Give the Gift of BLOG for Christmas!

The holidays are here....Christmas is fast approaching and this household's attention has turned toward presents for family and friends.  Our family loves to make homemade gifts for Christmas. Besides being SEW cheap, they are from the heart, and mean more!!  This year, the ideas have been flowing in and I'm enjoying getting them ready.  I thought I'd share the ideas with y'all so YOU can enjoy them too!!!

This first idea is a little unconventional, but it truly is a gift that "keeps on giving"!  I have a friend who loves to quilt and another who is a homemaking, crafty, photograph taking, canning....you name it, she does it mamma.....To my surprise, neither one of them have a blog!  One of them didn't even realize the benifits of blogging, the other one just doesn't  know where to start.  My Christmas gift to them....helping them get a blog started!

Do you have a friend/family member who you think could benifit from starting a blog?

Here are some steps that might help you to "Give the gift of Blog" for Christmas!

Picking a blogsite:
There are many different places to go through when starting a blog...hubpages, wordpress...your own site and others.  Then, there's my favorite, blogspot!

Deciding a theme:
What do they like to do? Are they a quilter?  Do they make amazing meals? Are they bookworms? Are they weekend warrior DIY'ers?  Seamstress? Or maybe they could review products and have giveaways......show them some blogs that do things similar to their interests so they can see what others do....it'll get their creative juices going!

Designing(the fun part!)
Next, show them some neat sites with free blog backgrounds. A blog with an adorable background can mean more readers! These sites are usually pretty foolproof....(I know, cuz I can use em! lol)  They explain things in "See Dog Go" so even NON-computer geeks can understand.  Here are a few sites I have found to be good :

HotBiggityBlog

The Cutest Blog on the Block

Simply Blog it Backgrounds

Background Fairy

Now, why did I say this was the gift that keeps on giving?
Because, when their blog starts making money, it'll be like YOU'RE giving them the money.....a continuous gift!...here are some hints on how to get the moulah to start rolling.

Monetize:

Show them how to begin to make money on their blog.  Start by showing them how to get set up with "Adsence" if they're using blogspot.  Then, show them how to use amazon associates.  Next explain Adsence affiliates to them. 

These are just some basic steps to get them started on their trip into Blogville....there are, of course, many other things that can be done, but once you get them started, chances are, they'll catch the blog bug and take off !!!!

Dishcloth swap and Giveaway WINNER!!!

After a TOO LONG hiatus from internet in my home, I'M BACK!!! FIRST oreder of business: Pics from the dishcloth swap and notification of the winner!

The swap rules, in a nutshell...crochet 2 dishcloths and swap em w/ ur buddy. When all the swappings done, a winner will be chosen to receive 2 skeins of yarn and a crochet book....

 My "swap buddy" was "DONNALEE"   BUT, she didn't send me two dishcloths, she sent me 6! AND a set of adorable handmade oven mitts! (I'm using the other one...so its not in the pic!)

Also, Donnalee and I were the only two in the swap to "complete the transaction" , so, that makes Donnalee the winner! WHOOP WHOOP!

Show her what she's won Bob!....

IT's FRIDAY!  Time for a blog hop!  WOOHOO!!!!  Here's where I've placed my lilly pad today!

"My Favorite Friday!"

TGIF! WOOHOO!!!  Today, on "MY FAVORITE FRIDAY"  I'm featuring a favorite Blog site of mine:

Keeper of the Home !!!!

Her subtitle, which says "Naturally Inspired Living for the Christian Homemaker" is SO true!  Her posts inspire me to be the best "homemaker" I can be for my family and my God!

The current post up at "Keeper of the Home" is "Fun Frugal Memories to Make with your Kids this Summer"  What better post to put up in such a financially strapped time?  The ideas she has are wonderful! 

The most helpful post I've found so far has been Creating a Homemaking Binder. Here, she leads by example with this amazing binder.  I strive to be a more organized homemaker.  This post is easy enough to follow that I feel I can do it to!  I can't wait to finish my binder and begin my more organized lifestyle!

So, don't hesitate...>GO, NOW ....click HERE and check out this awesome "Favorite Friday" site!

FYI.....Here's where I'm hoppin this weekend!:

My Wish list...or I SEW wish for these....!

 I have been on a FREGGIE crave lately.  I have no desire for pasta, burger, steak, chicken....(still want fish!) right now....I'm not vegan, nor am I a raw foodie, YET....(I'm secretly a raw food wannabe!)  Having a family of 7 makes going raw difficult, to say the least.  However, my body is telling me that I totally need fruits and veggies right now, and I'm listening!  That being said.....I have a Freggie wish list!....Lemme share it with y'all:

1.  A dehydrator!

I can't even tell you the ways I could be SEW cheap in the long run with this puppy!

Imagine the money I'd save on fruit leather alone!

AND....you should see some of the awesome things you can make like: Pizza  or Cookies!

2.  A Saladacco or Spiralizer!

After seeing videos using both, I think I would preferr the Saladacco (plus it's cheaper!)

But, I would get this spiralizer too...whichever one I find at a yard sale first!

3.  A Juicer!

I would love to have something to turn my Freggies into a drinkable delight! Plus, I want to add greens to them!



SO, this is my current wishlist....If/when I get them...from some yard sale or resale shop,most likely, I'll review them on the site and let you know how they work!

Borrowed Book Review #2: Round Robin

I finished the second book (novel) in the Elm Creek Quilts series...I got it Friday, finished it last night. I couldn't put it down.....well, not literally, I had to read it between, schooling 5 kids, mushroom picking with my parents(found NONE!), fixing boo-boo's, church twice and choir practice on Sunday,.....and a "FEW" other things....but when I COULD pick it up, I couldn't put it down!   I LOVED it!

SO, here's my SEW cheap  but SEW good borrowed book review #2!

Round Robin

by: Jennifer Chiaverini

     "She chose green and blue for the colors of the Elm Creek Manor. She chose blue for truth and green for new beginnings............

       She pieced a border of pinwheel blocks- pinwheels for her windblown life, which with faith and perserverance she tried to stitch it into order.  The pattern was a four patch, a square divided into four smaller squares, which were in turn divided into two equal triangles, one light, one dark, like the darkness of the past week and the light hope of the future.  She wanted to believe in hope."

-----A round robin quilt is made by a group of friends who take turns making the different layers/parts of the quilt-----just as the friends of  Elm Creek Quilts decide to do as a surprise for their dear friend, Sylvia....

As each woman takes her turn at each layer of the round robin, we are taken deeper into their lives, adding their stories to the ever-changing history of Elm Creek Manor............Getting to follow each character through their heartaches, happiness, and growth, made me feel as if I was becomming part of the "Elm Creek Quilters" .  I actually felt as if my story would fit within these other ladies' stories and could see where my layer of the round robin would meld with the others..........

This book is a MUST read...after book one (The Quilter's Apprentice), of course!  I finished this book wishing I had borrowed the next book WITH it so I could start reading it right away!

Friday Blog hopping...and VERSATILE BLOGGER!!

It's Friday and I'm hopping!  Also,  The How To Mommy has given me my 2nd "Versatile Blogger" award.....which means....time to spread the love!!!!

The rules of the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:

• Leave a comment to thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
• Tell us seven things about yourself
• Award fifteen recently discovered new bloggers

SO...time to follow the RULES!

1.  I'm currently TRYING to do a Couch to 5k program
2.  I'm celebrating because my 5year old is READING words!
3.  I have a deaf/Albino Great Dane named "Der Hund", but we call him "Hunder"
4.  I took German in School....but mostly only Remember how to sing "Jingle Bells"!
5.  I have MAJOR redneck tendancies....and I LIKE em!
6.  I can't go into a store without taking pictures with my cell of things that "I could make cheaper and better" !!!!!
7.  I love hunting and guns....(more redneck stuff!) and am a better shot than my hubby!(SHHHH!!!)

The 15 AWESOME bloggers I've Chosen:

 1.Design it Chic
 2.My Silly Life
 3.My Lil Cadebug
 4.My Tot Learning Time
 5.Sew Happiness
 6.Shanimals Crackers
 7.Dear Q Love Mrs.
 8.Mom's Bookshelf & More
 9.Dishes and Socks
10.Mommy 2 two Girls
11.The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug
12.Confessions of a Frugal Mind
13.Wentzell's Creative Designs
14.Food Floozie
15.Scraps and Scribbles

I'll have to send out my "awards" to the peeps in person later!

Review: The Quilter's Apprentice

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I LOVE to read.  There just doesn't seem to have been enough time the past, oh, I don't know....FIFTEEN years!  This last year, however, some changes have happened which have allowed me to feel free to take up this beloved hobby again......

That being said....I AM cheap....so...I borrow my books from the library!  I live in Michigan, so I have this wonderful program called MEL-CAT (a STATE wide lending library!), so, if I can't find a book at MY library, I have almost all of Michigan's librarys to choose from....FOR FREE!!!!  SO....Without further Adieu....



The Quilter's Apprentice
A Novel
By:  Jennifer Chiaverini

This is the First in the Elm Creek Quilts Series.  In this book, we are introduced to the Characters: Sarah McClure, A young married woman, previously employed as an accountant, but now unemployed and searching for work in a new town, Matt McClure, Sarah's husband, a previously unemployed Landscape Architect, now employed in a college town called Waterford, Pennsylvania., and Sylvia Comstock, a wealthy, elderly widow who has returned to Waterford to settle the estate of her recently deceased, estranged sister.

As the story begins, we find Matt taking his wife, Sarah out to the grounds of Elm Creek Estates, where he has been contracted to do some major landscaping/repairs for Sylvia Comstock.  After a not-so-lovely first meeting with Mrs. Comstock, Sarah is asked back to the estate and offered employment with the somewhat harsh woman.  She accepts the job helping to clean/organize the beautiful estate and the story unfolds.

The story uses the talents of local quilters as well as the most talented quilter, Sylvia Comstock to tell the story of the Bergstrom family from it's roots in Germany till present time. The quilts/quilt blocks themselves tell stories as well.   The personalities of each of the characters are destinct and very picturable, as are the descriptions of the quilts and Elm Creek Manor.

 I couldn't stop reading this book, from beginning to end it was amazing!  Each character was believable, each story very viable.  The end of the book was CLEARLY just the beginning of more.... I can't wait to read the next book!

If you're interested in these books, you can go right to the source, the Jennifer Chiaverini's webpage!  You can become part of her "World" by joining the Reader's Circle.....She even has patterns for making the actual quilts made in some of the stories!

Thrifty Thursday!!!!

Saved By Love Creations Is having a Thursday blog hop, and , seeing how I still can't figure out how to fix my LOVELY serger......I thought I'd  hop around too!

Wordless Wednesdays

It's Time for "Wordless Wednesdays!"

There are just 2 simple rules:
1. Follow the host (God's Perfect Promises) and I  on GoogleFollow widget in the sidebar.
If you're a new follower please comment so I can follow back.
2. Grab & post the hop button on your blog so we can spread the word! (Found at God's perfect Promises)




Here's the linky!