A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That...

Quote for the day:

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance

but disappear when you get up close to them.  ~John Shirley

Happy Halloween to one and all!  I hope it was a good one for you...and I hope you got TREATS and not TRICKS!  :)

This weekend has gone by AMAZINGLY FAST!  Wow!  Whoosh...and it was GONE!

Remember that auction I told you we were going to on Saturday in this post?

Well...we went and had a good time.  It was COOOOLLLLDDD, but we dressed warmly and survived without too much frostbite!  LOL

The auction was in a REALLY NICE area of Bridgeport...nice house, nice neighborhood...nice STUFF!  :D  And things went CHEAPLY for the most part.  Makes me wish I had a bigger house.  A BEAUTIFUL dining set with 6 chairs went for $90.  Yeah...tell me about it!  And there was NOTHING cheap about any of the things this couple had owned.  Everything wreaked of money!  You could have furnished a complete house with solid, well-made brand-name furniture for a couple hundred dollars at this auction! 

Anyway...I don't like to cook.  Basically, I'd rather be quilting...or doing just about ANYTHING else...other than cooking...except for maybe having a root canal...I'd rather cook than have a root canal...   But I digress... 

Back to me not liking to cook...when I do have to cook, I like to not only have the "right" tools for the job, but I also like to use pretty things.  It makes the chore more fun...and the food more presentable to be served in pretty things.  I have a variety of pretty platters and serving bowls that I have bought at yard sales and thrift stores over the years.  I usually pay about $1.00 for a pretty china platter and about 25-50 cents for a pretty china serving bowl.

Now...what does all of this have to do with the auction????

Well...I saw two boxes of Pfaltzgraff Yorktowne pattern baking dishes and serving dishes.  These boxes were chock full.

When they came up for auction they auctioned them off together as one "lot".  And guess who bought them???

ME!!!  :)

Yep...all 45 pieces of it!  

Now...anybody want to hazard a guess of how much I paid????????

$7.50...FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Now...just so you know...I am only keeping what I can use.  If it duplicates an item I already have (that is in a plain glass instead of pretty ironstone)  I will get rid of the plain item and keep the pretty ironstone piece.  For example, I will get rid of a plain pie plate I have and replace it with the one on the left of the picture there.  

I will be keeping probably 12 of the pieces that are pictured.  All the rest will be Ebayed.   I have already listed 3 lots and will be listing more over the next several days.  If anything doesn't sell, I will put it with the yardsale items.  I should more than make my money back!  ;)

These are the lots I have listed on Ebay right now:

Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave a comment to let me know what you have "released" into the wild today!

Loretta

Magazines on the way out...

Quote for the day:

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. 

~Author Unknown

Hi, Peeps...hope everyone is doing well as we head into the weekend.

Tomorrow there is an estate auction that Andy & I are planning on attending.  I'm taking one of those canvas folding chairs to sit in because my back hurts when I stand too long. 

The pictures for the auction shows a lot of sewing stuff (for Me) and some crocks (for Andy).  (A friend at my work calls Andy the "Great White Crock Hunter" because of his collection of crocks.  LOL)  He doesn't collect them to "keep"...instead, he likes "wheeling & dealing" in them.  He buys them "low" and sells them "medium"...his prices are MUCH more reasonable than at antique stores.  It's his hobby...like quilting is mine!  :)

Since I have completed Rebekah's quilt (the one I showed you in the last post) and I am waiting for the batting that I have ordered for my next quilt to come in, I've been doing some "fun" blocks...scrappy log cabin blocks.

When I finish with a quilt and am cleaning up my sewing room, I cut leftover fabric into strips and store them in clear plastic shoeboxes according to size.  Every so often I have to go in to those shoeboxes and make something with the scraps because the lids won't fit on the the boxes anymore!  LOL

The 1.5" strip box was pretty dang full, so I thought I'd "play" in them for a while and make some scrappy blocks.  Here are some of those completed blocks on my "design wall"... 

Do you remember "flannel-boards" from Sunday School?  Fabric adheres to flannel really well...so I taped a VERY LARGE piece of flannel to part of one wall in my sewing room.  Then when I am making a quilt I can put the blocks on it to rearrange them to see how I want to put the quilt together.  Because the blocks are fabric, they adhere to the wall very well...thus, a "design wall"!!  :)

Because I am using "scraps" from other quilts that have accumulated...I guess that you could say my making scrap blocks is a form of decluttering!  :D

But now for some "real" decluttering...

When I go to physical therapy I have about 20 minutes to read while I have  the muscle-stim and hot packs on my back.  I've been taking quilting magazines with me to go through.  These magazines were given to me by a friend who received them from a friend.  Each of those people took out of the magazines what they wanted for future reference....so there are few-to-no complete instructions/patterns in the magazines by now.  They are mostly just pictures at this point.  

So after I tear out what I want to keep from them (inspiration photos/ideas and any patterns that I may want in the future) I toss the magazines.

Here is the pile of 4 magazines that I went through and are now ready to be "released" via the trash:

Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and to let me know what you have "released" into the wild!  

Have a great weekend!

Loretta

There's Just Something About a Quilt...

Quote for the day:

Definition of a Quilter:

Somebody who takes large pieces of fabric, 

cuts them up into little pieces of fabric,

and then sews them together again to make a large piece of fabric!

When I'm not busy being a nurse (or tossing out unnecessary clutter), I quilt.  

It relaxes me.  It grounds me.  It rewards me.  It makes me feel good about myself.  It's something I'm good at (at least *I* think so anyway).

And it's cheaper than therapy!!!! 

I come from a long line of Mennonite quilters on my dad's side.  I grew up with a love of quilts because of my Aunt Priscilla who always had her entire living room taken up with a large quilt frame with a quilt in it.  Her sofa never wore out because you could never sit on it...it was always in the middle of the living room...supporting the center of whatever quilt was in the frame!

When I was 18 and working 3-11 as Nurses' Aide in the local nursing home in Archbold, OH, about once a week after work I would go over to Aunt Priscilla's and play her piano and serenade her while she quilted.  (Though she was in her 60's at the time, she worked 3-11, too, and so was up till 1 AM or so.)

I didn't learn to quilt until about 15 years later...self-taught by reading some books.  I LOVED hand quilting from the get-go!  But it took me many, many years to learn to piece the tops together...something I still consider myself a "newbie" at.

Since I didn't piece, I either embroidered the quilt tops, bought quilt tops at auctions and finished them into quilts, or had a friend make my quilt tops for me. 

Several years ago I gave away some of my first finished quilts to my niece and nephew the year their dad died.  I vowed at that time to make each of my nieces and nephews a quilt.  To date, I have fulfilled 4 of those quilts.  I have finished the 5th quilt in my niece/nephew plan, but haven't given it to the recipient, yet.  Hopefully that will take place in the next month or two.

For those of you who aren't aware of what goes into a home made quilt, I thought I'd walk you through some of the steps...

First you need some of this...

Yes...that is a picture of the closet where 90% of my fabric is stored...what doesn't fit in there is stored in picnic baskets...not to mention the cupboard that holds my flannels. 

Then you need a pattern from a book or from the gazillion patterns available on the internet...

You make a block or two to see how you like it...

This particular block has 53 little pieces in EACH BLOCK!   And in the final quilt there were 30 blocks.  53 X 30 = a helluva lot of cutting and sewing!  LOL

Then you make some more blocks...

You sew all of those blocks together and add borders to make the "quilt top".  

You then load it onto the quilt frame, along with the backing fabric and the batting (fluffy inner material that makes it WARM & CUDDLY)... 

You sew all three layers together with stitches that look like this...

till it looks like this...

Then you want to make sure you have your camera ready for when you gift the quilt to the recipient so you can see this...

And that's why we quilters love what we do!!!  :D

To have a home-made quilt is to wrapped in LOVE! 

Loretta

It's About "Time"...

Quote for the day:

Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.  

~John Archibald Wheeler

Today I was going through a "corner" of the upstairs landing/loft that I use as an office.  There has been a pile of stuff there that has accumulated over the summer...a picnic basket, some new sheer curtains for the living room, some fabric I've purchased, and a few other odds and ends.

I really should have taken a picture of the pile before I started cleaning and putting things away...but, alas, I didn't think this was going to turn into a blog post, so I didn't take a picture first. 

While going through the things I found this cute little Bulova alarm clock that I had picked up at a yardsale for $1.00 in the Spring.  It didn't have a battery in it at the time, but I bought it anyway, taking my chances that it would work. 

Today I found it in the pile of "things" and put a battery in it.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work...so I "released" it into the wild by putting it in the trash.   Too bad, too, because it was a cute little clock and had an alarm, to boot!

Oh well...it's probably something I should have passed by when I saw it, but sometimes I get drawn in by an item and it comes home with me.  I'm working on this character flaw, though.   Now I really try to evaluate things to see if they have a place in my home and in my life.  I try only to buy things that are 1) consumable, or 2) are functional/useful and needed.

The rest of the items that were hanging out in the corner of the office got put away where they belong, so now that corner is clean again!  Yay!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Please leave comment to let me know you were here and let me know what you "released" into the wild today! 

Loretta

My Last Name is FRUGAL!!!

"I love it when a plan comes together"

~Col. John Hannibal Smith (The A-Team)

Today I'm going to share something other than decluttering with you.  

Today Walgreens GAVE me $36.01 worth of product and even PAID me $12.08 for taking it out of their store!!!

How, you may ask?  

I'm one of those "power couponers"!!!  

And not only am *I* one of *those* coupon ladies...but I've taught my daughter-in-law how to do it to...and trust me...she can put me to shame on the couponing sometimes!!!  LOL

I buy the Sunday paper every week because of the coupon circulars in it.  Well...to be truthful...ANDY goes and buys the paper for me every Sunday!  He's a great guy about doing things like that for me...I think I'll keep him!  :)   I also subscribe to "All You" magazine because every month they have $80-$100 worth of coupons in it and I found a really good deal on the magazine so I think it ended up costing me about 66 cents/issue to subscribe! 

I check what's on sale and match the sales to available coupons.  Not only do *I* this, but there are many blogs out there in blogdom that are devoted to doing the match-ups.  I follow about 5-6 of these blogs and am able to find even more deals by reading those blogs.  When you have multiple people on the lookout for the coupon/sales match-ups, you are able to find more than just one person alone.

So...I thought that I'd show you how I just got home from Walgreens with $36.01 worth of products and and extra $12.08 in my pocket to boot!

This is what I purchased:

No...technically I don't need anymore cold medicine...but when it is a money-maker, I pick it up.  Then I pass it along to people who need it.  Frequently, I put this stuff in a basket for Erin & Trinity to go through and let them take home with them what they need when they are here visiting.  However, since Trinity has started couponing, she probably won't need much so what Erin doesn't take, I'll pass along to other friends or donate to a charity.   I also always pick up pediatric medication when it is free or a money-maker and pass it along to Erin for Sera, our granddaughter.


This medication is very expensive when you have to run out and get it on short notice.  But by stocking up when it is free or a money-maker, you are ready for when you or your family gets sick!  :)

Here is a picture of my receipt.  You can see that after all my coupons and Register Rewards (from previous shopping trips) I paid $10.41 cash out of my own pocket.

"But WAIT ONE MINUTE, Loretta...you said it was free and they PAID YOU to take it!"  

Yes, my dear...they did.   Because after I paid them $10.41, the machine beside the register spit out 2 Register Rewards...one for $6 and one for $3.50.  These can be used like cash towards my next purchase at Walgreens.  

Then that same generous machine also spit out 2 rebate forms...one for $6.99 and one for $6.  I need to send those in...and when I do I will get checks back from the manufacturer for those
amounts.

$10.41

-3.50

-6.00

-6.99

-6.00

(12.08)

For those of you who might be interested in learning more about how to power coupon and get the majority of your toiletries, etc., for free or nearly free...or even make money doing it...I recommend that you start by going to this site and reading/watching her tutorials:  

http://www.couponmom.com/tutorials-416


If you are interested and want to go further, here are links to the couponing blogs that I follow and find a great help:
http://bargainbriana.com/
www.couponcravings.com
www.dealseekingmom.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
http://www.pennypinchinmom.com/
http://www.thethriftymama.com/
http://www.wickedcooldeals.com/


Now, a follow-up on this post.  My ebay auctions ended today on the book and the bra...both items sold...one for $9.99 + shipping and the other for $9.49 + shipping.  That is an additional $19.48 into my pocket and 2 items will be physically leaving my house as soon as I receive payment.

Turning unwanted items into cash...now that's my style!  :)

Please leave a comment to let me know you stopped by and tell me what you "released" into the wild!

Loretta

Another Day...Another Appointment...

Quote for the day:

I can see clearly now, the brain is gone... 

~unknown

Even though I am currently off of work because of my back, with all of my appointments for physical therapy, massage therapy, doctor's appointments, etc., I am busier than a one-armed paper-hanger.  (No offense to all those one-armed paper-hangers out there...LOL)

Yesterday after my physical therapy appointment I thought I'd take a stroll through The GW (Goodwill, for those of you who aren't familiar with thrift-store shopping). 

One thing that I always pick up when I see it on a yardsale or in a thriftstore (assuming it has a nice low price on it) is anything having to do with organization.  If you recall in this post I mentioned buying a wooden Lennox China drawer organizer for 50 cents at a yardsale.  

So yesterday when I was at The GW I picked up a wire shelf like this one, only black and a little bigger than this one:

This white shelf had been in the cupboard where I keep our medicines, but it was not really deep enough or wide enough and I always had trouble with the box of medicines sitting on top of it correctly.

The black one I bought is deeper and wider so fit the area much better.  

While removing the white one and "installing" the black one, I found this item pushed towards the back.  Suffice it to say the expiration date was 8/03....so out it went!

Here is a picture of the medicine storage area with the new black shelf now doing a superb job holding everything steady and doubling the effective storage area of that part of the shelf.  

Yes...it's part of being a nurse that makes me want to make sure that any and every illness is properly prepared for!  LOL

The white wire shelf has found a new home in the pantry...it makes can storage so much easier to have these shelves...you don't have to do so much rearranging of the cans when you want to find one.  :)

I encourage you to keep your eyes open when you are out and about at yardsales or thrift stores for items that can help you with organizing your living space.  I am always on the lookout for baskets, preferably ones that are square instead of round...you get less wasted space with the square than with the round...as baskets are an excellent way to store/corral  things on a shelf or in a closet, etc.  They can also be found quite cheaply when you are out thrifting.  I also use shoeboxes, both cardboard and clear plastic, to keep things organized.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and let me know what you "released" into the wild today.

Loretta

Back for More...

Q

Quote for the day:

The drops of rain make a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling. 

~Lucretius

Hello to everyone...hope you all had a great weekend!

My back is feeling better...as long as I don't MOVE!  LOL  I hate not being able to do anything...and I'm getting very bored.  However, all this boredom is very TIRING!  I'm exhausted by the end of the day and am quite frustrated when I look back and can't think of anything I've accomplished!  

Last week was spent going to multiple doctor's appointments and tests...and today I started physical therapy.  I'm hoping I'm on the mend and will be back to "normal" soon...whatever that is!

Now on to the decluttering...I'm going to do what I can...

I boxed up the rifle scopes to get in the mail today.... 

However, by the time I was finished with physical therapy, it was 4:02 and our post offices close at 4 PM.  Just missed the deadline, so I will get it in the mail tomorrow. 

Today I am "releasing" these two items via Ebay...a Victoria Secret bra and a book.  

Ebay is currently running a special by offering free insertion fees from Sept. 29 till Jan. 7.  This means that you only pay for extra pictures and when your item sells.  There is no fee to list the item like there normally is.

So as soon as I finish posting this blog post, I am going to head over to Ebay and list these two items.  I've sold on Ebay before and it is time-consuming to write out good descriptions, etc., but time is something I've got a lot of right now!  LOL  Might as well make some good use of it!  Right?

By the way, I follow several blogs and this one came to my "inbox" this morning...I thought it was very good and so I am sharing it with all of you!  

http://notmadeofmoney.com/blog/2010/10/tips-for-learning-to-let-go-of-stuff.html

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and to let me know what you "released" into the wild today!

Loretta