1-26-11

Starting around 2pm
Tide will be giving away 5,000
Tide washing machine cleaner packets.
"like" them on Facebook.

-------------------------------------

If you sign up your Speedy Rewards card
on Speedway's web site
they sometimes send printable
coupons for freebies in their store.
This month it's a free
Enon Springs Sharp Water.

---------------------------


Helpful Hint
from Farmer's Almanac

If you drop an egg on the floor
cover it with salt so there will
be no slimy mess!

-------------------------------

9:30am

I am currently working on my
newest jelly bean cupcake.
Trying to get a couple things
done up ahead of time before
taking mom to the library
that way I can come home and
hopefully put it all together.

-----------------------------

12:30pm

Just got home.
Took mom to the library then
we went to Kroger after that.
Here's my deals I found:

2 pkgs diced onion $1.00 each
(will freeze)

1 pkg stir fry fresh veggies $1.49

1 pkg cauliflower $1.00

Sante Fe Chicken style salad $1.49

Large stuff style mushroom $1.69

3 pkgs pop corn chicken .99 cents
(not the healthiest choice
but if eaten in small portions
or mixed in with a meal won't be so bad)

6 boxes of organic macaroni & cheese
-these suckers were normally
$3.00 a box for your average sized box
of mac n cheese. I paid .50 cents each.
I couldn't of even imagined paying
$18 for 6 boxes of mac n cheese!!!
--------------------------------

12:50pm

Oh dear God I found out my
ex is wanting/trying to get a job where
me and my honey used to work, UV.
Let's see how well they remember
him and the chaos he caused when
I worked there.

Anything else want to go wrong for me?!
Just send it my way now so
I can get it all out of the way at once!

I think it's nap time!
---------------------------------

Christmas Candle Cupcake I made.




------------------------------------

5:00pm

I made up another cupcake
and left off the coconut.
This is the one I submitted
to Jelly Belly.
If anyone is wondering what I used
for the wreath ring around the "candle",
it is almond slivers that I died green
with food coloring to look like leaves.
.

---------------------------------

My honey got in his email
a printable coupon for a free dinner at Captain D's
for his birthday.
Can choose fish, chicken, shrimp or tilapia.

Be sure to sign up at all those restaurants
to get some freebies on your birthday.

This will be the third free dinner
from Captain D's in the last 2 weeks.
The other two freebie dinners
were from signing up at their website.

---------------------------------

7:40pm

I can't wait for Spring to get here.
I'm starting to get cabin fever.
Sure do miss those warm days
with the sun shining and windows open
with a warm breeze blowing through the house.

I've been sitting here thinking
about ways to make improvements to the house.
I found a quart of paint I had
that I got free from Glidden.
I got the paint awhile back to
do the bathroom with and found
a color that would go with the floor
that was in there.
I like it better than the recent sample
I got. Plus the recent sample I got
wasn't even a quart of paint or enough
paint to do the bathroom with.
So maybe in the near future I can
try to get motivated and paint the bathroom.
I've just been so tired here lately
and feel like I could sleep all day.
I'm so ready for a little sunshine.

Anyway here is the paint from
Glidden I picked out.
It's called Cyprus Grass.
I did a paint sample on a piece
of cardboard to see what it would look like.
I didn't like the color by the looks
in the can but once it dried it looked
pretty nice.

When choosing the free paint from
the internet I actually took my computer
into the bathroom and put it on
the floor next to the floor colors
to try and pick one of the many

colors they had to choose from that went with it, lol.

Here someone used this color in their laundry room.

And here is my bathroom floor along
with the Cyprus Grass wall color paint sample I did.

I don't know, I just need a project
to get me motivated and make
it more cheerful around here.
How hard could painting a bathroom
be being a small space, lol.

---------------------------

Christmas Candle Cupcake
can now be viewed on Jelly Belly
along with the directions to make it.
Somehow the photo came
out a little distorted.

1-25-11

7:25am

This is going to be a tiring day.
I woke up at 4am because
my belly was hurting.
Ya know there's not too much
going on, on tv at that hour which
sucked when you can't sleep.
Anyway I got some ibuprofen
and a couple Tums and it seemed
to take the edge off for me to fall asleep
a couple more hours.
I don't know what the belly ache
was all about but I sure hope it goes
away. I hadn't experienced one like this before.

-------------------------------

This morning I need to go
with mom to Sprint to activate
one of our backup cell phones.
Tony lost his and we have searched
high and low for it with no luck.
So there's another added expense
to throw on top of everything else.
But I give him lots of credit for
holding onto it this long. We've never
lost any of our phones before.
You look back at the days before
cell phones and we got by just fine.
And now it seems like we
can't live without them.
It only costs $20 for both of ours
so I can't complain. I know some people
who are paying a hundred to two
a month for just one phone.

-----------------------------------

Downy will be giving away
700 t-shirts at 4pm today.
Be sure to "like" them on Facebook first.

---------------------------------

FREE bag of New York Style snacks (9 oz or smaller – up to $3.99 value!)
You need to register first to
print your coupon.

----------------------

10:30am

Just returned from Sprint.
Good news, they didn't charge me
anything to switch the service
from one phone to the other!
Whew!

I also won a new battery on Ebay
for mom's cell phone today.
Her phone seems to be having
a hard time keeping a charge.
So we'll see if that fixes it.
Was only $4.35 with free shipping.
Sure beats the price of another phone!

-------------------------------

MAIL CALL

Free NeilMed Sinus Rinse

Free coupon for Yoplait yogurt

and another rebate from Pep Boys.

-----------------------

Today at noon
Suave is giving away a Suave Professionals.
"Like" them on Facebook first.

Also don't forget Clairol free hair
color at noon.
I still have two empty forms
for anyone if you want me to fill them
out for ya to get the freebie.

Olive Garden on Facebook.
Enter for your chance to win
one of 250 daily prizes.

--------------------------------

.55 cents printable coupon ($1.10 double)
for Hillshire cocktail weenies.

----------------------------------

3:30pm

I hate those days when you
have nothing planned for supper
and don't know what to fix.

I also need to work on getting
more cupcakes made so
I can get the creative juices flowing, lol.

---------------------------------------

4:35pm

Got 3 batches of different sized
cupcakes baking.
2 jumbo and 1 dozen each of regular and mini.
I know I've talked about some
ideas I've had with cupcakes
but I haven't had the time
to make any more up til now.

I also decided upon a simple supper:
Tomato Soup with
shredded cheddar cheese and
homemade wheat croutons on top.
Grilled cheese with
dill relish, Best Life Butter and wheat bread.

---------------------------

I thought this was funny.
Just saw it on Mad on Cartoon Network.
The Taylor Swiffer.


-------------------------------

7:10pm

Kendra-
If you have the plastic egg covers
over those 2.5 dozen medium eggs
from Kroger
and don't need them I could use them.
They make great cups to use when
painting things and mixing colors.
Here's mine I put to use tonight.
Ok, so it's not paint and it's
food coloring I'm using.
That's why I need more than
one. Edible and non edible paints.


Well I'm gonna go chill for a little bit
then get ready to watch the movie
Mean Girls 2 on ABC Family at 9pm.
Let's hope I can stay awake long enough
to watch it, lol.

----------------------------------

Well ain't this a cute idea for
cupcake wrappers.

----------------------------

This song was on Glee tonight :0)
It featured Carol Burnett.

1-24-11

8:35am

The house seems so quiet
with everyone gone off to school and work.
My honey just called.
It'll probably take him a bit to
get back into the swing of things at work.
Then he proceeds to tell me as
he was walking out of the office he
fell down on the sidewalk, twisting his
bad knee/leg underneath him
and then says he bumped his head as well.
At least another coworker saw him
and made sure he was ok.
So now I sit here and worry he
didn't injure himself any further.
He says he has a bit of a headache.
You would have thought someone
would have thrown some salt
down on the walks especially at the office!!

--------------------------

12:00pm

Woo Hoo I just snagged a couple
free hair colors from Clairol!
Got one for me and mom.
Go here before they run out
Clairol on Facebook.
I have a couple empty forms pulled
up for the offer if y'all want one let me know!

-----------------------------------

3:25pm

Breakfast: was cereal & gluten free bagel
with Best Life butter spread & jelly.

Lunch: Leftovers from yesterday.

Supper: Tuna & Noodles
-Box of mini penne pasta .50 cents

-2 pouches of tuna- Free
-can of cream of mushroom soup .39 cents

-Great Giant steamed brocolli .60 cents

Total cost: $1.49
served 8 @ .18 cents a serving

----------------------------


.75 cents ($1.50 double) printable coupon
for any 15 stick pack of Wrigley Extra Gum.

Buy 1 Diet Coke 20 ounce get 1 free.

They may have a CVS logo on them
but they are manufacture coupons
and you should be able to use them
anywhere as it does not state
you must use the coupon at CVS.

------------------------------

MAIL CALL

Today I received in the mail
a sample box of Aveda
Smooth Fusion shampoo, conditioner
and Style Prep smoother.

Kroger coupon book.
Has a coupon for free Kroger
diaper wipes.

------------------------

6:00pm

Along side of supper I worked on
a creation for the chocolate covered raisin
contest. I made a mini version of my recipe
for everyone to sample.
For starters, I am the only one
around here that likes raisins whether
chocolate covered or not.
While I cannot share the recipe
until I write it up and enter it,
I can say that all the samples where gone
within minutes! My family
gobbled them up, raisins and all!!
I can give you a hint, I love
chocolate combined with fruit flavors.

-------------------------

Buy 1 get 1 Nesquick printable coupon.
You have to "like" them on Facebook first
to get the coupon.

1-23-11

Last night we watched Heavy
on A&E.
If you need some inspiration
to eat healthier and want
to loose weight, that's the show to watch.

Seriously thinking about
getting a stationary bicycle, maybe even 2.
I'm sure I could find one on Freecycle.

Put one in the living room
and kids bedroom.
If anyone wants to play a game
system or watch tv, then they will
have to do it while riding the bicycle.

--------------------------

11:30am

Trying to rethink our priorities
between our wants and needs.
With a lessened income tax refund
we are now rethinking that new fridge
we wanted. May have to wait longer
for that and just dust off the older
one we've been using.
Now instead have been looking
at used power chairs for Tony
to get around better at events or shows
we go to. Just an idea though
to help him better get around
with nerve damage in his feet
and arthritis in his hips.

I would like to downsize a few
vehicles we have and put that
money in the bank.
Use some of that money for
any repairs needed for our
daily drivers. Since Tony's trip to
the hospital we have a Lexus sitting
on jack stands that hasn't been repaired completely.
Kind of at a stand still at the moment
since his trip to St. Anns.
Still needs tires, brakes, lug nuts
and whatever else to put it back together.

We were talking about enclosing the
car port that way he could do things
outside in any kind of weather.
BUT that would depend upon costs
to put sides and windows in it.
I want it to look like a sunroom/
garage. I need those sunroom
windows in it to be able to view the
backyard and kids.
To keep costs down we would have to
find the supplies cheap, free, or used so
it will take some time to search
for those materials at something
we could afford.
Like on Craigslist or Habitat.

If it's something that you want
and that can wait to be done, use that time
while waiting to buy supplies here
and there when you find
them for cheap instead of
having a financial burden of
buying the materials all at once.

I know everyone can dream up stuff.
So here is a visual of what I would like done.
I found a picture of a carport turned into
a sun room. I took that photo
and rearranged everything to look
like the garage area I want.
This shows 5 windows on the side
while ours would only have 3 and the door.
And I would like the added door
next to the garage door.
This is the original photo I tinkered with.

And my tinkering I did.


----------------------------------

3:30pm

Went to a couple thrift stores
in search of a stationary bike.
No luck with that but I did
find the boys some long
sleeve shirts. Something I didn't
get the other day when at the thrift store.
I got 5 shirts at .99 cents each
so $4.95 for all.
Plus $8.92 for 8 pairs of pants
from the other day.
Total cost for a new Winter wardrobe
for 2 kids $13.97.
Not too shabby!!
Believe me they needed some "new"
clothes between growth spurts,
stains and tears.

I also found a couple books
at the thrift store.

Mayo Clinic
The Essential Diabetes Guide
from 2008. To buy from a bookstore
would have cost $12 according to the
sticker on it. I paid .90 cents.

Better Homes & Gardens
Double sided book.
Christmas Treats &
Anytime Treats.
I paid .50 cents

I know, what am I doing buying
a cookbook on things that are not healthy.
Hey, I still have those contest
to think about with cookies!
Need to get inspired somewhere.

-----------------------------

After the thrift store we stopped in UDF.
Tony wanted a beer and kids wanted
something to drink.
And yes, that was a light beer
and those were diet pops.

Anyways that's not where I'm going
with this ridiculous story.

All four of us take our stuff up
to the counter to pay for it.
The cashier says, "sir, I'm gonna need
to see your ID" (for the beer),
then she says, "actually I'm gonna need
to see all of your IDs since you are buying
a beer and there are 4 of you purchasing
things in this transaction."
I'm thinking come on now, really,
do you think younger kids have IDs
and you really need to verify their ages!!
Tony says to the boys jokingly,
"maybe you should all go out to the
truck since you don't have ID's
so I can buy a beer."
And the cashier then says,
"I would prefer if you did because
I am not supposed to sell anyone
beer who has kids with them and I'm on camera."
I'm thinking to myself, that is crazy to say
that. Now I'm supposed to leave
my kids in the car by themselves,
she's lost her mind!
That's when I twerpt up and said,
"this is crazy, so I'm not supposed to
have kids with me to purchase beer.
Even in Kroger, do you think if you were
grocery shopping and purchased
some beer and groceries and had kids
in tow they would tell you they couldn't
sell you beer?!"
"Speedway sells beer all the time to
us with kids beside us."
"What about dining out at a restaurant
and you decided to have a glass of wine
or beer along side your meal and with your
kids, do you think they are gonna tell you,
you can't buy any alcohol because you
have your children with you."
She didn't say much after that.
Me and the kids went to the truck
while Tony purchase our things.
This was the most ridiculous
and crazy crap that I've heard in a long
time!!!

-------------------------

Today's lunch

1 leftover tilapia fillet with veggies,
chef salad and spaghettios for the kids.

I got 2 books from the library the
other day. They both were called,
This or That.
The books were about what foods you
should chose over others.
And in it, it said that while Spaghetios
did have a little higher sugar content
it had a full serving of vegetables,
1/3 less sodium, 1 gram of fat
and 7 essential nutrients.

SUPPER

baked pork chops

-Thinly sliced pork chops
6 chops for $2.68
-dipped in fat free ranch dressing .25 cents
-Then lightly breaded with
homemade wheat bread crumbs. - Free

frozen green giant corn .50 cents
with
I can't believe it's not butter with olive oil-Free
and Morton's lite salt .05 cents

and I'm not sure what else
at this moment

--------------------------

Well I need to start my laundry.
We all need to start getting back
to a normal week around here.
The kids had Monday off last week
for Martin Luther Kind day,
then had Friday off for a snow day.
Tony's been off work for the past 2 weeks.
So everything has been out of whack.

----------------------------

Anyone need lots of fabric?
The thrift store on Indianola
has HUGE bolts of fabric
for about $12.
And I don't mean one bolt of fabric
in this offer. They have about 5-7
HUGE bolts taped together for this price.
I don't mean like something you see
at JoAnn fabrics either.
These things stand as tall as myself!
And many to offer in a bin
in the furniture/bedding section.
Anyone doing Ebay would benefit from
selling this fabric as there are MANY
yards of fabric for this price.
Not cheap fabric either.
Most were a medium to heavy weight.

----------------------------------

KMART ASSIST PROGRAM

***UNEMPLOYED CUSTOMERS**

If you are unemployed you can get an additional 20% off over 1,500 regular-priced grocery and drugstore items for up to six months

Eligibility:Kmart customers who present state-issued identification (driver’s license or identification card) and a state-issued unemployment benefits enrollment confirmation are eligible to participate in the program (“Eligible Participants”). At checkout, cardholders will be required to show their valid discount card, their state-issued identification card for signature verification and their state-issued unemployment benefits enrollment verification. Valid signature verification is required to use the card.

---------------------------------------

Tonight at 8PM
Downy on facebook said they
were giving away free bedsheets!!

----------------------------------

Clairol is giving away 100,000 coupons for their Nice ‘N Easy Color Blend Foam. (This should be a coupon for a free box). This promo will be for Clairol’s Facebook Fans. This will run 1/24-1/27. Each day they will be giving away 25,000 coupons!

I don't have an exact time, only the days.

---------------------------------------

Dollar General is having a
.25 cents Christmas clearance sale
til January 31st.
See details HERE.

------------------------------------

Tomorrow at 2pm
Downy will be giving away
free t-shirts.

-----------------------------

I try to access Jelly Belly's
cupcake contest page and it's coming
up as a blank page.
Just wondering if it's my computer
or if it's the website.
Been trying for two days now.
Someone let me know please :0)

---------------------------



Has anyone tried a Tony Little's
Gazelle?
We were thinking about an
exercise bike but that only exercises
your legs or bottom area.
We was thinking of a simple, small machine that
worked the upper body as well.
I'm also wondering about
the impact it has in the knee area
when exercising.

1-22-11

Starburst candy printable coupon
.50 cents off 2 ($1.00 doubled)
Expires 2-20
Wait for them to go on sale
for .50 cents each and get them free.
Put back to use in Easter baskets!

-----------------------------

4:30pm

Supper

Chef's salad and Italian bread pepperoni pizza

Sweet Italian Bread .70 cents
topped with fat free ranch dressing .25 cents
24 slices pepperonis .50 cents
1 cup shredded casserole cheese $1.00

Chefs salad
bag of salad $1.50
pkg sliced honey turkey .59 cents
pkg sliced ham .59 cents
homemade croutons- Free
1 cup casserole cheese $1.00
4 medium hard boiled eggs .40 cents
fat free ranch dressing .25 cents
shredded carrots (leftover)- Free

Total cost: $6.53
Serves 4 slices of Italian bread pizza
and
about 8- 1 cup salads

Cost for 4 servings of pizza & 4 small salads for supper
and 4 servings of additional salad for lunch tomorrow
so 2 meals at a cost of .81 cents per person.

I know pizza is probably not the best healthy
food for ya. Having one slice along side
a salad I wouldn't think would be too bad
as opposed to eating about 4 slices
of pizza in one sitting.

You can't deprive yourself of food
that you love to eat. You'll only
crave them more. But when you eat
those foods in small amounts every once
in awhile then your craving goes away.

I am glad to announce that my
one son who wouldn't touch
salad with a ten foot pole actually
ate a half bowl of chef's salad tonight!!
And I actually told him all he
had to do was eat a couple bites
to try it!

I feel like I am making a little
progress of trying to get the kids to
eat foods that they say they do not like.
A little progress is better than no progress.

Columbus got about 4-5 inches of snow yesterday.
Christopher shoveled our walks again today.
Good exercise for him.


5:45pm

Sitting here watching
Scary Movie 4 on Commedy channel.
This movie is HILARIOUS!!

------------------------

I'm having a hard time trying
to understand our income taxes.
I guess I don't get why we're getting
back about $1400 less than last year.
(I calculated wrong the other day
thinking it was less but after looking
through paperwork this is the correct amount)
The pay was around the same only
a $158.00 increase from last year.
We also added in the $2000 prize money
I got. And the guy said we treat that money
just like it was earned money that it
has no special prize tax with it.
If that extra $2,000 caused the
difference of $1400 in our tax refund
it would be like I only got $600
as the prize if you look at it that way.

Would $2,000 make that much of
a difference in income to receive
about $1400 less than last years refund???
We don't claim any dependents (file single)
so they take out the greatest amount
in taxes each paycheck.

I don't understand taxes and that's
why I have someone else do it for us.
But for some reason this year something
doesn't seem right and that is why
I am questioning things right now.

Then the guy at H&R block says,
don't worry about city taxes, we won't
do those because more than likely
they took out the correct amount.
I spoke up then! While, like I said
I don't know much about taxes,
The IRS has come back to haunt
us years later to say we didn't
have the correct amount taken out
in city taxes and we had to pay that difference.
I flat out told him to double check
it just to make sure.

The guy at H&R block didn't seem
with it. It was someone we hadn't
dealt with before. Usually we've
been dealing with one lady there
for the past couple of years.
When he has to get up from the desk
and leave us sitting there to question
someone else about our taxes,
then that makes me start wondering.

So do we go back to this guy at
the end of February since he started
our taxes and is supposed to finish
them then. Or do we request the same
lady we've been dealing with for the
past couple of years?
I am seriously thinking about canceling
our appointment with the one guy!

---------------------------

Oh yeah, I wanted to say
I got good news today.
While I got the bill for the ambulance
ride yesterday that was almost
$700, today the insurance sent
a letter to cover most of that expense
except for about $58 give or take.
Lol, I can deal with that amount.
Heck that is less than what they
charged me for mileage to the hospital.

My head is hurting trying
to figure stuff out.
I'm still pondering over
that $1400 difference in our tax refund!!
That's a lot of money not to have.
I still hear the guy telling us
it was because of the extra $2000
that, that was the reason for it.
So if you make an extra $2000
they tax $1400 of it?????
AHHHHHHH I don't understand!!!!

Ok one more thing since I'm on a roll.
Why does last year's tax statement
include bank fees as part of what
we paid to have our taxes done.
We didn't get any rapid refund.
So are they charging us to have
a check deposited into our bank account.
If so this is ridiculous. This is our money
they owe us. Why charge us to give us
back our money that was loaned to
them in the first place by all tax payers.

Head's spinning so will head to
bed. I hate not being knowledgeable
in taxes.

1-21-11

No Columbus City schools today
due to snow and temperatures.
Wind chills could get to -10 today
with wind gusts.

--------------------------------


I saved a V8 tomato juice bottle
to make frozen fruit juice
from a can in. It's the perfect sized
bottle when it comes to ounces.
It's actually pretty looking once
the wrapper has been removed.
I let my frozen juice first thaw in the fridge.
Then use a liquid measuring cup
with a spout to be able to
pour it into the bottle.
The best juices to buy frozen in the cans
are ones that say 100% juice
like Old Orchard or even Juicy Juice
which I think are found in the isle
with other non frozen juices in the bottles.
There is a sugar content on those bottles/cans
but I think it is the natural sugar produced
by the fruits themselves and not
added refined sugar.
I've always had a hard time with
nutrition labels when it comes to
natural fruit sugar and regular sugar.
To help better explain the differences
go HERE to read more.

When reading a food label and seeing
the ingredients, they are listed in
order of the most used ingredient
to the least used.

When reading a nutrition label it can
be hard to figure out what has sugar in
it or not as manufacturer's use
different names for it.
If you see any of these in the ingredients
it means sugar:

• Agave nectar
• Brown sugar
• Cane crystals
• Cane sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Crystalline fructose
• Dextrose
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Glucose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Lactose
• Maltose
• Malt syrup
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Sucrose
• Sugar
• Syrup

A nutrition label usually shows
only one serving so be sure to read
how many servings that food item has
and times that by the amount on the food
label.
An example would be this:
I picked up a bottle of tea at Speedway
and saw that it had 25 grams of sugar.
Then I saw it had 4 servings.
4 x's 25 is 100 grams of sugar
for someone drinking that entire bottle!!

FAT

Fat has 9 Calories per gram,
and protein and carbohydrate have 4 Calories per gram.

FIBER

You think you're eating good choosing
breads that say wheat on them.
Not good! Most all breads are made from wheat.
In order for it to be healthy
for you it must say Whole Grains!!
To make white bread, the wheat
goes through a "bleaching" process
to remove the coloring.
Unbleached flour can give the coloring
of wheat bread.
So make sure your food items
say WHOLE GRAINS or
MULTIGRAIN.

-----------------------------

9:40am

We might go brave the cold and snow
today to get our taxes done.
Put the truck into 4x4 and do it.

Most employers send out the tax
info January 31st. So by doing it during
the week and before then, maybe
the wait won't be so bad.
We do have an appointment made from
last year for the end of February
but think we will cancel that and
try to do a walk in instead
and get it done and out of the way.

We used to do a rapid refund which
can be quite costly! But those were
the days where we were broker than broke
and needed the money yesterday.
We haven't been doing it to save money.
Plus by doing taxes now instead of
a month from now, we can get our return
back sooner and start working
on paying off hospital bills!!

We were hoping there was school today
so we wouldn't have to take kids
with us to H&R Block.
We'll just have to grin and bear it
as usual. I usually tell the kids to
bring a tote along of things they
can do. Also put in the tote something
to drink and a snack for them or
they'll drive you nuts saying they are
hungry or thirsty while waiting!!

Well I need to go round up all
the paperwork to take with us.
To keep all tax records in one place
I put them in one of those accordian
file keepers so I don't loose them
and label the front taxes.
I put them in chronological order
and take the whole folder with us
should they have any questions.
Plus it has all the information from
last year that they can use.

-------------------------------

3:15pm

Just returned from having our taxes
almost, notice the word almost.
Come to find out we can't get them
done til middle to the end of February
due to the loan we got with the house.
Kinda sucks and wish someone
would have told us this ahead of time
with all the waiting we did today.
Well at least most of our paperwork
is done. So have to wait
more than a month from now
to get the paperwork submitted.
Then another week to two
for money. So that really sucks!
And because Tony made $2,000 more
this year meant that we got $1,100 to $1,200
less back which also sucks.
That's a first because we usually
get back a little more each year.
Kind of bummed at the moment
but what can ya do.
I did have an idea to try to make up
for that amount but not quite sure how
much it would help out.
We donate allot of items each year
and what I would need to do is start
keeping track of it all and it's value.
Sometimes meaning keeping a book
of each item, value and a photo.
So maybe I should start doing that
this year as well since I am still weeding
out the basement getting rid of things.
Kind of a pain in the rear but
may actually be helpful in the end.

And you would need to donate
to a place like a thrift store, Kidney Foundation
and places of the sort where they
give you receipts.

Once through the door when we returned
home I got the fish fillets in the crock.
This isn't a recipe I found, just
something I threw together that sounded good.
Put a little teriyaki marinade on
a sheet of aluminum foil.
Put more marinade on top of fillet
and sprinkled with Mrs. Dash seasoning.
Topped with green giant teriyaki veggies.
Wrapped everything up with
the aluminum foil.
Placed over top some
crushed up cans in the bottom
crock and a little water.
Set it on high and will let it
cook for a couple hours til supper time.



---------------------------------

I am reading, actually browsing,
my first digital book,
Atkins Diabetes Revolution.
Got an email yesterday saying
it was ready for download.
I had the option to check it out for
1 or 2 weeks.
It's just like looking through a book
with all photos included.

------------------------------

Just browsing through Meijers
sales ads for next week.
Don't have any coupon matchups
but will tell ya about any sales
deals I see.

Grapes .99 cents a pound

Meijer dozen large eggs $1.19

Meijer chunk or shredded cheese $1.67

Meijer chicken or beef broth
or condensed soups .50 cents each

Meijers pretzels or microwave popcorn
.99 cents each

Meijers Tortillas .99 cents

Meijer dressings .99 cents

Meijer Oatmeal .99 cents

Bagged or canned dry beans or peas
.99 cents each

Meijers steamable or regular
bagged frozen veggies
.99 cents

Meijer whole grain pasta
.99 cents

Meijers Natural applesauce 4 pack
sweetened or unsweetened
.99 cents

Meijer canned pineapple or mandarin oranges
.99 cents

Meijers bagged frozen fruit
$2.50

Meijer string or parmesan cheese
$2.50

Meijer yogurt .40 cents each

Buy 2 Ocean Spray 64 ounce grapefruit juice
2 for $4.00
get a free 5 pound bag of grapefruit

Organic broccoli
$1.67 each

3 pound bag of apples $2.50

Meijer dish soap 25 ounce
buy 1 get 1 free

Meijer High perfomance 2x's
50 ounce liquid laundry soap
buy 1 get 1 free

--------------------------------

Oh I almost forgot to add this from
earlier today.

You all know that our tax prepration didn't go
well and we should of took the bad sign
we got right before arriving there.

Out of thousands of places to stop
and grab a bite to eat around Columbus
we decided to get a quick bite of the
value menu at Burger King.
I know, not good for the diet.
Got our food, eating away taking
a moment to relax, sitting by the window
watching the world go by.
See this black Dodge pickup with lights
on top pull up
into the parking lot and felt a sudden
urge to puke.
It's my ex and he pulls in next to
our truck and has another guy with him.
We were in the atrium part of the
dining area and are not seen
from the rest of the restraunt.
We see him come in and head to
the bathroom.
We grabbed our remaining food
and darted out of the place before
he saw us.
What's odd about this.
He lives on the South end of
Columbus and we are up North and
stopped in a Clintonville Burger King.

-----------------------

Preview of some sales for
Walgreens next week.

64 ounce Walgreens 100% apple juice $1.50

Chicken of the sea tuna or sardines
.69 cents limit 3 with walgreens coupon

Jello .50 cents each with
Walgreens coupon
limit 4
.55 cents off 3 Jello
makes it .95 cents for 3 or .31 cents each

Anyone doing the chocolate covered
raisin contest:
Walgreens chocolate covered raisins
Buy 1 at $2.99 get 1 free
13-16 ounce

Buy 1 get 1 free Hanes
socks, underwear or undershirts

Stayfree $1.99
use the buy 1 get 1 free printable coupons
I don't remember where from
but it was recent.

---------------------------------

6:55pm

Supper turned out really good!
All 4 food groups and nutritious for you.
Had a side of fettucini alfredo with the fish
and veggies.


--------------------------

I just got the ambulance bill
for my trip to the hospital in November.
Anyone care to guess how much
it is to ride in an ambulance?
I think next time I'll crawl!
My insurance hasn't covered
any of it so far, so need to be making
a phone call Monday to them about it.
It says they submitted it to the insurance
but obviously they haven't heard back from them.
Anyway it was almost $700!!
And the best part, they included
$70 in there for mileage for
about 4 miles to the hospital.
Kinda makes me feel like I rented
an expensive U-Haul to go to the hospital
at that rate.
So if the insurance doesn't cover
the ambulance I'm gonna have
double that in hospital bills for myself alone,
not including Tony's stay recently
for almost 4 days.
And like I said earlier, we're being shorted
about $1200 on our tax return compared
to last year.
This will be interesting is all I gotta say.

Time to go work on more ideas
for the cupcake contest!!!

------------------------------

.

Remember me telling you the deal
I got on the battery operated Spinbrush toothbrushes.
I stocked up on about 6-8 of them.
I came up with this great idea of a
use for one of the extra ones I had.
I now use it for my face.
I use it to exfoliate the dead skin
and to cleanse my face.
Sometimes I just run it across
my face to massage (and help tighten- ha ha) my skin.
I get a lot of dry skin in the Winter
and this is helping a lot!
So I just wanted to pass on a
new use for those battery operated toothbrushes.
Sure is much cheaper than
purchasing a Nutri Sonic Face Brush
that runs $90 to $100!!

1-20-11

9:25am

Threw my leftover ham with
bone in the crockpot
with a can of Campbell's Select Harvest
Chicken Vegetable Medley.

1.5 grams fat
sugar 4 grams
protein 7 grams
cholesterol 10mg
sodium 480 mg

Later on I'll make up some
mini piccolini pasta, carrots
and cubed potatoes to throw
into the soup as well.

Barilla Mini Piccolini Ziti Pasta
1 gram fat
0 cholesterol
0 sodium
sugar 1 gram
protein 7 grams

--------------------

Went to the library today.
Got a bunch of books on
South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet
and recipe books on those as well.
Also got some more cupcake books
to get ideas for the contest.
I also found books on
energy efficiency- things
to do around your home to save money.
How to conduct your own
energy audit.

Had to stop in Kroger
and get some milk.
I found a large package of about
6-8 tilapia fish fillets
for $5.29
was almost $10.
I think fish is a excellent
food to add to any diet
whether it's canned tuna, salmon or frozen
and fresh fillets. I'm not talking
about breaded fish fillets or fish
sticks as those are bad for you.

-------------------

We have been without running water
since earlier this morning.
I think the city is working on a
water main break down the street
and shut off the water in the area.
My concern was the toilet.
Don't flush, pee is fine to a point
until it starts stinking.
If you have to do #2 then flush.
Then I will go outside
and collect snow in a metal bowl
and put it on the register to melt
to put in the toilet.
If need be I have about 20 or so
recycled Sunny D bottles filled
with water in the basement
to use for emergency water!
Always be prepared!
We don't know when this water
will be turned back on or if it
will have to be boiled for awhile
when it does.
Because of thinking ahead I won't
have to run to the store and buy water.

---------------------------------------

4:10pm



Got my ham deboned and shredded up,
carrots & potatoes diced up and boiling
and macaroni boiling.
I used about 2 cups of V8 juice
I had leftover in the fridge
and put it in the soup also.

Now after seeing the above photos,
doesn't a big bowl of veggie, pasta and ham
soup sound good, full of vitamins
to ward off those evil viruses.

I didn't get my tilapia fish made
yesterday as planned.
I discovered we had enough
leftovers from previous nights
to use for supper instead.
Didn't want anything to go to waste!

----------------------------

Tony's birthday is coming up near
the end of the month.
I usually make him a sugar free cake.
I found a .50 cent printable coupon
for any Pillsbury sugar free
brownies, frosting or cake mix.
(doubled to $1.00)
Print 2 and you could save on
a cake mix and frosting for
a diabetic's birthday.
I've never tried the sugar free frosting,
actually never knew about it.
Wonder how they make it
sugar free? Do they make
sugar free powdered sugar or what?
You have to watch when you buy
sugar free cakes, cookies, candy
to not eat too much of it at once.
The sugar free stuff they use in these
products can act like a laxative!!
And even though the frosting is
sugar free still doesn't mean it's
good for you. It has saturated and
trans fat in it since it's made with
hydrogentated oils.

--------------------------

6:00pm

I found this deal on hip2save's site.
I might see if Tony will go to Target
tomorrow to see if we can find any
marked down boys stuff.
I printed out 2 of each of the coupons
Target had for
$5.00 off $9.99 or higher Shaun White
boys apparel
and
$5.00 off Shaun White shoes.
I always check prices of things
with in store scanners.
Don't know if Target has them or not,
if not ask someone for a price check!

Anyways here's what I saw on hip2save.

Target has begun putting their boys Shaun White sneakers on clearance, bringing the price down from $27.99 a pair to between $13.98 and $7 a pair (depending on if your store has them at 50% or 75% off). If you combine the clearance price with the $5 off Shaun White Shoes coupon on the Targets site, you can score a pair of shoes for as little as $2!

Here is a pic of the shoe and price tag. The price tag on the pair I bought shows as $13.98, but at the register it rang up $7 which is 75% off, used the $5 off coupon and paid $2!! I went back a bit later with another coupon and scored another pair for $2 as well. It’s only the boy’s sizes that are on sale – sizes 7 and up are still regular price.

---------------------------

I have been working on
an idea for my next cupcake.
Hint: