Great gift ideas

Today we went to a Halloween fun time here called Monster Mash. It is an event put on every year to benefit the hospital. It was sooooo fun but I am pooped because before that we had Halloween brunch with friends... that was super cute if I do say so myself. :)  
On to the gift ideas...

Lesbians!!!!!

O.K. so anyone who knows me knows that I am totally on board with the campaign for everyone to be able to get married to who ever they want to regardless of the sex of the two people. I want to give a shout out to KY right now... yeah the company that sells sex products. I just saw a commercial for their stuff and it had two women on it! Together, holding hands, and in bed! I am proud that they stepped out of the box because I know that they will probably get a lot of negative attention after that. I would like to say that just like every other couple on their commercials the two girls in that one totally looked fake lol. I sat there with my mouth open for a minute because I think that is the first time I have ever seen that!! Good for them and the rest of the people in the world who think that it is not any ones place to judge or say who can do what, when or where they can do it because it is not their life!!! WOW that makes my heart sing. I can not wait for the day for everyone to be equal and stop hating or judging each other.

Attn: Coupon friends...

This weekend is the big one again. The first weekend of the month! That means the P&G coupons will be in the newspaper! Those are the super good ones! Go get your papers on Sunday!!! It is also the end of the month which means that there are a ton of coupons that are expiring so make sure that you clean out your binders of all the old ones to make room for your new ones and also remember if you want to you can mail your coupons to "Coups for troops".

Halloween brunch on Saturday.....

Ok for our brunch menu tomorrow morning I have a little list to give you of the fun ideas I have. I have pumpkin pie with ghost poop (marshmallows), tortilla chips (I made them with cookie cutters shaped like Halloween fun stuff) for dipping guaca-moldy, we have vampire guts (oysters in cocktail sauce), eyeball pancakes (blueberry) ear wax covered mold (smoked Gouda cheese) with crackers, epidermis (bacon) and spooky fruit (red grapes, black plums, and blue berries. I think that is it... I also have hummus in the fridge so I'll prob put that and my home made salsa out too... We will have bad blood too (bloody marys)! I hope it is all a hit! I'm excited!

Free card to our Troops

Ok go to Tiny Prints on Facebook and "like" them. Under their profile pic they have a tab for military click that and it will tell you exactly how you can send a free card to a troop during the holidays without moving away from the computer! I just made mine and I decided to leave out any personal info just a little very close to home note and a merry Christmas from the mr and mrs. I didn't think Rhett would like me putting our info out there to a stranger. lol anyway if you want to then I recommend doing this one for sure it only takes 2 minutes

Halloween brunch on Saturday

We are having a few friends over for brunch on Saturday and I am excited because I have looked up some fun recipes. I will be making guacomoldie... lol I love the name and I will make little pita chips in Halloween shapes. The guac I am making will have black beans too so it looks pretty gross (I think I will only mix a little bit first and taste just to be sure) As the drink I will be making Bloody Marys of course... I found some stickers at the Dollar tree (4 of them for a dollar) and they look like labels, actually I wish I would have gotten more for next year, but one looks like blood is splattered all over it and it says "Bad Blood" and so I will mix them up and put in a water jug with that label. I am also thinking of making "finger toast" which is just french toast sticks I may put some food color in the syrup to make it a little more creepy, possibly green lol. I am also thinking that I will get a pack of oysters and mix with cocktail sauce (we all love raw oysters) and put them in a cool glass container and a little sign that says "goblin guts" I will have bacon with a sign that says "epidermis" and a few other really clever ideas I saw online I hope I can get all the ingredients I want. I shopped today at a local grocery store that I have never been into and everything was soooo expensive I left only with a few bottles of wine that were at prices I could not pass up. They had three clearance buggies and a lady that worked there told me that the wine in there was stuff that generally everyone didn't like. I said well for 3.00 a bottle I am willing to take that risk lol. I got like 6 bottles for our wine cooler so we can try and restock it. I had it filled up before Rhett got back in December but since he has been back when we had company a few bottles at a time would come out and now it is empty :) That makes my heart happy lol. I think it will be fun to restock again I told Rhett everything in there was off limits for a while until we get some more back in it. I am sure on Rylans birthday party we will empty it again with all the guests we are planning to have over. Anyway back to the brunch I will try to remember to take pics of our spread so that you can see how it all comes out.

Breakfast with Santa

So this morning I went to a meeting for the parents that wanted to help with Breakfast with Santa in December. You would think this is the biggest event of the year. This whole thing from what I gather used to be put on by the school and was in the most recent past years a day that is taken on by the parents instead. There are 5 crafts to be made by 150 pre-k children and a parlor to be decorated for pictures with Santa. Oh and there needs to be breakfast for 150 pre-k kids and their families. I am not going to lie when I heard all of this I almost got up and left lol. There was a huge packet of things that need to be donated and so when the craft came up for Christmas bird feeders and it listed only one thing... a Large box of cheerios... I jumped on it... I said Oh our class can do that!! lol. Then when another project came up that seemed to have a lot of parts I said oh our class can get the cotton balls lol. I was not in the mood to volunteer up a bunch of stuff just in case no other parents in our class wanted to help I did not want to be responsible. I was surprised at the response though when I sent out an email today asking for items on the list that were needed... I almost have everything covered already in 12 hrs! I will let you know how all of that goes lol. We are going to be so busy for the next few months as I'm sure you can already imagine. With all of the holidays plus we have Rylan's 4th birthday in the middle of Halloween and Thanksgiving....Wish me luck! How is it that I did all this while attending school and working full time last year? Please remind me because I feel like I am going crazy lol

Pumpkin seeds

I spent what seemed like all night separating seeds from pumpkin guts last night. Today they were drying from being rinsed. This evening I split them in half and mixed half with 2T butter and 1/2 cup sugar and 2T cinnamon. I baked them for around 15 mins at 350... can you say delicious?! The second batch I made with 2T olive oil and 2T low sodium soy sauce and 2T "whats this here" sauce as we call it in our house, with a few sprinkles of salt. I did the same bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, those started to burn on the outside because I forgot to stir twice while baking, well I didn't forget I was being lazy... anyway they are still tasty (the ones that are not burnt) you should try it!

free movies!

target.com use coupon code TGT75HFN to get 5.00 off any purchase. Choose a 5.00 movie and pay shipping, the next movie to choose is a Sony movie for 5.00 well actually 2 of them because right now they are offering 10.00 off 2 Sony movies making that 3 free movies with about 3.00 in shipping... so go find yours now!!  http://adventuresofacouponista.com/2011/10/2-free-dvds-from-target-com-hurry/ here is where I found a list of all the 5.00 Sony movies that were available but they are going pretty fast so hurry :)

Today

I have a little more cleaning up to do then I will go get Rylan from school and I will put all my coupons away from yesterday. I hope to start addressing Christmas cards in the next week so I can put them in the mail as soon as the date comes when I am ready to send them. I also need to decide if I want to use the store bought invites I got for Rylan's birthday or if I want to finish making some online. I have a list a mile long that I need to do so I need to get off of here and start scratching stuff off :)

#1 DAD

Last night in the middle of carving pumpkins with Rylan I was informed by Rhett that we would be having a camp fire and a cook out. I was excited, but we didn't tell the little guy. Rhett took him out back in his jammies and rain boots and they collected wood and built a fire. I went to the store and bought hot dogs, a Hershey's bar, and a bag of marshmallows. I came back home to a kiddo who was waiting by the door and could not wait to show me the fire he built. The neighbors came over and enjoyed a little camp fire fun with us (when I say neighbors I mean my in-laws!) When we went to bed Rylan told me that he had the best day ever today. He had sooo much fun. I feel like I want to throw in the end here that I love to catch my marshmallows on fire then blow them out and eat off the crunchy burnt part with creamy underneath then do it over and over again until it is all gone. :) mmmmmmmmm

Pumpkin pie

I just finished my very first home made pumpkin pies!! I am excited to taste them they smell like pumpkin pie and they look like pumpkin pie!!

Pumpkin Patch was a success

I had so much fun visiting with Jade and Westin at the pumpkin patch on Saturday. I also really enjoyed watching Rylan have such a blast! We went to a place in Hammond called Mrs. Heathers, this was such a great place. It was 7.00 for children and adults were free. Everything once you got past the gate was included. Rylan got his face painted, he loved that it was cold and soft on his skin he said. He also was able to pretend to milk a cow, it was just water but he thought it was pretty cool. This place had something I had never seen before and I was so shocked and could not stop wondering how they did this... there was a bubble type thing built into the ground, there were probably 50 kids jumping on this thing. It was cool, very much like a trampoline but not at all lol.

They also had a zip line built for kids, it was tires made to look like horses and the kids were lined up to ride it and as soon as their turn was over they were back at the end of the line for another turn. There was a slide made out of a giant tube

 (it didn't look fun or like it felt good but the kids couldn't get enough.) it was bumpy and the bottom looked like it hurt pretty bad lol. On the way out we were able to choose a pumpkin (included as well) and there was a petting zoo, there was tons to do and the kids had a blast, they had a hay maze too. I would def. go back and I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a place to go.

Pumpkin Patch!!

I'm pretty excited because my friend Jade text me today and invited Rylan and I to meet her and her son Westin at a pumpkin patch half way between her house and mine! I originally planned on taking Rylan to do the build and grow clinic at Lowes and then to a free trick or treat in downtown where they are having a free party for the kiddos but when I got this text my plans quickly changed. I can't wait to see her and let Rylan play with Westin. We have talked about getting together a few times since we both moved back but have actually only been able to once or twice so I think this will be a lot of fun. I wanted to go to one Sunday but this one actually looks better than the one I was thinking of going to so I hope it is I am also excited to see that adults are free at this one because the two that I considered going to the cost was going to be nearly 30.00 for just Rylan and I and the cost of the pumpkin was separate this place looks like it is included. On their website it says the cost for kids is only 7.00 so that is 1/4 the price of the other places! I will update you all tomorrow at the end of our special day!!!

My mail box 10/21

Ok so this week has been a great week at my mail box! I love checking the mail even if there is bills now because it seems like most weeks I have fun free samples in the mail to try. Here is what I got this week, 3 tea bags (of my choice) from a company called Twinings here is a link to the site I was able to order 3 but it looks like now you can only get two, I suggest grabbing this one because what perfect time of the year to have hot tea on hand for a day or night?

Halloween party

So I am looking for some last minute fun Halloween ideas for the class party for 3-4 year old boys and girls :) I made some cute invites (on simple Halloween stationary) here is the wording I used:

Free lunch

A while back I was able to score a free steak from outback and I am pretty excited to be going to redeem that free lunch today! This week I have been pretty excited about cooking every night as I thought about how little I was spending to feed our family. Last night we had jambalaya (from a box I was a cheater don't judge me) but the sausage and box of mix was only about 2.00 total and we have some leftovers for one more snack or lunch! We also had steak sandwiches with some thin steaks I was able to get for a great price (I don't remember how much but it was not expensive) We had a white bean chili with chicken shredded (I bought the chicken in a packaged section from the refrigerated meat section it was precooked and shredded too) I think it was Hormel I would recommend that if you are looking for a great easy meal. Anyway I have been able to put dinner on the table for even less than normal. I am disappointed in myself today a little however because I can not believe I was not planning ahead for this; each week the "snack bag" is sent home with a different child to provide snacks for all of the children (10 children for 5 days) I could have been putting up some healthy snacks ahead of time but I guess it will be alright I think I have some coupons for stuff like yogurt and graham crackers but I could have been watching for sales on juice... anyway I will be ready 10 weeks from now when it is our turn again lol.

Grandparents day at school

Today was grandparents day at school, it was so cute seeing all the people with canes and walkers and what not lol. Rylan was so proud to show off his class room and his enrichment classes (art and music and movement) he was also so excited to show all of the things he knows how to do on the playground. His Sir (that is what he calls my father in law lol) was glad to be on campus and see everyone again (all of my sister- in-laws went there as kids) I also loved being in the church to watch all of the children (well actually we were in the back so it was more like I was only listening) sing and do little hand movements, and then to hear all of the grandparents brag about their grandbaby who knew all of the words and was so confident and knew the hand motions best lol I just laughed (I knew who was obviously doing the best in there)

Super fun freebie site

If you are bored you should really check out "hunt4freebies.com" I love this site I went through one night and just signed up for every fragrance, men and women, that they had samples available for I think I did the same for the pet samples they had so I could make another donation to the animal shelter.

Real or fake?

Technology is such a great things these days that certain things you see on TV or on the Internet can cause you to naturally believe it has been altered by a person who is very familiar with photoshop. Today Rhett brought to my attention an article of a Cyclops shark. I saw the pictures (you should google it) I choose to believe it is real lol initially I saw it and said immediately "oh that is fake" but then right after that I thought in my head but it would be kinda awesome if it was real lol. I read a few articles and I see mixed emotions concerning it some people believe and others don't. They say this shark was actually a fetus inside a female shark. They say it was already dead when they got it. Take a look and give your own opinion lol

Craft Show?

I remember as a kid that my mom did so many craft shows all alone. I thought it was cool that I had a bow that matched EVERY outfit I had growing up. I probably had a hundred lol. My mom also made stained glass, she did small window pieces that people would buy that were little soccer balls and baseballs all sporting equipment really then she made all kinds of cute little angels and all kinds of cute things. I am excited that I have a friend that is serious with me in wanting to attend our own craft show! I hope that it will all go well and we will make some money! We will see and I will let you know and keep you updated on the progress. I also chose a coupon buddy for my partner in crime :) so I am hoping to make some super cute things to sell and not spend much money doing it! If we only break even I know it will be a learning experience and it will be a LOT of fun! I have always wanted to do this (I guess I can add it to my list of things that I have done before I die lol) I never really put it on a list but I am sooo excited!

Preschool is for me

I just left the orchestra with Rylan and his class and I was soooo happy being there. The keeping all the children in line and having them fight over who gets to hold my hand and who gets to sit by me it was amazing. I also loved that everything was brand new to each one of them. I loved asking who wanted to be the conductor because that is what I want to be and Rylan said he wants to play the double bass and Elle wants to play the harp and Cole wants to be a conductor like me and Remi and Mattise want to play the violin! It was sooo cute and when they start to not be able to sit still then all it took was a small question to get their attention back on the music. "Hey do you hear the drums you have to pay close attention to hear them over the brass instruments" Little kids are the best they all look at you like you are the best thing to ever happen to them especially when you are serious when you say you wish you had hot pink suede cowgirl boots just like them.

How did I become so judgemental

Every time I meet new people I find I am talking to them but when it is my turn to listen, instead I am totally judging them. I am always sizing other moms up. Mostly I am thinking of why we probably would never make it as best friends. Let me give you some examples. I have been meeting new moms at Rylans school and soccer and at the park quite often. I enjoy talking to them in the moment but I always walk away thinking that we are just too different. I feel kind of like I am shopping for a friend and my time is not equal to the people I meet if that makes any sense. I talk to moms and I either feel like they are way more snobby than I am

adding to the list

Today I will add a trip to a Pink concert will be put on the end of my list of things to do before I die....

What a great morning

This morning was the one day a month that Rylan doesn't go into school until 9:30am so I thought it would be a perfect day for our donations. We made our first stop at the Buttercrisp Diner, we call this "special breakfast" that is where we get the best hot doughnuts! Then we took our donations to the Covington Animal Shelter. That was so much fun Rylan got to see kittens and a puppy and he was a little disappointed I must admit because when I told him we were going to bring food to the animals who did not have enough to eat and we talked about how God has blessed us with a lot of food and clothes and toys etc. and so we should bless others with things we can afford to give he was under the impression we were going to feed them. When he told me of his excitement to see how happy the cats were to eat our food and I told him we weren't going to feed them his face just dropped lol. But he brightened up again when we saw the cute kittens :) I could have cried when I had to walk out without one lol I could be that crazy cat lady pretty easily lol I wanted to save them all. Next stop was the Covington food bank. That was not as much "fun" but was very rewarding as I thought of the possible meal it could bring for someone. I was also happy to be able to talk to Rylan about possibly giving away some of his toys (because his birthday and Christmas are 6weeks apart) to make room for the new toys that he will be blessed with if he gives them to children who are not blessed with as many as he is. He sat quietly then thought of the one toy that a few months ago I made him give away (I was trying to see if he would get rid of some b/c he has 3 large toy boxes FULL of toys not to mention the one he has in TX at Vivi's house) he talked of how much he really missed that tiger (he has two now and we gave one away... there were 3 back then all large and all from a mardi gras parade) He did say he will give some away because he wants to be blessed with new toys but he does not want to give them all away lol. I said we did not have to give them all away.  Oh yeah then the last stop was to see my dad who gave me a huge bag of "greens" he grew mustard, collard, and turnip greens in his garden and gave me a huge bag. I am excited to have this free dinner tonight, in fact I need to go get them on the stove probably so they can cook slowly :)

I'm finding freebies tonight :)

This is a sample pack of premium teas. What a perfect time of year to find this freebie :)

http://www.republicoftea.com/newslettersignup.aspx?v=2&c=CKE3SMT03FYA2

This is for a sample of cat food... I'm snagging this one for the shelter.


http://mycatwonteat.com/free-box.php

Here is a doggy treat sample.. Sorry I'm on a pet kick for my shelter donation

http://allnaturalbullysticks.com/freesampleform/

flushable doggy bag sample for your doggy dos

More to come... :)

so happy to be able to give

I just left walmart, I needed to pick up a few things such as paper for the printer and some razors too. While I was there I grabbed quite a few items for the animal shelter and also for the food bank. I am so happy to be able to do that. I looked in the aisles for items (canned foods or dried foods) that cost under .50  I was happy to see that there were a lot of canned veggies (I didn't realize they come so cheap as I like to buy fresh or frozen) that were off brands for around .24! I got some dried beans and a few condiments I also had coupons for free soda and we don't drink soda so that is in there too. I used coupons to get some other goodies too like nesquik cocoa powder (7 servings for around .60 I got two). Anyway I dropped off our bag this morning and I was surprised to see that most of the bags only had a can or two from other families, I felt like I could go to the store and do more because I know how badly other people are in need in our community. I think I spent around 10.00. Sure there are a hundred other things I could have used that 10.00 for, Rylan has a birthday just one month away that could have paid for a lot of little things. I think it will be very rewarding to give back. I got three cans of wet cat food free and I also got a bag of kitty litter for only .77. I added that to my box for the animal shelter. I think when I go grab my 5.00 worth of pet food from Winn Dixie (that should get me 3 3lb bags of dog food and 2 1lb boxes of cat food) I will have a nice little donation for the animal shelter too. I can't wait to bring Rylan with me to drop these goodies off so he can see that it is important to give back.

K-cup samples

If you have a one cup coffee maker as I do, then you probably love coffee and know how expensive those little cups can cost. Target is giving a free sample pack away. Go to the target website and click on their sample section and answer a short 5ish questionnaire and then poof you get a freebie! Go grab some of these and if you don't have a one cup coffee maker then grab a sample pack for someone who you know that has one they will be glad you did.

good printable coupons

There is a printable out there on Coupons.com for Gerber graduates entrees for 1.00 off making raviolis at walmart .28. That is a good one in my book what a great price for a quick meal for a little one when Im eating a salad or something he won't enjoy.

Text "haircut" to 99158 for a 10.00 haircut at a wal-mart smart style. This could be a good price if your smart style in your walmart looks nice lol (I've seen some that are kind of sketchy and very questionable)

https://www.facebook.com/kodak?sk=app_300881199927113

go here to fill out your info and get a printable coupon for 20 free prints at CVS Kodak kiosk, I'm sure it is only for 4x6 and it will probably only last a week or so.... go grab yours now

Donating to the food bank

This is the time of the year that Food Banks really need help to stay above the water. They really need help to fill the bellies of everyone in need that is in our area. This is a great opportunity to teach your kids about giving to others not to benefit yourself. I just took Rylan into the kitchen with a brown paper bag and we pulled down bags and boxes of freebies and multiples that we could afford to give away. We had 3 boxes of tea bags that we got for free that we were able to give away a huge bag of rice a few cans of tomato soup a box of Ritz crackers a box of graham crackers, three cans of tuna, a jar of seasoning, a box of cocoa drink mix, and a large bag of pretzels, I think there are a few other things in there but that is all I can remember. I dropped in a few cans of chicken broth even though I know I will probably be able to use it, I got it super cheap and I know someone else will really be able to use it more than me. It didn't cost me anything and it is mostly extra stuff that I know we probably won't use in the next few months anyway. It felt good to teach Rylan that other people don't always have enough food to eat and that we can help them just a little by giving this way. It will feel even better when we drop this heavy full bag off! I hope you will be inspired to do the same. His school has initiated this food drive so I can not take all the credit but I am excited to fill up my box for the animal shelter soon I hope. I only have one item in it at this moment but I hope to fill it up and bring Rylan with me to drop it off. Use coupons to grab some freebies and put them in a bag!!!!

Swagbucks

I've talked about swag bucks before but I am going to say again you should check out this because it is a great way to get some serious freebies by doing nothing! I jumped on this program only a few months ago and have already earned 312 swag bucks. What do you do with these said swag bucks you ask? Well let me tell you. A great example of what you can buy is a 5.00 gift card for a costume store that is on sale today for 99 swag bucks! Or save them and buy bigger better gift cards to amazon for example then you can buy whatever you want. All you have to do to earn these swag bucks is use their search engine, you use google now right? Well install the swag bucks toolbar and start searching and earning. If you sign up today you will get the usual 30 (I got those too) for signing up and you can enter 5FOR5 and earn an additional 70 (I wish I would have know a special code when I started up lol) and you will automatically earn 100 just for getting started. That is enough for a gift card to multiple places. There are tons of rewards you can redeem your bucks for . At the bottom of my blog is a swag bucks tool you can use to sign up. Check it out you may be able to score a fun addition to a Halloween costume.

Under Construction

For all of you who have been keeping up with this blog I wanted to let you know that it had a little construction. As I have added so much lately I am trying to find a way to organize it all to make it easier to find for you. I added an about me and Things to do before I die list also so that I can keep you updated on that. I am trying to figure out exactly how to group postings that are alike so that it is easier to find them such as all of my grocery trips in one area... I will have to keep searching to find that I think lol if you have a hard time navigating please let me know. I also have a setting somewhere that is not allowing anyone to comment from what I am hearing and I have looked and looked (I even have a page on my side that says "comments" but I swear there is nothing on there lol) anyway I am still learning so bear with me.....

What is up with this?

I was shocked as I just took a look at the coupons from today's paper and there are 3 inserts! Usually there is only a PG insert if it is the first weekend of the month! I was sad because someone picked up my paper today that gets delivered to my house but my hubby loves me so he grabbed me two while he was at the store. I am also excited too because I just found a coupon for MILK! That never happens!! I hope I can find a good price on Borden's milk in the near future! I found the milk coupon in the "Parade" make sure you flip through there every Sunday because there are hidden coupons in there most weeks.

Disney movie rewards

Since I had Rylan I have been using Disney movie rewards. This is a free thing to sign up to and every time you buy a Disney movie look inside the box to see if you have a fee code to earn points. You can redeem your points for freebies. I have been saving mine ever since I signed up because there hasn't been anything that I thought was worth using my points. Well I logged in last week and they are offering a free $20.00 Disney card for 750(I think) points! That is an amazing deal. I got mine and I am going to buy the Lion King combo pack (I have a $5.00 off coupon that came in Rylan's subway kids meal yesterday!) So I will go to the Disney store and hopefully get a freebie!!!! I will either give him this gift for his birthday or Christmas! Yay! If you are a Disney movie rewards member then I hope you go snag this great deal! Also if you are not a member I hope you go join and grab all your Disney movies from your house and look inside for all your codes and have enough to get this deal too!!!

Mommy tips

I was reading my parents magazine (which was a fee subscription hehe) and I came across a fun idea to share some tips I have come across or heard/read etc.The first I want to share is one of my favorites that I am so happy I found for Rylan's room. I took old empty wipie boxes and broke the lid off and use them as drawer organizers for his small items.

 This would be a great idea for a mom of a girl too for hair bows and accessories, clips or whatever. I have a perfect spot for his belts and silly bands or accessories, socks, one for white and one for colored, and a few for under garments. He is gonna die when he is a teenager and finds out I put pics of his Micky mouse underwear on the Internet lol. The next one that I haven't tried but I am excited to find. Every night Rylan asks for at least three stories and I always have to decide if I want to let him stay up a few more minutes or not. I just read a great idea so that he gets what he wants and so do I! I want him to use his manners and his utensils at supper.

Grocery total Oct. 13

Ok a few days ago I shopped and said I would post but I have been soooo on the run lol. Here it goes. I spent a little more than I usually like to but we kind of needed a lot this trip. As long as I keep it under 100.00 I am always happy! This week my total before taxes was 92.30 so, before coupons and store discounts I would have paid 167.48! That is a savings of 75.18! Just in meat my retail would have been around 60.00. I found some great deals and just couldn't pass them up.

Just remembered....

I wanted to get on here today to tell you about a great freebie that I was gonna grab too but we all missed out because I wasn't home on the computer :( on the site "Save More" I was telling you about yesterday they had a new deal today for 5.00 for 10.00 at Chilis! If you were a new member you get the sign up bonus of 10.00 so that makes 20.00 at Chili's for FREE!!! anyway I am sad because I missed it and that made you miss it..... :( Here is the link to sign up so you won't miss another great deal and you can tell me so I can get it too...    http://svmr.co/wsLj

The free jewelry deal is still there too if you are a new member!

 Speaking of great deals don't forget to go over to Restaurant.com because they are doing 80% off their gift certificates again so you can get a 25.00 certificate for 2.00!

busy busy day

Sorry I know I said I would post my shopping total today but it doesn't look like it will happen today. I came straight home from the grocery (quickly took a photo to add to the post I will be making) and put the groceries away only to turn around get back in the car and pick up Rylan from school. I then again came back to the house to clean him up and leave again to drive an hour away to check out a place for my best best friend EEEEEEEEEEE

Sad sad sad day

As I collect my list and all the items I am looking forward to getting cheap/free tomorrow I begin looking for a few coupons I had earlier to put them in my book where they belong and I realize they are no where to be found :( I think that I threw them out when I was rushing around to clean up before it was time to pick up Rylan after school. I had a pile of all my freebie coupons.... I guess no free Listerine or gold peak tea for me tomorrow :( sad sad day at this household

Grocery time again

Alright if you have been keeping up with my blog you may have seen my shopping trip a few weeks ago. I haven't gone since! Keep in mind we were gone for 4 days and we have needed to stop for milk and cereal and a few items to create an unexpected special dinner one night. But other than the stop for milk and cereal it has been I think about 3 weeks that 3 of us have eaten 3 meals a day for only 77.00(ish) I don't remember exact date and amount (I could go back and look but you know how it is) anyway that is not bad. I know it is time for groceries when both Rhett and Rylan ask for a snack and I only have one or two things to offer and they both say "What else do we have" you would think they were the same person I swear lol. Anyway look for my trip experience and totals tomorrow :) I'm going through my favorite blogs to follow now and matching up sales with my coupons so I hope to get some good deals. This may be a long list. We need some more lunch stuff this week.

Car troubles

Sorry that I haven't posted lately for those of you who check back often. With my car troubles lately I swear it is a damn good thing I coupon lol. Another 300.00 today for a "Speed Sender" from what I gather this thing tells my car how much gas to give and how fast I am going etc. So any time I was driving at 35 or under or if I was idling at a stop sign or red light my car would die. That is not too bad it is the fact that it would take sometimes up to 3 tries to restart. I tell ya there is nothing like pulling up in car line to have your car die when it is almost your turn to get your child and you can hardly get your car started back up. This only went on for about a week (I took it to 3 different shops and they all said when they hook up my car the computer says nothing is wrong.... yeeeeaaaaah) there is nothing better than driving 3 miles and praying that your car doesn't die or that you won't hit traffic and you will miss every red light so you don't have to slow down. I actually had a good laugh with my mom-in-law when she said "Yeah you need to get that fixed because you can't go through car pool line at 35-40 miles per hour" lol we both laughed pretty good because then I said "Yeah can't you imagine as we got close I would tell Rylan to unbuckle and then I'll just tell him to tuck and roll as I push him out" lol anyway
The dealership also told me that I have nests under the hood. I guess this is one of the luxuries of living in the country. Rats try to build nests under your hood and if they get mad they may or may not chew on your wires. I may have already posted about how the service guy suggested that I did not try and pull the nests out on my own (I am pretty sure they did it today for me) I assured him I will not be pulling anything from under the hood because dead or alive if I pull out a rat from my car I will LOSE MY MIND!! I am alright with bugs, spiders do not count in my book as bugs, I am NOT ok with spiders. I also am not alright with rats or snakes. I wish I could have seen my own face when my father-in-law told me of the snake he found/caught in our house. It must have been pretty bad because after he stopped laughing he said "It's too late now you are moved in" I didn't even say anything to provoke this comment by the way. The point of all of this rambling is just to say sorry if I left ya hangin'!

AWESOME freebie alert!

The last two days have been fun at my mail box! I got in my 7 scent warmers from Yankee Candle and they sent a coupon for my next order that is always good :) I also go in a free can of Purina One wet cat food (that will go in my shelter donation box, it was a facebook freebie) I got in samples of mayo (its a few packets so that will be great for an outing where we pack sandwiches!) I also got the first 4 magazines of free year subscriptions I signed up for. I got parents magazine, outdoor living,and two field and stream, maybe they are gonna send 12 over the course of a few months lol I don't know. I am giving the outdoor ones to my dad he is a hunter and fisher. I wish I had the sites for these freebies to give you but I will keep my eyes open for the next ones! Another thing that came in today is a powerband I got for Rhett I don't know if these things work but it was free from a site called "Save More" that is where I got my free slap watch from too.
http://svmr.co/wsLj

Above is a link to go and sign up and there is actually a good freebie there today. First let me tell you how it works.  You click the link and enter your email and you receive a 10.00 sign up credit! There are two cool things you could get with that credit today. (The deals change every few days so if you don't like these sign up and get your credit then wait on a deal you like.) Today there is 30.00 worth of jewelry for 7.00 so after your credit it is free and you will still have 3.00 left over. You "buy" it with the credit then you wait about a day or two when the deal is over they send out certificate numbers and you will then take that to the site that is offering the deal in this case it is a jewelry place and buy what you want that costs under 30.00 for FREE! The shipping is free on this deal too so it will cost you NOTHING! That is awesome! They also have phone covers, same idea you get the 10.00 sign up credit (you only get one sign up credit) then you "pay" 7.00 for the 15.00 worth of phone covers and wait for your certificate to that company to get what you want plus free shipping! So this is a great idea for a gift or for yourself. I got my slap watch for 7.00 then I got the powerband thing for 3.00 so they were both free. When you get your email certificate it will have instructions and a link to the site where you use your certificate. This is soooooo easy!

What is wrong with you?

If you read my very first post you should know I openly admit to people profiling. Today I spend HOURS in the VW dealership. My car has been having problems, every time my car slows or stops it will stall. So they tell me "to start" I need to replace a sensor. I say what do you mean "to start?" are you telling me you really don't know what is wrong with it? This conversation goes on for a while before he tells me that there are pest nests under my hood and there could possibly be wires all chewed up! What?! So he quotes me on the sensor with parts and labor washes my car I pay for the diagnosis and if I decided to go with them on the service then that payment will go toward it. You already know I am not going to just take the first quote lol so I get into the car and immediately google car fixing places (I don't remember exactly what I typed in, maybe my zip and transmission?) I call the first place on the list and I decided I will just go down the list. The first place is difficult from the beginning, I say Hi I was calling to get a quote on getting a speed sender replaced on my car. He says what kind of problems are you having? I understand that this may be of help to some people, as I begin to tell him the problems I am having he says I don't think a speed sensor will do that. I was so mad all I could think was "What is wrong with you?!!?!" I didn't call to ask you over the phone do you think is wrong I asked about a specific part and the price to replace it! So I thank him for his time and move on to the next number. The next guy I ask the same question as the first guy, Hi I need a quote....... he says to me, where does that go? ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I said I don't know where it goes. The engine? Then I just said you know what thank you for your time and I get off the phone. I had to wait a minute before calling the next guy because I was still a little in shock did you just ask me where a part goes? I understand people don't know where every part goes for every single car but WOW.... The third number went very much as the first the guy is giving me a phone analysis and I tell him I left the dealership and just want a comparison price. He finally asks me the type of car and says oh we don't work on VW. That was the last call I am making I guess to the dealership I will go tomorrow because I can NOT make any more phone calls like this I might swear at someone! I could have screamed a few minutes ago! However I finally got some food in my tummy and the "bitch twitch", as my friend Courtney said to me the other day when she was describing someone famous, went away. I had never heard that before she said it to me but today I definitely understood it!

I'm loosing it lol

So I just realized that last night I posted about a freebie and how you should go and print your 2.00 off coupon but when I read it just now I saw that I never said what it was you should rush out and get lol! I was so tired last night I should not have been blogging lol. Anyway the coupon is for Listerine. If you can get the 2.00 off the small size is under 2.00 so it is free and possible to make money :) It is for the purple kind I think it is called total care or something like that. I just copied a pic for you. But you need to find the small travel type size to get this deal. The size pictured is far too big to get it free with this coupon.

List of things to do before I die

Tonight I added something new to my list of things to do before I die. This came after watching Ellen. I put being in a dunk tank on my list. I think that would be fun and funny all at the same time. I think that you would sit there heart racing wondering which ball is going to be the end of your dry clothes. You watch each one that is missed and celebrate a little on the inside. Then the one comes and you realize that it hit the target but you don't even have enough time to react before you are under water all the way! I hope there is a fund raiser of some kind that I can volunteer for this! I think I will add a gadget to this blog somewhere with my list so you can all keep up with my adds and check marks as I complete tasks. Rhett helped me complete one a few years ago when he bought a star in my name so now when you look in the sky you are probably looking at my star! HA!! HAHAHA!!! True story by the way they send you a packet with your stars location and where in the book of stars it is located (I think page number and all) and there are a few maps to help you find it. It's pretty awesome! I told him when we first started dating that was one of the things on my list....  right now you are all saying --->awwwwww!......... I know right That's why I married him he's an alright kind of guy :) I love that guy!

5K fund raising event

In NO this October there is a 3rd annual Jazz 5K to support the Children's hospital here. I think I am putting this on my calendar and I am excited about it! I wish I had the guts to do the half marathon (or the extra 65.00 lol) but 30.00 is in my budget for donating and 3+/- miles is totally do-able! Here is a bit from the website (I think the medallion is only for the 1/2 marathon finishers) I am always down to get a free t-shirt :)

To raise funds for Children's Hospital, promote your health and fitness, and have a great time! And there's something in it for you, too. All registrants will receive a gender-specific technical tee shirt and all finishers will receive a finishers' medallion and admission to a great post-race party

Anyone who is interested in joining me on this journey let me know :)

There is info on the site to "run for free" if you can earn 100.00 to support the hospital then your fee will be returned to you. I am not sure who you get the money from lol businesses I guess? I am still new to this so I have no idea! What do you say? I think they have a thing on there too that you can start a kind of website for your friends and family to donate to your run.... IDK I don't think I can ask anyone for money people have enough with all the holidays coming up.

For dinner tonight

On Sunday when we had our little New Orleans rendezvous my dad kept Rylan for us. My dad is quite the gardener so when we go to his house we always leave with some fresh veggies of some kind! I am always so happy about that because there is only one thing better than eating fresh, organic food that you know exactly where it came from and what is in/on it.... it is FREE lol I tell him all the time all he can give me I promise to eat or freeze for later! Anyway this Sunday he sent us home with one of Rhetts favorites from his house, butter beans, I took them all out of the shell tonight (that seemed to take forever but while watching TV I didn't mind) and tomorrow I will blanch them and freeze them. He also gave us Chinese Cabbage. When he was telling me about it I was thinking what in the hell is Chinese cabbage while shaking my head and saying "Yes, Dad of course I want it, and will find a way to use it" lol. He showed it to me and it looks a lot like "greens" mustard, collard, or turnip. I came home washed it and put it away well first thing today I started my google search for recipes. I found one that sounded great so I went and pulled chicken out of the freezer (boneless and skinless because I already learned my lesson from that lol) to thaw and made a mental list of the things I would need from the store. I knew that I would probably be paying full price (I know I know...) for all of the items that I needed for this Chinese salad because they were not common items that you would usually find coupons for. I needed rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds (I got untoasted because they were a good bit cheaper and toasted them myself, the instructions were on the side of the jar and it only took a few seconds) then I picked up some other items I thought would make this salad taste really well. I grabbed some bean sprouts from the produce section they are only around a dollar or two. I got a can of water chestnuts and bamboo (I should have gotten two of each of these lol) I already had low sodium soy sauce at the house so I passed that up, I got a pack of ramen noodles (I saw in a different recipe to get the ones with the chicken seasoning packet because you can do something else with it but I forget what it is that I can do now lol) and from the produce section I grabbed green onions those are well under a dollar I think .60 maybe even. Once I got home I took the chicken and poured a little soy sauce to marinate it for a bit while I toasted the sesame seeds, I saw that on yet another website. Growing up when we had "taco night" we had a bunch of plates or bowls with all the topping choices spread out buffet style and I loved it so I decided to do that tonight even though I knew salad was probably not going to be what Rylan was going to eat. 99% of the time we all eat the same thing but I don't subject him to our salad habits because I know chicken noodle soup is just better to him lol. So I put all the toppings out and poured the chicken into the same pan I just used to toast the sesame seeds, I let the chicken cook with the soy sauce it was soaking in. Then while that was making I started to whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together and I loved it so I am sharing it with you!
1/8 C white sugar
1T sesame oil
1T soy sauce (I like low sodium)
1/4 C rice wine vinegar (when I got home I realized mine only said rice vinegar, it may be two totally different things I really don't know but my dressing tasted amazing!)
1/4 C veg oil

I doubled this for us tonight and we both ate 2 salads lol (Don't judge us) I should have made a huge batch but I wasn't sure I would love it or not. Now I know and I will be making a lot more on tomorrow now that I have the stuff :) all together today I spent about 15.00 because a lot of this stuff is not stuff you keep around the house but that is still a pretty good price because Rhett and I both ate and we have enough for us to both eat lunch salads tomorrow :) This is a great vegetarian meal too if you don't want to add the chicken that is how I ate one of my salads and I will eat that way tomorrow too.

Money Maker!

So if you already printed the coupon for the free gold peak tea then head back to your printer and print out this coupon to make money next time you are at your Wal-Mart :) (you usually have to pick up something else to cover the overage so add this to your list) The trial size is around 1.75 (should still be located in the same section) and the coupon on coupons.com is 2.00 off with no size requirements!!

Mail call 2

This week was a little slow for freebies from the mail. I think the only thing I got was a full size 56 page cookbook (with great pics) called "Fresh Ideas for US Catfish" from US farm raised catfish. While the actual cookbook freebie is no longer available you can go to this website and find some great recipes for catfish that you can download! I only know how to fry it so I am excited to hopefully find some healthy recipes that we will all love.

http://uscatfish.com/downloads.html

With a lot of these fun freebies you have to be one of the first to get to the site or you will miss out. This particular site said they only gave out the cookbook I got to the first 5,000 and they had over 35,000 requests!

New Orleans

OK so I have a very fun inexpensive day to suggest for you if you find yourself in NO in the near future! Yesterday we rode on the street cars. It was sooo touristy I loved it! You should have seen us with our cameras taking pics like we have never been to New Orleans before lol. You can purchase tickets when you step on the car. Cash only. It is a dollar and some change per ride or 3.00 for the whole day. We bought all day tickets and got on and off as we wanted. It was so pretty outside and the windows were up in the car and the wind was in our hair. We stopped for a drink then got on and went to the next bar location where we had another drink. Then back on the car to a place to grab a bite to eat. Some more on and off for drinks :) then we were brought back to our car! We only rode on one rail line but we could have taken all of the routes with our pass. We made it for a semi short day as we didn't want to have to drive tipsy. It was also great that in NO you can ask for a to-go cup for your beverage of choice not all places allow that so we did some walking and drinking also because it was such beautiful scenery. The houses there are from the 1800's (a lot of them) and they are amazing! You can't drink on the street cars so you will have to finish before you get on but they have trash cans at most of the stops for people like us :) You can look at the NO Transit Authority if you want to plan your trip. I will say I highly recommend it! I can't wait for it to be closer to Christmas so that we can go in the evening and look at Christmas lights! How amazing I bet that is! There were so many houses decorated for Halloween it was sooooo much fun. Check it out if you are ever in town. I wish I would have done this a long time ago. A big thank you to Mari Ann who gave me a starting point and lots of suggestions on where to go for a good time :)

Sunday paper FREE TEA

If you got your paper this weekend and you got one last weekend you may feel a little disappointed. This weeks coupons were not as amazing as last weeks :( I just picked mine up this morning as we were out of our normal routine yesterday (again). Actually I think I should say more of we don't have a normal routine, it seems like we are always somewhere doing something! I haven't looked at the coupons from the paper yet today but there is a printable coupon you should go look for. There is a gold peak tea coupon on coupons.com for 1.00 off. Those are on sale at Winn Dixie for 1.00 that equals free tea! You can print two coupons per computer by pressing F5 (I think) after printing one it will allow you to print another. Don't try and cheat the system and make copies that is unfair to the company and each coupon you print is connected to your computer (they all have different numbers) Now it is allowed to print more than two if you have more than one computer so two computers=4 coupons! I don't print a lot of coupons unless it equals freebies because the ink is so expensive it is not worth it to me. Also a lot of the coupons you see on those sites are the same that come in the papers. I'll keep you updated on any more freebie printables I find. If you don't see that coupon available for your zip code try another I think I found mine under 90210 :) Also print ASAP if you want to get this deal because these coupons reset often so I don't know how long it will last. If you try a few times and you don't see it, it may already be gone.

Giggles

You laugh at my couponing, I laugh at you! You pay for stuff I get for free!!!! aaaahahahahahahaha!

I saw this on another site and it made me think of so many people lol!

Pumpkins!

So I was too late last night trying to register Rylan for the Lowes build and grow because I was procrastinating and my store fills up so quick we missed it. I thought we would head over to Michaels to do their free kids craft but I was wrong it is tomorrow. So we picked up some Halloween project DIY ideas and left. We stopped by our local farmers market to check it out and since we were late to that too (the last 20-30 minutes) it was winding down I will be going back for sure though for some fresh fruits!

 Anyway there wasn't anyone selling pumpkins so we headed to Wal-Mart and grabbed 3. The cost was around 10.00 after taxes. I already have some fun stuff to decorate with so we will make them pretty after nap time is over. I took out googly eyes, spray paint, glitter, and some other fun items. I washed all the mud and dirt off and now we are ready to get started. I think we will tape off the stem ( I guess that is what you call the part at the top) Rhett just reminded me of something sad...he asked "I thought you planted pumpkins?" I planted pumpkins earlier this year and the vines grew all over the place but I never got any pumpkins bugs actually started to eat the vines so I just pulled them up :( anyway I will keep you updated on the decorating so check back!

First I had to clean off all the mud and dirt so the spray paint would stick to them. After that I taped off the tops and spray painted them the colors that were going to make them perfect. I wanted to make a "Mummy" for mine as I thought it was appropriate. I talked Rylan into having a black pumpkin with glitter spider webs and he was so excited about it he could not wait to do his! Rhett wanted a "Chelsea soccer ball" (I'm still waiting on him to finish his).So after painting them and waiting a bit (I did the painting at half time GO LSU!) I added the eyes and glue and glitter to the white and black ones. Then after that I wrapped mine in crepe paper (the stuff you use to decorate at b-day parties) and POOF I had a "mummy"!

Christmas Cards

I am going to go ahead and order my Christmas cards within the next week so they can be printed and shipped to me in enough time for me to address them and get them out early. I found some this morning on a blog I like to follow for 3.19. So 25 4x8 photo cards shipped for only 3.19. That is a great deal. You can take advantage of this deal at "See Here" create an account and use the code 25cards at checkout.  It says you can make a variety of cards not just Christmas but I haven't tested it yet so I'm not sure. The cards are free so I guess shipping is only 3.19, that is a great deal.

Just got home

Ok so while Rhett was cleaning up the yard Rylan and I went out and exchanged some pants for Rhett and picked up a pair of clearance shorts for him while we were out. The pants were the wrong size and I was excited to find that they were on sale and now they owed us money :) we left GAP and then went to the Blockbuster kiosk and grabbed two free movies. We got Invictus (with my free DAMON code) then we got Ice Age for Rylan with another free code. Burger King is next door to the kiosk and guess what I got in the mail... yep a coupon for free ice cream! The third coupon says "no purchase necessary" so we pulled through and got a free cone! Rylan was so excited!! This freebie came in the "junk mail" section that comes every week. So be sure you always look in your junk mail for freebies like this one! There are also three other coupons for free ice cream if you buy something and they don't expire until the end of the year. I think the mail lady likes me because I got two :) Anyway I am excited to have a free family movie night at home.

 Now you will have to excuse me because I have to go pop some FREE blue pop corn now :) This stuff was on sale BOGO about a month ago and the blue stuff was on clearance (still BOGO) and I had two coupons of course=FREE!

Am I dreaming?!

It is hardly 5:00 and we have all eaten dinner and left overs are put away and dishes are done!!! I love this day! And that pork roast was so amazing, it was the one I got last week for something like 3.00! I put some of my homemade BBQ sauce on it right after tearing it apart and we put it on bread.... WOW it was sooo good! I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Rhett finished the rest before the day is done. Between bites he was saying "any time you want to make this would be fine with me" lol I love when he loves my dinners this much. Rylan looked in the crock pot and said gross I told him this was all we had... he ate it and loved it I don't think he took a breath between bites lol. I guess since we are done so early we will head out to GAP to see if they have any end of summer clearance :) I'm gonna go to Blockbuster kiosk first and pick up some free movies  for tonight. I'm gonna try and reserve them online first, I'll let you know if you can do that or not. I know for the redbox online reservations you can not use promo codes.

How exciting

I love when I read about stuff like this! I just passed a link that says huggies and wal-mart teamed up with operation homefront. For each pack of camo huggies diapers that are purchased a portion of the proceeds goes to help military families who need diapers! This is great! Get your coupons and go to wal-mart and get some camo diapers! Next time I get ready to buy some for a gift I will get them at wal-mart for sure!

http://www.huggiescamo.com/

Way to go Huggies and Wal-Mart!!!

Covergirl coupon

Hello to all my coupon friends. I just wanted you to know if you got the covergirl coupon this Sunday you could score what is called a money maker in the coupon world. So this coupon is 8.00 off of two face products. This is a very high value coupon if you use makeup. The covergirl blush is considered a face product and is priced at around 3.50ish at wal-mart so if you buy two then use your 8.00 coupon then you will actually make money from this coupon to use toward other products. That is better than free! You will get paid to shop! I also found out that the face sponges that are used to put on makeup should qualify to be used with this coupon. Those are under 3.00 per pack. Check your binders and see if you have this one. I actually used my coupon on products I use I was so excited to get foundation and powder for under 3.00 for both! I usually pay around 6.00 each! That is a great deal!

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner done at 8 am?!

I was so proud of myself as I got ready to walk out the door this morning to take Rylan to school. I made breakfast, packed lunch, and put a pork shoulder in the crock pot for pulled pork BBQ sandwiches tonight. Had I already completed all the meals of the day and it was only 8 am? WOW I'm excited. I am most excited about dinner because most nights I go into cooking dinner blindly. Yesterday for example I reached into the freezer at lunch and grabbed a bag of chicken thighs and stuck them in the sink to defrost. I had no idea what I was going to do with this meat besides cook it lol. At about 5 last night I decided I would go into the kitchen and begin dinner, but what to make? So back into the living room I went to google chicken thighs and see what came back lol. I didn't find anything that sounded like I HAD to have it so back to the kitchen with me. I for some reason decided I suddenly wanted skinless boneless chicken so I was going to pull all the meat off the bone. I thought surely this would be easy. After standing over two bowls (one for bones and skin and one for meat) for what seemed like forever I couldn't believe I didn't just put this meat in the fridge for the following night and get out boneless meat from the freezer. This was a lot more time consuming that I thought it would be. The meat was slipping out of my hands and it was so cold so my hands were mad at me. The first few pieces I tried getting every little piece of meat on there but by the end whatever came off is what was going into the meat bowl I had almost given up lol. I got out a box of FREE pasta and a can of tomatoes with seasoning and I grabbed spinach out of the freezer. I was making this dish up as I went along. I put the chicken in a pot and poured cooking wine over it (it smelled so good) I was wishing I had a bottle for drinking while cooking :) but I guess I drank it all last time lol. Which reminds me I need to find some great coupon type deals to get good wine cheap... anyway back to cooking. I threw in some seasoning with the chicken and then drained the pasta and added the spinach while the pasta was still smoking so it would unfreeze. Put the tomatoes and chicken with wine sauce over it and voila dinner was done. Tonight I hope I will not spend hours in the kitchen  pulling meat apart lol. I am not sure what part inside of me thought that was a good idea, it was not. I guess you live and learn. Its closer to 10 now and the BBQ pork is smelling so good already.

The weekend is coming

Ok so I think I am going to head over to Lowes' website and register Rylan for the build and grow free clinic on Sat. and maybe the Michael's free clinic on Sunday (I think we just show up for that one not register idk) I'm not sure yet what else we will do but we will see. I wanted to give you all a great website if you have kiddos (or not) where you can find local fun things to do through the week and weekend. I have the St.Tammany one saved to my favorites and visit it regularly if we don't have any plans and I want to know what is going on in my area. I am pretty sure they have these all over in most states. Check your areas. Here is a link to the national calendar from their site. This is also a great place for Military families to go and find deals on outings. It is called Macaroni Kid but remember they tell you most of the festivals and fairs etc for the areas you look for so it is not just for parents. (I think they have more kid friendly places to go all on one website than other sites I've found) This weekend should be great for going to a pumpkin patch and carving or decorating pumpkins I think! I may do that with Rylan this weekend actually! Pumpkin decorating... I saw a few ideas this weekend in a Martha Stewart magazine. If we do that I will post pics as we go for sure :)

http://national.macaronikid.com/calendar/

Free card offer

Today only at Tiny Prints on Facebook if you like their page there is a link to get a free Halloween greeting card that is personalized with a pic if you like for free. There is also a shutterfly greeting card that is free but I will have to come back with all the info on there so check back here in a little while :)

ok between picking up dinner, finishing up laundry (I finally washed Rylan's new bedding!) and getting Rylan into bed I finished making my free Tiny Prints card and that is on its way to my house soon! I can hardly stand the fact that I have to keep it a secret until they get it! I made it specifically for a friend and it came out sooo cute! I was also able to find the code for the Shutterfly card I was telling you about earlier. You can print a 5X7 folded greeting card, a 5X5 or 5X7 flat stationary type card. The code you will enter is CARD4U. Also if you are new to shutterfly you can enjoy 50 prints free I think those are 4X6 but I could be mistaken it is whatever is standard I'm sure. That is a pretty big savings if you like to have hard copies of your pics. I missed this deal because I waited too long to order mine and the discount expired so make sure you submit your order right away and don't procrastinate as I did (I missed it by 2 days-->insert sad face here) I'm headed there now to make my free card. I don't know when this expires.

Christmas ideas

So I just got in from picking okra from my garden. I decided I will come sit and make a post. I planted more veggies last week and I am hoping they do well, some are already showing above the soil. I planted broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, and a few other things too I think, I always say I will label what I plant but then when I am in the middle I say I will remember then I never can lol. Anyway this morning I went to school with Rylan to listen to the story "Llama llama red pajama", I guess there is some national (maybe local IDK) reading thing that lots of schools are reading that book, I bet the author is one happy camper now to have her name and book all over schools and newspapers like that. We were all in our jammies and I decided I just wouldn't change today since it was "for the school" lol plus I need an excuse to wear bum clothes because I promised myself I would never not get up and get dressed and put on make up fix my hair etc. because I don't ever want my hubby to look at me and say "What happened to you?". I've stuck with it somehow and I am dressed every single day so today I actually feel weird lol.

 Anyway after the story time I decided to go to Wal-Mart to pick up a few games because I have some coupons that were going to expire on 10/9 for Hasbro games and yesterday I saw in K-marts ad they have games on sale this week for 9.99 (not all, only ones in the pic). I picked up operation a few weeks ago, they were on sale for 5.00 at Big Lots and I had a 4.00 off coupon so I got those for 1.00 I picked up 3 I wish I could have gotten more! That game retails for 11.99-15.99.Yesterday I got Jenga retail is 10.00 I paid 6.00 after coupons I got two one for Santa to put under the tree and one for a friend,.Today I got Connect 4, and chutes and ladders, and candy land. Connect 4 retails at 14.99 I paid 5.99 each I got two of those, the chutes and ladders and candy land were retail 7.00 I paid 3.00 each. I am trying to put away a lot of gifts for Christmas and birthday parties. Rylan has been invited to 2 parties this month one for a set of twins and one for another friend so I want to be able to give gifts that have a value of 5.00-15.00 but not spend a lot this is the way to do it for me. I am excited to say that my budget for Rylan for Christmas was around 100.00, that is for Santa and Rhett and I to give what we want.

I wanted to give Rylan a bike from us so I thought this was going to be a challenge. I found a bike at Academy a few weeks ago on clearance but we weren't sure it would fit him so we brought him in and had him "look" at the bikes because I wanted to "look" at the bikes in there for myself. He sat on it and it was perfect! Retail price was 80.00 we paid just under 40.00 for a brand new bike! I still had 60.00 to spend on my budget. I picked up a bunch of toys at Walgreens on clearance each was under 4.00. I got a bow and arrow, a shot gun (with suction cup bullets), a golf set, and a baseball and bat.

 A few weeks ago I ordered a Wii game on Amazon, Shreck forever after retail 44.00 I paid 4.00! Brand new game! It is amazing what deals you can find if you don't wait until the last minute. I have also picked up a few other toys and fun items for Santa to put under the tree, movies, books, and action figures. I think I am done and we are well under our budget! The bike will come from Mom and Dad because I don't want Santa getting all the good stuff... He always gets to be the good guy lol. I have a few tubs of gifts and a shelving unit where I keep items I pick up on clearance or some great find that would make a good gift. I keep all this in our attic, it is especially great for last minute "oh I forgot it was so-and-so's birthday". I picked up 3 packs of diapers over the last few months for the next time I have a friend who has a baby shower. I got packs of diapers for 3.00 each and they retail for around 10.00-20.00 each so that is a great gift to be able to give in a basket with other fun items. My friend Stacey was the last one I have known to have a baby and it felt so good to go visit their new home when she was still pregnant and have an arm load of diapers. I think I bought her around 10 packs of diapers and that would have been a small fortune if I would have paid retail for them, I definitely wouldn't have been able to afford it but I don't pay retail lol. I wish I would have had a video camera when I came home with all those diapers to capture Rhetts reaction. I told the lady checking me out that I was gonna say "SUPRISE" to him when I got home but I couldn't keep a straight face lol!

Free movie night

Today I got a text from Blockbuster Movie Kiosk that gave me a code to get a free movie rental. This particular code can be used only once (I think) per person. It is also only good on Matt Damon movies and expires at the end of this month. The code you will enter is DAMON some of the movies that this code will qualify for are Invictus, The Informant!, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Departed, Ocean’s Twelve I'm sure there are plenty more. Here are some more codes that are good until October 10 at Blockbuster kiosk only are:
46NCCC9
46WHZS2
59SLRH4
63MAYB7
54DWTM6
6550BW7
36ABDP4
63KRFT4

If you don't have any Blockbuster kiosks near you but still want a free movie night in snuggled up on the couch here are some codes that should work for free rentals at Redbox:

DVDONME – Free rental, per one per credit card or debit card.
BREAKROOM – Free rental.
DVDATWAG- Free rental. May only work at Redbox locations inside Walgreens. 
DVDKROG – Free rental at Kroger only.
DVDATMAC – Free rental at McDonalds only.
DVDATSONI/DRIVEIN – Free Reantal at Redbox locations inside Sonic.
REDBOX – Get a free rental for new customer only.
DVDONYOU - One free rental at Redbox.
7MBLE2- Free rental, Redbox locations inside Meijer only.
WALMART – Get a free rental at Walmart.
DVDATWEG - Free rental at Wegman’s.

You can also text DVD to 727272 and sign up to recieve free movie codes the first monday of each month with redbox.

I have tried some of these codes personally and some I have not so don't be mad if they don't work :) I can't promise anything.... if you are new to redbox thought be sure and use the code REDBOX first as your first freebie as you can only use it as a freebie.

Free Jiffy cook book

http://www.jiffymix.com/bookorder.php

Go here for some fun recipes delivered to your home for free from Jiffy.

Getting ahead of Christmas

Ok so the best way to not spend a fortune at Christmas is to make a list and stick to it figure out what your budget is and then start looking. I always start mid summer or early fall looking around for the people I want to shop for. I just found a great teacher gift or a gift for coworkers maybe or a neighbor. Yankee candle company has warmers on clearance. There is a promo code for 15.00 off 35.00 so you can get 7 of these warmers for 25.00 shipped to your house. It is 20.00 + 5.00 shipping. WOW that is seven gifts knocked off your list. I know what my pre-K teachers are getting this year! That comes out to be about 3.50 per gift. This does not include a fragrance I don't think but you can get lots of choices at Wal-mart! Hurry over and get yours before they are all gone!!

http://www.yankeecandle.com/detail/stoneware/1191106

YankeeCandle.com
look in the "sale" section I found this warmer regularly priced at 14.00 for 5.00!
The promo code is CRM110K


OK since I ordered mine this morning they have changed the price on these. I bought mine for 5.00 each but the price now is 7.50? You can still get 5 for around 37.50. You apply the discount code and that will still be a great gift price of only 5.50 each after shipping costs to you per gift.

coupon rules of purchasing

Ok to my coupon friends. I heard from a friend that she saved 5.00 on stuff she normally would not have purchased. That means she spent money she normally wouldn't have. I did the same thing when I started couponing. Don't make that mistake. It gets to be fun buying and saving so make sure what you are buying is something you need/use in every day life or for a special occasion. Don't buy something you wouldn't normally just because you have a coupon. I made a rule for myself. If it is under .50 and I know I will use it or I will be able to give it to someone who I know will use it then I will buy it if I feel like I just can't pass it up! That way I never buy something just because I have a coupon and end up spending a bazillion dollars on crap I may never use. Also know what is a good price on something or you may be using a coupon for something you don't need right now that may go on sale next week and you can use your coupon then to double your savings. This week in the paper all the inserts I talked about earlier today I am going through and cutting/sorting right now and I am so excited because there are a lot of great BOGO coupons! If you need something that you have a BOGO coupon for its a great time to buy if you don't really need it then wait and see if your store has a BOGO sale on that item before the coupon expire so you can then get TWO FREE! How exciting. Anyway that was just kind of a side note in case any of you find yourselves doing the same thing and spending more than before. Don't buy something just because you have a coupon friends because then you will not be saving yourself anything.

Free card offer

So last week I had a lot to say about writing notes and letters well this week I found a free card offer that if you want to get a free card to send to someone, ANYONE then fill this out and send away! You can personalize it then at the end where you enter your ccd. Dont enter it, at the bottom there is a section for you to put in a promo code enter "FBFREE" and it will say FREE! Then just wait for the mail :)

http://www.cardstore.com/holiday-cards.html

you can choose ANY card! (I think lol)

Ellen... my campaign

So I just decided since Ellen is always trying to get something that she wants I will too. She talked about getting on Oprah's magazine until....she finally made it to the cover. Now she is talking about trying to be the first living person on a stamp because you used to have to be dead. Well my campaign is to get me and my best best friends to her show for free... I invited her to my wedding but she had some family emergency so she couldn't come (I guess that is why she wasn't there anyway because she didn't ever RSVP I'm sure it was an emergency because she couldn't have possibly missed it for any other reason...) I need ideas I will get to go to that show. That is one of the things on my bucket list, it is right above attend a lawn mower race and  right under be in two places at one time.

Thank a soldier who is a stranger

I just found this link and I am going to do this I hope that you will all take less than 5 minutes to help me help this station who is sending letters over seas to soldiers who are serving for us on Thanksgiving day! Here is the link and I hope you will jump on board right away. If you are going to do it then please do it soon so that you can get yours in soon. Maybe send a note about yourself. Who knows you may just find a pen pal who you can send care packages to.... I've copied and pasted some of the info on this post but it is alllll written on the link!

http://thebertshow.com/the-bert-shows-big-thank-you/

LETTER FORMAT
Each letter should be heartfelt, handwritten, original, and free of any political statements.  The purpose of the letter is to express thanks to the military personnel currently deployed outside the United States.  We reserve the right to eliminate those messages that are political in nature and do not reflect a positive message in the spirit of Thanksgiving.  Those letters will be destroyed.
All letters must be on 8.5” x 11” paper or smaller.  Do not use glue, tape, staples, cardboard, glitter or otherwise attach anything to the paper.  Decorate using crayons, pencil, etc.  Use both sides if you like, but use one page per letter only.  Do not send cards or photographs.  Feel free to include your mailing and email address, and you may get a response.  Individual letters should not be sealed in envelopes.
Do not send anything except letters.  We cannot accept donations of any kind, and they should not be included or attached to letters.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Every individual letter is important, but for organizational purposes, please try to submit letters in bulk whenever possible.  Work with your school, croup, sorority/fraternity, office, neighborhood, etc. and send all letters bundled as directed below.
For group submissions, letters should be bundled in groups of 50, 100, or 250 and held together with two rubber bands:  one wrapped lengthwise and the other widthwise.  This will help tremendously with sorting.  The top page in the bundle should indicate clearly how many letters are included.  Do not bundle letters unless they are in groups of 50, 100, or 250.  If you have a partial bundle of less than 50 letters, fasten them together with a paperclip.  The top page in the group should clearly indicate how many letters are included.  If you are submitting 10 or fewer letters, the letters can be folded to fit into a standard business-size envelope.