3 hours to go

til 2009. WOW. This is my DH & my 4th Holiday season since getting back together. That is amazing. We are spending a quiet night at home, alone, watching the bowl games. Perfect.

My dentist appointment was LONG but I'm really happy with the results. I have some rough places on my front two teeth where he replaced old fillings. I'll get used to it or it will wear down eventually. The best thing is that besides replacing the old fillings that were between the two front teeth, he FIXED the chip on one of the front teeth. I didn't know he was going to do that so it was a nice surprise when I looked in the car mirror to check out his work. SWEET!!!!!!

I've spent part of the rest of the day setting up "investing accounts" thru ING. Don't get excited, I've only invested $1 each in two accounts. LOL. I now own 8 shares of MEAD and 1 share of Fannie Mae. LOLsquared. I did it to earn free money. I'll explain it later once it all works out. I was working another deal to get free money when I opened a checking account but they were going to pull my credit report for the Debit card and I'm not sure I want to do that. I'm really trying to clear up my credit so I don't want to risk my score for a free $50.

After I got through with the investing process, I set up a Quicken account to try and set up a budget. Not really sure how to do all of it but the base is done. Next I have been reading Saving sites and working on getting organized for 2009.

I should have cleaned my scrapper room but I convinced myself that sitting on the couch with my Dh and "studying" budget blogs is a smart thing to do.

How have you spent this final day of the year? Are you staying home or venturing out with the crazies? Remember what I said yesterday and be smart and careful.

BTW, the trash men took ALL of my huge pile-o-crap. I left a big Christmas bag full of candy and a Thank you card on top of the main trash can. Think that made it better?

HUGS to my Sis. Hope the new year doesn't bring bad news from the "house". Good luck to Codeman on his move. Hi Mom. Be careful DD...Love ya DS. Happy New Year to my Georgia family & family in laws.

Till later............see ya next year.....

What day is it?

I seriously am not sure. All day yesterday I thought it was the 28th. I called my PEEP to wish her a Happy Birthday and left a voice mail. Later I discovered it was, in fact, the 29th.

POOP.

Sorry Carol.

I feel really bad. It's hard enough to have a birthday so close to Christmas but then to have one of your peeps miss the day. BAD FRIEND.

In my defense, I've been working my tail off on housework. Well, not really as my tail is still VERY much still attached but you know what I mean. Me & the boy (or the boy and I) spent the better part of yesterday clearing out and organizing the garage. I have a mountain of stuff to put out to the curb in the morning.

Makes me wish I had figured out what to give the Garbage men for Christmas. Is it to late??

Spent the better part of today running errands. Dropped by my office and showed off my hair cut to the few people still trudging away.

No, that is not the reason I drove 25 miles each way. I needed to run to the doctor and the office is near by. I also was a good person and dropped the boy off at his dads. His dad's car is in the shop and the boy is scheduled to spend the rest of his school break with him. Aren't I sweet?

Speaking of the boy, he has worn one of his new t-shirts everyday since getting them for Christmas. They look cool and he seems to like them. SCORE!

I have a dentist appointment in the am. 4 fillings. Joy. Just how I want to spend my New Years Eve day.

Hoping everyone has a Happy and SAFE New Years Eve. If you must celebrate, be smart. Do it at home or have a designated driver. Remember, you may not care about yourself but my DD will be on the road, returning from work. I want her to arrive safely. LOVE YOU J!!!!!!!

Til later......................

Christmas 2008

Here is a picture taken yesterday.












Here is a picture taken last year...







See the HUGE differences (besides the size of the pictures..LOL..Hint, the boy is NOT standing on anything and DD is slouching) ?


(click to see this picture larger..I can't find the updated one)

Til later...................

I need to go back to work

to get some rest! I've been running like a crazy woman since leaving work on Friday. I've shopped, think I'm finally done, I've wrapped (for 8 hours on Sunday), I've been to the dentist twice (have another appointment on New Years Eve), I've gotten my hair (and caterpillars) taken care of, I've grocery shopped and I'm exhausted.

I can't believe it is the 23rd. The boy is about to explode waiting for Christmas morning. Hope he won't be disappointed....LOL.

Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and Merry Christmas. If you didn't get a card from me.....sorry. I mailed some out of state but the locals...didn't get out. Sorry. It don't mean I don't care...I just ran out of time and energy. Maybe I'll get the New Years cards out.

Don't count on it.

Til later..................

PS..Congrats to my sister for winning Employee of the Quarter. Think good thoughts that she wins the BIG one and gets the reward she deserves.

Free 8 x 10's

Get one Free 8x10 Print from Snapfish when you pick up at Walgreens, coupon code: WALFREE This time this Walgreens photo freebie comes from Snapfish and you must place your order at Snapfish. This offer is only valid on Friday & Saturday (Dec. 19 & 20). You can pick-up your photo on any day (after it is ready), but you must order it on Friday or Saturday. Also remember that you must select Walgreens as your pick-up location. An 8x10 print would normally cost $2.99.

But wait, there's more!

Get your second Free 8x10 Print at Walgreens, coupon code: FREEGIFT This offer is also only valid on Friday & Saturday (Dec. 19 & 20). You can pick-up your photo on any day (after it is ready), but you must order it on Friday or Saturday. You will enter the code, then see the payment screen (select "Pay In-Store"). Next you will see that the coupon code deducts the $2.99 to make your total in-store pickup order $0.00.

Til later...................

Macy coupon & sales

If you love Macy shopping but still want to save money, they have a coupon for $10 off $25 Friday and Saturday until 1pm.

Click on this link and print. Enjoy!

http://www1.macys.com/dyn_img/site_ads/DEC_ODS.2-SavingsPass.pdf?cm_mmc=email-_-670912-_-savingspass-_-n&cm_em=finallylarrys@yahoo.com

There are some other deals coming like a free hairdryer on Monday at WAGS. If I tell you the details you will buy up all the free dryers and I won't get one. That wouldn't be fair.

Kidding.

Kind of.

I bet if you go to "I heart WAGS" she will share.

Not me.

I need a new hair dryer. One that blows hot air fast enough to actually DRY my hair.

Til later..................

Thank you

Something happened yesterday that was at least a year overdue. It has caused turmol and strife for almost six months. There has been silence where there should have been conversations and joy. It has caused pain and sadness and anger. It has wasted precious time.

I'm grateful the event finally occured. I'm not pleased with the reports I've received but happy that at least something took place.

I'm hopeful that things can begin to get back to normal now.

It's the holidays. Maybe soon it can feel like it.

Til later.................

So honored

I recently discovered a super blog filled with great money saving tips, coupon deals, rebates, prize drawings and SO MUCH MORE. The best part of the blog is the wonderful woman that writes the blog and finds all the great deals she shares. She is a mom, wife and a kindred spirit as I found out when I contacted her about a possible partnership for ALL YOU MAGAZINE.

As you know by now, I usually donate $2 for each subscription ordered to CUT IT OUT. I contacted Kim and asked if she would be interested in offering such a deal to her readers. She was very sweet and replied quickly. Little did I know that we were going to soon partner in a cause with the spirit of CUT IT OUT but on a even greater level.

Please go here and read about our ALL YOU DEAL but even more importantly, read this to learn about the very important cause we are supporting. If you know me at all, you have heard about my experience with Domestic Violence and more recently my experiences with children (and adults) that have a mental illness. It was an eye opening experience and one that changed my employment path forever. I am very honored to partner with Kim for her local chapter of a national need.

Please contact me if you would like to subscribe to ALL YOU to support Kim and her efforts to make a difference for the Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri. I encourage you to also contribute to your local chapter. I know they can always use the support.

Til later...........

Twilight spoof

While you wait for the big reveal..check this out.

Take180.com / The Juice Box / #14 Dimlight

I found it on Cathy Z's blog and three of us Twilighters almost peed our pants yesterday. This is the funniest video but she also has a SANTA one that is very funny too.

Remember, it's a spoof so if you are a Twilight freak-don't email me all upset. I've read the books..I saw the Movie..I'm TEAM EDWARD...still, this is funny.

Til later.................

I told you so

The weekend was as busy and crazy as I warned you it would be.

My eyes were dilated for almost 48 hours after the appointment on Friday. That made it fun to watch the boys Karate test on Saturday. The other parents probably thought his mom was on drugs since I wore my sun glasses inside for the entire time. The light hurt my eyes and I really didn't think they wanted to see my pupils taking up the entire "color" of my eyes. ( It also made it hard to shop on Friday night but with the help of a sweet sales woman, I managed. ) The test lasted almost two hours and the boy did really well considering he was testing against adults for the first time. He ended up having to spar 8 times. He did well until one fateful moment in the 8th fight when his opponents foot met a place that should NOT be kicked...if you know what I mean.

Poor boy went down like he'd been shot.

Guess it's time to buy a cup and I don't mean for Kool-aid.

Long, painful story short.....HE PASSED!!!!!!

He is now officially a Yellow Belt and is so excited to be a higher rank than most of his classmates. I had a meeting so missed the announcement and presentation of the new belt. No worries, it's not the official belt as that comes from Japan. I'll make his teacher "Present his belt" one night when I can take pictures.

After the test and some rest (recovery) for the boy on Saturday we finished setting up the yard display. I really want to put lights on the house but doesn't look like that will happen this year. DARN! I really must get a jump next year and get the lights on the house the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Sunday was a busy day. I tried to get some projects done so I can clear out the dining area so we can get a tree up. Didn't happen. I've made a corporate decision that I will get the TABLE cleared off by the end of this weekend and will put one (or three) table top trees on the desk. Solves the problem of moving the desk and at least we'll have something to put gifts under. Our house, our rules...right?

Three more days (after today) and I'm off work for 2 weeks. YIKES. I'd hoped to get my eye redone while I was out but they are closing for those two weeks too. Shoot. I have a dentist appointment and a hair appointment (thank goodness) on Monday and then the rest of the time is FREE.

Not really. I have plenty to do. The garage is a MAJOR project. I also need, want to get my business ready for the new year. Get this years rebates complete. Place orders of new products, get ready to share some fabulous new lines to my peeps and future customers. I'm planning a BIG open house in January and plan to have lots of items to Cash & Carry to clear out my stash. Details to follow. If you are local...come on over.

Blood work on Friday, almost as fun as always. I told the tech to go straight to my hand since that is where they will end up anyway and I'd rather avoid the additional sticks in both arms. They agreed and it still was an ordeal. ARG. Lab results came back yesterday and apparently I passed for another round. Next appointment is in March, right before our anniversary. Joy!

Speaking of business.....today is the big reveal of my new partnership with a wonderful blogger. She is putting the finishing touches on her post for her blog. I will make my announcement as soon as her post hits as I do not want to jump the gun. I'm very excited as it is a partnership to help a cause near and dear to my heart. STAY TUNED!!!!

Til later...............

Midweek madness

Oops...as I was typing the heading I realized it's actually Thursday. YIKES! Told you I had a busy week/month ahead.

We had a wonderful time Tuesday at our meeting/retreat. We had our official monthly reports meeting and then our office shrink/team builder started the fun-torture part of our day. First she stuck large index cards to our backs and everyone had to go around a write a word or two that described the person. After everyone was done she took the cards and read them out loud. We had to guess when we thought she was describing us. That's always fun and interesting to see how people describe you. Next she told us we were going to split into two teams, spend 15 minutes deciding on a Holiday Cookie recipe and then we would have an hour to prepare, bake and present our cookies. We thought she was kidding at first but she wasn't. The funniest part was knowing that we were at the Medical Directors house and she didn't know we were going to be invading her kitchen.

An hour later, my team proved why having two BAKERS in our group didn't guarantee good or edible cookies! They were awful!! I could have used my Crop-a-dile and made them into Ornaments for the office tree. At least they looked good.











Next we did our "White Elephant" gift exchange. I won't share the picture of me and my gift as Someone may end up getting it for Christmas.

Yesterday we had our Holiday lunch/Holiday Chorus event. It was great fun. We have food from the Olive Garden and TONS of homemade sweets and goodies. As you can see from the picture above, I really need to step away from the sweets table! Just when we didn't think we could eat another bite, the Fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the building. Luckily my car is near by so my BFF-Peep and I sat in the car until they gave us the all clear.

On a totally unrelated subject, have you been checking out the Space Station fly overs this week? We saw it Monday & Tuesday and it's scheduled to go over tonight (not sure why it took Wed off but anyway..). You can see it at 6:11pm if the sky is clear. Check out the NASA website for the exact time & location in the sky in your area. It looks like a star that isn't twinkling and is moving across the sky in a straight shot. It's been visible for at least 4-5 minutes and is very cool. Haven't seen the meteors yet but hope to this weekend when they are at their peak.

The boy has his Karate Test on Saturday. He hasn't said so but I think he is alittle concerned as he is testing with the Adults. I know his Kata's are perfect but he is probably concerned about the sparing part. So far I've only seen him spar against a man that tries really hard but appears to have some sort of medical condition that effects his balance & movement. I think DS is afraid to hurt him so he spars half out. Hopefully his teacher will take that into account. He is set to get his Yellow belt. That is a step higher than if he did his test with the kids.

Tomorrow is my Blood work and Eye exam. FUN all the way around. Hope my eyes are better by Saturday so I can see the test and focus to take pictures.


I have big news regarding a new partnership with a fabulous blogger. She will be making the announcement on Tuesday so you'll have to wait until then!

Til later....................

Busy week/month ahead

Friday was a hectic day as I drove 140 miles in my DH's pickup truck to pick up/deliver toys for our work party. Loaded & unloaded 40 boxes plus set up the room. ETC...ETC. I was exhausted by the time I got home.

I missed the Party on Saturday as I had a vendor event. Despite the hard work by the gal that organized it, we had a poor turn out. Vendors were buying from each other. Got the report on the party this morning. Sounds like I really missed out by doing the vendor event and not going to the party. The kids had a great time and thanks to two great organizations we had TONS of gifts for them.

Spent Sunday working on Christmas gifts and cards. I am so behind!!!

We watched Sunday Morning and was surprised that they didn't mention Pearl Harbor. ?? I didn't really see anything about it in the news or paper??? Am I confused and has everyone forgotten? THANKS to our men and woman and their sacrifices.

My family is due back from Ga today. Sounds like they had a good time. Looking forward to seeing pictures. Sounds like it was really chilly this morning. Kinda cold in my neck of the woods too so can't imagine it any colder!

We have a "group meeting/Holiday party" tomorrow so will be out of the office all day. FUN!!

Wed. we are having our "Office Holiday Dinner" with Chorus. We are apparently eating food from Olive Garden. Why not?

Friday I have lab work..OH JOY..they can NEVER get blood out of me. Then I have an eye exam at the Lasic place where they are going to dialate my eyes. They said I may have blurred vision for days. GREAT. How am I going to get home? I've enlisted a co-worker (HI CAROL!!) to go with me and she promised to get me back to the office and home as needed. I'm hoping they schedule the "eye tweeking" I need ASAP. My close up vision is getting really bad. I couldn't see print over the weekend and it made it really hard to see my craft projects yesterday. If you get a card/present that is crooked...sorry!

Saturday, the boy is testing for his next level belt and is doing it with the ADULTS. Wow. I sure hope my eyes are ok for that!

Hey, did anyone in the Tampa Bay area look at the Bealls ad on Sunday. Go look at pages 29-30. My friend's daughter was a model for 4 of the sale items. (Little girl in Hanna Montana PJ's & three others). Thankfully she sent an email to give us a heads up since I never look at that ad.

There is probably more I need to share but I've forgotten what it may have been. So tired. So burned out and it's only the 8th.....

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY month to my SIL & BIL in Ga. I look at your wedding reception picture everyday. You aren't in it but it always reminds me of you both. I wish I wasn't hidden by the other people but that's what I get for being short! At least we have a record of that time. Thanks!! I LOVE seeing pictures from "before".

Metor showers starting this week and we should be able to see the Space Station. Go to the NASA website for details on both.

OK, enough.

Til later..................

New items added to the SLAH sale..Nativity set!!!!

http://www.southernlivingathome.com/pne/pdf/announcements/20081201_WinterSaleFlier.pdf

Check this out and contact me ASAP. Things are selling OUT quickly!

New Items:

41032 - Abingdon Rattan Caddy
40936 - Brilliant Glass Ornaments
41038 - Chelsea Candlestick:Medium
41037 - Chelsea Candlestick:Tall
40977 - Elegant Stone Serving Stand
40947 - Holiday Tabletop Tree
40878 - Pacific Serving Bowl
40966 - Santos Nativity: combo
70071 - Santos Nativity: Holy Family
70072 - Santos Nativity: Wisemen
40872 - Southern Sippers Pitcher
41008 - Trellis Plant Holders

Sellout List The following items have sold out:

40897 - All New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook
40784 - Beautiful Blooms: Sunflower
70062 - Christmas Memories Collection: Cake Plate
41125 - Cooking Light Annual Recipes - 2008
40734 - Double Duty Pot Rack
40690 - Evanston Table Topper (Siena)
40703 - Florentine Sconce
40824 - Gail Pittman Coasters : Siena
40179 - Hospitality Collection Casserole : Butter
40641 - Jamestown Centerpiece
40905 - Scrolled Sconce
40586 - Southern Living Gallery Stemware - Iced Beverage (set of 2)
40587 - Southern Living Gallery Stemware - Wine (set of 2)
40940 - Trumeau Mirror

I have a vendor event tomorrow. Excited to have these new items to offer them.

Hope you have a great weekend. Some of my family is traveling to see other parts of my family. Safe Travels!!!

Til later.............

Double Coupon dash

I ran to KMart yesterday after work with some coupons that we clipped during a "Meeting". I only took ones that were a dollar-two and for things I thought might yield FREE STUFF. I did pretty good, the cat has treats for a long while and got some other good stuff. My original total was $101 and my OOP end up at $36.50. SWEET.

I plan to hit the local store tonight while the boy is at Karate. That has not been to successful in the past but I'm hopeful.

I must clean my dining area tonight, or put quilts over all the mess. I'm expecting some people over on Thursday and don't want them to freak out on the large stack-o-stuff I've been trying to work on. I also need to get gifts wrapped tonight so my sis can pick them up tomorrow to take to Ga. for me on Friday.

Friday night I need to finish up what ever I plan to take to the Vendor event on Saturday and pack my car.

Yeah, I don't have much faith in getting it all done either.

Always a dreamer.

til later...............

Once in a lifetime and other stuff

Did you see the moon, Jupiter & Venus alignment tonight? Super cool! I called everyone I could think of and told them to go outside since the configuration will not occur again until 2050. I plan to watch that one with my grand kids!

Very busy Holiday weekend but didn't get even half of my chores done. Worked on stuff for the vendor event this Saturday. Making some stuff to sell in addition to my SLAH stuff. Made a door hanger for a friend at work to give to her neighbor. REALLY busy with the end of month orders for SLAH. BIG end of catalog sale started today. You must go here and email me ASAP if you are interested in anything as stuff sells out quickly. I placed a $400+ order within the first couple hours of the sale hitting. Great deals and they should be in, in time for the Holiday if you need some great gifts......don't delay.

Speaking of, I need to go check on some new orders and share the ALL YOU deal with another group. I can still hook you up for $19.95 for 24 issues if you haven't subscribed yet. I used a coupon from the December issue on one of the CVS FREE deals over Thanksgiving. That more than paid for the issue!

Don't forget that KMart is offering DOUBLE coupons again this week. They should double coupons up to $2 in value. Some stores will double the coupon even if the item is less which will give you an overage. Some will go up to the value of the item making it free. Some will give you a hard time and tell you that they can't "give it to you for free".....calmly tell them YES they can and read them their own ad. Good luck. I'm not sure I'll get to take advantage as my coupons are sadly out of shape and I have HUNDREDS to clip and no time to do it. I also have so much stuff left from the last time and all the stuff I just got free at CVS at Thanksgiving. I hate to miss out on a deal though so you go and tell me all about it.

Til later.......................

Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry this is so late. I had set it to post on it's own but apparently I didn't do it right.

Click here for a Holiday greeting from our house to yours.

Til later........

Tossing a crumb

I got a call yesterday from one of my Peeps asking when I was going to update. I honestly started to yesterday but got busy and had to give it up. I never got a chance to get back on. This may not be pretty or interesting but here goes......

First....CONGRATS to Big T!!!!!! Still think it's ironic but I'm happy for you and the family.

Had a supper busy weekend as I expected. Vendor event on Saturday...had promise and fear at the same time since I never did get my information packet in the mail and this was the place that claimed they had no more space available when I asked them to fax my details...I had ALREADY paid and they had cashed my check....anyway.....When I got there I discovered it was a CRAFT show/Vendor show. I had started to bring some of my cards and other little crafts to sell but didn't because of time running out and deciding it wasn't "appropriate" for the event.

So wrong.

Thankfully, I had brought "Cash & Carry" items and ended up selling more than I've ever sold at an event. Good thing because...

I had an event the next day and didn't sell anything. I did get some possible party leads but we'll see. I saw some people that I know from other shows and we had a good time visiting. It's all Marketing so it's "All good".

Super tired still from all that running around. Came home from work last night, took the boy to karate and then watched some TV.

(Speaking of TV..anyone watch the 24 movie on Sunday? I almost fell off the couch when they predominately featured a SPRINT phone as the one Jack was using..in the Jungle! Seriously! I can't get cell service in my HOUSE or on the street I take to get back and forth to work but Jack can make and receive calls in the flippen Jungle)

Watched the Prison Break last night that they kept telling us "Don't miss the last 5 minutes".....Could someone give these guys a break? I'd still watch if they didn't have to keep running. It would be interesting to see them get back into "regular society" and lead normal lives.

Still not sure what we are doing for Thursday. The kids will be there for part of the day and then will be going to their Dad's via their Uncles house. My poor DH keeps asking what we are doing so he knows what he needs to do to the house. When he says, "The house" he really means my area in the dining room. I have craft crap spread all over it. I may throw a quilt over the largest mess and call it a day.

I mailed my 2 Thanksgiving cards LAST NIGHT. Yep...late again. They were made and ready but I couldn't get my act in gear to mail them. Sorry folks.

Getting ready to go pick up toys for our needy kids for work. Road trip!

There are a couple more days to order the ALL YOU magazine to be included in the drawing to be reimbursed. Contact me ASAP.

And last but not least...................TWILIGHT. Yes, during my busy weekend I managed to squeeze a little Edward/Bella into my Saturday night. I could have done without the giggling little Tweens but in their defense, the books were originally written for them. I was happy with the movie. Some parts were different than I had pictured in my head but then after I thought about it for a few minutes, they made perfect sense to be the way they were. I was bothered by some "Bad acting" in some places early in the movie but then yesterday I started reading the "bootleg" Midnight Sun..Twilight from Edwards prospective... and things were more understandable. For those that haven't seen the movie yet, I will just say two words.....Piano scene. OME!!!

Til later............

While you are waiting

for me to calm down enough to form words.....how about I share a sale with you?

I've been hinting since my birthday that I'd love to have any of the Monogram stamp sets from Justrite. Now they have posted a BOGO sale here.

At this point, I'd be glad to SHARE an order or two with someone. Let me know if you are interested.

Or feel free to purchase them and then surprise me for Christmas.

Who am I to deny anyone pleasure?

Til later.....................

Freedom of Speech

what a crock!

Til later..........

Still kicking** EDITED

Super busy. Meetings and getting ready for several SLAH events. BIG...Shop til you drop in the Brandon area this weekend. Email me if you are interested in more details.

Got to see the Launch last week. The boy and I drove to a hill near his karate class and watched while talking to my DH on the phone. He was in charge of watching the NASA channel so we'd know if it was a go. The clouds cooperated enough to see fairly well. It looked like the shuttle was headed straight for the moon!

Had my follow up with the lasik folks. Looks like I'll be getting a tweaking for the holidays. Not really looking forward to it since it makes me nervous to have them cut on my eye again but I'll be glad to be able to read clearly again.

T minus a couple days until the Twilight movie comes out. My sister is speed reading the series. LOL. I'm supposed to go see the pic on Saturday night after my Vendor event. Wahoo!!!!

The Boy is working his way back from academic ruin. He has completed his Science project and should turn it in tomorrow. He got a 87 plus 10 bonus points on his latest Algebra test. He still needs to bring it up to a "B" by the end of the quarter. The rest of his grades aren't looking so good but am hopeful he gets back in the groove soon.

People keep telling me Thanksgiving is coming soon. ARG. May be a quiet Thanksgiving with the kids & DH. I'm really looking forward to the 4 days off. Not going shopping on Black Friday. Gonna be a quiet Christmas since the boy will not be getting electronics. DD says she wants her wisdom teeth out for her gift. LOL.

What's up with you? ONE MORE week to order the ALL YOU magazine and get included in the drawing for your $$ to be refunded. Email me or read the left side announcement for more details.

Til later................

Love a Night time Launch

Heads up about a night time launch scheduled for tomorrow, the 14th. I thought it was tonight but apparently I was confused. Anyway.....go here for details & pray for clear weather and a safe flight.

Til later......

Thanks OPRAH

I DVR my Oprahs and try and catch up on the weekends. Thankfully there are other people that get to watch it Live! Thankfully they share when something good happens. Go here and read all about the FREE 8 x 10 Photobook from Snapfish thanks to the big O.

Speaking of Pics...Jenn...did you send me an email with attachments?

Til later.................

SheetLoad's Blog Candy Blow Out

In keeping with my attempt to win stuff while being a sharing kinda gal....I present a BLOG CANDY BLOW OUT. You must run to this site and follow the instructions to win. I trust that in the spirit of giving, if any of my peeps win they will share with me since I turned you on to the opportunity.

I'd share.

Really.

After all, who needs ALL THAT LOOT?

Me.

Til later.........

Vendor Friday & other stuff

Tonight is the rescheduled Fall Festival for a local elementary school. My car is loaded and I'll be leaving work about 4pm to go get set up. Hoping for a nice crowd as I saw an ad for it in the paper. There are approximately 20 vendors, kiddy festival stuff, food and tons of fun. The only down side is that it is outside and now that the time has changed, we will be in the dark for most of the event. I've packed candles and hope to light up my tent and not cause a fire at the same time.

DS goes to his dad's this weekend. He's probably relieved since he landed in some hot water yesterday. His mom (that would be me) checked his grades on line and discovered two that were less than acceptable. One of the teachers hasn't responded to my email yet but his Lang. Arts (english) teacher said it was because he wasn't turning in his work. She said she sees him doing it but it doesn't make it to her desk. HMMMMMMMM. That's an OLD problem that I thought we were over. So, he has been stripped of his Mack Daddy electronics for awhile. He took his "punishment" like a man. Since there had been a discussion after the progress report came out, he had no room to complain.

Parenting. Not for the faint of heart.

Gonna spend the rest of my weekend trying to get some Christmas cards made. Mybe even some projects for sale at a vendor event later this month.

Or, I may sleep until Monday morning.

Free flu shots this morning at work. My arm is starting to hurt but that may be all in my head. The shot it's self was quick and painless. Since I got it in my "bad arm" I'm not sure where the pain is actually coming from.

I still need to upload the pictures of my yard sale finds from a few weeks ago. Sorry, now that I use my laptop I always forget to load pictures since I have to move my big tail to the "computer room". I'll try. I promise.

Does everyone have Tuesday off? I seriously considered taking Monday off too but since I'm getting the last two full weeks of December off, I need to save my vacation time for that. Drat.

oooooo..I almost forgot! I scored bags of Halloween candy, on clearance at WAGS for .50 a bag. No matter what size or brand. I got 20 bags. Some of them were the HUGE bags of assorted candy. Those will be handy for my vendor events. I like to have a little something to offer but hate to spend money. At .50 a bag...I can afford to appear generous.

What you doing????

Til later.....

Mack Daddy printer giveaway**edit

I'm really torn about this post. While I try to share money saving tips and other things that can help my peeps....the selfish side of me wants to keep this news all to myself. Problem with that is, if I don't share the info I can't get an extra chance to win.

What to do...what to do??

Seriously, go here & check out this incredible give away at Simple Mom.

If you win, remember who pointed you in the right direction. Maybe you can send me a Christmas Card you print off in fabulous living color.

I'd do the same for you.

Really.

Til later..........

11/14/2008 Well.....I didn't win. No one I know won so I can't even go to their house to play with this amazing machine.

Unless you want to chip in and send me to South America.

Yeh, that will happen!

No words

I've been trying to decide what to post this morning. I don't want to disrespect any of my readers with a political discussion. I decided to just say that no matter which side you were on yesterday, I hope we can all come together to make a better tomorrow. I was extremely excited to watch history in the making.

Now, by request,something about myself.

I'm tired! I stayed up until 2 and am very proud to be an American. Thank you for the freedom of speech and people that express themselves better than I ever could.

I'm in possession of the TWILIGHT sound track. I'm counting the days until the movie comes out.

I'm looking forward to the rescheduled Vendor event that will be held this Friday.

My DS got two teeth filled yesterday and did it without Novocaine or tears. So proud of him.

My DD and I got to spend time together yesterday, taking advantage of FREE FOOD. Yum!

I'm excited by the response to the ALL YOU deal. I'm really looking forward to donating a ton of money to CUT IT OUT. Thanks to everyone that has placed an order. Don't forget, at least one lucky person will be refunded for their subscription.

The weather stinks but at least it's not snowing. I can handle the grey. It will change again soon.

I am wildly in love with my DH.

I'm still waiting for heck to freeze over........................(private joke).

Speaking of.....I went for my 6 month follow up to my Dermotologist. Clean bill for now. Apparently the spot they removed on my arm needs to be watched closer than I originally understood. It was fine and we'll check again in 6 months (unless I see changes). She gave me some lotion for my face that I thought was for "Old women" but then I re-read the script and realized it was for Acne. 50 yr old Acne face! That's me. My DH said I should be happy because that means I'm still producing "oil" that will keep my skin "Young". Um...OK. Love me some pimples!

Your turn to update.

Til later..................

All YOU Monday

I am so excited! I read a fabulous blog that is full of saving tips and tons of other useful information. If you haven't ever checked out DEAL SEEKING MOM, you must run there now.

Remember my post here? Starting today, we have teamed up to bring her readers a super deal for a great cause. She helped raise a ton of money for Komen for the Cure fund in October and now we are trying to do the same for Cut it Out.

Even if you are a reader of my blog, you can get in on the deal and be the possible winner of a FREE Subscription.

I can accept checks, Money orders, Credit cards or Paypal. Email me for details.

THANKS Tara!!!!!

Lazy day

Got up at 6:15 yesterday to get to RR for their Yard Sale. While I was setting up my stuff a man came up to me and asked where the ALBUMS were. I looked at him, looked at the scrapbook albums on my table..waved my arm and said,"Here are some and I'm sure most of the people set up have some". He looked confused and then he explained, "The ad said there would be Albums". It was then that I realized he was looking for "Record ALBUMS".

Had a nice day. Saw several people I know. Got to spend time with my little man-Andy. Read most of the rest of "Breaking Dawn". (Don't worry Jess....I finished it after I got home last night. THANK GOODNESS, I couldn't stand the suspense. Now we wait for the movie!) Bought less than I sold. Stopped by some of my former favorite Pasco county trift stores (found a replacement lid for my large fry pan-.50). Got home and was in bed by 9:30. Watched snipetts of several shows and then finally turned off the TV after seeing my boy, David Cook, on SNL.

Spending a quiet day with my DH & DS. Just finished watching the Bucs win in overtime after playing like a bunch of 1st year pee-wee football players. A win is a win.

Had a SLAH order waiting for me when I got home yesterday so need to get it together and contact the people to set up deliveries. The company announced a TON of specials and new stuff coming in the next few months. Check out my website for a sneak peek.

How was your weekend?

Til later............

Kmart, Early Voting, Halloween & Scrapin Yard Sale

Oh my!!!

I hit Kmart three times this week for the Double Coupon deals. The store closest to my house is a PITA. They do not understand or agree with the "rules" of Double Coupons. The cashier kept insisting they were ringing up correctly but they didn't. I also forgot my $5 off coupon (yes-I KNOW I was the one to post it for you all. What is your point?). I asked the manager if she could write on my receipt that I had forgotten it and let me bring it back the next day. She said she would have to Refund everything and re-ring it but they wouldn't credit the coupons unless I had duplicates for them to use. For $5? No thanks.

I went to the Kmart closer to my job yesterday at lunch and the store was well stocked and the cashier was friendly and rang things up correctly. Well, she seems to have missed one of my toothpaste coupons but the rest was good. I went back after work and did another trip. Again, friendly & went through smoothly. They missed another .75 double and the service desk refunded it to me.

Did you go? Use coupons? How did you do?

While I was shopping last night my DD sent me a text that she was on her way to Early Vote. Since it was her first time, the "geek mom" in me came out and I ended up meeting her at the polling place so I could witness the historic event. She stood in line for almost 2 hours and there were tons of folks behind her at 7pm. I had the poll workers clap for her when she came out and got her "I voted" sticker. I would have taken a picture if I had a camera. She wasn't happy with me but I don't care. I was proud of her and was happy I got to share the moment with her. One day she may understand. Until then, I'll continue to be the geek I am.

Isn't that the entire reason we vote? For my right to be an individual?

Having experienced the lines with her and from seeing the news reports, I expected to have a hard time when I went this morning. (I couldn't vote last night because we live in different Counties). I took my Twilight book and was ready to stand and read for awhile. I didn't even dress up for Halloween because I didn't want to be arrested or scare the elders in my area. Imagine my confusion when I drove up and there was NO ONE in line at 7:15am. I parked and walked up to the library door and was greeted by one lone poll worker. I asked him where everyone was since I was anticipating a crowd. He said "not in our county'. I went inside and was whisked through the sign in process and sent to my booth. It took me longer to read & reread the ballot than the entire "wait time". I processed my ballot, got my sticker and left. I was in the car by 7:25. I called my DH to tell him I was done and how disappointed I was that I didn't even get to read a single page of my book. He suggested I go somewhere and park for a couple hours and then go to work and show them my sticker and bemoan the "voting hassle". LOL. I didn't. I came straight to work.

Since I didn't dress up before leaving the house I had to come up with a costume on the fly. I ended up grabbing several hand fulls of Coupons and stuck them into my clothing. Instant "Coupon Queen-Bargain shopper" costume. I even walked around with one of my Kmart bags, offering Almay mascara for sale.

Don't laugh. I sold two of the 4 packages and now I don't have to return them like I'd planned.

Halloween tonight and my DS said he is going to stay home and help me pass out candy. I'm alittle sad that he won't be dressing up. He's going to wish he had when I have him help me pack my car for the Scrapbook yard sale tomorrow. Hope to get rid of the crap-o-stuff left over from the last sale I did.

Don't forget to turn back your clocks this weekend. Wish I could really get an extra hour sleep. Maybe I will be so tired from the sale that I can get some extra shut eye.

Til later...........

Note to self

DS does not wake up when the smoke detector goes off.

His parents, on the other hand, sprang out of bed at O-goodness:30 this morning like they had been jabbed with a cattle prod.

Thankfully it was only set off because of the heat coming on for the first time this season. All the dust bunnies must have been going up in "smoke".

Didn't really get back to sleep since the fear of it happening again, with the next heater wave, loomed over our heads. DH got up and started watching the news. I thought about getting an early start but stayed under the covers for a little while, trying to stay warm.

Should have gotten up and gotten the early start.

I ended up getting stuck on my little two lane road to work, for an hour, because of a head on collision that blocked the road. Luckily I had the fourth TWILIGHT book in the car with me so I turned off my car engine and read. DON'T tell me anything...I KNOW....I figured it out before she did. Don't tell me anything else. I won't get to read again for awhile.

Anyway, the accident was AWFUL. When we finally could move past it, there was no doubt why the Medivac Helicopter came. The cars were on either side of the road and one of them looked like it had exploded. Really bad..auto parts all over the road and the rest of the car was smashed to heck & back.Prayers for the people involved please.

I was late for a computer class that I had to attend for work. No worries, it turned out they hadn't even started and then the entire class was geared towards people that work in a clinic. Didn't apply to me. The teacher let me leave at the break.

Guess I should take advantage of getting out of that class early and do something. LOL.

Prayers for Tricia today as she gets tested for her cancer.

Til later.................

PS....it's not to late to take up a collection to send my DD to Philly for tonights game. She'll need warm clothes in addition to all the stuff we discussed before. Hey, it's not my fault that you all didn't come through earlier, when it was warmer.

PSS: Speaking of the RAYS, did anyone get their free TACO? After sitting in the drive through line for 10 minutes, trying to park and go inside only to be met by at least a 30 minute line..I decided a .79 Taco wasn't worth it. DARN, I was really hungry too.

PSSS: I didn't get my Yard Sale pics posted because I was being such a GREAT MOM to my DS last night. Long story but it involves; Video games that needed to be returned, letting him play it until the very last minute, going to the video place BEFORE going to pick up my RX that I'd been out of for two days, and the Pharmacy CLOSING 10 minutes before I got there.

Lets just say that by the time I got home my DS had been informed that his only actions for the next little while would be to KMA and do anything I tell him to. LOL.

Out of the Mouth of Babes***UPDATE

My BFF, peep Carol has a

beautiful 6 year old daughter.

Recently she told her mom, "I'm voting for Boma".

When Carol asked her why she was voting for Obama she replied,

"Because he approves of this message".

To cute!

11/5/08....My friend said that when she woke her daughter up this morning she told her that Obama was the new President. She said her daughter exclaimed, "I WON Momma, I won!".

Keep an eye on this girl...she just might say that, for real, one November morning in 30+ years.

Free Taco's & Kmart

FYI.....Get a free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco from Taco Bell this Tuesday.
"Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett stole free tacos for America from Taco Bell, as he stole second base in the bottom of the 5th inning of Game 1 at the World Series," according to a story on MarketWatch. "As promised, Americans will feast on millions of free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos as Taco Bell's "Steal A Base, Steal A Taco" World Series promotion paid off for the second straight year."
To get the freebie go to a participating Taco Bell on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 between 2 and 6 pm. Find a Taco Bell near you.
Thanks, Ryan!

Also...Kmart is offering DOUBLE COUPONS in some markets. If you are lucky enough to be near a store that is doubling, use this coupon to sweeten the deal. If you don't have double coupons..at least you can save some money!

I took pictures of the bench & front door but I had people over last night and didn't get on the computer. I'll try & load them tonight.

Til later.....................

Yard sale scores & Sports

I had a super YARD SALE buying day on Saturday. I just realized I should have pictures to go with this post but was so busy this weekend I didn't think about it. I'll add them sometime this week as I know you will be waiting with baited breath until then.....

My DS has been asking for a Exercise bike/Treadmill/mini Trampoline for his room. I discovered a community sale that is usually good and it did not disappoint. I found an exercise bike that has the "air wheel" in the front and the handle bars go back & forth when you pedal...$15 ...SCORE!!! I had to go back home and get my DH's truck but it arrived safely and is waiting in my DS's room for when he gets home from his dad's.

Next I found a three tiered shelf that fit perfectly outside my front door. I'd been wanting something for that space and the one I found is "rustic" and looks great. $5....SWEET.

Finally, I hit a sale late in the morning while on my way to Wally's World. My DH collects wooden boxes and I'm always on the look out. I found a couple at this particular sale but the BEST thing was a TEAK bench that is carved and held together with Pegs. It's about 5 feet long and VERY HEAVY. The price $5. WHAT?????? I kept looking at the tag and was convinced that I was missing a "0". I asked the sellers about it, how was it possible that it was still available?? They said that a woman wanted it but her husband wouldn't let her have it. He said they also didn't put a price tag on it until an hour before I arrived. WHAT EVER!! I ran back home and got the truck again. It looks so good in my front yard.

Regarding sports..............

I'm not saying it's all your faults but............

I did ask for a fund to send my DD to Philly. The fact that we are now down 3-1...clutch MUST WIN THREE IN A ROW......I'm just suggesting that we might not be in this situation if someone had coughed up some cash.

It was not the best weekend for Tampa Bay Sports teams. The fact my DD didn't go to the USF game or to Philly...coincidence? You tell me.

Til later.............

Can we send my DD to Philly?

Apparently my DD has a "lucky streak" going and the Tampa Bay area should support it.

She was fortunate enough to get a ticket to GAME 7 of the playoffs...and the Rays WON.

Last night I got a text from her saying, " ARRRRR, I'm at the Freaking World Series". ...and they WON.

See a pattern?

I would like to suggest Tampa Bay take up a collection to send my daughter on the road with the team. She will need a hotel room, food money and protection from the Philly fans that may seek to ruin her winning aura.

Dig Deep. It's for the Team. It's for History.

Till later.........

BTW....don't forget about the "ALL YOU" fund raiser...gift giving opportunity in the post below.

Dollar for Change via ALL YOU Magazine

Many of my readers know that I am a consultant for Southern Living at Home. What you may not know is that one of the reasons I became a SLAH consultant is because of the Philanthropy they support: Cut it Out via Dollar for Change.

CUT IT OUT is a national program that seeks to mobilize salon professionals and others in the fight against domestic abuse. With 4 women losing their lives each day to domestic abuse, our fight against this epidemic could not be more important. The Dollar for Change program not only helps bring awareness to the issue, but it also helps us do more to support the work of agencies across the country.



Southern Living at Home asks our customers to donate a dollar, when they place an order, that is forwarded to "Dollar for Change". As a former victim of Domestic violence when I was a young adult, I feel very strongly about helping other women (and men) find the help they need to remove themselves from an abusive relationship. I am grateful for the opportunity to offer my customers a way to purchase beautiful products and help others at the same time.

With the holidays approaching I want to combine gift giving with the CUT it OUT efforts.

I will donate $2 to Dollar for Change for every subscription to ALL YOU magazine purchased through this site. ALL YOU magazine is a fabulous monthly publication that features recipes, home decorating ideas and other great articles in addition to approximately $30-$60 per month in manufacturer coupons.

Walmart sells the magazine for $2.24 per issue. Our subscription price is $19.95 for 24 issues or .83 an issue. That is a savings of $33.81!

To sweeten the deal even further, anyone placing an order with me from now until Thanksgiving will be placed in a drawing to have your subscription price REFUNDED. That's right...I will be giving away ONE FREE Subscription to some lucky reader.

Contact me for more details or to place your order. Consider giving a subscription as a gift. What better gift than one that keeps on giving all year long AND helps others in the process?

Til later..................

WOW

Has anyone in Tampa Bay slept yet? What an exciting time for our area. Now if the BUCS could go to the Super Bowl in their own stadium, super duper! (ps-photo borrowed from Jules blog)

What a beautiful weekend. I spent half of Saturday outside at the yard sale. Didn't make a ton of money but read over 300 pages of the third Twilight book (finished it later that day..I'll have the fourth book tomorrow). Sat under my Pop-up tent and enjoyed the cooler air. Of course it got hot when it was time to tear everything down but it was nice while it lasted.

DS went to his karate Slumber party Saturday night. Said he doubts there will be another because Sensi can't stand the little kids misbehaving. LOL. DS was a stubborn boy and didn't take a blanket or sleeping stuff except a pillow. When I got there at 8am Sunday morning (!!!!) to pick him up, he was still asleep on the mat in the karate room, all curled up. It was FREEZING in there. I had the heat on in the car and when we got in he heard the noise and screamed cause he thought it was A/C. Silly boy...A/C when it's 53 degrees outside and I can't stand the air when it's warm???

Worked on some Halloween treats yesterday afternoon and evening while watching Nascar & football. Man, I'm rusty. It took forever to gather all my stuff that I haven't used in awhile. Now my craft room is a mess from me tearing it apart getting what I needed so I could take it into the living room. Got 20+ treat bags made. I'm LOVING the new "rocking stamp pads" I got. I used them for the first time and they are super. Really help get a crisp image. I'll have to take a picture or find a link and share them with you. Used them with my new Papertrey ink Halloween stamps. LOVE THEM.

Several meetings, vendor events, and a Scrapbooking yard sale coming up...yikes! I'm also having a Gold BUYING party next week. If you are interested, contact me via email as I will not post details on this site. Thanks!

How was your weekend? BTW, I didn't see any of the Sunday shows because of the ball game(s) so please don't spoil it for me.

Till later..............

Not helping my mood

The RAYS that is. Good grief boys, what the heck? Give an old lady a heart attack. I'm not sure I can watch the next game. They seem to play better when I don't anyway.

Had a nice evening with the kids. Had another opportunity to remind my DS why it is important to go to college. No offense to people that work at a fast food place, I did for many years when I was young. The problem is when it is apparent that you work there because it's the best you can do. Seriously, when it takes you 10 minutes to figure that 5 items at $5 each is $25 plus tax and not $31 plus tax....I don't hold hope for a manager position for you any time soon.

Speaking of school and knowledge, the boy pulled out a trivia bit of information about JOHN Hancock last night that was impressive. Well, impressive to us. Guess you had to be there. Anyway....His sister admitted that she didn't know it. I think she did at one time but had forgotten with all the other stuff she's had to cram into her head. (it has to do with why he signed his name so large. Anyone??)

No school today for the boy. Left them sleeping this morning. Darn work. There are only three of us in my group today and two of them are leaving me by 10am. Poop. I have a follow up on my Basal Cell this afternoon so I'll be gone by 2:30 myself.

What are your plans for the weekend? Have a yard sale tomorrow and the boy has a Karate Slumber Party. Hoping to get some scrapping done or at least finish the 3rd Twilight book. DD and I watched the trailers and discussed the cast selections last night. Not crazy about a couple of them. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Great news from Georgia about school and growth. Still waiting and praying about Tricia. If you didn't get a chance to catch up please go to her link on the left.

I'll leave you with a coupon from Walgreens for $5 off $25. Enjoy.

Til later..........

Twilight Countdown

Happy & sad day

I know I haven't been posting alot lately. I am so busy and am running in 30 directions at once. Often I think about just giving up the blog but then I change my mind when something important is happening. Today is one of those days.

I started out happy this morning since today is my DH's birthday. We had a nice dinner out together last night to celebrate. We are having a quiet family celebration tonight with my DS & DD. Probably Pizza and wings and then watch the RAYS (or CSI Vegas).

His birthday reminded me that I am still smarting from something that happened (or actually didn't happen) on my birthday in August.

I was upset that someone I used to consider a friend has been upset with me for 3 years and I really don't know why. Actually, I think I know why, but that just makes it crazier. What I think she is upset about wasn't done to her . She and her friends have done things I consider much more inappropriate but she doesn't seem to care. She allows other people to do things but when I ask to do the same thing, I get told no. For some reason that really bothered me this morning.

I was upset that I seem to always get the short end of the stick or learn about something that could make me a little money and the bottom drops out before I can cash in.

I am concerned because it looks like I will have to have a re-tweeking of my Lasik surgery. Having been though it three times should make it old hat. Unfortunately, I just freak out and think maybe my luck will run out and I'll end up worse than I am. One of my biggest fears is blindness. I would hate not being able to see the people I love.

I was all prepared to have a big old Pity party tomorrow (so as not to ruin my DH's birthday) and then I read this.

I quickly snapped back into reality and gave myself a swift talking to. I'm still upset by all the things I mentioned and about a hundred other things I didn't...the election/401K's/food prices/Christmas....etc...but, I am loved by and married to my HS sweetheart...I am healthy considering the crap I eat and my lack of exercise...I have friends I can depend on...I have 2 kids that love me and 2 step kids that I'm getting closer to..things are Good over all.

Please pray for Tricia and her family if that is your belief. Please pray for anyone else that is battling an illness or homelessness or despair. Be thankful for what you do have and if I start whining again..please kick me in my ample rear.

Til later.............

What's happening?

Between all the new shows, the Rays and several vendor events I've been busy. Sort of in between the Monday night shows so just poppin in to say hello.

Gonna go run and check a few blogs and then get ready for Hero's.

Til later..........

Blink

Another weekend gone! Never enough time or energy. I didn't get on line much this weekend and when I did I had emails that were urgent & days old. ARG!! I can't keep up. Would you believe we STILL didn't watch the movie..Dan in real life.

Weekend SUCKED to be a Tampa Bay fan of any kind. Hoping the Rays can redeem themselves today.

Looking forward to this coming weekend as I've got two different VENDOR events I'm involved in. I've been trying to forward a flyer about the event on Sunday but my email system keeps locking up because of the number of email addresses I'm trying to send it to. If you are local (you know if you are) and are interested in attending a Vendor Expo with at least 10-15 home based businesses in attendance, email me directly and I will send you the information.There will be food samples, door prizes and a chance to do some early shopping.

Also....have you checked out the Southern Living at Home specials for October? SWEET!!!! Lots of great stuff and even a magazine subscription at 50% off. Now would be a great time to buy a gift subscription for yourself or a friend. Check this out. Email me for details or to place an order. If you are interested in having a party OCTOBER would be a great time. We just got word that they have increased the Hostess perks from $15 to $50...just for having a get together with some friends. I have a few days available so contact me soon!

I just read on CF Husband that Tricia is headed to the hospital. Prayers are requested that she is better and back home soon.

Anything exciting in your neck of the woods? Anyone take advantage of the Kmart double coupons? I did a quick trip Friday night and saved $50+. it should have been at least $10 more but I didn't check my receipt until after I left the store and didn't get a chance to go back until the next afternoon. The manager wouldn't refund the money they owed me even after admitting I was right on the one hand but then contradicting himself on the next. If you missed the deals I've heard they will be back at the SUPER K-MArts later this month. Not sure where so keep your eyes pealed for ads. Be very careful that your coupons do not exceed the total of the product because that will send them into a tail spin!

Better run. HUGS to all my Georgia family that read this. Love you all.

HI JESS!!!!!!!

Till later..........

Double coupons at Kmart

I'm sure many of you already know about the DOUBLE COUPON deal at Kmart this week. I'm really hoping there is something left when I go later today &/or tomorrow. I heard from another person that the store was pretty picked over. I'm going to go and see what I can find. FREE is my goal.

Still haven't watched Dan in Real Life. OOOOPS!!!

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for the RAYS winning their first ever play off game.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for the #10 USF Bulls playing like a rookie High School team last night. What the Heck!

DS is going to attend an ADULT Karate class tonight. His teacher has been trying to get him to step up for a couple months but DS has been reluctant. W are going to give it a try tonight and see how things go.

Anything else going on?? Met another group of great ladies last night. We are going to have a Home Based Business Expo next weekend. Door Prizes, food...early Holiday shopping. If you are local, contact me for details.

Til later.................

Networking

I had the pleasure to meet 18 amazing women last night through a new networking group that is being formed in my area. I learned about products I've never heard of before. I was even lucky enough to win two of the door prizes. SWEET!!! If you need anything let me know, I may be able to hook you up.

Speaking of hooking you up.......if you haven't ordered a subscription to ALL YOU magazine, October is the perfect time for a Win-Win opportunity. If you order $29.95 in Southern Living at Home products in October you can purchase a subscription to any magazine for $9.95. You could buy a gift for someone and get the subscription for yourself or vice versa. Contact me for more details.

I have another meeting tomorrow with a different networking group. We have a vendor event planned on October 12th where you can get a jump on your holiday shopping. There will be approximately 10+ vendors set up. If you are local, contact me directly for details and location.

Because of my meeting last night, I didn't see much tv. I did watch the Mentalist (good again) but missed FRINGE. Don't tell me, it's taped. I'm excited to see PRIVATE PRACTICE coming back on tonight. Going to interfere with several other shows but we'll juggle!

Waiting for news from Georgia. PRAYERS & good vibes requested. I'm going to go check the blog to see if she's posted.

Til later...........

Count down to the holidays

ARG!!! Seriously, how can it be so soon? I've been picking up things here and there so hope I'll be all set when the time comes. It's always so disturbing to see Halloween decorations next to Christmas stuff in SEPTEMBER!

What a great sports weekend. What an amazing BUCS game. Did anyone else cry each time Matt Bryant kicked a field goal and sent a kiss skyward?

RAYS in the Play offs!!! WOW

USF #10 in the rankings!

TV shows continuing to consume us, sad humans that we are. Since my last review we've watched:

WORST WEEK......Peed our pants laughing the entire 30 minutes. Not sure how they can keep that pace up but the first show was hysterical.

Desperate Housewives....DH was not crazy about the 5 year jump and wondered if it would go back to "normal". The very end proved that isn't going to happen yet-if ever. Won't reveal in case you have it taped.

Don't remember if I talked about Criminal Minds..really good as always.

Amazing Race started last night. The team we were rooting for already got eliminated so will have to find a new couple. What about the couple from TAMPA? I'm not sure what to think about them. Anyone know what "professional football team" the hubby played for? Does the wife scare anyone else?

New week..more new shows starting...have a ton of Networking events this week so it's really gonna be hard to watch everything.

Poor me you say? I know. Really rough life I have.

How was your weekend? BTW, if I start a fund to pay for three people to go to Italy in 2009 would you all contribute? I promise to take lots of pictures and depending on how much you contribute I may bring you back a trinket. Maybe I will put a "Pledge button" on my blog.

I kid!!

Til later...........

Bonus post for a laugh

I found this on another blog called "The Nest egg". Thought some of us could relate, especially with all the news going on right now.

Enjoy.

When you're broke, you're broke!
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed, young man carrying a vacuum cleaner."Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."

"Go away," said the old lady. "I haven't got any money, I'm broke!"

As she proceeded to close the door, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open."Don't be too hasty," he said, "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration!"

"And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet.""If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horsemanure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.

The old lady stepped back and said, "Well I hope you've got a really good appetite, because they cut off my electricity this morning."What part of broke do you not understand?

Til later.............

More TV talk & the weekend

OK, what is the verdict on GREYS??? My DH wasn't sure he was going to like the "new guy" (he's an actor from another one of his shows that was cancelled-still bitter) but by the end he had warmed up to him. Not sure about the RED hair but it seemed to get softer as the show went on. Interesting chemistry with Christina. THANK GOODNESS Rose wasn't really PG (do they still use that ??) and Mer & D can mess up their own relationship. LOL.

We have several shows to catch up on this weekend so we can start fresh next week. We also have a movie, "Dan in Real Life" that needs to go back to Netflix plus SPORTS so another jammed packed weekend ahead.

Side note....we are trying to let the boy cook us dinner on Thursday nights. It is amazing to me the things you take for granted that people know how to do. We were having "Brats" and I told him to get out the large sauce pan and put an inch of water in the bottom. OMG, that was a 10 minute comedy act. Telling you the whole story would take too long and would loose alot in the translation. Lets just say it was hysterical and eye opening. We did finally get our Brats and another Thursday is in the books. I really should start video taping his cooking skills. There is a You Tube "most watched video" waiting to be filmed.

Til later.............

New TV season & other thoughts

Happy Wed. Noticed I haven't updated and didn't want to get another note from KIP. The weekend was nice, quiet. DS was with his Dad in SC so we were sad and couldn't bring ourselves to do anything exciting.

Sort of.

Actually, as much as we did miss the boy (soooooooooo glad to see him yesterday) there was FOOTBALL & Racing to keep us busy.

Speaking of Football....did you catch the BUCS on Sunday? I confess I left the room to watch the EMMYS (don't get me started on that mess....I needed mindless background noise as I wrote checks and paid bills). DH came into the room and told me to come look. He'd saved the OT kick for me to see. YEAH!!!

RAYS....wow too!! Having been a Braves fan for over 20+ years and a Red Socks fan by birth, it is great to see our local team do good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to drive across the bay unless someone gives me free tickets but...I'm very happy for them!

USF...won but apparently not by as much as people thought they should? Maybe they just didn't want to hurt the poor other teams feelings. They were "Opening" their new stadium (I think) so they probably didn't want to B**ch slap them to much.

NEW TV.................Just a few weeks ago my DH was complaining about nothing on TV and we were out of recorded shows. Now we can barely keep up with all the new stuff.

Get a life you say?

True that but....we do enjoy our little black box.

I mentioned FRINGE a couple weeks ago. Anyone jump on the bandwagon yet besides my niece? We DVR'd it last night because we wanted to check out the new show, "The Mentalist". As HUGE fans of PSYCH on another network my DH was feeling the new show was a rip off of his beloved Shawn & Gus. His verdict after watching last night, he liked it.

Don't tell anyone as we seem to have the effect of killing shows we like.

Don't even mention Studio 60 on the Sunset strip to my DH. He is still angry about that show going off the air. If you really want to piss him off, remind him that the other "60" show is still on & winning all sorts of Emmys. It wouldn't be pretty. (I know the show actually has a 30 in it-I was referring to it being about a tv show like Studio 60 was)

House is back and better than ever. We miss Wilson but enjoyed the new character last night, the Private eye. Could be an interesting side kick for Gregory.

Prison Break...still loving that show but good grief, give the guys a break.

Old Christine comes back on tonight. Love that.

Waiting impatiently for CSI Vegas & Ghost Whisperer. Thankfully we were really behind in watching the last season shows and just caught up last week. makes the time go really quickly when you do that..not as long to wait for the new season.

HEROS..............WOW...did you watch the preshow & then the 2 hour premier this week? SUPER DUPER. LOVE that show but really didn't like the professors skin pealing off. Could have done without seeing that.

Did I miss anything? What are you watching or waiting for?

Guess that's enough or now. Still saving money and doing the coupon thing. It really paid off last week as we were able to help out a loved one with a boat load of stuff.

Getting ready to be a vendor for several events. Need to print off some flyers and get my door prizes pulled together.

Till later............

Disney FREE on your birthday

I just found this on another site. Seems you can get into Disney World (or Land) free in 2009 on your birthday.

Sweet.

Til later.........

ALL YOU event

If you have jumped on the ALL YOU magazine bandwagon, check this out.

Looks like it could be lots of fun.

If you haven't subscribed yet, contact me. I can offer you 24 issues for $19.95 through my Southern Living at Home business.

You'll get coupons worth much more than that in your first issue.

Til later...........

Hoping to win

Quick post to share a give away over at a money saving site. I'm really hoping to win but if any of my peeps win as a result of seeing this here....don't forget the love!!


Check it out here.


The goody basket includes:

1 Orville Redenbacher Popcorn bowl (very nice bowl)
2 bags Orville Redenbacher Natural Lime & Salt Popcorn
2 Bags Orville Redenbacher Natural Buttery Salt and Cracked Black Pepper Popcorn
1 Coupon for a free box of Orville Redenbacher Natural Popcorn
1 $1 off coupon for Orville Redenbacher Natural Popcorn
1 Full Size Maybelline New York Colossoal Volumn' Express Mascara
1 Full Size Maybelline New York Mineral Power Lipstick
1 Sample of Maybelline New York Mineral Power Make-Up
All you have to do to be eligible is complete the form below. If you blog about this contest or post it somewhere else... there's a spot for that info too... you can get an extra chance for doing so.

The contest is open until midnight EST, Saturday 9/20/08. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and prize will be mailed from PPP.

Til later..............

Legal ****EDITED

Today my nephew turns 21. The only thing more depressing than that thought is it means my DD will be 21 in approximately 6 months. ARG!! I doubt my nephew reads my blog but his mother & grandmother do so hopefully they will pass the word. Being the awful AUNT I am, I failed to get a card in the mail and my budget hasn't alloted for a gift.

Unless he needs College Ruled spiral bound notebooks. Or Pens. I could hook him up with those items thanks to Targets 75% off sale.

Seriously, what else does a 21 year old, college student need?

Happy Birthday Code-Man!!!! Hope you have a blast on your big day. Head over to Smoothie King tomorrow and have a Coffee Smoothie on me. (Apparently they are giving them away until 10:30 am but he doesn't have to know that)

Til later..........

PS.....Is anyone else watching FRINGE? OMG....FREEKY!!!

*****EDITED.....just for the record, I KNOW when my daughters birthday is. I WAS there. I have the scars to prove it.

I just can't count.

In my defense I was feeling poorly yesterday and ended up going home from work.

My story-sticking to it.

How much did you save this weekend?

I have so many coupons to cut out that I didn't go shopping this weekend. I did have a CVS-ECB that was expiring on Saturday so I stopped and got $12 worth of products for $3- OOP. It helps when you use three coupons worth $2-3 each. My Walgreens Register Rewards expire on the 21st so I need to figure out my shopping for this week. Since it's off-pay week..I figure I can always use it to buy staples like Milk, Eggs- etc.

Great weekend for Football! Our USF Bulls gave us a thrilling game on Friday night. What a spectacular ending. So exciting. Our Buccaneers won. The Rays split their series with the Yankees and tonight start their showdown with Boston. YIKES.

After two weeks of it sitting on the TV stand, we finally watched Atonement. I'd heard it was a tear jerker so was not in the frame of mind to cry before this weekend. I wasn't in the mood to cry then either but felt emotionally stronger to handle it. Turns out I didn't cry at all. It was a good movie but I got more Angry than Sad. Guess I've cried enough over lost chances/wasted time in the last few years that I'm better able to stand seeing it on screen.

I was supposed to get together with my peeps and crop on Saturday night. I couldn't bring myself to leave my house and my DH. Sorry girls....I'll see you soon at the Y fundraiser.

Ok, I've posted. Kip sent me a note saying I needed to update. Didn't really have much to say but when Kip sends you a request...you must obey! HI KIPSTER!!!!!!

Speaking of things I need to do, I need to call my mother. I'm sure she has given up on me by now. I just haven't had the energy to do anything lately. I really need a long vacation with people waiting on me hand and foot. Maybe then I could get some spark back. Right now all I want to do is stay home and watch TV with my sweetheart. Ever feel like that?

Guess I'll check out the other Bloggers and see how the rest of the world is doing. Hopefully there will be good news from Ga. Love ya Jenna!

Til later.............

Do you remember?

How can we forget? So much has changed but so much is the same.

Thank you to our Service Men & Women. Firemen. Police.

Thank you.

Til later...........

Just Bunches

It's a hint of my next post.

No time right now so I'll have to leave you hanging.

Til later............

Ok...I decided to throw you a bone..LOL. Read my WALGREENS deals from today and it will warm you up for the official post.;


Diabetic meter $9.99
Manf. Q-$9.99 (I donate these to the Food Bank)

Scrubing Bubbles Shower Machine $19.99
Manf Q- $5
Rewards $10

Scrubbing Bubbles/Windex deal..Buy 7 get $10
Bought combo and used .75-$1 each Coupons on each item.

Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash $4.49
Rewards $4.49

Robitussin-$3.99 each
Buy 3 get $10 Rewards
Manf Q- $3 each x 3 boxes

Had rainchecks for 8 Glade Scented oil Units...BOGO
Used 8 Manf Q- BOGO=free (grand total of 16)

Had a little trouble with the Air Fresheners because I didn't give her the Rain checks until I gave her the coupons (who knew??) so she had to refund & re-ring them all. Then the machine spitting out the REWARD bucks ran out of paper or jammed. She called the manager over to fix it & he had to refund & re-ring all those items. While he was doing that I realized she hadn't given me the right credit on the Air fresheners and owed me $. YIKES.

Bottom Line:

Subtotal- $156.55
OOP on debit= $60.24 (tax 5.80)
Register Rewards $35.00
Cash back from screw up $20
September Rebate due on (free) Air fresheners) $4

So after all is said & done..OOP about $1

It took almost and hour between shopping and fixing the screw ups but when is the last time you made $150 in an hour? Never mind..maybe I don't want to know.

Later...............

HAPPY BIRTHDAY and other family matters

Happy official Birthday to my little sis. Hope you have a fabulous day and a great weekend with your friends. I'm sure they will take great care of you. (if someone offers you a JUST RITE Monogram stamp set..take it so I can borrow it..LOL)

Apparently I forgot an "anniversary" yesterday. 14 years ago my Father passed away after a short bout with Colon Cancer. This week has historically been a bad one for several members of my family. Guess that is why I block out as much as I can. My little sister had a bad car accident that same week 14 years ago. I had just found out I was expecting DS so it was a stressful, bittersweet time.

My darling niece in Georgia is having some stress right now too. Good thoughts headed her way. She really needs a break. LOVE YA!!

Really looking forward to the weekend. Not alot of plans except to rest and enjoy my two guys. Hope you all have a wonderful, safe couple of days. Hoping the weather doesn't do any harm to our friends & relatives in the "Cone of concern". Guess that could include us if Ike stays on course. Darn Hurricanes. Some places need rain but the wind...not so much.

Til later.......