$2.29

Up, down, up, down. Wish gas prices would go down again.

Photo 72/365

Went to a crop at a friend's. Her cat decided my tote would be a good perch, lol.

Photo 71/365 Coupons

We've been trying to exercise more, well, at least go on a few more walks in the evening. One by product is I pick up the free newspapers left on driveways. I always wait at least two days before picking them up. You can see that not all the inserts are the same. That's because some of the papers were from the previous week. Most of it goes into the recycle bin, but the coupons get clipped and shared with my many friends.

Sometimes it's the simple cards

I made this card using leftovers, stuff I was going to toss (but couldn't since I'm a packrat). And amazingly, it has gotten more comments in my online gallery than anything I've posted recently. Isn't it funny how something you think is junk turns into something useful?

And I do like the card. I'm trying to make more kid-appropriate or fun-themed birthday cards to donate to cards for heros and I think this card works for that.

Turn on the air conditioning!

The weekend started in the 70s and by yesterday, it was in the 90s! We don't have air conditioning (we don't need it says Mr. Fix-it), but if I had a spare 10K, I'd be putting it in. Of course, the hi temps meant I was freezing in the office and wore a sweater all day.

$2.29

A little more than the last fill-up, sigh.

If you can't find me at my desk...

it's because I'm in a meeting. So far I'm booked at 9:00, 11:00, 1:30, 2:00, and 4:00. There's also meetings at 10:00 and 3:00, but I'm skipping those since I know someone else in the department will be attending them. Then I get to play catch up on Thursday, sigh.

Card*Ability Challenge 7

This is a great sketch, so versatile!
Here's my take:


Supplies: Basic Grey patterned paper, Karen Foster rubon, Heidi Swapp hearts, miscellanous ribbon and cardstock, Martha Stewart punch.

Cards are due at the end of the month, April 30th, so you have plenty of time to create and post. You could win a $5 GC! Post your card at the Linnecards gallery or on your own site/blog. Be sure to post a comment on the blog so we know you've participating.

Photo 70/365 Bunny Bread

Someone on LM posted how to make bunny bread out of frozen bread dough and I tried it for Easter. It was a hit! It took a little longer to put together than I thought, the eyes kept rolling off (I made them out of the dough since we didn't have any raisins), and he was slightly overbaked since my oven wouldn't keep an even temp, but even with all that, he was a hit. I didn't hollow out his tummy as instructed or place him on a bed of lettuce, but I did bring spinach dip in separate container and we cut up the bunny to go with the bread. It was a bit morbid to hear people ask, "Do you want an ear? a leg? a cheek?" But the kids got a kick out of it.

Ingredients
2 loaves (1 # each) frozen bread dough, thawed
2 raisins
2 sliced almonds
1 egg, lightly beaten
Lettuce Leaves
Dip of your choice (usually some type of spinach dip)

Directions
Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form head. For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7 inch x 6 inch oval; place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4 inch deep, on each side of head for whiskers.

Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two protions into 16 inch ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape each into a 3 1/2 inch oval for back paws. Cut two 1 inch slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body.

Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two pieces into 2 1/2 inch balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1 inch balls for cheeks and one 1/2 inch ball for nose. Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1 inch slits for toes. Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.

Brush dough with egg. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Place bread on a lettuce-lined 16 inch x 13 inch serving tray. Cut a 5 inch x 4 inch oval in center of body. Hollow out bread, leaving a 1/2 inch shell (discard removed bread or save for another use or eat). Line with lettuce and fill with dip.

Photos 68-69/365 Easter

Yummy food and pretty shoes for the girls. A great day with family.

Photo 67/365

Do you think the family likes seatbelt bags?

Photo 66/365 Frequent Flyer

A frequent flyer from the garden.

Photo 65/365

We had another unsuccessful garage sale. Well, successful in the sense that we made a little bit of money and got rid of stuff. Unsuccessful in that we didn't sell everything and made lots of money.

Frugality gone too far

The other day, I was in the produce section pricing cherry tomatoes. I like the little ones that you can just pop in your mouth as a snack, so cute! so yummy! I know that tomatoes aren't in season, but still, I was in the mood for tomatoes. I wanted some for my salad. I wanted some to snack on. I wanted something bright and cheery and fresh for my dinner. But they were $3.99. For a few ounces. I don't pay that much for a steak; how could I pay that much for tomatoes? In a few months, hopefully, I'll have more tomatoes than I know what to do with. $3.99? Outrageous! So I passed on the tomatoes and I wish I didn't. Really, I can afford $3.99 right? So why couldn't I spend the money? Because they weren't on sale? Because I didn't have a coupon? Because I know I'll be getting them for "free" in a couple months? If I can't buy food that I want, when I want, that I can afford, maybe I have a problem. At least that's what Mr. Fix-it thinks.

Photo 64/365

My new shoes!

$2.27

Ouch! But better than $2.35 at the station across the street.

Couponing

I need to rethink my couponing strategy. I usually cut out all the coupons, then sort them among the many people I share them with, then finally, I file mine. I'm finding that takes too long; it can take more than a week to do all that (I usually cut/sort in the car when we're going somewhere or when I'm watching TV). I'm finding that I've given away coupons that I could have used (oops, no free granola bars for me) or I end up with multiples when I only need one or two.

One "problem" is my FIL gives me his coupons, but he doesn't get them to me for a week or two or three, after I've cut and sorted my own set. By then, some are close to their expiration date. Do I still clip and send? I hate seeing coupons go to waste. But on the other hand, my time is valuable too. And Mr. Fix-it is really tired of seeing coupons all over the house.

I'm wondering if keeping coupons in their flyers is a better way to go. A lot of coupon hounds recommend that. But then, do I take the whole stack to the store when I shop? A lot of times, I'll find something on sale or clearance and there's no way I could find a coupon in a stack. My coupon box is so much more organized.

I can't stop couponing because it saves us so much money (even though I'm not as good as a lot of you). But really, this is driving me crazy, even stressing me out. Isn't that stupid? All over a few cents and some scraps of paper.

Card*Ability Challenge 6

Here's the sketch: Here's my take:
Yes, it's the same sketch, just turned on its side.

Supplies: the only thing I can ID is the Bazzill cardstock and Catseye ink, lol. Everything else is from my stash. I got the paper from Big Lots, the ribbon from a swap, the rub-on from a clearance sale and I didn't save the label, and the buttons from an online store who bought them in bulk and repackaged them. I was too lazy to thread a needle, so I used the patterned paper to "stitch" the buttons (thanks to M for that tip!).

You've got a little more time to create for this challenge. Cards are due Tuesday, April 14, 2009 (one day before your taxes). You could win a $5 GC! Post your card at the Linnecards gallery or on your own site/blog. Be sure to post a comment on the blog so we know you've participating.

Photo 63/365 Sleepy

We babysat all three kids today. I guess G thought we were boring because he left the room and this is where we found him. Sorry for the bad photo, but I didn't want to wake him up.