Getting Ready For The New Year...

Sorry that I haven't been around much lately. I've been a busy little bee. Between working, and the Holiday's, and updating my Home Management Binder and my Bill Organizer , I haven't had a chance to blog about anything. So I'll play catch up and let you know about everything I've been doing. First off, I ended up making 2 big batches of hot chocolate mix, 2 big batches of chex party mix and 8 loaves of pumpkin-cream cheese bread for Christmas gifts for the family. And I was totally shocked, because I had made the Chex Party mix mainly for all of the kids in the family and made the pumpkin bread for the adults, but as it turned out the kids LOVED the bread and the parents ended up eating the Chex Mix. lol. Anywho, I'm glad they all enjoyed it. Next, I updated my Home Management Binder. I had to make a new Emergency Number's sheet because of Dr. changes etc., I printed off new calenders and filled in a few appointments for January, I updated the daily chore sheets and cleaned out the My Work Schedule section. Then, I got my Bill Organizer ready for the New Year. I didn't have to do much to it, but I have filed all of 2007's bills and added a new calendar to that binder. I also want to add that if there is anyone reading this that could use some organization in their lives, you should definitely try the binders. They have worked wonders for us!! I am also in the process of putting together a Home Management Binder for my mom. Her's will be a lot different than mine. I'll share that with you guys when I finish it. So, what else have I done. I have taken down all of the Christmas decorations and put them away. I've put in a LOT of mandatory overtime at work. I haven't done any couponing since my last post. Well, I think I've covered everything. Catch ya later!

$143.28 Worth of Groceries/Bath & Body Products For $86.19

No pictures...wanted to hurry up and get everything put away and get off of my feet for a while, but I wanted to share some of the deals I got tonight from Kroger and Meijer. I have tried to share with you which insert I got my coupons from...sometimes it's hard to remember though lol. Anywho, hope this helps.

Krogers:

• 2 bags Kroger brand Pretzels $1.39 each=$2.78
• 4 pkgs Fleischman's Yeast $1.00 each= $4.00
• 4 bottles Snapple $1.00 each = $4.00
• 2 Cottonelle toilet paper $2.00
• Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50
• 2 gallons Kroger whole milk $5.16
• 3 pkgs Armour Meatballs $7.50
• 2 pkgs. Fresh Express Salad Mix $2.00
• 2 Kroger shredded cheese $3.58
• Reddi Whip $2.00
• Morton salt $0.64
• French's Worcestershire sauce $1.06
• Bisquick 40 ounce box $3.59
• Kroger brand peanut butter baking chips $1.50
• Duncan Hines cake mix $1.00
• 2 Mueller's lasagna noodles $3.18
• 10 lb bag potatoes $2.48

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $47.97

COUPONS USED:

• YEAST: $0.45 OFF 1 IN 12-7 SS=$0.40 CENTS FOR 4 + I GOT BACK $2.00 IN CATALINAS.
• SNAPPLE: USED 4 $0.75 OFF 1 12-14 SS DBLS TO $1.00 OFF 1 = 4 BOTTLES FREE
• 2 PKGS. COTTONELLE T.P. USED 2 CPNS $0.50 OFF 1 12-14 INSERT = 2 FREE PKGS.
• BETTY CROCKER FROSTING USED $0.55 SCUTS CPN AND $0.50/1 CPN FROM 12-14 SS = FREE
• 3 PKGS ARMOUR MEATBALLS USED 3 $0.55/1 CPNS DBLS TO $1.00/1= $1.50 A BAG =$4.50/3
• 2 FRESH EXPRESS SALAD MIXES MARKED DOWN TO $0.99 USED 2 $0.55/1 CPNS = 2 FREE BAGS OF SALAD MIX
• REDDI-WHIP USED 1 $0.50/1 CPN FROM 12-14 SS= $1.00/CAN (COULD HAVE BEEN $0.50/CAN BY USING THE SCUTS E-CPN IF I HAD ANOTHER CPN
• FRENCH'S WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE USED $0.55 SMART SOURCE MACHINE CPN. = $0.51/BOTTLE (THIS KROGER DIDN'T DOUBLE THAT CPN.
• BISQUICK: USED $1.00 SCUTS CPN AND $0.60/1 CPN FROM 12-14 SS = $1.59/BOX
• 2 MUELLER'S LASAGNA NOODLES: USED $1.00/2 CPN FROM RECENT INSERT...NOT SURE WHICH ONE BUT CAME TO $1.09/BOX

TOTAL AFTER CPNS: $26.97

Meijer: Since Meijer only allows you to double 2 coupons of the same item, I enlisted the help of my DH and we did all this in 2 separate transactions. But, I'll just add everything together.

• 4 Mentos gum (stocking stuffers) @ 0.74/each = $2.96 used 2 $1.00 off 2 cpns from a 12-14 insert? = $.96/for 4
• 4 boxes Betty Crocker Potatoes for $4.00 - 4 $0.35/1 cpn from 12-14 SS = $1.20 for 4.
• 2 bottles Suave lotion (part of my moms Christmas gift...smells sooo good) $2.98/each = $5.78 for 2 - (2) $1.00 off 1 cpns from recent insert? = $3.78 for 2 or $1.89 each
• 4 bottles Suave body wash (2 of the men's for the boys and 2 of the women's...another part of moms gift) $1.99 each - 4 $1.00/1 cpns = 0.99 each
• 4 BIG Bottles Franks Red Hot Sauce (the guys drink this stuff lol) $3.29 each $13.16 for 4 minus (4) 0.50 off 1 cpns = $9.16/4
• Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough $2.50 minus $1.50 cpn from our last trip to meijer = $1.50
• 2 Mrs. T's Pierogies $1.36 each = $2.72 minus $1.00 off each = 0.36 each
• 4 cans Crisco Spray @ $1.94/each = $7.76 minus $1 off 1 cpn from 11-9 RP = 0.94 each
• 8 cans Campbell's cream of soups @ $0.60/can minus $0.30/4 cpn and $0.25/4 cpn = $0.46 a can
• 4 cans Campbell's cream of soups same as above with the $0.25/4 = $0.48/can
• 4 loaves of Aunt Millies buttermilk bread @ 0.88/loaf = $3.52 (this is really good bread!!)
• 2 New York Brand Dip-n-sticks 2/$4 minus (2) $0.40/1 cpns = $1.20 each or $2.40 for 2
• 4 boxes Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes @ 3/$5 or $1.67 each minus (4) $0.40/1 cpns = %0.87/each or $3,48 for 4
• 4 Knorr Rice and Pasta Sides @ $1.00 each = $4.00 minus (2) 0.75 off 2 cpns = $0.50 each or $2.00 for 4
• 2 bags Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers $0.79/each - (2) $0.50 off 1 = FREE
• 1 Bottle Dawn Plus dishwashing liquid (this is a pretty good size bottle) @ $2.49 minus $0.50 cpn = $1.49
• 4 boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes @ $2.00/box = $8 for 4 minus (4) $1.00/1 cpns = $4/4 boxes
• (3) 6 packs of coke for $11.00 no cpn :(

I think I got everything...The total before coupons was $95.31 AFTER COUPONS: $59.22

And just a quick FYI...Wal-Mart has rolled back the prices on some of their ink cartridges. I picked up mine for $17 which is normally $20. Worth checking into.

Gifts From The Heart...

Every year for the last 4 or 5 years, I have given the same Christmas gifts to everyone on my list. My mom would get a handmade jewelry set, and everyone else would get baskets with Hot Chocolate Mix, marshmallows (with the little poem about snowman poop attached to it), and a mug for each recipient. The baskets have always been a hit (and the kids LOVE it) and around the first of December, all of these jars start coming back for refills. Last year, I tried something a little different for my Uncle and my Father in Law. I made the usual Hot Chocolate gift baskets, but added a couple of other mixes. There were flavored oatmeal packets, various spice mixes & chili seasoning mixes (sitting inside a man-size cereal bowl) added to their baskets. They loved it!! This year, they're in for a treat. Along with their hot chocolate, I'll be throwing in some homemade Chex Party mix in a jar and some Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bread . If you haven't tried this recipe, you need to. It's the best pumpkin bread I've ever eaten! There are sooo many wonderful gifts that can be handmade. Here is a list of some of those gifts:

1. QUICK BREADS:



2. BEVERAGE MIXES:



3. SEASONING MIXES AND GIFTS IN A JAR: Here is just one of the many sites with lots of gifts in a jar recipes
   
4. BATH AND BODY PRODUCTS: There are lots of websites out there that show you how to make homemade bath salts, lotions, bubble baths, etc. Wouldn't this make a wonderful "SPA" Type basket. Put a few of these items, some candles, a relaxing CD and a pair of fuzzy slippers in a big basket along with a big plush towel and washcloth set. Who wouldn't love to receive this!
5. EASY QUILTS AND FLEECE BLANKETS:
6. FLEECE SCARVES
7. HANDMADE STOCKINGS
8. THEMED GIFT BASKETS: There are soo many theme baskets that you can make. Take a look around your department stores/grocery stores for ideas or search the web. The possibilities are endless. I noticed some on my last trip to Meijer. There were "movie" baskets filled with popcorn and movie type snacks and there were bath and body baskets. Which were really nice...but WAY OVERPRICED!
9. HANDMADE ORNAMENTS: I love handmade ornaments!
10. HOMEMADE JAMS AND JELLIES

The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Start thinking now of all the different things you could make for everyone on your list for next Christmas. Trust me...they'll love it!!

ANOTHER FREE MAGAZINE OFFER

Go HERE to get 5 issues of Cosmopolitan for FREE...no strings attached! Better Hurry though, these offers don't last long!!

GET YOUR P&G COUPON BOOKLET

Purchase $50 worth of P&G Products between Dec. 14 and Jan. 31 and receive a $120 coupon savings booklet by mail. Go HERE for more details and to print out your form.

My 2nd Trip to K-Mart and A Quick Trip to Kroger's

4 Boxes Kellogg's cereal (4/$10)
3 Gillette Men's Body Wash (Finally!) ($11.97)
1 Pledge Multi Surface Wipes ($3.50)
1 Pledge Multi Surface Dry Cloths ($2.50)
2 Cans Glade Air Fresheners ($1.19 each)
1 Bag Hall's cough drops ($1.34)
1 Bottle Tylenol gel tabs ($3.99)

TOTAL OOP AFTER CPNS: $5.52 Not Bad!!!


I wanted to get a few things at Kroger's during their 1pm-9pm sale, and ended up getting a few other things as well. This is how my trip to Kroger's went:

KROGER'S:

• 6 loaves of Arnold's Honey Wheat and Whole Wheat bread ($2.99/loaf and you BOGOF used 6 $0.55/each which doubled to $1.00 off each = $0.50 a loaf
• 3 bags M&M's @ $1.68 each = $5.04
• 4 half gallons milk $5.00
• 4 half gallons chocolate milk $3.96
• 2 pkgs Hot Pockets $4.00 used $0.50 off cpn for Hot Pokets Ultimates...wasn't sure if if would work for regular hot pockets, but it did. total for 2 was $3.00
• 4 dozen eggs @ $0.77 each $3.08
• 3 cans Kroger's peanuts @ 0.99 each = $2.97
• 3 bags Mike Sell's potato chips @ $1.49 each = $4.47
• 2 Tennessee Pride sausage gravy @ $1.00 each used 2 $0.55 cpns = FREE
• Cottonelle toilet paper 0.99 used 0.25 cpn + 0.50 shortcuts = FREE
• 3 boxes Kleenex tissues @ $1.00 each - 1 cpn for 0.50 off of 3 = $2.00 for 3 boxes.
• Kroger brand Fish Sticks @ $4.94 ($1.65 off of the regular price)
• Mt Olive Kosher Dill Spears $1.99 - (0.55 cpn from smartsource machine. It said do not double but it doubled anyway.) = $0.99

TOTAL OOP $34.91 for 37 ITEMS...

Tonight was supposed to have been a quick trip so I just brought the coupons that I was going to be using but while I was there, I took note of a couple other things that are some pretty good deals with coupons (kicking myself in the rear for not bringing my coupons with me!!):

Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner is marked as a "closeout buy" for $1.68 each. Use the $2.00 off 2 coupon and get this for $1.36 for both French's Worcestershire sauce is $1.39 regular price use 0.50 printable coupon (when I find where I got it, I'll post it here) after doubled = 0.39 and Texas Toast croutons are marked down to $1.69/bag use the 0.55 cpn/dbld = 0.69 a bag. So, Saturday I will take my sweet ole time and go down EVERY aisle to see what I can find!

My K-Mart Double Coupon deals ( $39.94 worth of merchandise for $6.96 + tax)

Well, I made a quick trip to Kmart tonight and the one thing that I really wanted to get was already sold out, (the Gillette Body Wash). They were also out of the Pledge and Endust that I had planned to get. I was told by customer service that they will be restocking everything tomorrow, so maybe I'll get everything else then. My trip wasn't a total waste though, I did manage to snatch up a few other things:

Vaseline Men's body/face lotion - $2.99 - $1.50 cpn dbld = FREE

Olay 4 bars for $4.00 - $2.00 cpn dbld = FREE (I grabbed the last 2 packs and gave one of my cpns to my mom to get her the 2nd pack)

2 Fixodent denture adhesives @$4.49/ each = $8.98 - $2/2 cpn dbld = $4.98 for 2

Tylenol caplets $3.99 - $2 cpn dbld = FREE

3 pkgs (30 count) Hall's cough drops 3/$4 - 3 (0.50 cpns) dbld = $1.00 for 3 pkgs

2 Oust surface and air sprays $2.99 each = $5.98/2 - 2 ($1.50 cpns) dbld = Free

2 boxes Kellogg's Fruit Loops 2/$5.00 - 2 $1.00 cpns dbld = $1.00/2

2 boxes Kellogg's Rice Krispies Choco/vanilla 2/$5.00 - 2 $1cpns dbld = $1.00/2

Total before cpns = $39.94
Total OOP = $6.96 = $1.14 tax = $8.10

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Some Of The Ways That We'll Be Using Our Kroger deals

When I picked up the Honeysuckle Turkey Brats at Kroger's, I had no idea what I was going to make with them or If we would even like them, but for 99 cents, I didn't want to pass them up. So, after looking through Honeysuckle's website, I came across these two recipes that sound really good so I'll make this with one pack: German-Style Turkey Brats And Sauerkraut and I'll make this with the other pack: Bratwurst and Winter Vegetable Stew . Let's hope they're as good as they sound!!

I'm going to make some Soft and Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies with my free cake mix and some of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

And one of our all-time favorites, using the crescent rolls, cream cheese, and the sausage, My DH will be in charge of making the Sausage Brunch Braid .

Then, I'll use some of the chicken I got out of the marked down meat bin (the 6.5 lbs for $3.56), the kroger brand salsa & the shredded cheese, and the Daisy sour cream to make Chicken & Sour Cream Enchiladas . I will use THIS RECIPE to make the tortillas, but when I make them this time, I will make the balls slightly larger than what they call for. My family liked them alot better than the store bought ones, but they were too small, no matter how much I rolled them out.

With one of my Libby's pumpkin and some more of the cream cheese, I'll make this Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bread . Wouldn't a loaf or two of this bread make a wonderful gift!

When Kroger's had their bananas on sale for $0.39/lb, I bought extra, cut them in small pieces and froze them to use later. Well, I think "later" is going to be tomorrow, so I'll make some Cream Cheese-Banana Nut Muffins . Doesn't that sound yummy!! (can you tell that I'm a cream cheese fanatic?)

That's some of the ways we'll be using our Kroger deals...How will you use yours?

Frugal Upstate: Giveaway! Set Your Table, Courtesy of Walmart

Frugal Upstate: Giveaway! Set Your Table, Courtesy of Walmart Better hurry on over there and enter for a chance to win!!

Here's what you can win:

A place setting for 8 of Gold or Silver Rimmed (your choice) porcelain dinnerware, A set of 8 chargers in your choice of Red, Silver or Gold, and A damask table runner in red, green, silver or gold

I'm Back to Share our Deals...

I'll start with DH's two grocery runs.

SuperValu:

• 5 Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies @ $0.69 each = $3.45 - $1.65 in cpns = $1.80 for 5 bags.
• Colgate toothpaste 2/$4.00 - $1.50 cpn = $0.50
• TOTAL OOP: $2.42 ($2.30 = 0.12 tax)

MEIJER:

• Milk 2 gal/$5.00 (cheapest we could find this week) Bought 4 gal/$10
• 2 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers for 2/$0.89 each. Used 2 $1.00/1 cpns = $0.22 overage to use towards the milk.
• TOTAL OOP $9.78

KROGER'S:

• Cottonelle 4 roll pack 0.99 - 0.25 cpn dbld. = 0.49
• OreIda Steam and Mash potatoes $3.00 - $1.00 eq and $1.00 cpn = $1.00
• Cool Whip $1.00 and 2 boxes of Jello chocolate caramel pudding/pie filling $1.00/each - $1.00 cpn off all three items = $2.00
• 6 Philadelphia Cream Cheese @ $1.25 each = $7.50 - 3/$0.50 off 2 cpns which doubled to $1.00 off 2 = $4.50 for 6 + I got the $3.00 catalina YEAH!!
• Kroger shredded cheese 3/$5.00 - 0.45 shortcuts cpn = $4.55 for 3 bags
• 2 Tennessee Pride sausage gravy @ $1.00/each - no cpns because the cashier said the cpns I had were only for Tennessee Pride fully cooked product, except she didn't say it in a very nice way. So I said "well, isn't the gravy fully cooked". So no deal here.
• Kroger salsa $2.00 - $0.50 shortcuts cpn = $1.50
• 2 Libby pumpkin $1.00 each = $2.00 - $1.00 off 2 cpn = $1.00/2 cans
• 1 Pillsbury Crescent Roll @ $1.67 - $1.00 printable cpn and $0.50 shortcuts cpn = $0.17
• 3 jars Heinz gravy for $1.00 each - $1.00/3 cpn = $2.00 for 3 jars
• 5 cans Dole Mandarin oranges and 5 cans Dole Tropical Fruit @ $1.00 each - 5/$0.55 off 2 cpns dbld = $5.00 for 10 cans. I also received 2/$0.75 catalina's on these and a coupon for $1.00/8 more cans. A friend of mine wanted me to pick these up for her, so $5.00 of today's total will be deducted.

That was all of the items I had cpns for plus I got these items just because we needed them:

• onions $2.45
• Honeysuckle Turkey Brats in the markdown bin for $0.99/each = $1.98
• 6.5 lbs chicken in the markdown bin for $3.56
• celery 0.69
• Granny Smith apples supposed to be 3/$1.00 we got 6 and unless I'm overlooking something, it says on the receipt $0.34 total. (maybe that was the cash register's way of saying "I'm sorry for the way the cashier is treating you...here, steal these apples lol.)
• 2 loaves Kroger sandwich bread @ $1.00 each = $2.00
• Kroger canned sweet potatoes $0.89
• Kroger margarine spread $2.19
• 2 boxes stove top stuffing $2.00
• 2 rolls Jimmy Dean sausage for $4.00
• kroger cranberry sauce for DH (YUK!!) ) 0.89
• TOTAL OOP FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE KROGER ITEMS: $47.32

TOTAL FOR ALL THREE STORES: $59.52 - $5.00 (for friends Dole fruit) = $54.52 + $4.50 to spend on my next trip. Which is a whole lot better than our old way of shopping, and our pantry and freezer are actually filling up pretty fast. Anyone have a coupon for a freezer that they'd like to trade lol?

Oh...I was going to go to WalMart, but there was NOWHERE to park, so DH will go tomorrow to pick up the items I had on that list. Shucks!! I REALLY wanted to go (yeah right!!).

Now, I must finish getting my list put together for K-Mart's double cpn sale. Catch ya later!!

I WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS!!!

LOL...No I wasn't, I've just been really busy the past few days and unable to post anything. When I did find a few minutes here and there, I made up my shopping lists for tonight. Here's my plan:

KROGER:

• 2 rolls Tenn. Pride sausage for $1.00 each
• 2 pkgs Tenn. Pride gravy for FREE
• 6 Philadelphia Cream Cheeses for $4.50
• 6 cans Veg-all mixed veggies (not sure of price)
• 2 cans Libby's pumpkin for $1.00
• 3 jars of Heinz gravy $2.00
• 10 cans Dole fruit $5.00 (picking these up for a friend of mine so this won't be on my receipt)
• 1 pkg Cottonelle FREE
• 1 Cool Whip whipped topping and 3 boxes jello pudding (not sure what the price will be yet but I have a cpn for $1.00 off the cool whip with 2 boxes of pudding and I also have a cpn for .55 off 3 puddings. Don't know if I can use them all together, but I'm going to try!)
• 2 Pillsbury dinner rolls $0.99 each to $1.50 each (I have 2 $0.55 cents off each that says do not double, but they've doubled them before for me.)
• 3 boxes Green Giant frozen boxed veggies for $1.35
• 1 Pillsbury Crescent roll..have $1.50 off of one not real sure what the price is on those right now.
• 1 bag of OreIda Steam and Mash potatoes...have $2.00 off on one of those so I'll check the price first.
• 2 Pillsbury rolled pie crusts $1.50 off of 2
• Kroger shredded cheese 4/$4.55
• Kroger brand salsa $0.50 off 1 jar

Charmin 4 roll $0.75 off

Well, I think that's it for this trip. I will also check out the discounted meat bin. Always some good deals there. I also sent the hubby out on some grocery runs with alot of coupons. (He's soo sweet). He works close to a Meijer and a SuperValu and they had a few good deals this week that I wanted to get. Keep your fingers crossed for him!! And then there's a couple of things from Walmart that I was going to pick up. This is what I plan on picking up there:

WALMART:

• 4 cans Muir Glen tomatoes (only because my Kroger's doesn't carry these yet) $1.00
• 2 bags Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers (if I'm being quoted right on the price, these will be free. My first stop will be Kroger's, so if they have them at a good price, I'll just get them there)
• and unless I see some other deals there while I'm looking for the above stuff, that's it for WalMart. I HATE shopping at WalMart so the quicker I get out of there, the better off I'll be!!

So, wish us luck!! I'll be back later tonight to post my deals, so come back and have a looksie.

My Kroger Deals for Saturday 11/15/08

Sorry, no pics this time...just wanted to share the deals I got this evening.


MEGA DEAL TRANSACTION:

• Pictsweet broccoli 26 ounce family size $2.00 - $0.50 = $1.50
• Pictsweet broccoli 26 ounce family size $2.00 - $0.50 = $1.50
• Totino's pizza rolls $3.00 - $0.50 -$0.35 cpn/dbld = $1.80
• Totino's pizza rolls $3.00 - $0.50 - $0.55 cpn/dbld to $1.00 = $1.50
• Totino's pizza rolls $3.00 - $0.50 - $0.55 cpn/dbld to $1.00 = $1.50
• Daisy sour cream $2.00 - $0.50 - $1.00 cpn = $0.50
• Daisy sour cream $2.00 - $0.50 - $1.00 cpn = $0.50
• Extra Strength Tylenol $2.50 - $0.50 - $2.00/cpn = FREE
• Extra Strength Tylenol $2.50 - $0.50 - $2.00/cpn = FREE
• Extra Strength Tylenol $2.50 - $0.50 - $2.00/cpn = FREE

TOTAL OOP = $8.80

MISCELLANEOUS THINGS I PURCHASED WHILE I WAS THERE:

• 2 Oil of Olay Ribbons Body Wash @ $4.19 each had P&G eSaver for BOGOF also used 2 cpns for $2.00 off each TOTAL FOR TWO = $0.19
• 2 Herbal Essences (1 shampoo & 1 conditioner) @ $2.49 each total of $4.98 for 2 used $2.00 off P&G eSaver an $2.00 off cpn = $0.98 for both.
• Country Bob Steak Sauce FREE (received cpn in mail)
• Mighty Dog canned dog food (1 can) FREE
• Gillette Mach3 disposable razors for $5.99 - $3.00 P&G eSaver + $2.00/cpn = $0.99

TOTAL OOP $2.16 + tax

Wal-Mart screwed up, so I screwed up...But I got a good deal

Since I had to go to Walmart to get some medicine filled, and it was going to be a 45 minute to an hour wait, I thought I'd run through and check out some prices. I got to the cereal aisle and saw the Chex Mix bars on a shelf and right underneath them was a price for $1.98. I had 2 coupons for $1.25 off of each so I thought what the heck, and I grabbed them. After my medicine was done and I checked out, I looked at the receipt and it said $2.58 for each box of bars. I confronted the cashier and she directed me to Customer Service. So, I took it to customer service, she called back to dry foods and they said "yeah, they're $2.58 a box. The customer service rep. and I went back to where I got them, and there they were, sitting directly above a price tag of $1.98. But I failed to read that the price was supposed to be for the Fiber One pastries which were stocked 2 shelves below, my face went 10 shades of red. But, since they were stocked in the wrong place with the wrong price, I got them for $1.98 a box minus $1.25 each=$1.46 for two boxes and my medicine was (YOU BETTER SIT DOWN FOR THIS ONE) $0.80. Total OOP $2.26 for medicine and two boxes of yummy Chex Mix bars.

MENU IDEAS FOR A WEEK

As I posted in an earlier post, I have been working on my Master Meal Plans. I have also been trying to create fast/frugal/healthy menu plans and thought I'd share them with you. I am not a dietician and I'm not sure if any of these meet the RDA of vitamins and minerals that a body needs. After having said that, here are some ideas that I've been playing around with:

BREAKFAST:

• Scrambled Eggs, Cinnamon Toast, Orange Juice, Milk
• Coffeecake Muffins, orange slices, Milk
• French Toast sticks(from the freezer) with syrup, Apple Slices, Milk
• Dry Cereal, Orange Juice, Milk
• Pancakes, Juice, Milk
• Crockpot Western Omelet Casserole, Juice, Milk
• Hash Brown Sauage Bake, Juice, Milk

LUNCHES:

• Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks, fruit, Milk
• Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burritos, Mixed Veggies, fruit, Milk
• Sloppy Joes or Meatloaf Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Fruit, Milk
• Lunchmeat Sandwiches, Pasta Salad, fruit, Milk
• Twice Baked potatoes or a Topped Baked Potato, Fruit Salad, Dinner Roll, Milk
• Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese, Milk
• Soutwestern Chicken Wraps with salsa, Milk

DINNERS

• Meatloaf (make 2 and slice one into sandwich size slices and refrigerate/freeze for lunch), Mashed potatoes, Green Beans, Bread, Milk
• Oven -Fried Chicken(bake a couple extra pieces for chicken wraps for lunch), Mashed potatoes with gravy, Cream Style Corn, Bread or Roll, Milk
• Ham Slices, Scalloped Potatoes, Peas, Fruit, Milk
• Lasagna or Lasagna Rolls, Tossed Salad with Italian Dressing, Fruit, Garlic Bread, Milk
• Tuna Casserole, Dill Pickle Spears, Fruit, Milk
• Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Fruit Slices, Milk
• No Peek Casserole, Rice or Egg Noodles, Milk

SNACKS:

• Pretzels
• Cheese and Crackers
• Peanut Butter Crackers
• Yogurt
• Fruit and Cheese
• Trail Mix
• Apple Slices with Peanut Butter or Caramel Dip
• Carrot and Celery Sticks with Ranch Dip

So, what do ya think? (yes, we drink ALOT of milk lol) Does it look healthy/fast/frugal? I know there are lots of frugal meals out there, so what are some of your favorite frugal menu ideas?

More Coupons and Freebies for you guys...

Here's some more coupons I ran across tonight after I got home from work. There is a limit of one per household.

$1.00 off Softsoap brand skin essentials body wash,
$1.00 off Softsoap SPA Radiant Body Wash
$1.50 off Colgate Total Advanced Whitening, Advanced Fresh, or Advanced Clean toothpastes (4 oz or larger only)
$1.00 Colgate Sensitive toothpaste
$0.40 off Palmolive Scrub Buster
And there's one for softsoap hand soap refill, but for some reason I couldn't get it to print.

You can find all of these HERE


FREE HUNTING DVD OFFER FROM HORMEL FOODS with 2 upc's and $2.00 s&h: HERE Would make a nice little stocking stuffer for the hunters in your life.

FREE GIFT GIVING LABELS HERE

$1.00 off any Guerrero products (corn tortillas) HERE

Well, guess that's it for now. It's almost 1 am. Time to get to bed!!

MASTER MEAL PLANS

No couponing today, (yeah right!! I'm already addicted and it's your fault!!). Today, I will spend some time to work on our master meal plans. For the most part, the "main dishes" are finished. Now, I need to sit down and think of all of the veggie/side dishes we enjoy. I started on that a while back, but because of you guys and your coupon tips/tricks, I got sidetracked. LOL. This is our Master Main Dishes. We will always be adding to it, as we are always trying out new things, but these are currently the main dishes that we enjoy. Hope you can see it. I love sharing recipes, so if there's anything on there that you'd like to try, I'll be more than happy to send you the recipe. Do you have a master meal plan? Would you care to share it?

OK...Now I need to get off of the computer and onto the MEAL PLANS!!!

Thanks for stopping by...and it only takes a second to say HI!!! (hey...I'm a poet and didn't know it).

My Latest Couponing Adventures

I'M BAAACK!! Had to make another run to get a few things and thought I'd share my deals with you.


First is Walmart:

2 bags of Purina dog food $4.74 each (-$4.00 off coupon on each) = $1.48
Suave Men's hair gel no coupon...DH just needed it $1.57
4 Sea Pak popcorn shrimps $1.32/each $1.00 cpn off of each=$1.28 for 4 boxes

TOTAL: $4.33 + 0.66 tax= $4.99




















Next is Kroger's

Wanted to get a few more things before the sale ended. This is what I got:

10 Scotch Brite nail saver sponges FREE +$5.00 back

Used the $5.00 back to get 4 half gal. of milk

Candy Corn 4 bags for $1.00 (just because I really like them)

2 boxes Uncle Ben's rice $1.34/each cpn for $1.00 off two =$1.68/2

3 packs Cottonelle toilet paper FREE

3 Healthy Choice Dinners $2.00 each minus $1.00 off cpn each = $3.00 for 3 dinners

1 box crackers=0.97

3 cans Mighty Dog Dog food .89/can had 3 FREE cpns

2 cans Libby pumpkin 1.44/each - cpn for 1.00/2 = 1.88 for two cans not really a good deal but we're wanting some pumpkin bread :)

2 bags Nestle choc chips $2.50/bag(mega item) - cpn for 1.00/each =1.00 bag

4 cans Carnation evaporated milk 1.00/can(mega item)=0.50/can - cpn for $1.00/2 = FREE

2 more sponges $2.00 - $1.00 off at register - $2.00 off in cpns=+$1.00

2 Daisy sour creams $2.00 each -0.50/each=$1.00/each-$1.00cpn= 0.50 each

TOTAL: $11.50=$0.97 tax=$12.47
MFG cpn savings 31.67
Bonus Cpn savings 6.00
Store cpn and Kroger plus savings 27.06
Total cpns: $64.73

Total savings 84%

FIVE INGREDIENTS FOR FRIDAY"S

It's FRIDAY!!

Today's recipe is for one of my favorite dishes. Paired with some garlic bread and a salad, this is another fast and easy meal. ENJOY!!

Creamy Fettucine Alfredo

8 oz cream chesse, cut in bits

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese-grated

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk

8 oz fettucine; cooked & drained

In a large saucepan combine cream cheese, parmesan, butter and milk stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well. Leftovers (if any) will freeze well.

WINTER STORMS...ARE YOU PREPARED?

I AM NOT!! Well, not completely anyway. (Thanks to all of you professional "grocery store bandits", I do have 11 boxes of hot chocolate, toilet paper, 5 boxes of cereal, soap, deodorant and a few more goodies lol.) All kidding aside though, I really do need to get my rear in gear and get a few things stocked up...especially water!! I can remember a few years back when we had this TERRIBLE ice storm. Luckily, I still had heat, power and water, but my mom who lived only 20 minutes away didn't. "Somehow" we managed to drive to her house and bring her back to ours. It was almost TWO WEEKS before any of the surrounding areas had heat/power. Looking back on that got me to thinking. What if we had no power/heat/water for two weeks...what would we do? Would we have enough food/water and other necessities to get us through it? And then there was last year. I was heading to work at 4:00 am on the coldest morning of the year & my little red escort bit the dust. Smoke was pouring inside the car so I had to bail out. Do you know how hard it is to get help at 4:00 in the morning? Well, I got to make 2 phone calls on my cell phone...and the battery was completely zapped. The wind chill was 14 below zero. I'm in my very thin work uniform freezing my butt off. I turned around to see if the car had stopped smoking so I could get back inside and I'll be da%&^d if the car battery wasn't completely dead. Old Man Winter, You won last year...But this year I'm not going down without a fight!! So I started surfing through FEMA and The Red Cross websites, and a few others to make a list of things I would need to ride out a winter storm. Lot's of wonderful information out there. Like this site CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION They give you tips/precautions to take before, during, and after a winter storm. So with all of this information printed out and coupons in hand (OH YES, I have coupons for batteries and water and a few other things), hopefully I can get everything I need before HE comes back this year!! So...are you prepared? Do you have any tips you care to share about preparing for winter storms? Please post them if you do.

MY KROGER MIX & MATCH DEALS

Just got back from Kroger's Mix & Match Mega Event and this is what all I got:

1 box Trix cereal

1 box cheerios

1 box cookie crisp

2 boxes Total

11 boxes Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate

2 bottles pancake syrup

1 Right Guard deodorant

2 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes

2 Tony's Pizzas

1 container sour cream

1 Pillsbury crescent roll

1 box Quaker Oats

2 Pillsbury Toaster Streudels

3 colgate toothpastes

1 (4 roll) pkg Cottonelle

3 bars Dial Soap for men

TOTAL: $20.29

Not too bad!
The toilet paper and the crescent rolls were free with coupons. And I screwed up somehow with the cookie crisp. It said on the shelf that it was one of the mix/match deals but when I got to the register, the cashier gave me my total and I told her that wasn't right. We looked over the receipt and the only thing she found was that I only had 29 qualifying products and that 1 more product would get my other $5.00 back. (which is where the extra hot chocolate came from) When I got home, I really studied my receipt and it was the cookie crisp that didn't ring up right. I guess it would be too late to do anything about it now? Oh well, if I did this with what little coupons I had, I can't wait till I get my stash built up!!! Hubby was impressed and my DS#2 said "yeah right, you didn't get all that for $20.00." I showed him the receipt and he got this big grin on his face and said..."well, not bad...better luck next time." lol

EDITED TO ADD:

MFG. CPN SAVINGS-$27.45

BONUS CPN SAVINGS=$2.05

STR CPN/KROGER PLUS SAVINGS $32.27

TOTAL COUPONS/SAVINGS-

$61.77 (70%)

Gift Pack Offer and another coupon...

Hi everyone...Not feeling very good today, been a little down in the dumps ;( , so this post will be short and sweet. Just wanted to share two more things I have run across...


$1.00 off one Scotch Lint RollerHERE I'm still new to the couponing thing, but right now at Kroger's, wouldn't this be considered a money-maker item? You can print as many as you like.



And if you go HERE, the first 20,000 people will receive a Home and Holiday gift pack packed with ziplock goodies and coupons. Better Hurry!!


Well, I told you it'd be short and sweet. Hope you like these little finds. Now, my butt is going back to bed :( Maybe tomorrow will be better?


EDITED TO ADD: After tripping over the puppy to get to the bathroom, I realized that I forgot to add THIS COUPON for $2.00 off of 6 oz or larger pack of Beggin Strips. First, you pick a dog, click on the clock in the top left hand corner, then click on the little dollar sign. OK...now I'm going back to bed...

Some Great Coupon/Freebie Offers...

Here are some coupons and freebies that I have stumbled onto today.



$1.00 off any Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls HERE

A total of $6.00 off ($1.00 off on 3 varieties, printed 2 times) of SeaPak shrimp products HERE

$1.00 off ANY Kellogg's cereal (10 oz or larger) HERE.

$1.00 off any 2 Uncle Ben's Rice products...can be printed a total of 4(I think) times HERE

Get a FREE Schick Quattro Titanium Trimmer HERE

Get a free Reach Access Flosser HERE

$1.00 off one box of Quaker Instant Oatmeal HERE

$.50 off one 16 oz Daisy Brand Sour Cream HERE. Expires Jan. 31 2009

FIVE INGREDIENTS FOR FRIDAY'S

It's FRIDAY!! That means another five ingredient or less recipe and with temperatures the way they've been, this is sure to warm your family's bellies. It's fast and delicious! What more could you ask for?

SENSATIONAL CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 1/2 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

1 MEDIUM CARROT, SLICED

1 STALK CELERY, SLICED

1/2 CUP UNCOOKED MEDIUM EGG NOODLES

1 CUP CUBED COOKED CHICKEN

MIX BROTH, CARROT, AND CELERY IN A SAUCEPAN. SEASON WITH PEPPER. HEAT TO A BOIL. STIR IN NOODLES AND CHICKEN. COOK OVER MEDIUM HEAT 10 MIN. OR TILL NOODLES ARE DONE. SERVES 4.

This recipe is from a "Campbell's Favorite Recipes" booklet. We have made it quite a few times. I have even used leftover turkey instead of the chicken. This is great to put in a thermos for your little one's school lunch or even your own. Hope you like it!!

My New Coupon Organizer

After my Kmart trip, I decided that if I'm going to do that again, I'd better get a little more organized. So I spent this morning putting together a little coupon organizer. I didn't want to have to carry a big binder for what little bit of coupons I have, so I used a small (6" x 9") binder from an old recipe book I had. It was one of those that you could write a recipe on and wipe it back off if it wasn't a recipe you liked. (kinda like a whiteboard). Problem with that was, I'd write my fav. recipes in it, and the messy cook that I am, I'd wipe off splatters and spills, and oops, there went my recipe : ( So I pulled out all the pages, cut tabbed dividers to fit, punched holes in the dividers & envelopes, labeled the envelopes, put them behind their corresponding divider, and stuffed the envelopes with my coupons. And this is what I ended up with:







It will sit in the cart like this:






Behind each divider are the envelopes labeled with what's inside/will be inside. These are behind the breakfast divider:





This is behind the canned goods divider:





And this is where my coupons for that category are stashed:


Not bad for using things I already had around the house. Now I know when I start to accumulate more coupons it probably won't work out, but for now I think it'll do. So, how do you have your coupons organized? I'd love to know...

My first "couponing" trip at K-Mart

First, I'd like to thank all of the bloggers out there that teach newbies how to coupon effectively. Especially MommySnacks I wouldn't have known where to start if it hadn't been for some of their posts. And secondly, I'd like to say that when I go couponing again, I'm going alone, and I'm wearing a headset to drown out the crowd. It was a madhouse out there tonight! Very hard to concentrate.

It didn't turn out as well as everyone else's trips, I still had to pay oop :( but over all I think I did pretty good, considering the prices were ridiculous to begin with. I planned my list, organized my coupons and got $68.50 worth of stuff for $16.66. My DH went with me and he was getting worried when the cashier rang up the $68.50. But after she scanned that last coupon, and said "your total is $16.66, he had the biggest grin come across his face. There were a few items I didn't get to get, because they were sold out. But, you win some and you lose some.

OOPS...didn't realize that was upside down. Oh well, stand on your head and read it lol...

Would I have purchased these items normally at $65 or $68? HECK NO!! Would I do it again for $16.66. YES!! So, I guess I can end this by saying:

Mission Accomplished!!

BEER SAUCED LINKS

Wanted to share another favorite recipes of ours. This time its an appetizer. I have a potluck at work this weekend, and this is what I'm in charge of bringing. They are so good!! This recipe was from a cookbook called "Fix it Fast". Give em a try:

BEER SAUCED LINKS

2 lbs. fully cooked Polish sausage or frankfurters cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup beer
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. mustard
1 TBS horseradish

In skillet, combine sausages and beer. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in vinegar, mustard, and horseradish. Add to sausages; cook and stir till bubbly. Makes 36. Serve warm with wooden picks.

ENJOY!!

FIVE INGREDIENTS FOR FRIDAY'S

Every Friday, I will post a tasty recipe that contains five ingredients or less (I'm not counting the spices) The recipes that I will be posting already have a "hubby and 3 teens" seal of approval. Hopefully, you'll find some that could be added to your family's favorites and maybe share some of your family's 5 ingredients or less recipes with me. So, for my first FIVE INGREDIENTS FOR FRIDAY'S post, I am sharing with you this recipe that I found written on a piece of loose leaf paper in one of my grandmother's old cookbooks:

EASY CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup milk (put in a shallow bowl)

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour (put on plate)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 to 3/4 pack of crackers, crushed

Form ground beef into 5 or 6 patties. This next step is a very messy step, but trust me, it's worth it...Dip each side of the patty in the milk, then in the flour, then in the egg, and lastly in the crushed crackers. Place in a hot frying pan with a little vegetable oil. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Turn down heat and fry on one side. Then flip to other side and fry. They are done when the juices run clear. Serve with white gravy on top. When served with green beans, mashed potatoes, and a roll, you have a very tasty meal that is ready in no time.

ENJOY!!!

GOOD BYE PAPER CLUTTER...HELLO NEW BILL PAYING SYSTEM...

I am soo proud of me...lookie at what I tackled today(I wish I had a battery for my camera so you all could look!)

In September, my family and I started our home management binder to become more organized and to get/keep our house clean, you can read about that HERE .As of today, it's still working out great!! But, in order to have a really clean house, the clutter has to go bye bye. Today, I was on a mission to get rid of the paper clutter that had piled up over the year. Yes, you heard right...a year. (heck, I'm going to embarrass myself and tell you all that some of it was dated 2005) . What would happen was, we would bring in the mail, look through it quickly, pick out the bills to be paid and put them in a basket, lay the rest of the mail on the dining room table, pay the bills (hardly ever on time, because we would always write down on a piece of paper what we were going to pay and when, and then IT would be throwed in that pile of other mail that was already on table ). And when you know that you're going to have company, you HAVE to do something with that mess on the table. So we would gather it all up and throw them in an empty box or bag and take them to another room where noone will see them. After a year or more of that kind of habit, you have quite the collection of paper clutter. After seeing that our new chore sheets are working out great, (by setting new habits) I decided to find a new system to keep/pay/file our bills. I searched the net over to try and find a system that might work for us, and I'm hoping that the bill paying system here will work. Along with setting new habits when it comes to the mail, I think it will!! Soooo, since about 4:30 this morning, I have been shredding and filing. I printed off all the papers I needed for this bill paying system, found the rest of the bills that needed to be paid for October and put them in the binder. I also set up November's bill sheet, and it's ready to roll. Now I have a question for ya...how long do you really need to hold on to utility bill receipts, bank statements, etc? It seems like every website I go to has a different time frame. Some say pitch them when you get the new one in, some say keep them for a year, etc. How long do you keep yours? Have you ever pitched something only to find out that 6 months down the road you need a copy of that item you pitched?

Looking back on our Thrifty/DIY wedding

After celebrating our anniversary last week, I pulled out the photo album to look through our pictures. We didn't have a big, fancy wedding. It was in a small country church surrounded by family, a few friends, and a lot of good food lol. Our reception was in the basement of the church, and the whole shebang was DIY. Oh, how I remember trying to get everything made on time. TALK ABOUT STRESS!! (But I wouldn't go back and change any of it.) I wasn't working at the time due to an injury, so I had a very, very small budget to work with. Like a dollar store/thrift store budget. But, I think everything turned out pretty good. Everyone had a good time, good memories were made and 2 families were brought together as one. Anywho, I just wanted to share some of the DIY things from our wedding. I promise I won't show you ALL of them. lol. I'll start with the unity candle at the top of this post. The pillar candle and holder, and the two taper candles were bought at a Dollar Tree. The flowers were from walmart, and some that I already had around the house. The taper candle holders were things I already owned as well.

I purchased this little dress at my favorite local thrift store for $1.00!! It fit my flower girl perfectly. I also picked up that little basket there. I filled it with some of the flowers I bought at walmart. The picture doesn't show the color of the dress very well, but it was a deep purple velvet type material with lighter purple roses around the waist.
Oh, what's this? Not long before the wedding, I had two more little girls wanting to be flower girls also. They wanted a basket of flowers too!! So I quickly threw together two more baskets. Their mother had their dresses already. How lucky was I to have 3 little flower girls!!

Next, is my bouquet. Put it together myself. Tacky to some I'm sure, but I thought it was pretty. Also from the same walmart flowers. Here's a shot of the cake table and a closeup of the cakes I made. When my DH and I saw that cake topper, we knew we had to have it on our cake.


Like my "cake stands"? They were made using a microwave turntable on a small candleholder for the largest cake, the med. size cake is on a glass plate sitting on top of a turned over crystal wine goblet, and the small cake is on a glass saucer on top of a turned over crystal compote, (I think that's what they're called) . Hey, don't laugh...it served the purpose.lol. Well, didn't mean to bombard ya with a lot of pictures, (sure I did!!) but while I was looking through our photos, I thought what the heck, someone out there in blogland might enjoy seeing them. Thanks for looking, and come back again.

More crescent roll recipes

Okay, not sure why I can't edit that last post, but here's some more crescent roll recipes from the Pillsbury Crescent roll recipe booklet:

Bratwurst Braids

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

4 tsps spicy brown mustard

1 can (8 oz) sauerkraut, well drained on paper towels (1 cup)

4 fully cooked smoked bratwurst (thawed completely if frozen

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp caraway seed

Heat oven to 375*. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; place on cookie sheet. Press each into 6x4 inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

spread 1 tsp mustard over each rectangle to within 1/2 inch of all edges. Place 1/4 cup sauerkraut and 1 bratwurst lengthwise down center of each rectangle.

on long sides of each rectangle, make 5 cuts at an angle and 1 inch apart almost to edge of sauerkraut. For braided appearance, fold strips of dough at an angle across bratwurst with ends of strips slightly over lapping, alternating from side to side; press ends to seal. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with caraway seed.

bake 15 to 20 minutes or till deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm with additional mustard, if desired.

Here's a list of more recipes in this booklet. If you would like me to put the recipe on here, just let me know. I would be more than happy to.

APPETIZERS AND SNACKS

Artichoke-Cheese Braids

Bacon cheddar pinwheels

basil and havarti cheese pinwheels

crescent-crab purses

crescent nacho mini cups

crescent wrapped brie

easy pesto pinwheels

ham and swiss double pinwheels

holiday herb crescent trees

mexican confetti pinwheels

mini beef and provolone crescents

mini reuben turnovers

olive-feta pinwheels

pizza pinwheels

sausage snack wraps

smoked salmon pinwheels

thai appetizer pizza

BREADS:

cheddar twisters

cream cheese raspberry coffee cake

lazy maple crescent pull aparts

simply super crescent cinnamon rolls

COOKIES AND BARS:

chocolate macaroon crescent bars

DESSERTS:

country french apple crescent casserole

MAIN DISHES:

crescent topped burger bake

crescent breakfast pizzas

crescent chile rellenos

egg, broccoli and ham ring around

chicken breast bundles with cranberry chutney

chicken chile casserole

fiesta chicken taco cups

SANDWICHES AND FILLINGS:

crescent sloppy joes

buffalo chicken stromboli

easy crescent dogs

ham and cheese crescent sandwiches

individual pastrami braids

pizza in a crescent

pizzazzy sausage crescent sandwiches

savory crescent chicken squares

spicy cashew chisken bundles

whoo...that's a lot of little recipes in this little booklet...lol.

Crescent Rolls...yummy!!!!!!

Today, I want to share a few of our family's favorite recipes using crescent rolls with you.
This recipe is from a back issue of Taste of Home's quick cooking:

Sausage Brunch Braid

12 ozs. bulk pork sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pkg. (3 oz) cream cheese, cubed

2 Tbs. chopped green onion tops

2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg, lightly beaten

In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender; drain. Add cream cheese, green onion and parsley. Cook and stir over low heat till cheese is melted; set aside.

unroll crescent dough n a greased baking sheet; press perforations together. Roll into a 12x10 rectangle. Spoon sausage mixture to within 3inches of long sides and 1 inch of ends. On each long side, cut 3/4" wide strips 3 inches into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle, forming a braid. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350 degress for 20-25 minutes or till golden brown. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Yield: 8-10 servings

That part about storing the leftovers in the fridge cracks me up!! When we make this, we always have to make two...and there's only 5 of us eating. We never have any left over...it's that good.

Here's another good one. This one came from a special edition Pillsbury Crescent main dish, appetizer, and dessert recipes booklet.

Bacon Cheeseburger Calzones

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 lb lean ground beef

2 Tbs. dried instant minced onion

2 tbs chopped hamburger pickle slices

2 tbs ranch dressing

1 italian plum tomato, thinkly sliced, if desired

2 slices american or cheddar cheese, each cut in half

1 can (8 oz) crescent rolls

1 egg, beaten

heat oven to 375*, In a 10" nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 2 minutes. Add ground beef and onion; cook stirring occasionally, till beef is thouroughly cooked; drain if necessary. Stir in pickles and ranch dressing. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each into 7x4" rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

Spoon about 1/3 cup ground beef mixture onto one end of each rectangle. Top each with tomato slices and 1 piece of cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with fork to seal (sandwiches will be full). Brush tops with egg. Bake 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes: 4 sandwiches. KITCHEN TIP: These calzones can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead. Be sure the beef filling is completely cooled before filling the dough. Cover the calzones and refrigerate till you're ready to bake.

Quilt giveaway

I wasn't going to post anything else tonight, but Oh my goodness, you have got to see this quilt that is being given away: http://pigtailsandsnails.blogspot.com/. Isn't it beautiful!! So much time and creativity has gone into this beauty. And it's in my favorite colors. Wish me luck!!

Home management binder...our new best friend!!

About a year ago, I was determined to get (and keep) my house cleaned and organized. I searched the net for any tips I could find. That's when I stumbled upon the FlyLady . This IS a wonderful site. I told myself "hey, I can do this". I got as far as putting together my Control Journal. I was so proud of my journal. But, working 50+ hours a week 7 days a week, I was just too tired to Fly. My good intentions flopped. I think what happened was that "I" was trying to do too much. "I" wanted to be the perfect wife and mother and I thought "I " could do it all myself. About a month ago, I found my control journal,(covered in dust lol) and after I dusted it off, and reorganized it a bit to suit our needs, the family and I have been putting it to use. My first section is the EMERGENCY #'s section. It proved useful one day last week when my DS#2 had to call me at work. I was so proud of him, knowing where to find that number. : ) My next section is a FIRST AID section. For everything from insect bites, to CPR. Hopefully I'll never have to use this section, but I panic in emergencies and thought with 2 teenage sons and a teenage stepson, I'd better go ahead and through it in there. I printed those sheets from Kids Health My next section is our CLEANING SCHEDULES. I realized that "I" can not and am NOT going to do all the household cleaning by myself. When that hit me, I immediately made up daily chore sheets for ALL of us. It has been a month since "we" started using our chore sheets, and I must say, I no longer have the "can't have anyone over syndrome". lol. I also have weekly chore sheets. I only work three days a week(40 hours) now, so I've been taking care of the weekly chores. Then I have my CALENDAR SECTION. This is another section that gets used EVERY DAY. I printed the two page calendar with room for notes on the side from Donna Young.Thank you Donna for the wonderful calendars! The next section is MY WORK SCHEDULE because I'm never off/working the same days each week. And last but not least, is our phone/addresses pages. I printed those off of Organized Home. Another wonderful website! I have a separate binder (which is also working out great!!) for menu planning/recipes/kitchen inventory. I'll share all that info in another post along with some of our family's favorite recipes. Now that I've rambled on and on about our home management binder, I'm curious as to whether you/your family have one and use it daily. What has worked/not worked in yours?