Money saving tricks... and a new addition...

My wonderful hubby (whom I love very much!) send me a cool link... It's to an article on the This Old House web site called "50 Nifty Tricks for Big DIY Savings"

These days we all can use tips on saving money here and there. I wish I could take advantage of tip #3 in our master closet. It's almost the size of a small bedroom, about 8 feet wide by about 13 feet long! And the reason we can't take advantage of the tip? There is a heating and cooling vent in there!

But there are a few tips listed there that we have either already done or are in the process of doing. We have replaced "old style" light bulbs with more environmentally and energy friendly ones. We have added ceiling fans in rooms that didn't have them and have a couple more to install. We just bought a fast growing Empress Tree (ironically, it's one of the favorites on the nursery link in the article!) that will be planted in the back yard to shade both Gamer Boy's bedroom and the den. We had to have the heat pump worked on a few weeks ago and had a digital programmable (and lockable!) thermostat installed at the same time. Now we have it programed and the kids can't go and turn on the A/C when everyone else is freezing. Or roast the rest of us if they are chilly. Hey! Put on a sweater! :) And we have some light switches that will turn themselves off after a certain time frame. We just need to find an electrician to install them.

As for the new addition... Today we brought home a dog. I'm not entirely happy about it (she is a lovable enough dog but not a breed I really care for at all) but Dak grew up with one and this one was his mother's. We helped her get it about 1 1/2 or 2 years ago, thinking that a small dog would be good company for her. Boy were we wrong! As her dementia has worsened she has done nothing but complain about it. Cleaning up after her, having to walk her, having her underfoot... But then she talks about how much company she is. We have taken the dog home with us 2-3 other times but she always had a change of heart and wanted her back. Then she gave her to a total stranger but, again, changed her mind and asked for the dog back. Dak had talked to the woman that was taking the dog and warned her that it would probably happen. And it did. This time we have told his mother that if we took the dog it was permanent and that the poor thing doesn't need to be shuffled around like this and that the dog would NOT be coming back. She even signed a statement today to that effect. That is more for her to refer to when she changes her mind. Something that we can tell her to look at to jog her memory. So... here is our new addition.

AWESOME... and how to win it.

What is your idea of awesome? Well... to me, almost anything that is a really great surprise is AWESOME!

If you want some Awesome of your own you can go check out what Heidi n' Jeff are doing over at The Decoursey Project. They are hosting their first giveaway and, what can I say, it's just AWESOME!

We need more people that are this AWESOME!!!!!!

Pay it forward...

I like doing things for people. Unexpected things sometimes. So this one is pretty easy for me. Examples: I have been known to pay for the food order of the person behind me in line at a fast food place. I always put the RedBox Monday free movie code (and am doing the March Wednesday codes) on a super sticky post-it and leave it on the machine for the next person to use. (And the note reminds them to share it as well.)

Yesterday the fuzziest, softest neck warmer arrived in my mailbox. Now I know the picture below doesn't look like anything but fuzzy yarn, trust me. It IS a neck warmer and it's the perfect size to wrap around my neck and feels really nice there. I just wanted you to see the yarn and the colors!


Thank you, Anna! The colors are wonderful and I absolutely love it! And I think I have the perfect pin to use as a closure. :)

Anna, from Small Farm Living, had chosen to do something nice for three people "just because". I was fortunate enough to be one of those people. All she expects in return is that we "pay it forward".

So, as I promised Anna, I am putting together a Pay It Forward "project" of my own. If you want to be a part of this you can send me your mailing address, and tell me a little about you to help me decide what would be good for you. If you have a blog, mention this there and tell me about it so I can go visit and get ideas of the kind of thing that would make you happy. All I ask in return is that you do the same... pay it forward! Do the unexpected!

I can't guarantee anything except that I will be doing something special for at least 5 people, maybe more. And who knows... even if I don't get to you right now... someday a few months down the road you could find something really special waiting just for you!

Send your e-mails to me at princessj.king at gmail dot com

Someone stop that truck!!!!!

I'm still sick. Dak is still a bit under the weather but at least he is feeling a lot better than he was. I don't know what this is but it's sure got a firm grip on me. The one good thing is that the truck that keeps running me over is getting a bit smaller. Now it's about down to a UPS/FedEx truck. Fully loaded. At Christmas.

A couple days ago I was joking that I had "gone green" but I'm still green and this is after religously taking 9 doses of antibiotics. No wonder I gravitate to the Snot Put game at the bottom of my blog! No, it's not just some weird perversion... it's my life at the moment. (although I do tend to use my throat and not my nose.) Yesterday the coughing was so bad that I was feeling dizzy and light headed, like I was going to pass out, after each hacking episode. Not a fun feeling when you are in a room alone and you know that your husband is hours away from coming home from work and the nurse is only going to buzz if she needs something.

Thankfully, Gamer Boy is visiting Clay Hill Farm (Thanks, Terri!!!!) and he even cancelled his session working with the horses today so I wouldn't have to get out and he wouldn't chance getting them or this therapist sick. Chatty has already had this and Princess Junior is safe and secure in her room with her nurses. I'm definitely staying away from her. As I said, Dak is feeling better but he was on different antibiotics. (His was a three pills over three days and mine is two pills, twice a day for ten days.) What I am on I have taken DOZENS of times before over my lifetime. If it's not working for me anymore it's a sudden change.


So I have been working more on the three color spiral blanket. I measured it last night. Well.... I measured half of it. I just didn't have enough room on the bed to actually lay it all out (Dak was sitting on the edge of the bed, working at his computer) and, after all, it's a circle with a definite center. So I figured if I measure to the center and double that number I'd get the total measurement, correct??? Well, so far it's over 60 inches across! I thought about stopping but I still have yarn left and I'd love for it to be big enough for Dak and I to cuddle under together. Because of the roundness it's going to be a BIG blanket!

I think I'm going to do the zebra and black yarn in a spiral too. But I'm still not sure of the others. Then there is the spiral for Gamer Boy. At least I have projects to keep me busy.

Ok... I lied...

I only THOUGHT we had full nursing coverage. Turns out our day nurse was scheduled to leave at 4:30 pm so now it's just me, Princess Junior, and Dak until our night nurse gets here at 10 pm. I sure hope Princess Junior doesn't pick up what we have.

I've ordered a pizza so Dak and I don't have to cook. He will still have to go out sometime tonight to pick up Chatty from her mother's house since tomorrow is a school day. Why couldn't tomorrow be a holiday!!!

But I did get a really nice surprise. I am getting a hand knitted neckwarmer from Anna at Small Farm Living. I envy her ability to knit so that makes it special right there. But there is another reason why this is special. Anna is doing this as a "Pay it forward" type of deal. So, my job (since I chose to accept it!) is to do just that... Pay it forward...

I'm going to take a day or so to think on this one. I have some ideas rolling around in my head. But you'll hear what my plan is soon.

Thank you, Anna, for the great surprise! It has been a very bright spot in the day. Your horse info is really interesting because Gamer Boy is working with horses. And just between you and me, I've spent some time slinging snot too. Somehow it seems the appropriate thing to do today.:) I actually broke my all time record too! I'm up to 1042.8m now!!!



(For those of you who haven't been to the bottom of the blog... Snot Put is an addictive little widget that is down there. Hint... sling it in a clockwise direction and loft it UP. :)

Out, out, damn bug...

Ok... I know that isn't an exact quote... but it's close and it's how I feel. And I am sure Will wouldn't mind, especially if he felt like I do.

Dak and I are both under the weather. Although, since the weather usually deals with things in the sky we are always under the weather. But I digress... I'll put it simply. We Are Sick.

Fortunately the two oldest are gone (Chatty is at her mother's and Gamer Boy is at a friend's house) and Princess Junior has full coverage on her nurses (they have been hit with the bug too!) so we actually have time to rest.

Saturday morning we both slept until 11 am. I woke up feeling like I was swallowing razor blades. Now I'm not one to run to a doc for every little thing so you know I'm actually sick when I CHOSE to go to a doctor. Saturday option is the walk-in clinic and I decided that yesterday was probably a good time to go.

Dak and I arrived right before what looked to be a rush. I took a seat and Dak went to sign us in. When he hadn't joined me after a few minutes I turned to look towards the desk and saw that he was still waiting behind a couple people with 4 or 5 more behind him! Yes, whatever this is sure is making the rounds.

When they called us back they did flu swabs on us both. Both came back negative. Since Dak has always been told he's allergic to penicillin they gave him different drugs than they gave me. We stopped to drop off the prescriptions and went next door to get some soup while we waiting. Now before anyone condemns us for going out in public like this we aren't hacking away every two seconds and even then we are responsible coughers. The restaurant is one that isn't cramming as many tables as they can... it's booths with wide aisles. We ate and left, picked up the medicine and some juices, and went home.

We were up until about 11 - 11:30 but this morning we again slept until about 11 am. Our guess it that we needed it. Gamer Boy went with his buddy to a drumming concert last night but has called several times to check on us. He said he was starting to feel bad but seems to be feeling better today and didn't want us to come get him. I think that being away from the house is allowing him to NOT get whatever this is do the degree we have. We are purposely staying away from Princess Junior, using the video monitor and intercom to stay in touch with the nurses. (I can see she is a bit wiggly at the moment!)

So this is a perfect opportunity to work on some of my WIPS and plunge into the yarn stash.

This is what I have been working on...



It's a three color spiral circle. Right now it's about 4 feet across and I have 7 more skeins of yarn left to use!

Then I have done some of these...



They are face cloth/wash cloth sets. I don't know about you but I like to use a separate washcloth on my face. They are 100 cotton and really soft! The face cloth is 6 inches across and the wash cloth is 8 inches across. Eventually they, and others like them, will be in my Etsy shop. I'm revamping the shop to benefit Princess Junior's room fund.

This will too.



It may look like it is another wash cloth, and in a way it is. But it's in a coarser cotton and it is meant for dishes.

Then there is the yarn... I bought some more.

There is this... It's SOOOO soft!



And this... Gamer Boy picked these colors and wants a four color spiral blanket!



I'm not real sure what to do with these yet. I have a spiral square pattern that I was thinking about doing in this...



But I don't have these earmarked for anything yet. Just liked the color combinations.



Pale pink and purple. Doesn't it look like cotton candy???



One of my all time favorites... pink and gray!

And I have some black and red too but the red looks orange in my pictures so just trust me... it's cherry red.

Any suggestions???

Do you like surprises?????????

I found about this one in a round about, web surfing friend of a friend of a friend's second cousin twice removed, sort of way. But sometimes that's the best way!

The Farm Chicks are having a giveaway. What are they giving away??? I have absolutely NO idea! And they aren't saying! So if you like surprises go on over there (Click Here!) and pay them a visit. Who knows what you might win! SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

Hilarous story... (warning... girl stuff!)

I have been making cotton washcloths for Hannah and for a swap I'm in. While searching for some new patterns I ran across this story... Put your coffee cups down!

THE WASH CLOTH

I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. A few days before that I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am. I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45 am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.


As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in "that area" to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.


I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in. Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in
Paris or some other place a million miles away. I was a little surprised when the doctor said, "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?" I didn't respond. After the appointment was over, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal ... some shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc.


After school when my 6-year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?" I told her to get another one from the cupboard.


She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink. It had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it."

Hungry??? Let's all go to QUIZNOS! Free Subs!!!!!

Quizno's is giving away one MILLION subs! Just go to their web site (click here) and sign up. They will e-mail you a coupon for a free small or every day value size sub.

Hurry over and get your coupon soon! I have a feeling 1,000,000 subs will go fast!

Did you know that...

February has basically been FOOD MONTH!!! Oh how I wish I had known sooner...

Among other things it's been Berry Fresh Month, it's been Celebration of Chocolate Month, and Hot Breakfast Month, and Snack Food Month, and Sweet Potato Month!!!

And starting today, the entire next week is Pancake Week. IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day on Wednesday.

From the IHOP press release: 1,400 IHOP restaurants throughout the United States will once again invite guests to enjoy a free short stack of IHOP's signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In return, IHOP guests are asked to donate what they would have paid for the free pancakes, or more, to their local children's hospital or another worthy cause. Additionally, Miracle Balloons will be sold for $1 each, personalized and displayed at participating IHOP restaurants from February 1 through February 24, 2009, offering guests another way to show their support of Children's Miracle Network and contribute to the National Pancake Day fundraising effort.

So don't miss out on what is left... Go C E L E B R A T E !!!
Feb 22 - Cherry Pie Day
Feb 23 - Banana Bread Day and (if you have a four legged friend) Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Feb 24 - National Pancake Day - GO IHOP!!!!
Feb 25 - Chocolate-Covered Nuts Day
Feb 26 - Pistachio Day
Feb 27 - Strawberry Day, Kahlua Day

and the best...

Feb 28 - Chocolate Souffle Day

Now where is that chocolate????????????

COVER UP!!!

with an apron!

The Apron Goddess is giving away a great gift. It's a book entitled "Early 20th Century Vintage Apron Collection" by June Bartos. There are some REALLY great designs in it. So wander on over to The Apron Goddess blog and enter! Maybe you can make yourself a great vintage pattern apron!

And remember me next Christmas!!! ;)

Do you Quamut???

I didn't. I had no clue what that even was. It just sounds so... ewwww....

But evidently Quamut means "how to" in Latin. So online it's appropriate that Quamut is a "How to" site published by Barnes & Nobel, the bookstore people. For the month of February they are offering all their knit and crochet patterns as FREE downloads. Check it out here for the crochet offerings and here for the knit offerings. And check out the rest of the site. It looks interesting! But be careful... you might learn something.

Reminiscing... Have you done any of these things?

This is something I got from another Blog I read... Clay Hill Farm. waving furiously HI TERRI!!! You're supposed to highlight the things on the list you've done. She just used Yes and No and I think that works great so I'm doing the same thing. Some answers I didn't even need to change!

Started your own blog - yep, you're reading it.
Slept under the stars - yep.
Played in a band - yep - middle school. you aren't missing a thing.
Visited Hawaii - nope.
Watched a meteor shower - yep, more than once.
Given more than you can afford to charity - yep, what goes around comes around.
Been to Disneyland/world - lived in both California and Florida, so both.
Climbed a mountain - hiked. knees won't let me these days.
Held a praying mantis - nope.
Sang a solo - NO!
Bungee jumped - nope - never, never, never. Amen!!!
Visited Paris - sigh... someday.
Watched a lightning storm at sea - no, but watched plenty of them from the beach.
Taught yourself an art from scratch - yes.
Adopted a child - i'd love to but i don't think it could be now.
Had food poisoning - yes, once or twice!
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - nope. But I saw a small replica near lincoln center.
Seen the Mona Lisa in France - nope, but someday.
Slept on an overnight train - yes. i was only 11 but it was a blast!
Had a pillow fight - yes.
Hitchhiked - i don't remember but i don't think so.
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - pleading the fifth here!
Built a snow fort - nope.
Held a lamb - no, but i've held baby chicks.
Gone skinny dipping - yes.
Been to a Broadway show in NY - nope.
Ran a Marathon - nope.
Been in three states at once - several two's but can't think of a three offhand.
Ridden in a gondola in Venice - nope.
Seen a total eclipse - yes.
Watched a sunrise or sunset - yes, lots.
Hit a home run - nope.
Been on a Cruise - nope, and don't want to any more.
Seen Niagara Falls in Person - nope, but would like to.
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors - yes, but just the last two generations.
Seen an Amish community - yes, lovely people!
Taught yourself a new language - tried, but wasn't successful.
Had enough money to be truly satisfied - yes.
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - nope, not yet.
Gone rock climbing - nope.
Seen Michelangelo’s David - do books and tv count?
Sung karaoke - NO! and never will.
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - yes, amazing.
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - i've paid the bill for the person/people in the vehicle behind me at a fast food several times.
Visited Africa - nope.
Walked on a beach by moonlight - yes, and the beach is lovely any time of the day or night.
Been transported in an ambulance - yes, but as a passenger with my daughter as the patient.
Had your portrait painted - yes, in pastels for my first husband. Still have it.
Gone deep sea fishing - yes, never again.
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - nope, not yet.
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - nope, not yet.
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - nope.
Kissed in the rain - yes.
Played in the mud - yes.
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco - nope.
Gone to a drive-in - yes.
Been in a movie - nope. but my husband and son have! hubby twice! a major one too! i've been on tv several times.
Visited the Great Wall of China - nope, not yet.
Started a business - yes.
Taken a martial arts class - nope.
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea - nope.
Visited Russia - nope.
Served at a soup kitchen - nope.
Sold Girl Scout cookies - yes.
Gone whale watching - nope.
Gotten flowers for no reason - yes.
Donated blood, platelets or plasma - yes.
Gone sky diving - NO!
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - no. but my late father in law was a german pow.
Bounced a check - yes, but not on purpose.
Saved a favorite childhood toy - yes. and i have bought a replacement for one on ebay.
Visited the Lincoln Memorial - yes.
Eaten Caviar - nope.
Pieced a quilt - yes.
Stood in Times Square - nope.
Toured the Everglades - nope. even thought i was born and raised nearby. been on the fringes.
Been fired from a job - yes. i didn't fit their agenda.
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - nope, not yet.
Been on a speeding motorcycle - yes.
Seen the Grand Canyon in person - nope.
Published a book - no, but hubby and i have talked about writing one.
Visited the Vatican - nope, not yet.
Bought a brand new car - yes.
Walked in Jerusalem - nope, not yet.
Had your picture in the newspaper - yes.
Read the entire Bible - yes, when I was younger.
Visited the White House - nope.
Killed and prepared my own meat - nope. but i've fixed and eaten something i saw someone else kill. (trout and rattlesnake)
Had chickenpox - yes.
Saved someone’s life - nope.
Sat on a jury - nope.
Met someone famous - yes.
Joined a book club - yes.
Lost a loved one - yes.
Had a baby - yes. lost one too.
Seen the Alamo in person - nope.
Swam in the Great Salt Lake - nope.
Been involved in a law suit - yes.
Owned a cell phone - yes.
Been stung by a bee - yes.

What will YOU come up with???

I ran across this idea on another blog and saved the info for "future reference". I guess the future is NOW! :)

The idea is to find the sixth image in your sixth image folder, and then tag six people to do the same.

This is the sixth image in the sixth image folder on my laptop.


The picture was taken almost two years ago. That's Gamer Boy planting a Silver Maple tree in the back yard in memory of his father. (He is actually RE-planting a tree. The first one died.) I really think this picture is kind of funny because Annie was looking out the window and all of the sudden she started sniffing the window screen. It looks like she is sniffing HIM!

Now I'm not going to tag six people... I'm going to challenge anyone who reads this to do it! Who knows... you might find a picture that you haven't seen in a while that brings back good memories. It did for me.

Wow! Check this out!

Teresa, from Slowing Down A Bit, is paying it forward with a shoebox giveaway! No, there aren't shoes in it. But that is all I'm going to tell you... You need to go to her site yourself (click here) to see what she's put in it!

And yes, Terri, if I win, will share the wealth and I'll let you have the key finder. :)

What a cool Valentine's gift it could be. (I'm so easy to please!)

Now the hard part begins...

I just got notices that the wool I had spun and the cotton yarn I had dyed are both going to be arriving soon. Now I am perusing my books and patterns to decide what to make out of them. MAJOR decision. They both are beautiful but the wool turned out more stripy than I imagined it would. It wasn't anything the spinner did, I just didn't take into consideration that the white would be against all three other colors. Duh!!!! :) Since the stripy yarn is merino I might make something I can felt.

The wool went from this...


To this (with white wool added as one ply)...


And this is the hand painted cotton...


And this is what I started last night...

I'm not sure how big it will end up. It's starting out to be a blanket for Dak and I or, if I get dizzy, it will turn into one for Princess Junior. :)

Gamer Boy has been working overtime to get through his driver's training class. He has been doing almost nothing but studying and taking notes. He could finish his class work within the next one or two weeks! Then comes the permit. ACK!

Free Starbucks could be yours!

My friend, Terri, at Clay Hill Farm, is having a February giveaway. The prize? A $25 Starbucks gift certificate!!!

Now I'm not a big coffee drinker but I do like their chocolate mocha (extra chocolate) with a shot of peppermint. And it doesn't even have to be Christmas time!

So click here and take a trip over to Clay Hill Farm and enter her giveaway. Who knows... maybe I'll see you at Starbucks!

Latest project - finished and delivered. And another WIP.

This is what I have been working on for the past few days... It is a 5-sided baby blanket for one of Princess Junior's nurses who is due in April/May. She is having a boy so I wanted to use blue as the main color. I used Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn" so it's nice and soft.

This is what I did for the edging. I didn't want to use scallops or anything "frilly". I really do like the way this looks. It can be tedious but it's not that hard and I think the result is worth it.

The main thing is that she really like it.

And I'm looking forward to working with the cotton yarn I am having dyed. This is what one of the skeins looks like... I love it!!!!! I have some wool in the same colorway being spun with a ply of white. And the woman I am getting it from has some bamboo blends coming in that I can have custom dyed. Those will be great for Princess Junior because of the bamboo's antibacterial properties.


Right now I'm working on another 5-sided blanket. It started out as a oblong "square" but I couldn't get it to not cup in the middle. For some reason I am not having that problem with the 5-sided version. Go figure. I didn't like the color pattern on the square one either so I took advantage of the frogging and am doing it differently. I'm using some soft yarn I got from Mary Maxim a while back. I am getting ready to weave the tails on. I usually do that after doing a bunch of rows rather than at the end of each color change. I may experiment and see if I can do the corded border in five colors! :)

Semi-snow day

As expected, county schools called off for today. But Dak still had to go to school because they didn't call off college classes. They rarely do. I guess they figure college students are better drivers on icy roads. Go figure.

But they did delay the start of school by two hours so he got to go in a bit later. This is exactly what happened a couple weeks ago on the first day his class met this semester. Only today they were due to give speeches. That always throws a wrench into things because they have to make X number of speeches and it throws scheduling off.

Let it snow, let it snow, LET IT SNOW!!!!!!!

YES!!! I feel a hot cocoa and movie night coming on!!!!!!


This is what's coming down outside my house. It didn't look like this when Dak and Chatty left this morning about 10 am.


This is what the yard looks like now. Med supplies arrive today so there will soon be footprints and handcart wheel tracks leading up to the ramp.



About one and a half to two inches and still coming down. You can see the flakes coming down in the picture. County schools closed early today and I'd really be surprised, no, shocked, if they didn't close them for tomorrow. Almost all of the surrounding counties already have called off school for tomorrow. There was even a bus accident this morning, one slid off the road. (No injuries but buses are the main reason they close the schools around here.)

I'm glad Princess Junior doesn't have any appointments this week but I do have to go out later... have to pick up a couple prescriptions. But I'm going to wait until Dak gets home to run out for it. Might need to get some milk for that hot cocoa too! And gotta hit the Redbox for the free Monday movie.

What??? You don't know about Redbox's free movies on Monday??? Check out www.insideredbox.com and sign up to get the latest news and promo codes for FREE movies! How cool is that!