Addicted to Garage Sales

I love garage sales.  I make no apology for it.  There is something exciting about finding things that I need for an incredibly low price, even if it is used.  I've found some great things over the past few summers; among them were a large baking pan that works great for a granola recipe I picked up from a bed and breakfast last year, and a pair of pint-sized glass milk jugs that I keep on the counter for flowers.  Many times, going to garage sales results in no finds, but once in a while, I find real gems.  This past weekend was one of those weekends!

I think half of the fun is just spending time with my husband as we drive all over the town, and sometimes into the country.  I enjoy getting up on a Saturday and knowing that my hubby and I will be spending the morning together shopping...what girl wouldn't like that?  Shopping with her best friend!  Usually it leads to finding other fun things to do around town. 

Our garage sale quest led me to find three things that I had been looking for, after several weekends of driving home empty-handed: a cold frame for spring planting, a potato pitchfork, and three glass power pole insulators for a craft idea.  Score!  Grand total for everything? $21.  The cold frame was new in the box, never used, for $12.  The pitchfork, very much used, was $6.  The insulators were $3.  Finding what you were looking for at discount prices and spending time with the hubs: priceless.  :)

Happy hunting during this summer garage sale season!

Birthday Fun Continues!

Hello!  I'm finding it hard to keep up with the blog lately.  Since the holidays are approaching, I find that life seems to get busier.  I've been continuing with birthday fun, and wanted to share a few tips for others to get free stuff for their birthdays as well.  I have received freebies from Chili's, Texas Roadhouse, Auntie Ann's, Speedway (I know, a bit weird), and Dairy Queen.  How, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you!

Chili's: Go to their website and sign up for their e-mail club.  You receive coupons on a regular basis for specials that they run at the restaurants for appetizers, desserts, drinks and more.  On your birthday, you receive a coupon for a free dessert (mine was a brownie sundae, but I don't know if it changes).

Texas Roadhouse: My favorite restaurant, by the way!  Join their e-mail club (used to be called VIP club) by clicking on the link for a free appetizer on the bottom of the page.  Fill out the info and you'll receive a free appetizer on your birthday, and a free appetizer for your anniversary (if you're married) and also for your "anniversary" of the date of signing up for the e-mail club.

Auntie Ann's: Sign up for Pretzel Perks.  Again, it's an e-mail thing.  You receive monthly coupons for free pretzels or drinks, and for your birthday you also get a free pretzel (this time, I had to buy a pretzel to get one for free.  Oh well.).  These are sent out all year.

Speedway Gas Stations: If you are a member of the Speedy Rewards points club, you know that you receive points for anything and everything you buy from the gas station/convenience store.  On your birthday, you are sent a coupon for 200 free points--just go in with the coupon and your rewards card and have the cashier scan it, and boom!  Free points.  You can earn a lot of great things with your points, from free candy bars to money off your gas purchase.

Dairy Queen: Join the Blizzard Fan Club and you receive occasional coupons for Blizzards.  On your birthday, you receive a BOGO for Blizzards.  One is never really enough anyway, right?

I'm sure that there are others out there too; if you have some ideas, leave a comment at the bottom of the post!

I'm a bit sad about being a year older.  When you start to realize that you are getting to the age in life that you never thought you'd be when you were young, it sobers you a bit.  Sometimes being a grown-up is hard and not fun.  But when you have great family around you, and someone to love and spend all of your birthdays with, it is worth it.

We spent this weekend with family--my mother and stepfather on Saturday, and my in-laws on Sunday.  We all had a good time together.  Now I'm wondering, "where did the weekend go??"!  Here are a few photos of our fun on Saturday at the Toledo Zoo.  They are setting up for the annual Lights Before Christmas display, which can be seen in some of the photos:

White Lion--he looks fierce, but he's actually just yawning.

Mr. Hippo gives us the stink-eye.  He has tiny eyes.

Lizard!?! "I seeeeee yoooooouuuu!"

One more lizard.  I loved his colors!

The elusive mallard.  "Quack quack quack".  Translation: Quack quack quack.

What a great day to work on your tan...

Owl Corner: Long-Eared Owls

Photo from Wikipedia

Long-eared owls are kind of funny looking, in my opinion.  Kind of like they are constantly surprised.  These owls are medium in size, averaging around 14" tall, with females being slightly larger.  They have a brown and buff colored plumage, and the females tend to be a little lighter in color.  Their habitats encompass most of the United States, and they are also widely found across Europe and into parts of Asia, including Russia and China.  They tend to be found in forests, woodlands, and river areas, with nests typically found in very dense forests.  The females typically lay 4-5 eggs, but can be as few as three and as many as eight eggs at a time.  They prey mostly on other mammals, such as voles, mice, squirrels, bats, and even small rabbits.  They are also known to hunt other birds, and their enemies include Great Horned and Barred owls, and raccoons are known to steal eggs.

Information taken from The Owl Pages and All About Birds.

Aging is an inevitable part of life.  From the moment we are born, we being to age, and yes, die.  No one is immune from this, regardless of all of the silly vampire movies that say otherwise.  The Bible has several passages about growing old and still being Christ-like: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).  "Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled" (Titus 2:2-5).  And finally, "The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair" (Proverbs 20:29).  (That last one was for the hubs, when he someday loses his auburn locks to the distinguished look of white.)  While our bodies will always age, it's what we do with them that makes all of the difference to the Lord.  He has given us directions of how to "age gracefully", so to speak.  It's what I strive for--but I am rarely graceful.  Still...if I have to get old, I might as well do it Biblically!

New Stuff

The Fireflies Are Back!

I'd like to take a moment to say, is there anything more relaxing than a warm summer dusk and watching the fireflies talk to each other in your backyard?  I contend not!  It seems to me that fireflies have been more scarce this year, but last night as I was reeling in the hose, they were out in full force.  I sat down in a patio chair and just enjoyed watching them blink to each other for quite a while...it's just fascinating to me that they can do that.  To me, seeing the fireflies is a quintessential summer staple.  I'm not a bug person, but I do like the fireflies and their blinking little behinds!  For some interesting facts on fireflies, check out this link.

Fireflies!

What Else Is New?

Well, I'm proud to say that we have had several projects finally completed on our house!  Our roof has been replace and looks great, our living room has been repainted and rearranged and looks great, and our new couch has been delivered and looks great.  The roof took about a day and a half, and we did have an Amish crew do the work.  Overall, they did a great job.  We decided to go with a two-tone gray shingle instead of staying with the reddish-brown shingles that were there when we bought the house, and it's a nice change.  They also re-roofed our shed out back. Over the Independence Day long weekend, my husband and I were able to repaint the living room and hallway with some deeply-discounted Sherwin-Williams paint (we bought $45 a gallon paint for $25 a gallon!) and we went back to the basics--a creamy off-white color, which looks great with the leather couch and large wall map picture from Hobby Lobby (which we purchased on clearance).  Except for the couch, it was a pretty inexpensive change, and we couldn't be happier!

New Boss

We're also going through a transition at work.  The former pastor was reappointed to a new church, and the new pastor started Friday.  I don't work on Fridays, and Monday was a holiday, so I didn't actually work with him until Tuesday...except I barely saw him.  I know what it's like to be the new person at a job--I've been that many times.  I don't think, though, that I've ever had to experience a new boss!  This will be a new experience for me, and a time of transition for everyone.  My husband has patiently reminded me a few times that I don't really work for my new boss...that I work for Him, and that God's in control of the situation.  As a person who seems to increasingly dislike changes and disruptions in my daily routine, it's difficult to handle some of the recent changes with any sort of grace.  I don't have a choice, though, and it will all work out one way or another.  I just need to continue to put my trust in Christ.

New Creative Idea

As you might have noticed, I've been pushing hard for my new website, The Sunflower Tree, to take off.  I would really like to see this become a real business for me, but I can't do it without your help.  So I ask you to take a moment, visit the site and "like" it on Facebook.  Even more helpful would be to share it on your Facebook page!  The more people that know about it, the better the chance that I'll start getting some orders.  I'm constantly creating new ideas, and I post them as quickly as I can while working around my job and housework and so on.  I'd like to say thanks again to those of you who have shared my site--I'm very grateful!

It seems as though there are a lot of changes and new things in our life lately.  There are sayings about trials and changes: "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", "(fill in the blank) builds character", and so on.  I do believe, as many do, that God uses trials (big and small) to transform us into the creations He meant for us to be.  We need to be flexible and have faith that what He allows is for our good and His perfect will.  Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will".  2 Cor 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!", and Isa. 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."  Perhaps the trials that God allows us to experience are His way of making a stream in the wasteland of our lives.  When we thirst for Him and His mercy, He will not only nourish us, but he will change us and cause us to grow in Him!

$22.50--Sold!

A Day At The Auction

My Treasure!

This past weekend, friends that we've known for years were here in town to hold an estate auction, and we were able to spend most of the day with them.  It's always great to have a visit from old friends!  I hadn't been to an auction since I was a teenager, and had completely forgotten how much fun they are.  The day started out warm and muggy, but the rain held off until just after the auction was completed.  Hubby saw a box lot that had a Marathon oil can in it, among other items, and wanted to bid on it.  It was one of the last things to come up in the entire auction, but we waited patiently.  I was the one holding the number, so I got to do the bidding!  A woman was there who also apparently had an interest in the box.  We bid and bid and I decided at some point in the middle of the bidding that I wasn't leaving the auction without the box of goodies, and I get waaaay too competitive when it comes to things like this.  I even warned my husband of this fact, but I don't think he quite realized just what I meant until he saw me bidding.  He tells me that he tried repeatedly to grab me and get me to stop bidding, while our friend watched and laughed.  He never caught me, and I never knew of any of that going on--I was in the ZONE!  Normally, I'm not a competitive person, but auctions do something to me and I just have to win.  Sooooo, yes, I won!  There was actually quite a bit in the box that will come in handy, like several pairs of good, heavy-duty scissors, older wood-handled tools, electrical tape, duct tape, masking tape, screws, glue, silver polish, a 24" metal ruler, half of an asbestos floor tile (I just don't know), and miscellaneous odds and ends, not all of which are shown in the photo.  And, of course, the Marathon oil can!  I paid $22.50 for all of it, and we know that Marathon oil can is likely worth $10 alone, because we see them at the antiques store here in town--you can't buy that anymore.  I think it was a good price for what was there, but of course, my husband thought I paid way too much.  That's okay, though; I'm sure that time will reveal that I was right!  :)

Seven Years!
My husband and I are quickly approaching the seven-year mark in our married life together.  Every anniversary is special, and this will be no exception.  I've already mentioned that we are planning a trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village up in Dearborn, Michigan, but I also decided to surprise my husband with a gift.  I'd been setting aside a little money from each paycheck to save up for his gift, and I was finally able to purchase it last Friday--a Kindle!  I got him the one he wanted, which is the one with the 3G wi-fi.  I was so excited to give it to him that I couldn't wait until our anniversary, and gave it to him last weekend!  I think it was the first time that I remember him ever being speechless.  It was great!  He can usually tell if I'm up to something, but this time I pulled a fast one and caught him completely off guard.  He really likes it, and has loaded several free classics onto it already.  I love being able to surprise him!  And, of course, I just love him, period!  Happy seven years of marriage, my dear!

Friends are great to have through life.  The best friends are the ones who stand with you through anything, and who, upon meeting again after a long separation, feel as if no time has passed since you last saw each other.  Friends are found in the most unexpected places--who would have thought I would meet my future husband because of a crazy roommate?  Sometimes we find friends are where we least expect them and most need them.  It's not necessary to have hundreds of friends on Facebook, or even hundreds of friends in real life, but friendship is essential to getting through life without losing our minds.  God meant for us to find friends and form friendships, and He especially hopes that among those friendships is a friendship with His Son, Jesus.  In the Bible, examples of great friendships are not few and far between: David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and Jesus and His apostles, just to name a few.  When surrounded by the right friends, we can get through the toughest times.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tells us the importance of friendship: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Do you have a cord made with a single strand, or is yours a cord of many strands that work together to keep from fraying?  I hope your answer is the latter!

Birthday goodies!

Non-News 

Well, what's new?  I am a pretty boring person, I guess, because not a whole lot has happened lately.  I am enjoying that, though.  We have yet to carve our pumpkins, and so there probably won't be any pumpkin carving to come.  There will still be seeds, though, and some fresh pumpkin puree to freeze, so all is not lost.  

We just came back from a family visit in Michigan.  I got to meet my dog-niece, Ninja!  What a sweet doggie.  It was a short, but good, time while we were there.  We attended a benefit Halloween party for my sister's work, where we ate delicious food and saw all sorts of funny costumes.  I have to say, the most impressive costume was a group of three people all dressed like the cast of Dog the Bounty Hunter.  It was classic!  Poor hubby has been sick with a cold, or sinus problems, for a few weeks now, and I haven't been feeling 100%, and we were both party poopers.  We were so tired that we left around 11 that night, before the prize drawings ended and the costume contest winners were announced.  Too much excitement for this old bird! 

Jobs are still going well.  Thanks for asking.


It's That Time of Year Again
Well, another year has almost come to a close for me.  My birthday is a few days away, and my husband always dubs the week of my birthday as "Birthday Weekapalooza".  It's always an enjoyable time, even though I don't feel like celebrating is necessary.  I am old enough that I have to stop and remember my age!  Yikes!  Oh well.  I have to tell you about all of the birthday freebies that I get though!  There are so many restaurants that send you e-mail certificates for free birthday goodies that you must sign up for:

Texas Roadhouse is a great one (and my favorite restaurant!).  Sign up as a "VIP Roadie" and you will not only receive free appetizers for your birthday, but you will also receive freebies for your wedding anniversary, sign-up anniversary, and other events.

Cold Stone Creamery will e-mail you a certificate for a free Like-It size with one mix in for free if you sign up on their website.  Yummy!

Auntie Anne's Pretzels will send you a buy one, get one free certificate for signing up for their e-mails.  Great if you are near a franchise!

Dairy Queen will send you a buy one, get one free Blizzard coupon through e-mail if you sign up on their website.

Baskin-Robbins, if you are fortunate enough to still have one in your neighborhood, offers free ice cream on your birthday, just click on the name link and sign up for it.

El Chico, a Tex-Mex restaurant, will give you a free dessert on your special day, just ask.

Famous Dave's Barbecue offers a special birthday treat (rumor has it that it's a free meal) for signing up to be a PIG club member.  Check it out if you have one nearby!

Outback Steakhouse will give you a free dessert (I think a piece of cake) and embarrass you with a song, but you don't have to sign up for anything to get it--just go in and tell them it's your birthday!

Red Lobster will also honor your special day with cake and a tune.  Just mention it's your day.

Click here for a list of other places that might offer birthday treats.

Granted, not every restaurant will have these birthday surprises, so you should always check first before going.  Well worth it!  There are many more than this short list, it just depends on what restaurants you have nearby.  You won't go hungry around your birthday if you just do a little checking around.  Others celebrating with you will sometimes get to enjoy the benefits of your special day, too!

Celebrating birthdays is something that tends to lose appeal as we get older.  Maybe we look at aging the wrong way--we could be celebrating the fact that God Himself created us, and allowed each of us to be born on this day to serve His purpose.  Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us of God's hand in our earliest existence: "13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Perhaps instead of grumbling about getting older, and complaining about the new parts of our bodies that don't seem to work the way they used to, we should give thanks to the Lord for creating us and loving us every day of every year!

Frugality

Labor Saving/Money Saving

Now that I have to balance housework and a job, I've been looking into using items that will make housework faster, because I hate the idea of coming home from work only to do more work.  I also hate having to spend the weekend doing housework.  So I check regularly for coupons online that will allow me to pick up cleaning supplies and aids to help me out and leave some money in my pocket, too.  One such website is the Swiffer website, and by giving your address you will receive a coupon book in the mail for several Swiffer products.  I purchased a Swiffer sweepervac at Meijer a while ago for a grand total of around $8 (it was on sale, then I had about $15 in coupons for the vac), and I love it!  It runs on a rechargeable battery, and works great on hard surfaces (I have wood laminate flooring in our kitchen and linoleum in our bathroom).  I am also considering the Swiffer mop to replace the old Clorox mop that I purchased back in college and can no longer find refills for.  Another website that will occasionally offer coupon books is SC Johnson.  At the moment, the are not offering coupons, but they do have other tips for money savings.  While at Meijer one day, they had a display with SC Johnson coupon books, and I grabbed three!  Sometimes the opportunities are there when you least expect it.  Another website to check out is the Glade website--they are offering a contest to design a candle, and if your design is chosen, you can win cash prizes.  As in, up to $10,000.  So it's certainly worth checking out, and if you have time, design a candle!  Lysol, if you are a germophobe like me, is a great website to sign up for access to their product coupons.  You will have to create an account, and then you will be able to download and print out coupons for Lysol products (you will need to install a Coupon Printer program, like any online coupons).  Lots of great offers.  Proctor & Gamble often has a coupon insert in weekend newspapers, which is another good source for finding savings.  If you are looking for grocery coupons, check out these sites: RedPlum, SmartSource, CouponMom, Kroger (if you have one), and Coupons.com, among others.  They all have printable coupons that you can download.  (FYI: I have an e-mail account set up just for signing up for these websites.  I don't like getting spam, and don't want to use my regular account, so I set up a special e-mail just for this.)  Hope this helps!

Saving money is not just good sense, practiced through the ages; it is, like so many topics, talked about in the Bible.  The money we have is not really our own, but instead is a blessing from the Lord.  As such, we must treat it as something that God trusts us with to use for His purpose.  Yes, we have to use it to pay bills, provide clothing and food for ourselves, etc., but we are to use what's left responsibly.  Proverbs 21:20 says, "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has".

Faith, hope and charity

With the start of new jobs, my husband and I decided to clean out our closets and get rid of some "older" clothes before stocking our closet racks and stuffing our dresser drawers full of new garmentry.  We pulled out clothes that we didn't wear anymore, clothes that no longer fit, and clothes that we just never liked when we first bought them (what were we thinking?? purchases).  I even included some pairs of shoes that are in great shape, but that I rarely wore because after any length of time in them, my feet would start to get mad at me (nothing wrong with the shoes, but I have strange-shaped feet!).  So after filling a very large Kohl's shopping bag, the kind they reserve for when you purchase mega-items, I began to look into places that will take used clothing donations.  Now, I occasionally go through closets and pull out clothes, maybe once a year or less, and have given them to Goodwill in the past.  However, I have read stories and comments online that indicate that the reputation of workers at Goodwills are less than trustworthy when it comes to donations (i.e., keeping the nice donations for themselves in the storeroom).  Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but I would like to know that our gently-used items go to people who really need them.  This prompted me to look into various charitable organizations, and this is what I found out: there are few places that want to take these items and see that they get to the people who need them!

Salvation Army--Being a Christian organization, this non-profit organization has stores that sell donated clothing, housewares, and furniture.  The profits from these stores go toward funding the Salvation Army Rehabilitation centers and adult job training programs.  The Salvation Army holds to more conservative, Biblically-based stances on issues such as abortion and homosexuality.  What I don't like, though, is that my donations are resold, and not given to those in need.  I do like that they use the money for helping the community, though.

Goodwill--Also considered a non-profit organization, Goodwill operates stores that sell donated items as well.  They also use their store profits to train adults, some with disabilities or addictions, for jobs in the working world.  They do not seem to have a moral stance on the issues of today, but they do not claim to be affiliated with any sort of religious organization, so they would not be required to have moral standards.  Again, they resell the donations, instead of distributing them to families in need, but the money goes to a respectable cause.

PlanetAid--This one seems questionable.  We have several of these large yellow drop boxes around town, and I've always wondered about it.  In doing some Internet research (just do a Google search for "planet aid" and you'll see what I mean), there are about as many good stories as there are bad about this supposedly non-profit organization.  They do claim to donate profits from the donations received to various charities in places around the world, such as South Africa.  They also claim to aid in emergency and disaster relief, research, and natural habitat protection around the world.  However, several of the articles I have come across claim that the funds are sent to nonexistent charities and then used by the high-ups in the organization to purchase luxury items, such as houses.  I don't know if these claims are true, but I think I will personally steer clear of this one.  Do the research and make your own decision, though.

Red Cross--The American Red Cross is the famous organization founded by Clara Barton back in 1881.  They are famous for blood drives, of course.  They are known mainly as an emergency response organization, which is why I was so surprised to find out that they do not accept clothing donations at all.  I thought if anything, they would take clothing donations for families who lose their homes and belongings to fires and natural disasters, and this was the first place I looked.  They do, of course, take money, so I suppose that if you can find buyers for your items, you could donate that money if you want.  However, that's pretty much a rummage sale, and if I'm going to be doing the work, then I would probably be inclined to keep the profits!  I do think that they do great charitable work, but I'm a bit dismayed to find out that isn't exactly what I had thought it was.

Local missions and churches--Many of these places take clothing donations, but always call before packing your car with your giveaway goodies.  Some places may not need what you have, or they may have a special location for donating these items.  We tried to give away our couch several years ago.  There was nothing wrong with it, it was in fine condition (no kids or pets), and still we had a hard time finding any charity, church, or mission that would accept it.  They just simply had no need for it at the time.  To be honest, these places would be the first I would check with when it comes to wanting to give clothes directly to those in need.  Many people appeal to churches first when it comes to acquiring necessary items for living. 

If you have household items that can double as items for use by pets/stray animals, such as towels, blankets, or socks that could maybe double as scratching pads or chew toys, consider making donations to your local animal shelter, animal rescue or pound. 

With cold weather right around the corner, it's important to have warm clothing.  While I do not like the idea of giving to people who refuse to work and instead rely on welfare and the government every month, I am compelled, as a Christian, to care for those who have less than me.  That means that I am happy to give whatever I can to those who genuinely need what I have extra of in my closet or pantry.

Many people feel compelled to donate to charities, whether they are Christians or not.  I have to believe that most people have not completely lost compassion for their fellow man, although it is a fading feeling amongst us.  Christians, though, must not give in to the hardening of hearts that is going on all around them!  It is essential to take care of those around us because of our faith.  James 2:14-17 says this: "14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  You never know when you might need to be on the receiving end!