What a wonderful page! Click and e-mail for free items and /or coupons direct from the Manufacturer

 This is a great find for the coupon-er.  This website provides the food company information so you can get manufacturer coupons with just a click and a kind note.  Just go to the site and find the contact tab.  I have done this twice before, from my own list, and enjoy the rewards of letting various companies know my opinions on their products in exchange for coupons.  In fact one day I went through my cupboards and wrote down the name of all the companies  and wrote them a letter! 

http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/got-coupons-master-list

Adorable No-Sew hat from All Parenting Magazine

 I just had to share this link.  This hat is a no- sew project and so incredibly easy!  Follow the link below and look at the easy directions for this adorable Hat!  


I may make a pair for the twins and an older brother that I  know.

 http://www.allparenting.com/my-family/articles/966733/homemade-no-sew-fleece-hat-for-kids

Yak Hats Wool Trapper Hat (Google Affiliate Ad)

Planting your broadcast seeded flowers!

Broadcast flower seeds are those that resemble a badminton ball.  The flare area is the "sail" for the seeds.  These are meant to be released into the wind and "broadcast" over a wide area.  What makes these so easy to sprout is that you mix them with a good potting soil or garden mix and just broadcast them where you want to grow.  Remember that when they seed after blooming they are going to open up and "broadcast" all over your yard!  These are hardy, beautiful, and easy keepers.    I hope you enjoy your flowers.

Start your Hisbiscus Seeds Tips

Seed start tips!

• Cut off the top third of the plastic soda bottle using a sharp knife. Set the top portion of the bottle to the side temporarily, making sure to retain the lid on the bottle.
  
  
• Fill the bottom of the plastic bottle half full with good potting soil.  Dampen the soil with water, ensuring that the soil is moist throughout the bottle. Do not leave any of the potting soil dry.
• Place three or four hibiscus seeds on top of the soil and lightly cover the seeds with wet paper towels.  If desired, shred the paper towels prior to laying them across the seeds to keep the paper towels from being too heavy.
  
  
• Reattach the top and bottom portions of the plastic bottle with the duct tape. Do not remove the lid from the top of the bottle. Place your terrarium in a cool, dark area. Allow the seeds to germinate. Typically the seeds will sprout within a few days.
  
  
• Remove the smaller, weaker plants from the terrarium once the seeds have sprouted. At this point you should discard the top portion of the plastic bottle. Allow the sprouts to continue to grow in the bottom portion of the 2-liter bottle for at least another 3 or 4 weeks so that they can become firmly established and viable plants. Provide the newly established plants with enough water to keep the soil in the plastic bottle moist, but do not over-water the plants. To avoid drowning the plants, use a spray water bottle to add the water to the soil.

I found this idea and think perhaps it is a great idea to add to the above!  This  project makes starting or growing plants a whole lot easier by automatically keeping the soil at just the right moisture level. All you need is a 2 liter bottle and some string. Basically, you cut the bottle in half, and thread some string or yarn through the bottle cap. Then invert the top half into the base and add your plants and soil.
The yarn acts as a wick and the plants will take the water as they need it. Even better for those of us with black thumbs: The clear bottles help you see when the water needs refilling.

Planting Tips:

• Place the Texas star seeds in a small bowl and cover them hot water.   Allow them to soak for one hour.
• 
  Choose a sunny garden location in which to plant the Texas star hibiscus seed. A planting area that provides all-day sun and shelter from high winds is ideal.
  
  
• Amend the soil by mixing in a 3-inch layer of good  compost to a depth of 6 inches. Rake the seed bed so that it is level.
  
  
• Place the seeds on the surface of the soil and cover them with a 1/2-inch layer of sand.
   
• Water the seed bed until the layer of sand is moist, and keep it moist until the seeds germinate, which should occur within three to four weeks.

Recipes for the Best Baked Zucchini!

Recipes for the Best Baked Zucchini!
I have to say in season, these are very economical to bake and look how you can get everyone to love their veggies!

 1.   Red sauce, sausage, and cheese

Cut zucchini in halves lengthwise. 

Use a spoon to scrape out seeds making a boat in the middle of the squash. I make a small hole in them with a toothpick to drain.

I add Pesto to the tomato sauce (spaghetti sauce usually) and then I pour a little on the boat, add some cooked sausage crumbled, and then cover with Feta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, or shredded Monterey jack cheese.

I bake these in a glass pan with a little water under the zucchini, just until soft.  Test with a toothpick to see how soft, do not puncture the boat.  This water bath helps the dish cook quicker.

You can also mix in bread crumbs or sprinkle on top.

2. White sauce, stuffed zucchini

 The second recipe is for a mayonnaise-based topping.  As stated above prep the zucchini and the baking dish.  Place into these boats: mayonnaise  and shredded Parmesan cheese; or just sprinkle from a can over the top.  The taste is amazing…. yummy

PS they do not store well - the squash gets mushy! 

As an afterthought - you could cut them into chunks and make a casserole - I think I will try that!  I will try freezing it to see how that works and post later.

Boo Boo Bunny Listia Auction

I thought it was a great idea to share with Listia fans the directions on how to make a Boo-Boo Bunny for free - electronically so no points or stamps needed!  Hope that you fan me and I will fan you back if you leave a comment!

 I used these for holding ice cubes on a tiny finger with a Boo-boo for my children and you may want to also!  ENJOY

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Singer Sewing Co PixiePlus 4 Stitch Mending Machine (Google Affiliate Ad)


Foam craft hand and feet shapes - Pack of 24 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Become a Bzzz Agent and try samples as good as these!

What else can I say?  The samples from the Private Selection brand are amazing.

Being a Bzzz agent isn't bad either!

Let us talk COFFEE:

Private selection coffee is a cut above the other coffee you find in the store from the American brands (the kind in the cans).  I always go for the darkest and most full bodied roast.    The ground espresso roast was a favorite of mine, after discovering their coffee was actually fresh and full bodied.

This is from a post from a guy named "secret" who posted this plea on the Internet! 

 "My absolute favorite coffee in the whole wide world is Kroger Private Selection Brand Kenyan AA Whole Bean. A few weeks ago it vanished from the shelves and when I inquired I was told it had been discontinued. I called Inter American Brands Corp. with the idea that surely the beans must still be available somewhere but was told that the information was proprietary. Would anyone be able to tell me their source of those marvelous beans. I really miss my coffee! I've tried other sources of Kenyan AA but none of it could begin to compare with what Kroger supplied.
Thank You and Best  "

Apparently I am not the only one in love with this blend!

 

Totally free items from the grocery store you say?

I am a card carrying Kroger shopper.  They like to track my shopping habits and the beautiful part - they send me special coupons that I can use for items that I usually buy.  They even send a free item coupon - most of the time it is carrots!  UMMMM

Kroger has several sales and one of the best is the 10 for 10 and if they also have the buy 10 get $5.00 off - and you have coupons...  you can do the following:









 



On the right here you will see multiply items of about 3 food products.  On a good sale you will be able to do this type of stock up shopping.    




The usual stock up items:

• Ketchup
• BBQ Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Canned Pineapple
• Campbell Soup
• Progresso Soup
• Pasta of all sorts, including the Rice-a-Ronni, bagged, or boxed, and the Hamburger Helper series.
• Cheese
• Lunch Meat
• Frozen bagged vegetables
• Frozen pizza
• Canned Vegetables
• Canned Chili
• Canned Pasta 
• Boxed cereal
• Yogurt
• Butter/Margarine
• Pillsbury biscuit and cookie products
• Cake mix
• Baking supplies 

There have been other items that are great to stock up on - but the secrets to the big savings for stocking up are as follows: 

1.  NUMBER ONE RULE:  You must have a coupon for each item.

2. NUMBER TWO RULE:  The item must be on sale.

Repeat after me "NUMBER ONE RULE:  You must have a coupon for each item. NUMBER TWO RULE:  The item must be on sale."

Of course the most obvious - is usually the hardest thing to understand.  You do not buy something just because it fits in the Number 1 and 2 rules above.  I do not use Hamburger Helper - now why would I want 10 boxes at 55cents each?  Well in this example it would make a good pantry donation at Church.  But I think you get the idea.  I have been in line behind people who just buy up everything - they must have access to 100 ad inserts in the newspapers and buy up all of the items - if the store has set no limits.  Does her Church pantry really need 100 packages of Mentos?  What if I wanted a package?

 

What do you do with left over wine corks?

   

I have a lot of left over wine corks that I have collected for many years.  I have sold some on Ebay, Listia, and Ebay.  

One of my favorites was a cork artist- that bought several to use in her craft.  I will have to find her website and share it - she makes lovely jewelry with them.    Since I can not do cork jewelry - the inspiration does not come to me in that fashion - I make jewelry holders.  I have a wonderful jewelry cabinet across the room - I like to have these on the wall in the vanity area of my bath.  So much more handy!

New - just finished.

  This one is currently in use.

Perrin's Pea Salad - 5 Layers

5 Cup Pea Salad - I named it Perrins' Pea Salad after my friend Donna Perrins.  She  gave me the recipe for this over 25 years ago.  I lost touch with Donna but not her recipes!

I do not have photos of my favorite recipes - however, I am going to start doing so.  My mom and I are scrapbooking a recipe book and we will need the photos for that.

So I Googled for a photo of the famous Perrins' Pea Salad.  What I came up with was amazing.  None of the photos show the secret touch that I use to let the salad marinate over night.

Add caption

 The idea of the clear bowl is definitely well known!  The ones in the ball jars - well?  The idea is to mix it up just before serving.  Hmm? 

 So here is the thing - I do not use cheese (cheese in salad gets wet and ruins the salad for leftovers) I eat this salad all week long.  We don't add mushrooms or tomatoes - the tomatoes look pretty good though.  (I am not a raw tomato fan!)  The shredded carrots look like a great addition.

For the most part my cooking has revolved around the Mr. and his picky eating  habits.  No onions that I can identify, no green peppers, they taste like ear wax.  (See below how he knows the taste of ear wax.)  When I am mad at him I use all of the above in everything for the night....  LOL   And I forgot - no celery - it just never goes away.  ??What??  Crazy.

So the taste of ear wax - thank Harry Potter and the jelly beans they created - that was one of the flavors and - you will never forget it!  Bet that was fun in the test kitchen.

Lap Pillow: Not just coupons or cupcakes anymore!

I have removed the photo of the wonderful lap pillow that was my inspiration, you can find it with a google search for a "lap pillow".  These photos below were made quickly and do not show the finished project.  You can make your own with the basic ideas below.  The pillow is just a pair of jeans stuffed and bent!

Up-cycled Jeans Lap Bed for your Pet

You start with an old pair of jeans.  I acquired several at a junk store for $1.00 a pair!  Incredible find - the bandanna was .25 cents from another project.  Longer pant lengths make for an easier cross legging later!  Larger pants of course, for a larger pet.

You will need to gather scraps of fabric and cut into smaller pieces and just about anything works.  I used old T-shirts and socks, you will be amazed what you can find to cut up.  While taking photos of a sample pillow I decided to put a pillow in it to give it the form at the top.  That way I could stuff up through the legs and try the leg crossing with various amounts of stuffing.

This is the pillow stuffed in the waist.  You can leave the pillow at the top - or you can use the stuffing as mentioned above.





Stuff, Stuff, Stuff.  This is trial and error.  Remove stuffing - adjust or add stuffing - adjust.  You may also want to insert a piece of cardboard to make a nice flat form for the abdomen part of the jeans; or a smaller pillow!

In this example I used the pillow and covered it with the bandanna.  You simply run a blanket stitch around the perimeter, try to get the stitches into the pillow and the bandanna.   This pair also has a sewn in belt, if you use jeans with belt loops and any type of belt or even a scarf to give it color.  This one is a pair of tiny jeans with really long legs for example only. I have not stuffed the legs on this pair on the right. These jeans were purchased for another project:  Jean Purses. 



Here is the finished pant leg.  I have used stick-on Velcro as I had some left over.  You can safety pin it closed to do the final adjusting and then stitch it closed.  If you need to you can sew the "thighs" to the abdomen of the jeans to keep it up right.  I place it against a wall to keep her safe and sound.

On the right is the original one I made and am trying to coax Punkin to lay down on the desk with two bright lights on my quasi-photo booth.  She is not happy about it I gather.

Punkin likes to lay on it when she is not the subject of bright lights up high.

 

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