Woman on a Mission

GOODBYE…

2011-02-12T05:25:00.001-05:00

As you can probably tell, I’ve been slacking in the blogging department again.

I wasn’t sure whether to post about this or not, but since I do have a few regular readers, I wanted to share what has been keeping me from blogging lately.

This past summer, I have had bouts of pleurisy followed by pneumonia, followed by a constant, very sharp, and very breathtaking pain in the ribcage area under my left arm. In October, the xray that showed that I had pneumonia also showed a “spot”. My follow up xray in November showed the pneumonia was going away, but the spot remained. Fast forward to after all ct scans, pet scans, biopsy…I was diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer.

When I was told that, my heart stopped. My world had just been flipped upside down. I was told that my options were full lung removal followed by chemo and radiation, or approx. 6 months left to live if I chose no treatments. I went in for the full lung removal surgery, but it was unsuccessful. It has spread to my heart and esophagus. I am currently undergoing chemo and radiation.

As much as I would love to continue this blog, I feel that my time is better spent with my family. I will leave this blog up in the hopes that someone will find something useful here. If you have any questions about anything on this blog, you can still email me and I’ll be happy to help you out.

I appreciate everyone that has stopped by to visit my little place on the web. I will truly miss all of you!

Awww…Aren’t they cute!!

2010-12-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

Today, I’ve done something that I’ve never done before. I’ve been playing in paint! Well, I’ve used paint before but not to paint a picture…lol…

Wanna see what I did?

Sure you do. Here ya go:

For this one, I used a pattern from Deco-art. I enlarged the image size to fit the oval plaque that I had. I didn’t have the colors called for on their project page, so I just used what I had. Look at those cute lil’ noses:

Not as pretty as the one on the Decoart’s website, but I love it…and so does the hubby.

After finishing the plaque above, I just had to try something else. So I looked around the house for something else to paint on and I found a plastic silver charger plate that I had picked up from the thrift store several months back. I looked on Deco-art’s project pages, but nothing else caught my eye. So I sat down and started doodling around. And here is what I finally came up with:

Isn’t she cute! I think I’ll call this one “Spreading the Luv”

So now I have more snowman decor to love!

And I also have two more charger plates…lol…

So, what do ya think? Not too shabby for a beginner huh?

Linking this post up to :

Somewhat Simple’s Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Hookin up with House Of Hepworth's

Christmas In The Country…Part 2

2010-12-16T22:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to our home. The mail and craft supplies have been put away. All jackets, purse, and bookbags have been hung up. Now we can continue our Christmas tour.

Back to the dining room. Other than the tree and snowman display, I really didn’t do too much in here. A centerpiece for the table, a few snowflakes in the curio cabinet, a lantern on my craft supply stand. Here’s a peek:

When I moved my craft supplies downstairs for the winter, I had to remove the picture from the right side of the window. For now, it’s temporarily leaning up against the wall under the other one.

Poor little peace lily plant in the background has been watered & moved to a different location. I think it’s getting too warm in this room for it to survive.

It has been replaced with this cute little lantern that I found at Goodwill several months ago:

Now…that’s better.

Well, I guess that wraps up the tour of our home for Christmas. Of course there “is” still a little more time before Christmas to do some more decorating…hmmm!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Christmas In The Country

2010-12-16T14:18:00.003-05:00

Come on in! Grab yourself a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and I’ll show you around!

First up we have the kitchen. The kitchen is still in the remodel stage.   But that didn’t stop me from decorating for Christmas. As soon as you walk in our back door, this is what you’ll see straight ahead:

I made it myself. Isn’t it pretty? This is the first wreath I’ve ever decorated that I am truly happy with. I wanted soo badly to hang it on the door, but we live in an old fixer-upper and the doors and/or frames swell up and it’s hard enough to get them shut ‘without’ anything hanging from them. So… I hung it at the end of my kitchen cabinets. Maybe by next Christmas, we’ll have the kitchen completely finished and I can hang it from the door.

Now if you’ll look to your left, you’ll see my pretty “snowflake swag curtains”.   Just because our windows haven’t been framed out yet doesn’t mean I can’t have some curtains, right?:

Just look at that morning sun shining in:

Now, let’s walk around and look at the kitchen countertops. This is on the left hand side of the stove:

(OOH! A Christmas cookies cookbook. Chock full of delicious goodies. My son and I are making some tonight. You’re more than welcome to stay and have some.) Sorry,…I have ADD…let’s get back to the left hand side of the stove:

And this is the right hand side:

My mom gave me the little salt/pepper/sugar/creamer set. The creamer (on the right) is missing it’s head I think but I think this is the cutest little set. And who couldn’t love a snowman…even if he is headless.

Ok, let’s grab that cup of hot chocolate and head on into the dining room:

I love how my little tree turned out. I’m also lovin’ those cute little fuzzy snowflakes from the Dollar Tree.

more snowmen…it must be the kid in me:

This little fella has sure been working hard decorating our trees:

with the help of his beautiful assistant of course:

And who can trim a tree without some beautiful Christmas music:

The table is full of mail, book bags, craft projects etc. So I won’t embarrass myself by showing you that.

But you’re more than welcome to join me in the living room (aka “The man cave”).

This is our “family tree”. The majority of the ornaments on this tree is either handmade or has special meaning to us. This tree as hubby puts it : “has to sit in front of hubby’s recliner for his viewing pleasure”…lol:

He likes “LOTS” of color…I like browns, golds, creams, and white. We just combined them all:

We found these beautiful mother of pearl deer ornaments at the Goodwill for $2 for the set back in the summer. They originally came from Home Goods and were priced at $7.99. We are using these as “our ornament for 2010”.

(the little bear couple swinging on the crescent moon in the right hand corner was “our ornament” from 2005.)

Well, that’s the end for now.   I hope you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for stopping by!

Go here for Part 2: The rest of the dining room

Linking this post up to:
The Nester's Christmas Tour Of Homes 2010 Head on over there for hundred’s of beautiful Christmas Home tours!
Coastal Charm's Open House

Good Morning Sunshine!

2010-12-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

I’m so glad to see you! And thank you for the beautiful performance you put on for me today! There’s nothing any better than sharing my morning coffee with you.

How can something as simple as putting cheap snowflakes in the window be so breathtaking?

This morning’s “show” was beautiful! I had snowflake shadows on my cabinets and walls. I had sparkly snowflakes in the windows. White sparkles…red sparkles…copper sparkles…. oh, it was so pretty.

I tried to capture just how beautiful they were so I could share it with you, but my photography skills suck. This is as good as I could get, so please enjoy:

(oh…pardon the dust on the light fixture, the maid quit…lol)

Do you see that big white glob outside the right window? I think my car is under there.

Here’s a shot of my “snowflake curtains”:

Catch ya later!

Oh… I almost forgot… for those of you requesting a tutorial for the wire angels, I’m working on it : )

More Angel Ornaments

2010-12-06T19:45:00.001-05:00

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was going to make some of my coworkers some of those wire angel ornaments. Well, that’s what has been keeping me busy lately. Here are 8 more angels ready for a new home:

Each one different:

I love this one:

But I would have to say that this next one is my favorite. The Swarvorski crystals just sparkle:

Which one do you like the best?

Linking this post to:

Made By You Mondays at Skip to my Lou

Make It for Mondays at Cottage Instincts

DIY Project Parade at The DIY Show Off

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Get Your Craft On @ Today’s Creative Blog

Boardwalk Bragfest @ Bobbypin’s Boardwalk

Jingle Bell Swag and a Little Angel Ornament

2010-11-28T20:07:00.001-05:00

Finally finished another Pottery Barn Jingle Bell Swag knockoff. In case you haven’t seen them yet, here’s the one from Pottery Barn:

I love these! If you’d like to make one, HERE'S THE TUTORIAL that I did last year. And I’m still trying to figure out how to make a stupid bow! This bow looks “a little” better than the one from last year, but I’m still not happy with it. I’ve tried one million different tutorials, but if there’s anyone out there with a step by step “bow tutorial for dummies” that’s easy to follow, please give me a holler!

And here’s a little wire angel ornament that I’ve been making for the last few years:

I will be making a bunch of these this year for Christmas gifts for my co-workers and neighbors.

Here’s the one I posted about last year:

These are so simple to make. If you’d like a tutorial for these, just let me know. I’d be more than happy to provide one. Well, guess that’s it for now. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned because I’m sure I’ll be making something else…lol…

Even More DIY Ornaments

2010-11-27T22:08:00.001-05:00

Are you getting tired of seeing my ornaments yet?

These are just some miniature glass ornaments that I picked up at the thrift store. They were too plain on their own, so I jazzed them up in fishnet stockings (not really stockings…it’s the mesh bag that my turkey came in…lol) and then I added some lace and wire.

More book page ornaments with some bling added to them. I originally made these to hang in my kitchen window but after throwing them on the tree for their photo shoot, I sort of like them there.

And another recent thrift store purchase:

Isn’t she pretty? She stands about 9 1/2 inches tall and winds up to play “Joy To The World”.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish a few more things before Christmas gets here! Catch ya later!

Linking up to:

Funky Junk Interiors SNS

Snowmen Melt My Heart!

2010-11-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

No special reason for this post...

Brrr…It’s Too Cold To Craft!

2010-11-18T09:37:00.001-05:00

Well, I didn’t get any crafting done yesterday. I went upstairs to my craft room to work on a few things and it was 48 degrees up there! No thank you! It’s officially time to shut the upstairs off for the winter. (Don’t you just love old houses with no heating?)

So what’s a girl to do?

Give up crafting for the winter? I think not! Spend thousands of dollars for a new heating system? Not in the budget this year.

I turned my dining room into a temporary craft room. Gotta love those baker’s racks! So now when you eat at my table, you’ll have to look at my glue sticks…lol…

Wanna see?

I went through and labeled everything so I could find things a little easier:

And here I got a little “label happy”:

OOPS! I smeared the dry erase marker :)

While this isn’t everything from the craft room, it is enough to keep me going. (and if I need anything else I’ll send the young un’ upstairs to get it for me…lol)

Ahhh! Now I’m downstairs where the wood stove is burning. Nice and toasty…Much better!

Just goes to show that where there’s a will…there’s a way! Now I must get back to my crafting…catch ya later!

How do you display the Christmas Cards that you receive?

2010-11-17T06:16:00.001-05:00

Phew! I finally got a day off from work. This has been a very looong week.

With what little time I had left before bed, I used to search the net for different ways to display Christmas cards. Every year, we do the same thing. We’ll drape the doorway with garland and hang the cards from the garland. This year, I want something different. Well, my search didn’t find me much, but I did think that this idea was cute:

Source: Country Living Magazine

How do you display your Christmas cards?

And you know how it goes when you’re searching the net for something in particular. You’ll come up on something else that you’ll add to your project list. (or is it just me and my ADHD?) Like this:

Source: Country Living Magazine

And this:

Source: Real Simple (Now wouldn’t that pine cone tree look pretty painted white like this wreath with some glittery “snow” sprinkled on it?)

So, now, not only am I looking for ways to display my cards, but I also need to find a million pine cones.

And I’ve also been digging through the kids’ baby pictures because I’ve been wanting to try and make something similar to these:

Source: Pottery Barn

OK…back to the original topic…How do you display all of those Christmas cards that you receive? I would love to see some clever ideas!

MORE DIY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS:

2010-11-11T12:17:00.001-05:00

Music sheet this, music sheet that…everywhere you turn in blogland, there’s music sheets. If you’re tired of music sheet crafts, you might want to skip this post…lol…

Have you seen the latest Pottery Barn Catalog yet? I LOVE LOVE LOVE their “Songbird Tree”. It’s so pretty and romantic! I love the glittery music notes, the glittery oval photo frames, the “Happy Holidays” garland, the little bitty birdcages. I loved it so much that I ordered everything on that tree. Yeah right! I wish I could…lol… But it did inspire me to make some new ornaments for our Christmas tree, with a “musical theme” of course. I am nowhere near finished, but I couldn’t wait to share them with you all.

I tried to get a picture of the music note ornaments separately but they kept showing up gold for some reason.

Here’s how I made those: I printed out some music notes from MS Word. Transferred them to cardboard. Cut them out. Glued and glittered both sides. I still need to add the ribbon holders. These are not as sturdy as Pottery Barns I’m sure, but after gluing and glittering both sides, it does get quite stiff. I think these would also be cute with some aged sheet music mod podged on them instead of the glitter. I may have to try that and see how they turn out.

Well, ok, not all of it’s music themed. This is a tissue paper flower that I made by cutting up an old sewing pattern. I added a big rounded button to the center. I’m sure you remember how to make these from kindergarten. We used to make them from toilet paper when I was little.

I’m not sure if tissue paper would be safe on a lit tree or not, (would they?) but I thought that I would make a bunch of these and use them on top of gifts. Or maybe make a big bouquet of them and add some really pretty ribbon and use it as a topper. OOOH…I think that would be really pretty.

For the music scrolls, I went to MS word & shrunk some Christmas sheet music that I found HERE to about the size of a pack of cigarettes (do you like how I measure things…lol…). I was able to fit all four on one page. I Printed them out on Kraft paper, tore them out & glittered the edges. While those were drying, I made the scroll part. I used more Kraft paper cut a little larger than the music, rolled the ends onto wooden skewers, and added round wooden beads to the ends. I wanted a “layered” look, so I tore some strips of coffee stained paper and glued them on. When the sheet music parts were dry, I mod podged them on top of the coffee stained paper. Then I took some craft wire and made the coiled holders. I love how they turned out but I think I’ll just use twine instead of the wire. Which would you use?

And last but certainly not least…my favorite…the stars:

I used a tutorial from Ladies Home Journal, but it’s pretty self explanatory. Cut out the larger star from corrugated cardboard, cut the smaller one from sheet music, add a twine bow and a ribbon hanger (I haven’t got those made yet). I think these are so stinkin’ cute! I’m going to try some different shapes as well. Maybe some hearts, ovals, birdies, etc, etc, etc.

The best part of all of these ornaments is: They were all FREE! I would be willing to bet that every crafter out there has these supplies on hand already. Can’t beat that!

Well, I guess if I want to get these made before Christmas gets here, I’d better hop off of here and get busy! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll catch ya later!

This post is being linked up to :
The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday

Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Party

Hookin' Up With House Of Hepworth's

Beyond the Picket Fence's Under $100 Linky Party

Life As Lori's Get Your Craft On Thursday

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

Oversized Twig Reindeer

2010-11-06T06:28:00.001-04:00

(This is a repost of one of last years Christmas projects.)

Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors hosts a weekly themed link-up party. This week is sticks/twigs/branches. After leaving a comment saying that we had an awful wind storm and that I had all kinds of twigs and branches laying in my yard and I needed to find something creative to do with them, I remembered what my hubby and I made last year. DUH!! How could I forget about our oversized twig reindeer that we made.

Inspired by the Oversized twig reindeer from Pottery Barn:

This is our oversized twig reindeer:

Now, back to what I’ll do with all of the branches in our yard. This year, I think I’ll make some of the miniature versions to place around the house. Maybe I could post a little tutorial in a few days on how to make these.

Well, gotta get to work. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll catch ya later!

Faux Snowballs Tutorial

2010-11-05T22:53:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: tutorial,christmas decorations,diy

Looking for quick and inexpensive holiday craft projects? Here’s one:

Faux Snowballs

Faux Snowballs:

wax paper

gloves

styrofoam balls

joint compound & putty knife

mod podge & glitter

First, lay out your wax paper somewhere for your snowballs to dry. Roll your styrofoam balls on a hard surface to condense them a little. Not too hard, we don’t want to squish them. Now slip your gloves on and smear on the joint compound with your putty knife. If you get “peaks” that’s ok. It makes them look a little more realistic I think. When you have them covered like you like them, sit them on the wax paper to dry. This will take a while. When they are completely dry, you can sand down some of the peaks if you’d like. Next step is the fun part. Brush on a coat of mod podge and then sprinkle with glitter. And you’re all done!

These would make cute little ornaments if you had the smaller styrofoam balls.

Here’s a couple more pics of the ones I made:

I’m linking this project up to Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special.

Thanks for stopping by…and I hope you’ll try these!

An Amazing Before and After

2010-11-04T16:37:00.001-04:00

Well, an amazing “cleaning” before and after…lol…

Just wanted to take a little break to share this with you:

Today my mom asked me if I’d be interested in a tea server set? (I guess that’s what you call it) that a friend had just given her. She said she just didn’t have anywhere to put it and thought I might would like to have it to set out in my dining room. Normally, I’d tell her no, because I just have too much stuff laying around as it is, but something told me to say yes this time. I told her to bring it on down and I’d check it out. Even as tarnished as it was, I thought it was very pretty. After reading the partial sticker on the bottom that said “Solid Bra” I kind of figured it meant solid brass…lol. So after searching the internet to find out how to clean brass, I tried 3 things: Worcestershire sauce, tobasco sauce, and ketchup. Out of the 3, the Worcestershire sauce worked the best.

This picture shows best how tarnished all of the pieces were:

And even though I’m not finished yet, I wanted to show you some afters:

I doubt that it’s an antique or anything, but Isn’t it pretty? Look at that design on there! I can’t wait to get it all finished! Ok, break is over…must get off of here and finish up.

Catch ya later!

Wanna’ See My Porch Witch?

2010-10-19T10:12:00.001-04:00

Remember in a previous post I mentioned that I would love to try to make one of those witches using a styrofoam wig head and paper mache? Well, she’s just about finished! I just need to fluff up her legs a little and attach her pants legs to the boots somehow.

Materials used:

styrofoam wig head (Sally Beauty Supply)
pvc pipe frame for upper body and arms
old thrift store red sundress
black headpiece is from an old black slip
black fabric I already had
pair of thrift store black pants
old pair of black boots
lots and lots of newspaper for stuffing
hands are made from your everyday household latex gloves from the Dollar store. 2/$1 Turned them inside out and painted them with acryllic paints, stuffed them and duck taped them to pvc pipe arms.
eyeballs are made from polymer clay with printed irises modpodged on. printed irises come from The Haunting Grounds
just a few clumps of hair from an old wig.
I paper mache’d using newspaper strips, paper towels, and cotton balls.

LESSON LEARNED: Paper mache is not just for kids…This was so much fun to create!

She went from this:

to this:

What do ya think? Isn’t she cute in a creepy sort of way?

(I think I’d better finish her up and get her outside quickly!! The dogs are growling and barking and ready to attack her! lol…)

This post is being linked up to :

Metamorphosis Moday at Between Naps on the Porch Head on over there to see some great Before & afters!

Creations By Kara...Look What I made

Someday Crafts Whatever Goes Wednesday

The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

My Dollar Tree Halloween Decorations

2010-10-06T20:32:00.001-04:00

I finally purchased a few Halloween decorations from the dollar tree. And when I combined them with things I already had around the house, I created these:

First up we have my hand and fingers collection. They belonged to trick or treaters from last year. What were they thinking trying to steal my candy!

(hand and spiders were from the dollar tree…fingers from halloween express)

Next up is hubby #3. I told him to straighten up or I’d have to take drastic measures. He just wouldn’t listen. (skeleton from dollar tree. I just tore him apart and threw him in a large dollar tree vase and added some moss)

(mice & moss from dollar tree)

A bat that was captured 50 years ago in Transylvania. (bat from dollar tree…glowing water made using a highlighter marker. It’s supposed to glow when lit by a blacklight. All I had was a candle. Will try to get a blacklight this weekend and see how it works.)

black widow spider and her web also captured in Transylvania 50 years ago and preserved in the same glowing water.

and here it is all laid out on my side table in the dining room.

Hopefully I will get a few more things made this weekend. I am definitely wanting to try that witch that I posted about in my last post.

This post is being linked to: Funky Junk Interiors SNS

Technorati Tags: Halloween,Dollar Tree

Halloween Decorations From Around The Web

2010-10-05T20:27:00.001-04:00

This post will be short and sweet. (hey…at least I’m posting something…lol)

I have been searching all over the web for ways to add a little creepiness to our house for Halloween. After all of the searching, I thought I’d share some of my favorites:

Tuesdee from EveryDay is a Crafting Day created a cute floating ghost with cheesecloth and starch. Not creepy at all, just plain cute!

Katie from Sew Woodsy created this Martha Stewart inspired creepy mummy head on a platter.

I am loving this crow and skull cloche created by Kathleen of Fireflies and Family

I am also loving this halloween floor model candelabra created by Sawdust and Paperscraps.

Stephanie Lynn from Under the Table and Dreaming created this Martha Stewart inspired mouse motel using a faux pumpkin and rubber mice.

Want to make something really creepy? Try this Rockin Granny from Scarefx

And last but not least, my personal favorite is this witch made with a styrofoam wig head that has been built up by paper mache’ and a pvc pipe frame for the body: creepy witch If my local beauty supply store carries styrofoam wig heads, I think I will give this one a try this weekend.

So what have you done to add some creepiness to your house? I’d love to see…

This Is What Has Kept Me Busy This Summer:

2010-09-29T08:29:00.001-04:00

Gardening! That pretty much sums up my entire summer. And of all years to take up a new hobby, I had to choose the “year of the drought”…LOL…

Here’s a list of some of the pretties that I’ve added to the garden this year:

1 Dwarf Sweetspire Itea

1 Red “Knockout” rose bush

1 ‘RASPBERRY WINE’ Monarda

3 ‘SUNNY SKIES’ Delphinium

3 COREOPSIS ‘SUNRAY’

2 Nanho Blue Butterfly Bushes

1 Giant Ostrich fern

1 Japanese Beech Fern

2 Hosta fire and ice

1 Hosta Patriot

1 Hosta Twilight

2 Salieri daylillies

2 Stella D’oro daylillies

1 Sunny Yellow Knock-Out Rose Bush (purchased by my sweet hubby)

And after all of this hard work, what do I have to show for it? NOTHING! I think everything has died. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’m wrong and hoping that everything will come back up in the Spring.

But there is one plant (well, actually 3) that has really amazed me this year and that is this Hosta:

This hosta has been here since we’ve moved in 5 years ago and has never bloomed. Earlier this year I dug it up and divided it into 3 plants and replanted in a different location. Look what happened:

Isn’t it pretty! All three of the plants produced these showy blooms. And the fragrance…OMG! You have to get one of these Hostas.

Well, that pretty much sums up my summer and my absence from blogging. How was your summer?

I’m still here…

2010-08-04T06:26:00.001-04:00

New posts coming soon! Stay tuned…

TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES…

2010-05-19T15:37:00.001-04:00

…I mean the Peonies…lol…Just wanted to share my pretty Peonies with you. They smell sooo good! I cut these several days ago and put them in a vase on my table. This morning I decided to play around with them a bit. Here’s what I did with them:

Recognize the table in the picture? Yep…that was my “home office in progress” table that’s located in my dining room. It just wasn’t working out as the home office area :(

This is a picture I picked up about six or seven months ago at Goodwill. I love this picture but I never could find the perfect place to put it. I think it’ll work here for now. What do you think?

Peonies are so pretty when they are floating:

Can you smell them?

OK…that’s all I’ve got. Now I’m off to plant some Lavender. Catcha later!

What’s Your Style?

2010-05-13T06:12:00.001-04:00

What’s your interior style? I just finished taking the Style Quiz over at the ISCD International School of Color and Design and here are my “Style Quiz” results:

Your style personality is NOSTALGIC NEST.

You’re a collector that likes to express their individuality. Trends don’t interest you; you’re down to earth. You’ve developed your own style and stay true to yourself. You enjoy indoor and outdoor living. Unique souvenirs from your travels adorn your home. You’re sentimental; you keep photo albums and happy memories around you. You make your own treasures.

YEP!! Sounds like me…So what’s your style?

DOESN’T HURT TO DREAM…

2010-05-04T14:21:00.001-04:00

I’ve been thinking about the outdoor projects that I need to get done and dreaming about those that I’d like to work on “someday”.

On my list of “got to do’s” is fix up the front porch & fix our broken concrete walkway & steps that run from the sidewalk to the house (here’s a pic of the sad looking front porch and the walkway. And look…a neighbor has come over for a visit):

And a couple of other things that I need to get done are: get a new mailbox & post, add some type of lighting to the driveway side of the house, & add an outdoor spigot.

On my list of “want to do’s” is to build a patio/courtyard off of my dining room with walkways leading to the front of the house and to the back of the house. Here are some pics of my absolute FAVORITE:

(You can go to Patio Tour from Remodeling Center.com: for more information on this patio.)

I LOVE THIS!!! This was designed by Landscape architect James Furr. A 7-foot-high fence lines the neighbor's driveway, which I DEFINITELY NEED! At the rear of the courtyard, latticework and a gate open to the backyard. LOVELY!!

Here’s a close up pic of this patio. Love the raised flower beds and the addition of the water feature:

look at all the pretty flowers:

LOVE LOVE LOVE the mortared flagstone path:

These pics are definitely going into my “home improvement ideas” binder. I know that our side yard could never look like as beautiful as this….but it doesn’t hurt to dream.

OK…back to the things that NEED to get done. Catch ya later!

Blogger Burnout…Ever Get It? And A List of Future Projects…

2010-04-26T07:09:00.001-04:00

For the last month or so, I have had every intention of posting “something”. I have 4 blog posts in Windows Live Writer waiting to be finished and published. Every time I get ready to hit “publish”, a little voice inside says “Why bother…it’s not like anyone reads it anyway.” So I stopped blogging.

But then I got to thinking…why did I begin blogging in the first place? I have learned so much from other bloggers, from “how to put together a DIY wedding”… to “how to menu plan for a week to a month at a time.” So this blog was my way of “giving back”. Hopefully “someone” has/will find something useful here.

So now that I’m out of the “Blogger Burnout” stage, it’s back to posting time. While I was taking time off from blogging, I did “A LOT” of blog hopping. I came across a lot of really neat projects out there that I’ve added to my ever growing “Projects to Do” binder. And I’ve added a lot of new blogs to my “favorites”. Here are some of them:

Recaptured Charm's Antique Window to Cafe Sign LOVE IT!

BobbyPins Boardwalk's Large Impact Art Isn’t that BEAUTIFUL! I love the colors she’s used.

Luxurious Headboard also by Bobbypins Boardwalk I could really use a headboard. And I love this one.

Beneath My Heart's Ballard inspired Cafe Shelf (not sure if “I” can do it, but I’m going to give it a try)

Sunburst Mirror by Stephanie Lynn Isn’t that GORGEOUS!! I can think of several places in my home to put that.

But, if you’ll remember, I have a dresser sitting in my dining room waiting to be transformed, so these projects may have to wait a little bit. But then again, I’m waiting on my sweeet FIL to make me some bun feet for my dresser, sooo……

Ballard Inspired Topiary #2…Picture of Spring in my yard…and a future project!

2010-03-30T19:14:00.001-04:00

Sorry its been so long since my last post. We have had a death in the family and some other things come up. I’m still not feeling up to blogging right now so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I did manage to finish another Ballard inspired topiary. Here’s a pic of it:

I think I’m finished with these for a while.

The other project that I mentioned in my last post has been put on hold until I can find what I need to finish it. (which hopefully won’t be too much longer.)

I also wanted to take a minute and share a couple of pics of our forsythia bushes. I think these are the prettiest ones in ~~town~~ the county :)

And how about a sneak peek of a “near” future project:

This is what I picked up today at the Salvation Army store for $15.00?

and here’s a couple of pics of what I’d like it to look like when I’m done with it:

Guess that’s all for now. I will be back, so I hope you’ll come back and see me.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY…

2010-03-18T05:55:00.001-04:00

I’m still here, just not “HERE”. Been trying to do some Spring Cleaning while the weather is nice. It’s supposed to be cold and snowy again Monday…YUK!

Hopefully by the end of Sunday, I’ll finish my Ballard inspired topiaries, and share them with you. Except for the spiral one and I’m not sure how to go about making that one. Any help?

There is also another little project that I have been working on “here and there” that maybe I can share by Sunday night. So please stay tuned….

Ballard Inspired Topiary & Cute Dollar Tree Birds

2010-03-11T17:23:00.001-05:00

EDITED TO ADD A LINK TO THE TUTORIAL I USED FOR THIS PROJECT: TUTORIAL FOUND HERE THANK YOU ABBY FROM “TALES AND TRIALS” (it took me a while, but I found you again)

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to try and make some boxwood topiaries like the ones from Ballard. Well, 2 months later…lol…I finished one. YAY!! (not quite 2 months, but it sure felt like it.) I think it turned out GREAT! And I did it for about $10. That’s a double YAY!! ($8 + tax for 2 bunches of boxwood, $1.00 for the little tin planter.)

I just had to stop by a Dollar Tree to pick up some of those cute little birds you’ve been seeing all over blogland. I thought they were perfect just the way they were for this little “vignette” so I didn’t do anything to them. (But I did buy some extras that I have some big plans for…so stay tuned…)

Well, one topiary down, several more to go! Do you like?

I am linking this project up to:

The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday

My Romantic Home's Show & Tell Friday

Finding Fabulous' Frugalicious Friday

Funky Junk's SNS

ANOTHER POTTERY BARN INSPIRED PROJECT

2010-02-28T16:49:00.001-05:00

I’M BACK!! AND FEELING MUCH BETTER!!

Don’t you just love Pottery Barn? There are so many things I’d love to buy from there. But until my rich Uncle in the poor house dies or I get a raise, I’ll just have to keep admiring those pretty things. Some of their items can easily be recreated though. Like these:

This picture is from Pottery Barn. Here are their prices:

Cream quail eggs sold in a set of 8. $14

Blue robin eggs sold in a set of 12. $14

Hurricane vases $19-$59

OUCH!! What’s a girl to do when she sees something that she’d love to have but can’t afford? Why…try to make it yourself of course.

So, this is what I came up with today:

Not as pretty as theirs, but still pretty.

For the Robin’s eggs, I used:

small 1 5/16” wooden Robin’s eggs from Hobby Lobby. They’re sold in a pack of three for $1.19. I used 2 packs.

Robin’s egg blue acrylic craft paint ($0.50 at Michael’s)

and Brown acrylic craft paint also $0.50 from Michaels

For the Quail? eggs I used:

paper mache eggs from Michael’s 3/$1

Vanilla acrylic craft paint ($0.50)

Brown acrylic craft paint also $0.50.

For the vase:

2 candle holder’s $1/each at Goodwill

1 vase (shopped from the house. Still need one more…)

I used Loctite fast setting epoxy $3 something to glue the vase to the candle holder. I hope that holds!

Spanish Moss $1 at Dollar Tree

so for about $10 (with $3.xx for the glue) I made me some pretties for Spring!!

What do you think?

My next project is this:

Boxwood topiaries from Ballard Designs.

I have never really cared much for topiaries, but these are gorgeous!! Do you think I can pull it off? Wish me luck & Stay tuned…

ALMOST BETTER….

2010-02-21T07:25:00.001-05:00

This blog has been inactive due to a sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, ear infection, & can’t get any rest illness …sorry :(

But I’m “almost” back to my old self! See ya soon!

Kroger, Shell make deal for gas discounts

2010-02-12T19:30:00.002-05:00

Kroger, Shell make deal for gas discounts

Posted using ShareThis

We need this in Maysville, KY! Our Kroger Fuel Points are totally useless here!

MORE THAN $100 WORTH OF P&G COUPONS COMING SOON!

2010-02-04T20:43:00.001-05:00

I just received an email that P&G will be giving out more than $100 worth of P&G coupon savings by mail with the purchase of $50 worth of P&G products. Look for this information in your February 21st P&G BrandSaver insert!

Depression + Beads + Wire = Pretty Little Trees

2010-02-03T09:01:00.001-05:00

This cold weather has really gotten me down in the dumps & wishing Spring was already here. So with some beads and a bunch of wire, I decided to give Spring a little nudge! Aren’t they cute! These little trees measure in at approx. 6 inches.

Here they are against a black background which shows the colors of the beads a lot better:

And here they are in my curio cabinet. The beads look a little washed out in this picture. It’s so hard for me to get a picture of something in my curio cabinet! I had to put a sheet of white cardstock in the back to cut down on the glare coming through my window.

I still haven’t decided what I want to mount them on. I thought about a small mirror? Moss covered rock? I also think they need little birds/butterflies perched on the branches. Do you know where I can find teeny tiny lightweight birds/butterflies? (as in 1/2 inch or smaller)

So, what about you…Have you been doing any “Spring-y” type crafts to chase away the winter blues? I’d love to see them!

I am linking this up to: Get Your Craft On with Today's Creative Blog

Menu Plan for the week of Feb. 1st - Feb. 7th

2010-02-01T20:54:00.002-05:00

Thanks for stopping by to check out our menu plan for this week. Sorry I’m late getting this one out. I usually try to have this done by Sunday night. I know…I’m a slacker!!

Speaking of slacker, have you seen our menu for last week? I could have sworn I hit post! Where did it go?? Oh well, wait till YOU get to be my age…lol…

I’m sooo stuffed from the 4-ways and Chili Cheese Coneys, I don’t really want to think about food for a while. But after looking through our freezer/fridge/pantry, this is what we’ll be having this week:

Monday: 4-Ways and Chili Cheese Coney’s

Tuesday: BAKING DAY!! (see below) Scrambled eggs, Drunken Pig Home Fries, toast

Wednesday: I have a late Dr’s Appt. so I’ll either throw something in the crock pot or we’ll have Pizza. Haven’t decided yet.

Thursday: Tuna Casserole, salad, garlic toast

Friday: Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce, Stove Top Stuffing, Green Beans & Rolls

Saturday: Crockpot Great Northern Beans, Savory Mixed Greens, cheesy hash brown casserole, Cornbread

Sunday: Liver & Onions, mashed potatoes with gravy, peas

Baking day is Tuesday. I will be fixing French Toast Sticks, (link in sidebar) Applesauce Muffins, Coffeecake Muffins, and peanut butter cookies for snacks and breakfasts for this week and if I have time left, I’ll bake some Pumpkin-Cream Cheese bread for the freezer. You MUST try these recipes. They are AWESOME! If you’d like, I’ll post the Coffeecake Muffins recipe also, (my DS’s favorite!). These are all Teen/Hubby approved, so you know they have to be good!

Well, that’s it for this week. What are you having?

To see what the rest of the world is having, head on over to Org. Junkie.

Kroger Mega Deal Trip – Round 2

2010-02-01T07:16:00.001-05:00

Made another quick trip to Kroger’s yesterday for their Mega Deal Sale. This is what I got:

Mega Deal Items:

Prices listed are after mega deal price and q’s :

1 Kraft Cheese slices (no q’s) $1.49

10 Chi-Chi’s salsa $5

6 Chex mix $3.00

1 bag M & M’s $1

8 ICBINB Cooking/Baking sticks FREE

9 Finish dish tabs $4.50

12 Hormel Chili $3.48

3 Ritz crackers $2.67

TOTAL OOP: 50 items for $21.14 + tax on dish tabs :)

Are you doing any mega deals @ Kroger? How did you do?

Rebuilding My Stockpile…

2010-01-28T05:27:00.001-05:00

One sale at a time….

It’s been a while since I’ve done any “big” shopping trips. I think I am getting a little rusty…lol…

We’ve basically been living off of our stockpile since the beginning of December and just buying a few things here and there as needed.

As you may already know, Kroger is having their Mega Sale again, which is usually a good time to stock up on a few things.

I was really wanting to get the Electrasol dish tabs and the Hormel Chili, but someone wiped the shelves clean! Hopefully there will be some more Saturday. Overall, it was still a pretty good trip.

Non-Mega deal items:

2 loaves Arnold’s bread $0.99 each

1 dozen eggs $1.19

3 lbs. ground Turkey $2.79 (MGR’s Special)

6.2 lbs. ground beef $9.21

9 Old El Paso Rice Sides $1.25

3 J & J Buddies Bars $0.99 each

toilet paper $0.88

Mega-Deal Items: I messed this one up. I forgot to write the Pepsi’s and the Franks Hot Sauce on the paper where I was keeping track of the # of mega items so I ended up with 88 items instead of the 80 I had figured :( Oh well, Still not too bad.

Prices listed are after coupons & the buy 10/get $5 back

1 pkg Johnsonville Brats $1.99

6 Chex Mix $0.50 each

3 2ltrs of Pepsi $0.79 each

4 Propel Waters $0.24 each

1 Sargento Cheese $0.50

4 Kraft Shredded Cheese $1 each (see kraft note below)

4 Kraft block cheese $1 each (see kraft note below)

6 I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spreads FREE

5 Frank’s Hot Sauce $0.19

1 French’s regular mustard $0.19

5 French’s Honey Mustard’s & Dip $0.19 each

21 Hunt’s diced tomatoes $0.24 each

2 velveeta cheese blocks $2.79 each (see Kraft note below)

10 Chi-Chi’s Salsa $0.50 each (going back Saturday to get the other 10. That might last a month here…lol…)

7 Rotel tomatoes Free

4 velveeta Shells & Cheese dinners $0.50 each

4 Ritz crackers $0.89 each

Total # of items: 106 Total OOP: $70.55

Total Savings $154.74

plus I received $3 off my next purchase of chicken or beef :) and I should qualify for this:

************* KRAFT CHEESE REWARDS *****************

And don’t forget about this: FOR EVERY $20 YOU SPEND ON PARTICIPATING KRAFT CHEESE & DAIRY PRODUCTS YOU GET A $2 GROCERY COUPON.

Did you hit the Mega Sale at Kroger? How did you do?

Tide Giveaway

2010-01-27T05:39:00.001-05:00

How would you like to win a year’s supply of Tide? I would LOVE IT!

Tide has generously offered Andrea from Mommy Snacks 3 coupon packets to give away. Each coupon booklet contains 10 coupons for FREE Bottle of Tide Coldwater Liquid Detergent (26 loads).

Go HERE to enter for your chance to win. Better hurry because this giveaway ends Friday @ 8!

We Have A Winner!!

2010-01-22T21:50:00.002-05:00

The winner of the Old El Paso “Tackle the Taste” gift pack is:

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 2 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

#2 Kerrie…Congratulations Kerrie! I have sent you an email. You will have until Saturday, Jan. 23 10:00 p.m. EST to respond with the necessary information. Tick…Tock… :)

Oven Baked Onion Rings

2010-01-20T06:02:00.003-05:00

On my last menu plan, I listed Oven Baked Onion Rings for Monday night. I was asked how I made them so I thought I’d share them with you. This recipe must have come from somewhere on t.v. because it looks like I wrote it in my notebook pretty quickly…lol…

Oven Baked Onion Rings

Vidalia Onions cut into rings

4-5 cups potato chips

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (we use a little more)

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 TBS flour

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Crush your potato chips either by hand or food processor to make fine crumbs. Place the crumbs in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate) and add the cayenne pepper.

In another shallow dish mix your buttermilk, salt, pepper & 2 TBS flour.

Put 1/2 - 1 cup flour in a big ziplock bag and add your onion rings. Shake to coat. Take them out of the bag and dip them in the buttermilk then into the crumbs. Place them on your baking sheet and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Easy Peasey and so much better for you than deep frying them. ENJOY!!

To make these healthier, you could substitute the potato chips with baked chips, and use a low-fat buttermilk instead of the regular and you could skip the salt and use a salt substitute if you’d like.

CALIFORNIA MARKETPLACE & KROGER COUPON MATCHUPS FOR THE WEEK OF 1-17

2010-01-18T20:39:00.003-05:00

CALIFORNIA MARKETPLACE ON THE AA HWY CALIFORNIA, KY (if you’re not familiar with this store, they also have unlimited double coupons up to $0.50. They are located approx. 15 minutes from Alexandria Village Green Shopping Center)

Center cut Boneless Bottom Round or Rump Roast $2.19/lb

Ground Chuck $1.79/lb

Bone in Split chicken breast $0.99/lb

Boneless Extra Lean Sirloin Pork Chops $1.99/lb

Milk $1.99 gallon

Dole Classic Salad Mix $1

Sargento shredded cheese 5-8oz $2 $0.50/1 in the 1/3 SS = $1

John Morrell Franks or Smoked Sausage $1

tomatoes $0.99/lb

Quaker Cereals (Cap’n Crunch or Life) 4/$7

Red Baron Pizzas 2/$6

Bird’s Eye Steamfresh veggies or veggies & rice $0.99 $.35 MQ from 1/10 SS = $0.29/each

Dannon Yogurt $0.39/each $0.60/6 in 1/3 SS = $1.34 for 6

Pert Plus 6.6 – 12.6 oz $2.50 - $1 PRINTABLE HERE = $1.50

Pamper’s wipes 60 ct. $2.49 $0.50/1 12-27 P&G= $1.49

Aunt Jemima pancake mix 2/$4 and syrup $2.69 $1/2 1-3 RP = $1.50 for the pancake mix $2.19 for the syrup

Minute Rice 14 oz original, brown, or boil in a bag $1.99 $0.50/1 in the 12-13 SS = $0.99

Hunts spaghetti sauce $1 - $0.50/2 printable here (these are from Save-a-Lot’s website but I believe they’re MFG coupons?)= $0.50/each

Hunt’s snack pack pudding $1 - $0.50/3 printable here= (also from Save-a-lot’s website) $0.67/each

KROGER

PRODUCE:

Idaho potatoes $0.99/5 lb

pears $0.88/lb

yellow onions $0.99/3 lb

Dole Salad Blends 10-12oz B1G1F $0.75/1 in the Kroger My magazine Holiday issue

BREAD/BAKERY:

Kroger hamburger/hot dog buns $1

Tender Twist bread $1

Kroger 6 ct. English Muffins $1

MEATS:

Chuck Roast B1G1of equal or lesser valu free

Boneless Pork Loin $1.89/lb

DAIRY/DELI/FROZEN FOODS:

Milk $1 half gallon

Dannon Activia yogurt $1.88 ea.
$1 MQ from 10/4 SS
Final price = $.88 ea.

Danimals yogurt $1.88 ea.
$1 MQ from 1/10 SS
Final price = $.88 ea.

Birdseye veggies $1 ea.
$.35 MQ from 1/10 SS
Final price = $.30 ea.

Oikos greek yogurt $1 ea.
$1 MQ from 1/3 SS
Final price = FREE

EVERYTHING ELSE:
Hershey’s, Reese’s, or KitKats 5/$5 (Buy 4 @$1.25each-get 1 free)

Sunny Delight 64 oz $1

Gatorade G2 $1 ea.
$.55 MQ from 1/10 RP
Final price = FREE

Kroger brand coffee 26-39 oz $3.99

Swiss Miss hot cocoa $1 ea.
$.50/2 MQ from 1/10 SS
Final price = $.50 ea.

Cottonelle bath tissue 12 double rolls/$5.88 $1/1 HERE = $4.88/12 pk.

Ortega Mexican Food 33% off entire line

MENU PLAN FOR JAN 18th – JAN 24th

2010-01-18T11:41:00.001-05:00

Hello….and thanks for stopping by. Where did last week go? Doesn’t it seem like we just did this? This week is going to be pretty hectic so the meal prep time has to be quick.

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Oven Baked Onion Rings, Coleslaw (the BEST coleslaw dressing recipe below)

Tuesday: Salmon Patties, Mac & Cheese, Peas

Wednesday: Taco Salads

Thursday: Jiffy Jambalaya,(recipe below) Cornmeal Muffins, Tossed Salad

Friday: Leftovers or Pizza

Saturday: Breakfast

Sunday: Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti Tossed Salad, Garlic Toast

And now for some recipes:

Here’s a recipe that my family loves. It’s been FOREVER since we’ve had this and it’s super quick, so it’s perfect for this week. This recipe came from a cookbook called “Fix it Fast”.

Jiffy Jambalaya

1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 TBS cooking oil 3 drops hot sauce

1 (28 oz) can tomatoes diced 1/2 c. water

1 (12 oz) can Spam, cubed 1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp salt (can omit because the Spam has plenty of salt in it.

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups quick rice

In a 3 quart saucepan cook onion & green pepper in hot oil till tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Now for the coleslaw dressing:

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup Miracle Whip 1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper 1/4 cup vinegar

Combine all ingredients and pour over your shredded cabbage. Refrigerate. This makes THE BEST coleslaw!! I usually double this recipe because we like our coleslaw with a lot of “juice”.

That’s our plan for this week. Want to see more great menu plans? Head on over to Organizing Junkie. There are hundreds of them!

(PS Since you’re here, you should take a minute to enter my Old El Paso "Tackle the Taste" giveaway . Better hurry though, this giveaway ends 1/22)

INSTANTLY WIN SOME DOVE BEAUTY BARS

2010-01-14T21:06:00.001-05:00

JUST WANTED TO SHARE A FEW OFFERS FROM DOVE:

HAVE YOU TRIED THE SPIN FOR YOUR SKIN GAME YET? YOU COULD INSTANTLY WIN DOVE BEAUTY BARS. YOU GET THREE CHANCES EVERY DAY! GO HERE TO PLAY!

GO HERE TO PRINT OUT A COUPON FOR $1.25 OFF 1 DOVE BEAUTY BAR 4 PACK OR LARGER AND ANOTHER COUPON FOR $1.50 OFF 2 ANTIPERSPIRANTS/DEODORANTS AND OR DOVE GO FRESH BODY MISTS

HERE’S SOMETHING ELSE THAT DOVE HAD ON THEIR SPECIAL OFFER’S PAGE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE. IT’S CALLED COZI.

HERE’S MORE ABOUT IT:

Wish you had some help organizing your busy family life? Cozi is a FREE online family organizer that helps you manage the family calendar, organize your shopping list and to do list, share favorite memories in a family journal, and enjoy family photos—all in one spot. With Cozi's mobile access, your information is not only available from any computer with an Internet connection, but also from any mobile phone. All you need to get started is a Cozi account and signing up is quick and easy with no downloads required. GET IT HERE.

I’M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BE MORE ORGANIZED SO I MAY JUST GIVE THAT A TRY!

GETTING READY FOR THE BIG GAME…AND A GIVEAWAY!

2010-01-12T14:31:00.004-05:00

Are you ready for the Big Game on February 7, 2009? What food/snacks will you be preparing? My DH and boys usually have chips and dip/salsa, hot wings, and plenty of refreshments.

A recent survey conducted for Old El Paso Green Chiles found that the majority of Americans will be gathering around the TV to watch the Big Game at home with friends and family on February 7, 2010.

61% of adults plan to watch the Big Game. Whether you’re planning a huge party or you’re just looking forward to kicking back at home with your friends and family, Old El Paso Green Chiles can help you spice up the festivities!
Old El Paso Green Chiles, which come in 4.5 and 7 oz cans, are a simple way to liven up your go-to favorites. Fat-free and with only 10 calories per serving, Green Chiles are not spicy, but will add a unique flavor to your dishes that the whole crowd will love! According to the survey, Americans will be clamoring for these great game time dishes:

Chips and dip or salsa 67%
Wings 57%
Nachos 33%
Veggies and dip 29%
Chili 24%

Perfect for your dips and salsas, as well as your nachos and chili, Old El Paso Green Chiles can help you score a mealtime touchdown with your guests this year. For more ideas, check out these quick (with a prep time of less than 30 minutes each!) and delicious recipes that incorporate Old El Paso Green Chiles and will have your fans cheering for more!

…and now for the giveaway:

Old El Paso and MyBlogSpark have provided me with a “Tackle the Taste” gift pack which includes 2 cans of Old El Paso Green Chiles, as well as a football-shaped ceramic serving platter, two sets of football themed plates, cocktail napkins, and a “football field” table runner. Now how cool is that!!

They have also provided me with an additional gift pack to give away to one of my lucky readers.

To enter, simply post a comment with an answer to this question:

How would you use the Green Chiles if you won this gift pack? (if your “contact me” information isn’t listed on your blog, or you don’t have a blog, please leave an email address where you can be contacted if you are the lucky winner)

Want more than one chance to win? For *Bonus Entries*, you can:

follow my blog and leave a separate comment stating you are following
post about this giveaway on your blog and leave another comment stating that you have posted

That’s 3 ways to win this awesome gift pack! Better hurry, this contest will end at 10:00 P.M. January 22nd.

Winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen. U.S. entrants only.

Good luck!!

MENU PLAN FOR JAN. 11th-JAN.17th

2010-01-11T10:37:00.001-05:00

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by. This week will be a YUMMY week for us. Not to mention a fairly cheap week since most of the ingredients for these recipes are already in the pantry/freezer. (Excuse me for a second while I make out my grocery list…Looks like all I need to buy is the lettuce for the salad, onion soup mix for the meatloaf, fresh green beans, a can of apple pie filling, a box of stuffing mix and a bag of egg noodles.) I love grocery lists like that!

MONDAY: Lasagna, (doubling recipe and freezing 1) Salad, Garlic Toast

TUESDAY: Low Fat Baked Chimichangas (like Chi-Chi’s), Mexican rice

WEDNESDAY: Meatloaf, (doubling recipe and freezing 1) Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls

THURSDAY: Pancakes, Sausage links, Scrambled eggs

FRIDAY: Chicken Satay, (YES honey, I will be grilling in the snow…lol…) Rice, Sesame Green Beans

SATURDAY: Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing

SUNDAY: Tuna Casserole, Garlic bread, Salad

Want some more great menu plans? Head on over to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. There are HUNDRED’S of them!

FRESH START GIFT PACK FROM RIGHT @ HOME….

2010-01-07T05:35:00.001-05:00

Right @ Home is giving away a Glade Sense & Spray Automatic Freshener Gift Pack to the first 3,000 people to respond. BETTER HURRY & GET YOURS HERE!

MENU PLAN FOR JAN. 4-10

2010-01-04T15:30:00.002-05:00

This is what we have planned for this week. I am also planning to do some freezer cooking on Friday which includes Freezer French Toast Sticks, applesauce muffins, breakfast burritos, and extra beef & bean burritos. Anyone want to come over and help me?

MONDAY: BAKED CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, RICE

TUESDAY: HAM, CROCKPOT PINTO BEANS, AND CORNBREAD

WEDNESDAY: EASY CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, MASHED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS

THURSDAY: PIZZA

FRIDAY: ~~BEEF & BEAN BURRITOS, SPANISH RICE~~ VEGETABLE SOUP, GRILLED HAM & CHEESE SANDWICHES

SATURDAY: LIVER & ONIONS, MASHED POTATOES, PEAS

SUNDAY: OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS OR CHILI ?? Still haven’t made up my mind on this one.

For more great menu plans head on over to Organizing Junkie.

Free Snuggle fabric softener sheets and Schick razors

2010-01-03T19:53:00.001-05:00

If you have any of the $2 off Snuggle coupons from the 12/6 Red Plum insert, you might want to head to Wal-Mart for some FREE dryer sheets. The 40 count Snuggle dryer sheets are $1.87. That makes them FREE after coupon. This coupon expires on 1-10-10.

There was also a $2 off any Schick disposable razors coupon in the 12/6 SmartSource. Wal-Mart sells them for $1.97. That makes these free as well. This coupon expires on 1-17-10

Great for stocking up!! I think 288 razors should last for a little while…lol…

A NEW YEAR = NEW GOALS

2010-01-02T23:51:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions or goals? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days about what I want to accomplish in 2010. Here’s a few of those things in no particular order:

Plan more family fun time. This has been so hard to do with 3 teenage boys. Hopefully we can change that. (any suggestions for fun filled activities with 2 18 year olds and a 16 year old would be greatly appreciated!!)
Be more consistent with my meal planning and try to do more freezer cooking.
Stick to couponing and our $50/week grocery budget and continue adding to our stockpile.
Have my Christmas shopping done by Dec. 1.
I have tried so many times to quit smoking and have failed every time so I won’t add that to this list. But I would like to cut down some.
Finish some home improvement projects that were started but stopped for various reasons. Ex. kitchen and dining room floors, baseboards, window and door trims.
Be a better blogger. I would like to participate in more blog parties/carnivals.
and last but not least…continue to make at least one person smile or laugh every day!

What are some of your goals for the New Year?

STILL WORKING ON MY HOME OFFICE…PART 3

2009-12-31T16:55:00.002-05:00

A while back I posted that I was trying to set up a home office on a thrift store budget. If you missed it, you can read about it HERE.

In PART 2 I mentioned that I had thought about using my Grandmother’s table.

Now it’s time for Part 3. Other than the $4 picture frame I mentioned in Part 2, I’m using things that I already have. This is what I’ve come up with so far:

This is one of my favorite boxes. It’s just a simple little fabric covered box. It probably came from the Dollar store or something. But I love it!! I’ve had this for over 6 years. Up until today, it just held miscellaneous items like nails, screws, batteries etc. Now it holds my paperclips, push pins, and staples.

Next up is my pen/marker holder. I’m not sure if you can see it in the picture, but it is green. This was a “buried treasure”. No…really…it WAS buried in the ground. Where I used to live, previous owners from way back would take their garbage over the hill and dump it. My ex-husband’s step dad and I dug up all kinds of goodies from old coke bottles to old brown glass clorox bleach bottles. While digging up one of the old glass bleach bottles, I saw the ruffled edge of this little vase sticking up, so I carefully loosened up the dirt all the way around her. Would you believe there is not one scratch on this cutie. I’m not sure how old she is, but I’ve been packing her around for at least 10 years.

Here is the calendar I mentioned in Part 2

and the “mail sorting” baskets. I’ve been using these since the first of November, and it has really been a big help in getting rid of the paper clutter.

the “to pay” basket holds bills to pay and things that need to be responded to.

the “to file” is pretty self explanatory. I file these on Saturdays.

The “to use” basket holds my grocery store ads, restaurant coupons, and any coupons that I get in the mail or off of food packaging that needs to be put in my coupon binder.

Here’s a shot of what it looks like right now. Like my “fresh flowers"? …lol… I stole my DH’s night stand to hold extra office type supplies. Paper, extra pens & pencils, stapler, hole punch, folders, etc…but I’m thinking that this won’t stay. It’ll work for now.

(please excuse the big box of newspapers in the background. I couldn’t move it…it weighs a ton) This chair is also a temporary fix. So now all I have left to get is lighting, (I’m thinking of some type of swag light) a chair, (something not so bulky looking but comfortable) and a place to hold my coupon binders, menu planning binder, warranty/manuals binder and all of my other sanity savers. I have an idea of what I could use for this but I’m not sure if It would work. We’ll see. (Maybe I can sweet talk DH into taking me to the Goodwill this weekend if the weather’s not too bad.)

So, what do ya think so far? What would you change or do differently? Stay tuned for Part 4…

DREAMING OF WARMER WEATHER…

2009-12-23T16:48:00.001-05:00

Warm sun…palm trees…sound of the ocean….

I knew it had to be a dream!!!

Oh well, might as well enjoy this little patch of sun…

UH OH!! I am sooo busted for being on the sofa….

“OUR ORNAMENT” FOR 2009

2009-12-20T13:14:00.001-05:00

Hi! I’m back to share a little more handmade Christmas goodies.

Each year my husband and/or I choose or make a new ornament to add to our tree. I just finished making this year’s “our ornament”. Wanna see?

here ya go:

She’s a little wonky looking, but I’m pleased with how she turned out.

Here are some pics of the one’s I made several years ago:

This one is my favorite out of the bunch:

And here’s all of them together:

Do you ever make your own ornaments? I’d love to see them.

JINGLE BELL SWAG TUTORIAL

2009-12-19T13:03:00.001-05:00

In my last post I showed you my Pottery Barn inspired twig reindeer and Jingle Bell swag. I had a few bells left so I decided to do a tutorial on how I made the swag. I have never posted a tutorial before, so please bear with me.

Here goes:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. For this project you’ll need:

2 pair pliers
jump rings (for the tutorial I used bigger rings so you could see it better.)
piece of chain (mine was approx. 10 1/2 inches)
bells (for this tutorial I only used 16 bells because that’s all I had left. In the original I used 40)
cigarettes & coffee (optional for you but a MUST for me…lol…)

STEP 2: Open all of your jump rings and clip off the little tags from the bells. I couldn’t get a picture of myself opening the jump rings because, well, it takes both hands. So I’ll send you HERE to see a quick video.

STEP 3: Take one of your jump rings and pick up your bell and one end of the chain. Close the jump ring.

STEP 4: Keep doing this alternating sides of the chain as shown in the next 2 pictures. Do this all the way up the chain skipping a link or two between each bell. Leave some room at the top of the chain to put your bow on. The more bells you use, the fuller the swag will be.

STEP 5: Make your “ring hanger thing”. Take an old coat hanger and shape it around a can of veggies or soup to make a circle. Twist it to close the circle and cut. Take one of your jump rings and pick up the top part of the chain and hook it to your coat hanger circle. Close the jump ring. Slap a bow on your swag and you’re done!! This is what it looks like with 16 bells (I don’t have enough ribbon to make another bow.) The more bells you use, and the closer you put the bells, the fuller it gets.

Here’s a picture of the one from Pottery Barn:

And here’s another picture of my original one using 40 bells:

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial. If there’s anything you need help with, just holler. And if you decide to make one of these using this tutorial, I’d love to see it!!

I’m also linking up to Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special. Head on over there to check out some more great projects!!

TWO POTTERY BARN INSPIRED CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS…

2009-12-18T16:39:00.001-05:00

I have a $0.00 budget for Christmas decorations this year :( but I did manage to make a few things from items I already had on hand.

This is Pottery Barn’s oversized twig reindeer (which were inspired by a woman who makes twig reindeer’s):

this is my (oh, ok…DH helped…lol…) version of PB’s oversized twig reindeer:

isn’t he cute!! And to think that I wasn’t getting ready to throw these pieces in the wood stove…lol…

Next up is Pottery Barn’s jingle bell swag:

and using these bells leftover from our wedding (Big Lot’s $1.00/pk) and some chain from my jewelry making supplies:

this is my version of Pottery Barn’s jingle bell swag (don’t laugh at my attempt to make a bow…lol…):

I think I got a little carried away with the bells…lol…Do you think I should remove some of them?

And next is a centerpiece for my dining room table:

It wasn’t Pottery Barn inspired. But again I was trying to make something pretty with what I already had on hand.

This is what it looked like early this morning while I was having my first cup of coffee. So peaceful at 4:00 am:

Do you like my fake snow? It’s epsom’s salt. The candle inside was given to me by a good friend. It is a small cinnamon scented candle from The Yankee Candle Co. It smells sooo good!!

I have linked this post to Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday. Head on over there to check out everyone else’s awesome before and afters.

Well, what do ya’ think? Did I do good? :) Guess that’s all for now…Catcha later!!

I’M BACK….

2009-12-13T12:43:00.001-05:00

…did ya miss me?

And this time I’m armed with a camera. OH YEAH!!!

So I thought I would bombard you with a bunch of pictures.

I’m not sure why but I can’t seem to get into decorating for the holidays this year. I did manage to get a couple of things put up the day after Thanksgiving.

I’ll start with our “Charlie Brown” tree. Did you notice the angel on top? Oh…that’s right…there is no angel because it broke :( (note to self: hit the stores the day after Christmas to get a new angel)

And then there is the display on top of our entertainment center. It was made from various items.

The cute little houses were hot glued to an old grapevine wreath that had seen better days. So I picked the houses off and tossed the wreath.

The snowman was in a floral arrangement from last year. Isn’t he cute!!

The white angel was given to me several Christmas’ ago by my youngest son and the angel with the instrument was given to me by a dear friend about 6 or 7 Christmas’ ago. It kind of looks like the angels are watching over the “little town”.

The lighting is from those cheap plastic plug in candles.

Ok..enough rambling…Here’s the center of the display:

The next picture looks over to the left of the snowman. There’s the candles I was telling you about. There is one set on the left and another set on the right:

Same side, just included the angel in this shot:

Here’s a close up of the white angel:

This view is on the right hand side Notice the other angel:

Here’s a close up of her:

Nothing fancy, just making do with what I have on hand. But it is really pretty at night when the lights are out and the candles are plugged in.

And here’s one of my favorites. Another gift from my youngest son. These are the Christmas bears from Avon several years back. It’s a mama bear and a baby bearand they are interactive. They sing a Christmas song together and the mama bear tells the baby bear a bedtime story (Twas the night before Christmas). They’re really cute. Here they are:

How do you decorate for Christmas? I’d love to see!!

Menu Plan Monday (Restaurant meals without leaving home…)

2009-11-16T20:26:00.001-05:00

…and without the big bill!! (do you think the fella’s will leave me a tip? ) We already have most of the ingredients needed for these recipes, so that’s a BIG PLUS!! Just need to pick up some fresh veggies and chicken wings.

If you would like any of the recipes that don’t have a link, just leave me a message or shoot me an email and I’ll get back with you ASAP.

Monday: Lunchmeat sandwiches, veggie sticks, chips

Tuesday: Frisch’s Big Boy Platter (recipe for copycat Big Boy’s in the “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes cookbook”)

Wednesday: Hooter's Buffalo Chicken Wings for the fellas, and KFC Honey BBQ Wings for me, Hooter’s pasta salad (recipe from the Top Secret Restaurant Recipes cookbook.

Thursday: Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings (I think this is the same recipe in the Top Secret cookbook)

Friday: Chi Chi's Low-Fat Baked Chimichanga's, Rice Picante

Saturday: Dixie Stampede's Cream Of Vegetable Soup, Tuna Melts

Sunday: KFC Extra Crispy Chicken, Mashed potatoes, baked beans, and KFC Mac & Cheese (recipes from the same cookbook mentioned above.)

Thanks for stopping by and head on over to Organizing Junkies Menu Plan Monday for more great meal plans!!

WANNA SEE WHAT I PICKED UP FOR $20.00?

2009-11-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

While my mom and I were browsing our favorite thrift store today, I saw 4 or 5 boxes sitting on the floor. 2 of the boxes contained vanity lighting. And one of the other boxes contained this:

Isn’t she purty!! She still had her tags and everything on her. There was a packing receipt still in the box. It was just purchased in June of this year and was never installed by the previous owners.

And I got her for $20!!!!!

So I rushed her home and out of curiosity I started checking websites to see if I could find this fixture anywhere and I found it. Read this from Lighting Universe.

$160.00!!!!

DOING THE HAPPY DANCE!!!

Menu Plan Monday Nov. 9 – 15th, (and something special for next week’s menu plan…)

2009-11-09T11:42:00.001-05:00

I’m still here…lol… I told you last week would be a hectic week. I don’t think I was even on the computer last week. Thank goodness it’s over.

This week is looking pretty good. (knocking on wood) There are no appointments, no loooong work hours, no after school activities.

Last week’s menu went as planned except for the Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce. We didn’t get to make that so I’m rolling that over to this week’s menu plan. And Friday’s and Saturday’s meals were swapped.

Ok, enough rambling…Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday: 4-Ways and Chili Cheese Coney’s

Tuesday: Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce, Stove Top Stuffing, Green Beans & Rolls

Wednesday: Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Peas & Rolls

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Scrambled eggs, home fries (note to self: make extra for tomorrow’s supper), sausage patties, biscuits, and gravy.

Saturday: Crockpot Great Northern Beans, Savory Mixed Greens, leftover home fries (made cheesy), Cornbread

Sunday: Chicken & Dumplin’s

Well, that’s our plan for this week. For more great menu plans head on over to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday's

And here’s the sneak peek at next week’s menu. It will be “Restaurant Week”. We will “be going” to Hooter’s for their Buffalo Chicken Wings and Pasta Salad. We will hit Frisch’s for their famous Big Boy Sandwiches. We will also head over to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) for their famous French Toast. And maybe even “eat at” the Olive Garden. Kentucky Fried Chicken sounds good also. We’re going to do all of this without spending a fortune, without leaving a tip & without leaving the house. So make sure to come back next Monday to see the plan.

MENU PLAN MONDAY

2009-11-02T06:06:00.001-05:00

Oh…wow…it’s Monday again? Already? Where did the week go? This is going to be a hectic week so we’re trying to keep things as simple as possible.

So…here goes:

SUNDAY: PANERA'S CREAM CHEESE POTATO SOUP (we had this tonight…it was delicious)

MONDAY: CHEESEBURGERS, FRENCH FRIES, PICKLE SPEARS

TUESDAY: SALISBURY STEAK, MASHED POTATOES, CORN AND ROLLS

WEDNESDAY: CHICKEN PATTY SANDWICHES, MAC & CHEESE, TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

THURSDAY: PORK CHOPS WITH CREAMY MUSTARD SAUCE, STOVE-TOP STUFFING, GREEN BEANS & ROLLS

FRIDAY: CHILI

SATURDAY: BREAKFAST OR LEFTOVERS IF THERE IS ANY

Thanks for dropping by. To see more great menu plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie

PANERA’S CREAM-CHEESE POTATO SOUP

2009-11-01T15:31:00.001-05:00

In our last menu plan, I included a link to Panera’s cream cheese potato soup. A couple of you were curious as to how it tasted. Well, I’m here to tell you that it was DELICIOUS!! This will definitely be on our menu again.

It was a little thinner than I like, so I just added a little bit of potato flakes (I might not have added enough potatos). And it had a little more heat to it than I expected, so next time I’ll cut the red pepper back some.

Other than that, it was a hit. Even my non-soup eating hubby loved it.

Go ahead and make you some…I know you’re wanting to!!

“The Home Office Journey”…part 2

2009-11-01T07:13:00.001-05:00

If you’ll remember a couple of posts back, I was working on setting up/organizing our home office area. Go here if you’re not sure what the heck I’m talking about. The calendar is finished & the incoming mail “sorting” baskets are up. So now I need a desk, a chair, good lighting, a place to store my binders, & a filing cabinet or file box for those important papers that need to be kept.

I’ll start with the desk. I’ve had this piece of furniture for a while now that I just keep moving from room to room. It’s old and worn out, but it was my Grandmother’s and I’m just not ready to part with it. It’s an old dining room table (I think). Yep…you heard right…a dining room table. But it’s not just any kind of table. ( and no, I still don’t have a camera :( …these are pictures from moving day about 4 years ago.)

Here, I’ll show ya:

Meet my new desk:

It’s not a very big dining room table is it? Wanna see more?

That’s what it looks like underneath. I have asked others for years and years what that crank underneath was for. No one knew. I’ve even tried turning it but nothing. But one day while we were in the process of moving to this house, I found out:

I must have broken the years of stain and sealer loose…lol…because that baby just opened up. See how far that baby stretches? 6 feet!!

So what do ya think? Do you think it would make a nice desk?

Stay tuned for more!!

RANDOM GOODIES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE….

2009-10-29T20:27:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some random goodies that I have come across while blog hopping.

The first is THIS gorgeous bedroom makeover from Michelle @ Three Men and a Lady. OMG…I LOVE IT!! But don’t stop there. Take a tour of the rest of her house. You won’t be disappointed!! That is one very creative/talented lady!! I wonder if I could get her to come over to my house and give it a makeover?

And then there’s this….a condensed “fill in the blanks” version of your life story. I’m lovin’ it!! Wouldn’t these make great little gifts. I’ve already printed out 2 of the teen versions for the boys and 2 of the adult versions for DH and myself. Now I just need four of the little binders. Go to Becky's Blog and print out the Life Story Pages of your choice. Now isn’t that an awesome idea? Thank you Becky!

Something else that really caught my eye was this HEADBOARD TO HOUSE NUMBER SIGN from Gail's Decorative Touch. Here’s another very creative/talented lady. I’ve seen a lot of wonderful headboard transformations, but this one has to be my favorite so far. Thanks for the inspiration Gail!

I could go on and on and on with this post because there are sooo many creative and talented people out there. But I’ll save some for another day. Is there someone’s work out there that you admire and would like to recognize? Feel free to share it…I’d love to see it.

OUR MENU-PLAN FOR OCT. 26-NOV.1 (with links and recipes)

2009-10-26T11:44:00.004-04:00

We usually try to include one new recipe each week, but this week we will be trying 2. The Panera’s cream cheese potato soup and the Sunny Side Up Breakfast Casserole. Hopefully we’ll be adding these 2 recipes to “OUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE RECIPES” binder.

MONDAY:

PANERA'S CREAM CHEESE POTATO SOUP (I haven’t used this recipe before, but with all of the great reviews we’ll give it a try. I’ll come back tonight and let you know how everyone liked it.) LUNCHMEAT SANDWICHES

TUESDAY:

PAULA DEEN'S BAKED SPAGHETTI, GREEN BEANS, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD

WEDNESDAY:

SUNNY SIDE UP BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (recipe below)

THURSDAY:

MEATLOAF, MASHED POTATOES, PEAS, ROLL

FRIDAY:

CROCKPOT GREAT NORTHERN BEANS, (recipe below) HASHBROWN CASSEROLE, SAVORY MIXED GREENS, CORNBREAD

SATURDAY:

PIZZA

SUNDAY:

FFY(FEND FOR YOURSELF)

And here’s one of our family’s favorite recipes. This is super easy and DELICIOUS!! There is no need to soak the beans, just toss them in the crockpot.

CROCKPOT GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

1 LB. GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

HAM BONE

2 QUARTS WATER

1 1/2 TO 2 TSPS. HOT PEPPER FLAKES (1 1/2 IS PLENTY FOR ME BUT DH ALWAYS ADDS MORE WHEN HE MAKES THIS)

1 TBS BUTTER

SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE

Rinse and sort beans and put in crockpot. (I use a 6 quart crockpot) Add water to approx. 1” over beans. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Then turn crockpot to low and cook the rest of the day (approx 6-7 hours). When done, remove meat from ham bone and toss bone. To thicken the liquid, tilt the lid so that one side is open to let the steam escape. If it’s too thick, just add a little water.

I have added this recipe to Crock Pot Wednesday at Dining With Debbie. Head on over there to check out some more great crockpot recipes.

SUNNY SIDE UP BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

(recipe from Bob Evan’s New Family Favorite’s Cookbook)

1 LB. ROLL BOB EVANS ORIGINAL RECIPE SAUSAGE

1 CUP CHEESE FLAVORED CROUTONS

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, (DIVIDED)

3/4 CUP SOUR CREAM

1 TBS. DIJON STYLE MUSTARD

8 EGGS

PAPRIKA

Preheat oven to 375*. Over med. heat, brown sausage. Drain and set aside. Grease bottom of 7 X 11” baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with coarsely crumbled croutons and sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheese. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and mustard. Place half of the sour cream mixture over the cheese and croutons in evenly spaced spoonfuls. Spread sausage over top. Make eight evenly spaced shallow indentations into the sausage (about 2” in diameter) Break each egg separately into a small dish and gently slide into each of the indentations. Spoon on remaining sour cream mixture between the eggs. Sprinkle casserole with the remaining cheese and paprika. Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are lightly set. Serve with salsa if desired. Serves 8

Thanks for stopping by and to see some more delicious menu plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

CALENDAR IS FINISHED & BEEF STEW IS COOKIN'

2009-10-19T07:10:00.007-04:00

Well, I have to say, the calendar turned out pretty good considering I never could draw a straight line even with the help of a ruler...lol... Now, it just needs a hanger hooked to the back and hung on the wall. I can't wait to show you all some pics. Still working on borrowing a camera. (I've been really good this year...maybe Santa will bring me a new camera :)

Now for something totally unrelated to the "home office" projects:

Since this colder weather has hit, I've been craving some beef stew and some biscuits straight from the oven. So this morning, I threw everything in the crockpot and by the time I get home from work tonight it should be ready. All I'll have left to do is through some biscuits in the oven. I love coming home from a long day's work to food that's already cooked, don't you? Here's the recipe I use. It's from the little cookbook you get in the box with your crockpot. AND IT IS DELICIOUS!!

BEEF STEW

1 1/2-2 LBS. STEW MEAT CUT INTO 1-INCH CUBES

1/4 CUP FLOUR

SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE

1 1/2 CUPS BEEF BROTH

1 TSP. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

1 CLOVE GARLIC, MINCED

1 BAY LEAF

1/2 TSP. PAPRIKA

3 CARROTS SLICED

3 POTATOES, DICED

1 OR 2 ONIONS, CHOPPED

1 STALK CELERY, SLICED

2 TSP. KITCHEN BOUQUET, OPTIONAL

PLACE MEAT IN CROCKPOT. MIX FLOUR, SALT & PEPPER AND POUR OVER MEAT; STIR TO COAT. ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND STIR TO MIX. COVER AND COOK ON LOW FOR 8-10 HOURS. (HIGH 4 TO 5 HOURS) STIR STEW THOROUGHLY BEFORE SERVING.

Well, guess I'd better get ready for work. Catch ya' later!

JOIN ME ON MY JOURNEY TO SET UP OUR HOME OFFICE ON A THRIFT-STORE BUDGET

2009-10-18T01:04:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve posted last. Between family issues, football, work, and small home improvements, life has been pretty hectic!

BUT…I did make time (here and there) to read some of my favorite blogs. And while searching for ideas/tips to set up a home office/family command center, I’ve also stumbled upon some new favorite blogs.

I personally like using our home management binder. It works for me, but it’s not working so well for DH and DS. They need a system where it’s more “in your face…and out in the open” .

So I took every page out of the home management binder and nailed them to the wall…just kidding.

I just want a place where I can pay bills, plan menus, post everyone’s chores, sort mail, drop off keys, etc., etc., etc.

So, let’s break it down and see what all we’ll need.

First, we’ll need a large calendar. I don’t care for the whiteboard calendars because they’re just so boring looking. But I love these ideas:

I recently stumbled onto Just A Girl's blog. She has one of the prettiest Organization Station's that I have ever seen. Wouldn’t you agree? And look what she did with an old wooden wall pocket. (kicking myself for giving mine away…)

Then I came across The Creative Crate's $3 frame makeover. How creative!

That would be perfect for our home office. We are already using a similar setup for our daily chores. I printed off our daily chores and put them in sheet protectors then hung them on the wall. Then we use a dry erase marker to check them off as we do them. But using picture frames would look so much prettier. ~~So, I’ll be on the lookout for a large cheap/free frame for our calendar~~. YES!!! I scored one tonight at Goodwill. It was marked $8 but everything was 50% off today. $4 is right up my alley!!! …doing a happy dance…So one of tomorrow’s projects is to fix that calendar!

Next comes the mail. It needs to be sorted immediately after it comes in the house. No ifs, ands or buts about it. So we’ll need a system set up for the mail. Here is some very good info on that subject.

I decided to use 3 baskets because, well, that’s what I had on hand. To make them look like they go together, I had my DS spray paint them all the same color and then I hung little labels from them. It’s a temporary fix, but I think it’ll work. (I’ll see if I can borrow a camera and get some before, during, after pics )

Are you curious to see what else I’ll be doing?

I guess you’ll have to check back in and see : )

BREAST CANCER…WHERE CAN YOU TURN FOR HELP?

2009-09-14T06:53:00.003-04:00

MY MOTHER WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER, SO IN ORDER TO HELP HER THROUGH THIS, I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO LEARN AS MUCH AS I CAN ON THE SUBJECT.

BELOW ARE SOME LINKS THAT I HAVE FOUND VERY HELPFUL FOR THE PERSON DIAGNOSED AND FOR THE CAREGIVER.

FOR ALL OF MY FELLOW KROGER SHOPPERS, YOU CAN ALSO HELP. PLEASE CHECK OUT THE SECTION TITLED "WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP" AND PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG TO EVERYONE THAT READS YOUR BLOGS. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!

IF YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY BE HELPFUL TO US, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH US.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE CAREGIVER:

TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Support for Caregivers

CAREGIVERS OF WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER THIS IS A 20 PAGE PDF BOOKLET

THE WELLNESS COMMUNITY HAS 10 TIPS FOR THE CANCER CAREGIVER

VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR SOMEONE WITH BREAST CANCER:

BreastCancer.Org

Inspirational Stories

COPING WITH THE COST OF CARE THERE IS A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO A 102 PAGE BOOKLET. IT IS FULL OF INFORMATION COVERING EVERYTHING FROM INSURANCE TO PLACES THAT MAY BE ABLE TO OFFER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR YOUR CARE AND YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS. THIS IS A MUST READ!

WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP:

The Wellness Community provides professional programs of emotional support, education and hope for people affected by cancer at no charge so that no one faces cancer alone.

They are pleased to announce a new fundraising program that allows you to support TWC every time you shop at Kroger - at no cost to you!! You can go here “THE "FUNDING HOPE CARD" for more information.

YOU CAN DONATE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS HERE: SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE

YOU CAN DONATE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY HERE: THE NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION

TAKE A STAND!! From now through the end of October, show you're taking a stand against breast cancer by creating a customizable character in honor of someone special at http://www.oneaday.com/takeastand. For each character created, the One A Day brand will make a donation to a breast cancer cause selected by consumers. Breast Cancer Network of Strength is one of the selected beneficiaries so be sure to visit and select Network of Strength! One a Day will donate $0.10 for every character created and coupon redeemed with a combined maximum donation of $75,000.00. (see specially marked coupons in participating newspapers). There is also a $1 printable coupon on this page.

2 FREE OFFERS FROM ZIPLOC AND TASTE OF HOME MAGAZINE

2009-09-04T06:43:00.001-04:00

Buy any two Ziploc brand products and get a FREE online recipe guide with more than 30 fall meal-planning solutions from Taste of Home and the makers of Ziploc brand products! Go HERE to type in your upc codes.

You can also receive a FREE online recipe guide with more than 30 healthy lunch box ideas from Taste of Home and the makers of Ziploc brand products! Go HERE to enter your upc codes for this offer .

A COUPLE OF FREEBIES

2009-09-02T21:48:00.001-04:00

GO HERE TO GET A FREE SAMPLE OF HONEY NUT CHEERIOS AND A $1 COUPON

GO HERE TO GET A COUPON FOR A FREE BOTTLE OF COUNTRY BOB’S ALL PURPOSE SAUCE. THIS STUFF IS GOOD! YOU CAN USE IT ON STEAKS, HAMBURGERS, CHICKEN, FRIES ETC. OR YOU CAN GO HERE AND TRY ONE OF THEIR RECIPES. YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!

FREE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION

2009-09-01T18:08:00.001-04:00

GO HERE TO GET A 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO GARDEN DESIGN MAGAZINE. GARDEN DESIGN IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR HOMES AND GARDENS.

THERE ARE NO STRINGS ATTACHED!

I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS, WHICH INCLUDE COSMOPOLITAN, DISNEY’S FAMILY FUN, READYMADE, AND WOMAN’S DAY AND HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A BILL.

QUAKER CHEWY GRANOLA BAR SAMPLES

2009-09-01T17:55:00.001-04:00

GO HERE to request a FREE sample of Quaker Chewy Granola bars! Each free sample contains Two Chewy Granola Bars. Each bar is .84oz & contains only 100 calories!
You can choose between 3 delicious flavors : chocolate chip, smores or peanut butter chocolate chip.

KROGER AD FOR AUG. 31- SEPT. 7

2009-08-29T18:13:00.001-04:00

HERE ARE SOME OF THE ITEMS LISTED:

Kingsford Charcoal $7.49 17-18lb bag $2/1 Kingsford original charcoal or Kingsford match light 13.5 lbs or larger in the Kroger MyMagazine grilling edition. expires 9-6-09

MEATS/SEAFOOD:

KROGER GROUND BEEF $1.68/LB

KROGER VALUE CHICKEN/DRUMSTICKS OR THIGHS $1.19/LB

SALMON FILLETS $5.99/LB

TUNA STEAKS $6.99/LB

TYSON BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS $1.99/LB $1/1 in the 8-2 SS (buy the smaller pkgs)

KAHN’S OR BALL PARK MEAT HOT DOGS (SELECT VARIETIES…PIC, SHOWS MEAT AND BUN SIZE) $10/10 $1/2 in the 8-30 RP

TBONE BONELESS RIBEYE OR STRIP STEAKS $5.99/LB

BONELESS PORK CHOPS $2.99/LB

PRIVATE SELECTION ANGUS GROUND CHUCK $2.49/LB

SIRLOIN TIP ROAST $2.79/LB

ROUND ROAST $2.99/LB

KROGER FROZEN BAG CHICKEN 2.5 – 4 LB BAG $5.99 $1/1 any size or variety Kroger frozen chicken in the Kroger MyMagazine grilling edition expires 9-6-09

TYSON BACON B1G1F (SAVE UP TO $4.39)

HILLSHIRE FARM DELI SELCT LUNCHMEAT 2/$5 $0.55/1 8-16 RP

HILLSHIRE FARM SMOKED SAUSAGE B1G1F SAVE UP TO $4.19

BOB EVANS SAUSAGE 2/$5 $0.25/1 8-23 ss

SNACKS/BEVERAGES

PEPSI, COCA-COLA, OR 7-UP SOFT DRINKS $2.20/EACH WHEN YOU BUY ANY COMBINATION OF 5 WITH CARD LIMIT 2 REWARDS WITH CARD

LAY’S POTATO CHIPS AND NABISCO SNACK CRACKERS 7-10 OZ $1.99 Nabisco cookies or crackers $0.75/2 7-26 SS and Free crackerfuls when you buy any 1 Ritz crackers 8-23 SS

GATORADE $0.88

STARBURST OR SKITTLES $1.49

TONY’S PIZZA 12 – 17.6 OZ $1.99 $1/2 in the 6-7 SS (expires 9-15)

HEALTHY CHOICE OR MARIE CALLENDAR’S ENTREES OR STEAMERS 5/$11 $1/2 Healthy Choice entree’s printable HERE

HOT POCKETS OR CROISSANT POCKETS 5/$10 $0.50/4 lean pockets or hot pockets in 8-23 SS

PRODUCE:

SWEET CORN $0.17/EACH

GRAPES 0.97/LB

YELLOW PEACHES OR NECTARINES .99/LB

BROCCOLI BUNCH $1.48

AVOCADOS .99

RED POTATOES $1.28 FOR 3 LB

HONEYDEW $1.99

GRAPE TOMATOES $1.99

DAIRY

BREYER’S ICE CREAM $2.27 $1/2 printable here

MILK (FREE WITH THE PURCHASE OF 3 PARTICIPATING KELLOGG’S CEREAL OR KEEBLER COOKIES OR CRACKERS. SHOWS KEEBLER CHIPS DELUXE OR SANDIES AT 3/$6 AND FROSTED FLAKES AND MINI WHEATS AT 3/$9 FOR 12 – 25.5 OZ…COULD BE MORE ITEMS INCLUDED THOUGH)

KROGER CHEESE 4/$5

DANNON YOGURT 4-6 PACK $1.88 SHOWS ACTIVIA AND DANACTIVE Dannon DanActive Yogurt or Danactive Light Yogurt, Any 4-Pack - 08-30-09 SS $1/1 Dannon Activia Yogurt, Activia Light Yogurt, Activia Fiber Yogurt, or Activia Drinks, 4-pack, Any - 08-30-09 SS $1/1

YOPLAIT YOGURT 10/$5 $0.50/6 PRINTABLE HERE Yoplait yogurt (Includes Orginal, Light, Thick & Creamy, or Whips!) or any flavor Yoplait Original or Light Smoothie - 08-09-09 SS2 - valid up to $0.85 $0.40/6 in the 7-12 SS expires 9-5-09

10/$10

CRAB CAKES FROZEN 2.25 OZ

ARMOUR LUNCH MAKERS

SWEET BELL PEPPERS

TENN. PRIDE SAUSAGE GRAVY

DEL MONTE FRUIT NATURALS $1/3 Fruit Naturals HERE

POPCORN CHICKEN

PUDDING CAKE SLICES

HUNT’S KETCHUP OR PASTA SAUCE $0.20/1 in the 6-21 SS expires 8-31

SWEET BABY RAY’S, OR KRAFT BBQ SAUCE

WEBBER GRILLING SPICES $0.50/1 in the 6-21 RP (expires 8-31)

KROGER MARINADE AND SALAD DRESSING $0.60/1 kroger salad dressing (shortcuts) $0.35/1 12oz size any variety kroger marinade in the Kroger MyMagazine grilling edition expires 9-6-09

DUNCAN HINES BROWNIE MIX

KROGER COTTAGE CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, OR DIP

FRITO LAY 2-5.5 OZ CHIPS

PEPPERIDGE FARM GOLDFISH CRACKERS

BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS 1 ROLL $0.25/1 August P&G expires 8-31

KROGER MICROWAVE PIZZA AND PIZZA SNACK ROLLS

KROGER FRUIT SNACKS

KROGER JUMBO BISCUITS

COUNTRY CROCK MARGARINE SPREAD $0.55/1 Country Crock Calcium plus Vit. D HERE

HEFTY ONE ZIP BAGS, SELECT VARIETIES, 12-22CT. $1/1 any Hefty one zip in the 8-30 RP ?

RENUZIT ADJUSTABLE AIR FRESHENER B2G1F 7-19 SS expires 8-31

BANQUET AND MICHELINA’S ENTREE’S Printable Michelina Authentico and Lean Gourmet coupons

KROGER BAGELS AND KROGER CREAM CHEESE

COAST SOAP 2 BARS

DIAL LIQUID HAND SOAP

SOFTSOAP ELEMENTS OR KROGER HAND SOAP

VO5 OR WHITE RAIN SHAMPOO OR CONDITIONER

ARRID OR BRUT DEODORANT

MILK DUDS, REESE’S PIECES, OR RAISINETS $1/1 Nestle cranberry raisinettes (if included)

ELMERS SCHOOL GLUE

KROGER ICE CREAM AND FROZEN TREATS $0.75/1 kroger frozen novelty item (shortcuts)

AWESOME PRICE ON CAMCORDER!!

2009-08-27T23:53:00.001-04:00

Dell has this “Vado Pocket Video Cam” marked down from $84.99 to $39.99. If you order through Ebates, you’ll get 4% cash back, and if you’re new to Ebates you’ll also receive a $5 bonus. (It’s FREE to join). I’m not exactly sure how the Ebates deal works…but I’ll soon find out because I just joined Ebates and ordered one of these for my DS#2 for Christmas

Thank you Andrea from MommySnacks for posting about this great offer. I’m sure my DS#2 will love it!!

Oh!! I just about forgot…Shipping is FREE!!! SWEEEET!!

My Kroger Mega-Deal trip

2009-08-26T15:01:00.001-04:00

Here’s the dealio: Purchase any 10 participating Items and get back $5 at the register. There’s no limit on the number of transactions. (I did 3 today) Prices listed here are after the discount:

12 boxes of Hamburger Helper $0.84/each used 4 $0.75/3 MFQ’s plus had a shortcuts q for $0.75/3 = $5.33 for 12 boxes

8 boxes of Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mix $1.49/each used 4 $0.75/2 MFQ’s and a $0.75/2 shortcuts Q = $7.17 for 8 boxes

2 Old El Paso Super Stuffers Taco shells $0.99/each had a shortcuts Q for $0.60/2 = $0.69 each

4 Pillsbury Grands biscuits $0.99/each Used 4 $0.35 MFQ dbld to $0.70 = $0.29/each minus a shortcuts q for $1 on 2= $0.16 for all 4

1 Nature Valley nut clusters $1.99 Used $1 printable q from the coupons.com widget on my sidebar and loaded a $1 shortcuts.com q onto my Kroger card. = FREE

1 box Trix cereal $1.49 Used a $0.55 printable q from the coupons.com widget on my sidebar and a $0.55 shortcuts q = FREE

2 boxes Quaker Life maple and brown sugar cereal $1.49/each Used 2 $1 off printable coupons from several months back. Made each one $0.50

NON MEGA DEAL ITEMS THAT I PICKED UP:

7 1/2 lbs. ground beef $10.16

1 HUGE box of Rice Krispies $3.50 (freebie q from VocalPoint)

1 head of lettuce $0.88

2 bags of Kroger brand tortilla chips $1 each

1 loaf of Active lifestyles brand bread $0.89

1 pack of Butternut hamburger buns $2

1 Yoplait whips yogurt (freebie coupon)

1 French’s mustard $1.53 minus $0.50/mfq doubled to $1 = $0.53

1 French’s spicy brown mustard (peelie on the French’s mustard for a free spicy brown mustard with purchase)

1 Venom energy drink (freebie coupon)

1 Kraft Miracle Whip (freebie Q from Kroger mailer)

1 pack of coffee filters $1.49

8 bottles of Mentos gum 10/$10 used 8 $0.55/mfq doubled to $1 each = free

Most of these Q’s were already cut out and put in my binder but if you need help locating any of ‘em, feel free to contact me and I’ll help you find ‘em.

TOTAL OOP $32.90

$1 off NEW 50 Calorie Fiber One Yogurt.

2009-08-24T06:51:00.001-04:00

MyBlogSpark has given me a $1.00 off coupon to use towards the purchase of the New 50 Calorie Fiber One Yogurt. I can’t wait to try it! I’d like to take a minute and share that offer with you. Just go HERE and print your $1.00 Coupon.

Have you joined the Kraft First Taste Community yet?

2009-08-11T22:12:00.003-04:00

No? It's easy! Just sign up as a member, (you’ll be glad you did) then log in and check out your homepage for exciting new product offers. After you’ve tried the product, take a short survey to share your opinion on the products you've tried. It’s that simple! And there's so much more!

And what better time to join then now…Kraft First Taste is giving away one $100 grocery card every day from August 5, 2009 through September 1, 2009.

You still haven’t joined? What are you waiting for…go here to learn more!!

WATCH THOSE MEIJER RECEPTS!!

2009-08-08T22:49:00.001-04:00

Just want to take a minute to warn everyone to watch your Meijer receipts (or train your hubby to watch his receipts!!) I’m not sure what’s going on, but it seems A little fishy to me!! I have only had trouble with a meijer receipt being wrong one other time, but today 3 receipts from 2 different meijer’s were wrong!! And when DH handed me his receipts, I was pissed!! The stores visited today were Eastgate and Cold Springs.

TRANSACTION #1 (Eastgate Rd. OH)

1 SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER $1.34 HAD A MEIJER MEALBOX COUPON FOR $1 OFF 2 JARS AND HAD A $0.40/1 COUPON SHOULD HAVE ONLY TOTALED AT $0.04 The $0.40 q scanned at .00

1 SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER $1.33 SAME AS ABOVE…SHOULD HAVE ONLY TOTALED $0.03 $0.40 q scanned at .00

RAGU SPAGHETTI SAUCE $1.28 HAD A MEIJER MEALBOX Q FOR $1/2 AND HAD A $0.60/2 MFQ SHOULD HAVE TOTALED IN AT 0.28 A JAR This is the only q that scanned right

RAGU SPAGHETTI SAUCE $1.28 SAME AS ABOVE this q scanned at .00

AUNT MILLIE’S BREAD $3.19 (WAS MARKED $2.50) USED A $1.50 OFF 1 LOAF OF ANY BREAD Q WHEN YOU BUY 2 JARS OF SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER. EVEN AT THE $3.19 PRICE, THE TOTAL PRICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN $1.69

1 BOX MEIJER BRAND FETTUCINE $1.16 USED A $1.50 OFF ANY PASTA WITH THE PURCHASE OF 2 JARS OF RAGU PASTA SAUCE COUPON. I DIDN’T EXPECT ANY OVERAGE, JUST FREE PASTA.

TOTAL OOP = $5.14

TOTAL OOP SHOULD HAVE BEEN $2.88. WHICH EQUALS A TOTAL SCREWING OF $2.28

TRANSACTION #2 AND #3 (Cold Spring, KY)

SAME AS ABOVE EXCEPT THESE ITEMS WERE ADDED TO BOTH OF THESE TRANSACTIONS:

PURINA DOG FOOD $8.50 MINUS $5 MEIJER PRINTABLE COUPON = $3.50 = $0.51 tax) = $4.01

PASTA $1.52 (THIS PASTA AFTER THE $1.50 Q SHOULD HAVE TOTALED $0.02)

BREAD $3.19 (DIFFERENT STORE BUT WAS ALSO MARKED AT $2.50/LOAF. If the register isn’t going to ring up the sale price, then don’t put the sh#t on sale!!)

2 JARS HELLMAN’S MAYO 2/$5 MINUS 2 $0.50/1 Q’S MINUS 2 $1 MEIJER MEALBOX Q SHOULD HAVE BEEN $0.50 EACH

1 LB. DELI MEAT $4.40 (USED A $2 OFF ANY DELI MEAT WITH THE PURCHASE OF 2 JARS OF MAYO coupon) SHOULD HAVE TOTALED $2.40

AND ANOTHER DELI MEAT FOR TRANSACTION #3 WHICH WAS $4.32 MINUS THE $2 Q WITH THE PURCHASE OF 2 HELLMANS MAYO’S.

TOTAL OOP FOR #2 $13.19

TOTAL OOP SHOULD HAVE BEEN $10.31

TOTAL SCREWING OF $2.88

TOTAL OOP FOR TRANSACTION #3 : $13.11

TOTAL OOP SHOULD HAVE BEEN $10.23

TOTAL SCREWING OF $2.88

TOTAL SCREWING OF THE DAY $8.04

Now to some, $8.04 doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to me it is. It would cost me $5+ in gas to go back to the stores to get things straightened out. (each store is 1 hour away!) So, as of today I’m putting Meijer on the list of “stores I won’t be shopping at anymore!”. Right next to Walgreen’s!! It’s a shame too, because I have always enjoyed shopping at Meijer…

Watch those receipts carefully!!

OUR END OF THE MONTH GROCERY TALLY AND OUR GOAL FOR AUGUST

2009-07-26T07:33:00.010-04:00

7-1-09 KROGER: I THINK I'VE ALREADY POSTED THIS TRIP BUT IT WAS
$38.75/88 ITEMS

7-3-09 MEIJER: 3 TONY'S POUCHES @ $1 EACH
2 SLIICED SALAMI PACKS @ $1/EACH
TOTAL OOP = $0.50/5 ITEMS

7-3-09 MEIJER: 2 TONY'S POUCHES@ $1 EACH
3 PKGS. PEPPERONI @ $1 EACH
2 DENTEK FLOSS PICKS @ $1 EACH
4 BOXES PASTA $1 EACH
2 HELUVA GOOD DIPS $1.19 EACH
1 PKG TEXAS TOAST CROUTONS $1.39
4 CASES PEPSI @ $3.99 CASE
TOTAL OOP $17.20/18 ITEMS

7-3-09 MEIJER: BOTTLE OF MT. DEW $0.99
2 TONY'S POUCHES @$1 EACH
4 BOXES PASTA$1 EACH
2 JARS SALSA $1 EACH
1 PKG PEPPERONI $1
2 HELUVA GOOD DIPS $1.19/EACH
2 TEXAS TOAST CROUTONS $1.39/EACH
3 PKGS AUNT MILLIE'S HAMBURGER BUNS B1G2F $3.19
TOTAL OOP: $3.30/17 ITEMS

7-3-09 MEIJER: 3 PKGS PEPPERONI $1 EACH
1 PKG. SALAMI $1
2 TONY'S POUCHES $1 EACH
2 BOXES RONZONI PASTA $1 EACH
1 PKG AUNT MILLIE'S HAMBURGER BUNS $3.19/B1G2F
2 PKGS AUNT MILLIE'S HOT DOG BUNS
2 PKGS TEXAS TOAST CROUTONS $1.39/EACH
2 HELUVA GOOD DIPS $1.19/EACH
1 BOTTLE OF COCA-COLA $1.19
4 CASES MT. DEW @$3.99 CASE
TOTAL OOP $22.63/20 ITEMS

7-4-09 KROGER: 3 BAGS POTATO CHIPS $1.84
3 GALLONS MILK $1.98 EACH
50 LB BAG OLD YELLER DOG FOOD $11.99
5 CASES COKE B4G1F $2.75/EACH
$35.99/12 ITEMS

7-14-09 KROGER: I THINK I'VE ALREADY POSTED THIS TRIP AS WELL.
TOTAL OOP: $37.91/76 ITEMS

7-15-09 KROGER: 6 BOXES KRAFT MAC & CHEESE $0.53/EACH
4 LOREAL HAIR SPRAYS @ BOGOF $3.79 EACH
2 LOREAL SHAMPOOS @ BOGOF $3.79/EACH
4 LOREAL KIDS SHAMPOOS @ BOGOF $2.99/EACH
TOTAL OOP: $8.98/16 ITEMS

7-15-09 KROGER: 6 MORE BOXES KRAFT MAC & CHEESE $0.53/EACH
TOTAL OOP $1.18

7-25-09 KROGER: 11 TUBES CREST TOOTHPASTE (DONATION ITEMS) $1 EACH
2 BOTTLES AJAX DISH SOAP $0.99/EACH
2 HEADS LETTUCE $0.88/EACH
3 PKGS KROGER SHREDDED CHEESE $1.25/EACH
2 CANS TOMATO SAUCE $0.59/EACH
2 CANS CHEF-BOY-R-DEE $0.94/EACH
1 CAN REFRIED BEANS $0.79
4 HALF GALLONS MILK $0.79/EACH
APPROX 10 LBS GROUND BEEF @ $1.28/LB.
TOTAL OOP: $19.04/31 ITEMS
7-25-09 SHOPPING BAG FULL OF FRESH GREEN BEANS FREE FROM DH'S COWORKER
7-25-09 VEGETABLE STAND 1 1/2 LBS TOMATOES FOR $1.50
I'M NOT SURE WHERE THE RECEIPT WENT BUT WE ALSO PICKED UP 3 5LB BAGS OF POTATOES @ $1 EACH EARLIER IN THE MONTH TOTAL OOP $3

TOTAL OOP FOR THE MONTH OF JULY $189.98 THIS IS LESS THAN WHAT WE USED TO SPEND FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE WE STARTED USING COUPONS. DO WE EAT ANY DIFFERENTLY NOW THAN WE DID BEFORE COUPONING? NO... THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS THAT WE USED TO BUY STRICTLY GENERIC/STORE BRANDS BECAUSE WE "THOUGHT" THEY WERE CHEAPER. NOW, WE EAT MOSTLY NAME BRANDS AND WE ARE GETTING WAY MORE FOR OUR MONEY.

NOW, IF I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH COUPONING AND STOCKPILING AND I WAS TO SEE THESE "GROCERY TRIPS" ON SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOGS, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY "WHAT KIND OF MEALS CAN YOU MAKE OUT OF THIS STUFF?" OR "DO THESE PEOPLE EVER EAT?" OH YEAH...WE EAT!! WE ARE AT THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T DO "NORMAL SHOPPING TRIPS", WE DO THE "REPLENISH YOUR STOCKPILE" TRIPS. WE HAVE BEEN STOCKPILING FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. WE WOULD CATCH MEAT WHEN IT'S AT THEIR LOWEST PRICES AND STOCK UP. WE STILL HAVE A BUNCH OF FROZEN VEGGIES. THE LAST DAY OF JUNE, EGGS WERE $0.88 A DOZEN SO I GOT ENOUGH TO LAST US FOR JULY. SO, WE COULD HAVE GONE THE WHOLE MONTH OF JULY WITH ONLY SPENDING $$ ON THE MILK, LETTUCE, DOG FOOD, AND THE REFRIED BEANS AND TOMATO SAUCE NEEDED FOR LAST NIGHT'S AND TONIGHTS SUPPER. WHICH LEADS ME TO OUR GOAL FOR AUGUST. WE HAVE SET OUR GROCERY/STOCKPILE BUDGET FOR AUGUST AT $100. CAN WE DO IT?

FREE COFFEE!!

2009-07-24T22:51:00.001-04:00

IF YOU’RE A COFFEE LOVER, YOU’LL LOVE THIS OFFER. NESCAFE WANTS TO SEND YOU A FREE TASTER’S CHOICE STICK PACK SAMPLE WITH ALL 6 DELICIOUS FLAVORS. THERE IS A LIMIT OF ONE PACK PER PERSON AND A MAXIMUM OF 2 PACKS PER HOUSEHOLD/ADDRESS. GO HERE TO GET YOURS!!

A FEW GREAT PRINTABLE COUPONS

2009-07-24T21:24:00.001-04:00

JUST WANTED TO SHARE A FEW GREAT PRINTABLE COUPONS. BUT YOU BETTER PRINT THEM RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE THEY NEVER SEEM TO LAST LONG!!

GO TO THE SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS WEBSITE HERE AND YOU WILL FIND SOME GREAT PRINTABLE COUPONS FROM ConAgra FOODS. COUPONS THAT YOU CAN PRINT INCLUDE:

$1 off ONE (1) Chef Boyardee® 15-oz can

$.50 off any ONE (1) Peter Pan® Peanut Butter

$.50 off any TWO (2) Crunch 'n Munch®

$1 off any FOUR (4) Snack Pack® 4-packs

GO HERE TO PRINT A COUPON FOR $1 OFF OF ANY TWO CAMPBELL’S COOKING SOUPS.

HERE’S ANOTHER GREAT PRINTABLE: $1.50 PRINTABLE COUPON FOR NESTLE PURE LIFE 24 PACK OF WATER PLUS, THIS DEAL GETS EVEN SWEETER… WHEN YOU BUY 3 OR MORE PARTICIPATING PACKS YOU CAN SEND IN YOUR RECEIPTS AND UPC’S TO RECEIVE A COUPON/COUPONS FOR A FREE PACK/PACKS MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND HERE.

MY KROGER MEGA DEAL SHOPPING TRIP

2009-07-14T20:08:00.002-04:00

ITEMS WITH AN ASTERICK (*) IN FRONT ARE ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE MEGA DEAL

*2 PKGS KRAFT SHREDDED CHEESE $1.99 EACH USED A $1/2 Q

*2 PKGS SARGENTO SHREDDED CHEESE $1.99 EACH USED A $1/2 Q

*8 BOXES KLEENEX TISSUES $1.79/EACH USED 4 $0.50/2 Q’S

*2 BAGS SIMPLY POTATOES $1.79 EACH USED A $1/2 KROGER Q

6 PKGS UNCLE BEN’S READY RICE $2.19/EACH USED 6 TRY ME FREE Q’S

4 TASTER’S CHOICE COFFEE STICKS $1.09 USED 4 $0.50 Q’S

*4 SUNNY DELIGHT SMOOTHIES $1.49 USED 2 $0.25 Q’S AND 2 $0.55 Q’S FROM THE SUNNY D WEBSITE

2 LOREAL SHAMPOOS $3.79 EACH ON SALE FOR BOGOF. USED 2 $1 Q’S = $1.79 FOR 2

2 LOREAL FOR MEN SHAMPOOS $3.79 EACH SAME AS ABOVE

*2 SPEED STICK FOR MEN DEODORANTS $1.50 USED 2 $1.50 PRINTABLE Q’S

*8 KRAFT SALAD DRESSINGS $1.69 EACH USED 8 $1 Q’S

*8 PKGS STAYFREE PADS $2.50 EACH USED 4 $1 Q’S AND 4 B1G1F Q’S

2 JARS PICKLES $3.49 EACH NO Q’S BUT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON CLOSEOUT AT $1.24. I’LL BE TAKING THESE BACK TOMORROW. update: I took these back, and the customer service manager checked the shelf. the tag was put on the wrong shelf. It was supposed to be on the pickles below the ones I bought. But she reimbursed me the difference and thanked me for bringing it to their attention. So, I did end up getting them for $1.24/each...

*4 SOBE WATERS $0.99 EACH USED 2 BOGO Q’S

*2 LISTERINE MOUTHWASHES $3.00/EACH USED 2 $2 Q’S

*4 PKGS KEEBLER FUDGE SHOPPE COOKIES $1.99/EACH USED 4 $1 Q’S

2 FRENCH’S MUSTARD $1.49 EACH USED 2 $0.50 Q’S

*2 BOXES BETTY CROCKER BROWNIE MIX $1.38/EACH NO Q’S

2 VELVEETA MAC & CHEESE CUPS $1.19 EACH USED BOGO Q

*1 CHAPSTICK $1.00 NO Q

6 BOXES KRAFT MAC & CHEESE $0.53/EACH USED 1 B3G1F Q

*1 DAISY BRAND SOUR CREAM $1.99 USED 1 $0.50 Q

I PURCHASED 50 OF THE “MEGA DEAL” ITEMS, AND GOT $25 TAKEN OFF OF MY TOTAL. AFTER THE $25 AND ALL OF MY COUPONS, MY TOTAL OOP WAS $37.91!! PLUS…I GOT BACK 2 $1 CATALINA’S FOR THE KLEENEX’S AND A $2 CATALINA FROM THE KRAFT MAC & CHEESE AND A COUPON FOR LAUNDRY DETERGENT AND A COUPON FOR $2 OFF OF ANY MITCHUM PRODUCT!

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY JELLY…YUMMMMMY!!!

2009-07-14T09:22:00.001-04:00

For the past few weeks, I have been scouring the internet for any info I could find on jelly making. I printed off a few recipes. I read all of the helpful tips and techniques from experienced jelly makers. And yesterday, I finally took the plunge and made my first batch of blueberry jelly!!! I was a nervous wreck…lol…After narrowing down all of the jelly recipes that I printed off, This is the recipe I used. I got down to the part where it said “Strain through a jelly bag, reserving 6 cups juice” and started freaking out!! I strained my berries through a damp flour sack towel because I didn’t have a jelly bag, but I ended up a “little short” of 6 cups of juice. My mom told me to just add a little water to make it equal the 6 cups. Now I’m really getting nervous…I’m planning different ways to use all of this “blueberry syrup” that I’m going to end up with….lol…. I finished up the remaining steps and I had 2 pints more than I was supposed to have. How did that happen? I removed all of the jars from the canner and set them on a towel on the counter. I taped a “TOUCH THEM AND DIE” sign to the counter and I went searching for recipes to use up all of this blueberry syrup…lol… Fast forward to 24 hours later…while making toast for breakfast this morning, this little jar of jelly kept screaming out at me “try me…try me”. So I tried it. OMG!!! This was delicious!! And it wasn’t syrup…It WAS jelly!! I’m still not sure how I ended up with 2 extra pints, but I’m glad I did!! My jelly making experience was a “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”

My Kroger "Daytona 500" shopping trip

2009-07-01T16:08:00.004-04:00

DAYTONA 500 ITEMS

6 packs Oscar Mayer cheese weiners
6 packs Oscar Mayer bun length weiners on sale for $1.38/each used 6 $1.00/2 q's =$0.88 each minus the $0.30/each promo. = $0.58/each (I'll be going back to get some more of these)

3 Hefty gallon size freezer bags @ $1.99 each - 3 $0.55/1 q's (doubles to $1) = $0.99 each minus the $0.30/each promo = $0.69/each (I'll also go back and get some more of these)

1 Country Crock spread $1.99 - $0.55/1 q= $0.99 minus $0.30 promo = $0.69

2 Breyer's ice creams (snickers and reese's yummm) $2.29 each - 2 $1/1 q's = $1.29 ea minus $0.30/each = $0.99/each (edited to add that I forgot to turn these 2 q's in at the register. :( Oh well, gives me an excuse to go and get 2 more...lol...)

8 Kraft BBQ sauce - (donating to girls at work) $0.99/each minus 8 $0.50/1 q's minus $0.30/each = free

Windex multi-surface spray $2.49 minus $0.40/1 = $1.69 minus $0.30 = $1.39

1 Ragu spaghetti sauce $1.58 minus $0.60/1 q = $0.58 minus $0.30 = $0.28

2 Purex laundry detergents $2.49/each minus $0.35/1 q minus $0.30 = $1.49/each

NON DAYTONA 500 ITEMS THAT I PICKED UP

6 J & J Buddies free after q's (donation)
1 head lettuce $0.77
2 Dole Coleslaw mixes $0.99/each
1 pkg. Kroger shredded cheese $1.25 minus $0.45 Kroger store q = $0.80
2 pkgs. Kraft singles $1.47/each minus $1/2 q = $0.97/each (EDITED TO ADD THAT I ALSO FORGOT TO TURN THIS COUPON IN! UGH!!! LESSON LEARNED, DO NOT TRY TO SHOP FOR 2 PEOPLE AT ONCE)
3 bottles of Suave shampoo for men $1.67 minus $0.50/1 q = $0.67/each
8 Reach brand toothbrushes $1.99/each minus 8/$2 q = free
1 pack Kashi brand blueberry waffles Free after MFQ
24 cans Van-Camps pork & beans 2/$1 - q from a recent insert = $0.30/can

OK, I think that's all. I had a total of 88 items.
My MFG coupon savings was $62.41
Bonus coupon savings was $9.82
Store coupon and Kroger Plus savings $56.03.
Total savings (77%) was $128.26.
The round of applause from the people behind me: PRICELESS!!!

TOTAL OOP = $38.75

Sharing some of my stockpile pics:

2009-06-23T14:31:00.001-04:00

As I have mentioned before, I have only been couponing since October of 2008. I have not really been stockpiling all that long. But what little bit of time I have been doing it, this is what I’ve stockpiled. First is the bookcase/what-not stand or whatever it is that I have in my dining room. It is not very big, It measures in at 5 ft tall 23 inches wide and has a depth of only 12 inches. I’m throwing these measurements at you to show you that you don’t need an extra room or a basement to take advantage of stockpiling. On the first shelf there are 10 jars of salsa and 7 bottles of syrup. The second shelf holds 10 jars of mustard, 9 bottles of bbq sauce, 2 bottles of worcestershire sauce, and 3 bottles of Lawry’s marinade.

The third shelf holds 13 jars of peanut butter, 3 boxes of oats, and 9 bottles of A1 steak sauce. The fourth shelf contains 4 jars Ragu pasta sauce, 9 bottles of Ranch dressing, and 11 bottles of misc. dressing.

And I don’t think you can see them all, but the last shelf holds 17 more jars of Ragu.

Here are some more pictures. This is my coffee stash. This is 9 1/2 big cans that I store in a cabinet under my coffee pot.

This is in the bottom of another kitchen cabinet. This contains all of my ketchup, miracle whip, and DH’s and DS’s hot sauce and buffalo wing sauce.

This is 9 boxes of my cereal stash. I have 4 more on the bottom shelf in this small closet in the kitchen. I gave away 10 or so boxes last night. I won’t be buying any more cereal!! When we didn’t have cereal the kids were always complaining that they never get to eat cereal. Since I’ve started couponing, we stocked up PLENTY, they would open a box, get out a bowl & then they’re done with it!! So, I gave away all the boxes “they wanted” .

This is part of my cleaning supplies. There are 10 bottles of pourable Lysol, 6 bottles toilet bowl cleaner, 3 containers of clorox & Lysol wipes. These are all under my bathroom sink. Again, this is a small space, but it will hold quite a bit.

This is 2 shelves that holds my laundry supplies that I’m currently using, and the rest of my cleaning products stockpile. It’s a mess right now but it holds 2 furniture polishes, 12 Lysol spray cleaners, 5 air sanitizers/fresheners 4 boxes of Kleenex, 3 bottles of Spray & Wash, and 4 boxes of Bounce dryer sheets.

I am fortunate to have a pretty good size bathroom closet, but there is only one shelf in it right now. Eventually, DH is going to add more shelves so I can put all of my cleaning supplies/laundry supplies in there as well. Right now, this is what I have in there: I have 2 “wall pocket planters” (I think that’s what they’re called. They hold 18 packs of razors (all free) and toothbrushes,(all free) the metal basket holds 11 cans of his/hers shaving cream, ($0.19 each) there’s 6 bottles of body wash, (2 of them were $1 each, and the rest was less than a $1 or free) 3 of the John Frieda shampoos,

on the right hand side I have the bar soaps, ($0.35 a pack) misc. hair care products, 7 bottles of shampoo (all $1 or less) and feminine products. This side is looking kind of scarce right now.

Here’s my toilet paper stash 12 packs cottonelle, $0.25 each and 10 (6 double roll packs) of Northern @ $0.50 each

This is the his/hers deodorant stash 27 in all (all free except for the Old Spice DH’s favorite, and it was dirt cheap!

And this is what’s left of the toothpaste stash. (also all free) There are 12 tubes in this box. I have given away oodles of free toothpaste and deodorant

This is my puny looking laundry detergent stash. I have this in a tote that I slide under my utility sink in the laundry room.

So you see, you don’t need a bunch of money or a whole room or a basement to start stockpiling. Find various unused or underused areas throughout your house/apt. where you could stash a little here and there.

COUPONING 101…CAN I REALLY SAVE MONEY BY USING COUPONS?

2009-06-17T08:37:00.002-04:00

I have had several friends ask me that question over and over again. The answer is YES YOU CAN!!

I have only been couponing since October 2008 (you can read about that here) and I have learned sooo much from fellow couponers that I thought it was time to pay it forward and teach others some of the things that I have learned. I know there are already thousands of “couponing 101’s” out there, and when I was starting out I probably read all of them. But each blog that I read had some very good information. So my hope is that maybe this blog post will also be helpful to someone in some way. (Please note that I have backdated these lessons so that I can try and keep them all together. I really didn’t post these in January…lol…just wasn’t sure how else to do it.) So here is my take on the “Couponing 101” lessons:

LESSON #1: WHERE DO I START?

LESSON #2: WHERE DO I GET MY COUPONS?

LESSON #3: ORGANIZE THOSE COUPONS

LESSON #4: A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU START SHOPPING

LESSON #5: NOW...LET'S GO SHOPPING!!

I’M BAAACK!!!!!!

2009-06-10T09:06:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe it’s been 2 months since I’ve last posted. For several reasons, I had to put this blog on the back burner for a while. But…now that I’m back….I’ll start by posting a few grocery deals that I’ll be cashing in on this week:

Meijer:

ITEM:	SALE PRICE	MQ	MBQ	FINAL PRICE
King’s Hawaiin bread (4 pk)	SALE PRICE 10/$10 GET 11th ITEM FREE	$0.75/1 MQ (IP coupon)		FREE!
Country Crock	10/10 11th item free	$0.35 in 5/17 RP	$1/2	FREE!
Aunt Millie’s bread	10/10 11th item free	$0.35 in 5/10 RP		$0.30/loaf
Hunt’s Ketchup	10/10 11th item free	$0.20/1 5/10 SS		$0.60 EACH
Reynold’s wrap aluminum foil	2/$5	$1/1 5/17 SS	$1/2	$1.00 EACH
Kellogg’s cereal	4/$10 buy 4 get $3 off instantly @ register	$1/1 6/7 RP		$3 for 4 boxes
Lysol products	1/2 off	various Q’s in 4/26SS 5/3 SS 6/7 SS		Very, Very cheap cleaning supplies!!
KEN’S SALAD DRESSING	10/10 11th item free	$1/2 5/3 SS		$0.50 EACH

KROGER:

ITEM	SALE PRICE	MQ	FINAL PRICE
Ground chuck	$1.78/lb		$1.78/lb
Kroger milk	$1.75/gallon		$1.75/gal.
Kraft singles	$1.69	$1/1 IP print 2	$0.69/pk
Daisy sour cream 16 oz	$1.69	$0.55 5/31 RP	$0.69
Hot, lean, or croissant pockets	$1.77	$0.50/1 5/17 SS	$0.77 each

So, that’s all that I’ll be picking up at Meijer and Kroger this week. What deals did you find?

Play Day!!

2009-04-10T12:11:00.009-04:00

It's been a while since I've made any jewelry, and today while I was supposed to be cleaning/organizing my craft room, I got sidetracked and made these. Nothing fancy, but I had fun!

DENIM DAYS...although it's very hard to tell, this is made up of various shades of blue beads.

SUMMER SUNSET...made with citrine, peach colored moonstone, czech glass, and 2 small red glass beads. These are my favorite colors!!

Did I get any cleaning done? NOPE!! Do I care? NOPE!! It'll still be there when I get ready to have a go at it again. Life's too short...have yourself a "play day".

Do you like them? I'd love any feedback on them.

Meijer & Kroger Matchups 4/5 - 4/11

2009-04-05T19:42:00.013-04:00

Making out my grocery list for the week and thought I'd share a few good deals with ya! This is by no means all that Kroger's and Meijer has on sale this week. This is just what we'll be picking up along with some meat, veggies, and a Sugardale boneless ham from Meijer for $1.79/lb.

MEIJER: (I am under the impression that you can stack Meijer's Mealbox Coupons (MBQ) with a Manufacturer Coupon (MQ). I guess I'll find out tomorrow whether our Meijer does that or not.)

Velveeta $4.49 - $1 MBQ = $3.49 - $0.55/1 MQ (dbld) = $2.49!
Campbell's cream of soups 4/$3 - $1/4 MBQ = 4/$2 - $1/2 IP (I printed 2 but I think this one has already reached it's print limit.) = FREE!
Ziploc bags 2/$4 - $1/2 MBQ = 2/$3 - (2) 0.40/1 MQ (dbld) = 0.70/each!
Johnsonville breakfast sausage 2/$4 - $1/1 MQ in 4-5-09 = $1 each! (I will be picking up 4 of the patties and 4 of the links on this trip.)
Milk $1.99
Bounty paper towels $1 each use $1 MQ from $120 P&G book = free I don't normally buy paper towels, but I won't turn down free ones.
Mott's applesauce 46-48 oz jar 4/$7 or $1.75 each - (2) 0.55/1 IP dbld - 1 MBQ = 0.50 for 2 jars.
Aunt Millie's bread 2/$3 - 0.35 MQ in recent insert (dbld) = 0.80/loaf

Kroger:

Folger's coffee $4.99 - $1 MQ in 4-5 insert...not sure right off which one it was, but it's there. = $3.99 (This is "MY" big score this week. I'll be picking up "at least" 6 cans!)
Kroger shredded cheese $1.29 - 0.45/1 kroger Q = 0.84 (I only have one of these Q's)
10 lb bag potatoes $1.99
eggs 0.99/doz.

So...do you have your list made out yet? If so, what's your game plan for this week?

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GET MUCH FOR $10 ANYMORE?

2009-03-31T13:24:00.011-04:00

I got all of this (plus 5 tubes of Johnson's lotion that's not pictured) for $10.68. PLUS: I got back $2.00 off of my next shopping trip from Kroger's so technically I only spent $8.68 today : )

I'll start with Kroger's first:

4 boxes Quaker oatmeal squares
2 lbs. grapes
2.5 lbs bananas
4 French's spicy brown mustard's (paid .29 each after cpns & got back $2 towards my next trip...how sweet is that!!)
2 big boxes Hungry Jack instant potatoes. (these are $2.99 each and there are blinkies above them for $1 off each)
6 packs (3 rolls of 12 in each pack) Rolaids
9 Johnson & Johnson buddies soaps

Total OOP $9.17

Wal-Mart:

10 Kraft salad dressings (priced at $1.58 each...used 10/$1.50 cpns...makes them 0.08 each)
6 packs Ortega taco seasonings (these were 0.47 each...used my 0.75/2 cpn that expired today which made them 0.19 for 2 or 0.38 for all 4)
5 Johnson's lotions (not pictured, they were left in the car during photo shoot)

Total OOP $1.51

So... now I can cross off salad dressing and mustard off of my stockpiling list.

Take A Look At My $3.00 Goodwill Find!!

2009-03-18T19:06:00.008-04:00

Isn't she a beauty.... I'm not sure what her original purpose was, maybe a day planner or something, but I'm turning her into my coupon binder.

She's still a work in progress, and I'm sure it'll take a while to get her situated into what works for me. The binder part isn't quite 3" like alot of other couponers recommend using, (I'm thinking it's 1 1/2" to 2" but hopefully it'll work. If not, it'll go in a yard sale.) On the left in the very back is a place I can stick my store ads and 2 pen holders. Behind the zipper part, I've got my P&G $120 coupon book, and my Right At Home coupon book. And then there is the handy dandy calculator. The screen has some kind of spot on it, but it's fully functionable and readable, so no biggie for me. There are also slots for my shopper's cards on the right hand side of the calculator. I haven't put them in yet. On the right hand side of the binder, I added a pencil pouch from my sons torn mead binder. It holds my scissors, paperclips, etc. The pouch under it will hold ??? not sure yet, maybe rebate forms.

Then, when you flip the pencil pouch over, it has some more small pockets. Not sure what I'll use the top 2 for, but the bottom left one will hold the coupons that I'll take to the checkout, and the bottom right will hold coupons that need to be filed, or refiled. (blinkies, found coupons on shelves, etc.) And then there's my baseball card pages. The very first page is for my "free item" coupons. The 2nd page holds my kroger cpns. and the third page is for meijer coupons. I don't have tabbed dividers yet, but they are divided by the untabbed dividers, and I've written in pencil what each divider is for. So, when I get the tabbed ones, I'll pull the old ones out and stick the new ones in.

I currently have my categories set up like this:

freebie cpns

kroger cpns

meijer cpns

baking/mixes

beverages

canned goods

cereals/breakfast items

condiments

cleaning/laundry (which is separated by types of cleaners due to the amount of cpns)

dairy/meats (I put these together because they're close together in the store and it's easier for me that way)

frozen foods (separate pages for each category ex. breakfast, meats, veggies, desserts)

makeup

otc meds

paper/plastic

pasta/rice

personal hygiene(also separated by types because there's a cpn overload on these items, ex. oral care, razors, body washes, shampoos, etc)

pet

snacks

And then I added a couple of pages for Pillsbury products, because there's so many cpns for them and the last page is for produce and breads, I just combined those two because I never seem to get many cpns for those items.

This picture shows that pocket for the ads I talked about earlier. And my batteries died in my camera before I could take a picture of the back of the binder on the inside. There was another pocket similar to the one with the ads in it so I slipped a mini clipboard that I've had on my fridge for years right down in that pocket...presto, a grocery list holder. So, there you have it. Not too shabby for $3, wouldn't you agree? So for anyone looking for a binder pretty reasonable, try a Goodwill near you. You'd be surprised what they have. And the money goes to a good cause.

2009-03-17T12:05:00.014-04:00

Because our freezer/fridge is still pretty full,(you can read about that here, ) I decided to use some of this week's grocery money and pick up a few things to add to our growing stockpile. So, I made a trip to Kroger's after my son's orthodontist appt. today, and this is what I picked up:

2 ZIPLOCK BRAND FREEZER BAGS ($4.98)
4 PKGS. STAYFREE PADS($10.00)
4 HALF GALLON'S MILK($3.52)
1 DOZEN EGGS(0.88)
5 JOHNSON'S BUDDIES($4.95) (will be donated)
10 FRANK'S HOT SAUCE($11.90)
1 OLD SPICE DEODORANT (DEAL ALERT!!!! THIS WAS MARKED DOWN TO $2.07)
4 SUAVE DEODORANTS($6.00)
1 SURE WITH NATURAL EXTRACTS DEODRANT (DEAL ALERT!!! THIS WAS A CLOSEOUT PRODUCT. IT WAS MARKED $1.31...USE WITH RECENT COUPON INSERT TO GET IT FOR 0.31 and it's got a "try me free" sticker on it, so it could end up making me some money...not much after paying for a stamp, but every lil' bit helps)
2 KELLOGG'S FROSTED MINI WHEATS($4.98)
1 PEPPERIDGE FARM GARLIC TOAST($1.99)
2 POWERADE DRINKS($1.98)
2 QUAKER QUAKES($1.98)
3 SHEDD'S SPREAD COUNTRY CROCK'S($4.47)
6 COLGATE TOOTHPASTE($9.00) (Will be donated)
4 WHISKER LICKIN CAT TREATS($3.96)

TOTAL OOP AFTER CPNS/MEGA DEAL $19.01 (82% savings)

DH will pick up some of the Lysol (keeping my fingers crossed that there's some left on the shelves) that's on sale at Meijer when he get's off of work. I'll post those deals here later this afternoon.

MY FIRST CVS SHOPPING TRIP

2009-03-13T08:34:00.010-04:00

This was my very first trip to CVS. For some reason I was a nervous wreck. I don't know if it was because this was my first trip and I was afraid of screwing something up or if it was from my belly saying it was time to get something to eat. Guess it could've been a combination of both. Anywho...My goal was to only spend $5.00 OOP. Well, I met that goal...sorta...(I forgot to figure in the sales tax.) Oh well, I think I still did pretty good for a first timer. Here's what I did:

TRANSACTION #1:

1 TUBE CREST PRO-HEALTH TOOTHPASTE $2.99
USED $1.00/1 CPN
SUBTOTAL WAS $1.99
TAX: $0.20
TOTAL OOP = $2.19
GOT BACK $2.00 ECB

TRANSACTION #2:

1 HERBAL ESSENCES SHAMPOO $2.88
1 HERBAL ESSENCES HAIR SPRAY $2.88
1 SECRET FLAWLESS DEODORANT $3.99
USED $2.00 ECB FROM TOOTHPASTE DEAL ABOVE
USED $3 OFF 2 HERBAL ESSENCES CPN
USED $1 OFF 1 SECRET FLAWLESS DEODRANT
SUBTOTAL: $2.75
TAX: $0.51
TOTAL OOP: $3.26
RECEIVED $2.00 ECB'S FROM HERBAL ESSENCES
RECEIVED $1.00 ECB FROM SECRET

TOTAL OOP: $5.45

ECB'S TO USE ON NEXT TRIP: $3.00

And after my DH and I left CVS, we took our little Chipolte bags from Sunday's paper and had a free lunch. OMG that was the biggest burrito I have ever seen!!! And quite tasty!!!

Head on over to KEEPING THE KINGDOM FIRST: THE $5 CVS CHALLENGE to see other $5 CVS scenarios. I was going to post my trip, but the rules say to post your "$5.00 or less scenarios" and I went over by $0.45 (stupid taxes!!...lol...)

HAVE YOU TAKEN THE CHALLENGE???

2009-03-12T07:26:00.019-04:00

When I posted my last post about my menu plan and my challenge to you all, I didn't realize there were already several of these challenges out there:

Here's one that I found in the comments section over at MENU PLAN MONDAY: EATING DOWN THE FRIDGE

and I found this one after clicking on one of my commentors blogs and then clicking on one of her commentors blogs (I've been doing ALOT of clicking this morning LOL): FRIDGE AND PANTRY CLEANOUT

Darn it...There was another one, but for the life of me I can't find it now. Seems to be happening alot to me lately. I also saw a recipe for Dijon Cauliflower on someone's blog that I wanted to try and I can't find that one either. Guess I'll try googling it. (NOTE TO SELF: "SELF...START USING YOUR FAVORITES BUTTON...THAT'S WHAT IT'S THERE FOR GOOFY")

So...what are you waiting for...Take up one of these challenges...you'd be surprised (I sure was) how many dishes you can create with what you already have on hand, and how much $$$$ you could save by not going grocery shopping for a week or two or more.

MENU PLAN MONDAY: FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 9 & I AM CHALLENGING YOU!!!

2009-03-10T06:23:00.033-04:00

After my last trip to Kroger, I wanted to reorganize everything in my fridge/freezer/pantry, and get my menu planned for the week of March 9 so I could participate inMENU PLAN MONDAY. Well, that's all I had planned on doing anyway. After rearranging everything, and taking inventory, I realized that we really don't need or have room for any more food right now. (Although, I did stock up on the Sargento cheese deal at Kroger yesterday) So I got out our menu binder and our MASTER MEAL PLAN and made out our menu plan for the rest of March using what we already had. We usually only plan a week at a time, so this was quite the challenge. (we will still have to buy the "have to have it fresh" items...milk,lettuce,fruit,etc.) This is what we came up with:

MARCH 9: CHICKEN ENCHILADA'S, REFRIED BEANS, AND MEXICAN STYLE RICE (this meal was delicious!!!)
MARCH 10: STUFFED PEPPERS AND MAC & CHEESE
MARCH 11: CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
MARCH12: HOT DOGS & SAUERKRAUT, MASHED POTATOES
MARCH13: SLOPPY JOE'S, COLE SLAW, FRENCH FRIES/ONION RINGS
MARCH 14: SKILLET CABBAGE & SAUSAGE
MARCH 15: MEATLOAF, GREEN BEANS & POTATOES IN A ROSEMARY BUTTER SAUCE, AND HOMEMADE ROLLS (REMIND ME TO POST ABOUT THE BEST ROLLS EVER!!!!) That's my menu plan for the week of March 9, that I had every intention of posting by Monday over at MENU PLAN MONDAY. Better late than never I always say :)

Here's the plan for the rest of the month:
MARCH 16: GREAT NORTHERN BEANS, CHEESY HASHBROWN CASSEROLE, COLLARD GREENS, AND CORN MUFFINS
MARCH 17: BEEF STROGANOFF, GREEN BEANS, AND SOME MORE OF THOSE DELICIOUS HOMEMADE ROLLS
MARCH 18: CHILI
MARCH 19: GARLIC AND HERB BREADED FISH, BUTTERED POTATOES, PEAS, ROLLS
MARCH 20: CHILI CHEESE DOGS, FRENCH FRIES
MARCH 21: BREAKFAST OR COOK'S CHOICE
MARCH 22: HUBBY'S GRILLIN' (weather permitting) HAMBURGER'S AND HOT DOG'S, POTATO SALAD, CHIPS
MARCH 23: HAMBURGER HELPER NIGHT, GREEN BEANS, SALAD
MARCH 24: VEAL PARMESAN OVER SPAGHETTI, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD
MARCH 25: BROWN BEANS, FRIED POTATOES, COLLARD GREENS, CORNBREAD
MARCH 26: BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS IN A MUSHROOM SAUCE, MASHED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS
MARCH 27: FISH SANDWICHES, HUSH PUPPIES, FRENCH FRIES/ONION RINGS, COLESLAW
MARCH 28: BREAKFAST OR COOK'S CHOICE
MARCH 29: HUBBY'S GRILLIN' (weather permitting), GRILLED CHICKEN, POTATO PACKETS
MARCH 30: MEXICAN LASAGNA
MARCH 31: STUFFED SHELLS, GREEN BEANS, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD

Well, there it is. What do ya' think? I challenge you to get out your meal planning binders and plan your menu for the rest of the month or get a plan together for the month of April your choice, using only what you already have on hand!!! (with the exception of the "fresh" items that you need. Are you up to the challenge?

Head over to MENU PLAN MONDAY for more wonderful menus!!

OUR KROGER DEALS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 2

2009-03-06T13:33:00.018-05:00

4 BELL PEPPERS - 0.77 EACH
2 PKS ARMOUR MEATBALLS 2.49/EACH - 1.00 @REGISTER - 2/0.55 CPNS DBLD = 1.00 EACH PLUS I USED 2 CPNS FOR 2 FREE BOXES OF PASTA WITH ANY MEATBALL PURCHASE SO I GRABBED 2 BOXES OF ELBOW MACARONI
2 FRESCHETTA PIZZAS 4.49/EACH - 1.00 @REGISTER - 2 /$1.00 CPNS = $2.99 EACH
4 PILLSBURY TOASTER STREUDELS 1.99/EACH - $2 AT REGISTER - 2/0.55 OFF 2 CPNS DBLD = 1.00 EACH
2 GORTON'S FISH FILLETS 2.99/EACH - 1.00 AT REGISTER - 2/0.40 CPNS DBLD = 1.69 EACH
1 PACK HOAGIES BUNS: 0.59
1 PACK HOT DOG BUNS: 0.59
5 (4 LB) BAGS IAMS PUPPY FOOD 6.49 EACH - 5/$5 CPNS = 1.49 EACH SPECIAL THANKS TO AMY
2 ORTEGA TACO SEASONINGS 0.88 EACH USED 1/$1 OFF 2 CPN = 0.76 FOR TWO PKS.
1 DEL MONTE SLICED PEACHES - USED FREE PRODUCT CPN THAT DEL MONTE SENT ME
6 BOXES OF HAMBURGER/TUNA HELPER 0.99 EACH - 2/$1.00 OFF 3 BOXES CPNS= $3.94 FOR 6 BOXES
8 BOXES HEARTLAND PASTA (PENNE/ROTINI/SPAGHETTI) 1.50 EACH - HAD 8 CPNS FOR 0.50 OFF EACH WHICH DBLD TO 1.00 OFF EACH = 0.50/BOX
2 COTTONELLE TOILET PAPERS 0.99 EACH - 0.75/2 BLINKIE CPN = 1.25/2 PACKS. NOT FREE LIKE WE'RE USED TO GETTING...BUT STILL AN "OK" PRICE.

TOTAL OOP: $39.17

TOTAL SAVINGS: $75.14 (66%)

SEE WHO ELSE WENT KROGERING THIS WEEK BY HEADING OVER TO THE NEW FRUGAL MOM

AN APOLOGY ... AND SINCE I WAS ALREADY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD...

2009-02-17T18:13:00.016-05:00

SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN A GOOD BLOGGER LATELY. BETWEEN WORK AND DR'S APPT'S, I'VE BEEN TOO POOPED TO BLOG OR READ OTHER'S BLOGS. I WOULD COME HOME AND CLICK ON A FEW OF MY FAVORITE BLOGS, AND FALL ASLEEP AT THE COMPUTER. MY DH AND DS DID ALL OF THE SHOPPING LAST WEEK. I MADE OUT THE LISTS, CUT THE CPNS, AND THEY DID AN AWESOME JOB ON THE REST!! MY DS (AGE 14) IS NOW CALLING HIMSELF THE "COUPON KING" AND CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN. I AM SOOO PROUD OF HIM. HE SHOPPED LIKE A PRO!! (THE CASHIER SWIPED THE CPN ONE TIME TOO MANY. HE WALKED OUT OF MEIJER WITH 2 FREE BOXES OF BETTY CROCKER WARM DELIGHTS THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN $0.25 EACH. NOW HE'S WANTING TO TEACH ME HOW TO SHOP...LOL...) ANYWHO, I HAD A DR'S APPT. TODAY AND FIGURED THAT SINCE I'M ALREADY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND CLOSE TO WALMART, THAT I'D GO AHEAD AND CASH IN SOME OF MY "FREEBIES" CPNS. THIS IS WHAT I PICKED UP:

8 PACKS SCHICK RAZORS 10 ct. (plus 2 bonus razors) $1.97...USED $2/ANY SCHICK RAZOR CPN = 8 PACKS FREE

9 CANS PURINA ONE DOG FOOD...HAD 9 CPNS FOR FREE CANS FROM RECENT INSERT

CASCADE RINSE AGENT...USED FREE RINSE AGENT CPN FROM HOME MADE SIMPLE COUPON BOOKLET (WHEN I GOT HOME AND CHECKED MY MAIL, I HAD RECEIVED ANOTHER HOME MADE SIMPLE COUPON BOOKLET...YEAH!!)

1 CAN DEL MONTE DICED TOMATOES...USED CPN DEL MONTE SENT ME FOR A FREE CAN

1 BOTTLE COUNTRY BOB'S ALL PURPOSE SAUCE...USED CPN FOR A FREE BOTTLE THE COMPANY SENT ME.

2-LITER DIET DR. PEPPER...CPN IN THE MAIL FROM DR. PEPPER

TOTAL OOP (TAX)...$1.90

4 STORES-78 ITEMS-FOR A TOTAL OF $69.06

2009-02-01T09:30:00.014-05:00

WE HAD ANOTHER GREAT GROCERY SHOPPING TRIP YESTERDAY. WE HIT WALGREEN'S, (WHICH WASN'T SO GREAT!!) MEIJER'S, KROGER'S AND WALMART. THIS IS WHAT WE GOT:

WALGREEN'S: THIS TRIP WAS TOTALLY SCREWED UP. WE WENT IN TO GET THE REYNOLD'S ALUMINUM FOIL FOR FREE AND 1 TUBE OF COLGATE FOR $2.99 MINUS 0.75/CPN = $2.24 MINUS THE $2.00 BACK FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP AT THE REGISTER. THAT WAS MY DH'S TRANSACTION. THEN I WAS GOING TO USE THE $2.00 TO PAY FOR WHAT I HAD PICKED UP: 2 BOXES OF DENTURE TABLETS AND ANOTHER FREE ALUMINUM FOIL...BUT, THE TOOTHPASTE TRANSACTION GOT SCREWED UP AND THE CASHIER "QUICKLY" RANG UP MY ORDER BEFORE MY DH COULD TELL HER THAT HE DIDN'T GET HIS $2 OYNO. WHEN HE PICKED UP THE TOOTHPASTE, HE PICKED UP THE VALUE PACK THAT HAD 2 TUBES OF TOOTHPASTE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. IT WAS MARKED ON THE SHELF THAT IT WAS PART OF THE $2.00/BACK DEAL. HE TOOK IT TO THE CHECKOUT AND IT DIDN'T RING UP AS PART OF THAT DEAL. SO THE CASHIER WENT BACK AND PICKED UP 2 TUBES OF TOOTHPASTE. WE DIDN'T WANT 2 INDIVIDUAL TUBES AT $2.99 EACH... SO... TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT... WE ENDED UP PAYING WAAAAY TOO MUCH AT WALGREEN'S. OUR TOTAL WAS $11.01 AND THE TRIP SHOULD'VE ONLY COSTED 0.24 FOR THE TOOTHPASTE AND $4 FOR TWO BOXES OF DENTURE TABLETS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAVEN'T EVER SHOPPED AT WALGREEN'S AND I WON'T BE SHOPPING AT WALGREEN'S AGAIN. I FORGOT TO POST THE TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS...IT WAS $16.73

MEIJER'S:

6 STARKIST TUNA POUCHES@1.29 EACH USED 4/0.75 CPNS AND 2 B2G1F cpns
7 lbs WESTERN STYLE RIBS @ 0.99/LB
8 CANS MANWICH 0.99 EACH USED 4 $0.50/2 CPNS = 0.50 EACH
2 FREE PACKS OF AUNT MILLIES HAMBURGER BUNS FOR BUYING 6 CANS MANWICH
3 CANS DINTY MOORE BEEF STEW FREE
4 JARS CHI CHI'S SALSA FREE
4 BOXES ZESTA SALTINE CRACKERS MARKED AT HALF OFF ($1.47 EACH) USED 2 CPNS $1/2 PAID $0.97 EACH
4 JARS PLANTERS PEANUTS $1.88 USED $2.00/2 CPN FROM BUD BOWL COUPON BOOKLET GOT EACH JAR FOR $0.88
1 BAG MEIJER BRAND FROZEN CHICKEN BREAST 40oz $4.99
2 LOAVES AUNT MILLIE'S BREAD $1.25 EACH USED 2 0.50/1 CPNS TO GET THEM FOR $0.25 EACH
3 BAGS GARDETTO'S $5.00 (NO CPN...DH SHOPPED ON AN EMPTY STOMACH AGAIN)

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $59.95

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $30.28 THAT'S ALMOST HALF OFF OF THE ORIGINAL TOTAL

KROGER'S:

2 BAGS GREEN GIANT FROZEN RICE & BROCCOLI FREE
2 FRENCH'S WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (WENT AHEAD AND PICKED THESE UP AT THIS KROGER'S BECAUSE MY KROGER'S DOESN'T HAVE IT ON THE SHELF ANYMORE)
1 BOX KLEENEX 0.19 AFTER CPN
3 MORE BAGS OF ARMOUR MEATBALLS $1.00 EACH AFTER CPN
2 JARS MIRACLE WHIP $2.00 EACH AFTER $1/2 CPN
1 PKG KRAFT SHREDDED CHEDDAR $0.49 AFTER CPN
1 BUDDIES BAR SOAP (THAT'S ALL THAT WAS LEFT) FREE
1 CHEX SNACK MIX $0.50 AFTER CPN
10 REESE'S WHIPS FREE

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $30.07

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS & $5 CASH BACK: $9.57

WALMART:

3 CASES COKE $15.00
2 BOTTLES LYSOL CLEANER SALE PRICED @ $2 EACH USED 2 $1.00/1 CPNS MADE THEM $1.00 EACH (I WILL GO BACK TO OUR WALMART TO STOCK UP ON MORE OF THIS SOMETIME THIS WEEK)
2 MORE TUBES OF SUAVE HAND LOTION $0.97 EACH USED $1/1 CPN TOTAL WAS FREE

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $20.94

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND TAXES: $18.20

TOTAL OF ALL TRIPS BEFORE CPNS: $127.69

TOTAL OOP FOR THE DAY: $69.06

TOTAL SAVINGS FOR THE DAY: $58.63

TOTAL AMOUNT OF ITEMS: 78

LOOK AT WHAT WE WOKE UP TO!!

2009-01-28T12:25:00.004-05:00

IT MAKES FOR A PRETTY PICTURE...BUT WE SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN BED!! OVER 125,000 PEOPLE (INCLUDING US) WERE WITHOUT POWER THIS MORNING. THAT'S JUST COUNTING THE ONES IN THE KENTUCKY UTILITIES AREA. OUR ELECTRIC COMPANY WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF TO GET IT BACK ON AND THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE WORKING!! (THANK GOODNESS WE HAVE WOOD HEAT THIS YEAR) WHILE WE WERE OUT CHECKING OUT THE DAMAGE, THERE WERE TREES AND LARGE LIMBS FALLING DOWN ALL AROUND US. VERY SCARY!! EVERY TIME I HEARD A CREAKING SOUND I HEADED FOR THE DOOR. AS SOON AS MY BATTERIES RECHARGE, I'LL POST SOME MORE PRETTY PICTURES...WELL, BETTER GET SHOVELIN'!

THIS WEEK AT MEIJER AND A FEW OTHER THINGS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU

2009-01-27T05:58:00.036-05:00

Here's just a few things from Meijer this week that caught my eye.

MEIJER:

LIPTON RECIPE SECRETS $1.00/EACH USE 0.75/2 CPN FROM 11-16RP TO GET EACH PACK FOR 0.50

AUNT MILLIES BREAD $1.25/LOAF USE 0.50/1 CPN FROM 1-11RP TO GET EACH LOAF FOR 0.25

KEEBLER CLUB OR ZESTA CRACKERS ARE 1/2 PRICE USE $1.00/2 CPN FROM 12-14RP

UNCLE BEN'S BOIL-IN-BAG RICE OR BROWN INSTANT RICE 2/$4 USE $1.00/2 PRINTABLE OR USE $1/2 CPN FROM 1-11RP TO GET THEM FOR $1.50 EACH.

CHI-CHI'S SALSA $0.99 USE $1/2 CPN FROM 12-7SS TO GET THEM FOR 0.50/EACH

DINTY MOORE BEEF STEW $0.99 USE 0.55/1 CPN FROM 1-25SS TO GET IT FREE!

PLANTER'S PEANUTS DRY ROASTED OR HONEY ROASTED $1.88 USE $2/2 CPN FROM BUD BOWL COUPON BOOKLET TO GET THEM FOR $0.88 EACH

NABISCO TRISCUIT OR WHEAT THIN CRACKERS 2/$4 USE $2/2 CPN FROM 1-25SS TO GET THEM FOR $1 EACH.

PORK STEAKS $0.99/LB

AND FOR THE FEW OTHER THINGS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU:

RED PLUM DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME

I RECENTLY POSTED ABOUT A CPN FOR A FREE 2-LITER OF DIET DR. PEPPER HERE but here's another one: ANOTHER FREE 2-LITER OF DIET DR. PEPPER THERE'S A LIMIT OF 1 PER PERSON, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST 2,000,000 TO REQUEST YOUR CPN. BETTER HURRY!!

Get a NASCAR®-Licensed Pitcher for free when you buy three family size boxes of Lipton® Iced Tea Brew or Lipton® Cold Brew. YOU CAN GO HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS AND PRINT OUT YOUR FORM

OUR KROGER "MEGA DEALS" AND A FEW FREEBIES FROM WALMART

2009-01-24T19:34:00.014-05:00

There are too many items to list each one with their original price, cpn amt, and final price, etc... so I'll just list what all we picked up and total it at the end. I'll start with the "mega deals" first

QUAKER INSTANT OATMEAL
3 BAGS ARMOUR MEATBALLS
4 CANS ROTEL TOMATOES
2 JARS PACE PICANTE SAUCE
6 BOXES KLEENEX WITH LOTION ($0.19 EACH...AND THEY COULDN'T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME...sniffling and sneezing as I am typing...lol)
5 BOTTLES FRENCH'S MUSTARD
CATTLEMANS BBQ SAUCE
2 BOTTLES KEN'S SALAD DRESSING
5 BOTTLES FRANK'S BUFFALO WING SAUCE
2 JARS KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP
1 JAR KRAFT MAYO
12 BAGS GREEN GIANT STEAMFRESH VEGGIES
4 CONTAINERS DAISY SOUR CREAM
4 PKGS KRAFT SLICE CHEESE
6 PKGS KRAFT SHREDDED CHEESE (I WAS HOPING TO GET SOME CPNS FOR THIS, BUT THEY WERE ALL GONE.)
2 GLADE AIR FRESHNER SPRAYS

NOW FOR THE "NON MEGA ITEM DEALS"

4 COFFEEMATE CREAMERS
2 ROLLS JIMMY DEAN SAUSAGE
3 NEWSPAPERS
4 PKGS. QUAKER RICE CAKES
GAIN LAUNDRY DETERGENT
4 PKGS HAMBURGER & HOTDOG BUNS
6 JOHNSON & JOHNSON BUDDIES BAR SOAPS
2 BIG BOTTLES ELECTRASOL DISHWASHER GEL
2 JARS KOSHER DILL PICKLES
1 BAG OF CHEETOS

THAT SHOULD BE 89 ITEMS. THE TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS WAS $154.72.

THE TOTAL OOP WAS $60.88.

AND DON'T FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR COUPON BOOKLET OVER BY THE BEER AISLE. THERE ARE COUPONS FOR HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH DIP MIXES, CHARCOAL, KC MASTERPIECE BBQ SAUCES, HORMEL PARTY TRAYS, HORMEL PEPPERONI, HORMEL CHILI (WHICH REMINDS ME...SOMEONE TOOK ALL THE HORMEL CHILI ALSO!!!) , PLANTERS PEANUTS, NABISCO CRACKERS, AND JOHNSONVILLE BRATS, SAUSAGE, AND COOKED SAUSAGE. PLUS THERE ARE $85 WORTH OF REBATES ON EVERYTHING FROM DELI ITEMS TO TV'S. ALL OF THESE COUPON AND REBATE OFFERS END 2/01/09.

WE ALSO MADE A QUICK TRIP TO WALMART. MY DH NEEDED SOME HAIR GEL AND I HAD 4 MORE GILLETTE COUPONS I WANTED TO USE. WE PICKED UP THE 2 BOTTLES OF HAIR GEL AND THE SPOT ON THE SHELF WHERE THE SMALLER SIZE BOTTLE OF GILLETTE BODY WASH WAS FOR $2.00 IS NO LONGER THERE. SO, I DIDN'T GET TO USE THOSE COUPONS. BUT...I DID SNATCH UP 3 TUBES OF SUAVE HAND LOTION($0.97 EACH) FOR FREE BY USING THE $1.00 OFF 1 SUAVE LOTION CPN. WELL, GUESS THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SHARE FOR NOW. HOW DID YOU DO THIS WEEK?

FREE 2 YEAR MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION AND A LITTLE REMINDER

2009-01-15T22:59:00.009-05:00

FREE 2 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO PARENTS MAGAZINE Better hurry, some of the free subscriptions don't last long!!

And a little reminder to mail in those receipts for your $120 P&G coupon book. You can read more about that HERE . I mailed mine out this morning...can't wait till they get here!

JUST WANTED TO SHARE A FEW GREAT COUPONS

2009-01-14T20:03:00.003-05:00

COFFEE-MATE 15oz LIQUID OR POWDER $1.50 OFF 1

COTTONELLE TOILET PAPER 0.50/1 4 roll pack or larger. MORE FREE TOILET PAPER (use your browser's back and refresh button to print this twice.)

FREE BOTTLE OF SUAVE BETTER HURRY...THIS OFFER ENDS AT 11:59 PM TONIGHT

NOT A PRINTABLE BUT STILL A GREAT COUPON...FREE 2-LITER BOTTLE OF DIET DR. PEPPER IN FEBRUARY 2009 ISSUE OF COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE PAGE 39

MEIJER COUPON MATCH-UPS (1-11 to 1-17) AND A NEW FAMILY FAVORITE RECIPE

2009-01-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

We just finished supper and this is what we had: ASIAN CHICKEN WITH PEANUTS. It was delicious!! And, I'm stuffed!! So, I thought I would take my "can't move cause I ate too much time" and try to match up some meijer deals with some coupons so I can send DH on an after work run. This is what I've come up with:

HORMEL PEPPERONI: $1.00 each use 0.55/1 cpn from 11-9-08 ss? = FREE
CHEX MIX $1.00 USE 0.50/1 cpn from 12-7-09 ss = FREE
TOTINOS PIZZA ROLLS $1.00 (15 count) use $1.00/1 printable coupon (I printed this one a while back from coupons.com. I believe it's no longer available, but there are cpns in 1-11-09 ss for 0.35/1 which would make them 0.30/box) Total price=FREE-$0.30/box
AUNT MILLIE'S ENGLISH MUFFINS: $1.00 use 0.35/1 cpn in 1-11-09 ss to get them for $0.30/pack
PILLSBURY GRANDS $1.00 use $0.25/1 cpn from 11-23-08 ss to get them for $0.50/each
SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER: $1.33/each use 0.40/1 cpn to get them for $0.53 each. (Looks like DH will be making a couple of stops at Meijer because I'm stocking up on this. We go through ALOT of peanut butter lol)
BISQUICK: $1.99/40 oz box (Another great stock up item) use cpns from 12-14-08 ss for 0.60/1 = $0.99/box
BIRDS EYE VOILA COMPLETE MEALS : 2/$6 use printable cpn HERE to get them for $2.00/ each
3 lb bag yellow onions $1.00
PILLSBURY TOASTER STREUDELS $2.00 use $1/1 printable cpn HERE to get them for $1.00 each.
Betty Crocker Frosting: 3/$4 use 0.50/1 cpn from 12-14-08 ss to get the frosting for 0.33/each. There is also a cpn for the "supreme" brownie mix (also on sale at 3/$5) in that insert, It's also 0.50/1 and that will make the brownie mix 0.67/each
Pure Protein Bars : $1.00/each use 0.50/cpn from 1-04-09 RP to get them for 0.50/each

This was just a quick matchup, so I'm sure I'm missing a few good deals. If you know of any more, please feel free to share. And don't forget that on the 10/$10 items, you get the 11th item FREE. I haven't had a chance to look through the Kroger paper yet, but I'll try to get some cpn matchups for there when I get home from work tomorrow evening. Well, supper has settled and now my Sleep Number Bed is calling me. (yeah, right...I wish I had a sleep number bed...anyone have a cpn for that? lol )