Michelle's crafts and life as I see it

Happy Vetern's Day

2011-11-11T12:07:00.001-05:00

I want to wish all the veteran's out there a Happy Veteran's Day and thank you for all you have done for our freedom and safety. Thank you to all who are serving right now, and a super big thanks to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. You will never be forgotten. I may not know you personally, nor your name, rank, etc., but I thank you.

Todays CVS haul

2011-06-19T14:15:00.000-04:00

I went to CVS first thing this morning. I had to wait for like 15 minutes for them to open up, but that is okay by me. :)

I bought:

3 Stride Spark gums $1.00 each
2 Wet & Wild nailpolishes (on clearance) .99 each
1 Irish Spring Bodywash $2.99
1 Colgate Total toothpaste $2.79
1 Sally Hansen Instant Dry nailpolish $5.49
1 Hershey's Bliss candy $5.99

Subtotal: 22.24 (I had already saved $6.17 because of sale prices at this point by using my store card)

Coupons used:

$5 ECB
$4 ECB
$1/1 Hershey's Bliss
$1/1 CVS coupon for Irish Spring
$1/1 CVS coupon for Colgate
$1/1 Colgate
30% off CVS coupon
$1/3 Stride gum

New Subtotal: $5.83
Total OOP: $6.67
Total savings after coupons and sale: $22.58

I also got back:
$5.99 ECB from Bliss
$2.00 ECB from Sally Hansen
$2.00 ECB from Irish Spring
$2.00 ECB from Coglate
$1.00 ECB from green bag tag usage

I will have to go back to CVS on Wednesday after the truck delivers on Tuesday to get the Schick Hydro 5 cartridge refills for BOGO because they were out and the People Style Watch and People magazines. (They were out of Style Watch and don't give rainchecks for them, although I did get the raincheck for the cartridges just in case!). I will get a $2 ECB when I buy both magazines. Basically, I will be getting my refill cratridges for free thanks to the ECBs and still have some ECBs left over. :)

My Walmart Haul yesterday evening

2011-06-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

Okay. So I needed to go by bread and Walmart has the cheapest price on the kinds I will actually eat. I also had some wonderful $1/1 NYC coupons (seven of them to be exact) and one $5/$10 NYC purchase.

So the breakdown of this trips is as follows:

Bread $2.88
Renuzit Crystal Refill (clearance) $2
Renuzit Crystal Refill (clearance) $2
NYC Brow liner $1.86
NYC Brow liner $1.86
NYC nailpolish $1.72
NYC nailpolish $1.72
NYC mascara $3.57
Tic Tacs $1.04
Tic Tacs $1.04

Subtotal: $19.69

Coupons used:
2 of the .75/1 Tic Tac
5 $1/$1.72 NYC purchase
$5/$10 NYC purchase
2 of the $3/1 18 oz Renuzit Crystals (making them each $1 MM toward rest of purchase)

New subtotal: $2.19
OOP: $3.55

Wow. It has been a while but I am couponing now.

2011-06-17T19:00:00.000-04:00

Here I am. Back again. It has been a long time since I last posted anything on my blog! So what I have I been up too? Couponing. What? Yep. Couponing. My hubby and I are in a bad financial way and so couponing has become a way of life for me.

I use coupons at Bi-Lo so I can take advantage of their double coupons and fuelperks program. I coupon at Food Lion, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Target (when I am in the town it is in), and anywhere else that takes coupons! I am getting good at it, but I am ready to learn more. I have entered a contest on youtube and am hoping and praying that I am one of the winners. I would love to learn how one lady does her couponing and finds the best deals. She was on TLC's "Extreme Couponing" and is a master couponer.

I haunt all the blogs, forums, coupon websites, store websites, etc. for the best deals and freebies. I price match at Walmart. I do separate transactions at CVS and Rite Aid to save money using ECBs and Up Rewards. (No Walgreens nearby unless I drive two towns over.) I have the local paper on Sunday delivered to the house and then walk to the "corner store" and try and buy a Charlotte Observer for even more coupons. I have friends who save their coupons for me. I trade coupons with my best friend. I save coupons for my oldest daughter and another friend. I send coupons to my mom. I would even be willing to teach a coupon class and show others how to use coupons and get some great savings.

I look for clearance items that I can pair a coupon with for even greater savings along with stacking coupons on other sales. I have become quite adept at stockpiling. It is almost and addiction with me now. I find I "need" to go that free item even if I can't use it because I know that I can donate to the school I drive bus at because there are kids there who need a leg up and need to know that someone cares enough to see that their basic needs are met when the parents can't. I can't stockpile too much because I just don't have the room for it, but I like knowing that I don't have to go out and buy toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper, paper towels, bodywash, etc. for a while. I am able to save money by not buying those items for at least 6 months to a year.

Oh yeah. And lets not forget about the first aid supplies. Bandaids galore, a brand new first aid kit, Bayer aspirin (five for free and one which I had to .25 for), and a few other things. I have stocked my oldest daughter up with the first aid kit and a few other things that kids always have need of!

I even have a small food stockpile. Nothing too major, but it is enough to last me through the summer on most things, maybe even longer on others. (Two bottles of ketchup, two bottles of mustard, and about 6 bottles of bbq sauce will last me a very long time!!)

My husband has not yet seen my stockpile as he has been out on the road for several weeks now. He saw it before, but it has grown since then. :) Go figure. Of course, part of my stockpile is things my hubby has brought home that was damaged goods (even though nothing is wrong with it). Okay, so a box got squished a little bit and a company decided they couldn't sell the toilet paper. Well by golly, I will use it. So the roll is a bit lopsided. Do I look like I care? I am going to wipe my but with it. I don't care if it is squished or not. Oops. One bottle of pine cleaner broke open? The other bottles are just fine and dandy. Reject! Not by me. I will take all I can get. After all, there is an old saying, If it is free, it's for me. I will use it and share it. I have no qualms with that.

Handmade Christmas next year

2010-12-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I went out to my best friend's house today so he could exchange gifts with them as he won't be home for Christmas. (He will be driving to California with a load.) Hubby and I will exchange gifts tomorrow as he has to go and buy mine tomorrow. I will celebrate Christmas with my best friend's family on Christmas day.

Anyways, Karen (my best friend) and I got to talking today. We have decided that we are going to teach both of our families the true meaning of Christmas and that it doesn't involve store bought stuff. At all! With the exception of stocking stuffers that is. Then I told her we needed to make each of the "kids", both grown and not grown, stockings and fill them with fruit and nuts just like in the "old days". We will have to buy the fruit and nuts as my pecan trees will not produce very many pecans next year.

I think that we are going to spend at least one day a week together and sew. It doesn't matter what we are sewing so long as it is for the "kids". We are thinking of making purses, lounging pants, place mats, napkins, potholders, quilts, tablecloths, aprons, tops, pajamas, and stuffed animals. I can make beaded things like ornaments, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. I even have a basement full of old discarded wood so we could make doll houses (with the help of both of our husbands and her dad with his tools as I don't have enough of the right tools), bird houses, etc.

I have patterns for many of the items that we can sew and Karen has a ton of patterns, too. I even have some stuff that I have bought here and there to use a patterns, such a single place mat that I found at a thrift store that was cute, and some other stuff that we can use. Plus I can go online and find a ton of patterns for things other sewing.

The only thing I can think of that we may have to buy would be thread. Granted, I bought a ton of thread when Hancock Fabrics went out of business here in town, but it is all funky colors. We will end up needing the basic colors, white, black, blue, red, green. Unless, of course, we want to just go wild with the colors! LOL

I have a huge chest-on-chest that is overflowing with fabric, bolts of fabric laying around, and even some old sheets that have thin places but loads of usable fabric still on them. I even have three or four bags of upholstery fabric remnants out in the shed that we can use for purses or whatever we decide to make. I got them for free on freecycle and gave away well over half of what I got and still have that much left! Plus, I can advertise on freecycle for more craft materials of all kinds if we see we are running low on anything.

If anyone has any ideas or patterns that they can share with me and Karen, we would greatly appreciate it. I think I will start making some more beaded bells for everyone in both families. I enjoy making the Christmas ornaments with beads. I think I like doing the beading better than sewing, but I still like to sew.

My weight loss so far

2010-12-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't been keep tracking of things on here too well, have I? I get so busy with life that I forget about my poor little blog.

Anyways, I am down a total of 70 pounds! I am so excited. I am over halfway to my to my goal weight! Only 64 more pounds to go. :)

I am actually ahead on all my Christmas stuff so far. I have almost everything bought (I need to buy one more gift for my best friend's husband). I have mailed out all the Christmas cards with the exception of my mother-in-law's because I have to mail her gift as well. I even have all of my gifts wrapped! They are hidden away in my closet ready for Christmas morning.

The only thing I really have to do for Christmas dinner is to make an apple pie and a peach pie to take to my best friend's house. That is pretty easy to do as I made the pie filling this summer when I was doing all my canning.

Thanksgiving was great!

2010-11-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

I had a very nice Thanksgiving this year. Tracy was home to enjoy it with me. We went to Karen and Wayne's for dinner. I brought the homemade apple pie and some rolls. We all ate turkey, ham, mashed potatoes (I ate the ones with the mashed rutabagas! Yummy!), green beans, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin pie, different breads, etc. We were all stuffed.

Friday, my youngest daughter and her boyfriend got into town. He is so sweet and nice. I hope this relationship is the one for her. Fingers crossed!

Anyways, they are up here for a week and we have lots to do. I still have to drive the school bus for 2 days next week, as her sister is taking Monday and Tuesday off to spend with her, and I am taking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to be with her. I know we have to make a trip to Concord Mills Mall so her boyfriend can go to the Bass Pro Shop.

My Avon business is slowly taking off. I have a few new customers and a few regulars now. I just wish I could get a few more. I have finally gotten a couple of my friends to actually place orders online at my website. If want to order from me, my website can be found here: www.youravon.com/mwilson5623

We have a special deal going on right on. You can buy the brand new Flip Camera for only $89!! That is an awesome deal. I am so excited by this deal. I already bought mine and I love it. It is so easy to use and I can upload the videos directly to Facebook, email, etc. I carry it with me all the time because it is so cool.

I am selling AVON now!

2010-10-06T09:39:00.000-04:00

I have decided that I really need to make some extra money. AVON seemed the way to go. I started selling about a month ago, and so far I am doing okay. I am really trying to drum up some business for my online store. If you want to order anything from AVON, please visit www.youravon.com/mwilson5623

Right now you can get free shipping on any $30 order. There are some great deals coming up so be sure to check back often! And just remember, AVON makes great Christmas gifts!

Today was the first day of school...again...

2010-08-25T12:28:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day of school here in Burke County. My bus route seemed to go off without a hitch. I have a bunch of kids who didn't ride this morning, so it should be interesting this afternoon. I am praying that our new assistant principal doesn't try to "shoe horn" the kids onto one load like the one we had last year!

There are still roads I can't go down, so I am just praying that the parents are too mad about their kids having to walk to the ends of streets, or home from the bus stop. The elementary bus driver was telling me about some of the "troublemakers" I will be getting, so I am preparing the first seats for them! Gotta love those "seats of shame"! :)

I normally only have trouble of the boys, but now I have three new cameras on my bus this year. No one will be able to get away with anything! Which is a good thing. I have started on my seating chart so I will be able to get to know each kid and where they sit. I have a couple of pieces of paper to hand out, and they will have to turn one in to me, and I am not really worried about the other because it should really be passed out by the teachers with the other paperwork that gets sent home on the first day. But then again, some of the info will be helpful in making my seating chart when it comes to medical problems.

I have baked lemon bars and raspberry bars this morning as well. I still have to bake some devil's food cakes tomorrow, too. Although, I might just bake these tonight so I can drop them off at the church tomorrow after WI. These will go in a bake sale at a yard sale for S.M.A.R.T. (Supplies, Materials, And Resources for Teachers) here in Burke County. All the proceeds will be used to buy school supplies for the teachers at all the schools. I only wish I could do more. I did donate three Explorer loads of stuff to the yard sale, made signs, and am doing the baking for the sale. I don't mind doing the baking, although there is a major weakness when it comes to lemon or raspberry anything!! I just keep reminding myself that the Points are just not worth it. Plus, they are just box mixes, so it isn't like I could actually rework a recipe to lower the Points.

When I get off work this evening, I have to rush over to my granddaughter's school and pick her up. My son-in-law works some crazy long hours at times being in the heating and air business and my daughter is back in school taking a phlebotomy class two days a week in the evening. In October and November, that will be a four day a week ordeal while she is taking two classes. I don't really mind though. I just hate the traffic near the local Walmart because it is always heavy between 3 pm until about 6 pm. I guess Walmart is the place to be! LOL

I am praying my granddaughter doesn't need anything extra for 1st grade other than what she took in at Open House. If she does, I guess I will be making a trip to Walmart or Staples to fill in the gaps. I bet she will have homework that I will have to make her do. It seems like that the is the first thing teachers do anymore, load the kids up with a ton of homework from day one.

Spent most of my day in the kitchen...

2010-08-16T21:22:00.000-04:00

I spent most of my day in the kitchen today. I started first thing by canning 4 quarts of tomatoes.That meant washing the tomatoes, cutting an X in the bottom of them, cutting out the cores, dropping them in boiling water for about 30 seconds or so before putting them ice water and peeling them. Then I cut them up and put them in the jars and processed them.

Once those were done, I got started on my 3 pecks of apples I bought at the farmer's market Saturday. I had bought a peck each of Gala, Ginger Gold and Honeycrisp. I peeled and sliced enough to fill 6 quarts while making a thick sauce for them. I then added the sauce and processed them making 6 quarts of apple pie filling.

The rest of the apples went into my crockpot and a big stock pot and got cooked until they were nice and soft. I then put them in my food processor and processed them until there were only a few lumps. I managed to get 8 1/2 quarts of applesauce but I only processed 7 of them. The other 1 1/2 quarts I put in the fridge for use this week. (My hubby took the other quart from last week that I had in there out on the road with him!)
My back actually hurts from all that standing and peeling of apples. I had so many peelings and cores that I had to make 2 trips the compost bin with them all! LOL I am just glad that the grand kids were not here today because they like to be underfoot and it would have been impossible for me to get all the canning done. But I miss them at the same time. I am not sure what day they will back from their other grandma's house, but I am going to enjoy the peace and quiet while I can because school starts back next week and I will be surrounded by 80 +/- kids twice a day.

This is going to be a busy week for me anyways. Wednesday is my dentist appointment, Thursday is Weight Watchers and I also have a hair appointment right after my WW meeting. And supposedly my daughter is going to take me for a pedicure Saturday because I have lost 51.4 pounds since March. (That is when I joined Weight Watchers.) Oh yeah, and one day after my best friend gets off work, we are going to make a run to Hickory to A.C. Moore, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby to try and find goodies for her son's wedding. We are trying to help her soon-to-be daughter-in-law get everything ready. I am not sure if I will be able to attend the wedding because it is on the same day as my grandson's birthday. Everything is rather up in the air right now. I don't even have an outfit that I can wear if I do get to go to the wedding.

Wow. I think I need a vacation from my summer vacation! LOL

What a crazy day...

2010-08-01T22:05:00.002-04:00

Today was the day I expected it to be. I was informed first thing this morning that my son-in-law was going to be at my house within 30 minutes to pick up the lawn mower so he could mow his parents yard. Needless to say, I quickly mowed my front yard so it would be done even though the grass was wet from yesterday’s rain. (I did take the mulcher out so it wouldn’t get clogged up. I was supposed to go to my best friend’s house and help her can pears and make our apple butter, but he didn’t get back in time. But he did mow the rest of my yard for me. :) For that I am thankful.

Since I wasn’t going to my best friend’s house, I ended up freezing another gallon bag of okra and canning 4 quarts of tomatoes. I guess I will work on the apples tomorrow. I will not be babysitting my grand kids, but I think I will have another friend’s kids, but they will just stay in the spare room watching movies.

Canned Okra, Corn and tomatoes

2010-07-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

I went this morning to the farmers market and bought a bunch of okra and tomatoes. I also bought a 1/2 bushel of apples, 3 bars of homemade soap (1 lavender and 2 lilac) and a loaf of cranberry walnut bread (organic of course).

I canned 7 quarts of the okra/corn/tomato mixture. Only 1 didn’t seal and lost its liquid. I am not sure what happened to it, so I will be taking it with my tonight to my best friend’s house for our dinner since she and I are cooking. It will be a surprise for her husband! She also gets 1 of the lilac soaps.

I froze the rest of the okra in a gallon baggie for future use. I will deal with canning the rest of the tomatoes and making apple butter tomorrow. I also want to stock up on some bananas the next time they go on sale really cheap. I found a recipe for banana butter (which of course I can’t find today) on one of the frugal living type websites. I knew I should have copy and pasted that particular recipe last night but I was too tired and ready for bed. Oh well. That’s life. LOL

I will be canning the rest of my pears tonight while at my best friend’s house as well. My pantry is really starting to look good! It excites me to know that everything I canned I did all by myself. I have truly become a “country girl” in this aspect. :)

Morgan freeman solves the race problem.

2010-07-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

Feeling tired today...

2010-07-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

I am not sure why I feel so tired today. Maybe it is because I went to bed at a decent hour and got up late after getting to sleep in! I have been doing a lot here lately, too.

I have cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom and been working on the kitchen. I have cleaned the oven and stove completely. Cleaned off the tiny countertop and rearranged the few items on it, cleaned the washer and dryer so they look white again. I even took the curtains down, washed them, ironed them and put them away. I put up the new curtains I bought so the kitchen has a different look. I went so far as to take down the mini-blinds over the kitchen sink (the window behind the stove and dryer doesn't have one) and soaked it in the tub with some Dawn dish detergent. Then I scrubbed the heck out of them and hung them back up to dry. They look so much better now! I still need to move the washer, dryer, stove, fridge, etc. to scrub down the walls, but they way things are hooked up, I don't dare. I will probably wait until we can afford to paint to do that.

Now I am looking around the rest of the house at all the boxes and totes sitting around thinking I really ought to go through them all and start putting things together for a yard sale. But that sounds like an overwhelming chore! I do have one tote started of yard sale stuff, but it isn't full yet, only halfway. I do relish the the thought of having a yard sale by myself. Too much work to keep up with people coming and going and to make sure I am not being ripped off. I told my hubby that S.M.A.R.T. (Supplies, Materials, And Resources for Teachers) is having their second annual yard sale next month and that I think I am just going to give them everything to sell. We can take a tax write-off because one of the local churches is who actually deals with it. They will take all the proceeds from the yard sale and and buy school supplies for teachers and kids in our county. It was a big hit last year, so I am praying that it goes as well this year. I am not sure how much work I will be able to do for them because of the grand kids, but I will do whatever little bit I can. I will deliver supplies to the school I work for, and perhaps help to separate out the supplies after they are bought and/or donated. I can't afford to go buy anything this year for them because I don't even have the money to pay my house payment. :(
It is not helping that I have to pay to be a member of Weight Watcher's right now, but since it is actually helping me to lose the weight, I think the $39.95 a month I am paying is well worth it. The $20 for the gym membership is not right now. Simply because of babysitting and the gym doesn't offer daycare during the summer months. Which is really stupid. Who needs daycare when school is in session? Like hello!! Once school starts back, I will be able to go to the gym every day if I want. And most likely will so long as it is not Thursday morning which is when my weigh-in is. And I don't want to do anything to weigh more! LOL I am losing and want to keep that trend going. After all, as of last Thursday, I had lost 44.6 pounds since April.

I can't believe how good I feel. I also can't believe how much 44 pounds is! We stopped at Sam's Club Thursday or Friday after I picked up hubby, and I needed to buy some cat litter while there. They had my brand in a 42 pound bag. I could barely pick it up! And to think I was carrying that around on my body plus 2.6 pounds! I was shocked to say the least! I know my poor body is happy to be rid of that much excess weight, but it still has a ways to go. Like about 86 more pounds, give or take.

Well, Dr. Oz is on, so I am out of here!

Okay, I am bad about keeping up with my blog, but...

2010-07-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

I have had a ton going on. I have a small garden and grand kids to keep up with. Summer tends to keep me busy.

My poor little garden is full of tomatoes which I am hoping will produce a lot so I can them. I have been canning green beans, beets, carrots, peaches, zucchini, squash, and made peach butter.

Lets see, 6 pints of carrots, 7 pints of beets so far (I will be buying about a half bushel next Saturday to can), 9 quarts and 21 pints of green beans, 4 quarts of zucchini, 2 quarts of pattypan squash, and 2 quarts of mixed squash. Then I made 3 pints and 9 jelly jars of peach butter, canned 9 pints of peaches, and then got the bright idea to use up all my blueberries. I made 4 pints of blueberry freezer jam. I ran out of blueberries and had to substitute a cup of strawberries but it is still quite tasty!

That is not counting all the canning I have helped my best friend do. Beans, beets, carrots, zucchini, peaches and peach butter for her.

I am freezing okra for me and hubby. I won't get much out of my garden, but my best friend's husband has a bunch of plants in his! :) I also froze some corn on the cob I bought at the local farmer's market. Super sweet stuff and boy is it yummy. I froze strawberries earlier this spring and pulled out one bag for the jam and the grand kids to eat.

This is the book that I used to get my peach butter recipe from. It is so good and I substituted Splenda for the sugar in the recipe.

Got some canning done today...

2010-07-17T22:28:00.002-04:00

Today I went to the farmer’s market again. We have had so little rain that it was rather slim pickins. I did buy all the beets again, and it was enough to can 4 pints. He is supposed to have a half bushel for me next week. I am the only one who eats beets in my family, so I will gladly can them and eat them myself! I am not a big fan of pickled beets.

I also bought two of the small round white with purple stripes eggplants. I plan to roast them for dinner one night. I also got three tomatoes for slicing, although I may roast them as well.

I have picked 4 zucchini out of my garden. I may can them, or I may steam them. I haven’t decided yet. Depends on what I am in the mood for in a day or so.

I am having to really watch the weather. It is getting somewhat rainy and I may have to figure out how to keep my pumpkins from rotting on the bottom. I have been told to use coffee cans and put the pumpkins on them, but I don’t drink a lot of coffee so I don’t have any cans. Any suggestions?

I lost some more weight!

2010-07-02T08:48:00.000-04:00

I lost more weight this past week. I am down another 1.6 pounds for a total weight loss of 37.8 pounds. My clothes are all too big and the next smaller size is too small. My rings are turning freely on my fingers, too.

I no longer have to crawl over to the couch for support to get up off the floor. I am feeling so much better about myself. I still have along way to go though.

I wish I had more Weight Watcher's cookbook, but I am trying to take ome of my favorite recipes and redo them using www.weightwatchers.com.

Another day...

2010-06-23T12:03:00.002-04:00

Today is another day. Today I feel like spending as much time munching out as possible, but I am not hungry. It must be boredom. Or lack of adult companionship! I haven't figured out which yet. LOL Having a hubby on the road all the time and friends who work full-time doesn't leave much adult time.

I just came back in from the back yard. I picked two more zucchini and sprayed my tomato plants down with a product to help them bloom and produce more tomatoes.

I have three tomato plants in a Tospy Turvy Tomato Tree. I am not real impressed with it. The tomato plants do not seem to do too well. I don't know if it is too much water or what but the leaves and stems seem to keep turning yellow and dying and I have only harvested a few tomatoes. Not worth the $50 I spent on the stupid thing. I did better growing tomatoes in pots!

I have a SASE in the mail today to a friend. She is going to be moving overseas before long and is sending me some of her seed stash. I don't have very many seeds so I don't have a stash worth sharing. I am hoping that in the future I will. I love this site though. I can find answers to all kind of questions and keep track of my plantings, both veggie, herb, flowers, etc. Whatever I want to grow. I can trade seeds with all kinds of people both near and far.

I put a roast in the crock pot for dinner tonight. I think I might just have to have some zucchini to go with it since I have a huge Tupperware bowl full of it! LOL I am working on trying to clean out the deep freezer. Granted it is the smallest chest style freezer, but I am trying to eat what it is in it. I just keep transferring food from it to the freezer in the fridge and then cooking from there. Of course, eventually I am going to have to find the money to go grocery shopping when it gets fairly empty again. But I will deal with that later when I have too. Of course, the kids don't know that there i two tubs of ice cream in there either! They need to finish up the ice cream sandwiches first! 4 Points each so I don't eat them unless I am really, REALLY craving them. Which I tend to crave ice cream A LOT! I also like the Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwiches, and they are only 2 Points, but I think I am going to go to ALDI tomorrow and get some of their Fit & Active brand ice cream sandwiches which are also 2 Points. And I can save a ton of money in the process! :)

Too

Losing weight

2010-06-22T13:14:00.004-04:00

It has been quite a while since I lost posted to my blog. Not that anyone really reads it anyways, but oh well. That's another story.

Anyways, school is out, and I am babysitting again for the summer. I not only have my grandkids but another bus driver's daughters. Every little bit helps! :)

I now have a nice small garden in my back yard in a couple of raised bed kits that we bought this spring. I need to buy three more whenever I have the extra money so I can raise the bed up higher and make one bed just for squash next year because they take over! :)

I have been harvesting quite a few zucchinis and a couple of tomatoes here lately. I have already gotten all the radishes and lettuce. Carrots didn't do too well this year. Maybe next year when the bed is deeper.

I have adopted another dog this year as well. Well, technically it was two, but the first puppy, a full blooded pit bull got parvo and we had to put her down. She is buried in the back under the trees. The newest puppy is half lab and half pit bull. She is an excellent watch dog!

I have been baking zucchini bread and muffins for the past two weeks. I have been using my mom's recipe (not sure where she got it but it is the best recipe!) and I have had to modify it. You see, I joined Weight Watchers almost 16 weeks ago. I have lost 35.4 pounds as of last Thursday! I have been working on modifying several recipes that I love so that they are lower in fat and calories. I am bound and determined to get back to my normal weight! I figure I still have 98.6 pounds to go. One week, one day at time, it will come off.

Folia - Harvest Tracker

2010-02-25T12:21:00.003-05:00

Folia - Online Garden Tracker

My Latest Plantings

2010-02-25T12:21:00.001-05:00

Folia - garden tracking

My Plantings

2010-02-25T12:20:00.001-05:00

Folia - garden tracking

Thinking about my next diet...

2010-02-16T12:42:00.002-05:00

I have been spending everyday watching Dr. Oz on TV and thinking about how much weight I need to lose.

I got on the scale the other day and I weighed in at 270 pounds! I am only 5'5" tall and from what I have found I should weigh no more than 159 pounds at the top end of the scale. So, I need to lose at the very least 120 pounds. I know that if I do I will not only look better but I will feel better.

I have already purchased the Alli starter pack so I can start that closer to the summer. (Since I drive the school bus and the side effects are not pleasant, I want to wait until I know I can be near a bathroom! LOL) I already bought a bike last summer, so maybe my daughter and I can go bike riding more often. My best friend and I want to start walking at the local Greenway so we can both lose weight and get fit. I also need my hubby to hook up our VCR (yes, we still have a VCR and tapes) so I can start exercising to the first 3 Sweatin' to the Oldies tapes. Of course, I do have a DVD Recorder, so I could always record them to a DVD to back them up for future use because I am sure the tapes are pretty worn. I also think I might order Sweatin' 4 and 5 and any other DVDs that Richard Simmons has out.

I did buy the book by Dr. Oz and that other doctor called "You on a Diet" and the workout DVD by them as well. If it wasn't so darned cold and icky this winter, I might have already been out and about!

I will have to be careful working out in the house because the house was build in 1924 and the floor is NOT level! I can just see me now, I'll be on my exercise ball and go flying! ROFLMAO!!! Yes, I do have the ball, some wrist weights, a stretch band thingy, and maybe a DVD for the ball. I'll have to look and see what all I do have because I am determined to get this weight off. It is hell to carry around an extra "person".

I know that I will be fighting some genetics as well as my own laziness. All the women in my family (on both sides) have always been heavy, so genetics play a big part in my life. I wish I liked salmon because that seems to be a big ingredient in diet recipes. I will have to find a decent substitute for it. I like all kinds of fish, but no salmon. Maybe tilapia would be a good substitute...

What a week so far!

2010-01-15T08:26:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness. This has been a week from hell. First off on Monday, my school bus breaks down less than 1/2 mile from the school, on the busiest road at the busiest time of day! And do you think I could get the bus off the road? Hell NO!!! The garage had to send a tow truck out to get me. I felt bad for all the drivers who had to go around me.

I got a spare bus but the horn doesn't work and of course the law states that when backing a school bus, you have to honk the horn twice. I wrote it up and the mechanic came and fixed it yesterday. Yep. Horn still didn't work when I pushed the horn, but it sure worked every time I turned the steering wheel and didn't want to stop! It was funny and embarrassing all at the same time. (I wonder how many people called the garage and complained about me blowing the horn at them?! LOL)

By the time I got back to the school and got parked the horn was stuck on. I called the garage for the mechanic to come fix it but right before he got there, the horn finally blew the fuse.

Hopefully, I will get my bus back Monday. I found out it had an injector that went bad on it and of course the dealership had to order the injector. My bus is still under warranty, thank goodness. Another bus recently blew an injector and it wasn't under warranty so the garage had to deal with that one.

Hopefully today will be better. I get to get my hair cut at 10:30 this morning and pay a few bills. I pick up my granddaughter after I get off work because her mom and dad both will be working late.

Tomorrow I have a baby shower to attend and it cost me $68.25 to put together a basket full of goodies for the baby and mom. Plus I went through all my grandson's old clothes, toys, etc. and pulled out all the good stuff to give them. I bleached out the potty chair yesterday and will bleach the toys this evening. My grandson hates the potty chair and would rather use the big toilet, so we let him. I was going to put all that stuff in a yard sale, but I would rather give it to my friend's son and girlfriend for their baby to help them out. I know that the potty chair won't be needed for a couple of years, but it will save them money in the future!

Another week come and gone...

2009-10-30T19:31:00.002-04:00

Boy has this been a rough day. It is payday for all state and county employees. I have direct deposit and while checking my deposit of my paycheck, I realized that there is no way we have enough money to pay the mortgage, so it will be a week late and I hate it.

Other than that, the week has gone very well. I picked up my granddaughter yesterday from school, helped her do her homework (kindergarten homework is soooo hard! LOL), and fed her dinner.

I will be keeping her tomorrow as well. I first said no, but then my daughter called back and asked if I would just keep Samantha and not Joseph since he is running a fever. I guess the other grandma is keeping him. Samantha has already missed 6 days of school since it started because of really bad colds and running fevers, so we are trying to keep them far apart!

I should be picking up my husband, Tracy, tomorrow, so that will be nice. He has been out on the road for two weeks and last weeks check sucked. This weeks check sucked as well. Maybe next weeks will be better as he did manage to get a few more miles and did not have any cash advances.

I am worried about Christmas this year. We just do not have extra money to buy gifts this year. I think we may just end up buying for the grandkids and no one else. I don't think I will even be making my gifts-in-a-jar or gifts-in-a-mug this year nor baking any Christmas cookies. :(

Maybe things will ease up soon.

What a day!

2009-09-18T17:54:00.002-04:00

Today has been a day from, well you get the idea. It all started when I went to my deep freeze to pull out something to thaw for my dinner. Almost everything in the freezer was already thawed out! I was so upset!!

I ended up throwing out about 2/3 of the meat in the freezer. Shrimp, steak, pork chops, ground beef, vegetables, etc. All wasted! I salvaged what was still frozen (near the bottom of the freezer) and put it the freezer on the fridge. The rest filled 2 garbage bags and I hauled it out to the garbage can. I could have cried!

I chipped away at all the ice build up in the bottom of the freezer, pulled out the drawer and the rest of the ice and put four sham wows in the bottom to soak up any water from the "big thaw" I was giving it.

I went off to work and got all the kids home and when I got home after a trip to the grocery store for milk and potatoes, I turned the freezer back on. It started right up! Yippee!! I turned it back off and will leave it off for now. I want to make sure it is totally thawed out and dried very well. Then I will start freezing empty milk cartons of water. If they freeze okay, then I can start shopping again once I have the money to fill the freezer back up. It hurt bad to lose all that food because it will months before we can afford to fill that freezer again.

Life on a Monday morning

2009-09-14T10:25:00.003-04:00

Welcome to another week. It is Monday morning. I was up most of the night worrying about to pay some of my bills. And then the alarm goes off at 4:30 AM to make sure I am up to get ready for work.

I got all the kids on my bus to school about 5 minutes early today. I hit each and every light just right, which is unusual! LOL

I am now sitting here watching HGTV with all the home makeover shows. I love them. They give me way too many ideas when I have no money! LOL Thank goodness that when we go to "redo" the kitchen, all it will cost us is some cutting of paneling, a few nails (all the stuff we already have here so that is free), and the primer and paint. Since it is a rather small kitchen, it won't cost too terribly much to prime and paint. :) We have picked out a nice pale yellow, almost an almond color, but not quite.

I still want to paint the very back room, which will be my craft room. Actually, it already is my craft room, it is just filled up with stuff. Lots of stuff! I want to paint that paneling a nice light color as well. Tracy is having a fit about it, but he needs to get over it! Paneling is so out, and yet all the rooms seem to have it. I can handle the light colored paneling, hence the reason to paint the brown a nice light color. White would work well for me.

I have a crockpot full of pinto beans. Now the question is, do I turn those lovely beans into chili or do I bake some cornbread? Decisions...decisions...decisions! LOL I love both, so maybe I'll do both.

Ahhh...another Sunday...

2009-09-13T11:38:00.002-04:00

Well, Sunday has rolled around again. I have three loads of laundry hanging out on the clothesline to dry. I didn't feel like washing the sheets, so I will do those next weekend.

At least this Sunday there are coupons in the newspaper, but I have no money to go and buy anything we need. In fact, I need about $200 just to pay the electric bill. I wish my son-in-law would pay me, but he didn't get paid last week either. This economy is hurting all of us - badly. So why doesn't our wonderful government stop wasting money and help out the average person? Because they don't care, that is why!

I am also trying to mentally go through the meat in the freezer so I can figure out what to throw in the crockpot to feed me for the week. I refuse to bother with cooking every day when it is just me. I do a big meal when hubby is home, at least if he is home for more than one night and he isn't getting home too late in the evening! I made chicken and rice last week, so chicken is out! LOL Maybe another nice roast, although I do have a LOT of hamburger meat. Hmmm...maybe I should make a Shepherd's Pie...

Swag Bucks

2009-09-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

I am trying a new search engine called Swag Bucks. Many of my gather.com friends are using it and say they win all kinds of gifts cards and other prizes. I have added a widget to this blog, so maybe you can win, too.

Yesterday was the first day of school

2009-08-26T09:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday school started back in Burke County, NC. It was a very interesting day to say the least!

There have been many changes this year in the bus routes due to the fact that the schools have had to do a reversion of funds back to the state as the state cannot balance their budget so they are hurting the schools.

Needless to say, it has not only hurt the schools but the buses as well. They have had to cut about 700 miles a day off of routes, so many roads we used to travel are no longer being traveled. Many children are having to walk or be driven to a "central bus stop" for their area. This is making many parents very mad, but it is just a fact of life. Not all kids get to be picked up at their house. We are also not allowed to wait on a kids who are not standing at the bus stop or outside their house if that is the stop.

Most of the money that we do have for buses goes to our salaries and for fuel so parents are just going to have to get over themselves! If they lived in a big city, their kids would have to walk to to a centralized bus stop.

I still had to laugh during the afternoon route. While our school was right on time and all our kids were on the right buses and loads, listening to the other buses on the radio you could tell that they were not on the ball. Kids were lost on the wrong buses, on the wrong loads, etc. Between the bus garage, the schools and the drivers, the radio was jammed with calls nonstop. Now at my school, we left a little later than normal, but we asked each and every new student their address so as to make sure they had the right bus/load, etc. All was right in our little world! :)

My granddaughter actually starts her first day of school on Thursday as she is in Kindergarten and they stagger them in. She will be in before school and after school daycare due to mom and dad's work schedules. My daughter was to take her to the teacher parent conference yesterday, but instead, her mother-in-law had to take her. Long story short, my daughter had to take my grandson to the ER because the little invincible superman fell off the back of a chair onto some glass knick-knacks that was behind the chair (a very VERY tight space that he shouldn't have fit into anyways) and cut his ankle pretty bad. He ended up with three stitches in his ankle. Poor kids is not even 2 yet and has his first stitches.

It has been a long summer so far...

2009-08-03T16:34:00.002-04:00

Boy has this summer dragged on. I know time is supposed to fly by faster as we get older, but good grief! I am ready for school to start back so I can get back to driving that school bus and have an income again. I am so tired of struggling without that paycheck once a month. Plus, I am going to have to start trying to put extra back each month to cover next summer's mortgage payments.

The grandkids are also driving me nuts! LOL They are at the age (5 and almost 2) that they are in everything and not wanting to listen. I am ready for a break! LOL

Almost forgot about tonights class...

2009-04-09T12:22:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot about tonight's class being put on by the NC Cooperative Extension. Tonight's class is all about Annuals and Perennials. I have finally figured out the difference thanks to the lawn care class. I am so excited about this class because I love flowers and right now grow only wildflowers because I know I can grow those. I am looking to expand though.

Ready for spring break

2009-04-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

I am so ready for spring break. I will have the grand kids next week, but at least I won't have to get up 4:30 in the morning for a whole week! Plus my anniversary is Sunday the 19th. I am not sure what Tracy has up his sleeve for it, but as long as it is nice and quiet and just the two of us...

I am thinking that if Tracy comes home tomorrow or Saturday that he will have to spray the front yard for weeds again. He sprayed the day after he mowed and the bottle said to spray 2-3 days before or after mowing. So no mowing this weekend as the grass hasn't grown too much this week and he can spray. We have got to rid of of the dandelions, the clover and all the other weeds that I have no idea what they are. My grass won't get good and established until the weeds are gone and the grass has room to grow.

I am also thinking we are going to rent a tiller for the backyard so we can get our vegetable garden planted. Tracy's father-in-law does have a tiller so maybe we can save some money by borrowing his if it still works. After the garden area is tilled, we will have to rake all the weeds out of the area. I can put them in the compost bin. Then maybe I can get busy planting my vegetable seeds!

I have gone through the house and picked up all the empty bottles that were laying around and got them rinsed out and crushed and out in the recycle bin for next week. I have gone through magazines like crazy and put a bunch in the other recycle bin. Those poor people will have their hands full as I am going through a bunch of my stuff for a yard sale!

Took an organic gardening class

2009-03-25T09:18:00.002-04:00

Wow. I never knew that organic garden was so labor intensive! In order to be a true organic garden you even have to buy seeds that come from an organic source. I'd have never thought about that. I may or may not have the ability to be an organic gardener. I am sure going to give it my best shot though. All my seeds are not from an organic supplier, so I guess this year is out.

Woo hoo! More green living for me

2009-03-22T09:02:00.003-04:00

My husband has gotten our rain barrel set up complete. I am so happy. Now all we need is some rain! LOL

I also bought a compost bin at Ace Hardware the other day. I have already starting filling it up with crumpled up newspaper, leaves, some egg shells and old carrots. I made sure to wet the whole the thing down so it will get a good start on making some good soil.

I called Simply Green yesterday. They are a local company that does curbside recycling. It will save me from driving over to Shuey Fields and possibly getting a flat tire from all the glass on the ground over there. Anyways, it will cost $6 a month and they will pick up every two weeks. They will be delivering 2 18-gallon bins Monday. One is for paper, the other for plastic, metal and glass. No major separating of items. I guess they do the major separating there. (I will still make sure to shred all address labels and personal info though! Safety first!)

Now I am researching clotheslines. I have found one I like at the Ace Hardware website.

I plan on calling the store when they open at noon to see if they have them in stock at the store. I really want to get it today if possible so hubby can put it up and get the concrete poured so I can use next weekend or whenever I do laundry. I will have to use my dryer today since we don't have it and it will take a while to set up and the concrete to cure. Oh well. I should see a substantial savings on the electric bill once it is installed. Of course, I will still end up using the dryer in the winter when it is real cold outside.

I made a paint line in the backyard where I want my garden. My friend Louis is supposed to come over will his tractor and plow attachment to plow that section up this week, Tuesday if all goes well. Then my best friend's husband can come over Saturday and till that spot and till in the humus and manure I bought. That ought to help break up some of the clay and put some good stuff back into that spot and help the veggies grow when I plant them. I will be planting corn, green beans, okra, carrots, radishes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, zucchini, summer squash (the yellow crook neck kind), tomatoes and maybe even some potatoes. (I'd like to buy some blue ones and freak people out! LOL) I also have some marigold seeds to put around in the garden to keep the pest and animals away.

I was slightly disappointed in the paper today. Only one set of coupons in there as compared to last week when they had three. Oh well. I will cut them out and keep what I will use. I then send the rest to my mom and youngest daughter after my oldest daughter looks through them. No need to waste good coupons. They just keep getting passed on until they either expire or someone has gotten all they can use. I have noticed here lately that there is a coupon exchange group in my town on Monday nights. I am not sure if it would be worth going or not, since we all would have about the same coupons. I might check it out one night just to see.

Going green

2009-03-20T10:50:00.003-04:00

Okay. Maybe not completely, but I am off to a good start. I have bought a rain barrel and my husband is going to get the down spout fixed to catch the rain water in the barrel. I have also bought a compost bin. This will be handy since I am going to be starting a veggie garden soon. As soon as my friend comes and plows the backyard anyways. I am also growing herbs in pots. They are being started indoors right now. My husband has fertilized the front yard and sown grass seed. I will be planting flowers and sowing wildflower seeds before long as well. Soon we won't have as much yard to mow and lots of pretty things to look at and eat.

Oh yeah. I get to pick up my apple trees next week and get those plant in the backyard as well.

School Bus Safety

2009-02-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

I am writing this in response to two of Jenn P.'s articles about a tragedy that recently happened near her. The articles can be found here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977590720&nav=MyGather and here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977590830&nav=Namespace

School Bus Safety is very important. Not only for the children and the bus driver, but also for other drivers on the road. School Bus Safety involves everyone.

The laws vary from state to state so I will give the basics that should be in all states based on NC law.

School bus drivers should be aware of all things around them at all times. You should not be talking on cell phones, eating, drinking, taking pictures, carrying on long conversations with the kids, etc. You mind should be on the traffic, the stops and making sure that the kids are in their assigned seats. Put on your amber lights early enough to let other drivers know that you are about to make a stop. It is about 300 feet before the bus stop in NC. Come to a complete stop and then put on the red lights. The red lights come on normally when the school bus door is opened. Stop about 15 feet away from the kids and let them walk to you.

Make sure that ALL traffic has come to a complete stop before allowing children to enter/exit the bus and/or cross the street. (I will personally blow the horn if I see someone who does not want to stop. My kids on the bus know that if I am blowing the horn not to try and cross the street or get off the bus until I tell them it is okay.)

I also count the kids at the bus stop so I know how many should be getting onto the bus and count them as they get off the bus so I know how many there should be. I make sure that exact number gets on or off and watch them as they go their separate ways. Even though I know all kids are on/off the bus safely, I do not move my bus. I make sure all the kids are in their assigned seats or at least 15 feet away from the bus before I check my mirrors again. I start left to right: left mirror, left front mirror, right front mirror, right mirror, rear view mirror. this also gives me the opportunity to look for parent's cars or children who may be running late and are running toward the bus to catch it. Once I know that everyone is safe and no one has bent down in front of the bus (that is what those two mirrors on the front of the bus are for), I can then close my door and proceed on with my route.

Children should be at the stop on time if at all possible. They should stand at least 15 feet away from the road. If the driver is stopping at your house and it is too cold for your child to be outside, make sure you have the porch light on so the driver knows if your child will be riding or not. The driver should be communicated with about this either by the parents if the children are small or can arrange with the child to do this. There should be no horseplay at the bus stop as this can be dangerous. Many a child has been hit by a car because they were pushing each other in play. Children should line up just before the bus arrives so they can get the bus in a quick and orderly fashion.

When going home, children should remain in their seats until the bus has come to a complete stop. DO NOT stand up before the bus has stopped. If the driver would have to hit the brakes extra hard, the child would go flying down and get hurt. Also, no child should be standing in front of the "line" at the first seat. Make sure they know they cannot stand or sit in the stairwell as this is also extremely dangerous. School bus seats are designed to protect the children, so they should all be facing the front when sitting.

Drivers of other cars should be aware of times of the buses being out on the road. Watch for those amber lights and be ready to slow down and come to a stop when you see them. DO NOT PASS A STOPPED SCHOOL BUS!!! This could kill a child and that child could very well be yours. Be aware of children crossing the road in front of you. Make sure you stop far enough away if you are going in the opposite direction of the bus so that children can cross the street safely without having to walk behind your car. This creates even more danger for the children.

Do not try and outrace a school bus that going in the same direction as you. Many times I see cars pass me on a double yellow line and I just hold my breath and pray that they do not cause an accident. Most drivers are not aware where each bus stop is and when they pass a school bus and whip back over in front of it to avoid a head on collision, they could easily over correct and hit children who are standing at a bus stop. Leave a few minutes early if you see you are going to be getting behind a school bus in the morning to avoid this problem.

I hope that this little bit of information will help you to be more aware of school buses and the dangers involved. Please make sure your children know where to stand and how to act at the stop and on the bus. Children can go to their driver and let them know about any dangers they see on a regular basis, such as someone speeding through a residential area or mobile home park, bullies, street lights not working, etc. This information will help the bus driver keep the stops as safe as possible. We can and do communicate with the school and law enforcement officers (city, county, state) about any and all situations that cause hazards.

Fencing

2009-02-09T08:23:00.002-05:00

I have decided that our backyard definitely needs a fence. I think a chain link fence will do fine and be the least expensive option with the least amount of upkeep. This way I can not only have my dog fenced in, but keep my grand kids far away from the drop off to the train tracks. Also, I can keep neighbors out of my garden!

Great gardening website

2009-02-03T09:11:00.002-05:00

I have discovered a great gardening website. I am using it to help me create more than one garden. I am planning a vegetable garden, an herb garden in containers, and a flower garden. I can ask questions to other gardeners, create and keep a journal, and even join groups. I think this site will be a great place for me to keep up with some of the newer and even the older ways of gardening.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2009-02-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

With times being hard once again, many of us are in the mindset of having to reduce, reuse, and recycle our stuff. I have yet to actually call the local company that does recycling pickup as the few things that I do have I am trying to reuse. For example, my husband asked me why I was saving an empty jelly jar. I told him that I plan to use it my craft room when we get it set up. I can put small craft items like silk flowers for scrapbooking in it.

The other day while I was out walking our dog in the backyard I noticed that my father-in-law had tried to throw some old bricks over the embankment at the far end of the yard. Since we own the house now, and I am in the process of planning several different gardens, I decided that I could use them. We spent about an hour digging what we could our of the dirt and clay. There was a broken Terra Cotta pipe, a few pieces of broken cinder block and lots of clay bricks. Some have the the holes, others don't. There are still more brick down the embankment, but I am not about to try and climb down there to rescue them.

There are several sections of brick that are still attached with mortar, so I will have to get out there with a chisel and hammer and break them apart. I even salvaged the half bricks I found. I figure that I can use the bricks, block and Terra Cotta to edge my flower garden or in front of the house where I want to plant a few flowers or hostas. The brick will be very pretty as it is nicely aged and didn't cost us a thing!

Adopted a dog from BCFFA today

2009-01-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

Today was the day that Science Diet dog food by Hills got together with various pounds and animal shelters and gave away 10 pets to the first 10 people who qualified to adopt them.

My local shelter, Burke County Friends for Animals, started their process Thursday, two days early! I didn't find out about that until Friday. I called them as soon as they opened up and was able to go down there because they had one free adoption left. I started out looking at all the dogs they had. The noise was deafening the minute the door to the kennel was open. It was like all the dogs were saying, "Pick me! I am the cute one! I am the most loveable! Take me home! I'll be a good dog for you!"

I looked left and all they had there were smaller dogs. Not what I wanted. So I concentrated on the right side of the kennel at the medium to large breed dogs. I saw one poor dog who just stood there among the din being very quiet. He just looked at me with these big, brown, soulful eyes. I asked a few questions about him. What breed? How old? Is he good with cats? Is he good with small children. How long has he been here? The answers intrigued me. Yes he is good with children. He is four years old. He is a hound. Lets test him with cats right now. He has been here at BCFFA for 5 months and his name is Jethro.

Well, when it came to cats, he just sniffed them and didn't bother them one bit. I got to see him action with children today when I picked him up and he was great. He walks on a leash.

We brought Jethro home and let him wander around the house for a little while. I got his food and water bowls set up, although he has yet to even touch them. I think he waiting for another dog to come bully him out of his share of food.

Jethro hasn't played with any of his toys yet.

He is also very good with my cat, Misfit. She is the bully. She is the one who is going around hissing and pitching a fit. She will eventually get used to him and want to play with him.

Jethro is rather thin for an American Black and Tab Coon Hound. Since he wasn't the dominate dog at the shelter, I am sure he was bullied out of his share of food. He will eat if Tracy or I actually put the food in front of him on the floor. I have gotten him to eat some dog food, a hamburger and a Milkbone Treat. Now if only he would go to the bathroom again. He did earlier, but hasn't for several hours now and we have had him outside several times.

You can tell he is all hound. Just look at those ears!! He spent most of time outdoors with his nose to the ground chasing after all the new scents. We gave him a bath right after we got home to get the smell of the kennel off him and to get rid of all the grease on his hair. We used baby shampoo on him and he just sat there and let us bath him with no problem.

I think it will take him several days to really get used to us and to trust that he isn't going to go back to the shelter and then he will settle into a good routine. Lots of patience and love is what this boy needs.

In all fairness, I don't think Tracy was too happy about me getting a dog, but what he doesn't realize is that with him gone on the road all the time, I feel like I need a companion other than a persnickety cat. Plus, once Jethro has warmed up to us and gotten used to the house and yard, he will alert me when me someone is around. I am happy and that is what is really matters. I am an animal lover and need to have my pets around. They are more than pets, they become my family!

WeScrap

2009-01-12T11:22:00.001-05:00

Still needing to unpack stuff...

2009-01-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

Geez. I had hoped to have more stuff unpacked by now, but it hasn't happened yet. It would have been great to unpack over the Christmas vacation, but I ended up babysitting my grand kids for the two weeks off. I did manage to rearrange the piles of stuff in the living room so it isn't quite as bad as it was. I would really like to get my craft room done so I can start sewing and crafting again. I have a great big desk to work on, but can't get to it right now for all the stuff. :(

My best friend came over yesterday to help me out, but before she could get here, my daughter brought the grand kids over for me to watch...again...since the heat in her house went out. I was suppose to go to my best friend's house yesterday afternoon and visit with her while the football game was on since her hubby had a bunch of guys over, but was still babysitting. Here it is, Sunday morning and I still have the kids. My daughter and son-in-law have heat now as he changed out the unit (he works in the heating and air industry) but before they pick up the kids, they want to clean up the kids bedrooms and then drive to Marion to pick up a bed, bunk style I think for my granddaughter. They will then put my grandson's race car bed under the other bed in my granddaughter's room and move her old bed into my grandson's room. (My grandson sometimes falls asleep in his sister's room. Playing is hard work!)

In the meantime, I am doing laundry. I have cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom as well. I have washed the few dishes in the sink and will finish the kitchen later. I can't sweep and mop until the laundry is done since the washer and dryer is in the kitchen and my dirty clothes are sorted into piles on the kitchen floor. I am planning on cutting out the coupons from today's paper here in a few minutes.

Wish me luck on getting things unpacked before summer!

I mowed my own lawn today!

2008-11-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

Wow. I actually mowed the lawn today for the first time since we bought the house. Tracy had mowed once and my friend, Louis, mowed the second time to help us out while we were moving.

I am going to have to get used to a zero turn mower! It was both scary and fun at the same time. I really need to find a manual for it so I guess I'd better start looking online!

Moved

2008-11-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

Whew. I am finally moved into a house. My husband and I bought his parent's house and closed on it September 30th. It took us close to a month just to move next door. Literally next door!

We now have a large living room, large dining room, big bathroom, two bedrooms (my granddaughter just loves "her" bedroom that she shares with her little brother and even enjoys cleaning it up!), a fairly small kitchen and a small back room which will be nothing but craft stuff for me! (We won't count the fact that the deep freezer is in that room.) Maybe once I finally get everything unpacked I can get back to crafting and scrapbooking. I am slowly decorating the house while unpacking a box here and there.

It is hard to deal with all this clutter from the boxes and totes, but it could have been worse. We donated a truck load of stuff to the Salvation Army because we just didn't have the time to mess with having a yard sale. As I unpack our things, I plan on getting rid of even more stuff, but this time we will have a yard sale. I need to get things unpacked and put away before Christmas so I can decorate the house. And yes, I will be getting rid of some of our Christmas decorations that we don't use or don't like any more.

Hatchlings

2008-08-20T13:38:00.001-04:00

Getting ready for the holidays already...

2008-07-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to work on some of bead kits and getting them done for the holidays. I am also planning on trying to get the Christmas ornaments done early for the kids on my school bus this year. I am not sure how many I will actually need, but I usually plan for around 100 which is more than needed.

Since I have been spending my summer babysitting, I haven't been able to get much done, including studying for my General Class Ham license test. I hope to be able to study before test time comes around or I will be waiting until next year!

Hancock Fabric's 50% off sale!!

2008-06-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

I convinced my husband to stop at Hancock Fabric yesterday before I took him on to work. I bought some patriotic fabric for a couple of wreaths I plan to make and sell. I also found some fabric on the clearance rack, but I have no plans for it as of yet.

New HT bought at the Morganton Ham Fest

2008-04-22T08:22:00.000-04:00

My husband bought me a new Handy Talkie at the Morganton Ham Fest on Saturday. I am in the process of trying to figure out all the features on it now. He programed the local repeaters in for me so I don't have to figure out how to do that, but I still need to know how. I guess I will learn the most by reading the book that came with it and playing with all the cool features!

Scrapbooking

2008-04-17T08:07:00.001-04:00

I am hoping to start doing some scrapbooking again real soon. Now that I have a bunch of photos of me from when I was a kid, I have all kinds of ideas running around through my head!

I have been too busy to do any crafting!

2008-03-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

Over the last few weeks, I have been too busy to get ANYTHING done! Between my best friend's mom being in the hospital and my daughter needing me to run her hither and yon, I have very little time to myself.

Quilt Tops

2008-02-19T09:40:00.000-05:00

I have finally decided that it is time to start using up some of my fabric stash. Well, not actually my stash, but some fabric squares that my best friend gave to me a couple of years ago. She had gotten them from a small fabric store downtown years ago and had never done anything with them, so since we are always swapping stuff back and forth, I ended up with the majority of them.

I squared them up as best as I could using my rotary cutter and ruler ages ago and put them back in the zippered pouches. About a week ago, I decided to get them out and start sewing those squares together. I made one complete top, not quite twin size, but bigger than crib. The way I figure, by the time I add the batting and the backing, etc., it should fit a twin sized bed.

I have sewn together enough pieces out of just once set to make six or seven quilt tops - all the same size, color and pattern! Once they are finished, I can get started on some of the other squares I have done.

I told my husband, Tracy, that I might end up donating all these to a local charity or hospital when they are completed. I know there are plenty of charities around that could use quilts for children who have been abused and taken from their homes, mom's who have left their abusive husbands, preemies in the hospital, etc. Just something as simple as a homemade quilt or blanket can make all the difference in the world to a child or a parent, knowing that someone cares and that they now have something they can carry with them forever.

Since I had my grandkids this weekend, I didn't get to do any sewing on the tops, and yesterday I played chauffeur for my daughter who had to put their truck in the shop. Today will be a good day to get back to sewing those tops together.

Trying to get organized...

2008-02-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

Today I need to start working on some organization for my craft room. I have my fabric folded neatly and in the chest on chest. I have my books neatly on the shelves. I have the dresser in the closet with the scrapbook containers on top of it. I am thinking about trying to get my soap and bath salt stuff organized on a shelf so it will be nice and neat. Hmmm...maybe I can use those little plastic purple containers to hold my fragrances and colors...and the bigger ones to hold the glycerin bars. Just a thought anyhow.

Okay. That worked. Thank goodness for a set of "Really Useful Boxes". That is what they are called. Honest. It is a set of five plastic nesting boxes. The handles actually hold the lid onto the box. The set I have has 0.3 liter, 0.7 liter, 1.6 liter, 3 liter and a 9 liter box. They can be found at

I put my additives like oatmeal, strawberry seeds, etc. in my 9 liter box, the raffia, bath bomb molds, silver cord, and some finished bath gels/lotions in the 3 liter box, fragrances and essential oils in the 1.6 liter box, and the dyes in the 0.7 liter box. That only leaves me the 0.3 liter box, but it is really only big enough to hold business cards. And I am not yet ready for those. Maybe in a year or so when I have a bunch of stuff made up and am ready to actually attempt to sell some of my products.

In the meantime, back to organizing!

I donated a bunch of craft stuff to a local school

2008-02-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, I got an email from our local scrapbook store, Forever Your Memories, and they were asking for donations of any and all kinds of craft items to go to a local school for disabled children.

Well, I jumped on the bandwagon. I had three boxes and three garbage bags full of craft stuff that I was not going to use or wasn't planning on using in the near future that were just sitting around collecting dust. I called up the teacher who wanted the donations and got rid of all of my excess stuff in one fell swoop!

I like knowing that my donation is going to help the disabled children in the area and not be sold like it would have been if I had donated the stuff to The Salvation Army.

If you are like me and have a lot of extra craft supplies and fabric laying around that you either don't like or won't use, you might want to check with some local places in your area and see if they want any of it. Schools, shelters for abused women, orphanages and the like, will most likely be willing to accept your items. It not only helps them out to keep their costs down and gives the women and children something to do, but it helps to declutter your home as well!

My latest beaded items: Bells and Christmas Circles

2008-02-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

I have been very busy over the past month making a bunch of beaded Christmas Bells and Christmas Circles. I got the patterns from one of my Yahoo Group friends who had made some. I had looked for the bell pattern for over a year and the only pattern I could find I didn't like.

I decided that I would make a bunch of each in a multitude of colors. In fact, Since I took these photos, I have made others in different colors, like red and green bells and red and clear bells. They almost look like candy canes they way the stripes turned out on them.

I have three round Christmas tins filled up with bells and circles now. I just love making them and they are so easy to do. You just need to invest in a lot of beads if you plan on making a bunch of them. I had a lot of trouble finding the oat beads in silver and gold, but I finally found a place in Gastonia, NC call Mary Jo's that had them. (Mary Jo's is one of the best fabric stores around, but I find all kinds of treasures in there!)

Anyways, what got me to want a bunch of these bells for myself is that I was remembering some of the ornaments that my mom uses to decorate her tree with. My ex-step-grandmother had made a bunch of bells and given them to my mom for her Christmas tree. I always thought they very pretty. I had forgotten all about them until a year or two ago and then went on a manhunt to find a pattern. No such luck. I searched all over the Internet trying to find a pattern for them. I just didn't like the pattern I found. It looked good in the picture, but when I made one, it didn't look like what I wanted.

So when I was in the Yahoo Group, EasyOrnaments, I looked through the pictures and found a lady who had made some bells like I remembered. She sent me a copy of the pattern along with the pattern for the Christmas Circle. And I haven't stopped making them yet!

Here are the pictures of the bells and circles that I have made.

I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures!

Beaded Christmas Ornaments

2007-12-02T12:27:00.001-05:00

I have been busy making beaded Christmas ornaments for the kids on my school bus to put in their treat bags. Here are some that I have made so far.

More projects I did

2007-11-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

Here is a few more blankets I made. I liked the nativity scene and figured it would be good to use during the Christmas season.

The other is a fleece baby blanket. I don't have a specific person in mind for this blanket, but eventually someone I know will have a baby and I will be ready with a gift!

Lap blankets for my husband

2007-11-01T21:16:00.001-04:00

My husband is a huge Star Wars fan and when I found these two prints in fleece, I just knew I had to make him a couple of blankets.

Christmas presents I made for my grandkids

2007-11-01T21:09:00.001-04:00

Here are three of the four items I made for my grandkids for Christmas. My grandson will get the fleece baby blanket and the fleece pillow. My granddaughter gets the teddy bear. I also made her a fleece John Deere jacket but I don't have a picture of that yet. I still need to sew on some elastic so she can button the jacket.

Here are some blankets I sewed recently

2007-11-01T20:59:00.001-04:00

Not too long ago my son-in-law's cousins lost their home to a horrific fire. Everything was lost. I decided to help out by making some lap blankets for the couple's four children. I let them pick out which one they wanted as I sent them to them via my daughter. They loved them!

Hip Line Media Presents A Simple Quilt: DVD review

2007-11-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

The last trip I made to Hancock Fabrics was a few weeks ago. I needed to pick up a couple of items, but as usual, I walked out spending about $140. One of the items I bought was a DVD from Hip Line Media.

Hip Line Media Presents A Simple Quilt is very good DVD for anyone who wants to learn how to make a quilt. It is almost like sitting in a classroom with a teacher teaching you what to do to get from the beginning to the end.

My best friend and I have watched it completely through once and halfway through a second time. We are taking notes so we understand each step a little better.

Susie Tilton is the host of this DVD. She is a professional designer and educator. She goes through each steps and makes it very easy to understand. She tells us exactly how much fabric is needed and how many colors.

She will show you which tools you need, how to cut the fabric pieces, and how to assemble each piece, including the batting and backing.

I personally could never get the hang of binding a quilt by reading all the "how to's" in magazines and books. The minute that Susie showed me how to do quilt binding on this DVD I understood it.

I highly recommend Hip Line Media DVDs to anyone who wants to learn anything about sewing and quilting. These DVDs are about $25, but well worth the money. You can learn to make pajamas, handbags, pants, home decor as well the quilt.

You can visit their website at www.hiplinemedia.com

If you use myLot, you might want to rethink it...

2007-10-28T18:40:00.000-04:00

I have been a member of myLot for well over a year now. I was having a good time on there starting discussions and making friends. A little over a month ago, I suddenly couldn't log on anymore and several of my discussions disappeared right before the login issues began. I have contacted myLot about 5-8 times and have NEVER gotten a response back. I am still in the system and can pull myself up and see that over the past couple of weeks I have had comments, etc., but there is nothing I can do about it because I cannot login.

I am just forewarning you that the people at myLot are immature and refuse to answer any emails sent to them. I have finally sent one last one telling them if they don't answer this one and either help me get logged back in or tell me why I was blocked, that I would go into all of my many blogs and let people know exactly how they treat their members.

I did not even bother to wait for a reply since it has been over a month and I have never gotten any kind of reply so far. I am telling all of my friends that myLot is a rip off and needs to be avoided like the plague!

Scrapbook companies that don't have what I need

2007-08-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

My husband, Tracy, is a truck driver. I drive a school bus. I am also a scrapbooker on top of all of my other hobbies.

I have been searching, and unsuccessfully I might add, for several years for templates, stickers, papers, etc. for trucks. Big trucks. Big rigs. Semis. Tractor trailers. Anything to do with the trucks that haul all of the goods we buy. But do you think that I can find anything? NO!! NADDA!! NOT A THING!! NOTHING!!

I can print out pictures, cut out pictures for magazines, etc., but I want embellishments! I want papers! I want stickers! I want templates! It would be a huge help to be able to create pages from my husband's travels. And in the area that I live in, there are A LOT of trucking companies. Wake up scrapbook companies and cater to the needs of the people!!

The Yo-Yo Quilts are now completed!

2007-08-08T15:57:00.000-04:00

Woo Hoo!! I finally did it! I just finished my final Yo-Yo Quilt this afternoon! Yippee!! Now Christmas is complete for two people. That is a huge amount of work off of me for the moment.

I still have a ton of work to do, like getting my craft room finished up, making a baby blanket for the new baby (Hurry up Sept. 11 so I can hold my new grandson!!), and a quilt for my granddaughter. Yes, she has informed me that she has to have a quilt for her bed made by me. Go figure!! LOL

At least now my quilting won't take over the living room now because I am done with the hand sewing. Well, at least for the time being anyways. I plan on using the sewing machine for the rest of the quilts that need to be done.

Now, do I do the denim quilt or do I make Crazy Quilt? Hmmm...I have the needles and the thread for the denim, but I still need room to cut the jeans up. I also have a two totes full of scrap fabric that would be perfect for the Crazy Quilt. Hmmm...decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Another quilt down, 1/2 of one to go.

2007-08-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

I finished up one more Yo-Yo Quilt last week. I am halfway finished with the third quilt. Christmas is almost halfway finished now!! Yippeee!!!! LOL!! I will have to work on getting my craft room up and running when I am done with this last quilt. I am going to need the room for my next quilt project!!

My husband is letting me have the front bedroom in this apartment as my "craft room", or "crap room" as he calls it. We are going to move out the computer desk and a dresser into the living room. We have been using this room as the computer room for a couple of years now and it is time for a change. Since we use the dresser for storage of computer and "office" stuff, it can go into the living room with the desk and computer.

We will move the other desk that is in the basement into the front bedroom so I can use it for my scrapbooking and cutting my fabric. I will also move my sewing machine and all of my craft totes into that room. Goodbye extra closet for jackets we don't use, and hello to stacking those nice wide three drawer totes full of craft supplies in there! Goodbye Halloween decorations which will be banished to the basement where they belong anyways! LOL Goodbye games that never get played because we can't get to them and hello shelf for other supplies, such as scrappbooking.

Any and all computer stuff leftinthe chest-on-chest will be banished to the living room so I can store all of my fabric in it. (I have a huge tote full of fabric and then some! LOL)

Once all this moving around is done, then I can start on a quilt for my granddaughter, who has informed me that "I have to make her a quilt". Hopefully, I will be able to get it done for Christmas as well. It iwll be a "Denim rag Quilt". Demin on the front and flannel on the back. I have never sewn denim before, so it might be a bit of a challange for me. At least I don't have to worry about the newest grandbaby yet. I still have a couple of years before I will "have to make a quilt" for him! LOL I do, hovwever, have to get busy and make the fleece blanket for him before he is born, so I guess I will be making that next before I start moving everything. That is only a two hour job, so it won't take too long to finish.

At least I have my sewing machine "marinating" in oil. I hadn't oiled it in probably close to a year, so I went ahead and oiled it down last week. I also fixed my grandmother's old Singer Featherweight 221K about a month ago. Everyone who quilts is on the hunt for one, and I haven't been able to use it in several years, as it had "frozen" up on me. I bought a book off of ebay on fixing it and now it runs like a dream again! Thank goodness I don't mind getting dirty and oily to fix things, huh? LOL Now I will be able to do some machine quilting when the time comes.

I finished my Yo-Yo Quilt May 24!

2007-06-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

I finally got my Yo-Yo Quilt finished on May 24th. Anyways, it took me about a year to work on this quilt. I had to start off by buying some yo-yos off of ebay so I could actually see what they looked like when they were sewn. (I didn't want to take apart my Yo-Yo Clown doll that I have because it is older than me.) Once I got some in, I bid on some more just to get a small head start on them. I then used a bunch of my leftover scraps and remenants to make well over 3,000 of the silly yo-yos. Once I had those all made, then came the arduous task of sewing them all together. After the quilt got so big, I had to start sewing them together in "blocks" of so many across and so many down. Those "blocks" then got sewed into "strips" and then sewn onto the quilt.

I was bound and determined to finish my quilt before summer got here so I could take into the school office and show the women in there what it looks like. I sewed for three days straight every chance I got (when not driving the bus or getting tires). I finally sewed the last strip in place last night about 8:45 PM. I am so happy that it is over and done now.

Now I will get start on some other projects that need to be finished before I start sewing another quilt. Both of my girls want me to make quilts for them, so I think that I will make two more yo-yo quilts in queen size for them. Only this time, I will not be using 2" yo-yos. I will make them bigger so I don't have as much sewing to do since it is all hand sewn. I hope to be able to finish those my next Christmas for their presents!

The finished size of my quilt is 108"x108". The ones I am making for my girls will be approximately the same size, but I am making 4-inch yo-yos for theirs.

I went on a hunt for another rotary circle cutter

2007-06-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

The other day I was cutting out more circles for yo-yo quilts that I am making for my two daughters. Everything was going along just fine. I got most of the fabric ironed and was in the process of actually doing the cutting, when my cutter's handle broke! I was in quite a quandry because the only other circle cutter I have doesn't cut circles quite as big as I need.

I have searched for two days making two different trips to Hickory, NC just to try and find the type I needed so I could send mine off to be repaired. I knew that Hancock Fabrics carried them, but of course, just because I need it, they are out. I checked several other places and no one carried them. Finally, I broke down today and called Michael's Arts and Crafts as a last ditch effort. I didn't figure they would have them since they don't really carry much in the way of sewing equipment. Boy was I wrong!

They still don't carry much sewing equipment, but they did have about four of the OLFA Rotary Circle Cutters. I bought two of them and four blades. That should tide me over until I can send my other one off to be repaired or replaced. While I was searching, I did check online at www.olfa.com. .

They have some great craft projects for both sewing and paper projects. I hope that you will check them out. I printed out several projects to make at a later date. I will file these in my sewing binder, for future reference.