Do you have a lot of those .19 cents notebooks you can stock up on at back to school time or even just one you want to make it go from drab to lovely?  Want a simple homemade gift to give? Here is an amazingly cheap, easy & frugal way to jazz up those note books and make them into something adoring! You can get a fancy costly look for a dollar store price. These are even great to give away as gifts . I believe in using left overs to make things as well. So I took glue, 2 pieces of decorated felt you can pick up for .50 cents, and some scrap ribbon to make this simple craft. Here is how to do it below: 

I have a colonial style court yard just like you would see in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. I love my court yard and I have been working hard after a long hard winter to get it all cleaned up. I still have more work to do. But this weekend I had a white poll that used to house a bird feeder. The feeder over the years wore out and actually in its hay day became useless because of our squirrels. Birds never got to eat from the feeder because the squirrels would eat it all and tare it up! So I decided not to replace it. Instead I was at the craft store this weekend and saw this garden sign and tea cup bird house. I fell in love. I decided to get them and paint them up along with a few other cuties I found. I just love simple crafting projects. I painted them with Krylon indoor/ outdoor paints I had left from other projects so that they didn't get wasted. 

I am loving crafting lately, I am also loving knitting & sewing. As a homemaker, I am always making something for the home with my own two hands or making something for someone else. If your into one or more of these hobbies you might want to check out Annies online clearance sale. It was too good not share with you all! If you want to save big from now until May 22 save up to 60% or more click the banner!

 Is there something you want to learn in the crafting world? You can even try an online class at Annies at 50% off with code  EYDCLSS for a limited time!

I love taking old things and giving them new life or a new purpose. I found these old chairs on the road side, ready for trash pick up day. Yes in my city when people place stuff on the road with the trash carts its for free grabs. I just hated the thought of these still good to use chairs being thrown away. I had been wanting some new lawn chairs so I grabbed them. One mans trash is another mans treasure for sure! 

They had a little rust & ware. But they still held up fine to use and these chairs can probably last a few more years. A little paint will slow down the rusting. I used Krylon indoor/outdoor all purpose paint. This paint is my favorite & is super durable. I wanted a fun color. I love the pink called Watermelon!

It only took a can and a half to give this great little chairs a make over. Boy, I am going to have a lot of fun with this chairs this summer!

Forget about yesterday, today is #FreshMade! Each day we have a choice, a choice to do the same old routine or do something unique and different.  What have you wanted to do for a long time? 2013 is almost halfway over and it’s time to do something new. It’s time to grow, it’s time to make your dreams a reality.

Chick-fil-A is helping you make today #FreshMade, by creating new menu options that you can feel good about! They are introducing 3 new premium salads and an improved wrap all under 430 calories made with premium ingredients.

Take your taste buds to greener pastures.

Join Chick Fli a In Twitter at #FreshMade today to talk about healthier eating!

Want to win 2 Fresh Made Salads from Chick Fil-A? Comment below in this blog about healthy eating! Leave your email address or twitter handle so I can contact you if you win! Winner be be chosen before 5-24-13 so hurry!

I am an Influencer for CafeMom and a Mod in the CafeMom Smarterliving Group. I had been given $50 to spend on me for Mothers and then share what I got with it. Come with me on my shopping journey to see all that I got for $50.00! This was so much fun.

This post is not pre-planned or pre-thought of. I just want to get real and write from my heart. I want to use my blog for more than product reviews ( that's fun) but I want more.

I do not know if your one of those moms. One of those who struggle like I do with perfection. In my mind, my perspective , I catch myself wanting this or that or me to be prefect. Why? Is it because those around us want us to be prefect or is it me doing it or both? Why do they want us to be prefect? Why do I want to be prefect? Why do I care what others think when I should be more focused with what Jesus thinks of me. Is it because they know they are not and need us to be, so strong, so prefect? Do they have lots of lots of impossible expectations of us or do you simply have to many of yourself? What ever the case, I have been pondering lately that most of my life I lived to please someone else or even lived in a selfish manner to please me for that moment only to regret it later then feel the wait of my guilt. Why because I expect to be prefect yet I wasn't and would carry that idea I failed to much. I am realizing more and more I am not prefect. But why did God give me a perfectionist heart? I am realizing why. He gave me that kind of perspective to use as  tool but not for it to over take & consume me. A tool to add missed detail when needed. A tool to make & create when I make things. A tool to serve with my whole heart, when I serve Him. A tool to make me better when I mess up but not to tare me down with guilt when I do. Its the fuel of striving in this life for the next day to be better.
I will not let it be my enemy as I have viewed it and hated it but now keep it in balance and know its just a small part of who God made me to be and use it to not consume me but to live for Him! I will also only use it for Him in my life on this earth and not for others. Because no one is perfect but Jesus and we are to look to him to fill in the gabs of our life that we can not fill. My standards for me I made to high because others had them to high for me also I think and I was just trying to keep up, it got out of hand. Now I will just be Susan. The less than perfect Susan, who is a tool of God for he is the perfect one & the prefect creator. Just look at his design all around! He never makes mistakes. I will embrace the fact I am not prefect and allow his perfection to fill me where I lack to make me truly better off than when I used to strive for prefect perfection on my own.
I will not fear judgement when I do fall short in front of people. Because if the keep expecting me to be prefect then they are not looking at the right one for perfection. They should only expect that from Jesus mighty Yeshua! 

Leave me a comment and tell me whats on your heart about this topic!

Welcome to my very creative crocheting guest writer Amy! 

Hello, My name is Amy and I love to crochet and create my own patterns! I live in Michigan with my Great husband and two sweet daughters. I was inspired to learn how to crochet a few years ago when I wanted to knit my daughter a hat and I could only make myself a scarf. A friend of mine was crocheting hats so I desperately wanted to learn. I taught myself how to crochet by watching crochet Youtube videos. I wanted to remember the patterns I was using so I posted them on a blog and then I started to create my own patterns to share with others. I really enjoy sharing my crocheting patterns. Crocheting has been such a stress relieving experience for me and it's my favorite hobby now! 
Popsicle Cozy Pattern

My daughter loves to eat Popsicles in the summer, but she is always complaining her fingers are cold. So I created a Popsicle cozy to keep her little fingers from freezing when she eats her cold treat. She loves this idea and now begs to have a Popsicle everyday! I wish I would of thought of this cozy pattern sooner! I usually would just give her a towel and wrap it around the Popsicle, but it would always fall to the floor in the middle of her eating it. Now this Popsicle holder stays on the whole time. She is so happy I made this cozy for her!

This is my crochet site with many different free crochet patterns ranging from baby items, scarfs, blankets, and much more.
http://crochetjewel.com

Here is a FREE Pattern For You From Amy!
Popsicle Cozy
Sc=Single crochet
I used a G hook, with a Miltie-colored cotton yarn.
Chain 7
Round 1. sc in the 2nd chain from the hook, and each stitch across, in the last stitch, work 3sc.    -8sc
Round 2. Don't turn, work around, sc in the next 4 stitches, work 3sc in the next stitch, sc in each stitch around until you reached the beginning stitch. -15sc
Round 3. sc in each stitch around, -15sc, work this round until the cozy reaches 10 inches long or how ever long you prefer. fasten off.
Enjoy this pattern~

Do you want peace, joy, unity & contentment in your home. We all could use a little more of that. Do you want to be more than a christian family on the outside but truly Christ centered on the inside? Join Pastor Craig for the Series Bless This Home. We have already had Part One you can watch below. But join us live for Part 2 and have online fellowship! I am a host for lifechurch.tv and love the true Christ centered loving fellowship and teachings we have. Even if you already have a church home, come join us for some Christ centered fun! You can even print notes while there to save for later. Invite all! 
The message each week is played over & over again at different times each and every day until a new one comes out. So if you miss one you can catch it again ! We have live fellowship and live ( private) prayer support at each airing!

Do you want to watch Part 1 of the Series now? This aired live last week. You can catch up before Part 2!

For now I am hosting at the 11pm EST airing. Come join me and say hello!
Susie Homemaker