Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Publix Deals

Just thought I would post a quicky on some deals that I will be going back for this week (I went already on Monday--didnt take a pic this week, but spent $28 and Saved $90ish). If you haven't seen on iheartpublix, there is a good deal for the Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer Starter priced somewhere around $7.99. If you have the One Stop, One store book (I got one Monday at Deerfoot in Trussville Publix) there is a $3 off store coupon, and then you can stack that with a $5 printable coupon, making it free :)
Southernsavers has a great matchup for the new green adv. flyer out (got one of those monday too)--check out the free Reach Floss, Midol, Prevacid, and Bayer--there are others too I think, but that is what I have in front of me printed or clipped ready for the store).
Lastly, I will leave you with a link for Heinz Vinegar printable, which is supposedly priced at $1, making it free after doubling :) We will be using this vinegar on Sat. night, as our family continues our tradition of making resurection cookies. If you have not heard of this, check out this link. We started doing this last year to try to incorporate ways to share the gospel with Sarah Kate in ways that children can really understand.
If anyone checking out my blog is interested in one of those $3 off Scrubbing Bubbles coupons (if you didn't get a booklet at your store), let me know, I have an extra I can share :)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Homemade Laundry Detergent

So Sarah Kate and I are hanging out this morning, while Michael is up at the church work day. I thought it would be a good day to try out this whole homemade laundry detergent. I had heard of this some time back, but got reintroduced to it talking with a friend while in Mississippi a couple of weeks ago. She sent me the link for this blog about how to make it. On her blog, I was able to find this website for a recipe to make the laundry detergent. A couple of days ago I headed to Walmart (I know, I really REALLY don't like that store and normally do not ever shop there) to get the things I would need to make it. After finally finding borax (on the laundry aisle) and having to call Kim to find the washing soda (PH-up, found in the swimming pool section--random, I know), we headed home. I must say, the hardest part was grating the soap bars, which I discovered in the midst of making, that if you are not using the felts soap stuff (I used soap bars instead, as it said on that blog) you need to use 2 soap bars (not 1/3 like the other stuff). That is a lot of grating!! So, now the bucket sits in my sink, as it must sit for 24 hours and then tadah! you have laundry detergent. Overall, you have to put out about $10 for the supplies to start, but these supplies will last for quite some time and make plenty more batches of soap.
I must say, I do love my ALL laundry detergent, and if I can get it for really cheap, I might still occasionally get some, but making it was so easy and quick! Maybe I am done with buying it, I will make my final decision after I was some clothes with it and see how that goes :)
Next, I plan to try making household cleaner (as found on my link to simplemom's blog on the right) and glass cleaner. Sarah Kate is definitely getting at the age where she is wanting to help when I clean, and I want to support that if she is interested. Therefore, I want to have cleaners that are safe for children and won't harm her!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Sarah Kate--21 months!


So I thought I would update on what my Sarah kate is up to these days. I thought this might be a good way to look back and remember what she was doin and this age, cause I am not good at writing these things down. I can't believe my baby will turn 2 this summer!

1. We love to feed ourselves and think we are too big for a highchair. She sits on her knees at the table and either uses a fork/spoon till she might give up and resort to using fingers :)

2. Talking up a storm! She is puting words together trying to make sentances: our first sentance (that mommy is calling a true sentance) "Daddy...fix it!" She is really trying to put words together and talk to us or tell us what she needs or wants. "Mommy get it", "Jesus loves you", "Happy Birthday", and lots more, those are just a few.

3. She is taking an interest in the potty, or at least beginning to. She likes to sit on it, but has yet to actually tee tee in it, we shall see when that big day comes. I am not trying to force potty training, she just sees it in the bathroom and likes to talk abou it :)

4. We are taking 1 nap a day now, which normally lasts 1 and 1/2 hours at least which is lovely for mommy :) She loves to rock before getting in her bed, but likes to get in still awake and tell me night night and "love you".

5. She is not much for riding in the cart at the grocery store or wherever we might be, she thinks she should be able to walk, which most of the time she stays right beside or close to me, so I let her down most of the time (what other choice do I have really :)). She likes to push the buggy down the aisle even though she cant see who she is pushing it into (we make lots of friends in the grocery store)

6. She loves everyone! She loves her family, but she can be anybodys friends if they will let her. She says hey and byebye to everyone we meet or just pass as we are walking along in the store or at the park. And she will talk to them and tell them all about whatever is going on in her little brain if they will listen (or even if they won't sometimes :)).

7. She loves to read! We went through quite a few books on our 2 recent roads trips to Miss. and MO. She can stay quite entertained if she has enough books. She loves for me to read to her, but she is pretty content to sit there and read them by herself too!

8. She loves water! She will pull the kitchen chair up to the sink when I am cooking and want to play in the water or watch me cook and wait for me to turn the sink on so she can splash in it. It will be fun to see her this summer get to play in the sprinkler and pool and everything :)

9. She is getting quite the sweet tooth. She loves "Icing!!!" as she says when she sees it. She knows to ask for icecream when we go to chic-fil-a. If she sees mommy or daddy eating a cookie or brownie she is at our feet in seconds saying " bite, please!!!" How can we refuse such a cute request?

10. Toys she loves to play with: sidewalk chalk, tea party table and tea set, coloring (more with pens than crayons), balls, movies (veggie tales, angelina, between the lions), babydolls(taking care of them with her highchair and feeding them).


So that is what little girl is up to these days! She is lots of fun and it is so fun to see her start to play with others and interact with her friends. We are loving this time with her and can't believe we are about to start planning her 2nd bday!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Paperless Kitchen==Frugal Idea!

So as I started couponing last year, I began to think of ways our family could cut expenses and lower our grocery budget. I decided to try to go paperless in our kitchen (meaning no paper towels or napkins). Sounds crazy, huh? Well, I loved it! I decided (from an idea found online=can't remember where) to pull out my cloth napkins, which I had plenty of from wedding presents and use those at meal times and cleaning up. I found that if I kept 2 baskets in my kitchen, one at the sink, and one under the sink, I have easy access to towels for cleaning up a dirty child's face from a meal, and access to towels used for cleaning the counters and table. It actually turned out to be pretty fun to have friends over and have them ask where the napkins were for dinner and I pulled out the "pretty" napkins. Overall, it really doesn't add any more loads of laundry, I add it to a load I am already doing. Savings have been great though! Just think, A roll of paper towels go for about $1 right? You go through 1 a week (if not more), plus the napkins, and that can really add up! And I have found that if I don't have them, I don't miss them. The same goes for paper plates and such, do you really need all that? Yes, there are certain parties that paper is just easier, but for my family, it is worth the few minutes to load the dishwasher to save the money. And, I will "buy" napkins or paper towels if they are free at the store, I just won't put out money for them any more :) When we are trying to squeeze our budget, this is something that really has helped us!
So, I encourage you, find things around your kitchen, maybe paper products, that you really don't have to have and see if you can go without it, even if you just give it a try, you might find it to be fun!
Whether we need to save some money or not, we are all called to be good stewards of the money God has blessed us with. When it boils down to it, it isn't really our money anyway.
Proverbs 3 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, ad he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."
So I encourage you this morning, search your heart (as I daily try to search mine) and see where in your life you can Honor the Lord. He will bless you! We are called to seek His face daily (or really each moment of our lives) and live out the gospel through all aspects of our lives!
Well, the little one awakes and we shall go get some breakfast, y'all have a lovely day, go outside--the sun is shining!! It's going to be a lovely day!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Diaper deal at CVS

Hey Yall! We had quite a morning going to CVS and Publix (and a side trip to TJMaxx)! We did good at Publix, esp. getting another $50 gas card, for $40! It's nice to save on gas occasionally! I got diapers at CVS and Publix today! We are stocked up on diapers now, if we weren't already! Publix had a coupon book out with some store $3 off coupons that I stacked with tthe awesome $3 Manu. Coupons found online lately--AND, on top of that I will mail my receipt in and get $10 back in a rebate--so total for 2 boxes will be $18 (or $9 each)! Today's pic, must be awarded to CVS though! Diapers are a great deal there this week if you are in need (we acually are no where near running out, but I will stock up when they are a deal like this!-esp. for Pampers) So here is the deal:
Pampers Jumbo packs: 8.97 X2
Get $3 ecb back and use $3 and $2 off manufacturer coupons
I also got Colgate toothpaste on sale $3.99- get $3.99 ecb's and used a $1 off coupon (making it a $1 moneymaker!) and Crest mouthwash $3.99-$2 man. coupon and got back $2 (making it free) and Dawn Hand Renewal soap .97 cents on sale-$1 coupon= free!
So, total with tax: 4.17 ( I had a $4 off $20 coupon and was rolling $12 bucks from last week)
AND, I got back $12 ecb's!
Good Week!!

Yummy Dessert!!

So, I got this idea from a friend, and took a spin on it last night. This came about from 2 different recipes, but of them yummy! The first recipe uses crescent rolls with a large marshmallow rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar rolled inside. They are cooked in a muffin pan (dab butter on top and some more cinnamon sugar if you would like :) Then, you make a powder sugar icing to go on top when it is done cooking (delicious). The other recipe, used crescent rolls (2 cans). The first can you roll out on a 9x13 pan. Then put cream cheese and sugar (mixed) in the middle and another can on rolls on top of that. Then, you butter the top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over the top and cook. So, last night, I was thinking about this recipe, and didn't have cream cheese, but did have a bag of small marshmallows. Here is what I came up with:


Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
roll out 1 can of crescent rolls.
coat marshmallows in butter, then cinnamon sugar and spread on top of rolls in pan
roll out 2nd can of rolls to cover marshmallows. Spread butter on top and cinnamon sugar.
cook about 20 minutes :)


I would show you an amazing pic, but here is what we have left of it this morning (after i had some for breakfast :)

Go make it, you won't be disappointed!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Home, Sweet Home!

Well, we are finally home! What a whirlwind the last couple weeks have been. We spent last weekend in Jackson, MS, and this week in St. Louis, MO. We had a great time as a fam on both trips and made some great memories, but I sure am happy to be in my bed tonight :) Here is a short list of fun things from our trip in st. louis:
1. Sarah Kate looking out of our window in our room and begging to go swing and play on the playground!--She got to play a lot on this trip, which she loved :)

2. The joys of having a nearly 2 year old in a car for 8 hours: here's how it would go:
"Mama, drink?"
"Mama, book?"
"Cracker, please"
and so on, and so forth. We got request every 30 seconds it seemed, but she was good overall, considering she is nearly 2 and was stuck in her seat--though, she did discover how to get her arms out of the straps on the way home. OH! and use her foot to reach the button to open her window--that was quite funny!

3. Sarah Kate's face when I let her try Root Beer at Fitz (a fun place we ate the first night there). Let's just say I think she will follow her daddy's footsteps and not like root beer :)

Overall, it was a wonderful trip! As we came home last night, we pulled up to a sale sign in our front yard. We don't know where the Lord is going to lead us, but we are excited to see what He has in store for our family. Now I will end with some pics from our trip!

Where we stayed on campus

Daddy and Sarah Kate at the arch


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Day at the zoo





Here's a quick pic of our time at the zoo :) Sarah Kate had so much fun, esp. when we got to see the monkeys! (her favorites!) More pictures will come later, just thought I would post a quicky! She also enjoyed the elephants, which there were 6 at this zoo, so she was amazed, and mommy and daddy had some fun too, we must admit! When we were leaving the elephants, I told her to say "bye-bye to the elephants" and she turned to the elephants and said in her sweet voice, "bye-bye, elephants" and then came running to us. It was quite sweet :)

Taking a closer look at the hippos and fishies :)




Friday, March 12, 2010

Publix Trip--3/12--Saved 71%!!!




This week we didn't really need anything, but I made a quick trip today to get some good freebies and diapers were a good deal too :) So, here's the breakdown:

Huggies: 19.99-3.00(publix in ad Q) and 2.00 (printable coupon)=$15
Old El Paso green chilis X4=$5.40-.55 (printable coupon) x4=$3.20
SunDown Vitamins x2=6.58-6.00 (green flyer) and 1.00 x2 (peelies)=+1.42 overage!!
Knox Gelatin: 1.39-4.00 (newspaper)=+2.61 overage!!
McCormick grinders x2: $3.00-$1 (printables)x2 and .55 Publix Q (booklet)=+.10 overage!!
Muir Glen tomato Sauce: $3.56-$1 (printable coupons)x4= +.44 overage!!
Cilantro: .89
Butterball Turkey Bacon: $1.40
Ground Chuck: 6.48- $1 fresh meat Q (Publix Baby Club)x2 and $2 off wyb Old El Paso x2=.48!!!
Greek Yogurt: 2.38-2.38 (try me free publix Q) and .30 (manu. Q)=+.60 overage!!
Land O Lakes Spread: $2.09-.50 coupon (newspaper)x2=.09
Flatouts: $1.45-$1 (Deli-Baby Club Q)=.45
Soft Scrub: $2.50- $1.50(newspaper) and $1 (target Q)=0.00!!

Grand Totals:

$15.33 (before tax)
$19.99 (after Tax)
Saved: $50.40!!

Good week to come in under budget, since we have been traveling and having to eat out some! To top things off, we get home and found this in our mailbox :) (of course, it was sealed up in a box, but I opened it right away, then took the pic)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sargento Cheese coupon

Just thought I would post a quick coupon for .40 cents off Sargento Cheese i found here.
Now hopefully it will go on sale soon! It will make for a great deal!

Publix Deals 3/10-3/17

Hey folks! Well we made it back from Jackson. We had an awesome time and were quite encouraged from the time there. Next, we are off the St. Louis. Please pray for Sarah Kate, she caught some sort of bug I guess while there and was throwing up yesterday (at lunch with a dean at the school) and on the way home yesterday afternoon. She is better acting so far this morning, but still hasn't eaten since Monday. She is drinking well and I hope to get some crackers down soon, when she wakes. Pray that Michael and I don't catch it, please.

On to other news, Publix has some descent deals this week that you can check out at iheartpublix or southernsavers (links on my sidebar). Since we have been out of town and will be out again soon, I won't be doing too much shopping, but I do plan to go get these two deals for sure:

Land o Lakes buttery spread:
b1g1 at $1.89 (not sure if this is the exact price, but should be close to that).
Use the 50 cent coupon from the 2/7 SS which will double--making it free, plus overage!!


Also there is a deal for $2 off ground meat (beef) when you buy 2 ole el paso products and $1 off 2 el paso products.


my plan:

buy 2 green chilis--1.35
1 lb. ground chuck-- 2.69
Use:
this 55 cent coupon for the chilis:http://http//bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=vi&tqnm=zaaqbxr832881&o=60559&ci=1&c=GM&p=TFWYe75d
Print 2 (per computer allowed)
I also have a $1 off fresh meat Publix coupon (baby club)
Total: 1.29

I am sure there are plenty more deals, but we are limited on time this week and I don't need too much. While you are there, check out the cereal aisle too! I saw peelies on some of the boxes (on the end cap) for $1 off betty crocker brownies--which would be good to hold on till those go back on sale! Esp. if you didn't get to stock up on them last time!

Lastly, I will close with a pic of my little princess :) This is the complete outfit I made for her that turned out perfect!!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Easy Sewing Project



So, I must admit I got this idea from the blog on my sidebar (rufflesandstuff.com). I did alter it slightly, but I love how it turned out! The idea was to take a shirt that might have gotten stained (which we have plenty of those to choose from since Sarah Kate is all about feeding herself these days and must use a utensil like we do) and covering it with a ruffle down the front of the shirt. Above is the original shirt, stained in the front. I then cut strips (2 inches wide or so) and twice the length of the shirt. I hemmed each side of the ruffles (I chose to do 3 ruffles) and did 2 long stitches along the middle of each and pulled them to make the ruffles the right length. Then I sewed them onto the shirt and thought it needed a little more, so then added a bow and button to complete it! I have already made matching pants for SK out of coordinating material and a ruffle with the same material as what I put on the shirt. I will try to take a pic of SK in it soon and post it, I am quite excited this turned out so cute and easy! Now we have a new shirt, not stained (yet, at least) with no real cost!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Swagbucks

So I thought I would share a way that I have learned how to make a few extra bucks to help by Michael's long list of books for his classes. SWAGBUCKS!!! It is simply a search engine, similar to yahoo or google, but you win "bucks" that you can cash in for some great things--we personally go for the amazon gift cards. I haven't been using this too long and have already cashed in for $30 to amazon. All for just using their search engine, instead of going to google or yahoo (or whatever else you might use). I have a link on the side of my blog, I am not quite sure how the whole referral thing works, but you can help me win bucks too. Then you get referrals and make more and we are all making some free money ;) So far I have no referrals, but would love to have some! Let me know if you have any questions, I would love for you to earn some amazon cards (or they even have paypal money!!!) Just think, if you start now, you can save your bucks and cash in for Christmas gifts!

Night, Night!!

Here we go!!

Well, I am gonna give this blog thing a whirl (again..) We shall see how it goes.
My plans for this blog:
keep family and friends up to date with our crazy life.
share coupon deals that I find around town.
share recipes that I am trying out.
share sewing ideas that I might try, or things I make for little miss Sarah Kate :)

I think this will be fun, we shall see! So far, I have found somewhat of what i think is a cute background thing, but other than that I have no clue how to set this thing up (or make it cuter).

Anyhow, follow if you like, if not, don't tell me, it will hurt my feelings! I do pray that this blog brings glory to God and honors Him. That is my ultimate goal. He has blessed me so much and I simply feel the need to share with others. God is so good to me and has given me so much more that my sinful self ever deserved.

Just to start things off, let's talk coupons (you know you will hear about this right :) At publix yesterday, I spent 8 and saved somewhere around 35! This trip included:
Boost Kid's Essentials for SK--these alone are$10
Tyson entree--$1 printable online and $2 publix coupon in a publix mag
King's hawaian rolls--peelie found on the tyson for free rolls
Tums--priced $1.99 and there is a $4 off 2 in newspaper (can't remember which right now--i can look it up later if anyone needs this :)
Quaker oatmeal--b1g1 with $1 coupon
Naked Juice--free with oatmeal coupon in same publix mag
Sundown Vitamin D X2--free with green adv. flyer coupon and peelies
Publix Cookies--penny item
Bird's Eye frozen veggies X2 --free with new yellow flyer and newspaper coupon

That's about it for now, Maybe i will get better at this, maybe not, but I think it will be fun! I will try to do better about matching up coupons so you know where to look to find them too---that is when i am not lazily laying in the bed waiting for the princess to rise and shine!

Hope yall have a great day!!