Saturday, May 9, 2009

mommy and me

since tomorrow is mother's day, i thought i would post some pics of me and my mom. these tend to be sparse since she and i tend to be the shutterbugs in the family. of what i could find, these are my faves.




this is my mom and i at christmas back in 2004. i love that she paused from knitting her afghan to have the pic taken but still kept it in her hands.


this is the only one of just she and i at my brother's wedding.

and, finally a pic of the women of my mother's side of the family at my grandmother's 75th birthday party back in july of '04

my shoe collection part 16



what can i say, i'm back to some of my target shoes. i got these tritoned metallic peep toed heels by mossimo for target last summer on 75% off clearance for $6.24.

Friday, May 8, 2009

whatcha think?

i know i've made a ton of changes to my blog thanks to dear annette at fairy blog mother's blog. so, i really want to know whatcha think? any suggestions? things that don't work for you, let me know. anything you wish i would add, let me know. right now, though, my blog will very much be a construction zone. so, please forgive the links that don't work, and other mess.

the downside of this is that i have a ton of other changes in the works, ie updating my blogroll, adding my etsy account. i know most of my sidebars are missing since i have to manually add those all back too. and, some of the links like those in the navigation bar are not yet working until i set them up. with all the technical work, i may not have as many blog posts over the next few days and be commenting on y'all's fabulous blogs. i promise i'll be back in full swing in a matter of days though.

how you can still use the kfc free meal coupons


everyone including me has been talking about kfc's coupons for free 2 piece grilled chicken meals. i may be a vegetarian, but the idea of getting 4 free meals for my boyfriend especially with our money woes right now is music to my ears. apparently, kfc underestimated how popular this promotion would be causing them to run out of the chicken at many locations. so, they've suspended honoring the coupons. instead, if you bring in the coupon to a kfc, they will give you a raincheck coupon which you must mail to them along with the coupon. you will receive a new coupon which will be usuable during a new 2 week period yet to be determined. also, el pollo loco is offering to honor the kfc coupon only on mother's day, may 10th.

today's free stuff 5/8/09

free redbox rental at walgreens use code free dvdatwag no expiration date, but good only once
free redbox rental at mcdonalds use code mcdlex55 good thru the 13th
free pouch of redman silver pouch mail in this pdf
free baron funds t-shirt with code fst20092
coupon for free box of glucerna-if you have used this before, it has been reset. so, you can print one again.
free gardening gift from claire murray
free dove energy glow sample
free aqua chem test strips
coupon for free hormel compleats microwave meal good only at military commisaries
free spice chicken mix sample
coupon for a free slice of apple pie good only on mother's day

sewing machine meltdown

after i posted about joining wardrobe refashion, i decided to check out my sewing machine. sadly even though i've had the sewing machine for a few years, i think i've opened it up once prior and never sewn anything with it. my father surprised me with it a few years ago when he visited it to me. he received it from a coworker whose mother had owned it. since my mother has her own sewing machine which i had asked to borrow on several occasions, i think he figured i would put it to good use. this past christmas, he told me he had been thinking of either getting me a dslr camera or sewing machine. i immediately told him there was no need for a sewing machine since he told me he had checked the one he gave me and it was in perfect working order and i had yet to use it. i felt guilty about him spending so much money on me, but that camera is really being put to good use. but, now i want to use my sewing machine which until now has been extra desk space as seen cleared off here.




here's the desk opened up revealing the extra work space and how it holds the machine. and, look at the happy pic of me and my honey.






finally, here is the sewing machine revealed.






i started practicing stitches on an old work shirt that i use as a rag now. things were ok for a few minutes. then all of the sudden a part of my machine flew out of the side. and, it got some pretty good lift as it landed halfway across the room. here's a closeup of that part:






suddenly,my sewing machine no longer would stitch at all. i picked the peice up and inspected it. to the best of my estimation, it appeared to be a rubber belt that had simply dry rotted. unfortunately, i had no idea where i would get replacement parts for a singer sewing machine. growing up, there was a singer repair shop in my hometown.
since i am 2 hours away from my hometown and i had no idea where there is a sewing machine repair shop in town, i decided to search the net. i started by looking for stores and could not find any in my area. i figured there had to be a way to order them online. so, typed singer sewing machine replacement parts into google. the first site listed was the official singer webpage. i figured i was getting somewhere now. my experience on the singer website was less than pleasant though. amazingly, i have the manual. so, i know my model number, and the part number is on the part. if only i could just type that in and search by it. oh, no. if i search by the model number, it just gives me a very small list of about 20 parts. i had no idea what the name of my missing part was. the site gave me the option of looking through about 20 diagrams to try and figure out what my part was. i don't think i could be more confused looking at those diagrams. i may be a bit spacially challenged, but seriously only slightly. i was completely uanable to find a belt that matched the area my belt came from. and none of the belts listed in the diagrams were even on the list of parts i could order.
so, i went to my go to when i am confused. i looked for the contact us button, so i could speak with a customer service rep. of course, when i find the number, i am 38 minutes too late to contact them on saturday. my call would have to wait until monday when i got off work. i called 888-873-9822 and spoke with the absolute sweetest customer service rep, dennis. he told me that the new website is www.sewingshop.com. this website even has handy dandy pictures. and, i could either order the part over the phone or online with the model and part number for a mere $14.95 and plus $3 shipping. simple, and just what i wanted from the beginning. the part is ordered, and should ship by tomorrow. now, i am just waiting for it to arrive so i can get to refashioning. hopefully, figuring out how to put the part in will be less eventful.

twitter is driving me bonkers

twitter was supposed to have scheduled maintenance at 5pm est. i understand it is a free service, and i'm sure maintenance is necessary. but, why at 5pm? why not at like 3 am when less people are trying to tweet? and, i was totally in the middle of a conversation with dear annette. and, so much crap is going on that i want to tweet about right now which isn't always true; so of course it has to go down. the message on twitter said it would be down for an hour. hour was up, and twitter came back up albeit running super slow. then, bam, as i was in the middle of tweeting, it went down again. no cute message like i normally get like this:
oh, no, now internet explorer just tells me oops! this link appears to be broken. why can't it just work? i know i have my last nerve plucked in general, and that's why i am being driven to the nth degree of frustration with twitter being down. perhaps, this is all merely a sign of my twitter addiction. or, my need for some serenity now. perhaps, i need an aa meeting, or a slurpee, or hot bath, or something anything to calm my nerves.
anywho, if twitter is working, you can follow me at rebos2003. i'd love to tweet with all of y'all.

i really do have a fairy blog mother


many thanks are due to annette of fairy blog mother blog. she really is a fairy blog mother. tee hee. if you don't know her, she really is super sweet, funny, and sometimes a bit dirty but in a totally fabulous way. she also has amazing giveaways. so, if you're not following her, definitely check her out. i am so lucky to have become bloggy friends with her. she sent me a direct message on twitter to check out a link, and low and behold she had basically created a new layout for me with a header, button, and lots of other cool additions. unfortunately, twitter is now down for maintanence, so i can't really get all the details from her on how to make the changes. once its back, i am planning on making a lot of these changes and giving my blog a facelift. and, she said she did this because she was bored. how amazing is that.

found

i know i have been desperately searching for stuff for refashioning at thrift stores. i have been completely surprised out how few sheets especially sheets with pattern on them i have found at goodwill. so, i decided to walk to the salvation army thrift that is in the shopping center down the street from my home. i didn't find any sheets that i liked. the only patterned sheets i came across had country style flowers on them. not really my cup of tea. however, i did find a single curtain panel i think may work.


i think the contrasting gold band will be cute for the hem. since i want the skirt to be knee length, it should leave me with lots of extra material to create other items like maybe a bag. my juices are flowing. since it was only a single panel, i got it for $1. to top that off, i even came across a scrabble game. i'm not sure if it has all the tiles, but i don't really care since i want to turn them into pendants. score. and, the total of my purchases was only $3.

my shoe collection part 15

continuing with some more of my non target shoes i have these old navy two tone faux crocodile flats. i picked them up last december at 75% off for $4.99.



i like the contrast in color on both the back and toe.

my trip to goodwill

i tried out another goodwill wednesday searching for usable materials for refashioning and just cool finds in general. i was specifically looking for sheets to use as fabric for skirts, men's shirts also for skirts, and t-shirts once again for skirts. would you guess i'm on a skirt kick? but skirts are my favorite in the summertime since i don't wear shorts hardly at all in public at least. no such luck on this trip with any of my searching for refashioning. i did find a few things. i found these flats which were target new stock that i actually have been looking at target.com.



they are satin with a patent band on the toe with a plastic jewel like flower. target.com currently has them for $8.24, but i got mine at goodwill for $3.50.
i am also always on the search for jersey lounge pants. for some reason, i can never seem to find them in stores anymore. they are my fave to wear at home. as soon as i get home, i always change into lounge pants and t-shirt or shorts depending on the weather. i got lucky and found some lounge pants that are green which is one of my favorite colors. and, how cute are the purple buttons and ribbon drawstring. they also had the right color tag to be 50% off.
so, these lounge pants only set me back $1.38. sadly, i am still hunting for fabric.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

no garden after all

i recently received a letter from my landlords which was troubling on multiple levels. the whole trouble began last summer. i received a call from my landlords advising me of a letter they received from the city which was followed by some nasty phone calls from one of our neighbors. apparently, one of our neighbors who lives several houses away from us does not like us. why she dislikes us i am completely unaware. we do not have loud parties in fact if anything we are the only house on our street that does not regularly have visitors. we are pretty quiet and keep to ourselves. we have no children or pets that run through the streets or vandalize property. and, trust me this is a regular problem on our street. we have kids who walk through yards willy nilly. we have one neighbor who shoots off fireworks at least once a month usually between 10pm-midnight. when the neighbor called my landlord, she accused him of being a slum lord who houses crackheads. now, i may be a recovering alcoholic, but crackhead i never was.
she filed a complaint to the city that we were not within the lawn code. our grass was a bit overgrown at the time as my boyfriend had been having heart problems, and he prohibits me from cutting the grass to be safe and avoid possibly fatal wasp or hornet stings. by overgrown, i mean it had been about a week and a half since it was last cut. the grass, in all honesty, must not have been the real code violation. along with my landlords, we assumed that to be the problem. in the original letter from last august, the city included the whole lawn care code which states grass cannot be longer than 3 inches and no weeds can be longer than 12 inches. so, my boyfriend became vigilant about mowing the lawn and using the weed whacker.
i was surprised and confused when i woke up one morning early this february with snow covering the ground to discover that our sassafras trees had both been cut down so they were just stumps, my daffodils which had just begun to bloom the day it snowed had been weed whacked, and our muscadine vine was severely pruned to the point i doubt we will see any fruit this summer. i was confused. my only thought was that our landlord had decided to do some landscaping. the city ordinance letter from the previous summer had been so long in the past that i never even thought they could have been the ones who removed the plants. on top of that, i thought the choice of plants removed to be odd, but since i don't own the property, i really have no say.
then, the end of april, i received the letter from my landlords including a bill from the city for the removal. i was upset by the cover letter that the city had removed plants that i certainly do not consider to be weeds. however, the city has no definition of what a weed is. it is up to their discretion. i was horrified, though, when i saw the bill. the city was charging close to $700. i sent a letter to my landlords begging for mercy until the middle of the month to pay them as times are tough, and that is quite a large chunk of change for us to dish out right now.
now, my mind has turned to the garden i was preparing to plant. considering the plants the city has already choosen to take from me, i am not sure what plants are safe to have in my garden. i have seeds for carrots, basil, thyme, cucumbers, rosemary, radishes(but, those i'm giving to my mother as i can't stand radishes.), tomatoes, and squash. i also had procured wildflower seeds. i think it is ridiculous the city can control what is even in my backyard as long as its not drugs of course. and, i was so excited to have a garden of my own.

today's free stuff 5/7/09

free mars bar coupon for the first 250,000 every friday starting at 9am until september
free proctor and gamble samples including prilosec 0tc and charmin freshmates
free $10 shoebuy.com gift card for taking the self challenge today only
free $10 gift check for kfc for 1st 200 starting today every day at noon thru may 10th
free zingiberx muscle and joint cream sample
free sunbutter sunflower spread with promo code 3569
free sample of naturemade triple flex triple strength
free downloadable delicious living 25th anniversary cookbook

i couldn't be more thrilled at this find.

i wandered into goodwill yesterday looking for nothing in particular possibly some things to refashion or maybe get lucky and find more potential crayon molds or of course shoes. as i was wandering through the home goods section, i passed a wooden bookshelf with hardback books. now, i knew better than to look at the books especially after my recent library haul where i acquired more than 50 books. but, i could not help myself. my eyes were immediately drawn to
.
you see i had previously owned eats shoots & leaves. somehow in all the moving and roomates of the last few years, the book disappeared. i dearly love this book. yes, it brings out my inner dork. yes, i was an english major. yes, i was an english teacher. this book speaks to that part of me that corrects silently and sometimes not so silently those around me when they use poor grammar and uses my red pen(yes, i always have a red pen.) to correct incorrectly punctuated signs posted in the break room at work. but, this book goes beyond speaking to my inner stickler as lynne truss calls it. she takes a self deprecating stance on her inner stickler understanding that such rigidity is humorous to the rest of the world. in general, she makes punctuation funny even when some people think it may not be possible. i recommend this as required reading for any teacher, student, or english speaking human being in general. so, i just had to get it for $1 and am now happily rereading it.


grand opening next week

i finally took the plunge and opened an etsy account. it is called daffodilsandladybugs as these are two of my favorite things. i am still trying to figure out how to set up my shop and determine my prices.
it seems like a lot of fees to take into consideration. from what i can see on etsy, i get charged 20 cents for every item i list and they take 3.5% of my selling price. then, there are all of the paypal fees. paypal charges me $1.50 everytime i withdraw funds. and, every transaction someone makes with me they charge me .30 cents and 4.9% of the total transacation. these may not seem like a lot, but since i am selling small items most likely at a small price, they add up quickly eating away at any profit i can make. i want to make a profit, but i need to set a price people are willing to pay. i have been doing research searching etsy to see what other people are charging. it seems that the going rates vary from $1.50-$3 for individual crayons and $3-$7.95 for sets depending on the size and number.
i'm also trying to figure out how to make a banner for the top of my shop. if anyone knows how to do this, please give me some advice.
i plan on opening my etsy shop after my giveaway winner for my crayon giveaway is announced. so, if you don't win, please stop by my shop and pick up some of my crayons.
to begin with, i will just have the crayons in my shop. but, i plan to soon be adding some more of my crafts like scrabble pendants.
any advice and ideas from my readers would be greatly appreciated.

more flowers

i got a bit of time out in the yard while my boyfriend was admiring his new, used car. so, i decided to take some pics. the one and only iris in my yard came into full bloom today.
i love that these azaleas look like they are a crowd trying to push out to get air.


and, more azaleas

my shoe collection part 14





i've been featuring a lot of shoes from target lately in my shoe collection posts, so i thought i would feature a non target purchase. i bought these as part of a lot i bought on ebay. i got 9 shoes in the lot for $18 with shipping. so, in the end this pair cost me $2. they are canvas with writing all over them. they have an elastic toe and an ankle strap making them super secure.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

today's free stuff 5/6/09

free sample of john freida brillant brunnette illuminating liquid shine shampoo and conditioner
free coupon for digiorno flatbread melts if you are a kraft first taste member or join
free sunflower seeds

my 1st giveaway-closed

so, i know i have been promising a giveaway for my 300th post, and here it is. i am giving away a set of my recycled crayons that i will soon be selling on etsy. the winner will get to choose from one of 3 designs either circles


hearts


or sea creatures




the sea creatures are available in the following six colors


purple and blue


bluegreen and orange


green and red


the circles and hearts are available in all those colors and in rainbow

the winner will also choose whether to get a set of 6 crayons all the same color or assorted colors. each recycled crayon is made with at least 8 crayola crayons.

here the way to get entries:
  1. you get one entry for commenting on this post

  2. you get an additional entry for following my blog via blogger just hit the follow button on my left sidebar. you need to say that you follow me in your comment. this will count for both new followers and those who already follow.

  3. you get an additional entry for following me on twitter. you can hit the button on my right sidebar to do this.

  4. you get 2 additional entries for blogging about my giveaway and leaving a comment including the link to your post.

  5. you get an additional entry for twittering about my giveaway. just leave the link to where you tweeted in a comment. if you need to know how to give me the link, check out my post here.


  6. you get 2 additional entries for posting a comment answering my calls for help picking posts to submit for featured blogger on sits here.

that's right, you have an opportunity to get up to 8 entries in my giveaway. i'm going to be using random integer generator. so, make a separate comment for each entry, so that i can assign each comment as an entry to get the winner. this is my first time, but it looks pretty simple. and, don't forget to leave your email in your comment, so i can contact the winner. this giveaway will close at midnight on wednesday, may 13th. i will contact the winner via email and announce the winner on my website by friday, may 15th.

don't forget, i still have dove coupons available, and handmade goodies from me available. please check them out and read those posts for details.

this giveaway is listed at mom's most travelled giveaway carnival. check it out, she has close to 200 giveaways currently listed in the carnival.

i love the summery feel of these wooden sketchers. i picked them up at rugged warehouse a few years ago for $15. i wear them all the time during the summer with skirts and pants.

since this is my 299th post, my next post will be a giveaway which should go live at 8am. so, be sure to look for it and join in.
edited to say should go live at noon.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

highway to the dangerzone


my restaurant recently added peach iced tea to our menu. i've never bothered to try any of our flavored teas before, but i love peaches. so, i thought i would give it a whirl. we use monin flavored syrups to flavor beverages like you see in many gourmet coffee shops. smelling the syrup though took me right back to my early drinking days. you see i swear the syrup smells just like peach schnapps. and, oh my god, it tastes just like it too sans the alcohol. add orange juice, and virgin fuzzy navels here i come. not sure if this counts as dangerous behavior.
its ok in the tea too.

happy cinco de mayo


happy cinco de mayo everyone. i plan on having a virgin margarita tonight to celebrate and maybe a burrito.

today's free stuff 5/5/09

free cottonelle sample
3 free chicken strips today at chick-fil-a for teachers
free subscription to forbes magazine
prinatable coupon for free grilled chicken meal at kfc including 2 pieces of grilled chicken, 2 individual sides and a biscuit. you can print the coupon up to 4 times. good between may 5th-19th excluding may10th.
free minifacial and skincare sample at origins may 11th-31st
free sample of pull-ups training pants
free scrubbing bubbles gift pack
free subscription to slam magazine
free sample of crest whitening strips
free sample of huggies diapers
free sample of glad force flex trash bags

my shoe collection part 12



so, i screwed up with my scheduling of posts and accidentally posted 2 shoes yesterday. oopsie. well, i'm not going to skip a day, so here's today's shoe post. i got these shoes from target online last summer when i needed something over $4 to hit the $50 mark before taxes so i could get their free shipping. i searched their 75% off shoes and found these babies for $4.99. i've always had a soft spot for gingham. guess its the country girl i am at heart. they have 4 1/2 inch heels, but with the platform and well padded insoles, they are surprisingly comfortable. i was nervous since i haven't had such high heeled slides before. but, when i wore them with a white eyelet skirt, i was pleased that there was no slipping.

Monday, May 4, 2009

magic or what we do for love


i love freebies, and i remembered my boyfriend had told me that as a boy he played magic the gathering. so, when i saw a free offer to get 2 decks of magic the gathering, of course i ordered them. i was at work when they arrived in the mail. seeing the company logo on the package my boyfriend decided to open it and see what i had gotten. frankly, i find this to be an annoying habit of his as it takes the pleasure out of me handing him a present even if it didn't cost me anything. the decks that i got for free are apparently starter decks that have combined only the amount of cards for one person to play. so, he felt inspired to stop into the gaming store beside his work and pick up more cards, so we could play together. initially, i was a bit taken aback not only that he had spent money even if it was less than $10, but also by the idea of playing anything that could be found in a gaming store. i've had several friends who played dungeons and dragons or mmorpgs like uo and wow. i don't get them. sorry, i just don't. my best friend loves wow. i've sat there with her ensconsed in conversation while she does her thing. she has tried for years to get me into it to no avail. so, in my real lack of knowledge of what magic the gathering was, i blew it off as being in that vain. but, then, i thought to myself if a supafly professional poker player like david williams was once a magic player, how bad can it be? plus, i've learned in a relationship, i have to try things i may not like just because he likes them. so, i gave it a whirl. turns out its like a complicated strategy board game just with cards. turns out and please do not laugh at my utter and complete dorkiness here, but i had a lot of fun. in fact, i kept wanting to play. and, since doing something together even as simple as playing a game together helps keep us together, i'm on board to play it more. i will not be playing in any tournaments or shopping in gaming shops anytime soon.

a chance to be on what not to wear


i am a fan of what not to wear on facebook as i am a super regular watcher and fan. i wish i could be on their show not because i think that i am less than fashionable. au contraire. i think i rock in the fashion department. but, who wouldn't love at trip to nyc and 5k to go shopping. two whole days of shopping, what could be more fun. plus, i totally want to meet clinton and stacey. my best friend and i have joked about nominating each other just so we could be on. well, since they will never come to my town, i guess that will never happen. as a fan on facebook, i got notification of this new program they have called are you fab or drab? you can submit fashion questions including pics to be read on air. to be featured on one of my fave shows would be amazing. now, if only i can think of a question.

today's free stuff 5/4/09

free subscription to macworld
free iced fruitea at arby's may 6th
free subscription to foreign policy magazine
free sleeve of noodle golf balls at select sports authority for trying out their burner 09 driver
free redbox rental today only with code BT73H9
free subscription to working mother magazine
free sample of biofreeze pain relief We would be glad to send you a sample packet for Biofreeze. Included will be a brochure on the product itself, a 5-gram trial packet for you to try and also an ordering form for future reference in case you ever find it difficult to locate the product in your area. Please call 1-800-246-3733 and ask for the Consumer Department or email us at web@biofreeze.com.
free dnky sunglasses case
free sample of terra golf tees
free sample of glue dots
free sample of mom's healthy cereal
coffeemate brew crew entitles you to promotions which may include some freebies

my prize arrived today

i was psyched about winning ie mommy's spring photo contest as i mentioned in a previous post, and today the prize arrived in the mail. it was one of those perfect mail days; no bills, free samples including a full pack of trident gum, and a prize. just what i needed after an aggravating day at work. there was a certificate and necklace.
and, here's a closeup of the pendant.

my shoe collection part 11




these are snakeskin pumps by issac mizrahi for target which i got last summer on 75% off clearance for $7.49.

my shoe collection part 10





i can't remember exactly how much i paid for this gold pointy toed kitten heels by mossimo which i got from target online last summer, but i know i got them for somewhere between $4-$7 as they were 75% off clearance.