Frugal Friday With Marsha 6/6/14

I have spent most all of my free time this week decluttering, organizing, and pricing things and boxing them up to have a yard sale this weekend.
Now the weather is not cooperating at all. Temps are going to be perfect for a sale with highs only in the upper 70's and lower 80's, but it's supposed to be storming off and on from now until Sunday.

Boo! to the weather!
We put half of the stuff in the garage but there is just no way to fit it all in there. It's in there now, but you can't get in the garage.

I can look on the bright side, I guess, that we have another week to continue to look through things and get more things priced to put out to sell. And say some heavy prayers that it's not raining next weekend.

I'm happy to say that one thing that I got totally cleaned out and organized is one side of our storage in the hallway.
It now holds only the towels and then I have our sheet sets and all of the grandchildren's bedding in there now. That is a good feeling.
Since moving in here all of their bedding has been kept just thrown into my craft room closet. It's always such trouble to dig it out around my totes of completed crafts.

I have several areas that I now hope to get to this next week before the next possible sale.

What have you been up to this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Squidoo Hopping 6/5/14

It's one of my grandchildren's birthdays today.  If you've been following me for awhile you know that I started doing This Day In History lenses.
I was fully intending on making a lens for every day of the year, but I was starting by doing dates of the birthdays in my family.

Some day I really would like to even finish getting birthdays in!  It wouldn't hurt to attempt to go ahead and try to start then filling in other dates.

I went in today to June 5 and added birthday pictures of Zelda to the bottom on my lens.  I will add a picture from her 3rd birthday later today after her party.
Then I hope to go add pictures to all of the grandkids' birth dates.

This is just one of MANY ways that I can be updating lenses.

Wild days all the way around at my house. 

Happy squidooing!!

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday--Goodnight Irene is Finally Caught Up!

I didn't get much else done....well anything else done....this past week, but my Goodnight Irene sew along project is finally caught up through May!

I have my border blocks ready to work on at sit n' sew this month and will finish the border at the quilt retreat later this month.  That will take care of keeping up with June.

I have a couple of other things put in a bag to work on at sit n' sew as well.  It's not until the 13th so I will need to see what I can work on this week.

The past few days, and the rest of this week my WIP is again sorting, decluttering, organizing and such around the house.
We are having another yard sale on Saturday.   This will be the last one at my house, so I'm trying to get as much stuff looked through as I can.
Yard sales are a lot of work no matter how you look at it.

Here are my lists again:

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

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

I am linking up with the following blogs:

5 Things You Didn't Know About the American Bible Challenge---and a Giveaway Too!

5 Things you didn’t know about The American Bible Challenge:

1. All the money won in every single episode is donated to charities
2. All of the questions come from the old and new testament
3. Your bible knowledge will be tested in physical challenges as well
4. The American Bible Challenge is the highest rated TV program in Game Show Network history
5. It is nominated for two daytime emmy awards: Outstanding Game Show, and Outstanding Game Show Host Jeff Foxworthy

THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE is a spirited game show that celebrates the Bible and its place in American culture. Bible enthusiasts from all across the country compete in a variety of challenges that put their knowledge of the Good Book to the test. The show’s prizing further reflects the celebration of faith, as teams earn money for the charity of their choice.

The American Bible Challenge returned with a two hour block on May 22nd at 8/7c on Game Show Network.  Don’t for get to tune in June 5th for the first episode of It Takes a Church premiering right after The American Bible Challenge.

Keep up with The American Bible Challenge on Twitter & Facebook
https://twitter.com/BibleChallenge
https://www.facebook.com/theamericanbiblechallenge

One lucky Marsha's Spot reader will win the prize package pictured below.  Just enter using the rafflecopter below!!




Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Game Show Network & The American Bible Challenge

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Frugal Friday With Marsha 5/30/14

Just one more day in May.  It's so hard to believe that the days seems to be going by so quickly.

This week I will talk about coupons.
Those things that I can't seem to stay caught up on.
I get in a couple good days of cutting and getting them in to my binder each week, but I need to be working on them daily.

I like to use the excuse that we don't have enough money for me to be worrying about the good deals with coupons, but really that is all the more reason to pay attention.
It's just that there aren't coupons for milk, cheese, and meats etc.
Our financial situation is not good, and we do well to keep the essentials in the house.
(Of course if Dr.Pepper wasn't on our essential list we would be doing well too)

I did get in a bit of coupon shopping is week.
I had some higher store coupons that a friend had passed on to me from her bzzcampaign.  They were expiring on the 28th so I headed out and used them, along with a few other coupons.
If you would like to see my post, please check it out at:  Photo of the Day 5/28/14--A Little Coupon Shopping

Back 'in the day' of me getting 10-15 inserts free each week and our store doubling coupons I had gotten up quite a stockpile of groceries and household items.
My stockpiles are getting slim.  
Even though I don't get those 10- 15 inserts and the store no longer doubles, I'm sure that if I can keep my coupons sorted in to my binder and pay attention to the blog posts on deals that I can still build stockpiles.
(Our newspaper lost it's contract with Smart Source well over a year ago so we have to buy an out of town paper to get that insert each week)

How have you been doing on saving this past week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Squidoo Hopping 5/29/14

 As the Books For Kids Contributor on Squidoo. Ruthi put out this page the past week:

Solve a Mystery Books for Kids to Read and Review

This prompted me to go to the children's bookshelves in my room.
She has highlighted my new lens at:

Children's Books Reviewed by Squidoo Writers

The Three Rs of Books for Kids

I Spy for Readers and Writers

 

I also ran across several lenses this week that need to be updated....I made myself a little list.  I will pick one of those to share in my linky, along with my newest lens.

Here's to a great squidoo week!!

 

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday 5/28/14

So many projects and so little time.....such is the life for many of us.

This past week I've not worked on anything except the Goodnight Irene quilt blocks and I have yet to catch up!
I have 3 rows put together and have been working towards the next 2 rows to get caught up to May.

I'm a little worried.  When I started this sew along (which you can click the button on the right to learn more about) I didn't know about squaring up.
As I was finishing up squaring up 4 patches for the 16-patch blocks I realized this.
I didn't learn about squaring up until a workshop in February.
Oops....I know I squared up, but not until the complete block was done.

Now I am worried if my rows will match up.  I won't know until I finally get blocks together to complete a row.

I can only think that if they don't fit I will then make a table runner from the 2 rows that I do have put together.  I'm sure no matter what happens it will all work out in the end, it will just take me even longer to get caught up!

Here are my piles so far for the last 3 rows:

Now I want to show you something else.....

This is a popcorn tin full of 2 1/4 inch squares.  It was given to me.  I've already used quite a few of them in the Goodnight Irene, but as you can see, there are literally thousands left in this tin.

My mind set is to just start working on putting them all together.  First in to 4 patches, but also 16 patches.
I can have some of both of those sizes for projects, but also the 16 patches will be a very good size to make hotpads with.
Obviously it's a 'life long' project, but it sure is something to get started on and something that will always keep me busy.

I have so many projects.  The rugs that I make are not listed on my lists below as they aren't sewing.  My crochet is also not listed below either.

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

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


I'm linking up with the following blogs:

Armed Forces Appreciation Collector's Bills from Swagbucks!

Swagbucks has been my favorite way to earn extra money online, and now they're also helping us commemorate the armed forces. Swagbucks just released the Armed Forces Appreciation Collector's Bills, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. They're live now until Sunday, June 1st at 11:59pm PT, so you have until then to collect all 5 Bills. Each Collector's Bill celebrates a different branch of the armed forces, and if you collect all 5, you'll automatically receive a 15 SB bonus!

So how do you collect them? It's easy, just use Swagbucks Search as your normal search engine, and you'll randomly win different Collector's Bills - plus Swag Bucks each time you get a Bill! Why not get a little extra towards a free gift card for just searching online? If you haven't gotten free gift cards from Swagbucks yet, sign up here to get started and collect all the Armed forces Appreciation Collector's Bills!

I found the Marines today for 12 Swagbucks!!

Frugal Friday With Marsha 5/23/14

It's raining, it's pouring....it really is pouring rain outside and has been for well over an hour.
Of course it's stormy and rainy, it's Memorial Day weekend when most people are planning bbq's and camping trips......sigh.

Actually, I am perfectly fine with the rain.  It's very good for my gardens.  It also saves me money on the water bill from having to go out and water.

I'm sure glad that I chose to keep doing laundry yesterday since I dry it on the line.  I don't have anything in the laundry room to wash, but I do have 4 loads on the table to get put away.
That darn laundry, just like dishes, seems to be a never ending task.

How have you been doing on frugal living, saving money and such this past week. 
We've had to learn to make due in a lot of areas due to just not having money to spend.
Meals this week have been split in 2 and eaten 2 nights.

My hubby did make a big purchase at the day old bread store.  They have chosen to close it to everything is 25% off plus he got his normal 15% discount on top of that too.  What he brought was $43 before discounts and $26 after.
He got jellies, honey, lots of spices, condiments, salad dressings and crackers.   At least if nothing else, we are now stocked up on those things.  (I do wish he had come home and got me and let me shop with him-----he bought one of every one of their large spices, but half of them I've never used before so I doubt I will)

Let's see some links!  Encourage me as well as others to save save save.
Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Squidoo Hopping 5/22/14

Let's get this party started!
School is out for summer here.  For me this means more time at home since I won't have the worry of picking up the grandkids from school for a few months.  Woot!
Hopefully for me this means that I can finally start making my goal of working in squidoo daily.

I received 2 books in for review this week.  Both will make great review lenses.  I still have the one book that been on hold to get done first. 
There's always updating that I can do to my lenses.
I've not updated my latest 10 lens and I've built like 15 lenses since my last update on that one!
Maybe I can make my goal to change out just one per day until I get caught up.

Speaking of that.....I had been using a website to get coding instead of using the featured lens module.
It seems that we can't use that site now without paying?   That may only be right since that person does put a lot of work in fixing up the coding and such.
Should I just go back to featured lens modules then??   Or, do they even still exist??


Let's get to sharing.   I think I will share my 2 bottom lenses this week.

An InLinkz Link-up