Going Natural...Well Kinda!

Natural family

2010-02-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here is my web page! Please checkit out. I will be switching over to there with my blogs!!!

Family

2010-02-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

I think today is a day of reflection. Aday to look back and remember to be blessed for what we have.

DEALS DEALS DEALS!!!

2010-02-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

Ok now is the time to order!!! Vistaprint has free products and free shipping. SO HURRY!!!!

http://www.vistaprint.com/

Rite Aid 2/21/2010

2010-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

RITE AID

Snicker bars .88 cents B1G1 for a .01
Use .50 coupon in sundays paper= .38 for two

Batteries are B1G1 for a .01
Use coupons from P&G last month and I think there is one in this month. Must be 6pk or larger. 5.99 each - 1.00 coupon per package = 10.00

Walgreens

Charman is 4.99
Use 1.00 coupon to make it 3.99

Cover Girl is B1G1 50% off
use coupons from last months paper
1.00 off each product or the 2.50 off 2 products

My favorite party ideas.

2010-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

In four months we will be having our wedding reception. I though that you might like ideas on how to have a reception/wedding on a budget.

1. CALL AROUND! I can't stress this enough.
2. Use an outdoor public park for the wedding. Most parks are under $75.00 ( I rented it for $25 for four hours).
3. Rent a hall that doesn't require that you cater your event. Knights of Columbus haves are great. (our hall will hold 700 people and we have it until 2am) We paid $1400.00 with full use of the kitchen and bar.
4. I have asked if people would be willing to help with the cooking. We are having a summer fun reception so we are having a nacho bar for the kids and sloppy joes and spagetti.
5. Check your local stores. My local Kroger is giving me a discount because I will be ordering my flowers, meat, veggies, and fruit from them.
6. I had my dress made so that saved me a $1000.00 dollars.
7. I bargined with the woman that married us so I ended up only paying $50.00 (she charges 200 normally)
8. I am doing a papmered chef party for the bridal party for me. This way those want to by gifts can. Other than that we are asking for cash and gift cards to finish up the house.
9. You can buy cakes at your local sams that are beauiful.

This is just soe of what I have come accross. I will let you know know as I go.

Laundry soap

2010-02-17T03:26:00.000-08:00

I have ha a lot of people ask me about a laundry soap recipe so here it is. Feel free to let me know if you have questions or ways to make it better!!
1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Arm and hammer washing soda

1 bar Ivory soap ( watch for coupons in your Sunday paper)

Hot Water about a gallon plus 8 cups

First, I use the 8 cups of water in a big stock pot. I then cut the bar of soap up into little pieces and add to water. Heat until all soap is melted. Then add the Borax and Arm and Hammer. Stir until until mixed together and the products melt a bit. I then use a kitchen sized garbage can to put it in. I then add the res of water and mix. Let set overnight. It will look like a thick blob. In the morning I will stir it again.

Use a 1/2 per load and you can add any stain releasers or natural oils (add this to your laundry mixture). You can also add 1/2 cup vinager as fabric softner in pace of using dryer sheets.

Crazy 8

2010-02-17T02:13:00.000-08:00

If you are a HUGE Gymboree fan but not lovng the prices then check out www.CRAZY8.com they are owned by Gymboree but they cost about half the price!!!

THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE.

2010-02-13T16:58:00.002-08:00

The year was 1937, a bleak and dreary winter. There wasn't any work for my father, who tried to farm that year. The cotton had dried up in the bole, and couldn't be picked, the old farm was just worn out. Every one was in the same circumstance. There was a large family of us, my two older brothers had left home by then.

Christmas time came and my mom worried so about the two younger children, as they still looked for Santa's visit. So to make the rest of us feel better, we all went out along the old HedgeApple fence row where we gathered up fire wood to heat the old house, we looked until we found this little evergreen tree, which was very rare in that part of the country. We dug it up and carried it to the house where we found an old bucket that we filled with sand and planted the little tree. It was put on my mothers old treddle sewing machine in front of the window.
We soon realized there was nothing to decorate it with. So out we kids went along the gravel road and gathered up empty cigerette packets and took the foil out, from which we made icecicles. We were so poor that there wasn't even popcorn to string for it. We did finish triming it with little things made from art paper at school. To us it was such a beautiful tree and it couldn't have been more than a foot tall. When Christmas morning came Santa had some how managed to bring our little sister a small rubber doll and our little brother a miniature red wagon. We were all so happy for them. Mom had saved enough sugar to make taffy and she let us help pull it. Our neighbors brought us oranges that were put in our stockings. This was a great treat for five children that didn't think there would be any Christmas at all.

From "My Christmas never to be forgotten"

Written By: Ola Naomi Rudd

I love this story which was written by my grandmother. She was always writing stories about her childhood. But what I love the most it the point the story makes. Although they didn't have much, they still had great memories. They didn't need lots of things just each other.

Pass the love around not the gifts!!!!

Sharing is a reward.

2010-02-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Checking out at my local Meijers today I ran into an old friend. I haven't seen her since high school. It was great being able to catch up and we realized that one of her family members is a teacher helper in my daughters class. All I hear about form my daughter is how great she is!! lol As we started talking, we started to exchange ideas on where to get great produce. I then told her that she is welcome to come and get some of my apples to can. Now I am thinking that maybe i could give her a lot of apples in exchange having her can some for me also. I think that this is a great idea for those who are not sure how to can but have the fruit. So I am asking everyone out there to do this one thing~ this week share with a friend or neighbor. If you can shovel a driveway in exchange for a can of fruit or veggies you need then all works out great!!!

Pictures

2010-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of people ask to see some of my parents crafts/paintings that they do. So I am going to post them. All the things posted are for sale until otherwise noted. If you are interested then please email me at codypower@comcast.net

OOPS! OK well the pictures will not upload right now so I will have to do them a little later. Please stay with me and I will post them as soon as I can.

FOOD~ I LOVE IT!!

2010-02-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

Pizza~ one of my favorite foods but my mom would laugh if she heard that. While we were growing up pizza was a twice a week food. Almost every Thursday or Friday we would head over to Fenton Rd to the Little Ceaser's Pizza House. I remember thinking that, when I get older I would never eat it again. Oh well I guess I fibbed! LOL. I am actually making pizza for dinner, well stromboli but close enough. I have found that when I make it from scratch I enjoy it more. So off I went to the kitchen and whipped up some dough. I thought with this in mind that I would post a recipe that I like.

You will need~

Kitchen Aid mixer or eletric hand mixer ( any eletric mixer :) )
31/4 cups flour ( i like to use 2 1/4 cups wheat and 1 cup white)
2 tablespoons olive oil (you can use veg oil but olive oil has more flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 packet rapid rise yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoon rapid bread machine yeast.
1 cup warm water

First mix 1 1/4 cup flour, yeast, and salt. Mix with fork just until blended. Second, add water and mix with mixer on low until blended. Slowly add flour until all is used. You may need to add more water because you will want the dough to be where you can roll it into a ball and it doesn't stick. Put in a bowl and cover with towel for 10 minutes. Then, roll out with rolling pin and make you pizza. Make sure to spray pan so pizza doesn't stick. If you have a pizza sone then just sprinkle with corn meal instead. Cook at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes!!

Crafts for kids

2010-02-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

I am always trying to find fun ideas for the kids. We love to do crafts but are always looking for new ideas. Well I thought I would post one of our favorites!

What you will need~

About 10 baby food jars ( ask friends to save them for you or you can use mason jars)
Art paint that can be used on glass (you may need a sealer depending on the paint you use)
paint brushes
candles (small tea light candles for baby food jars and may use a bigger candle for mason jars)

Take the jars and paint away. You can paint them all one color or paint designs, etc.
Place a candle in the jar after the paint dries.
They make great table decorations for parties or just to brighten up a table. They also make great gifts for the kids to give.

If you want you could use on fourth of July. Use red. white, and blue paint. Paint on some stars and stripes and they are good to go.

I love this craft because if you are having a party you can then decorate cupcakes in the colors you used on the candles!!!

Idea for summer~ number two!

2010-02-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well I hated the mosquitos that we had last year so I decided that this year we are making bat houses! They will take care of the bugs and we can enjoy the outdoors in piece. I will place them around the backyard on huge posts. For those of you who have not made it to Austin, Tx to see the bats well this could be an alternative. I remember the first time I saw the show. I kept thinking what is the the big deal then......whoosh......the sky turned dark with loads of bats out for the night. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen well next to childbirth. lol It was a beautiful show. I suggest that if you ever get a chance then mosey on down there to check it out!

I also need to trim my apple trees! I am not sure when you are supposed to do this and how. I would love to hear ideas. I know it sounds like I have tons of things going on but it is just my list from last year that didn't get finished. We do a lot of canning so the trees need to be lower and produce a higher yield so that I can make pies and apple sauce!! My pear trees are fine but I need to find an organic spray to keep the pesty bugs off!!!

Now if you have a garden and have problems with the animals taking off with your produce....well I have been told that a great way to fix this is to use pie pans.

What you will need~

four posts (for each corner of the garden)
8 pie pans
a bag of popcorn unpopped
twisty ties or pipe cleaners
a hole punch
heavy fish line

Take pie pans and punch matching holes around the pans (so you can tie them back together)
fill with a 1/2 of popcorn and then put the two pie pans together (the bottoms should face out on both sides)
use the twisty ties to tie the pie pans together so that the popcorn does not fall out.
Tie fishing line through one of the holes
make string long enough so that you can attach it to the poles.

Now I haven't used this idea yet but we are trying it out this year. I also know that merrigolds planted in between the veggie rows is supposed to deter animals!!

Do you have a great summer idea? How about a craft? We are always looking for great ideas!!!

Ideas for summer~

2010-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know I am thinking ahead but......It is really good to be prepared. Now is the time to really start thinking about your garden. What do you want to plant? How much space do you have to work with? I start planning now so that I can start drawing up plans, picking out seeds and start growing them so I have great seedlings so that they are ready to plant. I also need to plan a place for my composting so that I can keep it going. During the winter I put my compost right on my garden. For those who live in small spaces a contained compost is a great idea! Here is how to do that:

What you need~

1- medium sized ruber maid storage container (size will depend on space. I used one that was about a 5 gallon)
1- bag of organic soil
1- organic\natural paper
1- bucket of water
1- container of earh worms (this is optional but it works faster with them)

First drill small holes in bucket as follows

2 on each end and four on the sides. They should only be about the size of a pencil.

Next, add a little damp soil to just cover the bottem.
Take the paper and rip it up into strips. Wet them then lay over the top of the soil.
Add worms!

It is that easy! Then just add all your food left overs, BUT do not put meat or dairy products in your compost. It will stink and if you have a small space it will not smell great! You canput egg shells, lettuce, tomatoes, bananas, etc! You will want to turn the soil about every three weeks but be careful of the worms! You don't want to hurt them! :)

Savings!

2010-02-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well I thought that I would go ahead and start posting my savings so that friends and family can see how well I am doing!

Ok well here are some great deals at Walgreen's!

Dove Men's body wash is $5.99 then you get $5.99 in R.R
If you have the Dove coupon it was at Meijers (hehe) it is for $1.00 off when you buy one Dove Men's body was h and 6pk bar face soap. They run about $3-$4.

Next, Shick Titanium is on sale for 8.99 plus I have a coupon for a rufund up to 11.99 so it makes the razor free. Then you get $3.00 back in R.R.

Hall's are on sale for .99 cents then I have a coupon for $1.00 off 2 bags. This makes them .50cents a bag!

Shick quattro razors are on sale for $5.99 - $1.99 walgreens coupon= $4.99
Then use the $3.00 off 1 coupon that came in the S.S. to make the razors only 1.99

Kotex pads and tampons are 2 for $6. Then you get back $3.00 in R.R for a price of 2 for $3.00. I then have a coupon for $2.00 off when you buy 2. This makes them a $1 for 2!!!

I also will break up this order so that I can use my R.R (or you can hols on to them for bigger purchases). You cannot get cash back so make sure your order uses all the R.R.

Ok so now to explain some of the lingo!!

R.R. means register rewards. It is a coupon you will get bck that is good for your next purchase.
S.S means smart savers coupons
R.P is red plum coupons
P&G is Procter and Gamble

Make sure to check back tomorrow for deals dealing with groceries!!

Products I love!

2010-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

If you have ever suffered from food allergies, you know how hard it can be to find good products. Well I have found a few products I love and just wanted to share them with you. Some are Gluten free and some are well...just good.

If you have never tried TINKYADA pasta, then now is the time. They have many varities and come in non-organic and organic. I love this pasta! It tastes just like regular pasta. I have found out that the best way to cook it is this- soak it in cold water for one hour. When ready to eat prepare as followed- heat water until boiing. then drain and rinse pasta. finally, add pasta to hot water. Cook until hot then serve with sauce.

I also love UNCLE EDDIES vegan cookies. If you have never tried these then you are deffantly missing out! They carry about six different kinds. My favorite are the trail mix cookies.

Mother's Cocoa Bumpers YUMMY! They taste like cocoa puffs but they are natural! I also noticed that once you have had them you can't go back!

I love to cook so great food is a big deal. I love to take the TINKYADA shells (they look like big seashells) and stuff them with a mixture of riocotta cheese, basil, parm, and well any cheeses you love actually. I then take a red sauce mixed with cut veggies and pour it over the top. I then add a bit of parm and then mozzerella over the top. Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is golden brown. Make sure you cover with foil for the first 20 minutes. Take cover off and cook another 10 to 15 minutes. YUMMY! I also like to make hmemade mac and cheese.

To make mac and cheese-

I start with the TINKYADA elbow noodles. I soak 2cups in cold water for an hour. The I rinse and set aside ( this will soften the noodles and take some of the starch off the noodles). Next I prepare the sauce. To do this you will need 2cups milk, 2tablespoons butter (i like real butter), 2tablespoons flour (you can use rice flour for this and some times I only use one tablespoon), 1 1/2cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzerella, about 1/3 cup parm cheese ( this depends on how much you like this cheese), paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

I put milk, butter, flour, and cheese in pan and melt on low ( you can do medium low but watch to make sure you don't scorch the milk). Cook until all cheese is melted. I then add a sprinkle of paprika, a bit of salt and pepper to taste. I then place noodles in boiling water until warm. When they are warm place them in an oven safe dish. Then add the cheese mixture. Stir to mix it all togther. Sprinkle top with paprika. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees!

If you have food allergy to gluten you will love these gluten free peanut butter cookies.

1cup sugar granulated. It can be organic.
1cup Peanut Butter. Again, can be organic.
1 egg.

Mix all ingredients together. I like to bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes. This will depend on your stove. I also like to melt gluten free chocolate and dip the cookies in the chocolate and then let them set. When the chocolate hardens they are ready to eat!

Well I hope you enjoy the goodies I have liste above! You can let me know. Just drop me a line!

Getting ready for summer!

2010-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Well as I watch, I am starting to see signs of spring. Yes I know, I sound crazy but I feel it in my bones! So what does that mean to me? Well now I start getting my plants ready. I start my seedlings so they are ready for planting, plan out my garden and well get the compost ready! I compost all year long so that I have great soil for my garden. But this year we are also going to cut back the apple trees so that we can get more yeild. I want to be able to get more fruit so I can uh can. LOL I mean make applesauce and can it. I also have pear trees and grapes. So what would you plant in your garden and why? I would love to have recipes that go with the foods you grow!

Losing weight!

2010-02-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ok so the time has come where I need to lose weight! I have until June to lose about 38 pounds. I have found that since I have had kaelyn that I keep gaining weight, not losing it. So starting tomorrow I am doing it...that's right the dirty little word...exercise. I am going to try to cut down my pop intake to only one pop a day. I need to drink more water and really focus on that. I have been working out with the YOUR SHAPE on the Wii. So I guess I jus need encouragement so I am asking everyone that is going through tis to post a comment and let me know your favorite ways to lose weight. I would also like to know your favorite cleanse programs also!!

RESPECT

2010-01-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

How important is respect? I only ask because it seems to me that some kids out there lack it. They are rude and disrespectful to friends, parents and well just everyone in general. I try to instill the importance of good manners in my children but they seem to lose it when they are with their friends. So how do we teach them? How do we make them realize that manners are important? What about lying? You catch a kid in a lie then what happens? You ground them? So do they lie again? HECK YES they do. They know they can get away with it some of the times. But how do we make them realize the wrong of their actions? I mean come on we did that when we were kids right? I know I had a little white fib from time to time. But I tried NEVER to be disrespectful. How hard is it for a kid to say thanks mom for making me dinner? Or mom can you pleas pick me up from my friends house? Or just a may I please be excused? Oh well I guess I will have to figure a new way to teach tehe basics!

I love saving money!

2010-01-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

I found another great site! It offers free ecourses so that you can learn how to save using coupons! It also has great ideas and links to other site that will help you out! I love ways to learn and this site is GREAT!

Ways to Make it when the world seems against you.

2010-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

I know that sounds harsh but it is more of a ha ha vs. being serious. I am a working mother and stay pretty busy. I am always looking for ways to make life a little easier so I thought I would share some ideas.

1. Plan your meals out for the week on sunday so that you can shop if needed.

2. Make meals ahead of time and then freeze them. This is great when the kids are really active in sports!

3. Break up cleaning. Clean only one or two rooms a day. Then next day do another one. This keeps the house clean without going crazy.

4. Make homemade laundry soap. It is cheaper and lasts longer. You can add natural oils to have a touch of lavender or whatever you like.

5. By a wipeboard! Great way to leave a note, write down things you need or even put a schedule on. I like to put up the family chore list so everyone knows what they need to do.

6. When needed, don't be afraid to ask friends for help. A true friend will be there to help because they know that you would do the same for them.

7. And last but not least....take time to breathe and to count the wonderful blessings you have in life. I may not be rich in terms of money but I am in terms of family and friends.

OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM

2010-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

I have been watching a friend suffer thanks too our wonderful DHS! She has been raising a child who was ripped from her home and placed with a new foster family. The thing is, they are trying to adopt him. We pay for children to be in foster homes, yet they wanted to keep him without being paid. They wanted to adopt Landon! But because DHS told them to do one thing and then someone else said they lied about it, they were not the recommended family. Now I may not understand everything there is to know about foster care but don't you think it would be better for the child to be in a home where the parents are going to love him? Not only that but adopt him and pay for whatever bills that he had. BUT NO! They put him in a foster home where the parents are old enough to be his grandparents. They are getting money for other kids they have in their home already. I don't think we as tax payers should have to pay to keep him in one foster home when he could be in a home that just wants to love him. AND WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY! I think it is time that our Governor takes a look at how our state is doing things!

Ok so next complaint! FRIEND OF THE COURT GENESEE COUNTY MICHIGAN!
It is time for FOC to change. There are tons of men and women that get the shaft because friend of the court decides they don't like you. They think women can do no wrong and the men are the scum of the earth....WELL GUESS WHAT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE! There are moms out there that will fight the dads and not let them see their child. So what does FOC do? That's right....MOM you are perfect you don't have to let dad see the child. My husband has fought to see his son and they said he is not entitled to see his son. Not only that we have changed our address with FOC and the courts FIVE times and they still send the paper work to the wrong house. We get to see him now but only because we worked out a schedule with my sons mom. He is paying child support but we seem to never get caught up. As for filing taxes, well kiss that goodbye. His go right to back child support every year but our back support never seems to go down. We have to file together so that means I will lose my taxes too! HOW FAIR IS THAT? Am I being selfish? COME ON GOVERNOR DO YOUR JOB AND MAKE FOC JUDGE FAIRLY FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN!!

2010-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

The selfish philosopher rages.

Adding up the savings.

2010-01-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

I sat down today and started adding up my receipt savings. I saved in one month about $350.00. How great is that! I also sat down with my family so we could go over chores. We decided this year that we would each decide what chores we were going to do and stick to them. I also started a budget. I found out that in three months I will be losing my job to downsizing. So saving is going to be extremely important until I am able to find a new job. I am thinking about getting together with friends for a coupon trade. This way we can al benefit. I am also going to buy in bulk this year so that a group of us can go in together to save money. I will be making more meals this year and trying to go back to organic. We are already planning our garden so that we can get the most out of it. I will be canning a lot this year so that I can have lots of organic veggies!!! So to everyone, send any ideas you have and we can save money together.

Ways to save money for the new year.

2010-01-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know that money is a big issue for most of us and finding ways to save is crucial. So here are some f my favorite websites and money saving tips.

www.mysavings.com - this site has great freebies and also allows you to compare sale ads for your area. I have gotten free makeup, cups, food, magazines and more.

www.cellfire.com - this site allows you to download coupons right to your kroger card. And for those of us that may sometimes forget coupons this is a big help and no carrying around coupons.

www.chacingonashoestring.com - great site if you are looking for deals on movies, food, and what sales are going on at local walgreens, etc.

Next, I am a big believer in making your own laundry soap. I can make enough for about 3 months for about 3.00 total price. This is a huge savings if you do a lot of laundry like I do. I also refuse to buy bottled water. I use a filtering system and fill up jugs of water so that all i have to do is put them outside to get cold and they are good to go. I also compare prices online on big purchases before I buy so that I know I am getting the best prices.

I also use freecycle websites so that if I have something I don't use anymore than I can give it to a good home. I also use it to get things I do need that someone else may be getting rid of.

This is just a short list but I will post more later.

Then new year!

2009-12-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

So 2009 is almost over and 2010 is almost here. Now what? Ah yes time for the resolutions....or not! Well I decided to start losing weight but didn't wait until the new year. I got the YOUR SHAPE for the wii and got started. I LOVE IT! I have already lost weight and feel better. After New Year's Day I am going to start a body clease to get rid of.....well last year! lol I also see A LOT of people paying for memeberships for people to help them save money. What I don't understand is why? It is so easy to do yourself or get together with a group of friends and cut/trade coupons. I would love to hear ideas on what you are doing. But I would like it to be from people who don't use the pay websites. Ok so next.....I am making a BUDGET! I downloaded a program and it lists everything you will need to manage money. I want to start getting things ready for college. We have two that graduate the same year.

I also would love to hear everyones ideas for keeping the house clean. Do you do certain chores on certain days? Clean a little everyday? I would love to know. I work and have two teenagers and a two year old. And well.... I clean and then i turn around and it is messed up again. Ok well off I go to clean.....clean....oh man......forget it! lol just kidding I will get a little bit done today.

Christmas

2009-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

So the tree is up along with the rest of the decorations. I still need to shop but I am trying to find ways to make some great homemade and inexpensive gifts. With three kids, it would be nice to give gifts to our family that mean something more than just something I picked up at the store. I want them to bew able to make gifts that the family will love!! So any ideas??

Recipes

2009-11-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

OK so it is that time again......yes you know what I am talking about! It is almost Christmas! So I would love great ideas on making homemade presents. I need a fudge recipe, rum ball recipe, and cream cheese frosting recipe. I would love to hear about everyones favorite holiday recipes also! I am having Christmas here and would like to try some new recipes along with my old. I also need recipes for mixes that i can put in jars to give as gifts!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:52:00.001-08:00

What happened to Halloween? Remember when we were young and stayed out until 10 or 11pm. We had big pillow cases filled and EVERY neighbor passed out candy! Well this year it seemed like there were hardly any kids. I also noticed that a lot of the houses were not even passing out candy. I miss the old days with the Halloween parties at school, the parade through the classes and then the parties where every parent brought actual food to class along with snacks so we could stay in the class room. Why do things have to change so drastically??????

Coupons

2009-10-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

OK so I started doing the coupon thing and guess what! I had a bill that was $250.00 and I only paid 110.00. On my next trip I had over 300.00 and only paid 130.00. So I would like to know everyone's great ideas on saving money. Let's help each other do what we can to save! One site I like is www.mysavings.com it allows you to see all the sale ads in your area and then compare prices to get even more from your coupons.

DORA!

2009-10-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

Our cat Dora died today! She was hit by a car and my daughter found her this morning. She was inside and hubby let her go out to go the bathroom. I am not sure why she was out by the road because she never goes by the road.She was an outside cat that stayed right by the house. She was a birthday gift for my daughter when we moved back to Michigan. She was five years old. I went and got her from the road. She wasn't breathing and was already dead. I placed her outside in her favorite spot until my hubby can bury her. I am going to make a stone for her out in the backyard so that she will always be remembered.

teenagers

2009-10-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have to wonder some days if I was as mouthy as my oldest is. Is it because she is now a preteen? I have tried every discipline I know and nothing has worked. So now what?

KIDS

2009-10-10T09:50:00.001-07:00

Why is it that every 2 yr old wants to writ on themselves? I oldest did it once with permanent marker. She colored my walls along with her whole body. I did learn that all permanent markers should be put up. Twelve years later.....here I am again...I have a wall writer. Luckily they are washable markers this time. But every time I turn around she is covered in art paint, ink marker or crayon. I put the stuff up....she finds the chair to pull up to my cupboard to get the stuff down. NOBODY told me she would be this creative when she wanted something. Oh well you live and learn. Well and realize that there is a good chance that a 2 year old has out witted you. I think I can live with that....well maybe.

Ok so my reason for starting this Blog!

2009-10-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am a mother of three and really hate the food my kids consume. I want healthy but it can be expensive. So I thought I would share ideas with others on ways to make things last longer, such as canning your own food, making your own laundry soap, making homemade breads WITHOUT it taking all day and more. So pass this link on to your friends and lets save!!!

Board games

2009-10-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

My 2yr old loves to play the games with the big kids.....however that means parts always come up missing. So here I am with a brand new game board and no pieces. Well did you know that the game companies sell the replacement parts? And guess what....they are not expensive so that means I can buy more! YIPPEE!!! I love when things work out my way!

Games

2009-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Alright! I admit it I love online games. But one is really starting to make me mad. So I play the games at Winster but every time it make my computer freeze. Not only that, but I try to help others win and I am the bad guy. Geeeessshhh come on! If I offer to help you win don't run off with my jackpots.

FLU

2009-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Flu.......sweating, fever, nauseated, headache, and gee if your lucky diarrhea. Well I know it soesn't sound great but it can be a serious matter. I have found that mixing water and tea tree oil make for a great disinfectant and smells great. Stuffed up? Try a little eucalyptus oil and water and spray around the room. ( I would not suggest putting straight oil anywhere because it is STRONG). I also suggest putting a few drops of tea tree oil in your wash when you are wash towels, sheets etc in hot water to help kill the yuckys and freshen up the towels. Oh yeah add tea tree oil to your shampoo and conditioner and you don't have to worry about lice. They hate the smell!!!

Ok so great site if you need pictures

2009-09-28T07:51:00.001-07:00

Well as I said before, my cousin is on here. She is a wonderful photographer so I thought I would share her website.

www.taylorgreyphotography.com

Check her out!! She is based out of Grand Rapids but has traveled to many places for weddings.

I'm Here!!!

2009-09-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so my cousin is on here and I thought....what the hay, let's give it a try. So who am I well.....a mom...yes, yes that is it. Oh wait....Wife, daughter, sister, aunt....man it just doesn't end. Is it...could it be...stress! Ah yes! There are some days when I look around my house and think...I really need to unclutter and unstress my life. Is that possible? Bills pile up as prices sky rocket. Jobs....well I have one so that is good. I love my life, I really do but there are days when a bubble bath sounds really nice.