Frugal Friday....

I saw or read that term somewhere this morning, just can't remember where...LOL The comcept works for me every bit as well as a Work In Progress Wednesday. So I began the day by piecing some string blocks, using some worn-thin pajama parts as my foundation. Seems to work very well. A little bit lighter weight than reg. fabric squares and pale enough that nothing shows through. Remember my yard from yesterday when I talked about the thaw? That was at about 1:30.
 Here's the same shot 3 hours later, at 4:30. We really got dumped on!! Maybe not as much as predicted, but enough to have cars stuck all over the place. And I'm absolutely POSITIVE this is recycled snow from the earlier thaw! *VBS*
 I received this wonderful mailing envelope from a new friend in Canada, Nannergirl. She was part of our New Years Eve Challenge, and generously offered to send her orphan blocks and bits of leftovers. A couple of orphan blocks, and lots of sewn HST that I can put to work in an Orphan Train quilt. Thank you so very much Nannergirl! You made my day! I will recycle on this Frugal Friday *S*
 This poor baby is still a WIP...I had hoped to have the quilting done by now and have it bound, but it got set aside during my illness. I'll be posting my February Project finishes later today, as I will gone tomorrow(I hope!!!) for Baby L's first birthday party....IF the snow stays away.
Thank all of you for the lovely, thought provoking comments regarding my soapbox post of yesterday afternoon. What had pushed me over the edge, to where I needed to speak up was watching an interview with a grandmother in Elkhart, IN. She told the reporter she wasn't standing in the food pantry line just for herself, but for her children and her grandchildren who had moved into her home. Their jobs and home had been lost in the downturned economy and the closing of the DHL faciity.
The reason it stuck so close to home,is that I've been needing to help a couple of my 5 kids and their families. I'm sure some of you have needed to do the same. I've not liked being in this position. As a retiree on a fixed income, it's very sad to be able to deal with the economy than a some of my children. They have jobs, but have become the under-employed, due to hours cut and mandatory 3 day layoffs. They haven't been out in the working world long enough to have achieved a firm foundation on which to stand. They are young and their families are young, as I shared with you yesterday.
And then the reported asked about what will happen when the schools close for the summer? Many of the kids get their breakfast and lunch AT SCHOOL. Clearly that will put additional strain on our food banks, pantries and parents. Donations are down, the need is up. I've decided for each day of Lent, I will take an item that would be in my daily/or weekly menu and put it into a bag for our local food pantry. It's not alot, but another 40 items will help fill the gaps for someone. If I don't happen to have an appropiate item, I'll either buy it with my regular groceries or donate that amount in cash.