Squidoo Hopping--This Week's Theme is Gift Guides

 

Gift guides are the thing on squidoo right now with Christmas right around the corner!
I've made one new lens and have 2 more that I hope to get done soon.
I've changed the topic of my Grandma's Christmas Wishlist lens to a gift guide.

If you've been building gift guides, or already had some built, please share one or two on them in the linky below.   Don't forget that if you've written a blog about squidoo to also link it up as well.

I can't wait to see everyone's gift guides and blog posts.
 

WIP Wednesday--Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

It's past time for me to be serious about my crafting----and this time stick to it!

I've been so super busy away from home that my blog has been neglected.  I took photos for last week's post then got busy and didn't get the post done!

Here is the photo of what I am calling the never ending quilt top for sewing club at church.  I'm going to make a real effort to work on this at home too in hopes of moving it along on being done.  I'm not getting far for sure working on it only once a month at church.  We met twice this month.

I am making these little strawberry pin cushions for quilt guild.  They go in each goody bag that will be given out at the door at our quilt show in July of next year.  I have 5 more to make.

It's past time for me to get serious about finishing up projects that I have started in my 2 UFO drawers.   This is a baby quilt with Bambi.  My first try at machine quilting since I now have a new machine and a walking foot.   I pinned it and have about half of the quilting done on it since taking the photo.  

I was able to finish up some baby bibs and fabric bags over this past week.  I am still working on knitting the prayer shawl for church but forgot to take a picture of it last night.  I have one more skein of yarn to put in.

I'm behind on my granny a day challenge.  This is my blanket so far up to October 29, Day 283. I hope to have my days caught up to post this time next week!

 

I am linking up with the following blogs:
 

Homeschool Journal--We've been on Hiatus!

We've been on hiatus from many things!  It looks like I've not even written a blog post since October 5th.  Wow!

Life has been just crazy.  First Jasmine was working at the state fair, then my oldest daughter followed the state fair to Oklahoma so we had her 5 children for 2 weeks.  That would have been awesome if I was also homeschooling them, but alas, the father of the 3 oldest says no.

Last week was Jasmine's 16th birthday.  You know 16th's are special so we did a lot of planning and preparing for her party, including driving out of town to pick up my middle daughter and granddaughter so they could be here for her day.

It was rather funny.  One of the things that Jasmine spent some of her birthday money on was a word search book.  At a lull between decorating for the party and such she sat down and started working the word searches.  Her boyfriend called me over to point out that she was learning doing the puzzles.  Each one had a theme such as horses, authors, etc.  I thought it was rather neat that he is seeing the learning outside the classroom and textbooks.  Yes, he goes to public high school.

They are also learning music in youth group.  Jasmine is learning to play the bells for a program they are doing.

I will end today sharing some photos from her birthday party.

I am linking up with:

Frugal Friday Link Up--10/5/12

First let me apologize for missing last Friday. Crazy days with 5 grandchildren staying with us! I'm sure glad their mother will be home Monday.

We've been doing great making good with what foods we had in the house---minus Wednesday night when we decided to get pizza from Pizza Hut. The older kids were eating there for youth group, so we decided to use the carry out coupon to get 2 medium 1 topping pizzas for $10. I have to admit that it was darn good! Even better that I had a night of rest from cooking and dishes. Sometimes we just need that. Lately, I think I need that all the time LOL

I stocked us on Dr. Pepper for the week by stopping at Dollar General. They had 12 packs on sale for 3 for $10. I used 3-$1 coupons. I also bought a gallon of milk. I found out that milk is cheaper there than at the grocery store when it's not on sale. I'm going to have to remember that. $11.86 was my total for 3-12 packs and a gallon of milk. (No, buying Dr. Pepper isn't frugal, but it's what we drink so I do try to find it as cheap as possible)
I also was able to re-stock the Cheerios. It's on sale this week 4 for $10. I used 4-.50 coupons which were doubled to $1, and got a free gallon of milk for buying the 4 cereals. $6.64 was my total for 4 boxes of cereal and a gallon of milk.

This week I am sharing uses for Epsom salt from the 99 Cent Solutions book:

1. Salt your bathwater. Add 2 cups of Epsom salt to a tub filled with warm water, soak for a few minutes, then finish by rubbing additional salt on the rough spots. It will get rid of rough patches of skin.

2. Prevent foot odor. Add 2 cups of Epsom salt to a bucket or tub and soak your feet twice a day, 15 minutes each time. Your feet will sweat less and smell less. (Going to have to make hubby give this a try! LOL)

3. Check poison ivy. Soak in a tub of warm water to dry out the rash of poison ivy. Check the label for soaking instructions.

4. Stop splinters. Make a paste with Epsom salt and water and apply it to the area where the splinter is. It will pull the splinter out in about 10 minutes. This also works for insect stingers as well.

5. Healthier roses. Sprinkle half a cut of Epsom salt around the base of your rose bush in spring and fall for healthier roses. After the leaves appear and again after the roses appear, spray them with a mixture of 1 tablespoon Epsom salt per gallon of water. Gardeners swear by it!

6. Get rid of raccoons. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of Epsom salt around your trash cans to drive away raccoons. Remember to do it again after each rain.

Now it's your turn to share!

Squidoo Hopping--This Week is Lowest Ranking

I've really "backslid" over the past month or so with squidoo. There have just been so many things that have taken me away from the house and my computer for so long. This past 2 weeks it's been taking care of 5 grandchildren while my daughter works out of state. Whew!

I did get in some updating of lenses just yesterday and noticed 2 lenses on the verge of going into WIP status. This morning one of those has. The second one up is only 185 away from WIP.

This has prompted me to use the facebook group theme for this week of lowest ranking lens. I would love it if you would share your 1 or 2 lowest ranking lenses in this week's linky.

Please also share any blog posts you have done where squidoo is mentioned. Thanks!

Progressive #TrySnapshot Final Results

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Progressive.

My 30 days of trying Progressive Snapshot has come to an end. Here are my results:

Time for me to hit that Apply Your Discount button and see just how much we might be able to save over what we are paying for insurance now.

I've enjoyed my time using Snapshot and it was informative all the way around for me. I do hope if you've not clicked over and checked it out, please do so. There is no obligation to click, and also no obligation to give the device a try for 30 days. Just click the picture below or at the top of this post to check it out.


Thanks to those of you who entered my Flo Swag Giveaway and Congrats to Jeannie Gossert
for winning the swag!

Squidoo Hopping--This Week's Theme is Fall

Good Thursday to all!  Since it's now Autumn, or Fall, let's make this week's theme Fall.

Share lenses that have anything to do with the season, colors of the seasons, holidays in the season, activities during this season and more.  Have fun!

Don't forget that if you blog about Squidoo at all please link those posts up.  You may link up older blog posts if you like, and the linky remains open until the following Thursday when I put up a new one.  Linking to blog posts in unlimited, but linking lenses is limited to 2 per week.

Thanks!

 

WIP Wednesday--New Sewing Machine!

That's my big announcement for this week.  I got my new sewing machine.  No, it's nothing expensive or fancy.  In fact, with the state fair half price special and 20% off of the 3 extra feet that I ordered it was just $260!

It's a big step up from the little Brother that we bought one Black Friday at Walmart for $60.  I never complained though, and I sewed for over 4 years straight on the cheap Brother.   I will still be sewing on it too, at least if the measurements aren't the same.  I have to check that out, but have the one quilt top that may need to be finished on my old machine.

I'm loving the automatic threader and the thread cutter.  I can't wait to play with all the extra stitches that I now have too.

In other news I've not gotten much done in the craft area.  I sat last night and I wanted to finish my block for sampler but it got too late.  I do have to have it finished before sampler on Saturday, and have worked a bit more on it this morning.

The quilt shop printed out a photo of the square for us since we are using a bit different colors than what the book does.  My first time making the square in a square.  I just finished that and it looks pretty good.  And, the reason the sampler excites me because I will be learning new things.

Otherwise I have crocheted and crocheted granny squares this past week.  I didn't get anymore put on to the blanket as I am trying to see what I can make with what yarn I have left.  Again I am running low on variety of color.  I don't have many colors left now.  I will be adding to the blanket over this next week and then again making more squares.
This is just a picture of the squares I have made at the moment.

That's it for this week.  I do hope, with my new machine that I have a lot more to report next week.

I am linking up with the following blogs:

Exclusive Avengers Graphic Novel Giveaway!

The Avengers DVD releases today! So to celebrate, Hobbies on a Budget is doing an Exclusive Avengers Graphic Novel Giveaway! This graphic novel is only available when you buy the BluRay/DVD/Novel Combo at Walmart. How would you like to be the first of your Avenger Friends to own this copy? Not interested for yourself? You could stash it back for a Stocking Stuffer!

Homeschool Journal--Hermit Crabs!

Yes, Jasmine spent some of her money earned at the state fair to buy Hermit Crabs.  She's been wanting them for years.

She is all about learning everything about them.  She is diligently taking care of them.

My question is this---one credit of her high school learning is to be laboratory studies in science.   Will learning about and taking care of her hermit crabs count as part of lab science since it's hands on learning?   We do have a microscope kit with book, but it won't come close to the 120 hours minimum needed to count for a credit.

I'm leaving you with some photos of her and her hermit crabs, as well as a video that I took.  All of these will be added to our squidoo lens as well.

 


I am also linking up with: