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Monday, December 8, 2008

Gingerbread Love

My mom has almost finished putting the lights around the house.

This is the third year that my family and I decorated gingerbread houses together. We go to my aunt and cousin's church in Winston Salem to create our masterpieces. The lady in charge of this has bags of candy and icing laid out over 5 huge tables. You pick what you want to decorate, a small, medium, or large house or a tree, then grab your candy and icing and start working. The best part is when you are finished you can walk away and don't have to clean up anything. This is exceptionally appealing to us because we tend to make a HUGE mess!
It's fun to look back at pictures of our past creations and see how different the houses are from year to year. My mom and I usually use colorful Necco candies to create the roof but this year we decided frosted shredded wheat would be a nice change. We added lights to our house this year. I'll take a picture of it lit up and post that later.
This has turned into a fun Christmas tradition. I hope we are able to continue it for many years to come.
My aunt's house. She was pretty close to being finished at this point. Notice the detail. She even added an overhang at the front door.
Jennifer was working hard on her house. It turned out really cute. She used Necco's on her roof.
Caroline put Necco's all over her roof and then decided she didn't like it so she changed it to frosted shredded what. Her house was very cute especially after some third grade children got in on the design.
Here is my gingerbread tree. This is the second year that I have decorated a tree. I always think it is a good idea until I sit down to start and then my mind goes blank. I do like the way this one turned out. I used M&M's and gumballs on the tree. I tore apart some sour string candy and wrapped that around certain spots. I love the pretzel star on top of the tree and the gingerbread people infront of the tree. The end result was much cuter than I could have imagined.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

My beautiful shower

After lots of hard work, my shower is finally in working order . We finally got the tile clean the Monday before Thanksgiving. The glass company came to install the doors on Tuesday morning. We still have a lot of work to do to finish the bathroom but at least I can shower in there now. I love the way it turned out. I was hesitant at first b/c I really wanted the frameless shower door but it was $1000 more than the semi-frameless so I had to go with the cheaper option! Next step is to purchase curtains so we can take down the beach towels that cover the window. Classy, huh?

My week of crafts

This is my favorite card this week. I went to dinner with Lauren, my best teacher friend, at CPK and then we headed to Jennifer's house for a night of card making. It turned into a long night since I made 20 cards and she made 15 but it was lots of fun. We were lucky because we didn't have to work the next day so it didn't matter how long it took us to finish.

These are the other 4 cards we made at Jennifer's house. I actually made so many cards this year that I'm ahead for next year. Yeah! I usually send my Christmas cards out on 12/1 but I haven't made it to the post office to purchase stamps yet so they are all sitting on my dining room table. Maybe tomorrow.....
I made these place cards and napikin rings at Shawntel's house. She always comes up with the best ideas. It took lots of hard work to complete these projects but they were worth it. I made 16 sets and I hope they can be used year after year. The only bad part was I put them on top of the fridge so they'd be out of the way and forgot about them until the day after Thanksgiving. Oh, well...there's always next year!
Shawntel came to my house a couple Saturdays ago and had a card class for some of my friends. Here are 2 of the 4 cards that people made. We all had lots of fun. We all need to do things like this more often. You can never spend too much time with friends.

As you can see, my life has been full of crafts lately but I've loved every minute of it. Now I must decide if I want to make gift tags or if that would just be too much!

Friday, November 21, 2008

MIA

Wow! Life has been busy. We are trying to finish our shower and get the glass installed before Greg's family comes for Thanksgiving. Things are actually going pretty well. The tile is finished and the glass is scheduled to be installed on Tuesday morning. We grouted part of it last weekend and noticed it was really difficult to get the tiles clean. After searching several stores for marble cleaner, we went back to the place we purchased the tile and they said, "Didn't the salesman tell you to seal the marble before you grout it?" Ummmm, no! They looked up our sales guys name and weren't surprised that he didn't tell us and then informed us he no longer works for the company. Lucky us, we must have been some of his last customers. They sold us (not gave us like they should have) some cleaner that we will try tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that it works.
My big buddy, Bean, had surgery to remove a growth on his ear. It has been there for a long time but it was growing and looking really terrible. The path report came back and showed that it was malignant melanoma. Who's ever heard of a cat with melanoma? G and I joke that he's definitely our cat since we've had malignant melanoma too. Of course, they want me to get x-rays of his lungs and test his lymph nodes but I'm not going to do it. He's 14.5 years old and there is only a 20% chance that it has spread somewhere else. The vet did offer Chinese herbs and acupuncture but I declined. (Bet you've never heard of that!!!) He gets his stitches out tomorrow so we'll see what else they have to say.
On top of all this, I've been to 2 card making parties and hosted one myself in the last week. I'll post pics of all my projects later.
Life is busy but all is well. It's been really cold here. I even got to see snow flurries earlier this week. Of course, it didn't stick b/c it was 70 a few days ago but even the sight of it made me happy.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Target deals


I went to a baby shower yesterday afternoon and my friend told me about her trip to Target before the shower. She told me that all the Halloween merchandise was 90% off. I had to go check it out myself when the shower was over. Surprisingly, there was a lot of stuff left. I got:
25 Pez dispensers, 12 bags of candy, 2 Halloween games, a glow-in-the-dark pillowcase, a table runner, skull shower hooks, stickers, playing cards, catnip toys and a cat toy wand all for..........$14.28. My receipt says I saved $124.60. I really don't believe anyone would ever spend that much on this stuff but I guess it could happen. The kids at school will be very happy with my purchases. I think I'll save the pez dispensers until next Halloween for the trick-or-treeters. I went to two other Targets on Saturday night but they didn't have near the amount of stuff as the one at Southpoint. I love the clearance section at Target!
Bean approves of the catnip toys I bought him. He totally agrees that they were worth $.39 for a pack of four! His dad didn't even fuss about this purchase!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Just another Saturday

My cousin and her boyfriend hung out with me on Friday and Saturday. She gave out Halloween candy for me while I cut out center stuff for school. (I've already booked her for Halloween 2009.) We watched part of the Applachian football game on TV but we headed to bed pretty early because my mom came to get us at 8:15 on Saturday morning to go to the church bazar. I hadn't been to church in a loooong time (I'm embarrassed to say) so I was a little hesitant about going but I decided I'd go b/c my mom wanted to. She picked me, Collin, and Caroline up at 8:15 on the dot and we headed to Durham. Of course, we had to make a pit stop at Starbucks. Caroline and I always go to Starbucks. It's like one of our things. We got to church a little before nine and went in to start shopping. The ladies of the church had made some beautiful crafts. I bought 2 blankets with ribbon on them (taggies is what they are called) for baby shower gifts. My mom bought a couple cute things and even Caroline found a hand painted dishsoap bottle for her mother. My hesitation about being there left the minute I walked in. I saw so many wonderful people. I felt really old after seeing some of the kids that I used to babysit for. It was great to visit and catch up with people.
Carloline, Collin, and I went to Red Robin for lunch. They had never been there before and wanted to give it a try. After a nice meal, they headed to NCSU and I went to the mall.
I had some coupons to use and I wanted to vote while I was there. When I walked in the mall and saw the voting line, my mouth dropped open. The line was wrapped around and around and around. I decided to shop first, secretly hoping the line would disappear while I was in a store. I went to Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works to use my coupons.

I got everything pictured here for $3.20. I love coupons! The underwear was free and so was the snowman soap. I've wondered for quite a few months why I get 2 coupons a month from VS for free underwear when I NEVER spend a penny there. A lady at Bath & Body works told me that both stores are owned by the same company so since I shop at Bath & Body lots and give out my phone number when they ask for it, I get LOTS of coupons. I was so proud of my shopping that I headed to the voting line.
The sign said the wait was 2.5 to 3 hours from where I got in line. I didn't want to wait but I didn't want to go on Tuesday either b/c I was scared the wait would be even longer. The time passed quickly b/c I talked to the people in line with me. There were even volunteers walking beside the line passing out water and snacks to anyone that wanted them. I thought that was so kind. I made it though the line in only 1.5 hours. I was glad I waited and got to vote. I guess, we'll find out on Tuesday if my vote really mattered!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Baking it up!

My best teacher friend, Lauren, came over on Tuesday to help me bake a Smores Cheesecake for our friend Jennifer's baby shower on Thursday.  Lauren is the baking queen(check out her blog here)so she came over to share her skills with me.  We made the graham cracker crust and baked it for about 10 minutes.
Mixing delicious melted chocolate into the batter.
After we baked the cheesecake it had to be refrigerated overnight.  We went ahead and made the marshmallow topping and I just put that on when I came home from work on Wednesday.  Once the topping is added, you have to brown the top under the broiler for 3-4 minutes.
This was the final product.  As you can see, it was quickly eaten up.  There was not even a single crumb left at the end.  I think it turned out really well.  G is bothering me everyday to make one for him.  I think I'll try pumpkin cheesecake for him next week.



We also made pink buttercream icing for cupcakes.  I had a great time baking  with Lauren!


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fall in NY



I took these beautiful pics last Sunday in NY.  We flew up for G's grandmother's surprise 80th birthday. 

 Our flight got in late Friday night and our friend picked us up from the airport.  After dropping me off at our friend's house, the boys left to go to a bar.  Instead of going to bed like I should have, I watched tv and played around on the computer.  I finally went to bed around 2 a.m.  Of course, the boys come home around 2:30, just as I have fallen asleep.  They did shut the bedroom door so they wouldn't disturb me.  Nice huh?  Not so much b/c shortly thereafter they decide to complete demolition on Bob's basement ceiling which is right under where I was TRYING to sleep.  We had a short conversation through the air vent and I expressed my sincere gratitude for their work at 3 a.m.  They went to bed shortly after.  Three and a half hours later we were up again thanks to Bob's alarm clock and G not wanting to "sleep" away all his time in NY.  We were all slow moving but we did make it to Denny's for breakfast by 7:30 a.m.  
After a quick trip to Walmart and a short visit to see B's parents we went by G's grandmother's house to pick out her outfit for that evening.  We were bringing her something to change into b/c she didn't know about the surprise party that evening.  G and I were so nervous to go into her house.  She was at a driving class and wasn't supposed to be back until late that afternoon but we were scared she would be done early and show up while we were at her house.  We left Bob in the car so he could call us if she happened to pull in the driveway so we could sneak out the basement door.  As we were looking through her closet, a piece of paper fell on the floor.  We both looked at each other and thought, "Where did that come from?".  We saw a pile of papers on top of her tv and we were about to pick up the paper and put it back with the others, until something told me to look at it.  It was our flight itinerary.  If she had come home and found that paper the surprise would have been ruined.  Thank goodness we looked at that paper.  We finally grabbed 2 outfits and headed out the door and on the way to G's aunt's house.  
I hung out with G's aunt while G, his cousin, and Bob went hiking.  Both of his aunts had worked really hard and most everything was ready for the party.  The only problem was Nona (G's grandma) didn't know that she was supposed to be coming to her daughter's house yet.  Her sister was supposed to call her earlier in the week and suggest they ride up to the aunt's house b/c the aunts and nieces were supposed to be scrapbooking that afternoon.  G's aunt finally called Nona and left a message inviting her to come over for a little while so she could see everyone.  We couldn't wait any longer for Nona's sister to call her.  When  Nona called back, she said she couldn't come over b/c she had plans to go see her godson.  Oh, no!!!!!  G's aunt convinced her to come over with her sister for a short visit.  
They pulled in right at 6 and everyone hid.  When she walked in everyone yelled surprise.  G, Bob, and I were still hiding in the back bedroom.  After about 5 minutes, G called her  and she was telling him about the surprise.  As soon as she started talking about how she wished he was there, we walked to the kitchen and he crouched down beside her while she was on the phone.  It took her a minute to realize who it was but she was really surprised. G's aunt got a picture of her face when she realized G was there and it is priceless.  
It was a great party and Nona was really happy.  We got to hang out with her all day Sunday b/c our flight home didn't leave until almost 8 p.m.  We were really glad we were there to help celebrate her 80th birthday.

On a side note, we flew US Air to Syracuse and it was wonderful.  All 4 of our flights were on time, the employees were friendly and the flights were smooth.  I hadn't flown US Air in a long time, but after such a good trip, I would book my next flight with them.  

more fun projects

Here are the other two projects that I completed on "Ladies Night".  I haven't found a permanent home for the pumpkin yet.  I'm thinking it will go on the hallway closet door.  
I love these Thanksgiving cards.  I think the ribbon is what really makes the card pop.  I have to give my friend, Shawntel, credit for these ideas.  She is so creative and always comes up with the neatest projects for us to make.  I can't wait to make Christmas cards this week! 

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Economy Sucks!

After weeks of hearing about how bad the economy is and being thankful that it hasn't affected me, things have changed.  G called me this morning to let me know that everyone in his company is taking a 10% pay cut.  I am so thankful that he still has a job but it sucks to take a pay cut.  If I stop his 401K contributions and the additional tax withholdings we have everything will even out but I'm not ready to do that.  I guess I have to wait until he gets his first check in the next couple of weeks with the pay cut before we make any decisions about what to change.  

It makes me soooo angry to hear about people on the news who have worked out a deal with the banks and their interest rate is cut so they can continue to make their house payments.  I feel like these people are being rewarded for not reading the fine print when they signed their loan documents.  I was offered the same options, when I purchased my home 2.5 years ago but I knew better than to get in over my head.  What has happened to personal responsibility?  
I hope and pray that things get better in the economy but I guess only time will tell.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Meet Frank!

I made these adorable cards at Shawntel's house last night. She always comes up with the cutest ideas. I love all things Halloween. I put up my Halloween decorations earlier this week. Now, if the weather would cooperate and the days would get cooler it would really feel like fall. I have another card and a cute project to post but it will have to wait until I get back from Syracuse. We're flying up tomorrow for Greg's grandmother's 80th birthday.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Happy Anniversary


Today I celebrated my sixth wedding anniversary. My how time flies! I can picture it in my mind like it happened last week. We didn't have any big plans today. It was nice to just hang out together. We went to the mountains last weekend for our friend's wedding so we called that our anniversary trip. We'll go to our favorite restaurant, Stonewood, later this week. (There is a golf tournament in town so we knew Stonewood would be packed!) I made Greg his favorite dinner that he swears I NEVER make for him......sorry that I don't want to eat sausage bread (italian sausage, mozz. cheese & bread) on a regular basis! I am very lucky to have such a sweet loving husband. I'm looking forward to a lifetime of happiness with him.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Card Making


I made two cards with the saying a little something for a little someone. I thought it was so cute for a boy or girl baby gift. If it was for a girl, I would use the flower envelope instead of the blue one with white polka dots. The envelopes were cut out using the "Big Shot". A Sissix cutter sold by Stampin Up. I chose to you from me for the other card b/c I thought it was perfect for a small gift for my husband. These adorable bags were also made using the Big Shot. Once all the paper is cut out, you use double sided tape to put it together. I'll put a small gift or candy in these for a friend's birthday.

I was really happy to make this card because I was almost out of birthday cards. I can't give store bought cards after making them for the last few years. People would be disappointed!!!!!! I love the two tones in the flower stamp. I put the stamp in the yellow ink and then dotted a sponge in the orange and dabbed it on the stamp. I love the way it came out. My third card was much better than my first card. The first one had a little too much orange. Practice makes perfect!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Where do they learn this stuff?

I was working in a second grade classroom this afternoon.  The kids were working on their center work and I was with a reading group.  All of a sudden, a little boy came up to me and said, "Mrs Emily, can I talk to you in your ear?" I said, "of course" and leaned closer to him.  He had been working at a making words center where you move around the letters of your name and make as many words as you can.  He said, "Can I write ass on my paper?"  I tried to contain my laughter as I told him no because we don't use words like that at school.  This child doesn't write too many words correctly but he sure knew how to spell ass correctly.  What a day!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Jon & Kate Plus 8

I swear, I am addicted to Jon & Kate Plus 8.  I could watch that show all day.  Those kids are precious.  Everyone has to have their favorites but G and I love Aaden and Hannah.  Those have got to be 2 of the cutest children in the world.  Aaden got in trouble on one episode and Kate told him if he did it again she would take his lollipop away.  I found myself looking and G saying she better not fuss at my Aaden!   Every time we watch the show, we say we'd love to take all 3 girls home with us.  That show always makes me laugh and smile.  I can be in the worst mood and that show will snap me out of it.  We always look forward to watching new episodes on Monday nights.  One day, when I have kids, I hope to be able to do all the fun things they do with their kids.  I love the Valentine's Day episode where they ate heart shaped pancakes and went on a Valentine's treasure hunt.  I love theme activities.  Yes, I am one of those people that would put up decorations for all holidays.   

It seems like everyone watches that show.  I'll mention something about it and someone will say, "oh, I love that show!"  We even heard a mother & daughter talking about it in Sam's Club one day.  I hope TLC follows them for many more years.  I love watching those children grow and change (except for Maddy's horrible attitude...I don't know how they deal with that girl).

Monday, September 1, 2008

A Very Productive Long Weekend

Wow! I can hardly believe it is Monday afternoon. Greg and I have had a very busy weekend. We had a great time hanging out with our friends, Rich and Tracy, on Friday evening. We went to one of our favorite restaurants and ate burgers and cheese fries (who doesn't love cheese fries). I also discovered a new drink that I love......vodka sunrise. Thanks Tracy for the recommendation! After a lazy Saturday morning, we headed to Chapel Hill to buy paint for the downstairs bathroom. We ate at Evos a "feel great" fast food place (all organic products, read more here)
We bought our Atmospheric Aura paint from Ace. After a quick trip to Trader Joe's, we headed to Lowes to pick out tile for the bathroom.
On Saturday evening we gutted the bathroom and applied two coats of paint to the while. While Greg was demoing I was upstairs repainting the trim in the guest bathroom. We went to bed very tired but we were excited thinking about how much better our "new" bathroom would be.
On Sunday morning we laid tile. It was a pretty quick painless process. We looked around for new vanities in the afternoon but haven't found one we like. We did our grocery shopping at Super Target and I was very impressed that we were able to get all organic groceries there. Who would have thought Target had such a good selection of organic products. After a long day, we headed to Smithfields BBQ to pick up a non-organic dinner!
We got up Monday morning ready to grout the bathroom. This was the worst part of the weekend. It's not difficult work just tedious. When I last checked, the grout was drying and it was looking really good. Greg seems a little disappointed. I don't know if he wanted more contrast between the tile and the grout color or what but I like it.
We've been to the gym and now it is time to start cooking. We are looking forward to an evening infront of the tv. There is a new episode of Jon & Kate plus 8 on as well as the season premier of Prison Break.

Monday, August 25, 2008

I love STAPLES



I got all this for $2.35. I love love love back to school shopping. I have been able to get so much stuff for very little money. I actually need to go get more folders b/c I don't have enough.
The binder clips were $.50
The glue sticks were $.25 for a pack of 4
The erasers were free!
The pencil sharpeners were free!
The pencil cases were $.05 each.

They had folders for free too but they were out. I guess I'll just have to check a different store tonight!


Sunday, August 24, 2008

Back to School Blues

School starts tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it. Last week teachers went back but tomorrow the students come. I feel like there is still so much to do. I was at work until 6:00 p.m. on Friday but I could have stayed until 8or 9 and still not gotten everything done. It feels like there is a completely different atmosphere this year. There are lots of new teachers and a new a.p. Maybe I just miss some of my friends that left last year. I never thought I'd be 28 and dreading the first day of school.........

CVS

4 bags of candy .88x4= 3.52
2 Glade Air Freshners .88x2= 1.76
1 box of Puffs Tissue .88
24 pack of water 3.99

minus
BOGO Air Freshner .88
2 $1 off candy
$2 off water
$2 off $10
$2 ECB

$1.36 out of pocket
1 pack of Duracell Power Pix 2.99
6 Glade Air Freshners 5.28
2 Oral-B Toothbrushes 3.98
2 boxes of Puffs 1.76
2 containers of Wet Ones

Minus
2 $.25 off Puffs
$.75 off Duracell
2 $.75 off Wet Ones
3 BOGO Air Freshners
$1 off oral-b
$2 off Duracell (CVS coupon)
$2 off $10

earned $2 ECB
$7.49 out of pocket

Monday, August 18, 2008

A new VS coupon winner

I never heard from one of the winners I picked on Saturday.  I gave them lots more than the 24 hours I said I would so I chose a new winner.


# 61 Shannon

Timestamp:  2008-08-19 02:16:53 UTC

If I don't hear from Shannon, in the next day or so, I'll choose another winner.


Saturday, August 16, 2008

VS Coupon Winners

The random winners are:  


 #2 adpillers@yahoo.com

#25 jforbeck@tctelco.net

I am sending them an email in the next few minutes.  They have 24 hours to respond.  If they don't, I will pick a new winner.

Check back soon for more giveaways.  

Friday, August 15, 2008

Holy Zucchini!


My friend, Anne, grew these vegetables in her garden.  When I went to her house for dinner last night, I was amazed at the size of the zucchini.  Then she told me they had one even bigger than that a couple weeks ago and preceded to show me a picture of it.  I was shocked.  I don't have my own garden but I've had zucchini out of my mother's garden and it has always been about the same size as the one's in the grocery store.  I can't wait to cook it this weekend.  I can't decide if I want to grill it or batter it and fry it (like eggplant parm.) like Anne suggested.  I'll let you know how it turns out.


She also gave me tomatoes and jalapenos.   Looks like I'll be making some salsa too!  

Card Making


Here is a picture of the cute birthday card I made at my friend's house on Wednesday.  I love stamping cards.  Stampin up just came out with new colors and this card has 3 of them on it.  I have stamps at home but it is easier and lots more fun to go stamp with friends.  I usually go to "Ladies Night" once a month to make 5 or 6 new cards.  I make a lot of birthday cards but I want to focus on making some thinking of you cards and sympathy cards in the next couple months.  

Thursday, August 14, 2008

CVS


Cheerios 2 for $5
Covergirl Amazmint BIGI $5.99
Softsoap Body Wash $5.29
BIC Mark It Permanent Markers $3.99


Minus
$.75 Softsoap
$1.50 CVS Softsoap
$1.00 off 2 General Mills Cereals
$1.00 off BIC Markers
$1.00 off Covergirl X 2
$2.00 off $10
$6.00 ECB

makes my total $6.51.  I honestly could have done without the bodywash.  In a moment of weakness, I bought it b/c I had 2 coupons to use on it.  Live and Learn.  I'll do better next week!  Wait...I really got all that stuff for the price of one lipgloss so what am I complaining about?  Oh CVS, what have you done to me?

Check out more great CVS savings here.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Victoria's Secret


I have 2 coupons for a free pair of VS cotton panties ($7.50 value). You have to get the ones that say Victoria's Secret across the waistband. You can choose from black, white, whisper pink, ivory, or buff. No purchase necessary, just walk in and get your free panties. Leave a comment with your email address if your interested. I'll choose a winner using random.org on SaturdayAugust 16th.

**One of the coupons expires 8/25 and the other expires 9/8. I'll mail them to you by 8/18.

Good Luck!

Emily

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Coupons to Giveaway!!!!

I have too many coupons. I'm giving away pet food coupons, household coupons, and food coupons. I'll divide up what I have between the first 3 people to request each category. If you want them just leave a comment with your coupon preference and email address.

School Supplies

I got the best deals at Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot today. My sweet husband went with me to each store so I could purchase double the limits. I got a lot of stuff for very little money. I love back to school shopping!
I got everything pictured here for $.75! That's 10 folders and 4 packs of notebook paper.
I got everything pictured here for $5.86 at Office Depot. It's 4 packs of Crayola markers ($.50 a pack...not Washable though), 4 packs of 4 glue sticks, 10 packs of erasers, and a box of paperclips (for my husband...I figured he could get something!!!!!)
Last but certainly not least, we went to Staples. I got everything pictured here for $9.21. It's 10 packs of notebook paper, 4 bottles of glue (free as advertised special), 4 packs of 5 mechanical pencils, 6 packs of skinny Crayola markers, and a ream of copy paper.

I spent $15.82. The deals at one of these stores ( I want to say Office Max) are only good until Wednesday but they you can find these great deals until Saturday at the other 2 stores.

Happy Shopping!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Summer

Nothing says summer in my mind like a bowl of fresh summer berries. My husband and I munched on these for dessert this week. I wish I could say I picked all of these berries but I got them at Harris Teeter (on sale of course....thanks Grocery Game). They tasted delicious and I decided to take a picture of them because berry season is almost over.

CVS Deals

I keep forgetting to take a picture of all my loot but this is what I got this week at CVS.

Transaction 1
4 bottles of Clean & Clear 16.96

minus
3 $1 off Clean & Clear coupons
1 $2 off Clean & Clear coupon
1 $2 off $10 CVS
$1.50 ECB

Total
$9.37 and I earned $5 ECB

Transaction 2

2 bottles of Excedrin $5
2 bottles of Dawn $1.76
1 Colgate Total Advanced $2.99
10 ct Mechanical Pencils $.99
2 things of tape (B1G1) $2.79
1 CVS chapstick $.99
1 EPT $13.69

Minus
2 $.50 Dawn coupons
1 $.99 free chapstick
1 $1.00 off Colgate
2 $2 off Excedrin
1 $2 off $10 purchase
1 $2.50 off pain relief meds (CVS coupon)
1 $3.00 off EPT
$5 ECB

Makes my grand total $9.92 and I earned $6 in ECB ($4 EPT, $2 Colgate)

I made money off the Excedrin b/c I used the 2 $2.00 off coupons and the $2.50 CVS coupon. They paid me $1.50 to take it out of the store.

Hope you had a great week shopping. Check out how everyone else did at CVS this week HERE

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Extended Warranties...Don't Buy Them

I guess I shouldn't say DON'T buy an extended warranty for your car but they sure haven't helped me. My car went to the shop on Monday morning because the service engine soon light was on and my gas gauge would go from 3/4 to E and bounce back up or would sit on E the whole time. It did this for a week for a week or so and I finally decided I better take it in b/c every time it stopped for a couple of days it started back. The Ford Dealership called me and let me know the fuel sending unit had to be replaced (and that means........). Turns out it is a part in the fuel pump. You can't buy the part separately you have to replace the fuel pump. My lovely extended warranty covers a fuel pump but wouldn't cover this part that is in the fuel pump. The guy at Ford was sooo nice and encouraged me to call the company b/c this was unfair. I did and got no where with them. I want to be mean but sometimes I can't without feeling like I'm going to cry and so I just hung up the phone. I had to pay $760 to get my car fixed. In the 3 years I've had my car, I know I've paid a lot more than that towards an extended warranty. I've also purchased them with my 4 previous cars that I traded before I ever used them. The extended warranty company has gotten a lot of money out of me over the past 8/9 years but I can promise they won't get anymore. Their stupid decision not to cover my replacement part (even though it says they cover fuel pump replacement) has cost them a lifetime of my business. (between my husband and I, we've had 11 vehicles since we started driving and who knows how many more we'll have) When I find my paperwork, I'll publish the company name I have a warranty with so you can avoid them too!!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Yankee Candle

I wonder if anyone in the world loves candles as much as I do. I usually buy them from a Partylite catalog or from Yankee Candle. My absolute favorite scent is Mistletoe. I only burn that during the holidays but if I'm home there is pretty much always a scented candle burning.

I got a coupon in the mail today for $15 off a $45 purchase. Here is the code so you can use it online at yankeecandle.com CRM808L (I'm pretty sure that is a zero not an o but if one doesn't work just try the other!)

Happy Shopping!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

My Buddy





I just love these pictures of my cat, Bean. We've had him for almost 6 years. He's getting to be pretty old (14) but nothing slows him down. He's the biggest cutest Bean I've ever seen!

Coupons Coupons Everywhere!

I think I'm starting to embarrass my family. Last week it was my mother, this week my father-in-law and my husband. I'm sorry but if people just leave coupons sitting around I'm going to grab them. Let me explain....

Last Sunday my mother and I went to see Mama Mia. On the way out of the movie theatre there was a newspaper sitting on a bench. I walked by it, glanced at it and kept going. I thought to myself, I bet there are coupons in that paper. I turned around, sat on the bench for a couple minutes to see if anyone came to claim their paper. After a few minutes no one came, so I started digging through the paper for the coupons. I found both packs of them and left. My mom was waiting outside b/c she didn't want to be seen with me!

This morning we went to breakfast with my father-in-law. As we're being seated, I noticed the ads from todays newspaper in a pile. I thought to myself, if they are still there after I order they're mine. So after ordering, I walked up to the hostess and asked if I could have them. She said, "Yes, take them." so I did.

I know I don't need all those coupons but what I don't use I can share with others. Sorry, but there is no was I'll let numerous packs of coupons just sit there.....unless my family decides to stop being seen in public with me on Sundays!

Friday, August 1, 2008

A Great Week at CVS

My first trip to CVS this week was awesome!

4 bottles of Gatorade .88 X 4
3 One Touch Mini Glucose Monitors 19.99 X 3

I had 3 $20 coupons and 1 ECB
so I paid $6.73 for everything ($2.51 before taxes)
My receipt says I saved $65.02 Sweet!

My second trip wasn't horrible but I now understand why people are so excited about shopping without children. My (sweet) 13 year old cousin was staying with me for a few days so when we went to CVS she added a few things to the cart. She asked first and I really didn't mind but stridex and 2 bottles of coke (she got one so I did too) added $9.77 to my total!!!!!!!!!! I could see how it could really add up if children accompanied you on regular trips!

2 bottles of Softsoap $2.88
2 bottles of Palmolive $1.39
2 bottle of coke $2.78
Stridex $6.99
1 One Touch Mini Glucose Monitor $19.99

Minus .25 (Palmolive), .35 (Softsoap), .35 (Softsoap), 19.99 (One Touch)

My total was $16.92 but it should have been about $5.08!!!!!!!

I just got an email from CVS telling me to "see what is free" when I use my EC card my first trip in August. Let's hope for something good!

Hope you had a great week shopping.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Spread LOVE NOT Germs

Bath & Body Works is having another great sale. Starting August 4th you can get.....

Select Anti-Bacterial & Aromatherapy Hand Soaps 5 for $15 (this is one of the only times of the year you'll find it this cheap)

Select Anti-Bacterial Travel Sanitizers $3

Select C.O Bigelow Hand Treatments 2 for $14

8oz Anti-Bacterial Waterless Hand Gel 2 for $10

They also have new cute 1oz Pocketbac Waterless Hand Gels. Perfect for your purse or your child's bookbag. I don't remember the price but I'm sure it's pretty low since it's an intro product.

Happy Shopping!

More Coupons

I got multiple sets of coupons on Sunday and I honestly won't use most of them. I've separated them into food and home supplies (cleaning products, deodorant, body wash etc). If you want them just leave a comment with your email address and I'll mail them to you. Please let me know if you'd like the food coupons or the home supply coupons. Thanks!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Baby Coupons

I have some Stonyfield Farm Organic yogurt, milk and ice cream coupons, Pampers, and Huggies coupons that are yours if you would like them. Just leave a comment and your email address and I'll get in touch with you and send them to you in the mail tomorrow. The first person to leave a comment get the coupons.


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Dark Night

My husband and I went to see the new Batman  movie last night.  I have to say I really enjoyed the movie.  Heath Ledger did a wonderful job as the Joker.  He was scary at times!  It was a looooong movie (2 hrs 45 min w/ previews) but I was so into the movie that time flew.  I would recommend waiting at least another week before you go see it because the theatre was crowded (even at a 9:15 showing).  It's worth all the hype and the price you pay to see it in the theatre.  I love .99 movies from the Redbox as much as the next person but go ahead and splurge to see this one in the theatre.  

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Restaurant.com

Has anyone ever tried the website restaurant.com?  You can get gift certificates to certain restaurants really cheap.  Most $10 gift cards are only $3 and $25 gift certificates are only $10.  There are restrictions (when you can use it, how much you have to spend) but it still seems like a good idea.  Just want to know others experience before I purchase them myself!

Friday, July 18, 2008

My First Post!!!!!

I've been contemplating starting a blog for awhile now.  I love reading other people's blog.  My current favorite is thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com.  It's a blog all about coupons, saving money, and free stuff you can get.  After reading that blog for a couple of weeks, I really got into the whole coupon thing.  I can't believe I used to go to the store and buy whatever I wanted without looking at prices.  With the price of gas going up, my spending habits had to change.  It takes over $74 to fill up my car right now.  I figured if I saved money on groceries that would offset the rise in gas prices and I wouldn't have to give up my favorite pasttime......shopping.  I've become addicted to shopping at CVS.  Who knew you could get such great deals at that overpriced store. There are so many blogs out there about that wonderful store.  I'll try (remember I'm new at this!) to post a link to the CVS game so others can catch on and start saving too. I'll post my awesome deals from this weeks CVS trips later on.