Hobby Lobby Finds

Hubby and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby this evening.  We went to use our 40 percent off coupons on fiberfill for hubby's crocheted animals (which I will share tomorrow).  I, of course, headed to the 80% off home decor section.  Here's what I found!!

These bookends were $24.99 on CLEARANCE for $5.00!  I quickly snatched them up and will be saving them for my Dad for Christmas.  He is a Fire Chief & State Fire Marshal.  He will love these!  So excited!

Love the design on this candle.  The fragrance is magnificent!  It's regular price was $11.99, but clearanced for $2.40.  

I have a great love for crosses & candles, so what could be more fitting than these two candleholders?  So beautiful!  The glass FAITH candleholder retailed for $13.99 and clearanced for $2.80.  The LOVE cross retailed for $14.99 and was clearanced for $3.00.

And lastly, I found this beautiful wall hanging with hooks.  It is engraved with one of my favorite sayings.  I love it!  It was priced regularly at $9.99 and I paid $2.00 for it!

I actually left Hobby Lobby spending less than $20.00.  That included hubby's fiberfill (which is why we went in the first place!)  I am so pleased!  

The 80% clearance sale covered a large section of one corner of Hobby Lobby - it's the largest clearance section I have ever seen there.  So, you might want to check it out for those who are fortunate to have a Hobby Lobby close by!  There were also aisles and aisles of clearance items at 66% off.  

Hubby and I had a fun night!  We always do when we find such great deals!  See, it's not hard to live better for less!  

It's Another Giveaway! This one is so sweet & so pink!!

This bottle is so beautiful, so sweet, and so pink!  I love it!  The giveaways this week are fabulous.....so many generous bloggers!  This one is being sponsored by Teacup Stitches and you are going to love it!  Along with the bottle, you will be receiving one of her original designed cards.  Again, pretty & pink!  I am a new follower to Teacup Stitches and I am in awe visiting her blog.  Everything is absolutely gorgeous and very creative.  Stop by and enter her giveaway....she has made it so simple to enter!

A Few Saturday Yard Sale & Thrift Store Finds

Saturday afternoon, hubby and I headed out on our weekly yard sale run.  We found a few beauties at the yard sales, but most of our finds were at Good Will & a charity shop about 10 miles from us (a place we only travel to on the weekends.)


Photos below are just a few of our sweet finds for just a song!

 A sweet little shelf

 Wall hanging & a couple of beautiful wood frames

A framed picture that I actually plan to keep as is!  I usually buy frames for other projects.

 So sweet!  What do you suppose they are conveying to each other?

 Love these guys!  I collect elephants.  They are made of metal.  

 Old-looking double picture frame

 How cool is this?  I don't know what I am going to do with it yet.  But, I had to have it!

 The wood duck has already made a home for himself out on the patio with the flowers we just potted.  

 The Texas A&M heart has been removed & the wreath is ready to be hung on the back of our front door.  Since it is a steel door, I will be purchasing a Command hook to hang it.

I love this wood plaque & the saying, too!

To Sew With Love Giveaway #2

To Sew With Love is having a giveaway sponsored by Old Wives' Tale Soaps.  This giveaway is really exciting because there are SO MANY ways to enter.....that means more chances to WIN!!  Old Wives' Tale Soaps is giving away a $10 gift certificate to the lucky winner. AND, shipping is free, too, when you redeem your $10!!  Wait until you see the soaps and how reasonably priced they are.....BEAUTIFUL creations.  I am entering every which way I can for this one!!


Good luck to everyone!  If I don't win, let me know if you did! :0)

Another Sweet Giveaway!

It's a Frenchy giveaway sponsored by Sandi @ Wayside Treasures!  Don't miss this one!  There are actually two giveaways and it is very simple to enter.  You have a choice between (1) A French-style tote & a French-style canvas print OR (2) A canvas pink rose print apron & a pink rose tin wall hanging.  


Hurry on over & take a look! Beautiful, frenchy treasures!  You may access her blog by clicking on her button in my sidebar.....


Good luck!

CHALK Paint Giveaway!!

Michelle Delgado of Wonderfaux Studio is offering an awesome CHALK paint giveaway on the blog of Molly Susan Strong!  You have a chance to win THREE QUARTS BIG of Annie Sloans CHALK paint.  Colors are Aubusson Blue, Duck Egg Blue and Old White.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to try out this incredible paint.  I have been reading so much about it and visiting bloggers who have had fantastic results using this paint.  I am excited to have the opportunity to enter this giveaway....and wanted to share the opportunity with you, too!

So, what are you waiting for?  Hop on over to Molly's blog and follow her directions to enter this awesome giveaway!  Best of luck!

It's Froggy & Elegant.....Do those words even go together??

I am a tea lover with a passion for teapots and frogs.  So, when I recently found this teapot at a local thrift store, I couldn't resist picking it up.  My timing was impeccable, as it had just been placed on the shelf.  I am sure it would not have lasted long.  I also have a love for all white dishes.  How could I go wrong?  I absolutely love this piece and I purchased it for $1.99.

Isn't she beautiful?  She is part of the London Pottery Collection.  The lace was also purchased at a thrift store (not the same one) for $0.25. 

I absolutely love thrifting with my hubby.  We have found some awesome deals in the last few weeks.  I have found that we find the best bargains on Wednesdays.  They seem to replenish their shelves around here in the afternoon in the middle of the week.  So, that's become my favorite time to venture out.

Tomorrow is Wednesday, so you know where I shall be!!!  Can't wait!  Happy thrifting all!
 

Delicious, Nutritious & Frugalicious!

Happy Sunday Morning to All!  Hope you are enjoying this beautiful, sunny, HOT day (at least for us)!  I have spent the last month visiting so many of you on your blogs trying to get the best ideas for Live Better For Less.  I definitely enjoy the blogs with the most photos!  That's what stood out most to me......beautiful photos!  As much as I like the content of the posts, there was something about being able to visualize your experiences, also.  So, I definitely will be including as many photos as possible among my posts.


I shall start with last night's dinner!  I was reading a blog that had a recipe for pinto beans.  I love beans....any type!  So, much so, that I decided to make a 16-bean soup.  We had leftover ham, and all other ingredients, so I was ready to go.  Preparation is not too bad.  It only involved chopping up the ham & some fresh garlic.  I used frozen chopped bell peppers and onions as it saved time and money (frozen produce seems to be better priced than fresh produce at the moment).  I guess the hardest part to this is waiting for the soup to cook long enough for all the flavors to settle in just right.  It took approximately 4 hours of simmering.  I have to say, though, it was well worth the wait!  So yummy!  And, it was inexpensive and nutritious, too.  


Here's all the ingredients (really not much to it):

Check out these beans!  They have just been washed and drained.  So pretty and appetizing!

I boiled and soaked the beans for an hour, poured out the old water and added fresh water to begin the simmering process.  Then it was time to toss the chopped up ham and diced garlic into the frying pan.  I always like to fry the ham before adding it to a recipe.  It seems to add so much more flavor.  Of course, with the fresh garlic mixed in, the flavor & aroma were so tantalizing.  Ah, four hours to go.....

After the pot of beans started simmering, I added the ham, garlic, and frozen peppers and onions to the pot.  Also added seasonings to taste.

Then, the waiting process.......

AT LAST, the finished product.  Yum for the tum!  If you look closely, you can even see the steam rising!  I added cornbread to the meal, and it was complete!  It was so good, I had some for breakfast this morning.  The nice thing about homemade soup, there are always leftovers for later!!