Squidoo Hopping 3/27/14

It's Thursday again already.  I swear I don't know where the days are going.  Here we are already almost to the end of March.

How is the weather in your parts?  It's finally looking a little like Spring here.  I don't believe there is any more snow in the forecast.  It rained all day yesterday.  Today it's sunny and on the windy side.

I didn't get any lenses updated or built this past week, but I have been to a lot of lenses.
Do we still have the limit of liking only 10 a day?  I've not been sure, but have been wondering.

Anything else new with squidoo that I have probably missed?
I also need to get in to HQ and read more often.

One lens that I've not kept up with is the one that I was listing the charities to choose from.
Another one is where I list the last 10 lenses that I've built.  I've built 11 or 12 since updating it!
Oh the work to do in squidoo.

Thanks to those who have regularly been linking up each week.  If you have any ideas on getting more to link in, please let me know.

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday 3/26/14

I didn't end up doing a WIP post last week.  I hadn't done anything except work on the race car quilt for my special order.  I finished the last of sewing on the binding at my Needlers group last Wednesday.
I just chose not to post since that was the only thing I could have taken a picture of for the week.

Since I didn't take that picture, I will include a picture of my daughter holding up the finished quilt.

Since then I did work on my yo-yo's a bit.  I finished making yo-yo's with the bit of fabric still left in my box.  Since I didn't add any more to my table runner, I chose not to take a picture.

Then I've been working hexagons, hexagons and more hexagons.  I knew there were hundreds of them pre-cut in my little box.   Let's try thousands....just over 2000 of them pre-cut!
I first was just sewing on them, then I decided to sort them.
I have 10 piles of 9 sets that will become flowers, plus a few more sets.
I have 3 stacks that will be used to make things like the table topper that you see in the picture that I am working on.
You can see what I have made, plus the ones that I have the cardstock pinned on to sew.

I didn't start working on my March Goodnight Sew Along until yesterday evening finally.
I sewed for hours but didn't get my 3rd row done.   I decided to work mostly on getting squares together for the 16 patch blocks instead.
Hopefully by next week I will not only have March's row done, but also Aprils 4th row on as well.
I took a picture to represent that I am at least working on it.

You can find out more about the Goodnight Irene Sew A Long by clicking the button to the right.
I have yet to do posts on my 2014 finished projects yet for the UFO/NewFO challenge.  That button is also on the right.

Here are my lists:
UFO's:
Log Cabin quilt
Log Cabin wall hanging
Log cabin table runner
Rectangle quilt
2 rectangle table runners (one done)
challenge wall hanging
GoodNight Irene quilt/wall hanging
Quilt for sewing club at church
 (Finished) Applique Bunnies quilt
 (Finished) Penny Patch Quilt
Yo-Yo Table runner
Hexagon table topper
(Finished) Spoolin' Around

NewFO's
Sunflower table runner and matching placemats
Spiderweb quilt
Easter wall hanging
Cat wall hanging
Christmas bags (total of at least 25)

I am linking up with the following blogs:

COLGATE® OPTIC WHITE® INTRODUCES THREE NEW PRODUCTS FOR A BRIGHTER, WHITER SMILE

 Whitening That is Convenient and Affordable

Colgate® introduces a new breakthrough product to the Optic White line, Colgate® Optic White^TM Toothbrush + Whitening Pen. The toothbrush contains a built-in whitening pen for convenient whitening. It’s as simple as BRUSH.WHITEN.GO.™

·         Brush: Brush as you normally would with your toothpaste.

·         Whiten: Turn dial at bottom of pen and apply gel. It takes only seconds to apply and adhere to your teeth. No waiting, no rinsing.

·         Go: Store pen inside brush.

Also new to the Colgate® Optic White® line is the Colgate® Optic White® PLATINUM Whiten and Protect™ Toothpaste which deeply whitens more than three shades while sealing out new stains and the new Colgate® Optic White® WhiteSeal™ mouthwash which protects against future stains with advanced stain prevention technology. 

Clinical studies show that using the Colgate® Optic White ^TM Toothbrush + Whitening Pen twice daily will help users achieve whiter teeth in 2 days*. Use with new Colgate® Optic White® PLATINUM Whiten and Protect™ Toothpaste and Colgate® Optic White® WhiteSeal™ Mouthwash for whitening results even faster – brush, rinse, whiten and go!  


My daughter was very happy to get to try the Colgate Optic White system.

Here is her before photo:

Here is her after photo---after using the system for 5 days:

She is very happy with the results!


Colgate is generously offering 5 Marsha's Spot readers a chance to try the Colgate Optic White for themselves.  Just enter using the rafflecopter form below.


Disclosure:  I was sent the Colgate Optic White along with information to share for the purpose of this post.  I was not compensated in any other way and any opinions are my own.
Sponsor is responsible for mailing out the prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Frugal Friday With Marsha 3/21/14

It sure seems like it's been a lot longer than just one week since my last Frugal Friday post.
I've been super busy and on the go almost constantly.
My computer was acting up and I had to use hubby's for a couple of days. Then I took it in, they said they fixed it, but no, it was doing the same thing again.
Back to using hubby's computer while it was in the shop again.
This time they assure me that it's really fixed. I sure hope so!

This past week the heating element has gone out on my dryer. At least it picked a good time with Spring finally being here. I've been hanging the laundry on the line again.
I have been bringing it in and putting the load in the dryer for 10 or 15 minutes to fluff them. I don't have any type of fabric softener right now, not even vinegar.
I love using vinegar in the laundry in place of fabric softener.

I've used all of my vinegar making an all natural citrus cleaner. Forgive me if I've wrote about this before.
You put orange peels in with a jar of vinegar. You put the jar in a dark spot for a minimum of 2 weeks. Once it's been in the dark to soak for the 2 weeks, remove the orange peels and you have your cleaner.
It works quite well!

This past week I shopped on 'experiment'.
With my teenager only here for supper on occasion anymore and hubby coming home later than usual, I made a decision....like I said, an experiment of sorts.
I've been thinking a lot about keeping the freezer stocked with lots of varieties of frozen entrees and meals.
This past week the store offered Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen entrees and meals 5 for $10. They then offered a $3 off 5 e-coupon to add to our card, which we could use the e-coupon up to 5 times.
I saw my opportunity and went for it. I bought 15 of them.
Nice price, plus lots of variety, plus codes to use for their rewards programs.

Now, that's not all I bought. I bought apples, bananas, and pears (fresh) for our fruits for the week. We always have bread and butter around.
I also bought 2 bags of chips for something different than bread if wanted.

I'm having a good time this week as I'm so busy and I've just not felt like cooking lately. Of course this week it happened that we were eating away from home twice too.
I figured hubby would be really upset with me.
I think under normal circumstances he would have, but he attended a Men's Encounter this past weekend and he's a change man in a lot of ways now.

What have you done this past week or so to live frugally?

I hope to see some link ups....keep us motivated.

An InLinkz Link-up

Join the Campbell's Address Your Heart Campaign

My family and I are working to eat healthy and improve our lives. This includes being heart healthy....in fact, it's most important!

We are starting with our diets.
The American Heart Association has certified recipes. I am including my favorite 5 to share with you today.

Broccoli is a staple vegetable in our family. This casserole is more than delicious!



Summers at family camp taught us to love squash.



Here is an interesting twist on lasagna.



Another staple vegetable for my family is cauliflower....yum!



My mom taught me years ago to use ground turkey instead of ground beef. It's our ground meat of choice and this is a great meatloaf.



Click on any of the recipes above to be taken to the Campbell's Kitchen website. There you will find lots of great heart healthy recipes that your family is sure to love!

Click HERE to find lots of great printable coupons for Campbell's products as well!!

Health is foremost on people’s minds, keeping your family in tip top shape can be a challenge in these busy times. Campbell’s Soup wants you to “Address Your Heart” with Heart Healthy Tips, recipes and more!

Visit AddressYourHeart.com to get heart-healthy tips, including 21 Campbell’s recipes that are certified by the AHA and product coupons, as well as Facebook.com/campbellskitchen for the latest Campbell’s recipes and offers.



Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Campbell Soup Company.

Squidoo Hopping 3/20/14

Welcome to the first day of Spring!   We are going to have a nice Spring day here in Kansas.

Sorry I'm a little late posting this week.  My computer was in the shop on Monday, then had to go back yesterday with the same problem.
I picked it up about 30 minutes ago and they tell me they fixed it for sure.   I surely do hope so!
I've been using my husband's computer off and on in this down time, but not doing a whole lot of anything really.

I did build a new lens this past week, so I will share it in the linky along with another lens that I will choose.

I hope you all keep me busy hopping from lens to lens and also to blogs with link ups this week.  :)

Happy Squidooing!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Save on Shaving wth 800razors.com

One thousand dollars plus. 
Can you imagine paying that much to shave?
Shaving can undoubtedly be an expensive endeavor. Assuming the average individual switches Gillette razor cartridges every 7-10 days, they will use 36+ razor cartridges in a year - $120+ simply buying razors!
In 10 years, we’ve easily eclipsed the $1000 mark without considering additional handles, shaving cream, and gasoline for travel expenses. 

While this may not sound like much, Gillette’s razors are undoubtedly more expensive than their online competition. Using the same methodology of 36 razor cartridges a year, men and women could buy American-made razors that compare to Gillette’s Fusion, Mach III, and Venus from 800razors.com for less than half (~$60). 

Currently, 800razors.com, the burn-free razor company, sells 12 5-blade ceramic-coated razor cartridges, a handle, and free shipping for $19.95.   This is a good deal!!

Want a better deal?  You can also choose to buy 24 cartridges with the handle for $39.95.  Also free shipping!

Need both a men's razor and a women's razor?  Buy the combo pack and save even more!  
You will receive the men's handle with 10 cartridges (your choice of 3 blade or 5 blade) and the women's handle with 8 cartridges (5 blade) for only $32.99.  Yes, free shipping!

Here we have my hubby using the 5 blade men's razor.   He was very impressed.   The price of the cartridges has stopped me from allowing him to buy them.  I had put it off about as long as I could, so I was glad to do a review.
He said he thought the razor from 800razors actually worked better than other razors he has been using over the years.
In fact, he was pretty excited to get in and shave.  yahoo!

800razors.com ensures people get the best razor for the best shave at the best price or it will provide a full refund via its Burn-Free Guarantee – no skin burn, wallet burn, or American job-loss burn. 

You can't go wrong!  Give 800razors.com a try today for your shaving needs.


A little background about 800razors.com:

The company was discovered by "accident".
While on a business trip, Steven and Phil (Co-founders), had their luggage was lost.  Having an important meeting the next day they headed to the nearest drug store for shaving supplies.
They were shocked at the price of just the refills and knew they had to do something about it. 
They teamed up with a highly reputable razor manufacturer to design their razors.
They then cut out the 'middle man' and started selling directly to the public.
The rest is history.......



Disclosure:   I rec'd a men's 5-blade razor and some additional information for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way and, as always, all opinions are my own.

Frugal Friday with Marsha 3/14/14

Hubby did pay the cable bill last Friday after work, so I am back to the world of internet from home.
He came home and I asked him about returning the cable box and getting rid of the home phone. He claims that they told him that if we do that and just have the channels and internet and not the bundle package that our bill would actually go up $30 more a month than what we are paying now.
I am having a hard time believing that. I heard him on the phone the day he ordered it saying $30 to add the other channels that I wanted.
I'm going to have to stop by the cable office and ask for myself.

However, when we got our new bill, which we got the day after he paid it, the monthly charge is now $21 more than it was anyway. He also told me that day that we were locked in for another year on the price we've been paying.
Wednesday, his day off, went by without him going to the office with the bill and asking about the increase.

I've been thinking of going ahead and doing Amazon Prime once my 30 day trial is over.
I've already cancelled netflix.
Amazon Prime is going up from the $79 a year to $99, but that won't effect me, I still get it for the $79. I would have to worry about the $99 next March.

Let's see. No, you don't get near the choices of what you can stream free with amazon prime compared to netflix, but still more than enough to always find something to watch. With amazon prime you also get access to free ebooks. And, you can't forget the free 2 day shipping.
I know lots of people online who only have a prime account for the free shipping.

Netflix would come to $95.88 a year at the $7.99 a month......and no free ebooks or free shipping from amazon. With that, I think amazon prime would still be well worth the $99 a year.

I'm curious as to what my readers think about Amazon Prime. This increase in price comes after years of it staying the same price per year, despite the continual rise in cost of shipping.

Your turn! Please share posts this week.....as well as your thoughts on what I have written.

An InLinkz Link-up

Squidoo Hopping 3/13/14

It's Wednesday evening and again I am putting this in and scheduling to post.  I have to run my mom early in the morning.....too lazy to get up early enough to post this before I go.

We have internet back at home now since Friday evening.
Here's the sad part.   I feel like I got more done when I was having to go to the library for my computer work.
Each morning I had a plan of what I wanted to accomplish online for the day.  Each day I had my papers and such organized and ready for the day.

I told myself I was going to keep it up....that didn't even work for one day!

I didn't update or build any lenses this week.  I did visit quite a few lenses of others......especially since joining the Giant Squids group on google+.  This is going to be a good group for me to be in.

Squidoo on my friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday 3/12/14

My husband did pay the cable bill Friday after work and we got our internet back.  In the meantime, Monday-Thursday evening, not being able to be on the computer, I got in a LOT of sewing time.
I still stayed up past midnight each night.  I can look at that as a plus.

I only sewed on the 96 log cabin blocks.  I completed all of them.  Below is the layout for the quilt top, which is going to end up a lap quilt due to my log cabins being made with one inch strips.
Since taking this picture, I did sew them together.  I chose not to take a photo and will have a photo when I get the top done.
I am trying to figure out how to do mitered borders and have a lady who is going to help me with that this afternoon at my stitch group.

Yesterday was the monthly sewing club meeting at church.  This is my progress on the quilt as you go that I am working on there.
I also took the time yesterday to cut the rest of my sashing strips and get the binding made.

I am in the middle of making a special order quilt with race cars.  Wish me luck please.  Special orders make me so nervous because I am so afraid of messing up.
This is the first time I've tried fusible batting.  I think I like it, but not sure yet.

One of the ladies at church gave me a bag of plain colored fabrics and a large bag of batting yesterday.  What a blessing!  This will enable me to finish up some of the UFO's on my lists below.
I have changed my UFO list again as I've decided to make 1 log cabin wall hanging and one log cabin table runner instead of 2 wall hangings.

UFO's:
Log Cabin quilt
Log Cabin wall hanging
Log cabin table runner
Rectangle quilt
2 rectangle table runners (one done)
challenge wall hanging
GoodNight Irene quilt/wall hanging
Quilt for sewing club at church
 (Finished) Applique Bunnies quilt
 (Finished) Penny Patch Quilt
Yo-Yo Table runner
Hexagon table topper
(Finished) Spoolin' Around

NewFO's
Sunflower table runner and matching placemats
Spiderweb quilt
Easter wall hanging
Cat wall hanging
Christmas bags (total of at least 25)

I am linking up with the following blogs: