Gosh we didn't have much space on the left side of our house before. I realize now that it was because the sheds were much larger than I thought. The roofs were both damaged due to cutting down the tree above them. So we removed them completely. Before pictures here:

Here is what it looks like now that we have removed the shed walls (we have to pry up the shed floors after we remove the wood planks).Also note that in the picture above, I have removed all the pavers and rocks that were surrounding the air conditioning unit (they were up behind the unit about 6 inches, covering it...not good!). You can finally see the concrete it is sitting on. See the lovely shed floor below. Fun times. Also, they stored a biminy top frame behind one shed...it is stuck for now.

So I've been promising more pictures, and believe me, more are sure to come. Here is the dock before. It was really in sore shape. Notice the before pictures with the pilings that are leaning, and are rectangular (normally pilings are round). Some we could see through, of course I didn't get good pictures of that.And the dock was pretty small before. We definitely couldn't fit a table out there, and we were worried about falling in the canal all the time, since it was small. And of course, there was the time that the dock collapsed on one end and two people actually did end up in the salt-water.

Now, these are terrible, but it shows the old dock removed, and the new pilings going in.

Now here is a picture of all the pilings installed.
You can see it is getting much larger! This is the day they were starting to install the lift.
We changed the layout and now the boat faces the other way. But it gives us much easier access. Before it was a 2-person job to ease the boat out of the slip. We had to back out and make a turn at the same time. Now we can get straight out.
And here it is in all the glory...with our used lift we got for $2K :) -- thanks RoxyinRed!

Now it is also higher, so this doesn't happen again (Tropical Storm Fay Fall 2008):

I didn't need coffee this morning, not that I drink that anyways.

I didn't need coffee because I had a .....SNAKE.... in my kitchen! Whew! Wake up surprise!
Since I live by myself during the week, I had to get rid of it on my own! Got the swiffer out and the snake climbed aboard (not really) and I put him in the front yard. Whew.

We finished Fiddler on the Roof. I always forgot my camera, so I don't have any great pictures to show you right now, but I was a bottle dancer and it was a lot of fun.

I also worked more last weekend outside. My dad did most of the work, but we finally removed the sheds. I will be posting the shed/side of house project in pieces on the blog when I get a chance. It looks much larger with the sheds removed. So be sure to check back!

On a side note, I have been going to A Full Cup for a while now. It is similar to HotCouponWorld.com. It has coupons, forums on specific stores, deals, and can help you find help with almost anything coupon related. You can check it out through my banner on the right side of the blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Also, I am going to have to start planting for the side of the house once I get the pavers put in. If you have any ideas on great plants that would do well in Florida, and vary in height, that don't need a lot of any care, please comment below. I need help with tall, medium, and short.

So sorry that I've been MIA on my blog. Things got crazy right around Christmas time.

My great aunt Margaret did like her quilt. I hadn't heard from her though and got quite worried until I got a card on the 27th of December to tell me she finally moved out of her house and into a facility, so she wouldn't be alone all the time. Whew. That really scared me. I've never met her, but I feel attached now that I found her and have talked to her so much.

I've been doing a lot of genealogy research now too. That takes up a ton of time at home, when I normally go shopping and save my receipts and post them here.

We got our dock built finally. I'll share pictures sometime. And of course, I've been doing a few yard work projects. I planted my garden. My dad and I worked on the chain link fence that was uncovered after I chopped our bouganvillea down to the ground level, since Tropical Storm Hannah decided to lean it at 45 degrees towards our yard. Next up is the paver project and removing the terrible looking sheds on the side of our house. Pictures are due for that as well.

My nephew loved his homemade presents, even if they were *homemade*. I think it is love that counts, not presents. And I'm going to embrace this more, even if it perturbs some in my family. What do you think? Should a PRESENT be more important than being kind and treating others with respect? Little do you know how much that came into play this Christmas!

Finally, this is the last weekend that I'm performing in the Chorus of Fiddler on the Roof at our community theatre, Surfside. It has been chaotic, but there is a great group of people in the cast and we've had a wonderful time. I'll miss that for sure.

I did a ton of shopping and working this weekend!

First, I finally finished the quilt I made for my Great Aunt Margaret in Oklahoma. Do you think she'll like it?? It is a 12 block, made from a pattern I found in Fon's & Porter's, and it is called the Kaleidoscope. See how the triangles inside each block rotate around to repeat? I LOVE THAT PATTERN!! The possibilities are endless. On a side note, see how I painted my living room blueberry? It is still growing on me. But most of the time it looks darker than that.

I also added a label on the back:
Then I went to Walgreens to get some much needed paper towels and John Frieda:
5.94*2 Viva Towels (6 pk) [15% discount]
5.94*2 John Frieda Shampoo/Conditioner [15% discount]
.50 Mouthwash drops filler
=24.96
-2.00 RR
-2.00 RR
-2.00*2 Viva Q
-5.00/2 John Frieda Q
+1.43 tax
=2.69 OOP, cost of 6.69

Next up was CVS on Sunday for the new deals! I found a ton of the Thermacare (thank you manager of my local CVS).
I did 4 transactions before bopping over to church.
#1
2.49*3 Thermacare
2.99 Scissors
=10.46
-2.99 Raincheck Scissors
-1.00*3 Thermacare Q
-4.00 ECB
=.47 OOP

#2
6.99 Revlon Moondrops Lipstick
2.88 Crest ProHealth 4.2 oz toothpaste
5.99 Nivea Body wash
2.49*2 Thermacare 1ct
= 20.84
-.64 ECB (adjusted from 1.00)
-5.98 ECB
-7.47 ECB
-.75 Crest Q
-1.00*2 Thermacare Q
-2.00 Revlon Q
-2.00 Nivea Q
+.93 tax
=.93 OOP

#3
6.99 Revlon Moondrops Lipstick
2.49*3 Thermacare 1ct
2.99 Scissors
=17.45
-6.99 ECB
-1.00 ECB
-2.99 Scissors Raincheck
-1.00*3 Thermacare Q
-2.00 Revlon Q
+.19 tax
=1.66 OOP

#4
6.99 Revlon Moondrops Lipstick
2.88 Crest ProHealth 4.2 oz
5.99 Nivea Body Wash
2.49*2 Thermacare 1ct
=20.84
-7.47 ECB
-5.98 ECB
-.75 Crest Q
-2.00 Revlon Q
-2.00 Nivea Q
-1.00*2 Thermacare Q
+.96 tax
=1.60 OOP

Grand total: Bought $69.59 worth of merchandise at a profit of $9.71, which is a savings of 100%!

Next up was Publix (or P-club known to some).
3.19*3 Gallon Milk
.60*8 Swanson Canned Broth (saved .49 each on sale)
-.25/4*2 Swanson Q
2.99*2 Aleve (saved .52 each on sale)
-1.00*2 Aleve Q
2.50*2 Sister Schubert’s Rolls
-1.00*2 Sister Schubert’s Q
1.29 Organic Carrots
3.69*2 Wesson Oil
-3.69 Wesson BOGO
14.06 Beef Rib Roast (saved 9.04 on sale)
-2.00/10 Deli Food Lion Competitor’s Q
1.99 5# Idaho Potatoes (saved 1.50 on sale)
.92 White Onion
2.00 Loaf of Bread (saved .99 on sale)
=42.80, saved 28.66 which is 40.1%...not my best but certainly not my worst.

Finally, last weekend (2 Sundays ago), my church had a cookie exchange. I made my grandmother's buckeyes, and won a prize -- MOST TRADITIONAL. Kinda funny cause a lot of people I know have never had buckeyes. But they were delicious. I'll post the recipe at some point on my blog.

Ok, so I did more work this weekend. Good for me (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it), none of my family reads this, so I know I can post it!!

I made three crayon rolls, that I saw first on homemade by jill, which she got from Skip To My Lou. It worked perfectly!

That will really help a parent keep track of those crayons.

Then I made some stuffed felt animals. I saw the Alligator on homemade by jill, and got the other two free here. Again, I just love finding new sewing information and ideas from others. I wish I were a little bit more creative!

I'm making many cute items that I can give to family members. Here is a great one, for a younger boy (my nephew is just over 2)....it's called a car caddy. Now, I made mine with recycled denim from DH's old ripped jeans, but I don't recommend making more than one layer denim. I went through a ton of needles because it was too thick. Here is where I saw this idea, and it has the tutorial for you as well (thanks homemade by jill!).
Inside there is an area for a road, for imaginative play!
Next up is a crayon roll, same idea but with crayons instead of cars. That is going with a coloring book about dinosaurs and a dinosaur toy (that I got with a $10 Q at Walmart!). I am also doing a quilt and towels and coaster sets, but I'll post those pictures when I'm done. Enjoy!

Okay, I did another shopping run last night before I went home to make 10 dozen buckeyes! Ooh someone is getting some buckeyes!!! Surprise!
Staples
12.99*2 20 ct Duracell batteries
+1.56 tax
=27.54 OOP, get back 24.99 in Staples Rewards for Batteries, cost of 1.56
WAG
#1
.39 Candycane
1.99 Stayfree
.15 tax
-2.00 RR
=.53 OOP, +2 RR, which is a cost of .53

#2
2.00 Scunci Headbands
-2.00 RR
+.12 tax
=.12 OOP, +2 RR, which is a cost of .12

Grand total: Bought $3.99 worth of merchandise at a cost of .65, which is 83.7%
Publix
5.49*2 Glad Kitchen Bags [3.49 each]
-1.00*2 Target Glad Q
-1.00*2 Glad Q
-.55*2 Fresh Express Q (oops, I forgot to get the fresh express!!)
3.49*2 Cocoa Puffs [.75 each]
-3.49 Cocoa Puffs BOGO
-1.00*2 Cocoa Puffs Q
3.39*4 Nabisco Baked Crackers [.95 each]
-3.39*2 Nabisco BOGO
-1.00*3 Nabisco Q
3.50*2 Benefiber Stick Packs [FREE!]
-3.00 Publix Benefiber Q
-2.00*2 Benefiber Q
4.79 Revlon Nail Polish [.49 each]
-2.50 Publix Revlon Q
-2.00 Revlon Q
3.29 Cover Girl Nail Polish [.29 each]
-2.00 Publix Cover Girl Q
-1.00 Cover Girl Q
3.65*2 Juicy Juice [1.08 each]
-3.65 Juicy Juice BOGO
-.75*2 Juicy Juice Q
1.95*2 Betty Crocker Cake Mix [.98 each] -1.95 Betty Crocker BOGO
6.89*2 Vanilla Extract [3.45 each]
-6.89 Vanilla BOGO
1.79 Publix Eggs [FREE]
-1.79 Publix Egg Q FREE wyb 2 Sargento Cheeses
4.29 Stew Beef (2 lb total) [3.76 per lb]
5.23 Stew Beef
-2.00 wyb $10 Beef Food Lion Competitor Q
1.67*2 Sargento Shredded Cheese 2.50*2 Butter .99 Sour Cream 8 oz 1.19 Cream Cheese 8 oz 1.59 Canned Pumpkin 1.50 Beef Consomme 2.00 Qt Grape Tomatoes 4.99 1 lb Strawberries 1.99 8 oz Mushrooms 1.49 3 oz Shallots 3.19*2 Gallon Milk +1.44 tax
=62.14 OOP, saved 62.04, which is 49.9%!

#1
2.00 Brushes
1.99 Stayfree
-1.00 Stayfree Q
+.24 tax
=3.23 OOP, saved 5.29

#2
2.00 Brushes
.39 CandyCane
-2.00 RR
+.15 tax
=.54 OOP, saved 5.99

#3
1.59 Replacement Christmas Bulbs
1.99 Stayfree
-2.00 RR
-1.00 Stayfree Q
+.22 tax
=.80 OOP, saved 4.30

#4
2.00 Brushes
-2.00 RR
+.12 tax
=.12 OOP, saved 5.99

Grand total: Bought $11.96 worth of merchandise (sale price), at a cost of $2.69, which is a savings of 77.5%! Now I have 2 more RR ($2 each) to roll or use at Publix!

I'm back!!! After a long hiatus, I'm finally doing coupons again. Just too much to do!

So here is what I did last night:
Winn-Dixie
1.49*8 Bounty Paper Towel Single Rolls [.34 each]
-1.49*4 Bounty BOGO
-.25*5 Bounty Q
-1.00*2 Bounty Q
2.50*4 Hefty Ziplock Bags [.25 each]
-2.50*2 Hefty BOGO
-1.00*4 Hefty Q
+.66 tax
=4.37, saved 18.21 which is 80.6%

CVS
6.99*4 John Frieda Shampoo/Conditioner
.45 Photo
1.49 Photo Surcharge
-1.00*4 John Frieda Q
-4/20 CVS Q
-3.00 John Frieda CVS Q
-4.00 ECB
-6.99 ECB
+.72 tax
=8.63
+4.00 ECB Holiday Catalog, +10 ECB John Frieda, which is a cost of $5.62. Saved 21.99 which is 81.20%

Publix
1.00 Food for All Donation
2.99*4 Arnold Buns [1.50 each]
-2.99*2 Arnold BOGO
3.99*2 Ruffles Chips [2.00 each]
-3.99 Ruffles BOGO 6.49 Duracell 9 V Batteries 1.50*2 Goldfish
3.39*2 Nestle Cookie Dough [.95 each]
-3.39 Nestle BOGO
-1.50/2 Nestle Q
6.99*2 5# Uncle Ben's Rice [3.00 each]
-6.99 Uncle Ben's BOGO
-1.00/2 Uncle Ben's Q
3.79*2 Q Tips
1.29*4 Green Giant Veggies [.65 each]
-1.29*2 Green Giant BOGO 25.00 Itunes GC for Sister 25.00 Old Navy GC for Donation
+.84 tax
=91.34, saved 27.80 which is 23.3%

At 2:28 pm EST from Melbourne, Florida.