Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra, along with a bottle of Purex Crystals in Tropical Splash scent.

The 2012 Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra features:
Moisture-wicking-- to keep you cool and dry.
Convenient Key Pocket--so you can take your workouts anywhere.
Reflective logo---at the back
Breathable mesh--panels
Soft bottom band for comfortable support.

The sports bra is 93% polyester and 7% spandex.  The lining is 94% polyester and 6% spandex.
Machine wash and dry.

I've enjoyed wearing this sports bra.  It's so comfortable.  In fact, I barely know I am wearing it.  It provides a very nice support.

You will want to check out the full line of Jockey sportswear.  You can visit HERE and receive 20% off!

I learned something new---normally you should not use fabric softner on performance sportswear because the oil content prevents the wicking process.   Go ahead, make fun of me for not knowing this all these years!  I always wondered why my sports bras didn't seem to last long.

So this is where--

 Purex Crystals come in!  Purex crystals are 92% natural crystals that go in at the start of the wash so they spend more time with your laundry, infusing them with long lasing freshness.

Purex Crystals do NOT contain oil, so it can safely be used on all laundry including: athletic wear, towels, children's sleepwear and everything else!

I love using the Purex Crystals!  It's so simple--just use the measuring lid, pour them into the washer before adding the laundry and you are set.  It's by far the best fabric softener I have used.
I especially love using it on our bedding.  The wonderful scent when I crawl in to bed at night is great.  The scent holds up until I wash the bedding the next week.  My grandkids like to refuse to wear anything that I've not washed using the Purex Crystal fabric softener.  My teen loves the way her clothes are smelling as well.  I do admit that I do not use it on my husbands work uniforms---he doesn't want to go to work with the scent  he he.

Here is a picture of the products I received.  One lucky blog reader will receive the same products!

Disclaimer:  Jockey and Purex provided free samples of their products so I could review them.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Swagbucks is Making Friday the 13th Lucky!

Swagbucks is making Friday the 13th a lucky day this week, as they hold a Swag Code Extravaganza, which means more opportunities to get reward points towards free stuff! It starts at 7am Eastern Time - throughout the day there will be 8 different Swag Codes, and if you can get them all, you'll have an extra 60 Swag Bucks in your account.

See you there!

 

In the Land of Blood and Honey--Live Ineractive Chat with Angelina Jolie 8 pm EST

PartnersHub is proud to present Angelina Jolie in a Live online Q&A on Thursday Jan 12th at 8pm EST / 5pm PST to discuss her writing & directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey. This exciting and interactive event gives fans the chance to ask Ms. Jolie questions about the film LIVE!

Squidoo Hopping--Link Up

I didn't have a good week as far as updating or building new lenses.  In fact, I didn't do either!
I've been in squidoo a lot this week, so don't get me wrong there.  I've been leaving comments all over, and even searching for subjects of interest as well.  I do have lots of comment love to return.

This week my post will be short and sweet.  I'm going to list my lenses that are in the red and maybe you can give them some love.  I need to work first on updating these to get them out of the red.  I do have one in the red that needs to be deleted.

I know many of you say never to delete a lens, but this one is for Cello in a Box.  I am no longer an affiliate with them.  I am, but don't quite know how it all works now since they changed the system.  Or, should I find out how it works now and update it accordingly?  I will put some thought in to that before deleting the lens because just now I am having some thoughts going through my mind on how I can change things.
A second in the red is also another lens built around a website I am an affiliate with.  I need to check with the owner of it to see if she is still running things there.

Here are all of my other in the red's:

Superdove Book Review

Hannah Montana

Jasmine's Lapbooks

The Vision Board--Book Review

Meatball Subs

Our Garden 2010

Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy --...

When Ghosts Speak-Book Review

 

I hope to see many links ups this week.  I do enjoy spending time in squidoo  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WIP Wednesday--New Blog Page Announcement and Lots of Projects!

Before I start sharing the many projects that I have going, I want to introduce my new blog page.  It's entitled Hand Made in 2012 (linky).   Since I have vowed that the majority of my gifts this year will be hand made, either by me, or bought from someone else, I want LOTS of ideas and instructions.
This page is for any link, not just blog posts.  If you have instructions on how to make things, even food that makes good gift, link it up!  If you have a shop online such as etsy where you sell your handmade items link it up! If you do squidoo lenses on handmade gifts, either that you've made, or instructions, link them up!  If you write anywhere online pertaining to home made items such as hubpages, link them up! 
I'm in hopes of there being hundreds of link ups before this year is over.  The page has a great start already.

Now on to my projects.  I told my husband at the start of the year that I really need to do one project at  a time.  I"m just not that kind of gal--seems I get bored with just one thing at a time.  As far as sewing I don't sit behind the sewing machine all day---even though there are days that I would love to.
Without further ado, here are my current projects!
First, here is the flower fabric quilt I am still working on.  I do finally have the top sewn, now to get the back and middle and the rest done.  

 I have a good start one a toothbrush rug in what I am calling neutral colors.

 This is the top I am working on for sewing club at church.  I have worked more on it today in hopes of getting it done by Friday.  I want to move on to my next top project at home.

 Still working on using up yarn stash making double thick hot pads--and using up plastic canvas stash to make matching coasters for the sets.  This week is purple.

 The take-along bag.  This bag is usually in my tote.  This way I can work on coasters, cross magnets, and baby blocks while I am out and about if I want.  This bag has sorely been ignored though.  It now also holds some of the yarn that I am using for the Granny Square a Day in 2012 challenge.

 Here is my progress on the Granny Square a Day challenge as of January 10.    I am sewing them together as I get them done.  I'm also debating on going ahead on my trimming as well.  What I am thinking for the trim is all the small balls of variegated yarn I have in my stash.  Do you think that would look ok?  There are going to be lots of colors in the squares so thought the variegated yarn might be cool too.  Click below on the button if you want to know more about the challenge.

   


Last but not least is the quilt top that I am working on at sewing club at church.  If you recall from past posts, I originally sewed the squares at home.  This project has been going on for awhile.....I doubt I finish it next month.  The one lady is trying to up my skills by teaching me to make this scrappy quilt.  I spent a lot of sewing club time yesterday getting squares cut.  I plan on having a report of progress on it with next weeks post.

Whew!   I am linking up with the following blogs:
 

New Cellfire Coupons Available!

New Cellfire Coupons are available now!  Click HERE to download now!

The offers below are available from 1/10 - 1/23 and they expire on 2/6. These offers are valid at Kroger and Kroger subsidiaries, Safeway subsidiaries, Shop 'n Save, Lowe's Food, Foodtown, and D'Agostino.

Totinos Pizza Rolls Save $.40
Save $0.40 when you buy TWO PACKAGES any flavor/variety Totinos Rolls Snacks.

PB Sweet Rolls Save $.40
Save $0.40 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury Sweet Rolls OR Grands! Sweet Rolls.

Pillsbury Crescents Save $.50
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Pillsbury Italian Meal Bread $.40
Save $0.40 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls.

Hamburger Helper Save $.80
Save $0.80 when you buy FOUR any flavor Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper OR Chicken Helper Home Cooked Skillet Meals.

BC Fruit Snacks Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES any flavor/variety Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers OR Fruit Roll-Ups fruit flavored snacks.

Total cereal Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy any ONE BOX Total cereal listed: Whole Grain Total, Total Raisin Bran, Total Cranberry Crunch, Total Cinnamon Crunch, Total Plus Omega-3s Honey Almond Flax.

Yoplait Cups Save $.40
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Kix cereal Save $.75
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Cheerios Cereal Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy ONE BOX Original Cheerios cereal (the one in the yellow box).

Chex Mix or Snacks Save $.50
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PB Toaster Strudel Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any flavor/variety Pillsbury Toaster Strudel OR Toaster Scrambles Pastries OR Pillsbury Pancakes.

PB Cookie Dough Save $1
Save $1.00 when you buy TWO PACKAGES any variety Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough.

Gogurt, Trix, Splitz Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy TWO any flavor Yoplait products listed: Yoplait Go-GURT Yogurt, Yoplait Kids Cup Yogurt, Yoplait Trix Multipack Yogurt, Yoplait Splitz Yogurt.

Fiber One Bars Save $.40
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Yoplait Frzn Smthie Save $.75
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Yoplait Greek yogurt Save $.50
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Chex Mix Treats Save $.50
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Fun da-middles Mix Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy ONE BOX Fun da-middles Cupcake Mix.

Nature Valley Save $0.75
Save $0.75 when you buy TWO BOXES any Nature Valley Granola Bars (6 count or larger), Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters OR Nature Valley Granola Thins.

Totinos Pizza Stuffers Save $1
Save $1.00 when you buy ONE any flavor/variety Totinos Pizza Stuffers.


Again.....click HERE to download the coupons to your card and watch the savings roll in!

Homeschool Journal--Didn't Get Off To a Good Start

We didn't get off to the start I had hoped for after Christmas break.
I made my goal of making Jasmine out an assignment sheet for the week---assignments for her to do on her own, that is.

We started off Tuesday on our track to get her passport.  We ran into a snag and had to wait until Thursday to finally get it paid for.  They say she is fine with plenty of time to get it in before the trip to England in March.

We ended up being away from home a lot!  Some of the times were planned, some were not.  We did take along the folder and assignments, just didn't get to them the way we should have.  She did complete over half of the list.  However, at home we only got around to math one day, and devotions each day.

Some of the things she did this week--Church, Bible study, youth group, bingo family night at church.

I have to reflect back on how many educational things she does on her own.   She was playing a trivia game online over and over.  She chose to watch shows such as How It's Made.  She has gone completely through the Visual Brain Storms cards, and started them over.  She is always drawing.  She is always writing on the computer.  She is always reading something, whether it's a magazine, a story on the computer, or a book.

This week started out exceptionally well though---hoping to keep it up all week.  :)

I apologize for not having any photos to share.  If I did take one or two they have slipped my mind with the crazy away from home week we had.

Malbox Monday January 9, 2012

New year, new year of tracking freebies rec'd in the mail.  I added up my 2011 freebies total and come up with $1.397.56 (bear in mind this doesn't count free coupons that I won or rec'd as they are in my coupons used total).  Can I beat this total in 2012??  I better get busy sending for things if I expect to.  Obviously I've been lax is sending for things.
It was a pretty slow week again:
Magazines: Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Ok!, and Good Housekeeping
Just a few pieces of hausernet mail
Michigan Bulb catalog
address labels and stickers inside a Kansas Tree Survey
Gardening cards trying to sell me more of them
Tide Coldwater from shespeaks


In my email I rec'd $8 from beezag.

Also, last week I forgot to put in the 100 postcards that I got from UPrinting as my gift for hosting a giveaway of them on my blog.

Angelina Jolie in a Live online Q&A on Thursday Jan 12th at 8pm EST / 5pm PST

Click HERE to find the post with the live interactive chat!! I hope to see you there this evening.




I encourage you to come back and take part in the Live Q&A on the 12th. One lucky blog reader that comes and posts a question for Ms. Jolie will win a Blood and Honey poster!! To enter just need to leave a question in comment for Ms. Jolie in THIS blog post between now and the 12th. I will use random.org to choose the winner. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.


About the film:

In the Land of Blood and Honey has been nominated for a Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Language Film. Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, the film tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostić) and Ajla (pronounced Ayla) (Zana Marjanović), two Bosnians from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a Bosnian Serb police officer, and Ajla, a Bosnian Muslim artist, are together before the war, but their relationship is changed as violence engulfs the country. Months later, Danijel is serving under his father, General Nebojsa Vukojevich (Rade Šerbedžija), as an officer in the Bosnian Serb Army. He and Ajla come face to face again when she is taken from the apartment she shares with her sister, Lejla (Vanesa Glodjo), and Lejla’s infant child by troops under Danijel’s command. As the conflict takes hold of their lives, their relationship changes, their motives and connection to one another become ambiguous and their allegiances grow uncertain. In the Land of Blood and Honey portrays the incredible emotional, moral and physical toll that the war takes on individuals as well as the consequences that stem from the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.



Disclaimer: This information was sent to me by Partners Hub to share with my readers. The prize is also being given by Partners Hub.