FREE Redbox Rental

Staying in tonight? How about a FREE rental from Redbox when you reserve online for the first time? 

What I love about renting online through Redbox is that I KNOW the movie is reserved for me and will be at the machine. And if I am looking for a particular movie and it's not at my preferred Redbox I can search to see where it is, which is what I did today. The kids wanted "Cars 2" to watch with the babysitter and saw it wasn't at my preferred Redbox, I clicked the Nearby button and it told me where it was and now it is reserved and I actually have almost 36 hours to go pick it up.

So, anyways, give it a shot! And if you click the link I provided to get your rental for free, I get one too just for referring you. So, Thanks!

And if you have not noticed, if you rent from machine directly they charge you $1.20. If you reserve it online the rental fee is still only $1 for the first night.

While you are there, sign up for their Redbox Text Club (if you have 1 text a month to spare) and they will send you a text some time during the month to get you a free rental.

Frequently, they also run promotions (like the recent one for 12 Days of Deals & Prizes that was held before Chritsmas) where you can send them a text and they text you back a code (or some other prize, but mostly just codes for money off your rental.) I had helped promote the 12 Days of Deals & Prizes earlier in December through Smiley360.

Don't forget to Like Redbox on Facebook to find out firsthand about their promotions!

And while you are at it, Sign up for Smiley360 and then you can try out & help promote great companies at no cost to you. The Redbox "mission" was my first one, but I did just get accepted for a second "mission" and get a free full-size product to try out.

This post does contain affiliate links that come at no cost to the reader. 

Review: Skillet Bacon Jam

When I was considering whether or not I wanted to review Skillet Bacon Jam, I didn't think too long and hard because I could hear my husband in my head saying "What's there to think about? It's bacon." He thought that was pretty funny when I told him.

I received a a small container of the Skillet Original Flavor Bacon Spread.  What I love about it is that the ingredients are all things we can pronounce and that they obtained many of them locally. The ingredients in this spread are: cured bacon, onion, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and black pepper. That's it. There are no dyes listed or weirdly pronounced preservative. It is all food we know what it looks like and can pronounce it.

We first tried this on some homemade bread, but just a small slather because we could tell after opening it that the flavor might be quite strong, and it is. The flavor is so strong on it's own that we thought it would probably taste best with other flavors and so we dipped it in out ham and bean soup we were eating and ate the bread slathered with bacon spread and soaked in soup juices and the flavor was not as strong.

I do want to add that the flavor is that of a smoked bacon, so if you don't like the flavor of smoked things you might want to contact the company before purchasing to inquire if all of the spread have the smoked flavor.

The next way we tried it was to use it to fry eggs in. I grew up a country farm girl and we often ate eggs that were fried in bacon drippings and it was delicious. So, I thought I would try this with the spread. I sprayed my pan with cooking spray first (because I wasn't exactly sure there was much fat int he spread and I didn't want my eggs to stick) and then scooped out about 1/2 tsp. of the spread and let it melt in the pan before I fried my eggs in it. It gave the eggs a subtle smoked bacon flavor that I have not had in a long time.

Their website is full of recipes to try with the bacon spread. I think the next one I want to try is the bacon jam vinaigrette.

For inquiries about their products, please email eat@skilletstreetfood.com or check out their website, Skillet Street Food.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Semi-Homemade Art Project (Gift for my Husband)

I suppose you are asking, "What exactly is a semi-homemade art project?" Well, have you have ever watched that show Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee? If you have then, you already have an idea of what I am talking about. On the cooking show she starts with some kind of packaged food(s) and creates something more elaborate from there. What I started with was a promotional poster that was passed out from an art museum we went to and created something more elaborate from there.

I gathered my initial supplies, which involved the poster, some patching plaster, a plaster smoother, scissors, a lit candle and a primed piece of artist canvas.

Later on I would also be using an old rag, rubber gloves, leftover stain & hi-gloss spray paint.

 I spread patching plaster over the entire canvas, making sure to leave texture lines from swirling the plaster on. This would help add some depth.

Then I trimmed the white edges from the poster and burnt the edges of the print. I thought this would give it some more depth and character.

I then placed the print directly on top of the plaster (trying to center as much as possible, but I didn't quite get it very center and it was too hard to peel back up to re-center - I suppose my slightly off-center will give it just a little more character.) I then let it dry for 2+ days to make sure the plaster had cured.

My final step was to apply a stain wash (using an old rag, rubber gloves & leftover stain) across plaster on the front & sides. Ok, so that wasn't the final step. The final-final step was to spray a coat of hi-gloss clear paint over the entire piece to help seal it. Then let dry for at least 24 hours. If you can, do these steps in a well-ventilated area, but if you are like me and live in MN, there is no well ventilated area I can do this in that is above freezing. So, I just did it in the basement and exposed us to the fumes.

Baby Food Jar Decoupage Candle Holders

My daughter came home from school telling me she wanted to make a gift for her Library teacher (we had already made & assembled gifts for her regular teacher, gym teacher, music teacher, gymnastics coach and dance teacher - there was another teacher!) Plus, it was the winter solstice the evening we created these and we were going caroling to our neighbors and she wanted something to give them. So, time to get crafty! 

I had been meaning to have her make a couple of these for our windows, but we just had not gotten around to it until this came up.

How to Make Decoupage Candle Holders from Baby Food Jars

Gathered our supplies: baby food jars, glue, tissue paper, candles, paint brush, container for the glue, candles & yarn (not shown)

Spread glue over the entire outside of the jar, apply torn pieces of tissue paper over the top of the glue.

Cover the tissue paper in glue (or Mod Podge). Let dry. Rinse out your brush and container and put in varnish.  Paint a coat of varnish over the top of the dried container.

Allow it to dry upside down on wax paper, this way it won't stick to  anything when you are allowing the glue coat to dry and or later when you are allowing the varnish to dry. Allow about an hour for the glue or varnish to dry. If you put too much of one of them on, it may take longer.

Tie some yarn or ribbon around the top to  give it an extra added touch. Be sure to include a tea light candle so that the gift recipient gets that it is a candle holder and can begin using it right away.

Influenster Holiday Vox Box (Follow Up)

Here are my tweets, You Tube Videos and Facebook posts about the products I received:

imPress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails (Tweet) (Tweet 2) (Facebook) (Influenster Review) (You Tube)
Softsoap Coconut Scrub Bar Soap (Tweet) (Facebook)
Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask (Tweet) (Facebook) (YouTube)
New York Color Liquid Lip Shine (Tweet) (Facebook) (Influenster Product Review) (You Tube)
Mentos Pure Fresh Gum (Tweet) (Facebook) (Influenster Product Review)
LaraBar (Tweet) (Tweet 2)
Garden Botankia Heart Frangrance Sample (Tweet)

And I'll include a few pictures of our mother/daughter spa day using several of the above products!

NYC LipShine, imPress Nails, Montagne Jeunesse
Face Mask

Removing the Montagne Jeunesse
Face Mask

Putting imPress on Nails on my daughter

imPress on Nails on my hand

iCaughtSanta

This week I did a giveaway for a free code for iCaughtSanta. I was lucky enough to be gifted with my own code and this is the picture I will be showing my kids of Santa at our house. This company also does the same type of photos for the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Cupid. I am really thinking about buying one of these when my daughter loses her first tooth.

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours!

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours!

WINNERS! iCaughtSanta Photo

The FIVE Winners are:

#3 Lisa  (Like Icaughtsantaclaus on Facebook)
#44 Tee (Like Icaughtsantaclaus on Facebook)
#30 Kelly (Like Save Green Being Green on Facebook)
#35 Sarah (Easy Entry)
#26 Jen (Follow @catchacharacter on Twitter)

The winners will receive an email from me with the gift code and instructions.

Please check your email and junk mail for this email.

WINNER: Swiss Cheese Theory of Life Book

AND The Winner Is.......

#98 Jennifer (Follow @judybelmont on Twitter)

The winner will receive an email from and must reply within 48 hours with their name and address. If a response from the winner is not received, a new winner will be picked.

The book will be sent to the winner directly from the author.

Easy to Make Yule Log Cake & The Winter Solstice

The past few years we have celebrated the winter solstice because it was a good teaching opportunity, it's fun and it gives up our own little winter tradition apart from Christmas, New Year's, and the Super Bowl. It's just a fun & simple night for us. We eat dinner by candlelight (all other lights, except our holiday lights in the window), we eat a yule log cake for dessert, we might read a story or play a game by candlelight, and we go caroling to some of our neighbors. And if we have snow on the ground I pull the kids in a sled while we go caroling (this year they will be in a wagon.)

Here is the finished Yule Log Cake that we will eat tonight.

Gather your supplies:
1 box chocolate cake (& everything to make that)
Cool Whip (I used chocolate)
Powdered Sugar
Marshmallows (I had medium sized cinnamon ones, but in the past have used mini white ones)
Hershey Kisses
2 cake pans lined with wax paper
Mixer

To make it, mix cake mix as directed. Split between 2 cake pans lined with wax paper (this is VERY important!). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Allow cakes to cool slightly. Remove from pan with wax paper. Roll cake (like a jelly roll) keeping the wax paper on (this helps the cake keep it's shape until completely cooled.) Put in the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours.

After cooled, gently remove the wax paper. Slightly unroll and fill with Cool Whip (split 1 container between the 2 rolls.

Garnish with "mushrooms" made out of Hershey Kisses and marshmallows. To assemble them, stick half a toothpick in the marshmallow bottom and stick in the cake. To glue the kiss on top I just used a little cream cheese (but you could use frosting, nutella, peanut butter, etc. as glue too).

I also decorated it further by adding a couple snow on the mountain cookies and make Christmas trees with sugar cones decorated with leftover writing icing and made a star out a softened Starburst.


I enjoy this tradition with my family as we celebrate the passing of the shortest day of the year and look forward to more & more sunlight each day for the next six months. 

GIVEAWAY: $100 Victoria's Secret gift card and a VS coin purse

Enter to win a $100 Victoria's Secret gift card and a VS coin purse!

Save Green Being Green is very excited to have teamed up with Freebie Corner and several other wonderful blogs to bring you this awesome giveaway!

One person will win a $100 Victoria's Secret gift card and an adorable little Victoria's Secret coin purse.

HOW TO ENTER:

Go down to the entry form and either log in with Facebook or with your name and email.  Once you're logged in, click on the first green "Do It" button and enter your name and email address.  This is the only mandatory entry!

Extra Entries:

• Go down the following Facebook list and click on "Like" for every page.  All 35 pages must be "Liked" in order for the entries to count.  Then go back to the form and click on the second green "Do It" button and follow the instructions.
• Go down the Twitter list and click on follow for each Twitter handle.  You must follow all 24 Twitter account for the entries to count.
• Go down the Email list and click on each link to sign up for FREE email newsletters from each blog.  You MUST confirm your subscriptions for the entry to count.  You must subscribe to all 18 blog email newsletters in order for entries to count.
• Go down the Google Friend Connect list and click on and follow each blog via Google Friend Connect.  You must follow all 8 blogs via GFC in order for the extra entries to count.
• Go down the Google+ list and click on the link to follow each blog.  You must follow all 6 blogs in order for the entries to count.
• Follow Go Momma Coupons via Networked Blogs.
• Join Mom Blog Society.
• Subscribe via RSS Feed to the two blogs listed.

Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn

I make this every year at Christmas (and maybe one other time) and it is one of my favorite things to give to teachers and co-workers. I have often been asked for the recipe and do give it out. I was asked once again, so thought that if I was typing it up I might as well take some pictures and put it in a blog post. Then next time I can just share the link. :) I just made up a batch to give to our ECFE educators as a Christmas present and I have plans to make up 1-2 more batches yet this season to give away. I need to give credit to my mom for this recipe.

 Microwave Caramel Corn
 1/2 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
4-5 qts popped corn (I use 3 microwave bags)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Directions
Put butter, sugar, syrup & salt in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir well. Microwave 2 1/2 minutes more. Stair in baking soda. Pour over popcorn in a large paper bag. Fold down top & shake well (I like to stir it with a wooden spoon, then shake it.) Microwave bag for 1 1/2 minutes. Shake bag well. Pour onto sheets of wax paper to cool.

Online Family Holiday Show with Suzi Shelton

Suzi Shelton is offering an ONLINE FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOW (pay what you wish) via Stageit.com on Monday, December 19th at 6:30pm (EST). Anyone with a computer can join in on the fun and hear the new songs, and email her their song requests during the show. http://bit.ly/stKG2w

Free Sample of Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

Pop on over to Facebook and Like Seventh Generation Baby and sign up to get a free sample of baby wipes. 

There has been three wipes in their sample pack in the past.

GIVEAWAY - iCaughtSanta Photo (5 WINNERS!!!)

I just love Christmas and the magic involved. I love being Santa, St. Nick & our Elf (named Skoob by my daughter) that has been hanging around our house all month! And I just love the idea of having a picture to "catch" Santa in the act of delivering their presents.

iCaughtSanta provides you with a digital photo that places Santa in your picture at your house using a picture that you took. You can instantly download the picture to print off or share it. You can even have the picture sent to a store (from the website) to be printed with just a couple clicks. The image quality will be good for print photos that are 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10.

You get to choose from a large assortment of Santa poses to apply to your picture, change the size of the Santa image your chose, zoom in on the background, adjust the color and brightness of Santa, and add a border to your photo if you desire.

It was really quick and easy to use and did not take a lot of time. You can even use the program to "catch" The Easter Bunny, Cupid, or the Tooth Fairy. I am really thinking that I might have to get the tooth fairy picture after my daughter loses her first tooth; she is a fairy fanatic!

And if a picture isn't enough, you can also purchase a short video of Santa at your home, using the picture you  provided.

And if you are not a winner, here is a  25%-off code for you: SAVE25

Review: Starfall.com

I had the opportunity to review More.Starfall.com for 1 month with my children for free. I have to say that I love Starfall and did before we even tried out all the new options they added. I started using Starfall.com with my daughter when she was 19 months old. She couldn't get enough of it. We primarily used the ABC's program, but we also did some of the other animated  activities. I am not sure if these results are typical, but within a month she knew her entire alphabet phonetically and knew all of her letters by name and phonetically and the alphabet from rote memory by the time she was 2 years old. And I believe it was all thanks to the repetition of doing this program with her an average of 4 times a week for 10-15 minutes each time. And now as a kindergartner she has started the Accelerated Reader program at her school.

This is a collage I made when my daughter was 19 months old and had just started Starfall.com.

Well, enough of what sounds like bragging about my daughter, because I got totally busy being a parent to two kids that I dropped the ball on starting it with my son until recently when he turned two. Plus, remember that each child is different and develops different skills at different times. My son has been all about gross motor skills and less about communication skills and it was just recently that he has started speaking more words and expressing an interest in wanting to learn more words. My daughter was the opposite.

Please don't get the idea that Starfall.com is only for toddlers. It is not at all. On the free part of the site there are also program to help your child learn to read, continue to read, and access reading through art, magic, music, poetry, tongue twisters & riddles. The program continues to grow with them through elementary school. And you can even access the ABC's, Snowman program & Gingerbread program through Apps that you can purchase on iTunes for as low as 99 cents.

With More.Starfall.com, BOTH my children can continue to learn from it and will be able to for several years.

What you get when you purchase More.Starfall.com is the addition of Math (including programs for numbers, math songs, addition & subtraction, multiplication & division), Colors, Books, Word Machines, Vowel Pals, Songs & Rhymes (including programs for nursery rhymes, motion songs, nursery rhyme videos, ABC rhymes, & folk songs) and more phonics.

You can join More.Starfall.com for only $35 a year. Or considering purchasing it as a last minute gift for your children, grandchildren or that special child in your life.

Check out this video of the kids listening to and engaging with Starfall through the Movement Song "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear".

Making Handmade Cat Toys

These will be gifts from the big guy! Santa Claus! I don't know why, but he always brings the cats a little something. Why he bring them and the kids stuff, I don't know either because all that any of them want is the paper (kids and cats), boxes (kids and cats) and tape (cats). I should just make a long strand of tape that has been fold sticky sides in for the cats to chew on. There is something about tape and it's texture and crinkliness that make them just want to toss it around a room and chew on it. But I didn't do that this time. I made them stuffed catnip mice.

To start with I just cut pieces of felt in to 3 triangles of the same size. I made the triangles 1/4" bigger on all sides than I wanted the mice to be to allow for a 1/4" seam allowance.

Then I cut a fourth triangle that would be the behind of the mouse. I made it equal on all sides using the bottom of the 3 triangles as the initial measurement and adding 1/4" on each side for a seam allowance.

Next up was stitching. To the first side I stitched the bottom on as well as the second side. Then I stitched the third side the second side, the third side to the second side, and finally the bottom to the third side.

You will still have a bottom side not stitched to the second side. You will hand stitch this closed after you turn right sides out and stuff it.

After you turn your mouse so the right sides are facing out, you can make some eye using some yarn. I cut a piece that was about 8" long.

Thread yarn on to a needle. Tie a knot in the end of the yarn. Push the needle through from the inside in the location where you want your first eye. Tie a knot in the yarn, close to the felt, to create a raised eye. Then bring the yarn back through to the inside. Next come back through from the inside to the outside in the location where you want the second eye, tie a knot on the outside and bring yarn back through the inside. Remove the needle and let the string hang out the back end of the mouse; this will create it's tail.

I bought some organic catnip to stuff inside with some batting, but you could also stick a bell in there. Cats love to chance things with a bell sound.

Stuff the inside of the mouse with some batting and either catnip or a bell. If you wanted to go really crazy I suppose you could do both catnip a a bell.  :)


Then fold your seams in and hand stitch close. The thread will sink in to the felt, so your seam will be barely noticeable. As you will notice in the finished mice above I tried making them in 2 different directions, you be the judge at which way you like it. Then just trim you tail to the length you prefer.

GIVEAWAY and Review: Swiss Cheese Theory of Life (Book)

I was very excited about the opportunity to review the book The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life by Judy Belmont and Lora Shor. Please check out the website for the book. Many of you probably don't know that prior to my being a crafty SAHM and blogger I was a mental health therapist and did individual, group and family counseling. I loved reading how each analogies was used with a client example.

This book uses Swiss Cheese as an analogy or how to get through life and all it's holes. The analogies don't stop there; this book is packed with them. So, if you are a therapist or person that find them helpful and useful then you are going to love this book.

The chapters of this book are divided in to slices. (I know, cheesy, right! :)  ) At the end of each slice you will learn about what to assemble in your metaphorical toolbox. 

Those items include:

1) Penny

2) Eraser

3) Magnifying Glass

4) Toy Soldier

5) A Ribbon

6) A Deck of Cards 

7) Bubble

8) Cheese Slicer

9) Rubber Band

10) Smiley Sticker

At the beginning of the book, it will explain three different types of cheese characters and you decide which one describes you or your client the best: The Stinky Cheese, The Cheese Wiz, or the Swiss Cheese Fairy of Life. Obviously, the stinky cheese is the one you do not want to be. The end of each chapter will help sum up how each character would use the information given in that chapter.

I enjoyed the book. Sometimes a good metaphor helps things to make sense. This book is certainly not lacking in metaphors about cheese, or anything else for that matter. It is a quick read, but gives you some good information to think about when you evaluate how you handle stress in your life. We are all human and we all have some kind of stress, something causing those holes within the smoothness of everything. This book will address topics such getting past regret, moving past your mistakes, thinking positively, being proactive, being mindful, the importance of connecting with others, embracing wellness, life balance, managing stress, forgiveness, optimism and gratitude. And mixed in to it all, you will also gain insight on just how Swiss cheese is made and the tricks of the cheese making industry.

One lucky reader is going to win a copy of  this book that will be directly from the author. This could be just what you needed to help improve yourself this coming new year. If you don't want to wait to win the book, you can buy it on Amazon. You might to wait a few seconds for the Rafflecopter giveaway to popup, but it is right below this sentence.

Greening Up Your Holiday Wrapping

Remember all those tutorials I was giving you on how to make flower bows from VHS tape, make bottle gift bags out of  a shirt sleeve, and cinnamon ornament gift tags?  All three of those, plus many more are mentioned in my most recent post on Northern Cheapskate, Ideas to Green Up Your Holiday Wrapping.

Why wait? Go check it out!

I didn't mention it in the post, but also remember you can make bows out of magazines with my post on Save Green Being Green last week.

Book Review: Three Cups

I received a digital copy of this book from BookSneeze.com.

Three Cups by Tony Townsley with Mark St. Germain

I thought this book was just ok. I think it sends a good message about spending, saving and donating. It is a good life skill to teach children when they are young so they have some hard money management skills for when they are older. Although, I think it is sending an unrealistic message for future money management. I honestly don't know any adults that donate 1/3 of their earnings. I also found some of the shadowing in the pictures to be kind of creepy. I will read this book to my kids, but then have a discussion as to what we think the split should look like.

I only received an electronic copy of this book. No compensation was received for this review. All words and thoughts contained in this review are mine. This post does contain affiliate links that I may be compensated for if an items were purchased. The affiliate links do not affect your purchase price, only help support this blogger.

WINNER: 3 CD Pack from Suzi Shelton

I am so excited to have had so many entries for my third giveaway. Thank you everyone that entered. I really wish I had CDs (or some kind of prize) to offer everyone!

The winner, as chosen by Random.org through Rafflecopter is:

#32 Stephanie King (Leave a Blog Post Comment)


The winner will have 48 hours in which to respond to the email notification of winning. In the event that the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

And now, everyone can view the brand new video "Tomboy in a Princess Dress" by Suzi Shelton on vimeo and youtube.

Remember to check out the holiday show as well!

Suzi Shelton is offering an ONLINE FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOW (pay what you wish) via Stageit.com on Monday, December 19th at 6:30pm (EST). Anyone with a computer can join in on the fun and hear the new songs, and email her their song requests during the show. http://bit.ly/stKG2w

Recyclebank: Earn 90 Points from Green Your Seasons (Winter)

You have the opportunity to earn another 90 points from Recyclebank through their program Green Your Seasons. This time Winter has opened up and soon New Years will be available.

Read more about Recyclebank and the prizes you can earn. Right now it looks like prizes start at 25 points.

If you are not signed up, SIGN UP HERE.

The owner(s) of this website is compensated through various affiliate programs and some content presents opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this website may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website’s’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Influenster Holiday Vox Box Opening

This is my first VoxBox from Influenster! I was super excited to get it and try everything out. Check out everything that was in my box that I get to pamper myself with.

Included:
imPress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails
Softsoap Coconut Scrub Bar Soap
Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask
New York Color Liquid Lip Shine
Mentos Pure Fresh Gum
LaraBar
Garden Botankia Heart Frangrance Sample


You can also view the video of me opening the box.

Now I get to try everything out and review it.

I know this is very conventional and not so "green", but I we are all a work in progress, aren't we? Who knows, after I read the ingredients on the soap & mask I might find that they are more green, plus there is the LaraBar in there (Yum!)

Influenster does have a "Green" box, so I am hoping that I will get one of those net time they have one as I have earned that badge. :)

USPS Goes Greener!

So, I stopped at the post office to pick up stamps for Christmas cards (yes, I know I could email Christmas cards to save money and reduce consumtion of paper products, but my honest opinion of e-cards for Christmas is that they are so less personal. I like that even though someone just signed their name and mailed a card, they took the time to buy the cards, sign them, stamp them, address them & maybe put in a picture - btw: love getting pictures!) and noticed a poster saying "Buy Go Green Stamps Today".

I love how they said "Put Your Stamp on a Greener Tomorrow", because it gives you the idea that is a work in progress. Isn't life just a work in progress?

There are 16 stamps in a booklet and each of the stamps has a different tip for Going Green. And they are all simple & basic steps to going green. They include:fixing water leaks, turn off lights not in use, compost, ride a bike, recycle more, plant homes, plus 10 more.

They had a little hangout (just a mini-version of the poster) that also listed the ways they were growing greener that included selling eco-friendly packagin, being the first federal agency to publicly report greenhouse gas emissions & obtain third-party verification, and reducing it's facility energy intensity more than 28% since 2003.

I do find it ironic that they printed up and these posters and pamphlets to advertise that they were going greener, but at least they have the FSC stamp on it that they paper is from responsible sources.

A Shout Out to My Mom!

Getting an early start on wishing my mom a Happy Birthday!

Why? Well, I got the opportunity to sponsor a video of Ricky Martin singing Happy Birthday as part of a new advertising program for The American Cancer Society. Guess I should buy her a nice birthday present with the gift certificate I earn. :)


If you like some of my projects on here, then you should check out her blog too. Her blog is called Tru Tales and Feats. She also does a lot of posts on the projects she has up-cycled, crafts she has made, and food she has made. I imagine that right after Christmas she will have quite a few posts as right now she is busy making Christmas presents for our family and you can't quite share all those creations in advance of the holiday without ruining the surprise. So, as you can see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (even though I would protest this with all my might during my teenage years.)


So, watch this Happy Birthday video, and then when it is her real birthday be sure to give her a shout out on her Facebook wall or comment on a blog post.







Thought I would just link up to a few things she has created as gifts for us that you might like to check out:
* Crocheted Slippers (I am wearing these now as I type)
* Train/Activity Table
* Crocheted Ribbon Necklace


This post is sponsored by American Cancer Society.

Making Felt Crayon Pouches

In case you missed it on Northern Cheapskate yesterday, I wanted to let you know about my latest post over there.

These were inexpensive & quick to make with the maximum amount of novelty and cuteness that a gift to young children requires.

So, quick run out and get some supplies and get creative! Ok, you don't have to run, you could even wait to the last minute (well, literally the last hour).

ReStore by Habitat for Humanity

 My husband and I decided to go check out our area Habitat for Humanity ReStore in search of some items that could be used for the ice fishing house he is building with a buddy. We knew the store has been there for a while, but there just hasn't been any project that warranted a trip here.

There are Habitat ReStores all over the United States and Canada.  There may even be one in other locations not listed, as is the case with the one near us. It's not on the list online, but one does exist and they have the same logo signage that appears on the website.

Here, you can see a row of sinks available for purchase. Things were individually priced and most were items that were donated, but there are new things available.

And you might be surprised by some of the things you find there, like this 4-in-1 crib that converts to a toddler bed, daybed & full-size bed. We bought this.

If there are any family reading this, don't get excited thinking we needed a new crib (since the old one was a drop-side), what we needed was a full-size bed for when we converted my son's bedroom from a nursery to his big boy room in a year. Yes, we do have to store it in the rafters in the garage for a year, but we found a full-size headboard and foot board that was a nice thick wood and appropriate for a growing boy at a very good price.

The items at the ReStore are all donated or are surplus from building projects and the profits go to fund LOCAL Habitat construction. How great is that! You get supplies at discounted prices and the money is used to help local families get in to affordable housing.

Even if you don't have a project you are working on and need supplies, there might be building and decorative fixtures that you have collecting dust that you can donate, which is exactly where we will donate the ceiling fan we plan to replace in my son's room (currently it is a very feminine ceiling fan that he may not appreciate as he gets older.)

One last thing - especially if you are local to me - our ReStore was selling single boxed NIP CFL light bulbs for 75-cents each. What a deal! I have not seen them cheaper.