Thanks

I want to thank each of you readers for supporting Yooper Deals over the past many months. As you probably know, it has been a labor of love and gift of my free time to do this blog. I love the U.P., the state of Michigan and our country, the USA...the greatest country on the planet! Since I'm an information hound and look things up anyway I wanted to pass along any deals I find. I never quite got the blog to the point I was looking to whereby I had actual real "live" deals from local grocery stores and other "mom and pop" shops but I did what I could. Now I'm asking you, the readers, if you want to continue this effort and are willing to contribute from your part of the U.P.? If so, it may be possible for me to continue the blog. Right now there are many things on my plate that are more important than playing on the computer (that's what it is to me...playing). So after some heavy soul-searching and prayer I have come to the conclusion that I must give some things up to be what I need to be in the areas of life that are most important. I must walk my talk and it's time to buck up and do it. So anyone willing to participate and put Yooper deals on this blog, please contact me at yoopersnowflake at gmail dot com so we can work out the details.

If not, then I say thanks for being a part of the fun, keep on keepin' on, think about your final destination after life is over and remember that we are blessed to live where we do!

Friday Freebies (early)

Wanted to pass these along to you since I won't be able to do it on Friday:

* Free holiday recipes. Thanks Crystal at Money Saving Mom!

* Get your free digital stamps from Squigglefly.com. Thanks Heather from CraftGossip.com!

* Free weekly samples from Dover Publishing; coloring pages, mazes, etc. Sign up here. Thanks Crystal at Money Saving Mom. I received my first email and was quite surprised and pleased at how many items we can use (for free, of course!)! There were coloring pages, poetry and readings, icons and graphics to download for future use, maps and things for learning projects (i.e., homeschool). Sign up and see for yourself...if you aren't interested or can't use the information, you can always get off their list. I'm looking forward to the next email!

* Free fall embroidery/stitching designs from Alexandrina' Freebies Blog. Thanks Denise from Craft Gossip for sharing!

* Free card from cardstore.com. Don't have the specifics as I need to run but check out the website and thanks to the many who've posted about it on their blogs...Shhhhh! My Sweetie will get a surprise card when I'm gone. Hopefully he doesn't read this before he receives it in the mail! Yep. They mail it for free, too, and you can add a photo for free...just because and for "Hope's" sake! Hurry, this expires Sept. 7th!

Be sure to check out my past Friday Freebies to see if you've missed any! Heading out soon so catch you on the flip-flop as the truckers used to say!

Reprieve from Posting

Hey all! I appreciate you reading and participating in Yooper Deals! Wanted to quickly let you know that I'll be taking a reprieve from posting for the next week or so. I am going "up north" to help my parents out for a spell. Hub and kiddos will take care of the homefront but I won't have easy access to a computer. If I get a chance to check in, I will, but wanted to thank-you for your support and let you know I plan on being back, God Willing, sometime toward the end of next week.

Happy rest of summer, or if you're like us, happy beginning of a "new school year!"

Tuesday Teaching

Check out this blog about Birding in Michigan. This entry shows plenty of birds seen via kayak.

Learn about cormorant control at Sault Boat Watcher.

Learn about kites and how to fly them here. Want to make your own? Learn here!

Do you know the proper etiquette for setting a table? Learn how here. When I was younger it helped me remember that the eating utensils go in alphabetical order....F, K, S!

Freebies: .mp3s

Cruising around the 'net tonight, I ran across a website where you can download the Bible and some hymns and songs. The current list of hymns available include:

* I Need Thee Every Hour
* Wonderful Words of Life
* Just as I am
* There is a Fountain
* Abide with me
* Faith of our Fathers
* Give your Best to the Master
* Holy, Holy, Holy
* Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
* Jesus Paid it All
* Near the Cross
* O Worship the King
* Praise Him Praise Him
* Praise to the Lord
* Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
* Trust and Obey

The ones I checked out are either piano or organ playing. Sounding good! Going to go listen to my new freebies!

"Because I'm the Mom" Lady

You may have already seen this but it's worth seeing again. I recognize most of those sayings of hers, what about you?



This came back to my attention today as I clicked through an email from Reader's Digest(r) and found a story about the lady, Anita Renfroe, who did this funny song.

Homeschoolers Get Free Pizza K-6

It's time to enroll your crew for the Pizza Hut® Book-It!® Reading Program. If you homeschool and have children in "grades" K through 6, you qualify for the program. Just go here to enter your name, address, email address, phone number and number of children in K-6th grade. If you have more than five in those grades, you have to call them at 1-800-426-6548. You may have to enter the names and ages of your children. We did this program last year and our youngins in the qualifying grades enjoyed their free pizzas when we went into "town!"

The program is designed to encourage reading in young children. Our crew is expected to read anyway, reward or not. So, it's a nice treat for them for something they already do! Whatever your philosophy, check it out! For reading so many words (for littles), pages or books per month (you determine the goal based on your child's abilities), each child that successfully reaches their monthly goal is given a certificate by you for a free Personal Pan Pizza! I believe there were 6 months/certificates possible for each child.

To keep track of each month's progress, I just created a spreadsheet in MS Works that came with our computer with each week listed for each child. I then entered the books as they finished them. When the end of the month came around, I checked out our spreadsheet and awarded each child their certificate if they earned it! (You may say "yah right!" but we had one unredeemed certificate last year due to one child's incomplete entries. The whole program is based on the Honor System and honor/integrity is highly important to us.)

To redeem a certificate, just bring it along with you to a participating Pizza Hut®, tell the waiter you have a Book-It!® certificate (or seven) and then order the appropriate pizza for the child(ren). Simple as pie. Pizza pie, that is! I just enrolled our youngins which is what prompted this posting...what about you?