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!