Marsha's Spot

New Coupons Alert!

2012-02-03T09:32:00.001-06:00

Frugal Friday Link Up--Three Uses for Olive Oil

2012-02-03T08:18:00.000-06:00

Good Friday to all! It's been a super super busy week for me away from home and today is no different. Not that I mind being busy, but not much is getting done around the house, or on the computer (or so it seems).

I was able to do a bit more coupon shopping this week...just a little bit. I did the Mega event at the grocery store just one time plus bought milk--which sadly was not on sale this week. I was able to combine a free coupons for Triscuits in with the mega event and a .50 off I Can't Believe It's not Butter coupon in with the deal. Otherwise I did buy cottage cheese because we haven't had any in ages, and then 7 of the Velveeta cups for just .49 each. I also used 3 of the $2 off Private Selections coupons because they were about to expire. I picked up 3 of the Apple Crisp packages for just .99 each after coupon. In all I saved $14.75 on the 14 items that I purchased. (I'm still in the process of getting caught up on organizing coupons, working a little each day.)
For more food this past week, we were able to buy 20 bierocks from church for .50 each. Also, my husband got a great deal on whole chickens from one of the little markets he services. They sold them to him for just .69 a lb! He came home with 2 large whole chickens for $4.69. We still had meat from the week before.
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Today, from the 99 Cent Solutions book, I am sharing 3 uses for olive oil.

1. Polish for finished wood surfaces. Instead of using furniture sprays and polishes, which are nothing but silicone, use olive oil. The sprays and polishes leave a quick shine, but over time they build up a sticky dullness. Simple wipe on a dab of pure olive oil with a soft cloth, then buff to shine.

2. Recondition your baseball mitt. Bring back softness and shine to that old baseball mitt by pouring oil on a rag and then working it into the glove well. Rub it into the cracks and crevices. Use a clean rag to buff off any excess.

3. Repair damaged hair. Wash your hair and rinse with warm water. Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a cup in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Massage it all through your hair and cover with an old shower cap or warp your hair with a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with a towel and wear it for 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse well, and your hair will feel thick and silky. This will help repair too much sun, chemicals, blow drying, and curling iron dryness and brittleness.
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Link up your frugal tips, recipes, and savings trips to keep me motivated!

Squidoo Hopping--Re-Building My Notebook

2012-02-02T11:19:00.000-06:00

First things first....I would like to thank poutine for taking the time to share last weeks blog hop link with others. It was wonderful to see so many link up! I still have to get to most of them, but I love it!

This week I will be working on re-organizing, or re-building, my squidoo notebook. I started January 1, but didn't get far. I started a notebook of lenses when I started on squidoo, but as my lens count grows, it's too hard to find the lens and make my notes on what I am doing with it. I am in the process of re-writing things and putting the papers into a 3 ring binder in alphabetical order. This sure will help me find the lens faster to make note of my updates and such. Yeah, I know, I should be using some sort of computer program and saving it on disc, but I have a hard time with those.

I didn't get to building any new lenses this week. I did add 2 more pictures and 2 more books to our Learning About England lens. (We are having some passport issues, so if you are the praying kind, please pray she gets her passport in time for the trip!)

I also noticed that after over 2 years at the top of my list, the Helen Steiner Rice lens has dropped to #2. In it's place is now Tweety Bird. I'm not sure how he got so popular, but cool! I just spent over an hour updating good old Tweety Bird. I added some colored backgrounds and some more amazon modules, and it also now donates 10% to the Humane Society. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Off I go to get this posted and hope to get lots of link ups this week as well.

WIP Wednesday--Will The Projects Ever Be Complete?

2012-02-01T12:55:00.001-06:00

My intent over this next week is to complete all of the cross magnets that I have magnet strips for, and to fill in all the squares for my baby blocks. I want these done so I can use up the growing amount of yarn in this bag next to me for making the granny squares.

Monday I experienced my first work day at Quilt Guild. We are making walker bags to be given to a cancer group. They are going to auction off the bags to raise money for patients. In the first photo is a group of some of the women working. The second photo is what I have accomplished so far. I brought home materials to make 4 of the bags. So far I only have the first 2 steps done, so if nothing else I will do those steps on all 4 bags then get instructions in person on how to move on. Reminding me of high school sewing class days....asking step by step for instructions on following a sewing pattern!

Oh gosh...I only made it in to my craft room to sew twice in the last week. Neither time was for very long. I really wanted to have this quilt done before the end of the month...can I do it?

I am in the process of finishing up what will be my last set of hot pads and matching coasters....for now. I do want to use up more of the yarn already out of my stash for the granny squares.

We met again for sewing club at church. I'm having a lot of fun with the every week instead of just once a month. We even had someone new join us, and hopefully she will continue to come...as well as a couple others. We are meeting again next week as we work on finishing up quilts already started. I had my daughter take a picture of us all working to tie this quilt top. (If you are wondering about the beds and things in the background, we host a bike hostel in our church)

Here is my progress on the toothbrush rug. It's not going to end up near the size I had hoped for, but I should have it finished before my post here next week. I am going to probably not start my next one until I get some other projects done.

Last but not least---day 32 of the Granny Square a Day 2012 challenge. I almost have 2 rows done now! I'm excited as each day it gets a little larger. It's laying across our king size bed.

Hopefully I will have some progress on the scrappy quilt next week as well. In the meantime, I am hooking up with the following blogs:

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn--Book Review

2012-01-31T18:42:00.002-06:00

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn (Sometimes God has to Intervene)
ISBN 978-0-7852-3195-0 Published by Thomas Nelson

This is a wonderful read...and a quick read. I read it in just a couple of days. I did want to keep reading to find out more.

In The Encounter we meet Jonathan Rush. He's a wealthy entrepreneur whose mother gave him away when he was a young boy. This fact has eaten away at him for years. He heads back to Fairbanks, Alaska in hopes of getting his questions answered on just why his mother would abandon him.

With the help of a reporter and a mysterious hermit type woman named Mercy help him on the journey.

This book is written in a form that I enjoy reading. One chapter is about Jonathan and what he is doing. The following chapter is about his mother and what she went through, and is going through.
Wonderful ending to the book.

In the back of the book is a section entitled The Truth Behind the Fiction. Following is a Solitude and Discussion Guide.
I recommend this reading!

About the author: Stephen Arterburn is the host of the New Life Live! radio and television program distributed across the country. He is a best-selling author with more than eight million books in print and founder of Women of Faith, a conference attended by more than four million women since its inception. If you have a question or comment for Steve, you can contact him at sArterburn@newlife.com

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from booksneeze.com for the purpose of review. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Homeschool Journey--Learning Along

2012-01-31T07:48:00.000-06:00

Jasmine and I had another good week of learning this past week. She completed all assignments I had ready for her for the week.
We read a lot more about England. This week we meet to learn a lot more about the trip. OMG! I am so nervous about her passport. Yesterday in the mail came a letter from the passport place stating that what was sent in was a copy of the divorce papers and they need the originals. The trip is March 20. I am mailing off the papers today with prayer (and a note inside, even though the outside of the return envelope they sent has a space to put in the departure date of her trip)

The gals and I are meeting at sewing club at church more often right now because we have a lot of quilts piling up to be finished. Here is a picture of Jasmine and her schoolwork while we are working:

We are meeting again today for the day, so next week's photo will be similar.
I'm going to look up a Bible study I had started with the girls a few years back and get it back out. It will be something that Jasmine, my husband, and I can work on on Wednesday's together. That is my husbands day off for one thing, and another is that he is really wanting to do Bible study.

Off and running I go!

Tide Coldwater Challenge

2012-01-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

I switched to washing in cold water several months ago in my effort to save energy. However, my hubby insists that whites be washed in hot water.
I was excited to get the chance to give Tide Coldwater a try, mostly on the whites. I've washed 3 loads of whites in cold water, using the Tide Coldwater. SSssshhhhh don't tell my hubby....I haven't told him, nor do I plan to.

I've also washed loads of colors with the Tide Coldwater. I love knowing that Tide is one of the best brands of laundry soap out there and that my clothes are being taken care of.
My daughter just bought 2 new pairs of pants, one purple and one red. I put both in the washer, not paying attention to the other colors I was putting in. There was no bleeding of colors at all.

Admittedly I've not been a user of Tide, but several of my friends will use nothing else. My thought has always been that it was just too expensive for my budget. I was surprised when I did check prices to find that is only a couple dollars or so higher than the brands I usually buy. Proctor & Gamble always has Tide coupons out and it does go on sale. Recently it was on a good sale at my grocery store. Great price and the current coupon was $2 off. I was disappointed to not find the Coldwater formula for sale at my store, but I did take advantage to try another formula that I hadn't ever tried before.

I am including before and after shots of one of the loads of whites I did using the Tide Coldwater.

Disclaimer: I received a full size bottle of Tide Coldwater from SheSpeaks as part of their Tide Coldwater program. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Frugal Friday Link Up--4 Uses for Oatmeal

2012-01-27T11:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Sorry my post is so late--I was having a good dream about my dream house and didn't want to wake up LOL Then, I am having some computer issues that I have yet to figure out how to cure. I am giving Google Chrome a try but I'm not liking it.

This past week has flown by. I've had some exciting happenings that deal with my blog and products I will be getting in for review/and or giveaway and some of those things have come in.

Recyclebank is finally coming to my town as far as them weighing what we recycle and earning points. I'm excited. I had been lax in getting everyting recyclable to the cart. Lazy is the word for it. Since starting to put everything recyclable in the cart, we are only taking out the kitchen trash once a week! So, other than when I change litter boxes, our trash cart is staying pretty empty.
While over at the recyclebank website I watched the stream line recycling video. I knew the plastic bag recycle bin was in the grocery stores but never put any thought in to it. Now I am making sure to recycle our newspaper bags, clean zipper bags, bread bags, etc, throwing them into the bin each time I am at the store.

I'm feeling really good about our recycling efforts.

This week, from the 99 Cent Solutions book, I am sharing 4 uses for oatmeal:

1. Tighten your pores. Grind 1/4 cup of oatmeal to a fine powder in the blender. Add 1 egg white and 2 tablespoons of honey. Pulse in the blender to combine and smooth this mixture over your clean face. Avoid the eye area. Keep this on your face for 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water, pat dry and apply a light moisturizer.

2. Scrub your hands. Mix oatmeal, either quick cooking or old-fashioned (not flavored), with enough milk to make a thin paste and scrub your hands well with it. This will remove all that dirt from your gardening or other projects and your hands will feel softened and smooth.

3. Soothe itchy skin. Grind a cup of oatmeal until it's a fine powder. Stir this powder in to your warm bath and soak in it for as long as you would like. This is the exact same thing you are getting when you buy the special oatmeal baths and will only cost you pennies. Oatmeal will soothe itching from chicken pox, poison ivy, and other itchiness. It is harmless and nonirritating. It's ideal for children with eczema.

4. Shampoo a shut-in. Oatmeal and baking soda make an excellent and effective dry shampoo for those who are bedridden or ill. It will soak up the excess oils and neutralize odor. Grind 1/4 oatmeal to a fine powder, then add 1/4 cup baking soda and pulse to combine. Put a towel around your shoulders, or the shoulders of the person to be shampooed. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the mixture over the scalp, working it to the roots. Let it sit for 5 minutes then gently brush it out over the towel.

Let's see lots of link ups this week!

Squidoo Hopping--Come on In and Link Up Your Lenses

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Hopping Thursday!

I did manage to get one lens built this past week. Learning About England. It's just a start on the lens as we read and learn in the books about England. It will grow up until my daughters trip, and once she is home I will add photos to it from her trip.

Before making the lens I asked questions in the facebook group and learned new things. Seems I am learning more and more thanks to being a part of the group. I had no idea you could click on the pictures in wikipedia and see if they are in the public domain or if you need to give attribution! I don't know if you can do that on other websites.

I believe I need to make myself a life schedule. A little off the squidoo subject, but squidoo would be part of that schedule. A set time each day that I spend specifically working in squidoo, along with set times that I work on other websites, work on my crafts, do schoolwork with my daughter, and do housework. This wouldn't be an easy task with all the things I do outside the house, but at least the things that are regularly done outside the home could be worked around.

I hope to see many blog posts and lenses linked up below. Seriously, keep me busy hopping from my blog!

WIP Wednesday--Continuing On!

2012-01-25T12:29:00.000-06:00

Another week----projects still continue on!

I have another quilt started. I'm nervous about not having enough of the cream colored material. Time will tell as I get further along on it. I'm trying to sew on it a bit each day.

I'm still trying to work a bit each day on my current toothbrush rug. I thought it was going to be my biggest one yet, but I see now that I will soon run out of a couple of the types of material. Another time will tell project.

I have blue hotpads and coasters going. Anxious to get these completed to use yarns in my granny squares. I have 2 more colors picked out for my next set too.

I didn't get much further on the scrappy quilt that the gal at church is teaching me to make. I did experiment sewing a few of the triangle blocks. I can at least get the lines drawn from corner to corner if nothing else on the stacks of light colored squares.

Here is how my granny square a day is stacking up as of today 1/25/12. This is across our king size bed. I'm thinking I will add 3 more squares on to the width. The white yarn is what I have on there for my sewing together. I figured leaving long strings on was a lot easier than tying a lot of knots as I add squares. It's working out great.

We are meeting more often than once a month right now for sewing club at church. We have a LOT of quilt tops that need to be finished and want to get them done and donated. We are down to just the 4 of us you see in the photo for club. I do so wish other church members would join us!

Tired of looking at my pictures yet? LOL That's it for this week. I have come to a stand still on the table runners. I have no idea how to sew the tops. I started to hand quilt around the flowers but it proved to be hard, and it looked really tacky with the pink thread on the maroon back. I'm thinking of trying circles around the flowers, but haven't got around to trying it yet. I've made a total of 10 plastic canvas cross magnets. I should finish those up as far as the rest of the magnets that I have for the back and be done with them. I've been filling in squares for baby blocks and have enough for almost 3 blocks...another project I should just finish up and move on.

I am finding out about all kind of classes and such through the local quilt shop. I wish I had known about them already. I foresee a lot of learning in my future!

I am linking up with the following blogs:

Homeschool Journal--We Did It Again!

2012-01-24T08:51:00.000-06:00

Yay! We did it again--we had another good full week of getting schoolwork done. I'm glad the holiday rush is over and things are seeming to get back to normal.

Sunday the 15th was youth Sunday at the church where Jasmine attends youth group. She had parts of the service so we went to that church instead. I wish I had gotten some pictures of her during the service but wasn't sure how that would go over. It's what our pastor calls "high church".

It's really working out for me to make a list of assignments for her for the week. Not only to use when we are out and about, but also at home when I am busy "at the moment" with things such as the final touches on making a quilt or well, typing up a blog post.

We are reading books about England as I stated last week. I've started a squidoo lens--Learning About England--if you would like to take a look. It's just the start as more learning and more books will be added as we go through the rest of the pile of books.

For math right now we are doing review on the dry erase board. I am also reading (and discussing) out loud with her out of a Barnes & Noble Basics book called Saving Money. She is working in the Saxon Algebra 1/2 text book on her own, asking questions if she's not understanding.

I apologize for not having any pictures this week. I keep forgetting to snap any. I know that pictures make the blog reading a lot more interesting. Taking my camera today as I am having an extra sewing club day today and she will be working on her own for the day.

Shop Hop Saturday--New Quilt!

2012-01-21T16:37:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if those who don't quilt know just how much work and time goes in to making a quilt. Even the simple straight line quilts like I make.
There is first cutting the material--then piecing the material--then getting your middle and backing ready----then pinning it all together---then tying, or quilting it---then getting the binding done, no matter how you choose to do that.
I would love to figure out how to have more sewing time----that would mean giving up a lot of internet time.

I have finished this quilt below.

Flower Fabric Quilt

I have a little start on my next quilt. I have a start on 2 table runners but a start is just where I am stopped. I have no idea how to tie or quilt them.

I also finished another set of the double thick crocheted hotpads with matching coasters:

Hot Pad and Coaster Set in Purple

I have gotten a little more caught up on my reviews and blog posts. However, I keep accepting more items for reviews and giveaways.

I think that's it for my report this week. Thanks to Ruth for hosting----at least it keeps me hopping to keep posting about how things are going with my shops online.

Giveaway! 50 Brochures by UPrinting

2012-01-21T10:22:00.000-06:00

One of my lucky blog winners will win a set of 50 custom made brochures courtesy of UPrinting. See full details at the bottom of this post.

I am very happy to be working with UPrinting once again. I have been very satisfied with all the products I already have received from them---stickers, night club flyers and postcards.
I highly recommend UPrinting for the high quality work. I also recommend them for their customer service. I have had great experiences with the customer service. On one order, they called me when my design wasn't going to be right for the product (wrong size). On another occasion I called them for help on making my design the right size. The customer service representative was very helpful, fixed my design and mailed it to me so that I could proceed with my order. Yes, I highly recommend UPrinting for all your printing needs. They have an awesome selection of products.

Prize Information
50 pcs Brochure Printing for One (1) Winner
8.5" x 11"
100lb Paper Gloss
With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold)
Front and Back Printing
2 Business Days Turnaround
*Free shipping
Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

Disclaimer: You should assume that the owner of this blog has received free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions.

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Frugal Friday Link Up--4 Uses for Mustard

2012-01-20T09:25:00.000-06:00

Let's see...what kind of frugal week has it been for me....
I did get a few good deals with coupons. Libby's veggies were on sale for .49 a can and I had a $1/4 coupon so that made them just .24 a can. In Sunday's paper was a coupon for $5 off any size bag of Purina ONE Beyond dog food. I found it at Target marked down to $5.99. Woo hoo! Just .99 for a bag of food the animals love. My mom gave me the coupon from her paper so I'm glad I will be able to get another bag for little money. Also at Target I used the $1 off Market Fresh cheese getting the bag of grated cheese for just $1.59, and used the $1 off any Market Fresh pasta and pasta sauce getting both of those for $1.46.
I also used 3 coupons that were .50/2 Dole fruit. I bought the small cans so with the coupon doubled it made one can for each coupon free. It felt good to feel like I was actually doing some shopping.

I have my work cut out for me getting my coupons in order. Shamefully I hadn't touched my coupons or my binder since the first of December. The store has some great $1 sales this week that I am in hopes of finding coupons to match.

I won a $50 JC Penney card from beezag, so Jasmine and I plan on heading out this afternoon for some shopping! I found a $10 off $50 coupon online to print out, so that will give us even more shopping power. We both plan on buying jeans for sure.

This week I am sharing 4 uses for mustard from the 99 Cent Solutions book:
1. Soothe a chest cold. Did you grandma use an old fashioned mustard plaster? I can honestly say that if my grandma did, it's not one of the things I remember about her. However, you can smear plain old yellow mustard directly on to your chest then cover that with a hand towel wrung out of hot water. They say you will feel the congestion start to break up.

2. Relax your muscles. Add 3/4 cup yellow prepared mustard to a hot bath and mix it in well. Soak for about 15 minutes and you will feel those tense muscles start to unwind.

3. Get then skunk out. Let's hope you don't ever have to try this trick, but if you get sprayed by a skunk wash with tomato juice. That's an old wives tale that is true. However, if you've run a skunk over with your vehicle, which it was dead or alive, you can't splash tomato juice all over your car. Mix 1 cup of dry mustard powder with a gallon of warm water and slosh the mixture all over the tires and underbody. This will get rid of the smell.

4. Freshen a recycled bottle. This is a trick that I must give a try. You can squirt yellow mustard into any bottle, fill the bottle (or jar) half full with warm water, put the lid on and swish the water around. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and rinse and wash. You should smell no scent at all from whatever was previously in the bottle.

Stay tuned next week for 4 uses for oatmeal.

I have 4 giveaways currently here on my blog. I do hope you will check them out. One does end tomorrow. You can always find my giveaways listed on my Giveaways/Reviews page.

Until next week, save a lot of $$ and let's hope we see a lot of sharing in the linky.

Squidoo Hopping--I've Been Hopping All Over The Place......

2012-01-19T09:51:00.000-06:00

.......but once again I didn't update or build any new lenses this past week! As my title states, I have been hopping all over squidoo though. I am really enjoying the squidoo facebook groups. As I get to those message notices in my gmail, I do open all lenses. As with all my other gmail, I am also behind in those too.

I have an idea rolling around in my head for a new lens. I need to get my pictures taken for it first. No clues, it's going to be a surprise, but I hope it will be well read.

I asked someone in the facebook group, so probably have an answer to this, but are pictures in wikipedia in the public domain? Not knowing, and all the talk of copyright lately, I've not built any more of my This Day in History lenses. I so want to get back into those though. I still have 4 birthdays to do for the year, then want to move on to filling in the other days of the year.

(Something strange just happened----I was typing this and my screen went faded and a message popped up that I had logged out from another location and did I want to log back in? OMG--please tell me that I've not been hacked!! Why would I be logged out from another location? and just what location??)

Since I don't have anything new to share this week, I will share two lenses that are at the bottom of my list and close to being in the red:

Our Homeschool Journey 2010/20...

Homeschooling

Thanks to all who take the time to read my blog posts each week. I do hope to see lots of link ups this week.

Gina Zavalis (Self Titled) CD Review and Giveaway

2012-01-18T21:00:00.000-06:00

Excerpts from Gina Zavalis' official bio:

A lifelong passion for music and years of singing in a variety of musical styles are behind the success of Gina Zavalis and the recent release of her debut single "In Your Eyes."

Zavalis, a well-seasoned performer, as her faithful fans can vouch, is breaking through industry barriers with the recent release of her debut single, “In Your Eyes.” Now, she is working on her solo music career with producer Doug Beiden, who has worked with artists Jennifer Paige, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Mandisa and TV shows Secret Millionaire (ABC), Suns Of Guns, Flying Wild Alaska (Discovery), Million Dollar Money Drop (FOX) Find My Family (ABC), Coming Home, Celebrity Wife Swap, Picker Sisters. Zavalis works with manager Scott McReynolds, who has developed the career of CCM artist Britt Nicole & consults for Tom Jackson. Zavalis is also collaborating with Los Angeles composer/orchestrator/conductor Bob Barrett, who orchestrates projects for Disney and has scored films such as GARBO IN HOLLYWOOD & ALL OF ME: The Billie Holiday Lester Young Encounters. Barrett has arranged for Diana Ross, Pat Benatar, Joe Cocker, Bill Medley, Chita Rivera, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations & Maureen McGovern. Zavalis is traveling between New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles to record a number of new songs. Zavalis is also signed with LaFamos PR and Branding in Hollywood.

In a nationally televised event at Yankee Stadium to a sold out crowd, Zavalis sang the National Anthem. Tom Seaver is quoted as saying, “Wow, what a voice, that’s the best we heard all year!”

Zavalis’ self-titled EP is filled with heartfelt lyrics, alongside her intriguing sound and dynamic, powerhouse vocals showcasing her three + octave range. Zavalis is already being compared to Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand and Adele.

My review:
Gina Zavalis' self titled album contains just 5 songs:
In Your Eyes
Reach for Me
I am Here
Waiting
As I Give My Heart

I find the music to be what I call easy listening. The tunes are laid back and mellow.
She has a wonderful singing voice. Her tones seemed to be just perfect to my ears.

You can find Gina Zavalis at all of these websites:
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter
Her Official Website
Reverbnation

Would like a chance to win Gina Zavalis' self titled debut album? Just enter using the rafflecopter form below.

Disclaimer: I received the album download from LaFamos and information page for the purpose of this review. LaFamos is supplying the physical CD for the winner of the giveaway. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

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WIP Wednesday 1/18/12

2012-01-18T12:55:00.000-06:00

I've really been working away, right on schedule as I planned this past week.

My toothbrush rug is moving right along. I even found some more fabric to add to the box while looking for other things. I think this will end up being my biggest rug yet once I get it done.

Yay! My flower fabric quilt it tied and the binding is pinned, and it will be completed! I am doing a wrap around binding. It will be listed for sale in my etsy store this weekend. (along with the purple hot pad and coaster set, which I did just finish this morning. I haven't picked out the next colors of yarn for the next set.)

I was going to lay out the materials and get them pinned for my 2 table runners. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized I had enough of these materials to make 2 table runners. Nothing is done past laying them out. I will do a wrap around binding, but I think I am going to try to hand quilt around the flowers. I think I could maybe do a free motion quilting with my machine on a table runner, but first I have to learn how to do it.

I said last week that I would get the material cut for the scrappy quilt and post an update on that. I hadn't done any work on that until Monday evening. I found I hadn't brought home enough of the lighter material from church. I picked more light material while we were at church yesterday. Last night I then figured out that I also didn't have enough darker material to get all the squares cut. I went in to my own stash then and now have all of the squares cut! That is really no easy task. My next step is the get the corner to corner lines drawn on the light colored 88-4 7/8 inch squares and 52- 2 7/8 inch light colored squares to be ready to start sewing those. This is going to be a slow project, but hopefully I will have some sort of progress to update next week on it.

Finally! My granny square a day challenge as of today, 1/18/12. I've decided to go on out sewing squares together to the width I want the blanket to be. This way I can go ahead and get a start on the crocheted edging too. Ignore all the white yarn...I'm leaving long pieces on so that all I have to do it put my needle back on it as I put the squares together. You can follow along with others progress by clicking the button below my photo.

I am still working on the cross magnets and block squares with plastic canvas, in fact I am finishing up a purple cross that is on my lap. I am ready to put together one of the blocks. I admit to have a few granny squares made ahead. I am just sewing one on each day.

I better stop with my rambling here, get back to work, and also check out what others are up to as well. I am linking up with the following blogs:

Win One of 4 Amazon Gift Cards with Dnbuster and Pals Valentines Day Giveaway!!

2012-01-17T23:24:00.000-06:00

Hi ya'll!

Welcome to the

"Dnbuster and Pals"

Valentines Day Giveaway!

Below is a list of all participating blogs:

1. Dnbuster's Place (Hostess with the mostest!) ~ http://dnbustersplace.blogspot.com

2.Freebies Galore And A Whole Lot More http://tpankuch.blogspot.com/

3. Lessons Learned http://www.reflectionsonlessonslearned.com

4. Save Green Being Green http://savegreenbeinggreen.blogspot.com/

5. St Augustine Qpon Posse ~ http://staugustineqponposse.com

6. Baby James mommy http://babyjamesmommy.blogspot.com/

7. Marsha's Spot http://marshasspot.blogspot.com

8. Dutch girls Favorite things http://dutchgirlsfavoritethings.com

9. Freebees N more http://freebeesnmore.blogspot.com/

10. Sweeping the USA http://sweepingtheusa.org/

This giveaway will have 4 different winners!

The prizes are

1~$50 Amazon E-gift card,

1~$25 Amazon E-Gift card

and 2~$10 Amazon E-Gift cards

To enter the giveaway ~complete the Raffle Copter

entry form below.

There is only one mandatory entry~

Enter the NAME of the Blog you are entering from

You are entering from "Marsha's Spot"

(There is a prize for the blog that refers the most entrants!)

Only entries made thru the raffle copter form will count

since this is a multi blog giveaway.

However a comment is always welcome to let

the blogger know you stopped in:)

Giveaway ends Feb. 14th at 12:01AM

winners will be contacted by noon on the 14th!

Good Luck!

Thanks to Dn for hosting this great giveaway and the chance to participate :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homeschool Journal--Great Week!

2012-01-17T08:31:00.000-06:00

Ah ha! Jasmine and I finally had a great week last week with schoolwork. An excellent week in fact.

The good week was attributed mostly to her friend. They wanted to spend time hanging out most of the week. This meant Jasmine knew that before she could go hang out, or before her friend could come over here, she had to have her school work done. Her friend called her early every morning to make sure she was getting out of bed. It was great actually!

Tuesday was my sewing club day at church. Jasmine still attends Bible study upstairs until about noon. Once study is over she comes downstairs, has her lunch, then works on school work until 2:30 or so when we start cleaning up for the day. I snuck in this shot of her working.....you should have seen the look she gave me afterwards! You can see some of our projects laying all around her.

We made a trip to the library and checked out several books on England. We still had 2 books we didn't get read about Greece, but we will get back to those. I think it's a lot more important right now for her to learn about England since she is make a trip there in March. Everything is looking good so far for the trip. They had a Papa John's fundraiser this last weekend. On the 27th they are doing an Indian Taco supper fundraiser. I think that is the last that they have planned. They have worked hard for over a year to earn their money to go.

School work otherwise last week, we made good progress in all the subjects. Yesterday was a holiday, as you know. I let Jasmine have a friend overnight, so she was here through supper yesterday. I also had let my grandson spend the night with us since he didn't have school. I took him home late afternoon. Had the 2 of them not been over, we would have done some book work. I do hope to have another successful week---as well as each week throughout the "end" of the school year.

Shop Hop--Good Year So Far

2012-01-15T16:10:00.001-06:00

A day late----always a dollar short LOL
It wasn't until late last night that I realized I didn't do this post and it was Saturday.
I spent Saturday jumping back and forth between my "paid to clicks" and working in gather. It was the first time in a very long time that I actually did all sites in my paid to clicks favorites list.

I am doing what I can to earn amazon and cash (paypal) in order to first replace my daughter's laptop. Her's completely went out a couple months ago. She only has my husbands to use now. We are in hopes of being able to get her stories and pictures off the hard drive.

I have lots of crafts projects going all at once. If you seen my WIP Wednesday blog post you seen most of them. I am on the last steps of completing a quilt to get listed in my etsy shop. Once I get it tied and ready to sew I will be laying out 2 simple table runners ready for sewing. I also have another quilt in mind. I have to lay the backing out to see how big I can make it.

Here are this week's 2 new etsy listings:

Cross Magnets--Lot of 3

Hot Pad and Coaster Set in Yellows

I must get busy moving expired items on etsy over to my zibbet store....I sure keep saying that and not getting it done.

I also still have reviews to get caught up here on my blog. They are late and it's to the point of I don't know which to start with....does this happen to anyone else?

I'm going to stop here for this week so that I can work on some other things. Hopefully one of my 2 new listings next week will be the quilt. :)

New Purex UltraPacks Laundry Detergent!

2012-01-13T20:46:00.000-06:00

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TGIFF!-Quilt Top and Name Tag

2012-01-13T13:23:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-13T10:40:00.000-06:00

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!

2012-01-12T23:17:00.000-06:00

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swagbucks is Making Friday the 13th Lucky!

2012-01-12T17:29:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-12T08:40:00.000-06:00

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!

2012-01-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

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!

2012-01-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

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
Save $0.50 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls.

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
Save $0.40 when you buy SIX CUPS any variety Yoplait Yogurt (Includes Original, Light, Thick & Creamy, OR Whips!).

Kix cereal Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy any ONE BOX Kix cereal listed: Kix, Berry Berry Kix, Honey Kix.

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
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any flavor 4.5 OZ. OR LARGER Chex Mix OR Chex 100 Calorie Snack.

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
Save $0.40 when you buy ONE BOX any flavor Fiber One 90 Calorie Chewy Bars or Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies.

Yoplait Frzn Smthie Save $.75
Save $0.75 when you buy ONE any flavor Yoplait Frozen Smoothie.

Yoplait Greek yogurt Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy TWO CUPS any flavor Yoplait Greek yogurt.

Chex Mix Treats Save $.50
Save $0.50 when you buy ONE BOX any flavor Lucky Charms Treats, Golden Grahams Treats, Chex Mix Treats, OR Milk n Cereal Bars.

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

2012-01-10T08:26:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-09T15:10:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-09T08:57:00.000-06:00

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.

Shop Hop Saturday---Work Week! And Sweetheart Celebration!

2012-01-07T20:15:00.000-06:00

I'm working hard to get back in to the swing of things. Mostly I am working away on my crafts to keep getting them listed in my etsy store and such.

I do have 2 new postings this week. They are repeats of products already in my store:

Cotton Crocheted Washcloths Set of 3 in Billowing Blues

Save the Earth Fabric Bag

I have a couple of things lined up to list next week already as I work on some larger projects to get listed.

I am working on a quilt with flower fabrics, a new toothbrush rug, sets of double thick crocheted hot pads with matching coasters, and I have 2 table runners I want to get put together. I have one more fabric bag ready to sew and material enough to make 3 or 4 more of the Save the Earth bags.

On to the sweetheart Celebration---Monday, January 9, 2012 is the last day for get the early bird pricing of just $5 for a 45 minute presentation time. Hurry in and grab your spot! We are back on track on having these online parties and they just get better with each one and more and more know about them.

TGIFF!--Folded Hotpads

2012-01-06T17:34:00.000-06:00

I really had hoped to have the quilt I am working on completed by today. You know about those best laid out plans---we ended up being away from home a lot this past week. I only have 3 rows of 8 sewn together on it.

Today I will share the folded hotpads that I've been making. I went as a visitor in November to the local quilt guild meeting. During that meeting they had what they called mini-demos. One of them was on how to make these folded hotpads. I was excited. I had just bought some insulbrite a couple days earlier with the intention of making hot pads with some fat quarters I had won over on listia.com some time ago. I stayed after the meeting to get further one on one instructions.

I do hope these count for the TGIFF since I did learn how to make them at quilt guild. I did since join the quilt guild and am very happy! Last months meeting was a Christmas party and we had a motivational speaker who was excellent! This month's meeting will last a couple hours longer and we bring our machines and work on project. Am I excited?? You bet I am!

Anyway, here are the hotpads. When I learn something new that I like, I go with it for awhile. I have material cut for 2 more sets yet. however, I highly doubt after I put the next 2 sets together if I ever make the hotpads again (unless they do sell in my etsy store.

This isn't quilting but I want to tell you about the Granny Square a Day 2012 that I am taking part in. I've not made granny squares in many many years. I am making some other things with my yarn stash, but doing a granny square a day this year will take care of what is left from my other projects too! Here is a photo of the 6 squares I have done so far along with the button if you would like to see how others are doing and/or join in yourself.

Frugal Friday Link Up--4 Uses for Meat Tenderizer

2012-01-06T09:19:00.000-06:00

Good Morning! I hope your new year is off to a frugal start.
I have some things in mind that I've not gotten to, and at the same time I've been doing well.
I plan, first of all, on making the homemade Bisquik. Hopefully I will get to that today.
I've been doing some things like making sure lights are turned off in rooms we aren't in, or they aren't on if we don't really need them on. I'm working on getting crafts done from my stash of supplies. Seriously, if I didn't buy any more supplies, I have enough to keep me busy I would guess for 3 or 4 years! I did buy a spool of thread, but a couple more would keep me in my sewing too with all the material I have.

I built 2 new squidoo lenses this past week that are along the lines of saving money and being frugal. I will link those up in the linky this week. Yes, you may link up any url you like as long as it's on subject, not just blog posts.

I was looking through this 99 Cent Solutions book and realizing that sharing out of the way I am, it would be a couple more years at least to get through the whole book. I hope to start doing separate blog posts with more throughout the week and just linking them up to this post. That way we can call learn faster from the book and I might actually get through it too.

This week it's 4 uses for meat tenderizer:
1. Take the bite out of a mosquito attack. Slather on a paste made by mixing a little meat tenderizer with a few drops of water on that itchy red bump. Let it sit for 5 minutes before washing it off. If you catch the bite right away there will be no mark at all left. Even hours later you will still reduce the redness and swelling significantly.

2. Ease a sting. The same trick works for a wasp or hornet sting, relieving the pain almost instantly. If the stinger is still in the skin, gently remove it with tweezers, being careful not to squeeze it deeper into the wound. Apply the meat tenderizer and water paste and let it remain on the skin until it dries and flakes off. This take about 15 minutes or so. The enzymes break down the toxins from the sting.

3. Soothe lower back pain. Mix 1/4 cup meat tenderizer with 2 tablespoons of water, adding a bit more as needed to make a runny paste. Rub this right into the skin over your aching lower back. Ideally, cover the area with a washcloth dipped in hot water and squeezed out. After 10 or 15 minutes you will feel the muscles start to relax. Rinse it off and take it easy.

4. Take on touch stains. Hot chocolate, coffee with milk, blood---these protein based stains are usually nearly impossible to remove completely. If the stain is still wet you have the best chance. If not, wet he cloth and hope for the best. Sprinkle the stained area thickly with meat tenderizer, rub it in, and let it rest for 1 hour. Then launder as usual.

Until next week!

Squidoo Hopping---New Year for Squidooing!

2012-01-05T10:10:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first squidoo hop of the new year. I hope this post finds everyone with a re-newed outlook for the new year.

I've found myself sidetracked in squidoo quite often this past week. Just now I was doing a search to find the instructions to crochet a granny square and towards the top of my search was a lens!

I believe that I only updated one lens this past week. I had to update This Day in History August 15. I had put it down as Araya's birthday but it's Willo's! Oopsie!   I do still have to build one for Araya's birthday, as well as my mom's, and 2 of my grandsons--Tristian and Cash.

I did build 2 new lenses though....2 in a week for me?? The first one is Crafts as Gifts 2012. I realized that my original Crafts as Gifts lens was just getting far too large.   I have vowed to make 2012 a home made gift year, so I plan on having plenty to add to the lens throughout the year. I started the lens with a few items that I hadn't added to my original lens.   (I also made a page here on my blog Handmade in 2012 Linky, so please do continue to add links on hand made items to the list. I'm loving what has been added so far.)

A couple of days ago I had newspapers on my mind. I was away from home all day, but once home I spent over 2 hours putting together a Uses for Newspapers lens. Wow! A search came up with hundreds of things spanning several websites. I opted to just list the things I have done, along with one I would like to try.....then make a link list with websites of other lists.

In other news---no reply yet on my request to use a scanned picture of the postcard in my Elvis lens. I'm thinking I probably will not get a reply. Several have told me about fair use, but just like my husband, say that Graceland is a stickler on copyright.   I still wish I could find the rest of the postcards that I bought while I was there.

I am off for this week, but I do hope to see lots of you link up this week.

WIP Wednesday--Finally A Couple Days of Sewing

2012-01-04T13:00:00.000-06:00

Whew! The holidays are over and the craziness of trying to get gifts done and such. I feel like it had been forever since I got to sit down in front of my sewing machine.
I finally got in a couple days of making it in for some sewing.

I was able to get 2 rows and part of a row done on my flower print quilt. I had hoped I could have it done by Friday for the TGIFF post, but there is just no way.

This is how far I am so far on the quilt top for sewing club at church:

I am working through my yarn and plastic canvas stash by making double thick crocheted hotpads and matching coasters. This will be a work as I can project......I really am ready to delve into making rugs while I sit and do things on the computer instead. I'm sure I will bounce back and forth as usual.

Pretty short report for this week but I am about to run out the door and run a couple of errands. As soon as I get home I really want to get in to my sewing machine!

I am linking up with the following blogs:

Homeschool Journey--Still On Christmas Break

2012-01-03T07:57:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I hope your new year is off to a good start.

We've still been on Christmas break this past week. I don't have any photos to share this week.

The usual things happened like attending church. Christmas morning church was wonderful as we sang a lot of Christmas hymns in place of several things in the service. We had a guest pastor (one of our own out of seminary and waiting on a call). His sermon was on the timeline of Christmas. It was quite interesting and he did it with congregation participation. She attended her youth group meeting on Wednesday evening. Other than that, she has spent a lot of time with friends....overnights.

Jasmine got out a diet and fitness journal just before Christmas and has read it and studied it cover to cover. She says it's not a diet, but a lifestyle change. As far as food the first changes I am helping her make is buying skim milk and low fat cheese. She received a bicycle for Christmas from my husband. She's not missed many days of going out and doing a little riding, despite her bad knee. We've been fortunate to have weather mostly in the 50's as of late. The next step is to get the exercise equipment back out of the closet downstairs so she can work on it daily. My daughter and her boyfriend came and got a lot of their stuff out of the basement, so there is room to get the equipment back out now.

I'm always changing something in the way we homeschool. Nothing new here, I've been changing and changing again since I started homeschooling my children in 1998. I started this week by sitting down and writing out assignments for Jasmine for the week. I used to do this all the time, especially when I was homeschooling 3 of the children at once. Jasmine and I haven't ever done this since it's just been her left to teach. What I am writing down are things she can do on her own when I am busy away from home, or we are away from home together, or on my husband's days off work. This will help to ensure that a lot more school work gets done each week.

I'm going to hop along now...we have to be off to the DMV to get her ID and then to the post office to apply for her passport. Then it's off to Bible study and after that a trip to the library to get books. Please pray that she gets her passport in time to make the trip to England in March!!

Shop Hop Saturday--New Year's Edition

2011-12-31T17:11:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year to really re-think goals...at least for most of it is.
After pretty much concentrating on Christmas the past couple of weeks, I'm more than ready to get myself back in to some sort of a normal routine.

There are my goals---not all having to do with "business"
1. Clean and re-organize my house--and keep it that way. This means putting things back where they belong, getting rid of excess that just isn't needed, and more.

2. Quit smoking---easier said than done, but something I really need to be able to accomplish.

3. Make my goal of reaching a minimum made online of $600 per month--this total includes the value of items that I get free for review and such.

4. To reach #3 I need to be active in squidoo each and every day. I need to keep up with working on my crafts and sewing daily. I need to learn about different affiliates and how those programs work. It also means better ways of getting the word out about the things I am doing online.

5. Learn to say no when asked to do things outside of the home. When I say yes, and doing so takes me away from home for hours at a time, my whole day ends up feeling like a waste. Of course there are exceptions but it's been crazy. Take me here, take me there.....

6. Each Sunday I am going to make a list of school assignments for Jasmine. These will be expected to be done by the end of the week. These will be things for her to do on her own, in her own time, but preferably the times when I can't be sitting one on one with her for schoolwork.

I'm sure there are more things that I can list that I'm not thinking about right now. No, I'm not going to go over this list in my blog over and over. I may occasionally talk about the goals in with my regular posting however.

So...let's see. I finally made it back into my sewing room 2 days ago after almost 2 weeks of no sewing. I still hope to make it in there tonight, at least for some ironing and cutting to get ready for sewing.

I did post one item in my etsy shop--another set of the billowing blues washcloths.

I want to tell you about the Sweetheart Celebration coming up. Time is getting close on being able to get your spot for just $5!!! Please click the button on the side for more information. I need to get myself better prepared for it.

I will be taking part in DNBuster and Friends Valentines Giveaway her blog. You may also click the button on the side to find out more information about that.

I have one current giveaway up for Natural House cleaners. If you haven't already, please enter to win.

I made a new page here on my blog. It's Hand Made in 2012 (linky). If you post with instructions on hand made items (including food), or you have made an item that you gave as a gift, please post to the linky. I want to see LOTS of link ups and lots of inspiration. Posts can be old or new, and do not need to be blog posts. They can be posts at hubpages, redgage, squidoo, gather, etc etc. You can also list you etsy or other stores where you sell hand made items.

I still have book reviews to catch up on here on my blog....music reviews and giveaways to get done, and more.
But, I am going to quit rambling for this week and spend the evening with my hubby for new year's eve.

Myspace Happy New Year Comments

TGIFF--What Can You Make With a $2 Sheet

2011-12-30T11:56:00.000-06:00

Whew! I must apologize! I've had these things made for a month and I keep letting Friday slip by me without getting a Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday post in.

I wanted to share the things that I made with a $2 Dora sheet that I bought at a yard sale. It was a nice, like new, thicker sheet and I couldn't pass up buying it! My intention was to make just Dora fabric bags with it, but then I seen child's quilt.

This quilt was the first time I've ever tried hand quilting. I hand quilted around the pictures on the fabric as well as I hand sewed the edges as well. It took quite awhile to get it done.

Here is the finished quilt, with a matching pillow:

Here is a close-up of some of the stitch work:

I also was able to make 2 fabric bags:

All leftover material I cut into strips. These strips will be used in a bright colored toothbrush rug. I have the strips ready to start on the rug, just not sure when I will get to that. There was also a pillowcase with the sheet but I'm choosing to let the granddaughters share it on their pillows.

I also want to note---the pillow insert used for the Dora pillow was given to me by a lady at church. My mom's friend gave me the quilted backing piece used on the quilt. I did buy pink thread to sew with for $2.07 at Wal Mart. I already had the pink cotton thread that I stitched with. It was in with several used rolls my daughter had given me.
In total for less than $5, I was able to make these things. I love it!!

I also want to note that the fabric bags, as well as the quilt were sold in my etsy store about as soon as I listed them.

I am working on squares for a quilt. I do hope to have it completed by this time next Friday to post again!

Frugal Friday Link Up--5 Uses for Mayonnaise

2011-12-30T08:48:00.000-06:00

It's Friday, and time to link up your frugal posts for the week. It's also almost the new year! Is one of your goals for the new year to live a more frugal life? To save more money? To get more organized?

For me, I've always tried to live a frugal life, both out of necessity as well as it's a lifestyle that I enjoy. I've been thinking about it more and more lately as there are some goals that I have for things I would like to buy. My goal shopping list includes laptops for both my daughter and myself, cubby organizers for my craft room, a van, and a camper. The last 2 will really require saving money in other places to be able to afford them.

Being online is wonderful. There are so many freebies out there to help with the money saving venture. Then there are the products that I get to review as a blogger. Items we can use, as well as items I can use as gifts. I'm set on laundry detergent for quite awhile, thanks to getting in laundry detergent from both Purex and Tide for review.

I hope the tips I share throughout the year from the 99 Cent Solutions book help in our efforts to save money and e more frugal. It's amazing what every day products that we usually already have in our house can do. Using this everyday stuff instead of going out and buying specific products is a real money saver.

Today I am sharing 5 ways to use mayonnaise:

1. Take crayon off of polished wood. If the children got a little crayon crazy on your varnished maple table, just rub on a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise with a paper towel and let it sit. Rub again and wa lah! the markes are gone.

2. Take the sap off our your auto paint. Sap is usually very hard to get off of your car with just soap and water, and you don't want to use anything abrasive and mess up the paint job. Rub a generous amount of mayonnaise directly on the sap deposits and let it sit for 10 minutes. Use a soft, absorbent rag to remove both the mayonnaise and the sap, then wash the car as usual. The same treatment will remove road tar that accumulates on the fenders.

3. Photo worthy houseplants. Dip a paper towel in mayonnaise and rub each leaf. Polish it off with another paper towel and the leaves will have a gleaming, deep-green shine for months.

4. Soften ragged cuticles. If your nails looks rough and ragged, don't soak them in dish detergent, instead put them in a dish of mayo for 5 minutes and then wipe them with a paper towel. Trim your nails while they are a bit softer from the soak, and use an orange stick to push back the raggedy cuticles. Wash your hands with warm water, put on some lotion, and your hands will look like you just had a fancy manicure.

5. Two-for-one hair and skin treatment. Condition both your hair and smooth your face at the same time with a mayonnaise treatment. Massage the mayo into your dry hair and scalp, then wrap it in a towel or put on a shower cap. While your hair rests in it's treatment, spread a thin layer of mayo over your freshly washed face. Avoid the eye area when doing this. Lie down with a couple of damp tea bags or cucumber slices over your eyes for 15 minutes and then step right into the shower to wash it all off. You will feel like you just came back from the salon. (in my experience, it takes several washings to remove the greasy effect of the mayonnaise)(when I worked for the Headstart program and we had the headlice outbreak, it was suggested to parents to put mayo in the child's hair and put on a shower cap overnight to suffocate the lice. It seemed to really work and a lot less expensive than the over the counter lice treatments, not to mention much safer for the child)

Until next week, I want to wish you all a:

Happy New Year Glitter Pictures

Squidoo Hopping--Copyright Question

2011-12-29T10:21:00.000-06:00

Good Thursday morning.
Let's start with my question.

While looking through some old papers I found one of the old postcards I had bought while visiting Graceland. I intended to scan it and put the picture in my Elvis lens. My husband is telling me that since the postcard is copyrighted that I can't put it in my lens. He says I need to contact Graceland and get permission.
Well, since that whole copyright thing is pretty much above my head---can I, or can't I scan it and put the picture of it on my lens? Thanks. (So many of the pictures I put in with my lenses I get from the internet, mostly from wikipedia---I don't even have a clue if this is ok, but if I don't get photos from the internet just where am I to get them to go along with my lenses??)

Now, I have been working to update lenses. Some of them I opened to see about the donations module (which last I checked is still MIA)
Here is the list of lenses that I updated:
Legos
Grandma's Christmas Wishlist
Crash! Book Review
WWJD for Kidz
Kansas Our First Lapbook
Elvis Presley

I am stopping here this week. I hope several will have input on my copyright question, as well as link up below (remember I am now allowing you to link directly to one or two of your lenses if you don't blog about squidoo.)

Black History Month is Coming in February

2011-12-28T19:36:00.000-06:00

I'm always on the look out for fun ways to get history in to our homeschool day. We all learn better when it's fun and interesting. This graphic is full of great information and learning. My daughter and I enjoyed looking at it and reading it over together.

Just click to open it in a new window, then click in that window to make the graphic larger as well.
We will re-visit this again in February when it is Black History month!

View Larger Graphic Here

I just won 50 points on the SuperLucky Button!

2011-12-28T12:09:00.000-06:00

I just won 50 points on the SuperLucky Button!: Superpoints is a members-only club where you earn great rewards for doing things online like taking surveys, watching videos or shopping. One person can use this special code for 50 point sign up bonus!

I love Superpoints, so fun, and so easy. I also must mention that they are very quick to pay too!

WIP Wednesday---Getting Back in the Swing of Things

2011-12-28T10:12:00.001-06:00

Good Wednesday to all. I barely know it's Wednesday, still coming down from the holiday rush. Not to mention that hubby is usually off on Wednesday, but not this week because of the holiday schedule.

Basically I've done nothing towards crafts! Not really true. I worked on the My Little Pony until almost the end of Dec. 23, to get it finished and wrapped for the 24th. It's no longer a work in progress but wanted to show it off. It didn't turn out half bad. I even have a picture of Brandon showing it off. (We did use the flat iron and straighten the yarn hair before wrapping)

Right now I'm pretty much just reeling---trying to figure out how to get back to some sort of a regular routine. This is always so hard for me.
I've not been in my craft room except to put materials away from all over the house----I still have the same projects sitting in there: 2 fabric bags to finish, 2 simple table runners to put together, the flower quilt I am working on, 2 more sets of folded hot pads to complete, an idea for my next quilt rolling around in my head---I did work some on washcloths the last couple of days and will continue that today. I am working on using up the yarn on this cone. After that, my living room projects will be the double thick crocheted hot pads and matching coasters.

NEW! I have vowed that next Christmas is going to be majority handmade, either by me, or bought homemade from someone. I have a new page here on my blog for you to link up handmade posts. Please check out the page and add links. I'm hoping to see literally a thousand or more links before the end of the year. I have linked up several of my own and others have linked in. Check those out while you are on the page as well. Link ups do not need to be blog posts for this one!! Thanks!

I'm going to close this for now. These are the blogs that I link up to each week---they may or may not have linky's this week due to the holidays though.

Natural House Cleaning Products Review and Giveaway!

2011-12-27T17:01:00.001-06:00

Natural House cleaning products are a true cleaning revolution!

Why is it a "revolution?" Because Natural House probiotic cleaning products brings you a revolutionary, new method of cleaning the most dirty areas of your home. Utilizing non-toxic, probiotic cleaning agents, Natural House products are strong enough for commercial clean-up, yet safe and gentle for all of the members of your Natural House.

Here's a little more info about why our all-natural cleaning products are superior to those currently on the market!

Our products use an eco-friendly cleaning method of probiotics that create a beneficial, odor eating ecosystem to naturally drive out and digest odors at their source.
Natural House's plant-based ingredients are eco-friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable to naturally fight the toughest problems you face in your house.
Our products, Sinky and Flushy even break down and digest fats, oil, grease, and solid waste to ensure your disposal, pipes, drain lines or septic tank run smoothly.
Our cleaners contain good probiotics which continue to scour, clean, consume odors, grime, grease, and germs, and they continue to do so until your next weekly treatment!
We earned the coveted Retailers’ Choice Award” at the 2011 National Hardware Show!

So how exactly does probiotic household cleaners work?

The surfaces in your house are like a garden. If you don’t seed with good plants, weeds will grow. You have the same choice with your household surfaces: sanitize for a moment with harsh chemicals leaving your surface open to recontamination or seed with probiotics to continuously weed out the bad micro-organisms.
Traditional cleaners “clean” a surface for a moment in time; the second the rag is finished wiping the surface, that surface is almost instantly polluted once again with ambient dust, dirt, and micro-organisms.
Natural House probiotics creates mini-ecosystem on a microbial level that produces enzymes which break down odors, dirt, fats, oil, grease, food scraps, waste and toilet paper products on a continuous basis between applications. This creates a natural, clean, balanced environment that is safe for even the most sensitive members of your natural house.
The action is in the foam! When using your Natural House products be sure and let it foam first to release the cleaning agents before going to the next step on the package directions.

The short and skinny of it is this... our natural probiotic cleaners keep on cleaning long after you've stopped!

Please watch this 2 minute video to learn more about how our probiotic cleaners work.

(My review) See the photos below that go along with my review of each product.

Trashy--Simply spray into your trash can (or diaper pail). Let it air dry, or wipe dry before placing a new bag in. The first time I used this my trash can was pretty dirty inside so I did have to wipe it dry. It has a very pleasant odor to the spray. It's a minty scent to me.

Flushy--Just drop the packet into the bowl. As you see if my photo, it immediately starts to bubble up for the cleaning action.

Sinky--Drop the packet in to the drain, run hot water for 10-15 seconds. You can see in my photo the foaming action. If you have a garbage disposal, which we do, just run it for 1-3 seconds. This also has a pleasant odor. It's on the lemony side to me.

Of the 3 products, the sinky is my favorite. Sometimes that disposal gets stinky and I didn't like that at all. Since starting to use the Sinky product I have not noticed a smell at all.
I also like the Trashy product for keeping the trashcan smell to a bay as well.

You may purchase the Natural House cleaning products directly from their website, or purchase them on amazon:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

One lucky blog reader will win their own 30-Day Supply of the 3 Natural House Cleaners!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homeschool Journal--Christmas Rush Week

2011-12-27T10:14:00.000-06:00

Whew! The Christmas rush week is over and it's time to slow down and get back on track.

Not intentional, but we did no text book work last week at all. We got in our devotions, both at home, and from a book I carry in my tote while we were on the run.
There was of course the Christmas program on the 18th. Jasmine had a reading to do. Below is a photo of her reading during the program. The afternoon of the 18th was 3 hours of Christmas caroling to the shut-in members.

Bible study was held this last week. This week we are taking the week off and it's strange to be sitting at home right now instead of at church for study.
She attended her youth group meeting at the Grace church. Also for that youth group she helped serve a soup supper during the annual Luminary up north of town. The soup supper was a fundraiser towards their trip to England in March.

She did help me some with the Christmas baking. There was also the Christmas Eve service at church as well.
Christmas eve was a full day...first to my brother's house for my family...then to hubby's sister's house for his family...and then to church. Below is a photo of Jasmine at hubby's sisters house waiting to open gifts.

Oh yes, I mustn't forget to share this photo of Jasmine and Santa together too LOL This was after church on the 18th.

One of my gifts to Jasmine I bought through brainemporium.com. It's Visual Brainstorms The Smart Thinking Game. Although she made a wise crack when opening it telling every one "of course mom gets me something education", she got the cards out right away. It's 100 of the world's best brainteaser questions, guaranteed to challenge, entertain, puzzle and amuse you. Ages 10 to adult, multiple players. Everyone got in on trying to solve.

I better move along and take advantage of the extra time at home this morning. I am linking up with:

Enter to Win in the Lemonhead Superfans Sweepstakes

2011-12-26T18:23:00.001-06:00

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Lemonhead Superfan?

Brickfish

Frugal Friday Link Up--3 Uses for Marshmallows

2011-12-23T11:36:00.001-06:00

First of all, let me apologize for not getting this posted first thing this morning! Christmas time is crazy time with final preparations. I kept 4 grandkids overnight last night. This morning I had the good idea to get out the craft supplies and let them sit at the kitchen table and create. What we created was a mess, but they had a good time. We aren't done yet though as now I got out the construction paper, glue, glitter, markers, etc so they can make Christmas cards for others. Good thing my kitchen was already a mess LOL

I have completed my baking. I didn't do near what I usually do. I made everyone (30 people) individual banana breads and then did pretzels dipped in white almond bark. All I have left to do is get what food I can ready today for tomorrows dinners. I hope hubby remembers to bring home dinner rolls! Better give him a call.

Now, this week out of the 99 Cent Solutions book are 3 uses for marshmallows. A bit of history in the book tells me that marshmallows used to be used to soothe sore throats. The replacement of the root juice with gelatin put a stop to this.

1. Top a cupcake. Anyone can make frosting, but be the coolest mom is school by bringing cupcakes topped with melted marshmallows. Once the cupcakes are done in the oven, just pop a marshmallow on top of each one and leave them in the oven just 1 minute longer. Cool completely. As an added feature, melt 1 cups of chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Use a fork to drip strips all over the surface of the marshmallow.

2. Drip proof sugar cone. Wa la! Drop a mini marshmallow followed by a large marshmallow into the bottom of pointed sugar cone and this will cause a barrier that drips can't get out of.

3. Preserve brown sugar. Put 2 or 3 large fresh marshmallows in your bag of brown sugar before sealing the bag. This will stop your brown sugar from being a piece of brown granite next time you are ready to bake. As as added measure, also seal the bag inside a plastic container.

Any other ideas for marshmallows? Just leave me a comment! (I am having a world of a time typing marshmallows instead of marshamellows LOL My name is Marsha and my nickname is Mellow!)

Before adding the linky, I do want to wish each and every one of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Squidoo Hopping--Today a Module Question

2011-12-22T09:10:00.000-06:00

I want to start off this post with a module question. I asked in one of the facebook groups last night.
Is there a limit of only so many of one module within a lens? I was trying to update my Charity Donations lens again to add 10 more charities, but the donations module was no where in sight! If there is a limit then I will have to do these in parts, but I'm pretty sure there isn't a limit.

I didn't get a new lens built this week. You know the saying about the best of intentions. It's just so busy right now with Christmas!

I did update my Trunk or Treat lens ---which should have been updated right after Halloween, actually should have come home Halloween night and put the photos in! I only chose 10 of all the ones we took to add.
I added 2 more books to the Learning About Greece lens. It will be awhile before I add more. We have 2 books left to read that we had picked out, but we returned them to the library until after the holidays. I like Ruth's suggestion of making the What We Have Learned into a link list as well. That could be an update until we get back to reading...we will see.
I also updated my Blankets for Christmas lens. Next up will be Crafts as Gifts that I had hoped to get to this week. I'm really going to need to open up a new Crafts as Gifts, because that one is getting too full, plus I've made a vow to make all gifts homemade next year.

I'm going to close for this week by wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Graphics - Hot Comments

Couponing: The Extreme Video Course!

2011-12-21T21:40:00.000-06:00

Whether you are thinking you should start using coupons, just beginning to use coupons, or a seasoned veteran like myself, I highly recommend Couponing: The Extreme Video Course by Rayven Perkins.

I've been couponing (and refunding) since 1982. I married young. My mom had used coupons as far back as I could remember. One of her wedding gifts to me was a coupon box that she put together for me, with categories and filled with coupons. That's all it took for me to be hooked. Times have really changed over the years, especially with the internet. It can be overwhelming to say the least.

The grocery coupon online classes in this course include 14 videos, a 35 page pdf workbook that follows the videos, as well as a members only resource webpage with additional links that go along with each video.

Each video is very well put together, easy to understand, and I didn't see or hear anything to be missing in instructions. Once you own the course you are free to watch the videos as many times as you need to. Plus you have the workbook to refer to as well as the videos. I love the resource page that is for members only! It's worth it's weight in gold for sure.

The videos start with the basics and end with your stockpile. In between you find ways to organize your coupons, the rules of couponing, how to shop at different stores such as Target and Walgreens (and several others), and more! And.....two bonus videos will be available December 31. Click on over to receive an instant $10 off until December 28.

I'm a stay at home mom, and I want to stay a stay at home mom!

Enjoy the following video!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Join in the DnBuster and Pals Valentine's Day Giveaway!

2011-12-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

I am taking part in the Valentine's Day giveaway that DnBuster is hosting on her blog. There are still some open slots if you are interested in joining in. These are a great way to get followers to your own blog. The prizes are generous in this one too!

Please click below to find out full details:

Zantac $3 Printable Coupon!

2011-12-21T10:09:00.002-06:00

High value print :)

WIP Wednesday 12/21/11--Project Line Up

2011-12-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

Good Wednesday morning to all.
This feels like it's been such a strange week as far as my crafts. You probably know how that is. I had so many plans on what I wanted to get done, and the majority of it did not get done.
My main plans were to line up my projects in a row, getting materials ready for all of them.

Well......I have one more box to set up for starting on toothbrush rugs, but below is 3 of my boxes. I have one to start in flannels, one with brighter colors of cotton and one with more neutral colors in cotton. I still have to get my box ready for one with t-shirts.

I finished up a set of the hot pads and I have 2 or 3 more sets that I have materials cut for. I still have the 2 simple table runners to get made.....the flowery quilt to finish the squares on......I have a plan for a string quilt if I have enough of a material that I need......I have fabric bags ready for sewing. I had made myself a plan...I was going to start using up my yarn stash making double thick crocheted hotpads with matching plastic canvas coasters. I got started on a yellow set.

I have a request by a nephew for a crocheted My Little Pony. My daughter found me instructions and she bought the yarn with her Hobby lobby card. Below is a picture of my progress so far. I hope it comes out alright....I'm thinking the hair is going to be even harder than the pattern has been. Wish me good on getting it finished as well please, just a few days left to complete it.

Let me close today by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Comments | Order Personal Checks

Homeschool Journal--Christmas is Upon Us

2011-12-20T09:21:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most of you are like me---good intentions for book work this past week, but it just didn't happen. We only ended up with 2 good days of book work. We have so many activities going on aside from the normal activities.
Time to relax about it and go with the flow.

One day last week we spent 5 hours at our church for a funeral. A beloved church member passed away. She was 88 years old and led a full faithful life. The service was extra long as many people had wonderful things to say about knowing her. We have been helping with funeral dinners for a few years now (Jasmine and myself), and this one was no different. Serving over 100 people (family), was a lot of food, a lot of prep, and a lot of clean up. It's all worth it to know you are providing a service to the family. Plus, you hear even more stories of their life during the mealtime.

Thursday evening was spent at church. It was the usual monthly grill fundraising night so we went to eat as usual. They have added back in family fun night to be from 7-9 after grill. This last week some of us spent the 2 hours decorating the church upstairs. When we were done with that we packed up goody bags. We Christmas carol to the shut-ins and they each get a goody bag. Then, Santa was there after church to let children sit on his lap and get a goody bag too. That was assembly line fun to put the bags together. They played the movie Prancer for the younger ones to watch while we worked, and plenty of snacks and drinks were available for all.
Here's Jasmine untangling garland and lights to decorate the choir area.

In her youth group on Wednesday evening they went Christmas caroling at Wesley Towers.

Here is wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

High Value Beech-Nut Baby and Listerine Printable Coupons!

2011-12-20T00:23:00.000-06:00

60¢ off when you buy any ONE (1) box of Beech-Nut® Baby Cereal

$1.10 off when you buy any FOUR Beech-Nut® Stage 2 1/2™ Baby Food Glass Jars

$1.85 off when you buy any FIFTEEN Beech-Nut® Stage 2 1/2™ Baby Food Glass Jars

$1.25 off when you buy any ONE LISTERINE® SMART RINSE® Anticavity Flouride Rinse 500ml

Mailbox Monday 12/19/11

2011-12-19T19:27:00.001-06:00

I sure don't feel like I got much this week---I did get 5 Christmas cards this past week, 4 of them from gather members. Thank you very much. They aren't pictured.

As always lots of magazines--2 issues of OK, 2 issues of Entertainment Weekly, People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Redbook and Good Housekeeping.
Only 1 other piece of hausernet mail this week, but they did send me an email saying I would get paid for the mail to my mom's address by the end of January.
A new store list booklet from National Consumer Panel. If you aren't a member yet, please check out my blog post and consider joining:
Join the National Consumer Panel!
I rec'd my autoship from Jerky Direct, which is paid for by my downline.
I also rec'd Purex Crystals and Jockey bra for review and giveaway in January on my blog.

In my email I rec'd: $5 amazon from superpoints, $5 amazon from crowdtap, $4.55 paypal from blogservices, and $7.29 paypal from squidoo. (the paypal and the Jockey and Purex made my week other than the Christmas cards!)

Shop Hop Saturday--Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

2011-12-17T17:23:00.001-06:00

Just a heads up from the start. I really doubt that I will be doing more than a Merry Christmas post next weekend :) We will be super busy Saturday all day with 2 families and then church.

As a reminder, here are my current goals: (may re-think them for the new year, not sure yet)

1. Build a new squidoo lens or update a previous lens each day.
2. Post at least 3 things a week to redgage.
3. Post 2 things a week into my etsy store and continue to move other things to my zibbet store.
4. Keep up with the reviews and regular postings to my blog.
5. Sew at least a little bit each day. (this goes with accomplishing goal 3)

I have been doing pretty well with #1--will head in there after I am done with this post for today's updating.

I just went to redgage and posted 3 photos. I was a little disappointed that the 3 videos I had posted to youtube this past week weren't auto added to redgage? They used to be. I know my wedding video was as I rec'd comments on it, but I can't even find it in my account now. This is one that needs to change for the new year. It didn't take me long at all to add the 3 photos, so why can't I take the time to make it to redgage daily? I accepted more friend requests and left lots of comments while I was in there too.

I posted 3 items for sale this week in my etsy store. I must add to this goal to move at least one item per day from etsy over to zibbet!

Save the Earth Fabric Bag

Hotpads--Set of 2

Cotton Crocheted Washcloths Set of 3 in Billowing Blues

I am thinking for best results and sales I really must have a minimum of 50 items in my stores to choose from. Getting to that on zibbet won't be a problem if I just get busy transferring them over. With the free account on zibbet, 50 listings is your limit. I am perfectly fine with that number.

Yes, #4--still keeping up with regular postings on my blog, but still need to work on those reviews. In fact, I really need to review an album yet today and get that up along with a giveaway.

#5---I have indeed made it in to my craft room for some sewing each day this past week. A couple of the days weren't more than 10 or 15 minutes, but I am happy with that too!

That looks like that's it for this week's report. I will be working more this week to finish up Christmas gifts and wrapping.

Thanks again to Ruth of abitosunshine for hosting this shop hop each week. Please click the button at the top to learn more about it, post your own link, and/or support others who are working from home.

Frugal Friday Link Up--5 Uses for Lemon Juice

2011-12-16T09:54:00.000-06:00

With Christmas right around the corner now, it's been more important than ever, or maybe I should say, more necessary than ever, to be on the frugal side.
I still have a few gifts to take care of, which is not like me at all. I'm the one who keeps a large tote all year long, filling it as I find good deals throughout the year. Oh, my tote was over flowing and had more piled on top, but the contents were not the same.
Each year my children have come to depend on that "health and beauty" package that I put together for them. You know, body wash, deoderant, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc etc. I have some of that this year, but not "complete sets" for all like I usually have.
It's been a strange year for me with money and coupons. I've sure not done the kind of shopping I normally would have done!

Anyway....I do hope everyone who is reading this is on their way to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too!

This week I am sharing 5 uses for lemon juice from the 99 Cent Solutions book.

This is referring to using the bottled lemon juice that you buy, but I wouldn't see why, if you wanted to fresh squeeze the juice, these wouldn't also work.

1. Cook fluffy rice. Add a tablespoon of juice to the water when making rice. When it's cooked, fluff with a fork. The rice will not be sticky.

2. Crisp up lettuce. If you've let your bag of salad stay in the fridge a few days too long, just put a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl of cold water and let the lettuce soak for 20 minutes. It will be crispy and fresh again.

3. Remove stains from marble. If you have a really stubborn stain on marble, try scrubbing with a paste of lemon and salt. This should remove the stain, but don't scrub too hard. Rinse very well so that no acid remains that will damage the stone.

4. Clean a crusty microwave. Mix 2 cups of water with 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 8 minutes. The steam will loosen food particles on the walls and the glass, making it easy to wipe clean with a few swipes. (I've heard of water---need to try this with the lemon juice added!)

5. Replace salt. If you have high blood pressure, sprinkle your food with lemon juice instead of salt. Chefs say this really works. (I am assuming this is while cooking, not while on your plate)

That's it for this week. I'm enjoying going through this book--99 Cent Solutions with my blog readers, and I'm learning new things along the way. I still plan on changing this Friday post up a bit, but probably not until after the new year. I do hope you will link up any frugal type posts you have. The linky stays open all week.

Swagbucks To Have THREE Big Promotions on Monday!

2011-12-16T00:47:00.000-06:00

Swagbucks is going crazy on Monday, with more ways for you to earn reward points towards free stuff. First, they're having a Swag Code Extravaganza, which means a fun day where you can earn up to 70 Swag Bucks from 8 different codes throughout the day!

Second, there's a new set of Holiday Collector's Bills which you can only earn through search - get all five and you'll receive an instant 12 Swag Bucks bonus! The set starts at noon on Monday

Finally, for any referral you bring in today through the 19th, you'll not only get up to 1000 matching Swag Bucks from Search, but 1000 Matching Swag Bucks from everything they earn (not including codes) all day Monday - they're calling it Mega Match Monday!

Three big reasons to visit Swagbucks this Monday!

Not a member of Swagbucks yet?? Click the banner below to join and start out with a cool 100 bonus points in your account with the code HOLIDAYSWAG
This code is good through December 31 for new sign ups only.....and only if applied during registration!

Squidoo Hopping--Payday

2011-12-15T08:28:00.000-06:00

Yep, yesterday was squidoo payday. I didn't make enough last month to get paid. I did get paid yesterday, but ended up making less than I had the month before. Must have been a couple of months when I really didn't do much with squidoo. I'm trying to work squidoo more to ensure I at least reach payout each month, but I really need to be a lot more! I know others are highly successful at squidoo. I'm using 2 groups in facebook and learning some things from there.

I finally did a search on how to find your facebook identifier number and was able to plug it in to the facebook fanpage module. Woo Hoo! It's working now. I only have it in my Homeschool Books Used 2011/2012 lens so far. There are only a few of my lenses where I feel it's appropriate it in, but that is on my to-do list.

I got to work on my Charity Donations lens. I still have a long ways before all the charities are listed. I found that when adding modules from the sidebar I can't add more than 10 at a time of any one module. So, that is where I am starting with, 10 at a time. After each 10 I am putting in "A word from our sponsor" and using the affiliate modules----is that tacky? So far I'm putting in products that have to do with volunteers.

Another book added to Learning About Greece. We still have 4 books to read before it's complete, so it will be ongoing for awhile.

I updated my Guns n' Roses lens after reading in our paper that they made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Checked the videos while I was there, they all still work. Sometimes in my music lenses when I check a video that I had in is no longer available on youtube so I have to replace it.

That's it for me this week. Remember, if you don't blog about squidoo, I am now allowing you to link up one or two of your lenses instead in the linky. I really want to see this grow. Keep me busy with squidoo!

Join the National Consumer Panel!

2011-12-14T22:03:00.000-06:00

I want to say that I've been a member of the National Consumer Panel--Home Scan for quite a few years now. I've been very pleased.

You earn points by scanning your purchases weekly as well as taking short surveys about your purchases.

Over the years I've redeemed my points for a 3-man tent, a large griddle, a stick vac, 6 way plug adapter, and book light. Just deciding now what I want to exchange my points for next.

Also, while scanning your are put in for their sweepstakes as well!

If you are not already a member, I do encourage you to join and earn as well.

WIP's This Week

2011-12-14T09:45:00.000-06:00

I've still been staying very busy on my crafts.
I am working on the last of the crocheted washcloths that are part of my gifts.

I spent one day--10 hours to be exact, ironing, cutting etc, at the kitchen table (with my laptop beside me of course) As you can see below, at one point I was taking most of the table with my cut outs for the folded hot pads:

I now have 42 of these blocks ironed and cut for my next quilt. Just 14 more to get made. I will probably go ahead and start sewing these together this week.

Here are my 2 charity blocks completed. The top one is going to Val for the Heroes Helping Heroes Quilt. The star block is going to quilt guild for a patriotic quilt that is being put together for donation. I didn't have a clue how to make a star block. I'm so sorry that I don't remember who directed me to this tutorial, but this is what I used: Summer Sampler Series: Star of Virginia

I even finally got some more work done on this quilt top for sewing club at church:

I still have other projects on the back burner like 2 table runners, and 3 fabric bags that I have the material cut for.

I am linking up with these 3 blogs (Freshly Pieced is on Christmas break until after the first of the year)

Purex's Laundry Detergent is New and Improved!

2011-12-13T20:30:00.000-06:00

As a Purex Insider I have the privilege of giving the New and Improved Purex laundry detergent a try.
We are a Purex family, and have been for so many years. It's what my mom always used and I've continued to use it myself.

I'm recently married, and my husband insisted there was only one kind of laundry soap that could be used on his clothes without breaking him out. Of course, this was one of the "leading brands" and more than I wanted to pay. (That's just one of the great thing about Purex--the affordable price.)

I started buying the Purex Free & Clear and he's had no problems with break-outs at all.

Imagine my surprise, and my delight, when I received a full size bottle of the Free & Clear in the mail for the purpose of this review. Surprised because when I looked in the laundry room at my recent purchase, it was also the same New & Improved that I had just bought. Delighted, because I already know that it works great, and that my husband is pleased with me using it on his clothing, and our bedding.

Information from Purex about the New & Improved Triple Action laundry detergent:
Over the past year the R&D scientists at Purex have been working hard to create an even better Purex formula. They are committed to bringing you a great product at a great value.....about half the price of the leading brands.

They took the best parts of the previous formula and added new additions to deliver great cleaning plus improved brightening power.

Purex is made to work in both regular and High Efficiency washers. The New & Improved Triple Action formula is found in the Free & Clear, Mountain Breeze (and 2 other scents), and Natural Elements (both scents).

Watch my blog for an upcoming giveaway--your chance to win Purex and give the New and Improved Triple Action formula for yourself.
Also watch my blog for an announcement in early 2012 to send for your own free sample!

Disclaimer: Purex provided a free bottle of their Triple Action laundry detergent for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

Homeschool Journal--Finally a Good Week

2011-12-13T08:56:00.001-06:00

Finally we had a good full school week this past week. My tracking book and times look great. We made it through every subject 4 days last week!

We are taking a little bit of a math break. Jasmine is doing problems daily on the dry erase board, but otherwise we have been watching videos and reading out loud in a book put out by Barnes and Noble called Basics--Saving Money. In the Introduction to Business text book there is always a section at the end of each chapter that also is a bunch of math too. After the holidays we will hit it hard again.

We are still reading books about Greece. We have 4 books yet to finish. Some are smaller, but the photos in them are great. We are getting repeat lessons from different books, but that's ok...drilling it in to our heads more. I'm wondering what country she will want to learn more about next. It was going to be England because her youth group was planning a trip there in March. They weren't able to raise all of the money needed for the trip so they are not going to be able to go. They will go somewhere in the states now.

I don't have any photos to share yet again this week of Jasmine. I told her that I need to work on that.

This week is going to be another good week for schoolwork, then we are pretty much taking off the next 2 weeks. There are some things we will still do daily such as our devotions and some reading here and there. Next week will be candy making and baking week. I will get lots of pictures then!

I'm going to stop babbling for now. We are about to head out the door to church for our weekly Tuesday morning Bible study. Then it's off for our weekly trip to the public library.

I am linking up with:

Mailbox Monday 12/12/11

2011-12-12T19:27:00.000-06:00

It as a hoppin' week for my mailman. I almost couldn't fit it all into the picture :)

*Magazines: People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Martha Stewart Living, Ok!, Entertainment Weekly,
*Several other pieces of hausernet mail (now if only they would pay, I would have it made)
*Purex Laundry soap--to try and review from Purex Insiders
*10 Dole Fruit Crisps free coupons--Won from psmomreviews blog back in Oct. The win was 5 coupons but since it took so long for them to get them to me, they sent double.
*2 Christmas cards--I know these don't count as freebies, but I love getting them!
*Lanacane anti-chafing sample with coupon
*AmLactic lotion samples with coupon
*Smart Ones Satisfying Selections Dinners mailer, including 1 free coupon, along with several .50/2 coupons.
*Natural House cleaners--for review and giveaway on my blog
*Stopain Cold pain relieving spray--for review and giveaway is current on my blog.
*(not pictured) Couponing the Extreme video course including ebook--for review

In my email: $10 from paypal and $5 amazon from sidetick.
Also I transferred $6.30 to my jingit debit card.

Shop Hop Saturday--Christmas Will Be Here Before We Know It

2011-12-10T17:14:00.001-06:00

Christmas will be here before we know. I'm mixing up making a few things for gifts, and wrapping gifts, as well as staying busy getting things made to put up for sale. I hope to continue in this way all through next year too.

Here are my "mountain climbing" goals, with a change to the first one:
1. ~~Build a new squidoo lens each week as well as update at least 2 others.~~ Either build, or update a squidoo lens each day.
2. Post at least 3 things a week to redgage.
3. Post 2 things a week into my etsy store and continue to move other things to my zibbet store.
4. Keep up with the reviews and regular postings to my blog.
5. Sew at least a little bit each day. (this goes with accomplishing goal 3)

1. My previous goal with squidoo was always to either update or build a new lens each day. I let that slip, but it's time to get back on track with squidoo. So far I am keeping up.

2. Unfortunately, I didn't make it in to redgage this past week at all.

3. I actually listed 4 things in my etsy store this week (there are 2 sets of the bibs)

Hotpads--Set of 2

Baby Bibs Set of 2 in Red for Boys

Cotton Crocheted Washcloths Set of 3 in Potpourri

4. I am keeping up with my regular posting here on my blog....again, I am still behind on my reviews, mostly the book reviews. I have 2 giveaways up currently that you may want to check out.

5. I only missed one day making it in to my craft room to sew. I still have to do so today, but it won't be using my machine, but instead ironing and cutting material to get ready for some projects.

There you have it, my report for this past week. I always look forward to doing these posts each week, and I thank Ruth, of abitosunshine, for hosting the blog hop too.

Purex to Give Away 20,000 Subscriptions to Better Homes and Gardens Magazine!

2011-12-10T08:59:00.001-06:00

As a Purex Insider I got the heads up to let my readers know about this great giveaway!

Purex is giving away 20,000 1 year subscriptions to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.....yes, 20,000!!

Get your entry in by December 20, 2011. Just click over to http://www.purex.com/bhg and fill out the simple form to be entered. (Open to US residents only)

Stopain Cold--Review and Giveaway

2011-12-09T20:23:00.001-06:00

It’s that cheery… and chilly…time of yearagain. Are you worried that muscle or joint pain, which can becomeharsher as the temperature drops lower, may stop you from enjoying winteractivities or holiday festivities? You are not alone! An estimated 76.5 millionAmericans also suffer from incidences of pain, especially in the winter monthswhen the cooling weather aggravates the muscles and joints.

Don’t let the worry of wintertime bring you down. It’s time to “Stopain..and Go” do the things you want to dothis season.

The active ingredient in Stopain is menthol, recognized by the FDA asan analgesic indicated for the temporary relief for minor pains and stiffnessof arthritis, muscle aches, strains and simple backaches. It also containspeppermint oil and eucalyptus oil, recognized by the FDA for their analgesicproperties. Extra-strength Stopain formulas are also formulated withglucosamine and MSM, essential nutrients that support joint health andmobility.

Stopain products include the extra strength spray and the extrastrength roll-on, both leaders in the topical analgesics category, as well as anew pain relieving gel formula.

***Stopain is also proud to be a Proceeds Sponsor of the ArthritisFoundation. The Stopain labels feature this sponsorship and for every unit ofStopain products sold, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to theArthritis Foundation with a minimum contribution of $25,000.

My review: I received the product above for review. As soon as it came in the mail and I opened it, my 15 yr. old daughter grabbed it from me. She literally ripped the box open. She's been having a lot of knee pain as well as pain in her thumb and wrist. She sprayed it on her hand as well as on her knee.
She said that right away she could feel the difference and that it was much easier for her to walk.
She has used the Stopain Cold spray every morning, and throughout the day since we received it.

I, myself, get lots of different muscle and joint pains. If I sit in front of my computer too long, which I often do, my shoulders really start to ache. If I sit in front of my sewing machine for too long, my middle back starts aching. If I sit on the floor, it's my lower back that is aching. Cutting material for my crafting causes my right shoulder to pain.
I have tried many of the over the counter pain relief gels and creams, but nothing works as immediately and as well as the Stopain Cold. One spray in the area is immediate relief.

My daughter, and I have both used the product daily since receiving it and have not yet used even half of the 4 oz. bottle. I'm very impressed with this too. We will definitely be sticking to the Stopain Cold for relief from now on.
We also both love the spray on form for the hands free part. I'm sure we've all used a rub and then rubbed our eyes! This was the first time we've tried a pain reliever in a spray.

To learn more about Stopain Cold, visit http://www.stopain.com. Be sure to join their facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/stopain, as well as follow them on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stopain, for great tips for managing pain as well as giveaways.

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Stopain Cold 4 oz spray from Robin Leedy Associates for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

One of my lucky blog readers will win their own bottle of Stopain! Just enter below using rafflecopter.

Frugal Friday Link Up--3 Uses for Kool-Aid

2011-12-09T08:46:00.001-06:00

I've been rolling another idea around in my head....instead of just posting these everyday uses once a week, to make them more regular than that. Plus, adding is other frugal tips of my own that I have learned and used over the years. Still debating since I am behind on some other things in my blog....and my life :)

I've not been doing well with my coupons. I did get them all cut and in to my binder. I'm just not finding the deals that I used to. I do fear it has something to do with the Extreme Couponing show as many others are complaining about. I'm noticing a definite drop in the value of coupons. What used to be .50 off is now .25. What used to be .50 off 1 is now .50 off 2.   This makes it pretty impossible to get anything free or for just pennies. This couponer is very disappointed.
I just applied to do a review for a couponing ebook. I do hope to be approved. Even though I have been using coupons since 1982, instructions and motivation, tips and tricks, are always needed.

With that said, I will move on to the 99 Cent Solutions book. Today I am sharing 3 uses for Kool-Aid. (I'm putting an amazon link for the book at the end of my post too.   This is a great book! Even though I am sharing something from the book each week, I am only up to page 30 of 335. There are some neat facts and history throughout the book as well. I'm very pleased that I purchased it.)

Uses for Kool-Aid:
1. Cleaning concrete. The same acids that make lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid taste good are a potent cleaning solution before you add the sugar and water. Mi the contents of the package with 2 tbsp. hot water to make a paste, then rub that paste over rust stains in concrete. Scrub with a stiff cleaning brush and the stains will disappear. Rinse well.

2. Remove dishwasher rust stains.   Hard water makes the inside of your dishwasher get dingy with iron and other mineral build up. Just pour a package of lemonade flavored Kool-Aid into to soap dispenser and run your dishwasher on the heavy cycle. It will gleam in the end. (I must give this one a try!)

3. Decorate a kid's room. You know how kids love to decorate their own room. (My daughter has a chalk pastel mural on one of her walls) Let your child choose the color(s) they prefer. Stir in 2 packages of Kool-Aid into a quart of white, water-based paint and stir. The strong dye makes a distinctive paint that's perfect to brighten up a wall in your child's room.

Embroider Everything Workshop--The Beginner's Guide Book Review

2011-12-08T21:47:00.001-06:00

Embroider Everything Workshop--The Beginner's Guide to Embroidery, Cross-Stitch, Needlepoint, Beadwork, Applique, and More by Diana Rupp.

ISBN 978-0-7611-5700-7 Workman Publishing, New York

Part 1 includes 4 chapters and is called The Basics. Chapters include: Gearing Up, Get Ready, Get Set, Start Stitching, and Getting Designs onto Fabric and Canvas.

Part 2 is the projects. 40 projects are included, and also includes 48 original iron-on transfer patterns. These are neatly in an envelope attached to the inside front cover as seen in the photo below.

I am very pleased with how this book is put together. The introduction, prior to Chapter 1, is fantastic! It includes a lot of interesting history, 10 reasons why embroider and the different types of embroidery.
Chapter 1 tells you what should be in your embroidery kit. It even includes photos of all the items as well and detailed descriptions.
This is truly a step-by-step book for the beginner. Every step and all stitches are explained and have illustrations. There is even a stitch practice card included in the book.

I've not ever considered myself to be an embroiderer (is that a word?) I have done it before and have a renewed interest in my quilt making. I'm so glad that the book includes not just embroidery, but also beadwork, cross-stitch, needlepoint, applique, and even plastic canvas. I have referred to the book several times on how to do things in the past couple of weeks.

Let's move on to the 40 projects included. There are projects for wearing. Here is a fun one--Daily Panties---underwear with the day of the week embroidered on them.
There are projects for kids. My daughter spotted the Bejeweled Blossoms right away. She's been wanting me to make her flower hair accessories for awhile now.
There are projects for the home. One that I want to make is the Color Theory Coasters. They are plastic canvas and I enjoy working with it.
There are projects for giving. I see lots of great projects in this section. What stands out for me right now are the Old-Meet-New Gadget Cozies.

Appendix A is all about finishing your work. Appendix B is a font library. Appendix C is a listing of further resources.

I am excited about this book. If you have a crafter on your gift list, whether a beginner or seasoned, I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend it for you too.

I have a goal to either make, or buy all homemade gifts and this book holds many projects that will be made for those gifts.

About the author: Diana Rupp founded and runs Make Workshop in New York City, the hip craft school that teaches everything from how to use a sewing machine to spinning your own yarn. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is also the author of Sew Everything Workshop.

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Embroider Everything Workshop by Workman Publishing for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

Squidoo Hopping--Let's Get to Hopping!

2011-12-08T08:55:00.001-06:00

Good Thursday to all! I was just thinking this morning that it's getting close to squidoo payday for the month. I didn't quite make it last month to get paid to paypal. It's because I've been working to add charities to my lenses to give a tithe to, so that's great. I do still have a lot of lenses to choose a charity for.
I'm thinking of making a lens to highlight all the charities. There are so many to choose from!

I built another This Day in History lens into late last night. I think this one has the most history in it of any others so far. It's This Day in History August 15. I still have 3 more birthdays at least to get done before I start on other days. I'm also going to build a placeholder lens with links to all the days as I get them done.

I only recall updating just one lens this past week and it's Marsha's Spot on Etsy. That required removing the modules and replacing them. Oh how I wish the etsy module could be edited to remove the items once they are sold or once they expire on etsy. I added my zibbet banner to the lens too. As my crafts expire unsold on etsy, I am moving them to my zibbet store. Zibbet is free to list up to 50 items. That is saving me a lot of money on paying to re-list on etsy, however, I have yet to sell anything on zibbet.

My question for this week----since I can not get the facebook fan page widget to work, is there a module that would allow me to put the widget code in to get it to show up that way?

****That's my report for the week. I do hope to see several link up and share. I am changing the "rules" of the hop. Many of you don't have blogs. So, for those of you who don't have blogs, feel free to link up your newest lens, a newly updated lens, or just a lens that you love that you've built. Please limit this to 2 lenses per week. Thanks!!****

Wip Wednesday--Many Projects Going On!

2011-12-07T12:20:00.001-06:00

I have continued to stay busy on my crafts, even around a busy schedule that is taking me away from home even more than usual.

I am working on crocheting washcloths.. I bought the blue specific for making them for Christmas gifts. I have listed a set of three of them in my etsy store. I've been working on crocheting the rest of the lighter colored spool of cotton yarn. Almost ready for another set of those in my store, which will be the last of that color for now.

I have these 4 bibs for boys done except putting on the snap. They will be listed in my etsy store in sets of 2.

I've worked here and there on these quilt squares. I am up to 31 done now....actually I sewed a few more after I took this photo. I'm not sure how many I have left yet to make. I think I'm going to go ahead and iron and cut down enough for a couple rows so I can see what I need yet.
I was going to make 2 quilt tops with these flowered strips, both the same style, but now I think I am going to do a string quilt with 6 inch squares instead for the second top.

Usually this post is about the first thing I do on Wednesday morning. I took the photos this morning but it's after noon. In the meantime, as I said, I sewed a few more of the flower blocks. I am pretty close to finishing another set of 2 of the hotpads that I learned how to make last week. I didn't put a photo this week since I hadn't made any progress. I found more material and have it cut for more hotpads, but need to look in my stash for at least 3 more colors that I can cut for them. I'm having fun attempting to perfect these, but maybe figuring out that I never will.

I also got a start on another toothbrush rug. Still working now at getting the strips organized. I doubt I will actually start working on it until after Christmas....but I will be ready at least.
I still have squares on my desk to put together for a quilt top for church. We will not be meeting this month. I also have material ready to make 2 simple table runner.
Truth me known, I have enough supplies in this house right now to keep me busy for 3 or 4 years at least! The only thing I might have to buy is thread to sew with.

I better run! I am linking up with the following blogs:

Homeschool Journal--Week 18 Busy Busy!

2011-12-06T08:17:00.001-06:00

Last week was the busiest week that I've had, I think ever! I was away from home a lot more than I was home.
And, when I was at home, I was in an online party Monday and Friday from 1-10 pm. I attended and joined the local quilt guild, so I was there all of Monday morning. I did a lot of sewing this past week.

So, what happened with schoolwork? Sadly, it goes by the way side.
We watched numerous educational videos such as one in the Financial Fitness for Young Adults series, videos from the Green Matter series, and History channel videos.
We did do text work, but just one day.

It's getting closer to Christmas every day. We've been doing a lot of wrapping gifts. Jasmine got in some good writing time by making out the list of who we are giving to, along with what we have for them so far as we wrapped it.
She is always writing something, or drawing. She's always looking something up online that she is interested in.

In other words, she is learning every day whether we crack out the textbooks or not. I believe it was just this past week that I read in someone else's blog to not get stressed over what you don't get done. There were a lot of good words of advice in that post.

Here is something else that happened last week to keep us busy. This stray dog showed up at the door...he made himself right at home. We've had no luck finding his owner. We think he's been abused. Jasmine so wants to keep him, but he is just so big! He opens the gate and lets himself out of the back yard. Another no no as we can't have him running the neighborhood. Say some prayers for us that we figure out just what to do with him. He is is sitting pretty with Jasmine:

Oh! and something else. We got to give Algebrator a try this past week. Jasmine's been looking forward to it even though math is her least favorite subject. I hope you will click over and check it out as I am offering the software download in giveaway as well.

Algebrator Software Review and Giveaway

Private Selections Appetizer, Pizza, and Dessert--Good Stuff!

2011-12-05T19:58:00.001-06:00

As a bzz agent through bzzagent.com, I was thrilled to get the Private Selections campaign. I've been seeing this brand in my local Dillon's (Kroger) store and had been wanting to try them.

My kit included 3 free coupons--one for an appetizer, one for a pizza, and one for a dessert.
Pictured below are the boxes of the choices we made for our meal. Also included were 5-$2 coupons to use and/or pass out.

There was a wide variety of appetizers to choose from. We aren't eggplant or mushroom eaters in this house, and most all of them had one or the other, or both in them. I chose the Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets (on sale for $7.29) because they had neither.
The pizza's on are the gourmet side. My daughter and I enjoy the different types of pizza--my husband doesn't. I chose the Pepperoni and Roasted Garlic (on sale for $5.49). The dessert was the hardest to choose---there were so many of them and each and every one of them looked scrumptious. I chose the Mini Eclairs (on sale for $3.99).

Here is a photo of our table just before we sat down to eat:

What did we think? We loved all of it! The pizza is only intended to serve 2, but I cut it in to 6 pieces giving us each 2. The Trumpets were meant to serve 3, with 9 in the box, so we each got 3. The eclairs have 4 servings in the box. My husband can't have sugar and was surprised to see the sugar content per serving of 5 pieces to only have 10g sugar. He ate a couple and really enjoyed them. My daughter also only ate a couple as well. That left the rest of the box for me!

Would I buy these Private Selections products? Yes, I would buy more, especially if they are on sale and even better if I also have coupons. I wouldn't be able to buy them on a regular basis though based on the price.

Good-to-know facts:

Private Selection® Frozen Appetizers ($3 - $7) Individually handcrafted and filled with unique combinations of high-quality, savory ingredients. Hand-crafted offerings include Mediterranean Inspired Hors D'Oeuvres collection, Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets, Mushroom Walnut Profiteroles, Spanakopita.
Private Selection™ Frozen Pizza (Around $5) is set with oval-shaped crust that is baked in an Italian marble oven to create a thin and flaky base for authentic, high-quality ingredients. Mouth-watering offerings include BBQ Chicken, Margherita, Roasted Vegetable and Pepperoni
Private Selection® Frozen Desserts ($3 - $5) have rich, delicious flavors, making them a divine indulgence. Decadent treats include Blueberry Peach Panna Cotta, Northern Spy Apple Crisp, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a wide selection of Ice Creams (like Strawberry Harvest, Vanilla Bean and SeaSalt Caramel)

Private Selection® offerings vary amongst the Kroger family of stores. Check out your store's aisles to see which foods and meals are available.
12/10 In-store Sampling Event!
On December 12th Kroger will be hosting an in-store sampling of Private Selection™ Pizza and Ice Cream in select locations. It's already marked down in our calendars!

Also, from now until December 31 when you buy 3 Private Selections appetizers, pizza, or desserts you receive a catalina print out to save $3 off your next shopping trip.

The Kroger Family of Stores spans many states and operate under nearly two dozen banners, all of which share the same belief in building strong local ties and brand loyalty with their customers. They are proud to fly one of these banners in your neighborhood.

Visit kroger.com to learn more about the Private Selection® line of tastefully prepared products.

Mailbox Monday 12/5/11

2011-12-05T14:30:00.001-06:00

Not a bad week again :)

Magazines--3 copies of Ok! so mail must have gotten behind on those, Businessweek, Sports Illustrated---People and Time that I missed getting in the picture.
Several other pieces of hausernet mail.
Free coupon for John Frieda Precision Foam Color
Downy Unstoppable sample
Book--The Encounter from booksneeze for review.
Kind bar with coupon

In my email: $9.41 paypal from blogservices, $25.03 from hits4pay, .09 paypal from youdata and $20 paypal from gather. It's the paypal payments that made my week fantastic!

The Nametag Principle by Scott Ginsberg--Book Review

2011-12-04T22:33:00.001-06:00

The Nametag Principle 366 Daily Practices to Make Your Brand More Engaging, More Joinable, More Human and More Approachable by Scott Ginsberg.

ISBN 978-0-9831405-5-9

Sometimes I am amazed at how things come around just when I need them. Well, not sometimes, always.
I received The Nametag Principle in the mail and I was just in awe. For one things, just look at what my front cover looks like:

Woo Hoo! I rock!

I have looked through several pages of the book and I am really impressed. I can't wait to start in January 1 and work each day through the book.

Scott says "If they can't come up to you, how will they ever get behind you?" He challenges you to ask yourself this one question each day for the next year.

Each month starts with a statement. For example, January says Authenticity is not a strategy.
Each day starts with a statement. For example, January 1--Anchor yourself in the concrete foundation of your humanity.
Each daily statement is followed by an explanation and instructions. January 1 reads: If your humanity doesn't have a palpable presence in your labors, the fruit of your labors will taste like chalk. Make the conscious choice to blend it into every message you send. Create an insant filter to execute against before leaving voicemails, sending emails, publishing blogs and updating digital platforms.
You might ask questions like, "Would a human being say this?" or "On a scale of one to ten, how much humanity does this message contain?"
Try it for a week. See what happens.
The point is not to spend extra time debating your message, rather, to create a point of pause that heightens your awareness of humaity in your message.
What structure would you have to put in place today to deliver a human voice?

As you can see, Day 1 starts you on the right track.

Other daily statements include:
January 5: Appeal to the heard mentality
February 16: Choose being real over being right.
March 12: Decide how you want to leave people.
April 17: Expect less from technology and more from each other.
May 25: I told you so leads to I resent you.
June 10: Install an emotional disturbance.
July 22: Maintain a posture of grace.
August 6: Make your mission more than a statement.
September 24: Punch a few stamps on the sandwich card.
October 15: Reprogram people's experience banks.
November 24: Stop asking people to edit themselves.
December 24: Values aren't taught, they're caught.

Scott Ginsberg is the author of thirteen books, a professional speaker, award-winning blogger, producer of NametagTV.com and one smoking hot piece of brain candy. He's made an entire carer out of wearing a nametag every day. He blames this on his parents. (Taken from the back of the book)

Find out more about Scott by visiting his official website.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I was sent The Nametag Principle for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.