Saving on Groceries ...

Do you have Publix groceries in your area?  If so, there is a site, iheartpublix.com, where a gal does full matchups of Publix adds with competitors' and manufacturers' coupons.  A couple of weeks ago Publix had BOGO 1/2 gallons of Smart Balance milk and Smart Balance had $2/1 milk coupons at their site, with a limit of two coupons per computer.  I was able to get free milk that week. If you don't have Publix in your area, you might google your grocery store name and see if someone provides a similar service for them.

I will be away for a week.  See you back here in a week or so.  Enjoy your summer! :o)

A New Look and Summer Fun...

Hope you like the new blog look.  Blogger made new templates and backgrounds available and I loved the blue sky/green grass combo.  Also posted are new pics of some of my family members.  Just thought about adding one of our faithful, furry friend, Teddy.  After all, he is part of the family.

Summer should be a time to refresh and rejuvenate ourselves.  A friend of mine lets us swim in her pool just about anytime we like. Yesterday my youngest son and I went and it was so nice to relax in the water and visit with a friend. Last weekend we went to visit our daughters and spent three hours at the beach.  Other than the sunburn hubby got from not wearing sunscreen soon enough, it was a wonderful time. I hope you are able to relax some this summer and enjoy a slightly slower pace. What do you enjoy doing for R & R?

Vintage Linens ...

I love vintage linens and always seem to gravitate toward the linens section when entering a thrift store.  Today, at first glance, there did not seem to be anything of interest on the shelves, but after digging back and under I found these two beauties.  The yellow cameo border print is a blanket cover/duvet and the purple, pink and white item is a vintage doll quilt.  I believe both are from the 1940's.  Please contact me if you know this for sure.  I can't keep every treasure I find, so these two will probably go on Ebay.  Do you enjoy finding vintage treasures?

Oh, by the way, check out the thrifting party at:  http://southernhospitalityblog.com/treasure-from-the-antique-mall/

Yard Sale Finds ...

On my way to the grocery store yesterday I saw an estate sale sign in my neighborhood.  Of course, I had to stop.  Only bought five Dr. Seuss books for my daughter, two 1990's Campbell's soup mugs and two kitchen utensils.  However, on Thursday I saw a yard sale near home and stopped in and found this potential treasure.

It is a book published in 1906 with 140 beautiful illustrations plus the cover pics. The book is falling apart, but the illustrations are in good condition. I love old book illustrations, but really have no where to display them, so must pass them on.  I want to resell, but think it might be better to remove the illustrations from the book and sell them separately.  Maybe sell all the illustrations from one story in a package.  What do you think?  

I dabble occasionally in selling items on Ebay or at Etsy.com.  Have found a couple of items that sold for considerably more than I paid for them, but it does not happen too often.  Trying to find a way to bring in extra cash doing something I love.  What are your ideas for making money from home?

Applebutter .... Mmmm, Mmmmm

I experimented with canning jam on my own a couple of years ago. Before then I had only done this under the watchful eye of my dear mother.  I picked a recipe online titled, "Jerry's Easy Applebutter".  Instead of making it with apples from scratch you use jars of applesauce.  It really is delicious and was not as hard as I thought it might be.

Two years ago my daughter, Caroline, and I picked wild blackberries and made jam when in Missouri visiting m parents. Only half the batch jelled correctly.  A little disappointing, but still delicious as syrup.  There is something fulfilling about making your own foods from scratch.

Today I made about 18 half pints of the easy applebutter.  We have been out of jelly for some time and I could not bring myself to buy the high fructose corn syrup jellies at the store. Have you done any jelly making recently?

Garage Saling ...

I live in a larger city where our warm weather a good part of the year makes garage sales quite popular.  A good friend of mine and I hit these sales almost every Friday morning.  It is fun to visit and look for our hidden treasures among the "trash".

This same friend has garage sales twice a year.  She goes to other sales, buys items she finds at really low prices and that she knows will resell for more.  She cleans them up, packages them and puts them in her semi-annual sales. At her last sale she sold $900 worth of items.  Her sale lasted all day Friday and Saturday. It is a nice way to bring in a little extra cash every now and then ... as long as you enjoy hitting the garage sales yourself.

My oldest daughter and her new hubby have begun hitting sales themselves on Saturday mornings.  She recently purchased a 1940's wooden Dial-a-straw dispenser for $3.00, which then sold on Ebay for $86.00.  Of course, not all garage sale purchases will make this type of a profit, but occasionally they are to be found.  Above is is 1950's girls' dress pattern I found at a church rummage sale for 25 cents.  It is for sale with two 50's doll patterns in my Etsy.com shop, Myfancy55.

I and my friend don't buy everything to resell.  There are great clothing buys for our families, as well as housewares and home decor items.  Why buy a hand mixer for $20 when you can pick up a nice one at a yard sale for $1?

For some of us shopping yard sales can be therapeutic. I enjoy just getting together with a close friend, talking, shopping and rejoicing with each other when we find a treasure.

Saving Money ...

Throughout their growing up years I have taught my children how to find good deals on various items, mostly clothing at consignment or thrift shops and just about anything at garage/yard sales.  My girls say I have ruined them for shopping in malls.  They cannot deal with the sticker shock.  However, I have never been great at clipping coupons and saving money on groceries.  I have tried it for a short while, but never seemed to save enough to make it worth the hassle of preparing.

My oldest daughter, Kate, is married and running her own household now and is fast becoming a pro at couponing and shopping the grocery deals.  When my husband found out how much she was saving he commented that she needed to train me. Don't you love it when your kids show you up. :o)  So, I am taking tips from Kate and have saved quite a bit.  She has her own blog and gives tips on saving along with her musings on life, love and family.  Check her out at:   http://lifelovefrugality.blogspot.com/  Way to go, Kate!  I'm glad you are showing me up. :o)

Cow Day at Chik-fil-a

     So, you probably know that Chik-fil-a has a Cow Day where they offer free sandwiches and meals to individuals who come dressed as cows.  My son, Peter, and some of his friends dressed the part this year and headed for our local Chik-fil-a.  Below are photos of the crew: 

     I appreciate that Peter is secure enough to go out in public dressed as a cow, have good, clean fun with his friends and not worry about what less secure people might think.  He's a great kid.  Glad to say he is mine.
    You realize that I will be writing later about my other four children.  As mothers we cannot show favoritism. :o)
    If you have not hugged your children today and told them you love them why not do it now.  If they are long distance you can send your love via email or phone.

Here's to our kiddos.  Sometimes they make us crazy, frustrated, tired, etc., but they are so worth it all.  I love you Kate, Caroline, Philip, Peter and Joseph! :o)

Quilts ...

Do you love quilts?  I am crazy about them and made two quilt tops when younger.  One my mother ended up finishing and giving to my oldest son when he was born.  The other was a handkerchief quilt, which I finished and then mother had hand-quilted and brought to me at my wedding.  Somehow I never quite have the ummpff to do the quilting part.

My son, Peter, asked if I would make him a homemade quilt.  His three older siblings have one, but he does not.  We always have old jeans so I decided to make it from them.  At right is the pattern on which I decided.  It has no batting, because you don't need it when you use heavy jean fabric.  Some of the plaid inserts are from shirts all three of my sons and one of my nephews wore, so it has sentimental value as well.  Other than the cutting, it is all done on the sewing machine.  I like how it is turning out, but do not think I will make another like it.  It gets hard to fit the whole item through the machine as it becomes large.  Plus,  I am discovering that I get more into admiring quilts or rescuing them at thrift shops and yard sales than I do making them.  Not saying I will never make another quilt, but do not expect one from me this Christmas. :o)