One More Day until Vacation

So, it's Friday night and I'm typing this from DD's computer, which is about ten years old and SUPER SLOW. It seems to take forever for anything to appear on the monitor...what's the point of typing if the letters take about a second each to appear? But, the point is that I do have internet access, which, at this time, is a blessing.

I have decided to take next week off work. Quite excited. DH is taking the week off as well and it is the first vacation we have taken together in YEARS. Sad, but true. Not sure what we will be doing or where we are going since we are stuck due to weather to the south of us and to the north of us. But, we will be together. And that is what is most important.

This week at work I hosted a Cookie Exchange. Not too many people participated, but it still turned out. I copied all of the recipes and will be making little books for the participants. I think those of us who did participate enjoyed it. Hopefully next year we will have a bigger turn out.

This week was also the last week of official school until the new year. DS and I made goodie bags out the larger cellophane bags from Stampin' Up. Then we stamped some images and he punched them out with the 1 3/4 inch punch and the scallop circle punch. He loves the punches. DD and I worked off of an idea from Chic'N'Scratch and made Snowman Soup for her morning class and chocolate chip cookies. Of course, I stayed up until 11:30 doing all of this but it was well worth seeing all of the kids' eyes light up when they saw their goodies.

Will post pictures later...still trying to find all of the connectors to what remains of the belongings that didn't get stolen...which is still an ordea.

Robbery!

We've been robbed!

Perfect time of year, for the bad guys, too. Christmas, holidays...bringing in the new to get rid of the old.

They tore apart the house, clothes and food all over the place. They broke down the front door, they bent the Christmas tree and they ripped up the few gifts that were there.

They stole four game systems...2 laptops, my digital camera...my daughter's wallet, a collection of state quarters, some Susan B. Anthony's and the Sacajawea gold coins. Some stuff I use for my work, a purse, just about everything we use on a daily basis to either have a good time while stuck at home or to earn income.

Insurance deductible: $2,000.00. Cost of items stolen: I haven't even tallied everything because I'm still realizing stuff is missing. But apparently they deduct for what an item is worth at the current time. Can't wait to see how much they deduct...

Time to start new. Wish I had the opportunity to purge myself...at least get some form of compensation to start over in the positive. But starting over is starting over, and I've learned something new about how homeowners can protect themselves.

Clixsense

Happiness!! Today in the mailbox was my Clixsense paycheck!! Not a million dollars but $17.02! I'm happy. Of course, I'm adding it to my snowball (no worries there!) I'm hoping to pay off another new medical bill shortly.

Ah, just had to share!

The Beginning of My Christmas Crafts

I finally got my Stampin' Up products from my hostess night, plus some stuff I ordered from few other demonstrators of various craft products who have been super helpful and challenging. It's like Christmas, opening up the boxes and playing with all of my new items! I love it.

I've been gathering ideas from demonstrators across the country...carefully reading their blogs and watching all the tutorials that they post for inspiration and instruction. Let me tell you, I am in awe of some of these women. I only hope that I get to be as good as they are.

Here are some pictures of some of the crafts DD and I worked on this weekend. DS was way too busy to help...he recently discovered that his new teddy bear from Build-A-Bear has a hole in his back and he has been extra careful to "clean" and "re-bandage" his newest associate. Love it. I wish I could capture his sweet spirit in a bottle for when his Grumpiness errupts in tantrums.

These first two pictures are of a gift card holder I saw on Creations by AR. It came out super cute! Let me tell you, Adela is a GENIOUS! She is super talented and obviously very patient. I recommend checking out her blog at least once a week.

I used Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red CS, Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, my new Snowflakes embossing folder from Provo Craft, and I embossed the sentiment from Holidays & Wishes. The bottom is stamped with snowflakes from Punch Pals.

This is a bag I cased from my demonstrator, Tina. We did this project last month with the Pampered Stampers and DD fell in love with it. I used Bashful Blue cardstock and had DD punch out the scalloped circle and she did the scalloped border on the bottom. She then picked out the stamp (the deer from the Deer Friends set) and used Chocolate Chip and Real Red. We then took some printer paper, ran it through the shredder, then ran it through the crimper and stuffed it into the bottom. We are waiting to fill up this little bag with goodies.

This is a second gift card holder...I just kind of winged it. The sentiment is from Big On Christmas and I watercolored it with Bashful Blue and embossed the snowman's hat in black. I used Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red and White grosgrain ribbon. The sentiment I had done last night. I had wanted to use it for the first card but once I put it all together, I realized that the sentiment covered up the majority of the cover on the holder and it wouldn't work quite as well as I hoped. So I made a library card pocket quickly, punched holes on the right for the ribbon, took another scrap of Riding Hood Red and used the Slit punch to hold the card in place. I then punched a hole at the right of this card, ran the ribbon through and tied it in a bow. When the recipient unties the ribbon and pulls it, they will also pull out the gift card.

As I was typing this, I realized I could quickly make this card that much better. I used my Crop-a-Dile and put silver eyelets in place of just the punched holes for the ribbon to slide through.

It does look a little bit more polished this way.

I hope you enjoy checking these few things out as much as DD and I did making them.

My Own Creations

In case you haven't been following, I've recently been entertained with a company named Stampin' Up. It's a scrapbooking/rubber stamp company that sells all sorts of nifty things like inks, ribbons, paper, sticky things, punches, and crazy looking tools.

I've joined a little group of women affectionately called The Pampered Stampers. We get together once a month, eat junk and create until our hearts are content. Our Creative Coach, Tina, also hosts other small gatherings where you can learn different techniques or how to use a product, and you go home with some beautiful cards and other cute creations.

For years I have tried to follow in my mother's footsteps. She is so crafty and nifty...and, despite the similar the relation, it seemed like I was a lost cause. I have so many craft tools and papers and other things...nothing created...nothing finished.

Well, I have pulled out my craft tools, my paper, my sticky things, my embellishments, and I have started creating things on my own. I have been "blog stalking" and trying to re-create. I've had to readjust my budget and allow for creative purchases. The hardest part? Making my thoughts work. And making sure to find projects that I am able to create with the kids climbing all over me.

So, here are my latest: Thanksgiving cards to the family and a Going Away card for a girlfriend at work.





The Thanksgiving cards I used mostly products from Stampin' Up: the Earth Element colors, Happy Blessings (holiday mini), the scallop circle punch, and the 1 3/8 circle punch. Of course, as you can see, none of the cards are the same. Maybe this is my fault, but I'm still learning. I had fun doing these, and it took me probably all of two hours to complete them. Mind you, I also completed two loads of laundry, made cupcakes for DS' Fourth Birthday, cooked dinner, and did the dishes. Not bad.

This last card I made for my girlfriend at work using a technique DD and I thought was amazing and had to create TONIGHT (we did, it took some time to create, only because we don't have the right adhesives, yet). My friend is a hard-working, beautiful inside and out, under-appreciated woman. She's been at the office for quite awhile and is, in every way, under-appreciated. She finally got a job at another location, and a considerable pay raise. While in reality this means that my days will be a little rougher and I will miss her terribly, both professionally and personally, I am extremely happy for her. No one else deserves a change for the better more than she does. I hope that the grass truly is greener on the other side for her.

I know that these look a little rough, but I am still learning and practicing. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did creating them.

Mail Call!

So, it's just a few days before the holidays. I'm slightly depressed because I haven't received anything great in the mail for quite awhile. I feel like ordering something just to get excited about putting the key in the mail box. But...I need to keep working on my debt snowball.

Today, however, is different. I opened my mail box and inside was a KEY! A key to the bigger mail box down below...which indicates PACKAGE.

To my surprise, I found three small packages. I rushed to the house...ripped open the tape and found, to my delight: One Secret Clinical Strength Sport full-sized deoderant; a sample size of Cheerios; and last but of course not least: a Tide To-Go mini stick and a sample size of Tide detergent.

How exciting! Specifically the deoderant. Come on, you know how much this stuff is! I'm happy. Lately none of my freebies seem to work. I've been dissapointed, no coupons, no free stuff. Nothing. Only bills.

Ahhh...finally. I'm comfortable with leaving my mail box.

Happy Birthday Marines!

Semper Fi and Happy Birthday!!

For those of you who don't know...today is the Marine Corps' Birthday. 233 years...starting off in a run down, low key place: Tun Tavern.

I called some of the people I served with, I said a prayer for those still serving, and for those up above still standing watch.

I know, I've been out for a little while. But there are some things that you never forget, some parts of your life that you can never put away.

My military experience was good and bad. I would hesitate to recommend it to just anyone...you have to have something about you, something that not many others have. And being a Marine, well, it's different. There is a pride, an attitude, and a bond that is, dare I say it? Thicker than water.

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. If you have the day off go to the parade and support your troops. Stop off at the VA and say Thank You. Hold the door open for the one in the wheel chair to stubborn to ask for help. They deserve it. And each one of us on this piece of soil owes it to them. They may not have agreed with what their commanding officer told them to do, but they did it, they are doing it. And it's because of them, I get to do what I do.

So Happy Birthday Marines! And thank you, thank you for the most unselfish act, regardless of when or where you served.

The Today Show - This Morning

Good morning. For some reason I had to get up and turn the t.v. on this morning. The Today show was on with a title of "Frugal Fun". I try to pay attention to certain things television shows talk about, to see if there are any new ideas out there that I might follow. But most of the time, I am very disappointed. This morning was no different.

Three women (two guests and the co-host) were discussing how to be "frugal". They chatted up the idea that if you buy regular Starbucks every morning, you could save more money if you bought Dunkin' Donuts. THAT'S YOUR ADVICE?? Or this one: Buy Generic - Not Name Brand. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!

Here are my ideas: Make Your Own Coffee!! A large container of ground coffee can be bought for about $9.00 - and you can find coupons for $0.55 off certain brands of coffee. Then, buy a pound of sugar...right now there are tons of coupons for sugar due to the holidays. Or better yet, buy it in bulk and pour it in gallon zipper bags. Buy creamer on sale. Sunday papers almost always have coupons for it - usually $1.00 off. So there...that's more than a month's worth of coffee for less than $20!!

And obviously I believe in coupons. Almost every time I go shopping, I save at least $20.00 in coupons alone - this does not count my store discount cards and the sales that they offer.

I don't live frugally. I'm trying to spend my money smarter. I try to get things while they are on sale. I'm not using my credit cards and am still active in my debt snowball. I scour the internet for rebates. I do put away the money that I would have normally used elsewhere...and I watch it grow. I save my pocket change and use that to buy something "unnecessary" - a new lipstick or lunch out with the girls. Right now with the holidays coming, I'm trying to stick with my "cash is king" beliefs and buy only what I can actually afford. It's going to be a different Christmas for the family this year, but it will be less stressful, less damaging.

My biggest goal with my new (can I say that? It's been more than 8 months...) lifestyle is that my children will learn the importance of spending money wisely, of living debt-free. They have had to give up a lot of things, and I'm pretty sure they hate "the budget". But, I have tried to bring them into my activities...somebody holds the coupons...somebody helps write the grocery list...somebody keeps track of the spending and the saving. We cook together, we plan how long it will take to save to get that one thing somebody just has to have. We play games together, we play with the toys that we already have...we do things together.

If they get nothing else out of Mama's struggle to bring the family to debt freedom, I hope they remember all of the times we spent together as a family...and carry that with them to whatever families they go off to create.

Coupons by Mail

Hey...it's time to check your Couponizer and see if you have enough coupons in your stash. I found some links to order some nice ones that will put a dent in my store bill - hopefully you find them useful, too.

Triaminic - $2.0ff - just go to the bottom of the page, click on "Help" and have the coupon mailed to you. It won't work if you try to print the coupon...and sometimes the Coupon Brick won't work...it's easier this way.

Children's Tylenol - $1.00 off - same thing - go click on "Help" and have it mailed.

Aveeno - $2.0ff any product - uh, it's getting repetitive...

Tide To Go - $1.00 off - I love this stuff...

That's enough for now...I still have to get up in the morning!

A Great Posting I Just Had to Have - Sack Lunches

I try to spend my time on the internet resourcefully. Basically, I try to use my time to make stuff, find great deals, or make money. Now that I've been introduced to card making and rubber stamping, I search other people's blogs for inspiration and ideas. This evening, I stopped by From Combat Boots to Rubber Stamps and found this little posting:

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down

in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.

I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the

aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.

I decided to start a conversation.

'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks

for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq . '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made

that sack lunches were available for five dollars.

It would be several hours before we reached Chicago,

and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy

if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money

for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks.

I'll wait till we get to Chicago .' His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers.

None were buying lunch.

I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant

a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.'

She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears,

she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq;

it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers

were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked,

'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied,

wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of the plane,

returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.

'This is your thanks.' After we finished eating,

I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.

A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did.

I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain

coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked.

I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed

he was looking at the numbers only on my side

of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped,

smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand.

With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot.

Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness

I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard

from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane

so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows

in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine.

He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and

started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man

who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned,

and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering

for their trip to the base.

I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars.

'It will take you some time to reach the base.

It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You!'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow

travelers. As I walked briskly to my car,

I whispered a prayer for their safe return.

These soldiers were giving their all for our country.

I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life

wrote a blank check made payable to

'The United States of America'

for an amount of

'up to and including my life.'

That is Honor,

and there are way too many people in this country

who no longer understand it.'

If you know me, you know I did my time for this country. I may not agree with all that goes on, but I am proud of serving my country and I feel like I still owe a duty to my brothers and sisters who serve and who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Through this post, I hope you learn a little more about me, and hopefully a little bit more about yourself.

Holiday Stamp-A-Stack

Saturday I got together with Tina and two other girls for a Holiday Stamp-A-Stack. It was a good time and the kids seemed to enjoy being with Tina's children as well. I look forward to going and being with other women, the card making is an added bonus.

Here are the pictures of the cards I made...I really liked creating them and I also learned how to use the texture tool. Pretty neat. I hope you enjoy them!

Financial Peace University

Today at church Pastor James said that they will be starting a new program in January - Financial Peace University!

I am so excited! That is a thirteen week program based on Dave Ramsey's philosophy. It helps teach you what to do with your money and how to become debt free.

I've been following Dave's program through his book The Total Money Makeover since March of this year. I have paid off a small amount of debt, a lot in total (mostly medical), but I have been very careful to not create any more debt. I did fall of the wagon, not too long ago, but I have climbed back on and have been careful in my purchases.

I will start saving to join this new program. I have heard that it costs $100.00. Nothing compared to the knowledge I will gain and the freedom from debt, which, in these recent times, will lead to better health and a considerable amount of less stress.

Just had to share. Of course, I will keep you updated on al f my learnings and my progress.

All You

I must tell you about my latest new find. All You. It's a magazine sold at Wal*Mart. It's great! It has tons of coupons, recipes, cheap ways to organize, beautify, dress and eat. I love it. It's a lot of everything.


This month's issue is packed with coupons like Dove Cream Oil Body Lotion, Total Cinnamon Crunch, Halls, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, a ton of deals. It also has recipes for the holidays: gingerbread, baked sweet potatoes, and cranberry coolers are just a few. And there is a great article on the importance of self-checks and mammograms, how to install a dimmer switch, and how to create your own holiday crafts.

I like this magazine for a few reasons: (1) it's cheap - $1.99 an issue; it has everything I could ask for (recipes, health and beauty, some stuff for the house, some stuff for my kids); and three - it incorporates realty. Sure, while some of my magazines rave about that $300 name brand purse and those $500 shoes that are soooooooo this season, and I must admit, they are all utterly perfect and cute and I would absolutely love to feel calfskin leather against my calves, or geez, even over my shoulder, I'm a mama on a budget and the only thing I'm feeling on my legs is my gym socks protecting my legs from the chaffing of the pleather my boots are sure to give. Ahhhh...such is life.

But really, there are reviews on what the best eye makeup at the dollar store is, where the best REALISTIC bargains are...and easy recipes for those of YOU who aren't Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker - me, on the other hand, yo soy Betty la Cocinera!

So go, get it at Wal*Mart, or better yet, order it through one of the magazine offers through MyPoints and build up your stash of gift cards - the season of giving is only a few weeks a way and those of us on a budget know best that planning for the future is the best way to stretch your dollars!

Total Money Makeover - Update

Since I'm still awake, and obviously not going back to bed, I thought I would update everyone on my progress with becoming DEBT FREE using Dave Ramsey's philosophy and his book, The Total Money Makoever.

First, you should know that I fell off the bandwagon in August. EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!! Not good. Fortunately, I did not cause too much damage but I did use my credit cards and I bought some stupid stuff.

I've also had some recent medical issues which of course have brought in lots of medical bills and there was a family circumstance which forced me to have to get health insurance through my work, which of course brought down my take-home pay as well as force me to have to reach a new deductible in the middle of a year.

All that was a little nerve wracking. But, I've read my book, found another one by Dave Ramsey, and have continued my journey.

I am still on Baby Step 2 - the Debt Snowball. I have managed to pay down my credit cards, and lots of medical bills. The depressing thing is that if I look at how much debt I initially had and where I am now, it's not that far apart. BUT, if I look at how much I paid off, I am quite happy with myself. Quite. So I try to keep that in mind as I pay my bills every payday. And I have started to keep my bank ledger in a notebook, and every payday I write down the balances of all my debt, including medical bills, and I have noticed that this makes a huge difference. I can see things slowly dwindling away and eventually disappearing.

DH is still not on board with me. That's a little disappointing. It says a lot, about where we are but I believe that eventually we will be there. I think I have proven to him that keeping up with the Jones' is no longer an issue with me. I just hope that I can get it through to him before he drags us both into debt. Ah, one hurdle at a time.

Lunch Dates

If you are familiar with who I am, I work a full-time job. Working full-time can be expensive; clothing, beauty, travel expenses, vehicle maintenance, daycare, and meals.

I work for a law office so my attire and appearance must be professional and show care. Especially when you are meeting with clients. I have tried to save money by maintaining my clothing and really paying attention to what I do with them. I don't spend a ton of money on dry cleaning, I use a store brand "dry cleaning" kit that seems to work just fine. My shoes I try to maintain by spraying them with protectant and taking them to a shoe repair place to have the soles re-done or the heals replaced. This saves me a few dollars; good shoes usually cost around $60 or more. Granted, they last for a few years but I have noticed that if I really take care of them they last a long while.

My makeup: well, if you knew me before I got onto the Dave Ramsey bandwagon you know that I was a purse and makeup whore. What does that mean? Every few months I would buy a purse worth half of my paycheck and I would go down to a high end makeup retailer and get a full makeover - and buy everything they used on me. Now that I've read Total Money Makeover? I use the coupons from the Sunday Paper to buy my eye makeup cheap, I get my face powder from eBay and I order kits with items I use from QVC through my MyPoints account so I get points for ordering and then I sell what I don't use on eBay. I can usually sell pieces of a kit and make more money than I spent on the whole thing, plus get the item that I wanted. Not bad, great bargain.

Daycare? Well geez, I can't do anything about that. They have me with my arms behind my back there...

My biggest work-related budget killer? LUNCH. For the most part I try to bring my lunch to work. Sandwiches, leftovers, maybe a can of soup that I bought in bulk. But occassionally I get that itch to go out and will call my girlfriends to see what they are up to. Now, they know I'm on a budget, some are single mothers, there is the girl who is expecting a new baby any day now that just bought a new house, there is one who lives with her boyfriend, and a few others that are married in various financial positions. And they know that if I go out to eat, it has to be cheap. I'm talking dollar menu cheap. But for some reason, we always go out somewhere expensive. Like $9.00 or more expensive.

Like yesterday, I asked a friend to do lunch since we had both realized around the same time that we had no lunch. And I told her "somewhere cheap". Where do we go? A buffet, that turned into $9.00 a piece. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! Frustrating. That was my whole lunch/snack budget for the week!!!!!!!!!!!!! Including Saturday and Sunday!!!!!

So, I'm up, at 4:25, writing this post, about how much I spent at lunch, how much it is eating away at me since I did have plans with the kids this weekend and that was going to be my "behavior bribe".

Back to the drawing board. Oh, and as I'm typing I'm packing my lunch...

Halloween Stampin' Up Event

Last Saturday I got together with Tina and my friend Charmaine to create a few cards and some other paper crafts. I had a good time and learned how to make "sour cream" containers with some card stock, double-sided tape, and a crimper. They are soo cute!! I also love the cards that we made, especially the "Just Jawling" set. Absolutely adorable, but a little "punk". I will have to make sure to add this to my wish list.
My Halloween order came in today (Tina dropped it off at work for me!) and so this weekend, aside from the normal chores, I plan on making some of my own cards to send out for the holiday.
I am also going to start getting back into the groove of posting my deals, both for Rite Aid and Walgreens. I really need to get back in there and start making my money work for me. I am working on the MyPoints program, my Clixsense, and InBox Dollars to hopefully start bringing in some more cash. With the holidays coming, it is going to be needed.
Speaking of, I started my Christmas shopping! I can't tell you what I got, but I can tell you that HALF of the purchase price for the item that I bought went to a great charity. So I am quite happy, a gift and a donation to a place where I know my money will do some good.
Don't forget that you can check out the Couponizer on the side bar. You will be amazed over the amount of money you save once you have your coupons organized and shopping lists made.
Well, I'm off to start the weekend (tonight is cleaning in preparation for the inlaws!) so I hope that you enjoy the items that I created with Tina and Charmaine's help!

Stamp-a-Stack Photos

It's Friday!! Finally! Ugh, it has been a week and I really need a break. My Sister-In-Law and her boyfriend are coming and bringing my niece. Should be interesting because DD loves my niece and I unfortunately have not seen my Sister-In-Law for quite a while.

Here are the photos of the cards I made at the birthday Stamp-A-Stack . I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Birthday and Halloween Stamp-a-Stack

So, I just realized that I have approximately 8 minutes before this site shuts down on me. But, who knows when I will be able to get back on here...so here goes.

In mid-September (for Tina's birthday) I went to a Birthday Stamp-A-Stack with about 12 other women. IT WAS GREAT. Lots of different types of people, lots of good food, and lots of fun. We made some really cute cards and I totally enjoyed myself. I also won a door prize (a brand new set of stamps)!

Just this past weekend I got together with my girlfriend that eloped recently and went back over to Tina's for a Halloween Event. We only made two different cards, but we also made treat bags of different varieties. Really cute.

After speaking with DH practically NON-STOP since going to the Birthday Stamp-A-Stack, I have convinced him to help fund my newest addiction in the form of BECOMING A DEMONSTRATOR!!! I'm really excited but must save some money. Let us not forget my original intention of becoming DEBT FREE!!! I have revised my budget for crafting purposes and have a small "allowance" to work with on a monthly basis. Which means that I have been selling stuff left and right to earn more money for my projects.

AUGH!!! One minute reminder!! Must go. Will post my photos as soon as possible.

HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WELL!!

Four Birthdays, a Bachelorette Party and Battleship

I must apologize for not keeping anyone up to date in my world. My one excuse is that I myself am not up to date with it.

I can tell you that I have recently taken part in THREE birthdays, plus my own. First was DD's, she's nine! We had a couple of her girlfriends over, ordered pizza and soda, inflated enough balloons to cover the ceiling of both the living room and the kitchen, and let the living room resonate with the sountrack from Camp Rock. DD had a great time and so did I.

Second birthday: MINE!! I turned 29 this year (can you believe it???)! I know, you probably hate me, because most people think I barely look 22...although that would be a lot harder to explain DD! The kids "bought" me a white gold shaped heart pendant with a pink saphire stone in the center of a small flower, the word "MOM" in script across the width. DH, surprisingly, paid attention to our previous trip to the mall and gave me a pair of white gold and diamond "huggies". I love them! He had his brother come over and watch the kids and he took me to dinner at Red Lobster and then we went to the casino and played a few hands of cards before coming home.

Third birthday? My mother's! Unfortunately, because of the hundreds of miles I did not get to see her but I sent her a birthday card that I had recently made at a Birthday Stamp-A-Stack. My mom is probably the most creative person I know and she has been doing the cardmaking/scrapbooking/rubberstamping thing for YEARS. Now that I have started the Stampin' Up thing, I feel closer to her and I am so happy to finally share a past time with her.

Fourth birthday? DH's!! He's Thirty this year!! He was actually home to celebrate so I took him to dinner. We are trying to get his pick up sponsored by a local auto shop and so my gift to him is a small donation to his "fund".

Let's see, the next item on my list: my first Bachelorete Party!! Yeah, for reals. 29 and it was my first one! A friend at work is getting married and she invited me. I did not know what to expect and was a little apprehensive. But I had a great time. I felt so welcome and a part of everything. We played games at her home, ate and went dancing. I was the second oldest "partier" and was unbelievably tired, surprisingly I made it until midnight! Me, up and moving, not cleaning, out of the house, until midnight. INCREDIBLE. The next morning my sides hurt from laughing so much the night before. A great experience!

Now, the game piece story. Let's just say, Battleship will not be allowed in this house - EVER!! The other day I picked up DS at the daycare and instead of running into me and using his muscle man grip to squeeze my leg, he simply walked over to me with his finger up his nose. Granted, he is just a few weeks shy of being four, but I am trying to impress upon him the importance of not touching his face with his hands. As I signed him out and gathered his papers, he kept putting his finger up his nose. Finally I reached over and grabbed a tissue, bent down to his level and asked that he blow his nose. Then he told me "No - the game is in there." WHAT?!?!?! Panic starts in the depths of my stomach and I feel my throat closing. I hold his tiny face in my hands and try to push the panic down and somehow manage to ask him quietly: "what did you say?" Again, this time looking annoyed, he tells me "I put the game in my nose." I tilt his head back and sure enough, there in my son's nose is this white piece of plastic. (QUIET SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I look around at the teachers and ask them to get me a bulb syringe...but at the time I couldn't remember what it was called and asked for the booger sucker. Way to go, Mom.

I lay DS down on the play room carpet, and start squeezing the syringe to try to remove this white peg from my son's nose. No use. Everytime I put the tip in his nose, DS wrinkles his nose causing this thing to move further back. PANIC! All I can think about is him damaging his sinuses or something horrible. How am I going to get him to a doctor without him sticking his finger up his nose and causing more harm? Worse yet, the pediatric clinic has closed for the day and now I have no choice but to take him to the emergency room and wait the average of eight hours on a week night with one kid who has a foreign object crammed up his left nostril and another one who feels that God has punished her with her brother. Perfect.

Somehow, I remain calm. Credit that to five years in the military and being trained to treat sucking chest wounds and gunshots, not for my baby to have this THING up his nose. I can't reach this plastic thing. I can't move it down. I can't get it out! I'm getting frustrated and panic is starting to occupy my brain. Think, mama, think! DD is holding off the few remaining kids in a corner, tears streaming down her poor little face. I have to do something. And then, like a light bulb, my tweezers pop into my mind. I ask the teachers if they have any tweezers. No. NOW WHAT?!?!?! Wait, I have a pair in my purse. I tell DD to run and grab my purse from the car. She is back in record time. Poor thing probably ran faster than she ever has just for this moment.

I dump my purse, find the tweezers, wipe them down with a wipey, place my left hand on DS's face, and I remove the peg that is supposed to cover a portion of a ship when the other person "fires".

*HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF*

The life of a mother. I have gone through more with my children than I have in my entire life. And if you know me, I have lived through more than five people three times my age.

So, now that I am considering getting something for sleep, something for stress, something for the potential stroke and heart attack that I know my children will cause, I remember to pray and give thanks. Because as much stress as they cause me, they fill my life with love and incredible happiness. 99.98% of the time.

Multi-Tasking?!?!?!

Okay - so here's the deal. One - It's Wednesday. Which means Bones is on. And tonight is the Season 4 Premiere. HAVE TO WATCH IT. Two - I had PT today and I'm super sore. I know, they said they don't want to do anything that causes me pain - but really??? I'm in pain. Not sure why either. It's not like I did anything different from yesterday to today. Three - I opened my Cuttlebug!! (Charmaine! Come play!) Seriously. I bought this thing on June 12, 2008 and just barely opened it. I have issues. Four - I'm cleaning my room. So, in order: Pain In Tolerance, Bones, Cleaning, Playing. Super MOM!

I have so much craft stuff; so much of it isn't even opened. Sad. But, I am starting to open things and figuring out how everything works. Like my Cuttlebug. I just opened it today. I attached the handle...dumped out the rest of the contents of the box...and proceeded to make a huge mess. Kind of cool. I had purchased an embossing folder (Traffic Jam) and ran that through. I like it. Something masculine, perhaps to be used later on for my dad's birthday card. Maybe...will have to work on my organization and card-designing skills. With the way I am, no doubt things will be organized way quicker than my dad getting his birthday card.

**BREAK**

Well, so far I have cleaned up my bathroom, my closet and maybe a quarter of the room. Still more to go. Depressing. But, I must stay motivated. Bones is on for at least another hour and 15 minutes. Which is great. Nothing really gets done while I'm watching it so I'm not progressing well. Who cares? I have my whole life, right? Right.

**BREAK**

Okay, I have gotten no where with my card making. I was going to try and make some note cards for DD's carnival basket...but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I feel as if my arm has been pulled off by some construction machine. Fire is racing down my shoulder blade. Time to rest.

I was hoping to take some photos of my craft stash...but it looks like my camera's battery is dead. Ah, such is my life.

Stampin' Up

Okay, so I know it is against my "save every penny" philosophy. I joined Stampin' Up, just as a card maker/stamper. I figure with all of the money that I am saving with my freebies and coupons...I have built a small stash for my "spending" fund...I figure as long as I'm good about it, don't go too crazy...it's worth it. Besides, I never get out. I'm always stuck in the house so now I will have a couple of friends to meet with, and a hobby to keep me busy.

On Saturday I went and met with my local Stampin' Up demonstrator, Tina, and got together with a few other girls, and stamped fifteen cards. I learned how to put some cute things together and had some nice "grown up" conversations with other mothers. Ah, to finally discuss with someone the process of getting baby puke out of your hair or off the shoulder of your suit...lovely.

I can't wait for the next meeting, which is a Birthday Bash. I have volunteered to make cupcakes, we get a birthday stamp set, and we get to make about 10 cards. The thing that is really cool, our supplies are already there and ready for us. Which, after considering my own "at home" project, I have realized is a project in itself. You have to find coordinating cardstock, paper and ink, you have to cut out all of the paper and ribbon, organize it in sets (Tina set it up for three cards per package/idea), find coordinating punches and stamps, figure out different techniques and the tools for each look, organize it per bin, and then be prepared for hectic-ness!

So much fun! I have never done stuff like this before. Now that I have my creative juices going, I'm going to attempt to make some last minute note cards for DD's Fall Harvest carnival basket. Will post pictures of my disaster/masterpiece later.

Dave Ramsey is having a Labor Day Sale!!!

So, I must tell you, Dave Ramsey is having a book sale until September 2nd. So get them now. I highly recommend getting the Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace Revisited. I have them and I refer back to them often. I would like to order the Kid's Bundle: FPU, Jr and the book bundle. I would, of course, have to order the Add-On kit for DS...can't leave him out.

Most of the books are about $10.00 during his sale, which is great. Save money to learn how to bring you to Financial Peace, which I am slowly obtaining, penny by penny.

Pet Owners - Beware!!

For those of you who know me - you know I'm a pet lover. Not so much cats, they're just too darn independent and sassy, I guess too much like me. However, I believe in protecting and loving every creature. You should also know that I have my own four legged furry children, one with a drooling problem and another one who, if human, would definitely be diagnosed with some form of ADHD or something.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you the CHAI story - which was forwarded to me by a very good friend who spends her free time rescuing animals. Chai is a 10 year old lab mix, a picture of him further down the blog shows a very happy, inquisitive looking fellow with much love to share. Apparently he got a hold of a toy called the Pimple Ball created by Four Paws, which, when chewed on, created a vacuum in his mouth. This vacuum trapped his tongue and has now caused horrible, permanent damage.

I urge you to check out Chai's story. Read the blog. Do your research about the items you buy for your pets. And if you have this item, please return it to Four Paws and request a refund immediately.

The sad part of this story, Chai is not the only dog to suffer from this product. Others have responded Chai's owner, informing of similar incidents since 2005!! Poor Chai's suffering could have been prevented! So, check the toy bin, or where ever your furry friend stashes their toys, and make sure none of them are dangerous!

Discount On the Couponizer

Have you ordered your Couponizer yet? If not, now is the time to get it. The company is offering a 10% discount! Simply enter STARTNOW into the coupon code box at checkout and receive 10% off YOUR ENTIRE ORDER!

How's that for a hand out...

I love mine. It's stuffed with coupons. And, it gives the kids and I something to do on Sundays. LOVE IT.

Pain Management

For almost the past nine years I have been afflicted with some unknown disability and pain. Over the years, it has been diagnosed as many different things: carpal tunnel syndrom, tennis elbow, ulnar neuritis, torn rotator cuff, scoliosis, cervicalgia, etc. Too many things. From the doctors on base, the VA doctors, my own GP (he's actually an internist, someone who is supposed to have more knowledge about medical issues), numerous specialists, almost all to no avail.

Due to the recent failure of my coping with pain, I called one particular doctor group I had visited over a year ago. I liked this specific doctor. He saw me for less than 5 minutes, made a diagnosis and said "get an MRI" and come back. Well, I got the MRI, got a new job, and had to wait to get some time and vacation time saved up so I could take a whole day to drive two hours to a five minute appointment and then drive the two hours back. YES. Drastic. But I COULD NOT HANDLE THE PAIN.

Surprisingly, I got in within two days to see this specialist. He checked out my MRI report, some additional reports I had, and gave me a treatment plan.

FINALLY. I start a pain management regimen this weekend and physical therapy on Monday. I'm a little apprehensive about the potential pain, however, I am very excited to start getting better.

Wish me luck!

Back To School!

Okay - so it's been a hectic couple of days!!

DD started fourth grade (can you believe it?!?!?) this year and DS started Pre-K. My babies are growing. I was almost tempted, wait, go back and underline almost, to say that I want another baby. Let me think back to the past 9 years...yeah, I'm good. No thanks.

So it's been crazy. We now have a new routine for when we get home and a new routine for the morning. Surprisingly, we have made it out of the house and I've managed to get everyone to their designated locations and myself to work on time and even early! I'm still having a hard time believing it.

Well, here we go. Piles of paper to sift through each night, multiplication tables to recite, hand writing assignments. reading logs, coloring pads, massive amounts of pencil shavings and eraser scrapings. Smelly lunch boxes, sticky pockets and worn out clothes. I love that my kids are growing and learning, but I sadly look back at times when they weren't so busy, when they were smaller and not afraid to kiss me before class. When I knew all the words to the songs they were singing and the coolest dance was a toss up between the hokey pokey and head-shoulders-knees-and-toes.

So, while I sit here and type, and look up a reading list appropriate for a fourth grader, I reflect a little on my children's growth, who they were, who they are. I know I wonder the same as every parent, "am I doing enough?" I wonder quietly if the books she chooses will change the path on who she is to become. Will the pages he color reflect his decisions tomorrow? Do favorite colors really define a person?

I can sit here and wonder all night long, and miss out on my favorite time of day: putting them to bed, hearing them laugh and giggle about the things they did during the day, the excitement they hold for tomorrow. Listening to them say their prayers; one still reciting and the other as if having a conversation. My goodnight kiss from each of them, the only one they aren't shy about sharing.

"There are two lasting bequests we can bestow upon our children: One is roots, the other is wings." Hodding Carter

My Debt Snowball - Repacked

Okay, so like I said earlier, my world has been going through some transitions. Thankfully, I've made it through. DH decided that he was done with the troubles at his old job and quit. Just like that. I know that I need to be supportive of his decision, and I am, however, I really wish that he would have discussed the situation more with me. I know that it wouldn't have made his situation at work any better, however, if we had discussed it we could have planned and prepared for the situations that followed. Thankfully, he was able to find a position with a competing company and there is not as much stress as the first week of our transition. He also seems very happy at this new place, a lot calmer, not so stressed.

So now that we have started to move forward with our lives, I have had to take on the health insurance for the family, which means that I had to re-draft my budget. At first thought, I did not want to and dreaded it. However, after a little contemplation, I am now excited. This means that there is a change in my snowball rut and it allows me to review my situation, debt, and begin an attack with a new perspective.

Unfortunately, I have built up quite a stack of medical bills in recent months, trying to get an old situation diagnosed and taken cared of. I sat down at the kitchen table, called and got current balances on all of my bills, and wrote them down, smallest to largest with minimum required payment and due dates. I then took out my budget, reduced it by the new insurance deduction, and practically cried. Right now I am still paying daycare fees for two. I know it is temporary, DD starts school in a week and I am hoping that I get her into a free program available at her school. Which will free up a little over a quarter of my income AND some much needed breathing room. But like I said, my budget is actually TO THE LAST CENT. Thank goodness I have my emergency fund and a small savings (I've been hoping to start school soon). So I will be okay until DD starts school. But still, I need to figure out ways to save as much money as humanly possible AND bring more in.

I now have a new grip on my debt, and with the new transition, I know that I will be able to move a little bit faster with my snowball. Not only have I made it by paying for two in daycare, but I am now paying for insurance. I am taking this new transition in life as a lesson. I should have done this a long time ago, but I have realized that I should have been working harder on my debt. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there. Richard Feynman

Swiffer Coupon Booklet

Hey - here is a link to request a booklet of coupons for Swiffer products for a total of $27.00!! It says it takes six to eight weeks, so be patient.

She Eloped!

A friend of mine ran away to get married today. She actually left on Wednesday night. And if I remember right, she and her beau were to be married this evening, at sunset.

I laugh to think about it, running away to get married. Her parents know, and I know. Everyone else will find out when the newlyweds get back. She wanted something private and simple. I completely understand. Because that is what marriage is: nothing else matters except for you and your spouse. Who cares what anyone else says or does. Concentrate on eachother. It is from this moment on, you two together against the world. Join hands and go!

I am happy for her, excited for her. I know to some it doesn't mean a lot, especially for those who only live together. But, it is a big deal. It is a huge committment and despite all the drama and troubles that are so frequently whined about, it can be great.

I wish you the best, my friend. I can't wait for you to get back to see the ring he designed. I hope all your dreams of the past and those to come do come true, and, I hope that this week (and next, lucky you!!) are as relaxing and re-energizing as you have hoped.

Congratulations!

Click-To-Donate Charities

I am a firm believer in donating to charities and supporting certain causes. I have specific charities that I donate to on a monthly basis, some I donate to annually as the money is available. I do know, however, that sometimes money isn't there to donate but the heart still craves to give. So I did some research and found a few "Click-to-Donate" charities.

The first one I found is called Free Rice. It is sponsored through the UN World Food Program. It isn't as easy as your typical "click-to-donate", you have to find a word that correctly reflects the definition of the main word. For every word you get correct, the UN World Food Program will donate 20 grains of rice. Big deal, right? Yes, you're right. It is a big deal. Remember that rice doubles in size, and for those who have nothing, 20 grains means EVERYTHING. So pull out your thesaurus and start expanding your vocabulary!

These links below are actually a grouping from the same site. I've posted easy clicks on the side bar for you to click on - that way you won't have to search for this posting. I'm only posting a few that I hold close; by no means does this mean that I don't support the others.

Click here for an easy and free way to help fund mammograms for those in need at The Breast Cancer Site!

Click here for an easy and free way to help care for those in need at The Animal Rescue Site!

Click here for an easy and free way to help feed those in need at The Hunger Site!

Click here for an easy and free way to help children in need at The Child Health Site!

This link is to Care2. It is another website with a group of charities all centrally located. I like it because it has various charities you can "click-to-donate" but it also has ideas for you to consider on other ways you can help out.

I know that many people have the attitude and belief that they are only one and a tiny voice. But, as I have learned the hard way: one ant is connected to MANY and together they can destroy my kitchen. So band up! Together we can make a difference.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The Way of Lao-tzu

Cheerios!!

Hey - here's a link for a free box of Cheerios, six $1.00 off coupons, and information on how to lower your cholesterol!!

Now, if only we could get some milk!

DD IS BACK!!

Friday night my mom brought DD back. I am so happy. I worried about her constantly, part of the "worry-wart-mother" in me. I know, deep down, somewhere I can barely reach, that she would be safe and happy. But still, she wasn't within my grasp and NO ONE can care for her the way I do. Right?

She looks good, a little darker, a little taller, I hope she had a great time, because now it's back to our boring, monotonous life. Well, at least until school starts.

Rebates

So, I've been pretty busy with life in general these past few weeks. But I have also been trying to figure out how my rebates work.

I obviously figured out Walgreens. It takes a few weeks, but you eventually get your gift card in the mail and you can always put that back to good use. This past month, I submitted for an $18.00 rebate from Walgreens. I bought the Pledge, that came with a duster, plus I used my BOGO coupon and got free Pledge Multi-purpose wipes (a $4.99 value), and I purchased Windex (and used my $.75 coupon) so that is a $2.00 rebate right there. And of course I bought the AirWick Ultra and Mini, which were on sale at $9.99 each. I used my $4.00 printable coupons which brought the price down to $5.99 each. And then I claimed my $3.00 rebate, each, and so I ended up getting them both at $2.99. Not too bad. I also bought DH the Dr. Scholl's inserts (x2) and $14.99 each, and of course I claimed my $10.00 rebate. I know, still expensive. But he wanted them for his work boots and when are you going to find a deal like that? Oh, I also bought my last Zyrtec (45 count) at $26.99, so now I can mail off that $10.00 rebate. (Which reminds me, I'm still waiting for my Clear Eyes rebate...that was $9.99. I will let you know when I get it.)

This month I also tried out the Rite-Aid Rebates. I bought the Venus Embrace Razor (-$2.00 coupon - $5.00 rebate = $4.99), the refills at $13.99 (-$2.00 coupon = 11.99), Crest Premium white Strips at $27.99 (already on sale from $34.99 - $5.00 coupon - $10.00 rebate = $12.99), and two Oral B Cross Action Power toothbrushes on sale at $5.99 each (- BOGO coupon -$4.00 rebate = $1.99), for a total of a $19.00 rebate. I basically went in, picked up $73.55 (with tax) worth of stuff, used my coupons and paid $57.89, and will still get back $19.00. Not too bad. Oh, Rite Aid Rebates come as a check, they don't offer gift cards, and they don't deduct for mailing. Plus, their site says you will get a check within two to three weeks.

I don't think I did too bad. Still working out some of my flaws but I'm getting better! How are YOU doing?

More Freebies!!

Okay - just a note: If you want something, you need to sign up for it quickly. I find my freebies by searching in my "free time", which means it's probably way after someone else found it. So if you find one that's expired, try the next one. Check back often because I'm trying to keep you coming back!!

Here's for a free tub of Huggies Wipes with Shea Butter.

Here your child can do a chart and get a free tooth brush.

Ah, that's it for this evening. I need to go to sleep...

"I Now Pronounce You..."

Over the weekend DH and I attended the wedding of an old military friend.

I was initially hesitant to go, our own relationship has had some cloudy days and I wasn't sure how I felt about the friend and what might happen at the wedding or the reception.

Despite my doubts, I purchased a nice dress and an outfit for DS. I helped DH pick out a nice pair of slacks, shirt, and tie. We packed our stuff and headed out to the coast.

We were surprised to find out that the wedding truly was on the beach, we had kind of tossed around the idea that maybe it was at some sort of gazebo off of the beach, but no, it was there, in the sand, a few feet from the water with the tide creeping in every second.

We met with old acquaintances and friends, some handshakes reminding of the bond we share from our military days, some just simple "civilian" handshakes, a gesture of assimilation but lacking emotion or character. (If you have ever served, you know what I mean.)

The ceremony was nice - a statement was made, vows were said, a prayer for the new couple and their future, and the introduction. Lots of laughing, lots of cheers.

The reception was at a great spanish-style restaurant. Good food and good company. I enjoyed myself and my family, minus my DD unfortunately.

To Rocio and Jaime - may you learn to grow together as individuals that make a great team. May you fight through the darkest moments and slowly cherish each and every breath, no matter how heated. Time passes incredibly quickly and if you never stop to look back, you will never know where you came from. Congratulations.

My Mail Box is Positively Producing!

So, I've been a little down, my DD is still with her grandparents and I'm having a horrible time adjusting. And, with new changes in the family life, I feel like all that I get in the mail is bills and more bills.

Saturday was a change. My Juicy Juice sippy cup came in, along with my sample of Tide with Dawn AND my rebate came in from Walgreens! Yay!

DH thinks I'm crazy. BUT, the other day he went shopping and actually used some of the coupons I had for a list of items I needed. He was pretty surprised at how much he saved and was excited to see how much more we could save.

No kidding. I'm surprised, too.

Freebies!!

Here are some more freebies that I have found.

This link is for a Beck's Wrench Bottle Opener - you have to be 21 to get the opener.

This is a link for a sample of Tide Total Care. It's from Wal-Mart so you literally have to jump on this one NOW!

Here's another free sample of Kotex Pads, Liners and Tampons. Hey, another purse stuffer! (No more scrounging for quarters for that machine in the ladies room - which, by the way, seems to be broken whenever I NEED it.)

Here is a free sample of Tampax Pearl Tampon with LeakGuard...another thing to throw in your purse for those just in case moments!

Do you have cable? On TNT there is a great show called Saving Grace. At first I thought it was a little iffy but I love a good show about women with cojones. If you know me, you're laughing and wondering what else I've added to my life. Anyway...TNT is giving away 85 t-shirts a day for Saving Grace! Click here to try and get a free one!! And if you don't get it the first time, keep coming back!

Here's one for a sample of Sani-Hands. Last weekend I went up north and met with my brother, his girlfriend and my mom. For every situation I had something in my purse to fix it: wipes, Lysol, Tide Stick, Oust Air Freshener, gum, Motrin, Tylenol, lollipops, anti-bacterial gel, even energy bars. By the time I left, my brother was calling me "Monk" for all of the wiping, geling and spraying I was doing. But, if you are a mom, you know that eventually everything makes it's way to the face, which leads to colds and other nasty things. So go ahead and laugh - but the kids are pretty healthy and I am no where near as neurotic/compulsive as Monk! (Miss you already!)

Here is an offer for a free sample of Pond's Facial Wipes. Throw that in your bag, too, especially for these hot days!

Here's for a free potty training DVD. With money as tight as it is, you want to try and get your baby into chonies as soon as possible!

Hope you find something you like!

Time Passed and A New Toy to Play With

I know it's been a couple of days. I took DD up north to a half-way mark to meet with my mom and brother - she is spending two weeks with her grandma and it was an emotion trap the week before she left.

I have never been a day without my kids. Sure, I work, and they have been in daycare since they were six weeks old, but still, never have I ever missed a night. And my daughter is my best friend. We talk about everything and share everything, and of course, I am always so proud of her.

So to have her gone, is horrible. I miss her terribly. I try to call her every couple of hours but I cannot wait to hold her in my arms again.

For compensation, my mother did buy me a new toy, to keep me busy while she enjoys my daughter. What is it? Something I found while searching one of my favorite blogs: The Couponizer!!!

It's such a great idea!! Basically, it's a coupon organizer. It's a great little binded pocket book that has pockets for my coupons, shopping lists, receipts, rebates, etc. It's so much fun! My coupons have been sitting in a shoe box and I was organizing them as I needed them, adding them into a little pocket organizer I bought in a $.99 bin - but it didn't hold much and I was constantly leaving coupons at home.

So, I got the Couponizer, the CoupStacker (a labeled mat for easy organization of my million coupons), 2 sets of coupon lists (to track my savings), 2 sets of shopping lists, a clear vinyl carrying case, a pair of scissors, a coupon instruction book, and a vinyl carrying bag with handles. I don't necessarily find it as comforting as my DD, it surely does not smell like her - strawberry with a hint of mint from her toothpaste. But, it did keep me busy for about two hours and DS had fun putting the coupons on the CouponStacker.

Check it out!! Hopefully you find it as enjoyable as I do.

Zyrtec Deal!!

My whole family suffers from allergies. DD not so much but she does have her days where she will sneeze and suffers from a runny nose. DH is the worst, then DS, who also suffers from asthma (although it has been completely controlled lately - fingers crossed!!).

Anyway, we should buy stock in allergy medication and tissues. We go through it a lot. So, during my evening touring of a few of my favorite sites, I found a link to a $2.00 coupon, which allowed me to print out two coupons ($4.00 in savings!!) plus this link for a $10.00 rebate when you buy two 45 count packages of Zyrtec. So now that's $14.00 in savings. I checked around a couple of different stores and have found that Target offers the 45 count bottle at $25.79. It's one of the better deals out there.

Hopefully this helps out with the runny noses and sneezing fits out there!!

Walgreens Deals

Okay, so I've mentioned Walgreens a few times, so now I'm going to try to break you into the deals you can get, just like I'm learning.

Today I headed to Walgreens and picked up a couple of their EasySaver catalogs and a few more weekly inserts. Also, thanks to MoneySavingMom and the people that contribute, I picked up the Walgreens Children's Activity Book for $0.99 (I actually picked up two).

The Activity Book is packed with coupons for the kids - $1.00 off Crayola Color Explosion or Color Wonder, $1.00 off character Band-Aids, $1.00 of Johnson & Johnson baby products, $1.00 off Flintstones Vitamins, and a ton more.

Now, for the deals that I'm going for! In the EasySaver Catalog they are offering a $3.00 rebate for the purchase of any Airwick Fresmatic Ultra Automatic Spray (regular or mini) or the Neutra Air FreshMatic Kit. You can buy up to four of these items for a total of a $12.00 rebate. I plan on buying the Airwick Freshmatic Ultra - both the regular sized and mini. The mini sells for $9.99 and the regular sells for $11.99. So right there, I'm going to be getting back $6.00. Now, the Bargain: remember that website I showed you where I printed a bunch of coupons for the home? Go Here for a refresher. There you can print off coupons for $4.00 off the Mini and the Regular sized Airwick Freshmatic Ultra. That right there is $8.00 in automatic savings, plus, don't forget the $6.00 in rebates (and the 10% added in if you request the gift card which totals $6.60!!). So now I will be getting the Mini for $2.99 and the Regular for $4.99. Smells great to me!! Plus, there is also a deal for a $2.00 rebate on the Veet Bladeless Razor System (only one available!!). So, I priced that at $8.49. And now you are getting $2.00 back, so really it's $6.49. Plus, that website you just checked out for the AirWick is offering a $2.00 coupon for any Veet product. So now you are paying $4.49! And, your rebates just grew. I have a couple more floating through my mind, just deciding if I want to go for it or not. Like the Spray'n Wash Laundry Stain Remover with Resolve. Right now it's normally $3.79 for one but they have a deal this week for two for $5.00. Plus, the Catalog is giving a $2.00 rebate for the purchase of one. So, even though you are buying two for $5.00, you still get the $2.00 rebate so it's now two for $3.00 (Rebate plus 10%) and I printed off a coupon for $0.75 from the Home Solutions website, so guess what?!?! That's two for $2.25!! And if I get lucky, the coupon will end up applying to both items and I will save more, but let's not forget Murphy and just move on with what I have.

Hopefully you find something useful for you, too. I love getting deals!!

Freebies!!

Here are a list of recent freebies that I've found. Various things, all can come in handy at one point or another. Enjoy them. I can't wait to get something besides a bill in the mail!!

This one is for free Ziplock sandwich bags and $5.00 worth of coupons. Clicke here. You do need to register for the website.

Here is a link for a free Reach Access Daily Flosser. Once you do that, click on the tab for Offers and you can get a coupon for the refills.

Post-It Flags!! Come on, for free??? Yup. These are great. I use them to flag my Total Money Makeover Book for references.

o.b. Tampons To Go. Plus, they come in a cute little case. Another thing to throw in your purse.

Clorox 2 for Colors. Here's a link for a free sample bottle of the detergent. Have to love that, right?

Tide with Dawn Stain Scrubbers. Another free sample for detergent. Hey, that's two loads of laundry now!!

Purex Laundry Detergent. Sample size - now that's three loads!!

Snuggle Fabric Softener. Now there is no excuse for your clothes to stink!! (just kidding, thought it was funny!!)

Gillette Body Wash - for Men. Nice. If he even uses soap.

Here's one for Eucerin Intensive Repair Foot Creme. Perfect now that it's sandal season.

Free Sippy Cup from Juicy Juice!!

Free sample of Greenies for Cats. Here's a free sample for our pooches, too.

Free sample of Airborne Power Pixies.

Oh, here is a free sample pack from Kotex...it's supposed to have a little bit of everything.

Okay, that's it for today. Hopefully you get something from this list. I will try to keep you updated on more. It's always great to get something for free, especially lately when gas is so close to $5.00 a gallon and it costs more to drive to work than what your check is.

Murphy's Law - Always Me

You know that saying about Murphy's law, "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong"? Yeah, you know it. Well guess what? That totally and completely is me. *Sigh* Yup. And if you know me, you are probably laughing, rolling your eyes, and wondering "what happened now?!?!?!"

Sunday started off great. But not really. Because my coffee was cold every time I went to get it, despite the fact that I took forever to take that first sip. The kids and I had decided to head to WalMart to pick up the fixings for S'Mores. Then we went to Costco for bread and milk, and decided to get gas as well. Which, by the way, I had gone and parked on the wrong side of the pump so I had to stretch the hose all the way across the car. (Warning Sign!!). Then we came home and decided to go swimming. By now it's just barely hitting noon. In 100 degree weather.

So the kids and I are out swimming, DD is doing great and has her confidence back up enough to float on out to the deep end, DS just wants me to "bounce" him across from shelf to shelf. We play and splash and sing and splash until 2:30ish (according to my iPod), wherein we decide it's time to go in and make S'Mores. So, we sit on our chairs and dry off for a few, telling stories and enjoying the day. DD gets up to go inside, slams the sliding door all the way open, glances at me, and then slams it shut. The next second ticked by like an hour: you could hear the wooden dowel that I leave in the window rail slide down the glass and fit perfectly into the little spot it was cut for.

All the windows and doors have similar dowels cut to fit in their tracks...making it hard for someone to just pull the screens off and come in.

"No problem" I think. I walk to the front of the house, in my bathing suit, and punch in the numbers on the garage door keypad, all the while thinking "I will be in the house in no time". WRONG. The batteries are out in the keypad!!! No luck there. And I can't call anyone because guess what?!?! My cellphone is in my purse, with my keys, probably on the kitchen table!! And the spare key? In the garage, which I can't get into. Lovely.

I walk back into the yard and advise the kids: "looks like we will be outside for awhile". Instead of cheers or excitement, both kids look broken and depressed. They haven't eaten a good lunch yet, it's over 100 degrees, and no nap.

I turn to face my new challenge. "I can do this" I think to myself. I begin to try to move the sliding door off the rails. I am able to rock it back and forth, even getting it up to about a 15 degree angle, but nothing more. Okay...now what?

DH always leaves tools laying around. Maybe something will work. So around the house I walk again. I find two long flat head screwdrivers, something that looks like a long metal nail file, and a hammer. Thank Goodness that DH never listens. I sit on the ground and contemplate my newly found tools: BREAK THE GLASS!!

No. Not yet. Too expensive!! Do I really want to waste my emergency fund on something like this? No, not yet.

DS has to go potty. He's crying. He really has to go RIGHT NOW. So I take him to a corner, pull down his swim trunks, and let him go. He cries for awhile, apparently I made him pee outside like a dog. Great.

Again I post my butt in front of the locked slider. What to do, what to do? By now DD is whining, she's hungry. GREAT!! And DS, DS has decided that Mama is just like Handy Manny and has Turner, Phillipe and Pat - aren't I cool?!?!?!!?

I decide to fit the flat head between the sliding door and the glass to see if I can somehow manage to wedge the dowel out of the track. Nope. Window is too thick. Then I rock the door back and forth. And I decide to take the metal nail file thingy and shove it between the slider and it's track while it's cockeyed. Good job. Now that thing is stuck.

I try to stick the screwdriver in the space available. Nope, way too thick. I walk around the yard again, there has to be something I can use!!!

Now both DD and DS are whining: who can blame them? They are hot and tired and hungry and perfect bliss is visible right there through the locked glass.

I find these thin metal stakes DH and I had used when we had put the sod down. Who left these out here? Hmmm...could these be what ruined the blades on our lawnmower? I take a couple of them and straighten them out as best as I can. Will it fit? Please let it work. I push one through the little gap that I have made. It fits!! I wiggle it through and can actually rotate the dowel!!

I continue to wiggle the stake pulling it out and pushing it back through, trying to push the dowel up and out of the track. Wiggle, wiggle. Spin, spin. Clunk. Clunk. In some instances the dowel even lifts, but sadly rotates towards the glass, and back into the track.

Finally, in another one of those forever seconds, the dowel lifts up and rotates backwards. OUT OF THE TRACK!!!

I reach up and push the door open. The kids run in and jump on the couches. I pick up the tools, put them back on the various ledges I had found them in the backyard, and go inside. As I go into the kitchen to prepare lemonade and S'Mores for everyone, I glance at the clock on the cable box. 5:47 p.m.

Oh yeah, and I took a spare key from the garage, put it in a ziplock container and buried it in the front yard. Never again will I beg for MacGyver's genious to fall upon me.

No. I think it is better to be safe than sorry. Prepare for the worse and hope for the best. I know, it seems a little pessimistic, but come on. What would you do to not be locked out of your house for over three hours with two little kids?