My Name is Tracy, but you can call me Martha: Burlap Topiaries

I got a great crafting project idea from The Goodey Knot: Burlap Topiaries.

The Goodey Knot

I saw this awesome photo and thought "I could totally do that!" Well, yes, I could totally do that and I have plenty of burlap but had I known just how long it was going to take me... and how much of a MESS it would make I'm not sure I would have attempted.

At the end of the day I love how they turned out but man, I didn't think I was ever going to get them finished! It took sooooo long to cut all the burlap circles and each topiary took soooo many circles.

Here were the steps (using some of The Goodey Knot's photos because I forgot to take my own- sorry!):

Spray paint some wooden dowels

Stick foam balls into the dowels

Then cover the Styrofoam balls with strips of burlap.

Cut out a boat load of burlap circles using a can or cup as a template.

Fold each burlap circle into a flower shape and sew it together at the bottom. (I made one topiary by rolling the circles rather than folding- the one on the left- just to see how that would look. It ended up taking way more circles than the others and was thus way heavier so I'm not sure I would recommended it unless you really preferred the look.)

I clipped the point at the bottom of the circles off to give myself a wider surface to hot glue onto the burlap balls.

Hot glue each flower onto the ball until it's covered.

Sit back and admire your work!

Linking Up @ Today's Creative Blog & The Thrifty Home & Savvy Southern Style

Wife Points Wednesday: I've Got Your Back!

Today's WPW post isn't exciting or fun & there aren't any photos- sorry kids. It is however, really really awesome for my husband... and his back.

See, we are moving onto Phase 2 of our new deck project which is building a small landing above the old broken down concrete slab that connects our deck and the breezeway. Last weekend the Hubs put in the two cement footers needed for the foundation of the landing- and digging the two post holes just about killed him!

The Hubs has an old back injury from high school days that I can't imagine is fun to live with. He still, somehow, manages to do everything... if not more... than a husband without a back injury would do around the house. What else can I say? He's AMAZING!

Well, Phase 3 of the deck will require at least 9 post holes for the extension we plan to add on. I know my husband is dreading it and I just can't bring myself to let him dig them himself again. So, I rearranged the project budget a bit and am calling in a professional contractor friend to dig the holes. I know my husband can do it but why should he break his back just to save a couple bucks? (Or maybe a little more than a couple.)

I am focused on frugal living and pride myself on how much money we do manage to save but when it comes to our health and safety- it's non negotiable! Sometimes you have to step back and put decisions into perspective when making choices like these.

Hubs- I got your back!

Dinner Tonight: Chile Rellenos Casserole

The Hubs loves chile rellenos. He orders it each & every time we eat at a Mexican restaurant. I tried to impress him by making this dish once when we were dating. It was pretty much a disaster... everything that could go wrong did, including a small kitchen fire.

I've felt for years that I should try it again but was really, really afraid so I was very excited when I found this recipe by Kami from Nobiggie.net at I Never Grow Up. Super easy- 6 ingredients, one bowl, one baking dish & a can opener. Done. And look how beautiful it turned out:

It was a husband pleaser and I could actually eat it to! I'm getting better at this cooking dinner business!

All You Magazine Deal!

A couple weeks ago my cousin emailed me asking where she can get additional coupons, besides newspaper inserts. One of my favorite resources for high value coupons is All You magazine. It is a monthly magazine that contains up to (and sometimes over) $100 in coupons! It is sold only at Walmart and through subscriptions so I alwaysan  recommend that new couponers get a subscription ASAP. Plus, All You often has higher value coupons or coupons for products that don't usually run in the newspaper.

Luckily for all of us (especially me because my subscription was up for renewal) there is a great deal on All You magazine going on right now through Ebates.

I've posted about Ebates before (here) and I think it's an awesome way to get cash back for purchases you were already planning to make or to help justify a purchase with additional savings.

Well, right now Ebates is offering 40% cash back for purchases through Magazines.com! A one year subscriptions for All You is currently $19.97 (12 issues), of which you will receive $7.99 back from Ebates. A two year subscriptions is $34, of which you will receive $13.60 back. That's just $.99 an issue for one year and $.85 an issue for two years. Use one coupon per month and you've got your savings back!

12 issues for $11.98

24 issues for $20.40

So, to take advantage of this awesome deal first click here (or the Ebates logo above) to open an Ebates account. When I opened my account a couple months ago I received a $10 Target gift card with my first purchase, which I did receive in the mail this week! Hopefully this deal is still going on for you!

Next, search for Magazines.com and click through to their site from Ebates. VERY IMPORTANT- you will not get cash back from any purchase unless you first log into your Ebates account and access the company website through Ebates. It takes a little time before you'll start remembering to do this before everyone online purchase but it will totally pay off in the long run!

Then, place your order and watch and wait for that first awesome issue containing tons of money saving tips and COUPONS!!!

If you take advantage of today's offer, like I did, come back and leave me a comment! Happy Couponing!

Modern Translation: The Awesome Wife’s Guide (Rule #9)

(This is the 10th post of this series. To read the entire series, click on the label to the left that reads "Modern Translation Series.")

* Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.


I feel like Carrie Bradshaw right now. I always found it ironic that Carrie started each article she wrote with a question and then by chance her life that week played out into the perfect talking points to answer said question. I don't think you could have scripted a more perfect scene to give me something to write about today than what happened to me this morning. (Er, happened by me rather.)


My parents have a third vehicle, a pick-up truck, that we are using while working on the new deck. It's been parked at our house for a couple weeks now, over to the side of our driveway. At some point over the weekend the truck got moved to the back of our driveway and in the direct line of fire for my Jeep pulling out of the garage. 


Act One: 


Long gravel driveway that winds uphill towards a large double-bay garage. It's sunny & slightly humid for 8:15 am. A woman with a serious case of the Monday's begrudgingly walks out of the house and into the garage. The garage door opens - SCENE:


("Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey blares on the radio and out the open sunroof of a Jeep.)


Woman: "JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL..." (beats hands on steering wheel like a drum kit)


She thinks to herself... (internal monologue) "Awesome Monday morning song! Maybe today won't suck after all... maybe today will ROCK!"


Woman: "LIVING IN A LO..." (Loud THUD sound with a slight metal undertone.)


Woman flinches because her headache has, instantly, once again risen from the pain scale # 4 she has been dealing with since Friday afternoon back up to an 8. 


She realizes what has just happened and says, out loud, "Daddys gonna kill Ralphie!"


End Scene


I don't know that I can great my husband with a warm smile today. Today does not rock. Today sucks.


I called him to report the accident. His response was calm; he is almost always calm. I received a short but potent lecture along the lines of "and this is why we always look behind us" that made me feel like a 16 year old again. (Which, under any other circumstance, I might embrace.) It was the perfect jump start to a downwardly spiraling morale. 


A good 15 minutes were then spent metaphorically "beating" myself up. It's what we good perfectionists that are too hard on ourselves do. Then I sat down to write up today's Modern Translations post and seriously, could today's topic be any worse given how much I've just disappointed myself and my husband? How can I write about pleasing him when I've just majorly displeased him?


As if he read my mind, I then received the following text message from the Hubs: "Sorry for the reaction. It's okay, I'm not disappointed. Crap happens. We will fix it and move on."


Unfortunately and thankfully, I find it much harder to please myself than my husband. 


About a year ago my husband came home from a night out with the guys much earlier than I was expecting. He had gotten a speed ticketing. For about 1/3 of a second I thought about giving him a lecture, until I saw his face. A lecture was not needed, he had already given himself one. I didn't say one negative word about that ticket and still haven't. He punished himself enough, I could tell. 


I know exactly why my husband is so hard on himself but I have no clue why I set such high expectations for myself. We are very fortunate to have each other because I think we would both be big hot messes of stress, frustration and unhappiness if we didn't. 


One of my jobs as his wife (and likewise for him) is to not only work to make him pleased with me, but pleased with himself as well. When he cuts a board too short, scratches a freshly painted wall moving furniture, rips a hole in his pants or overcooks the pork loin, my job is to tell him it's okay and for the first time in my life, it honestly is okay with me. In any other relationship I've had in my life these things wouldn't have been okay. I've b*t#hed out ex-boyfriends for far less in the past. I don't know if that is a sign of maturity or love, but I am so glad to be in this place now.  


I think the world of my husband and I wish he could see himself through my eyes. I recognized early on this role that we fill for each other- the cheerleading squad, biggest fan role, so I made it a goal of mine to tell him each and everyday just how awesome he is... at least until the day he believes me, and maybe a little longer. I think I am starting to see myself as he does and it's a much prettier sight than what I see with my own eyes. 


I am so grateful to have a husband who supports & loves me, and who makes me calm down, take a breath and trust him that the mistakes I make are okay and not worth beating myself up over.


Dear 1950's Housewife, 





I respect my husband, I believe in him and I trust him, perhaps that is why I find your rules easy to digest. It is because he shows me in so many ways that he respects and believes in me that I find them easy to live by. I take my role as his biggest fan very seriously too. 


In my wedding vows to my husband I said "I believe in you and I believe in us." My husband is helping me to believe in myself too, which I desperately, desperately needed. I think you were a big believer in the philosophy "you get what you give," which is why you worked so hard on being what your husband needed. It's unfortunate that some relationships aren't equal and some wives or husbands give without getting back. We are very, very lucky ladies to have husbands that fulfill our lives! 


Have a pleasant day, 


The 2010's Housewife

Adventures in Baking

I did a little experiment the other night while baking chocolate chip cookies for a dinner party. I recently bought a Pampered Chef large stoneware bar pan. I planned to use it for savory baking/cooking but the hostess of the party said that it makes the best cookies so I wanted to give that a try.

I have always used Airbake cookie sheets and love how easy they are and how great cookies bake on them. So, I baked half the batch on my usual Airbake sheet and half on my Pampered Chef stone.

 

It was a tough call and my husband and I really didn't want to participate but since no one else was around I guess we had to be the judges.

There really isn't a right answer to this test but we did both prefer the stone-baked cookies. The Airbake sheet made a softer, chewier cookie. The stone-baked cookie was crispy on the bottom and chewy in the center, just how we like it.

There was enough dough for about 6 more cookies so I decided to bake those in a muffin pan.

I was thinking that the muffin pan would make them all impressively perfect round cookies, which it did but it also made them small and fatter- like a one bite cookie. They weren't really big enough for me but I have a recipe for peanut butter & jelly cookies that I think would look great baked in this pan.

I may have to give this test a re-do soon just to be sure the results were accurate! ;)

Budget French Manicure

I love being pampered at the spa just as much as the next girl, but I am not a fan of salon french manicures! I've had a french manicure air brushed on... and it was so thick it peeled off in one piece. I've had traditional french manicures at probably 15 different salons in my life and they are always so awful! Crooked lines... sloppy... looks like they were hand painted. Uh, probably because they are and I just can't see how someone can possibly have a steady enough hand to paint on a straight french manicure line!

Years ago I decided to take the matter into my own hands and find a way to do an awesome french manicure at home. Here are the tools:

• nail polish remover
• white polish 
• clear coat
• eye tips cotton swabs (flat on one end and pointy on the other)

If you need to do a little cuticle work, I recommend Sally Hansen Massaging Cuticle Treatment and whatever you call that other little tool there- a cuticle trimmer, maybe?

I usually use the 99 cent Wet N Wild white polish from the drug store. The key to a good french manicure is fresh polish. It has to be good and runny, not clumpy or thick at all (like old polish gets). I buy the cheap stuff so even if I only get one manicure out of the bottle it's still significant savings over a salon polish.

Here are the steps:

1. Remove any polish or oils from your nails w/ polish remover.
2. With the white polish paint from the top of your nail down to past the natural curved line of your nail. (Don't worry about making it look pretty at this point.
3. Let this layer dry thoroughly! I cannot stress this enough!
4. Put a second coat over the first, once again down past the natural line of your nail tip.
5. Let this layer dry thoroughly! I mean it! If you don't let all the layers dry well your nails will chip or dent or smear before the top coat finally does dry. 
6. Take the flat end of your q-tip and dip it in the polish remover. Rub the cotton swab across your nail, allowing it to follow the natural curve of your nail. Start at the bottom of the white polish and work your way up, slowly erasing away what you don't want in a smooth line. Stop when it looks good to you. 
7. Use the pointy end of the cotton swab for any touch-ups and to get any polish off the skin beside your nails. (I'm a messy polisher.)
8. Apply a clear coat if you prefer the look I do, or a light pink polish if you want a softer look.

The nail on the right isn't finished, fyi.

Tips:

Use 10 cotton swabs, one for each nail. Once too much polish gunk gets on the swab it won't erase in a solid, smooth line.

You can stop the line of the french manicure lower than your actual nail tip. This will make your nails look longer. If you break one nail before your manicure, use this trick to try to make it look the same length as your other nails.

Once again, and I'm serious this time, let each layer dry COMPLETELY before the next. Sometimes I will even wait a half hour between coats just to be sure. You can watch TV, read a book, or read The 2010's Housewife blog while waiting. :)

If you give it a try, shoot me an email at 2010housewife@gmail.com to let me know how you did!

Since I've already received a new emails asking where to buy these cotton swabs I thought I'd do a little online shopping for you. You can buy a pack of 80 on Amazon.com right now for $5.69 shipped! Fran Wilson Eye Tees Cotton Tips 80's

Fran Wilson Eye Tees Cotton Tips

Linking Up @ Today's Creative Blog & The Thrifty Home & Savvy Southern Style

My Birthday Gift to You!

June is Birthday Month so I've got a special birthday gift for all my readers... Did you know that The 2010's Housewife can save you money??

Yep, I sure can! Look over to your right and scroll down... a little bit further... there, do you see it? Printable coupons right there on the sidebar!

You can access Coupons.com's latest printable coupons right from this side! Just click the Coupons.com box and it will take you over to their site where you can print hundreds of dollars in money saving coupons! No need to thank me, it's the least I can do! :)

You should also notice over there a special promotional offer from Barnes & Noble: 10% off one item online!

And just above that is a promotional offer for Shoes.com giving you 10% off the entire site! If you don't tell your husband I won't either! ;)

Last, but by no means least, is a promotional offer from SpaFinder.com over on the left sidebar: Buy one gift certificate and receive 15% off a second!

I don't know about you, but the summer is a big gift buying time for me: birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduation. June is a very expensive month for us! If it is for you too please take advantage of these money saving offers right here on The 2010's Housewife blog!

Birthday Card Round-Up

To feed my Pinterest addiction, I've put together another Birthday Idea Round-Up for you. Here are some cute birthday cards that anyone could recreate:

Shine.yahoo.com

Candy & money- just what very kid wants! You could potentially create this for any age kid... you know, even like 28 (and my mailing address is.... j/k)!

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Funny, Funny! Honestly though... I'd probably forget my own birthday if it wasn't for Facebook!

Cargo Collective

It would be so easy to make a card similar to this, and with very few materials. I personally would much rather decide when to celebrate with confetti than receive a surprise confetti explosion from inside a card.  My vacuum would thank you for this card!

Steve Roggenbuck - Etsy Shop

I could totally see my husband giving this card. Hell, I could see myself giving this card. There are so many stupid cards on the market these days! 

Martha Stewart

Oh Martha, you've done it again! I could totally make this card! If you know me personally, you should be surprised if you don't get this cute card on your next birthday! 

Awesome Cricut Deal!

Amazon has an AWESOME Cricut deal going on today!!

Cricut Personal Electric Cutting Machine

Today you can get my go-to crafting tool, the Cricut Personal Electric Cutting Machine, for just $95.89 SHIPPED!

I love this little machine. I've used it for so many crafting projects- cupcake wrappers & toppers, gift tags, scrap booking, wedding projects, glass etching and labeling/organization projects. The possibilities with this machine are seriously endless!

Click the link above to order one for yourself and then stop by and show me what awesome crafts you create with it! 

Cricut 29-0001 Personal Electronic Cutting Machine

If you already own the Personal machine and are ready to upgrade the Cricut Expression is also on sale for $100 off! Just $199.99 SHIPPED!

Cricut Expression Electronic Cutting Machine

Good Deed Day: A Simple "Green" Birthday Gift

In honor of Birthday Month, I put together a special Good Deed Day for a coworkers birthday that was simple and very inexpensive.

A coworker of mine had a birthday last week. She only works with us one day a week and I'm pretty sure she wasn't expecting anyone to give her a gift but I wanted to do something to show her how much I appreciate her help around the office. I happen to know that she is a little bit of a chocolate snob- she likes really good, rich, high cocoa content chocolate. So, when I saw a bunch of chocolate on clearance at Target last week I immediately thought of her. For about $3.50 I bought 3 bars of chocolate (retail value around $8).

This person lives probably the greenest lifestyle of anyone I've ever met and I know she hates wrapping paper. Or rather, she reuses everything and never wraps a gift in something that wasn't recycled so I knew I had to find a creative wrapping idea that she could get some use out of.

I dug around in my fabric scrap bin and pulled out a piece just large enough to wrap the chocolate bars.

I tied two opposite corners together.

Then tied the other two together on top & attached a paper tag.

If you ever find small paper tags like these I really suggest buying a pack. I get so much use out of them, especially for last minute gifts like this for which I don't have an actual birthday card. I'm not so much a fan of paying $3-$5 for a piece of paper that is likely going to get thrown away. I have a new rule: I'm only going to buy cards for those people/events for which I would write a special personal message inside. No more wasting paper & money for "Happy Birthday! Love, Tracy." That can fit on a gift tag!

Anyone else want to join me in my Courtesy Card Boycott?

Household Tip: Cleaning the Oven Window

The self-cleaning oven may be the greatest invention of the 20th century. Well, top 100 at least. I have never cleaned an oven with elbow grease. We are a spoiled generation! Now if only I could remember to not start the self-cleaning in the middle of winter when it's too cold to open the windows!

For some reason, my oven window seems to have gotten awfully filthy since the last cleaning. Either the self-cleaning doesn't work on the window or perhaps I spilled an entire pot of grease on it without noticing. Who knows, but here is it:

I must really consider you all friends since I keep showing you my most embarrassing household messes!

I've become addicted to the blog Ask Anna Moseley. I really want to know how this one woman has managed to find solutions to each & every possible mess one can make! She is like the Jedi Knight of Cleaning. (Did I really just tell a Star Wars joke?) Anywho, she did a post one day on cleaning your oven window so I had to give it a shot.

It was really simple- just baking soda & water.

The first time I tried it I think my paste as a little runny and I wasn't completely satisfied with the results so I gave it a second attempt with a much thicker paste. I waited 20 minutes each time before wiping it off because Anna said you could in extreme situations. I considered my oven glass an extreme situation.

To be honest, the glass didn't get as clean as I was hoping but to Anna's credit mine was much dirtier than hers. I guess I can't expect a miracle if I'm not willing to scrub a little.

 

It's still a lot better than it was, so I'm happy. Perhaps one day I'll break out the gloves and Brillo pad. I'm not sure I would hold your breath though!

Does anyone else out there have another suggestion for getting those last few pesky bits of stuck on grease? If so, please leave a comment below or email me at 2010housewife@gmail.com

Oatmeal Coconut Walnut Cake

My family has found a new go-to cake!

I couple months ago I found this recipe from The Mother Huddle. My dad's three favorite things are oatmeal cookies, coconut (fresh or in a cream pie) and walnuts (eaten raw or baked into anything). So what could be more perfect for Father's Day dinner than an Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Coconut-Walnut Frosting?!?

I gotta tell you- I enjoyed every step of baking this cake. It was easy to make- the only ingredient I didn't have on hand was evaporated milk. It smelled FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC while baking! And everyone LOVED it! I knew my dad would, but I had no idea how much everyone else in the house would enjoy it. I think my husband had three pieces that night!

There have been several requests to bake this again. I think I'll need to add a few cans of evaporated milk to the stockpile list so I am ready to go whenever we get a craving for this incredible cake!

Here is the basic recipe but please do stop by The Mother Huddle to check out her baking tips!


Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup oatmeal (old fashioned or quick)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/3 cup flour

Pour boiling water over oatmeal and add the butter. Let stand until butter is melted.

Add all other ingredients. Mix together well. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Coconut Walnut Frosting

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk or cream

1-2 cups shredded coconut (I only used one cup but my mom uses two)

1 cup chopped walnuts (may substitute pecans if desired)

1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in quart size pan and add sugar, evaporated milk (or cream.) Bring to a boil and cook until thickens, about 4 minutes on my stove. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, nuts, and vanilla. Pour over cake and broil in oven until toasty looking. 

I Went Shopping: CVS 6/19

Here are some deals I picked up this week at CVS (good through 6/25):


Transaction #1


2 Colgate toothpastes @ $2.79 each
LA Looks hair gel @ 2.99
2 packages of Expo dry erase markers (clearance) @ $1.24 each


Total: $11.05


-2 x $1/1 Colgate manufacturer coupons
-$1/1 LA Looks manufacturer coupon
-2 x $2/2 (decreased to $1.24) Expo marker coupons (online printable, no longer available)
-$5.99 ECB (from last week)


FINAL: -$.24 (I added a 2 liter of Coke for $.79 on to eat up the total and paid around $.40 out of pocket)


Received: $4 ECB (Colgate) & $2 ECB (LA Looks)




Transaction #2


PowerBar Protein Bites $2.49
Hershey's Bliss bag of chocolate $5.99


Total: $8.48


- $1/1 Hershey's Bliss manufacturer coupon
- $4 ECB (from Transaction #1)
- $2 ECB (from Transaction #1)


FINAL:  $1.48 OOP


Received: $5.99 ECB (Hershey) and $2.49 ECB (PowerBar)


Transaction #3


5 12-packs of Coke Zero $13 (sale price- I was running desperately low on my Coke Zero!)


- $1/3 manufacturer coupon
- $5 Beauty Rewards EBC (Earned for spending $50 on qualifying beauty products. Printed out at coupon printer- I had no idea this was coming! What a wonderful surprise!)


Paid: $7 + tax OOP


I could have totally used the ECB from Transaction #2 on my Coke Zero, but I wanted to save those for next week. Besides, the soda comes out of our grocery budget and it was an awesome deal at $1.40 per 12 pack!


Did you get any good deals at CVS this week?

A Clean Under Sink

Underneath the kitchen sink was probably the only space I had yet to clean & organize after moving into my husband's home. It had become sort of scary to me. I knew there was all sorts of stuff shoved into the back of the under sink and I assumed perhaps a few creepy crawlers too. I figured if I wasn't going to tackle it over Housewife Week I probably never would. So, I ventured into the unknown....

It wasn't as bad as I was expecting and didn't come across one spider. I did however find a few surprises that I'm guessing came with the house:

Was I even alive when Dove bottles looked like this?

Two bottles of carpet shampoo for carpet cleaning machines. We don't own a carpet cleaner. Hum....

Drum roll for the after photo....

I have a nice big container for all my dishwasher soap tablets on the right and a place to hang my rubber gloves. I also now have all my cleaning products in the bin to the left so they are easy to grab & easy to put away. I have no excuse now for leaving my Lysol bottle sitting on the kitchen counter!

Since I already had the wire shelf the only purchase I made for this project were the two door bins. I bought those at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $14.99 each. Minus 20% (coupon!) plus tax and the total for both was around $25. I'm sure there were cheaper options available but I was at BB&B anyway and I thought these looked like good, sturdy baskets that would last a long time and were large enough to hold just about anything.

Do you have a scary space in your house that you avoiding cleaning & organizing?

It's a Major Award! I won it!

Props to anyone who got The Christmas Story reference! I did win a major award, thanks to Esther over at Not Quite Perfect, but I don't think it's a bowling alley. Actually, it was 3 major awards in 1. (Esther must be a coupon shopper too!)

Esther emailed me today to say that she nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award and I'm so touched! I'm going to try to avoid rambling for 15 minutes about how I can't believe how much support I've received over the last few months since starting my life blog, and how I love you all and I promise to name one child after each and every one of you....

Okay, seriously though... I really do appreciate all your support and a great big THANK YOU shout out to Esther, who thinks I'm funny :)

(See what happens when you tell me I'm funny!)

So, to fulfill my obligation for accepting this award I need to do the following:

Thank Esther- THANKS ESTHER!!!!

Write 7 facts about myself....

1

I was voted Most School Spirited in high school.

2

I have paid every credit card I've ever own in full every month. (I'm especially proud of this one!)

3

I have 3 Facebook accounts. One for myself, one for my work self and one for my blog self. 

4

I carried a hankie that belonged to my great grandmother at my wedding... as did both of my bridesmaids and another good friend too. I also carried the silver dollar that my mom carried at her wedding (which belonged to my great-great grandparents, one of their only lasting belongings) and a silver dollar that my mother-in-law wore in her shoe. I carried both coins in the small white leather pouch that my parent's wedding bands came in. 

5

I collect flattened pennies- the kind that you get stamped from machines at tourist attractions.

6

When I was a child my parents called me "Little Missy I Can Do It All By Myself."

7

I got out in the second round of the 3rd grade spelling bee with the word "treasure." (And yes, I spell checked that just now.)

And I must also nominate 15 other blogs for this award. (See list below)

The second major award she gifted me was the Sunshine Blog Award. It appears as if I only have to regifted this award to 7 blogs, but I'll go ahead and thank Esther again! 

The third award is the Liebster Blog Award. The Liebster Award is given to blogs with 300 or less followers in attempt to increase exposure and blog traffic. What a nice idea and awesome community! 

So, without further ado, here are the blogs that I am regifting these Awards to! (Hey, this is a frugal living blog- regifting is totally PC here!)

One Lovely Blog Award Winners:

Little Sprinkles of Fun

Big Bears Wife

Debbie Doos

A Fish Who Likes Flowers

This Chick Cooks

La Dee Da Creations

Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM

The Enchanted Oven

Polish the Stars

Clean and Scentsible

Fresh Plate

Chef in Training

Life in the Thrifty Lane

PuppyFly Boutique

c.w.frosting

Sunshine Award Winners:

A Glimpse Inside

Allie Makes

Mom's Crazy Cooking

B.Cheniful

Oopsey Daisy

Where Beauty Meets Function

The Magic of Ordinary Things

Liebster Blog Award Winners: 

551 East Design

Small Good Hearth

My Life in Pencil

Confessions of a Couple Crafty Ladies

Hanging with the Hubers

Be sure to check out all these awesome blogs!