My 30 day detox.......

I watch the today show in the mornings. They are doing a 30-day detox. I'm going to join the bandwagon for a few reasons. One - they keep talking about it so I'm a follower. Two-cigarettes are expensive. I spend about $100/month on them. Three- I quit smoking before. Four - I'm going to use an ecig to help me stop (yes, the warnings on the box say it is not a stop smoking aid) The ecig seems to cost less than traditional cigarettes. I have some smokes for today. August 2nd is going to be my first "smoke free day". Wish me luck & let's hope the ecig works!

Post "Extreme Coupon" coupon shopping.

I was an "extreme couponer" before there was such a thing. I had two freezers in the basement (and the one attached to the fridge in the kitchen) and 4 or 5 shelving units. People would come to my house and leave with TONS of stuff.

We're not broke, but this couple of weeks are tight because of school fees, clothes, supplies, haircuts, etc. SO I dedicated this morning to coupon match-ups and what not. I did no where close to where I used to, but for someone who only had internet coupons and sale ads, I did OK.
Total to start $115.46
After coupons $85.43
Saved $30.30. which is good, but not great.
To sweeten the deal though, I earned $0.97/gallon (up to 20 gallons) in fuel rewards $19.40
Total after all discounts/fuel rewards $66.03
Almost 50% off! Yay!

Pictures of "the good 'ol days"

I Love UPS.......

I live in the middle of no where. I have amazon prime, I order as much as I can online. If I could order fresh groceries like so many others can, I would. I recently ordered from walmart.com for my kids school supplies. The way this stuff ships makes no sense. I had a box with 3 boxes of crayons (I paid $0.50 a box for the crayons) arrive via FedEx ground. Seems like a waste of free shipping. That's why so many people have to pay stupid high shipping. People like me place big orders then stores ship items in multiple packages. I know my UPS guy, his name is Marvin. He visits me at least 2-3 days a week. If I am expecting something good, I let him know. This man will be tipped well at Christmas!

I'm signed up for some ups program where I get email notifications of packages arriving. Sometimes I win stuff or get picked for free reviews and I don't know so I like to know if something is arriving.

Today I recieved an email that I would have a package delivered tomorrow. Before you look at the picture, take note, I live 20 minutes from Quincy, IL and yes, it says "destination scan".

Stupid Reporters - GAH!!

OK, I'm not the roller derby expert that knows everything, but I reffed for two seasons, played a little. A local reporter wrote up an article. I'm going to post bits, my parts are in red and corrections. :)

Unlike a regular game, or "bout," the scrimmage included six men and two girls. The men were either Iowa City clinicians or local men training to be referees.

A regulation game consists of two teams that each field 4 blockers and 1 jammer per jam. There are all womens, all mens, and co-ed teams. It depends on the rule set you are following. 

Prior to the actual scrimmage, the referee checked each player for foreign objects. He mostly disallowed ornamental pieces of metal that could accidentally injure someone if two players collided.
You left out, he was checking safety equipment.

 One player on each side, designated as the "jammer" and wearing a star on her helmet cover, is allowed to score by earning a point for each member of the opposing team that she passes on the rink.
It's called a track, and the jammer can also score on players that did not make it onto the track as well as players in the penalty box. 

The other players link up and form a "jam" to block the opposing jammer from passing them or to help their jammer advance. The teams play offense and defense simultaneously.

They form a pack, not a jam. 

Full article: http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/article/20140722/Opinion/140729842#ixzz38yEV2Cvi

24 hour Fire Phone Review

Amazon Fire Phone Review

**I paid full price ($200 with 2 year contract) I am NOT being compensated in any way!!

I'm not usually a pre-order phone type of person but this phone peaked my interest and I had the upgrade available on AT&T (the only carrier that provides service for this phone).

My initial thoughts on the phone::

• The phone works excellent! Call quality is great, ability to have service is great. I live in a dead zone, my Galaxy S4 frequently went off network for calls and texts. Never  mind attempting to get 4G data inside my house. 
• The apps are OK but lacking big time. I use Bank of America and the app is not available, even the kindle fire app for BOA is not available. Nor is the powerschool app that my kids school uses. I can do everything on the browser except deposit checks. I have an ipad so I can still use that to make the mobile deposits (which is good because BOA closed the physical locations closest to me).
• The picture/camera quality is great! The various settings for the camera are easy to find and use.
• There's no back button. This was driving me nuts. Then I realized, if I swipe up, it works as a back button. :)
• There's no notification light (or I haven't figured out how to turn it on). This is a pain trying to figure out if there's a reason to take the phone off sleep mode.
• You can change the volume for a set period of time (3 hours). This would be nice for those times when you just need turn the ringer off for a short time (dinner, movies, class).
• The mayday button is cool. I could not figure out how to delete unwanted text messages so I hit the mayday button. It's odd seeing the person you are talking to. Amazon claims they can't see you but I have a feeling they probably can. The man that I talked to was nice and helpful. He was "drawing"
  on my screen to walk me through everything. This is a nice feature to have.

Overall, I am happy with the phone for now. I figure I will either fall in love with it or hate it in a week. We'll see once the romance wears off. I'll post once I decide how I really feel about the phone. 

Thank you Keurig!

Good morning it is, in the land of Lima.

So, a few days ago I received and email from Keurig. I've been an owner for years. This email was along the lines of "email us if you'd like to help kids get clean water & you get a free brewer". Well, mine is old and not as fast as it once was (probably needs cleaned). I decided I would email back, sure, I'd host a small party with some friends, help out a charity, and get a new brewer.

So what would a person do with two brewers you may be asking, well, as it turns out we wanted a small coffee maker for the camper. These are not small, but for free, I will gladly put the old brewer in the camper and the new one will go in the house kitchen.

Low-and-behold - I got selected to host a #brewviewgive party!!

Bright and early (8am) Fed Ex Dropped this wonderful package on my doorstep! (There's still another package on the way with 5 (5 count) sample boxes of beverages that I selected. I don't know too much about this party that I'm supposed to host just yet, but I'm excited and happy. :)

Thank you Keurig!

NEW ARM & HAMMER™ Truly Radiant™

I receive products to try from time to time, this is one I received from Smiley360. I will be trying out & reviewing the toothbrush and toothpaste over the next week. In the mean time, click below to download your $.50 off coupon!

ARM & HAMMER™

Truly Radiant™ Toothpaste

There’s a lot of talk about teeth whitening these days, but a radiant smile is so much more than that. This revolutionary new toothpaste does much more than just whiten, it goes beyond the surface to strengthen, clean and repair tooth enamel for a radiant smile in just 5 days!*

• Whitens, strengthens and repairs tooth enamel
• Unique formula combines pure ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda, Active Calcium, Fluoride and Peroxide
• Clinically proven to beautify teeth
• Restores gloss and luster
• Removes stains better than the leading whitening toothpaste**

*Data on file.

** When used as directed for 5 days

ARM & HAMMER™ Spinbrush Truly Radiant™ Deep Clean Battery Toothbrush

Unlike ordinary brushes, our new Truly Radiant™ battery-powered toothbrush is designed to give you the brilliant whitening you want, and the deep cleaning you need for a beautiful, more radiant smile, guaranteed or your money back.

• Elongated all-access bristles
• Removes 100% more plaque*
• Removes 5X more hard-to-reach plaque*
• Dual-Action brush head
• Special bristles designed to whiten teeth
• Fraction of the cost of competitive rechargeable brushes

*vs. a manual toothbrush

Important Links:

Visit us on TrulyRadiant.com for special offers, product information and Truly Radiant Tips from Alison Sweeney!

“Like” us on Facebook for special offers, news and to let us know how you are living Truly Radiant!

YUMMY!!! Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins

JALAPENO CORNBREAD MUFFINS

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Yield10 muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon honey

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt.
• In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, sugar, eggs and honey. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. 
• I scoop out half the batter at this point. My youngest doesn't like spicy.
• Add jalapenos and cheese, and gently toss to combine.
• Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

NOTES

I only get 10 muffins because I fill my pans almost full.

I also do scoop half the mix out before adding jalapenos. You can add them earlier if your family enjoys spicy.

Adapted from http://damndelicious.net/

Staples Notebook Deal - NO Coupons needed!

OK, I'm not ready for school to start, I have no idea what's on the kids lists, but I do know every year we need these notebooks!

You can get 24 Notebooks for $4.34 (depending on tax) SHIPPED to your house! I know the notebooks normally go a little cheaper, but then I have to pay for gas to go into town (Right now it's about $5 each way for me to drive into Quincy).

Go to:

http://www.staples.com/Staples-1-Subject-Notebook-8-inch-x-10-1-2-inch/product_321463
Add 24 and checkout.. price will reduce to $4.08


If that doesn't work.
1. Go to staples.com
2. Click "order by item#" under search engine
3. Type in item # 321463 and quantity 24
4. Hit Add to cart

Ya, I totally did this......

I grew up living in a city of about 140,000 people. I was in girl scouts, did the camp thing a few times. My mom was not a camper. She dated a guy that had an RV, but that's as close to camping as she ever got. That being said, the woman loved to eat (Like weighing 350lbs loved to eat).

We were poor growing up so snacks were a treat. A bag of marshmallows could be used for umpteen things. One night mom decided to "roast" marshmallows on the stove top. It was a gas stove, so there was a flame.

I've burnt enough stuff in my life on my electric stove that I knew it put off heat beyond the glowing red.

I wanted roasted marshmallows, like BAD. I now live in the sticks and can build a fire whenever I want to. I didn't want to build a fire for a couple of marshmallows.

I roasted them over the glowing red of my electric stove top.

Totally worth it & a win in my book!

Help Me Win!

County Market is having a photo contest. Please help me win a gift card!

Follow THIS LINK
And vote for this picture!

You're paying how much to rent that?!?!?

WOW! Sometimes I am amazed at what people pay for things. I follow a few bloggers, one that centers around "real food" living. The family eats stuff my family would never eat, but I do get a few ideas from them.

She recently rented an RV/Motor home. They are paying $241/night to rent this RV. She's a big blogger and gets sponsored, I really hope the RV company is sponsoring some, if not all of the rental fee for her. Her trip is 4 weeks in the RV. 28 nights x $241 =  $6,748. For that amount, I could have bought my RV twice, with two full tanks of gas!

If she's sponsored, yea, I'm jealous. If she's not sponsored and paying, yea, I'm jealous. We live comfortably, my husband has a good job and a small business, and there's no way he could take a month of off work.

We also have pets, the dog would go with us, but I don't know about two cats and a dog in an RV. I don't think they have pets.

The dog, CJ loves to play in the morning. Unfortunately, I like to work in the morning and he's a little distracting.

RV Packing List

Watch out world - we're on the way....

So my last post was my complaining about how I was stuck at home. The powers that be were in work and read that post! A friend of ours from the TRJC (Two Rivers Jeep Club) decided to put his motor home up for sale on facebook. I saw the post and moved on. I mean really, this is what was posted:

Dave asked me about it at 8pm the night it was posted. We decided maybe we should get it. We'd save $300 twice a year when we go to the public events the club holds. We also miss out on the club dinners because we never have a place to shower. We also have a dog with high anxiety so boarding him really isn't an issue and it we OK, not horrid, not good, the last time we left him at home and had someone stop by to take care of him.  Besides, who wouldn't want to bring this cutie along!?!?

So, in the end, we decided to buy it. The inside needs some attention (it's just old/out dated) 

We almost made it home before it died. Really, the trip home was not fun. The RV had little gas so Dave needed to stop a little earlier than planned. I was following behind in the Jeep. Dave had the GPS, I thought nothing of it when he said for me to go ahead and stop in Quincy to pick up Chinese food for dinner. I have google maps on my phone.................but it doesn't work in B.F.E........I missed a turn and ended up lost. I finally made my way back to the highway and called Dave, he was 15 miles ahead of me on the highway. Guess I should have waited for him at the gas station. 

I was about 10 miles from Quincy when all hell broke loose with the weather, full blown panic attack while I was driving. I took an earlier exit off the highway just so I could safely drive slower. I went to our favorite Chinese take out place. Chatted with the delivery driver that was at my house once a week when we lived in town for a bit. It's sad, they are putting in a Panda Express in a parking lot right next to them. I promised the driver that I would never go there!

While I was waiting on the food, Dave called. The RV died at an intersection about 12 miles from the house. So I waited for the food to finish, and then headed up to him and the kids stuck on the road in the pouring rain.  Luckily I had jumper cables in my Jeep and RV started back up with a jump start. I don't know what's wrong with it but Dave thinks it's a loose connection some where and hopefully it will be a cheap easy fix. 

Right now the plan is for our maiden voyage to be in mid-July because there is a Jeep club run. Hopefully the bugs will be ironed out and all will be well. Today's plan is clean the house, garage, and catch-up on laundry. As soon as the house is back in order, the RV will get some TLC.

My Bucket List

I'm sitting alone in my living room on a Friday night. There's TONS going on within 30 min of where I live, but we're home because of a few reasons. My husband is a work-a-holic. He's busy working in the shop.

I'm looking at all the fun places people are posting pictures of on Facebook.

This has inspired my bucket list creation. I'm 34, a mom of two. Life can be taken away at any moment.

Here's my list of what I want to do before I die:

• Go to Las Vegas
• Go back to Mrytle Beach and gorge myself at Crabby Mikes
• Go to Mardi Gras
• Stay in the luxury suite of a fancy hotel
• Get good seats at professional baseball game
• Get good seats at a professional hockey game
• Go fishing until the sun sets, lay in the bed of a pick-up truck and stare at the stars
• Buy a professional camera just to take random pictures
• Visit my father's grave site
• Have my husband do something so romantic I cry (dinner with suppliers just doesn't cut it)
• Have a wedding/vow renewal and wear a HUGE wedding dress
• Go to a nice resort in Mexico or Jamaica
• Learn to cook (I mean like just one gourmet meal)
• Attend the Olympics
• Watch my kids graduate from college

R.I.P. Summer Library Program

For years, I took my kids to the Quincy Public Library summer reading program. It kept us busy 3-4 days 1-3 hours at a time. It was great! There would be a free movie with popcorn one afternoon, a craft on another, and Friday mornings always held some sort of live performance. I also carried hefty fines because, I'm terrible at returning books. Seriously, never lend me a book you want back! Had we stayed in Quincy, we may have been able to squeak one more year out of the program. But alas, we moved. The new town has a library smaller than the children's depart of Quincy's. The staff is great, if they don't have a book we want, they get it for us. They do have a reading program, but not near what Quincy has. It makes me sad. I do think the kids miss it (even if they won't admit so).

At Home Date Night

When you're a parent, you don't get many date nights. Sure, there are those women that seem to get a date night out and about every single week. I'm not one of those. My summer date nights at home usually start off with dinner on the patio. This week was started with a nice cob salad, then surf & turf (steak/lobster), with fresh from the garden brussels sprouts  for the main course. Desert with free this week! The lovely folks at influenster sent me a #voxbox a few days ago, and in it was a coupon for free a free Breyers Gelato. OMG! The vanilla caramel was AWESOME!! After dessert, we open up a bottle of wine, plug the playlist in, and relax. Usually the kids are in bed (or at least in their rooms) by 9. That leaves Dave and I time to just dink some wine, listen to music, and talk. Great date nights don't have to cost a lot, check out my pinboard for date night! Date Night Pinboard

This post was inspired by Breyers Gelato. I received a coupon for a free a free container from Influenster.

Looks like fun!

We're having a HUGE open house/BBQ in a few weeks. I found this idea online and I think the kids will love it!

found at http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/71/c9/f8/71c9f898eb457ef8794e81b822d8cb84.jpg

 Here are some other great ideas I found:

Take that! cravings!

I have a little diner about 7 miles down the road (closest place to eat out around here). They have strawberry pie on the glowing menu board every time we are there. Every time, we say we're going to order some. Either we get too full or the waitress is too slow and we never get the pie. I found an easy recipe on pinterest Here's the original link. I don't bake too often so rather than risk a crust, I cheated and did a store bought graham cracker crust.
The original recipe makes too much for the graham cracker crust.

Here's my version:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
3oz box strawberry jello
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 graham cracker pie crust

Bring the water, sugar, and corn starch to a slow boil while stirring. This magic thing happens and it goes from liquidy to goopy and translucent.
Remove from heat, stir in the jello mix.
Let it cool for a couple of minutes (I used this time to cut the fresh strawberries).

Pour a little of the red mixture into the bottom of the pie plate.
Add a layer of strawberries.
Repeat until the pie plate is full.
Refrigerate until set firm.
Eat with some cool-whip or whipped topping and YUMMY!!!!

I feel like an old frumpy mom today. Today I'm headed to Emma's school to help with the fun day. That means standing in the sun for the next six hours or so. I have loose/ill fitted khaki shorts and a "teacher tank top" (meaning one that I wore when I taught, so it's overly modest for a tank top). I just feel like blahhhhhhhhhhh.................

So today has been a great day! Today my youngest child (Emma) earned the privilege of a special field trip. The top 5 readers in her school all got to go swimming and eat lunch at Taco Bell. It was nice to have kids recognized for performing well academically.
Funny part is that the kids were treated to Jeep rides.......we own like 6 Jeeps right now. If you check out the Taboo Customs link on the right, you will see that I own a business making custom Jeep parts. My kid rides in a Jeep daily. BUT this was fun and special for her because she was with her friends and going to a cool place. Way to go Emma!

Today was also cool because when I arrived home I checked the mail. Expecting bills, no bills today! We had our Jeep Club event registrations, a rebate check from Menards, as well as a VoxBox from influentster. They sent me some goodies to use & review. Being that I open the mail all of 10 minutes ago, I have not had time to test the stuff out, but it looks cool! In the box there was a Neosporin Neo To Go, Coupon for a free Bryers Gelato Indulgences, Ivory Bar Soap, Avon Anew REvesalist Express Wrinkle Smoother, Puffs to go, and Shell Fuel Rewards Network Card.

June Menu

So, I HATE cooking but I love to eat and my family seems to want to be fed multiple times a day. June starts summer vacation for the kids, so while I save a little in not buying school lunches, I do have to spend more at the store and cooking more.........blah!

Breakfasts tend to stay the same for the summer, we keep with the basics. Cereal, waffles, toast, and eggs. Not all in one day, but just those foods rotated out.

Let's also get real, I can afford to grocery shop at the name brand stores, and I do from time to time because there are just some things that Aldi's does not carry. For the most part though, I shop at Aldi's.

I suggest you take a look at my June Meals board on pinterest. I have linked all the foods that require more than a basic "I know how to cook hotdogs".


JUNE Pintrest Board

CLICK the menu to make it a bigger picture!

I'm also kinda lazy/smart, I hate the time it takes to meal plan so I have google calendar and I put my meals into it. Then in the following year, I can look back and see what we ate. Here's June 2014 so far:

BIC® SOLEIL® GLOW™

So I get products to review/tryout from time to time. This time I was sent the Bic Soeil Glow razors. In the land of razors, I'm picky. This is because I started getting good razors free when I was doing the "extreme" couponing phase of my life. Since I've given up the "extreme" and what not, my good razors are gone. I'm talking about the $10 for razor, not the 10 razors for $1. This is a good middle of the road razor. It's WAY better than the cheap 10/$1, sadly, I can't tell you it's better than the $10 razors. The main reason it falls just short is that there is no moisturizing strip. So, how's the shave? you ask. I shaved Monday morning before I went into sub teach. Today is Thursday and I have some stubble, but not enough to complain about. It's a great razor for its price! The pivoting head helps the glide over legs and under arms. I'd buy them again, no questions asked!

From BzzAgent:

Let’s raise our razors to scoring a flawlessly smooth shave for less. Each BIC^® Soleil^® Glow^™disposable shaver is more than just the sum of its parts. But hey — those parts are pretty impressive, too:

• The COMFORT SHIELD^™ head evenly distributes pressure, effortlessly glides and helps protect your skin from irritation
• Three flexible blades individually adjust to all your curves for a flawlessly smooth shave
• A lubricating strip infused with Vitamin E and Aloe pampers and soothes your skin
• The pivoting head easily follows the contours of your body
• Each pack includes three beautiful, translucent handles: pastel pink, purple and green
• The rubber grip delivers added comfort and control

So My Knee Hates Me

I have been involved with roller derby for about a year and half. I joined a team as a skater, switched to reffing. I left that team, joined another as a ref and wanted to become a skater. Not too long ago, I felt a tear/pop in my knee. X-rays show nothing, up next is an MRI too tell me that I shouldn't be doing derby. This pretty much sucks! My knee hurts no matter what I do or don't do.

 

Media Request

Contact me for TV, Radio, or Print Interviews!

11/24/2010 

Local coupon queen staying away from Black Friday 

7/21/08                                                                11/20/08

(WGEM) -- New studies are showing an increase in coupon usage. There's no better place to find coupons than online! We've got a list below of great sites to find online coupons! 

 2/3/2010