Haphazardly Hobbying

So you may have gathered that I’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone post, in the last few weeks. I’m sorry I’ve been MIA! The holidays & all that leads up to them are killing me, you guys. But I am alive, I am happy – I’m just REALLY busy.

So, in lieu of a post or any sort of site maintenance whatsoever, I give you – more of my menagerie:

This is Socs (left) and Plato (right). Yes, Socs is short for Socrates, and no, I didn’t name them. They’re a little on the skittish side, especially around the dogs, so it’s a pretty rare thing that I can get them to be still for pictures. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of things soon – cross your fingers for me!

Enter HERE

Sweeps: Athena 365 Holiday Sweepstakes
Grand Prize: An Apple iPod Touch
Details: Enter by registering for a free account
Ends: 12/19/2010

Good luck everyone!

Image courtesy of Hawthorne Threads.

This week over at Hawthorne Threads they’re giving away this beautiful Le Jardin de Papillions quilt kit just in time for Christmas – even if you’re not a quilter, this would make a great gift for a quilter on your holiday list! Go HERE to enter. Good luck everyone!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day – and if you’re heading out to shop in the morning, have fun and don’t get trampled!

Myspace Turkey Day Animations provided by MUDTRAP.COM

Enter HERE

Sweeps: American Laser Center’s $5,000 Laser Hair Removal Giveaway November 2010
Grand Prize: $3,000 worth of laser hair removal treatments
Second Prize: $1,500 worth of laser hair removal treatments
Details: One entry per person. Valid in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennesse, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washingon, Wisconsin
Ends: 11/30/2010

Good luck everyone!

Enter HERE

Sweeps: The Toy Insider 2010 Sweepstakes
Grand Prize: $1,000 worth of toys from The Toy Insider.
First Prize: 1 of 3 prizes: $100 worth of toys from The Toy Insider.
Details: One entry per person per day.
Ends: 12/10/2010

Enter HERE

Sweeps: 2010 Sibu Beauty/Hilton Head Marriot Island Escape
Grand Prize:  Airfare; four nights for two at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa; two 1-hour spa treatments at Marriott’s Spa Soleil; bike rentals for two; one hour of tennis court time or yoga class for two; and two complete sets of Sibu Beauty products.
Details: One entry per person per day.
Ends: 11/28/2010

Good luck everyone!

Enter HERE (sign in to Facebook and “Like” Eversave Phildelphia)

Sweeps: Eversave Philadelphia $200 in Save Rewards
Grand Prize: $200 in EverSave Rewards
Details: “Like” Eversave Philadelphia on Facebook for a chance to win; they’ll pick a winner when they reach 1,000 fans. Note: You can use the Eversave rewards anywhere in the country – you don’t actually need to live near Philadelphia to enter.
Ends: When they reach 1,000 fans.

Good luck everyone!

Enter HERE

Sweeps: Sweetbay Supermarket Sweet Ride Promotion
Grand Prize: a 1932 Roadster
Details: One online and one in-store entry per person; the rules state that use of “multiple e-mail and/or street addresses, under multiple identities or uses any device or artifice to enter multiple times in violation of applicable entry limitations may be disqualified.”
Ends:  11/30/2010

Good luck everyone!

Enter Online HERE; or by texting one of the following words to 347639 (Disney): “GRID”, “LIGHTCYCLE”, “CLU”, “SAM”, “DISK”, “ARCADE”, “QUORRA”, “PROGRAM”, “LEGACY”

Sweeps: Tron Get on the Grid Sweepstakes
Grand Prize: Prizes build in value depending on how many people enter the sweepstakes, the top level prize is a 3 day / 2 night trip for four to the Disneyland Resort in California including airfare, hotel, 3-Day Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper, a $900 Disney Gift card, Disney VIP Tour Guide, and ground transfers (if sweepstakes reaches 2,000,000 entries). Lower level prizes include a media pack (3D tv, Blu Ray Player, etc) or a gaming pack (XBox 360, etc).
Details: Limit of 10 text Entries per person per Cell per day, 1 online entry per person per day. So enter away and make sure that grand prize is available!!!
Ends: 12/31/2010

Good luck everyone!

This is only about half of what I brought home this week!

It’s been a BIG shopping week for me! I was out of town for the first half of the week – I went to Georgia to visit Michelle of I Heart Publix fame! We had a great time visiting and, of course, shopping our little hearts out! I was (geekily) excited to score some Kroger deals and double coupons and I came home with a TON of stuff – my pantry is full up and I am ready for holiday cooking & baking! Here’s what I got:

#	Item	Price	Qs	Total
4	Duracell 4 pk	$7.92	$6.00	$1.92
2	Milkbone Dog Biscuits	$7.38	$3.00	$4.38
2	5 lb ground beef	$21.40		$21.40
	Tyson chicken breast – approx 10 lbs	$17.71		$17.71
	Catalina		$4.50	($4.50)
2	Pillsbury Grands	$2.98	$1.80	$1.18
8	Pillsbury Pie Crusts	$11.94	$6.90	$5.04
4	Cheerios	$5.96	$4.75	$1.21
1	DVD	$9.99	$5.00	$4.99
8	Pedigree Dog Food	$6.00	$4.36	$1.64
4	Dole Fruit	$4.00	$4.00	$0.00
6	Gold Medal Flour	$9.00	$3.30	$5.70
14	Domino Sugar	$14.00	$7.00	$7.00
4	Cheerios	$5.96	$4.00	$1.96
2	YoPlait Delights	$5.98	$5.98	$1.56
4	Helluva Dip	$4.00	$4.00	$0.00
2	Heinz Vinegar	$2.78	$2.00	$0.78
5	Betty Crocker Cake Mix (1 DH by accident)	$5.35	$2.50	$2.85
5	Betty Crocker Frosting	$3.95	$2.50	$1.45
2	Progresso Black Beans	$1.98	$2.00	($0.02)
3	Progresso Canelini Beans	$3.87	$3.00	$0.87
8	Ortega Diced Chilis	$10.80	$4.00	$6.80
4	Mahatma Rice	$4.00	$4.00	$0.00
	$3/$30		$3.00	($3.00)
4	ICBINB Spread BOGO $2.49	$4.98	$4.75	$0.23
2	ICBINB Spray BOGO $2.49	$2.49	$1.50	$0.99
2	Celery, BOGO $1.69	$1.69		$1.69
2	Publix Baby Carrots, 2 lb bag, BOGO	$2.99		$2.99
2	Publix 5 lb Potatoes	$3.98	$2.00	$1.98
1	Publix Yellow Onions 3 lb	$2.49		$2.49
3	Green Onions	$1.29		$1.29
10	Swanson broth can BOGO 1.05	$5.25	$1.50	$3.75
4	Mt Olive Pepper Packs BOGO 2.79	$5.58	$2.25	$3.33
8	Mueller’s BOGO $1.29	$5.16	$4.40	$0.76
2	Mueller’s Egg Noodles $.99	$1.98	$1.10	$0.88
4	Hellmanns Mayo BOGO 4.93	$9.86	$5.00	$4.86
4	Muir Glen tomato sauce	$6.76	$3.75	$3.01
4	Wheat Thins Stix BOGO 2.99	$5.98	$6.00	($0.02)
4	Ritz Munchables Pretzels BOGO 3.09	$6.18	$6.00	$0.18
4	Ricola Cough Drops BOGO $1.79	$3.38	$2.00	$1.38
4	Bic Multi Purpose Lighter BOGO $3.49	$6.98	$6.00	$0.98
4	Breakstone’s sour cream	$4.00	$2.20	$1.80
1	Corn Tortillas	$2.37		$2.37
1	Publix Mild Detergent (for dog soap)	$1.49		$1.49
8	Jones Sausage Links BOGO $2.49	$11.96	$14.00	($2.04)
2	dozen eggs	$4.00	$3.50	$0.50
4	Sundown	$12.26	$18.00	($5.74)
2	Laughing Cow	$4.00	$2.00	$2.00
1	Smuckers preserves	$3.00	$1.00	$2.00
	Thanks to my buddy Happy!! – $5/$25		$5.00	($5.00)
		Tax		$6.84
		Total OOP		$115.91

I spent $115.91 for $519.80 worth of groceries this week – can you say FANtastic??? That means that even though my total is WAY higher than normal this week, my percentages are right on target at 78% savings. Plus, I’m well stocked on meat and baking supplies. I was especially happy to score flour at under $1 a bag because I make my own bread in the winter (it’s just too hot in swampy Gainesville to run the oven for long periods of time at any other point in the year).

Enter HERE

Sweeps: TaylorMade Burner 2.0
Grand Prize: A full set of steel or graphite Burner 2.0 golf irons (8 irons total).
Details: You don’t need to sign up for a preview event to enter, but you do need to follow the prompts through three short screens and hit “submit” in order to be entered in the sweepstakes. One entry per person.
Ends: 1/1/2011

Good luck everyone!

Enter HERE

Sweeps: Twentieth Century Fox’s Reel in the Holidays Sweepstakes
Grand Prize: $50,000 (!!)
Instant Win First Prize: a FOX DVD (random assignment of titles)
Instant Win Second Prize: a FOX Movie Poster (random assignment of titles)
Details: One entry per person/email address per day; you can earn more entries through the tell-a-friend program
Ends: 12/31/2010

Good luck everyone!

Enter HERE

Sweeps: Advance Auto Parts’ Ultimate DIY Garage Giveaway
Grand Prize: Tool Package, including Ingersoll Rand Edge Series™ Air Impactool ½”;Drive, Ingersoll Rand Edge Series™ Air Rachet 3/8” Drive, Campbell Hausfeld 2-Gallon Inflation and Fastening Air Compressor w/Accessory Kit, MVP America 40” Foldable Creeper Seat w/Tool Trays, Gear Wrench 118-piece Drive and Socket Set, Performance Tools ½” Drive 250 ft.-lb. Torque Wrench Set and Schumacher Instant Power Plus Air ™ Battery Charger.
Details: One entry per person/email address per day.
Ends: 11/30/2010

Good luck everyone!