Spring Cleaning

I noticed the heaps of trash everyone was putting out yesterday and so it occured to me that maybe this is the week the trash people pick up all our junk. I took the day off of work to move all the stuff from when I had the back porch taken down out to the road. People kept pulling up in their pick-em-up trucks and hauling it away. There is nothing left out there. Cool.

I sprayed some more poison Ivy in the front border. Just not brave enough to pull it up right now. I also dragged some blocks to the side of the house where I usually set up my yard sales. I will use them to make elevated platforms for the boxes of books I will be selling.

Then I had to go do laundry, because my clothes were filthy. Fun. It was a beautiful day, cool and sunny and perfect for the work I had to do. Still no more blossoms on my poor Azalea. Poop.

azalea, sort of.

Okay, two little blooms. I am not so sure that will be enough to save you, sweetheart. What do you guys think? In the picture below you can see her two little blooms in the upper center. Now, granted, she is evergreen, so gives some substance in the winter border, but she also takes up quite a bit of room. I need to separate the daffodils this fall and spread out the iris, so I could use the space. There have been NO blooms the last two years, now this. Pretty sad.

Almost Sick

Not quite sick, but almost. I woke up yesterday with a sneezing fit and by the time I finished yard sales and my runs to Cvs for Karen, I was worn out. Turns out I was running a bit of a fever, and just achy all over. Went to bed around 4 pm, but I kept popping up to do wierd stuff, like blog. I usually run about 97.6 temp, and it has been up around 99.2 last night and so far today. I have a horrid headache, in the top of my head, not my sinuses. Need to investigate that. Haven't had much to eat, and don't feel like eating any more. That might be a good thing!

It is only 2 pm, but I may be going back to bed with a book or two. Toodle loo.

Super Saving Saturday #3

Super Saving Saturday

Great deals earlier this week at CVS and Walgreens, but after yard sales this morning I took Karen's card to make her some money.

She had $1.50 ecb for her spring spending, and that was it. I woke up sneezing today so I wanted to work in the Alavert deal. The first store only had one ALAVERT, so I had to change my strategy.

Trip one.
Alavert 6.99 -4 coupon +4 ecbs
Biore strips 6.49 -1 coupon and part of buy $15 get 5 ecbs
Herbal essence B1G1 free $3.99 -3 coupon off two
Speed Stick 3.99 +3.99 ecbs
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21.46- 4/20 cvs coupon=17.46
-8 coupons=9.46-1.50 ecbs +tax= 9.02 out of pocket, get back $7.99 ecbs

Trip two
Alavert 6.99 -4 +4
John Frieda Dream curls 2/ 9.98 -3 coupon and 1 crt coupon Finish $15 get 5 ecbs deal
------------------------------------------
16.97 - 3/15 cvs coupon= 13.97
-8 coupons +4 ecb from above =1.97 +tax= 2.18 out of pocket and got back 4 and 5 ecbs.

So I spent the $1.50 ecb+ 9.02 + 2.18 =12.70
she ended up with 3 ecbs for 3.99, 4, and 5 for a total of $12.99 so we made .29 cents and I have three packages of Alavert!

Tall Maddux of Calif swans

I'm participating in Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's House. Come on over & join the fun.

I put the little chapstick between these guys so you would get an idea of their size. They were made by Maddux of Calif and I got them on Ebay after my collection had obviously become a collection! Maddux also did a series of TV lamps shaped like swans. These are the tallest birds in my group so far. They have a white finish and glazed black beaks and eyes. This is under the glaze and won't scrape off, like some of the painted pottery does.

See what every one else is sharing on Show and Tell Friday!

Mommogrum

Yeah, great, it is all digital now so you don't have to sit around and wait to be sure the x-rays are readable, but you still get smooshed. And you still have to wait 7-10 days for the results to get back to you. And I still don't much like it. But I did it.

Sneak peak at Friday's swan.

CVS and Walgreens again

I have been making money this week, because I had some great CRT coupons and Walgreen has a special RR deal. Walgreen's Register Rewards are actually Manufacturer sponsered, just like CVS ECB's, but they have their own little quirks. This week if you buy 2 Aveeno products, you get $2 RR, 3 =$4 RR and 4=$10 RR. They also have it on sale 20% off.
I read that there were $2 coupons in a book of beauty coupons at K-Mart, which is next to my CVS in W.F., so I grabbed a handful of the booklets. The small Aveeno tube was $2.63 on sale, making a total of $10.52 -8.00 in coupons = $2.52, but generating $10 RR. I have done this 3 times this week. The tax was .82 for a total of 3.34 X 3= $10.02 but I now have $30 in RR. The quirk in RR is that I can use them to buy more Aveeno, but if I do, another one will not be generated. If I use them to buy something from another manufacturing company, that is also generating RR, it will work. I can use them on something that is in their rebate book, or just spend them like cash, but once you get started, you just want to roll them over!


I got a new $25 gift card for CVS from MY POINTS and thought we should keep track of how far it goes this time. I had bought the above Alavert before the card came, so it won't count, but I have to tell you about it. There were $4 printable coupons available on the internet, and I had a $2 CRT from CVS. They are on sale this week for $6.99, and are generating $4 ECBS. Oh yeah. So I paid 1.05 and got back $4. -----$2.95 profit plus the Walgreens profit above puts my total at $22.93 profit so far.

I had a $5 duracell CRT, and a $2 Dove CRT. I still had a $4 coupon on the Alavert. Before this first deal on my new card, I had 2, 4, and 3.99 ECBs. The duracell had a peel-off .50 coupon. I had $1.50 coupon on the dove, and I had purchased some earlier so only needed 7.01 for a 5 ECB. (buy 15, get 5)

alavert 6.99-4 +4 ECB

Dove 7.99-2 +5 ECB

Duracell 4.79-5.50

19.77 plus tax put me over $20. I used my 4 off of $20 coupon, the 4 alavert coupon, $7 crts and 2.50 other coupons. I handed over my 2 ecb and paid .84 on my card. I now have a balance of $24.16. I also got 9 in ecbs. 9-2 ecbs and .84 means I made a profit here of $6.16. So the total profit so far this week is $29.09 and it is only Tuesday! My ECBs are now up to 16.99 from 9.99, but that is included in the $29.09 profit.

I want to emphasize this, because that is money that can then be spent on those items that rarely get coupons, like meats and milk. You can say, I never use those things so why would I buy them, but they generate cash like usable income to cover things you do use. Yes, it is work and if you don't enjoy doing it or get a kick out of it, then it probably doesn't have a big enough payoff for you. But if you are like me, it is a game with a little profit built in!

Dog Sitting

I am dog sitting tonight for Karen G as she got a call about a last minute opening in the Sleep Study she has been waiting for. Her dog Padan is 14 and a chihuahua and shih-zhu mix. He can't hear anymore but has his manic puppy moments. Parker is a big, long, black lab, and a couch potato. Padan will spend an hour grooming Parker's face while he rolls around, trying to lift his head out of the way, but not standing up to avoid him.

Beautiful Day

Absolutely beautiful today. I played outside a bit, carefully. Did some laundry and boiled some eggs. Had some corn on the cob earlier and I am baking a potato right now and will have an orange for dessert. Simple Sunday fare. I had made sloppy joes late last week and boiled up some macaroni yesterday for some goulash with the left overs. I will try to work out a menu this week, since I missed the last few weeks. It actually does help with the shopping and cooking!

Tree and Garden pictures

Here is the front cherry tree, with the lilac in the foreground.

This is my Sassafrass, just beginning to leaf out.

At the front of the walk you can see the Azalea that is going bye-bye if she doesn't bloom this year!

My Crabapple in the side yard. Loaded.

Here are some violets, and my toes.

I have been out at the yard sales all morning, but here are the pictures of my own yard!

Show and Tell Friday Swans 3

I'm participating in Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's House. Come on over & join the fun.

Show and Tell Friday with Kate's Swans continues!

These are the swans that started it all. Once again, it is those swoopy lines I love. And the pastel colors. And the fact that they are McCoy pottery. When I bought these some 25-30 years ago, they cost me between $6-8 but now they are hard to find for less than $25. They stand about 9 inches tall and 6 inches wide. I still need the yellow one, but it will show up when it will. My McCoy collection has the solid pastel greens, pinks, blues and some darker blue greens. I don't much care for the painted pieces, but, as you will see later, some of my swans have painted beaks and feet. Anyhow, next to the shell swan from last week, these are my favorites!

Flowering trees!

My poor little peach tree has already lost most of her pink petals, but the Crab Apple and the Cherries are blooming big time. I am going to have a LOT of Crab Apples this year. I have made useof them in the past with the apples as the pectin in my blackberry jam. I guess I may be doing it again this year. The last few years my apples have been frozen out but I don't think it will happen this year. I am giving my azalea one last chance, and if it doesn't bloom this year I am taking it out. I may also cut my crepe myrtle back to the ground, as it has gotten huge. It was supposed to be a dwarf. Hah! I will try and get some pictures up this week-end, as things change so fast in the spring.

Back at work.

I went back to work yesterday, still a little twingy, if that is a word. Taking it pretty easy, as the muscle relaxers do make me a tad woozy. Another great word. I am staying out of the stairwells. My lawn was mowed for the first time this year. Smells wonderful. I still have so much to do out there, and I can't just yet. Stretching those hamstrings.
#6 had a PT test yesterday. I wonder how he is feeling today?

Lazy Day

I have spent most of the day in bed with my coupon box and sales flyers and a heating pad. And cats. And Mt. Dew. And a couple of books. Not a bad way to spend the day, but everytime I had to get up I grunted and groaned a bit. I probably should have been in motion a bit more, but it's a rainy, colder day out there and I don't want to go. Anywhere. So there. I can't carry in the boxes of books I bought yesterday at the C'dale library book sale. Karen's nephew Bryce went with us to the sale and carted out the bags as we filled them and put them into boxes. He was half asleep, but he got 'er done. Bless his heart.

I can't sort through the boxes I have in here because I can't move any of them. No auctions going up tonight.

Okay, I am pouting. Jon would say, stretch your hamstrings! Build up your core! I will, next week.

My Shell Swan

I'm participating in Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's House. Come on over & join the fun.

Isn't she sweet? I found her at a rummage sale and I am suprised no one else had grabbed her up. I love the swoopy lines and size, not too big, not too small. The inside isn't glazed, so I don't think I would ever use her as a planter. She was made in the Phillipines and I am glad she made it here safely! I had a lot of positive comments about my swans last week, so I am going to feature them on Fridays for awhile, but I am spending most of tomorrow away, so I thought I would get this up early.

Bad Back from Boxing Books?

Or maybe wrestling the big clump of daylilies with one stubborn patch of wild honeysuckle vine out of the earth on Sunday contributed to my pain. I went to the Doctor today and am off work officially until next Tuesday. I've got my Skelaxin muscle relaxer and heavy duty Ibuprofin and some generic and mild valium to help me sleep. That is more dope than I have ever taken. No shots this time though, because we treated it before it got to the spasm stage. Thank God.

Busy Boxing Books

Really. I have been very busy putting the books in plastic bags and packing them carefully into boxes and making sure the addresses are on the right boxes. I hate it when I send a box of books to the wrong person! Then I have to haul them out to the car one or two at a time and then haul them into the Post Office and hope there isn't a line. I think I hurt my back again. I am going to put one of the those menthol pain patches on it. I had one box of 19 Kenyon Dark Hunter books go for $152 and 4 ex-library D.E. Stevenson Mrs Tim books went for over $50. All in all it was a productive week. I need to keep it up, but I won't.



Howsomever, there is a big rummage sale this Friday-Saturday put on by the local C'dale churches and then the C'dale Library book sale on Saturday. More books, I betcha. I will certainly be scarfing up any Kenyon books I see. Or Horse stories. Or Mrs. Tim.

I had a good time at CVS on Sunday, and didn't even use any ECBS. I bought three gift bags at $1.49 each. They are a cvs brand Essence of Beauty product and the sale this month is buy 3 items get 5 ECB's. The RX essentials again, I had 2 $5 manufacturers coupons and a $5 cvs coupon for them that expired on Sunday. The special was buy one, get one free. They cost $14.99, minus my $15 in coupons. The Excederin is another special this week, $1.99 each with $2 manufacturers coupons floating around, and $1 ecb's each. With my $4 off of $20 purchase coupon, I paid less than a dollar and got back $8 in ECB's. So once again, they paid me $7.50 to take this stuff home. Do you see Mica in the upper corner, trying to eat some bag ties?

Because they are cute.

Mica and Jean-Claude in a pensive moment.

Show and Tell Friday #1

I'm participating in Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's House. Come on over & join the fun.

I love me some swans.

I am not sure how this started. I was finding McCoy pottery back in the early 80's and loving the pastel colors. The swans just started showing up in my collection with everything else, but now I have so many they have their own space. Actually, they have outgrown this particular space, and I am trying to decide where they will be moving to next. The one to the left of the center blue vase is all little sea shells. I think it has become my favorite, but I still love the tall McCoy ones in the back.

See everyone else's Show and Tell Friday and maybe add your own!

Harry is going to Canada.

My Harry Dresden books are going to Canada. They didn't do as well as I hoped, but I recouped my costs. Several of the others did better than expected. $126 worth tonight, the next bunch end on Sunday night. It is thundering again so I am shutting it down. Happy April everyone!

I have an excuse.

FOR WHY I DIDN'T BLOG YESTERDAY!

It was thundering and lightning and wet. So I shut down the computer after listing two more boxes of books. So there.

Sunday I did a trip to Aldi's and Cvs. Suprise!

Turkey tenderloins, carrots, storage containers and brown sugar for $16.34 at Aldi's.

4 softsoap spa body wash, 2 lady speedsticks, one fusion razor, 2 pkgs Glucerna snack bars, and a Mt. Dew, which somehow didn't make it into the picture, for $3.47 oop. The softsoap spa is this months free ECB special, and I grabbed them because they have a tendency to disappear after the first few days and never make it back into stock.

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Today I did my Kroger run, needing Kitty Litter.

Kitty Litter, Progresso Soup, Biscuits, Deli Meat, 3 Fuze Slenderize drinks, mustard, and sugar cookie mix for$8.47. The cashier said "Wow".