Freebies, Samples and other Cool Stuff

Before I start my list of samples, I want to give you some suggestions for these freebies. Some of the samples you come across may not strike YOUR fancy, but have you ever thought that someone else may enjoy them? Have you thought about donating things to the missionary closet at church or even helping out a college student? My sister is doing this for her daughter who is in her 1st year of college. She will request the sample for herself with one email address, and then request a sample for her daughter with a separate email address. I think it's a great idea! I am naturally a hoarder and can't stand the thought of passing up a freebie. If I can't use or don't want something, I will still request the sample and just pass it on to someone who can use it. This is a way to be a blessing to other people (in a small way) without having to spend a penny. =) Now, on with the list...

Mary Kay is offering a sample of mascara here.

Money Saving Mom has compiled a list of 10 feminine product freebies here. These are awesome! You get enough of these, and you won't have to purchase them for a while.

Schick is offering a free razor or trimmer sample here.

I love freebies that help me with homeschooling! Here are some free activities from Creative Teaching Press. There are ideas for a variety of subjects and grade levels. There are even some science experiments included.

Get a free Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie from Kashi here. I'm not sure of the ingredients, but if it has something that we can't have, I'll just give it to someone who can. =)

Check out the Storyline Online site for a listing of over 20 books being read by members of the Screen Actors Guild. Obviously, if you don't know anything about the book, you may want to listen to it before you let your kids listen. Each story begins with the actor introducing him/herself. There is an option to view the text as the actor reads, or you could turn it off and just listen. Pictures from the book are shown and even some light sound effects/music are included to give even more interest. Each story also has an activity guide with suggested things to do after reading the story. There is also a list of other books by the same author in case you like their style of writing.

How cool is this??? I love taking photos (as you well know, if you've been looking at my blog for any amount of time), and this would be really neat to try. I love the black & white and sepia effects, but I wonder what it would be like in color.

This Kids' Puppet Show Curtain is adorable and super easy to make! My kids would love it! They are constantly wanting to put on shows, and this would be a great way for them to do that.

I constantly find myself having little balls or scraps of yarn left over from some crocheting project and am never quite sure what I should do with it. It goes against my grain to just toss it out, so it just sits in a bag in a closet somewhere waiting for me to come up with an idea. Well, here it is! This is like making your own funky variegated yarn, and I'm going to have to try it.

Prayer Request Updates

First of all, I want to thank you for all of your prayers this week. Last night, we called my brother-in-law, Richard, and he said that Kelly's surgery went just as planned (with the exception that it took an hour longer than expected, totalling about 9 hours, I think.) She doesn't seem to be struggling with pain at this point, so that is a good thing. The next couple of months will be rough, though, as she begins to heal. The surgery she had done was an oral surgery which now requires her mouth to be wired shut for 6 weeks. The only way she can eat is through a straw. After they open her mouth up, she will only be able to eat soft foods for a couple of weeks. If you think of her, please continue to pray that her swelling will go down quickly and that she won't have a lot of pain to deal with.

Thank you also for praying for Jason as he had an interview this week. The interview went fine, and he is actually on a "ride-along" today to see if it's something he would be interested in doing. He feels pretty sure that they will offer him the job, but we'll just have to see if it's what God would have for him. He did get a call yesterday from another company that he applied with, and they want to talk to him. That position seems to be better than the one he's trying out today, so he may just have to wait until he talks to them before he makes a decision about this first interview. Please continue to pray that God will lead Jason to just the right position to take.

Philippians 4:19 - "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Matthew 6:34 - "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Last minute request

As some of you may already know, Jason's work has been dwindling over the last couple of months. In general, the leads have just become very scarce for all the salesmen, so as a result, Jason has been looking for another job. He's got to feed the "hungry mob" at home, you know. =) Yesterday, he got a call for an interview, and it was scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 1:00. This morning he got a call from the actual guy that would be doing the interview and was asked if the interview could be moved up to today at 1:00 instead. Well, since there are no leads at Sears (meaning, Jason has no work today), he gladly accepted the change.

Please pray that God will give Jason the wisdom in knowing what to do (or not to do). Our goal is not for him to "jump ship" on his current job unless we are absolutely sure that it is God's will, but at the same time, he can't just sit around and expect God to drop something in his lap.

This "trial" has taught us (yet again) that we have to relinquish ALL control to the Lord, and even though we may not understand His timing, we can praise Him for the fact that He is in control of everything and He will not forsake us. He loves us and cares about our needs. How awesome is our God!

Prayer Request

My niece, Kelly (the one on the right), is going in for surgery tomorrow morning around 10:30. Please pray that all will go well, that the surgery will be effective and that she will recover quickly.

Free Children's Audiobooks

Audible Kids is offering free children's audiobook downloads. Scroll down and click on "Free Downloads for Chidren's Literacy" in the lower left-hand corner of the website. There are 9 books available including Rapunzel (Brothers Grimm), The Emperor's New Clothes (Hans Christian Anderson), Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (Rudyard Kipling) and Rip Van Winkle (Washington Irving). You will need to create a free account in order to download the free audiobooks, but you are not asked for your credit card number or mailing address.

I just downloaded several of these and look forward to listening to them with the kids while we crochet or work a puzzle.

Thanks to Freebies 4 Mom for this great tip!

Easy, Recycled Sewing Ideas

The last couple of days, I've run across some cute ideas for recycling items of clothing to make into tote bags. I love tote bags, and couldn't resist the thought of making one (or both) of these.

The first tote bag idea comes from Jo-Ann's website and is made from a t-shirt (new or used). Personally, if you're going to go buy a t-shirt, I would just buy a tank top, so you don't have to fool with the cutting and sewing of the sleeves and neckline. Read the Customer Reviews to get more suggestions and ideas for this project. This project would be very simple for kids to do, and they would love the finished product, I'm sure.

Jo-Ann's website has a large collection of projects. I love looking through the craft projects for kids. My only suggestion is that you read the customer reviews before you purchase all the materials for a certain project. I have noticed on a few projects that customers have complained about the instructions being vague or not complete, so just check it out completely before you get started.

The second tote bag project comes from Instructables.com and is so adorable! The creator of this bag says that she got a skirt from someone that did not fit her, but she fell in love with the floral embroidery detail at the bottom of the skirt. She decided that instead of getting rid of it, she could turn it into a tote bag.

I've got a bunch of skirts that are too big for me, now that I've lost so much weight, so I'm going to have to go digging through my closet for some skirts to turn into tote bags. =) I imagine this could also be a great project for young girls. When they outgrow a favorite skirt (or other do-able outfit), they could just sew it up into a cute little handbag or tote.

Coupons and Other Deals of Note

Here's a printable coupon for 50% off at Michaels.

Smithsonian Magazine is offering (for this Saturday, the 27th) free admission to hundreds of participating museums. Click here to get your admission card.

Check out the deal you can get through Shutterfly right now! 50 free prints and free shipping! Read about it on Money Saving Mom's site.

Here's a Johnson's Buddies coupon. My kids love the bar soap! You can also try this link. I have trouble printing with Firefox, so I'll have to try it in Internet Explorer later.

Here's a coupon for $1.00 off of any Windex product.

Here's a $5 off $20 Walgreens coupon that is good Friday and Saturday only (26th and 27th).