Everything Mommyhood

Review: Purex Ultrapacks

2012-02-13T11:56:00.000-06:00

I recently had a chance to review a new product, which will be available in stores soon, NEW Purex Ultrapacks.
I have to say I absolutely LOVE the product. They are easy to use, no time pouring soap, the smell good, and best of all work great!

My 3 year old can easily help me out with laundry which is great, she enjoys doing it and I love teaching her :) Definitely look for this product in your local supermarket, I highly recommend it!!

Although I did receive a free product from Purex Insiders, the opinions in this post are my own.

Recipe: Loaded Cubed Potatoes

2012-02-13T11:44:00.000-06:00

I came across a recipe for Ranch Potatoes the other day on pinterest, to me they seemed pretty plain so I kinda adapted my own and they were SO good I had to share.
Ingredients:
4 medium idaho potatoes, peeled, and cubed
1/2 stick of butter
8oz of sour cream
1 packet of dry ranch
1/2 package of bacon, fried and crumbled
2 green onions, sliced
a cup of cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place potatoes in a 9x11 glass baking dish, put slices of butter all over them, salt and pepper, and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min til potatoes are tender.
Mix sour cream and dry packet of ranch together, place in refrigerator.
When potatoes are done, put sour cream mixture over them and spread evenly. Top with cheese.
Bake again for another 10 minutes.
When you pull them out cover with crumbled bacon and green onions.
Serve!

It's a Girl!!!

2011-12-19T14:24:00.000-06:00

I totally just realized I never updated my blog saying my baby girl arrived. I've been a little busy here at home, imagine that!!
Olivia Mackenzie was born on November 2nd, 7lbs 3oz, and 20.5 inches long. Her APGAR scores were 9 and 10. She is such a wonderful baby, she eats and sleeps well, and has no issues. She is 7 weeks old on this Wednesday. Big sister Delilah had a very rough time adjusting the first 3-4 weeks, but things are finally going well. There were many days where we were all in tears and I was stressed to the max, but just like people say "This too shall pass..."
Here are a few pictures over the past few weeks :)

Giveaway on my Facebook Page

2011-12-10T15:32:00.000-06:00

There's a giveaway on my facebook page right now for a free headband that will be shipped out on Monday!!! Go check out http://www.facebook.com/BabyBeanCustoms

It's easy to enter!!! Just like my page and refer people to it, have them write on my wall who referred them (you), the person with the most referrals as of Sunday at midnight will win!

Headbands, bows, hats...Oh my!!

2011-10-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

I recently started my own business, it's something my husband and I had been talking about since I became pregnant with baby #2. About 3 months ago I ordered some supplies and started making stuff, and everyone I showed it to, asked for opinions etc, everyone LOVED everything I made! I decided to go ahead and jump for it and make my own business. I stay at home, and I love been crafty, so it was a win win situation for me.

Here are a few things I have made and have available for sale. If there's something you don't see, but you want, I CAN get it!!

I am currently making headbands with flowers & bows, hats w/flower with or without ribbon, bow holders, nursery letters, and anything else along those lines.

I plan on doing a giveaway on my facebook page soon, so please go "like" my page!!! http://www.facebook.com/BabyBeanCustoms

Winner of Freschetta Proud to be Pink Giveaway

2011-10-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all of the entries!! The winner is:

I'm sending you an email out now Kimberly!! You have 24 hours to email me back with your mailing address!!
I'll be having another giveaway here soon!!

Freschetta: Proud to Support Pink Giveaway!

2011-10-16T10:27:00.001-05:00

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month and in honor of this cause, Freschetta is Proud To Support Pink! From now until October 31st when you purchase specially marked Freschetta products, you can help raise $50,000 for breast cancer research. All you have to do is go to www.ProudtoSupportPink.com and enter you code. The makers of Freschetta will then donate $1 to support breast cancer research. They are also giving away IPod shuffles to participants and to cancer centers around America.

For this, I was supplied with a free coupon to try a Freschetta pizza of my choice along with 2 pairs of "Frecschetta Proud to Support Pink" earphones, one for myself, and one for a friend. My family tried the Freschetta Naturally Rising Supreme pizza. Let me tell you, that pizza was delicious. The outer crust was a little thick, but I normally don't eat the outside crust of pizza anyways. The sauce and toppings/cheese were perfect, the pizza cooked perfect and it was very very filling. Usually we eat a whole frozen pizza for dinner, but we only finished 2/3 of it!

Now, onto the giveaway!!! A kit with a coupon to try any Freschetta pizza of your choice, and 2 pairs of "Freschetta Proud to Support Pink" earphones, just like what I received. Here's how to enter!! Make sure you leave a separate comment for each!!!!!

Mandatory Entry: 1. Be a follower of my blog!
2. Tell me what your favorite pizza toppings are!
3. Share this giveaway on your facebook and tell me you did.
4. "Like" Baby Bean Customs on Facebook (it's handmade stuff for girls!!)
5. Blog about my giveaway on your blog.

I will be taking entries until OCTOBER 23, 2011. EDIT-Extending this until OCTOBER 25th!!! The winner will be emailed that day and you will have 24 hours to reply to me with your shipping information. Make sure you leave me your email so I can contact you in each entry.

Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

I first made these last year when my husband and I were on a diet. Don't let that scare you away from these though, they taste AMAZING and nothing like a diet food.

Ingredients:
Spice Cake Mix
Can of Pumpkin
1/2-3/4 cup of water

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the above ingredients. I used 1/2 cup of water, you can use a little more if you want them less dense.

Bake in muffin tins for 21-22 minutes.

I made a glaze for them, just for looks...just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. They are very good with cream cheese icing as well.
My help for cleanup :)

Recipe: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

2011-10-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

I had these at a wedding in July, and they were so good...I started craving them recently, so I figured I'd make them. Delilah and I just had this for lunch!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
Rye bread (or any other hearty bread, pumpernickle, wheat, etc)
Cucumber
8 oz of Cream Cheese
1 pack of dry Italian dressing mix, Good Seasons (I used Kroger brand)

Directions:
Mix together the cream cheese (soften it in microwave or let sit at room temp for awhile), mayo, and dry Italian dressing mix.
Let this sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Spread over a piece of bread and top with thin slices of cucumber...and eat!

Recipe: Red Beans, Rice, w/Smoked Sausage

2011-10-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

Last month my husband and I had a yummy "jambalaya" recipe at my surprise baby shower. I asked the lady who made it for the recipe, as we ate a ton of it. It seriously is the EASIEST thing to make and tastes so good.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of Zatarains Red Beans and Rice
4 Tablespoons of Butter/Margarine (I used half)
1 16oz package of Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage
6 1/2 cups of water

Directions:
In a large deep skilled/pot pour in the water and throw in the butter. Bring to a boil.
Pour in the 2 boxes of Zatarains.
Cut up your sausage into coins and mix in as well. Bring back up to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.
Stir every 5-6 minutes or so.
Cook until most of the water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 25-30 min.
Turn heat off and let sit for about 5-10 min, stir and serve.

Vocalpoint-Free Samples and Coupons

2011-09-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

I've been a member of Vocalpoint for over a year now and have got a lot of great free samples, coupons for free products, and high dollar coupons for ALMOST free items. I suggest you sign up, add them to your facebook too, because when a sample becomes available you have to request it, I'd say I get something about once every 6 weeks, maybe more often.
Recently I have got free Fresh Express Salad, free Motts for Tots juice, Free Downy Unstopables for the laundry, and high dollar coupons for all of the above as well.
Here is the link!!

Happy Savings!! :)

Mommy and Me questions, age 3

2011-09-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Delilah just turned 3, and I came across a post on pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/189473094/ and thought it would be fun to do. Then I saw that one of my fellow mommy bloggers just did it with her 3 year old, so I had to do it.

Here are the questions I asked and her answers.

Mommy asks her child to recite his/her name: De-Wi-Wah ( Her name is Delilah, but she can't say it)
How old are you? "I'm this many", holding up 3 fingers and then says, "THREE!!)
What is your favorite color? White
Who is your best friend? De-Wi-Wah (I guess she is her own best friend)
Favorite animal? Dinosaur, ROAR!!
What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanna be a pretty princess.
What is your favorite movie? A princess movie.
What is your favorite book? Princess book
What makes you happy? Babies.
What makes you sad? When I cry.
What is your favorite food to eat? Peas.
What is your favorite song to sing? Twinkle Star.
What games do you like to play? I like to play with bubbles, outside with Daddy.

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Baby girl!

2011-09-12T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today was my daughters 3rd birthday! We went to McDonalds for dinner, her choice of course, and she got to play at the playplace for almost 2 hours...Daddy had to pull her out of there kicking and screaming.
Daddy also got her a little cake and a few balloons on his way home from work so we could have a little celebration with her. Here are a few pics!!

Shopping haul for the kiddies!

2011-09-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

I always hear from my friends that they can never find kids clothes cheap, so they buy them at second hand stores. Which there is nothing wrong with that, I have done it too for cute things I have came across. Well my mom gave me a $20 gift card for Marshalls/TJ Maxx, so I went to see what I could find for the kids.
Here's what I got today, 10 onesies, 1 outfit, and a pair of shoes for the baby...and a shirt and pair of Juicy Couture shorts for Delilah. I paid a grand total of $19 with tax. Everything is brand new, on clearance and name brand. Originally, it would have cost almost $120 for everything!!

I can't get that top pic to turn, but that's a "Life is Good" shirt and Juicy Couture shorts, which cost me a total of $5 for both!
The bottom pic is Carters onesies, Gerber onesies, Robeez, and Absorba outfit for $13!

Recipe: Crockpot Potato Soup

2011-09-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

I came across a recipe on pinterest, see original here.
I absolutely love Outback's potato soup, and the blogger said this tasted very similar. I'm hoping it does, it smells awfully good cooking away in the crockpot!! I did change a couple things on my recipe though!

Here's what you need:

1 bag of frozen hashbrowns
3 14oz cans of Chicken Broth
1 can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom
1/2 cup of diced onion
1 package of cream cheese
S&P
Bacon, cooked crispy for garnishing
Cheddar cheese for garnishing

Directions:
Turn your crockpot on low and add in hashbrowns, chicken broth, cream of whatever soup, onion, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Let cook for 6-7 hours on low, then add in cream cheese and cook for 1 more hour. Serve and add your toppings, cheese, bacon, sour cream, green onions....whatever you may choose!

Recipe: Crockpot Chili

2011-09-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

I've always made this on the stovetop and let it sit all day and cook, but figured I'd just make it in the crockpot, because essentially that would be the same. Again I don't have exact measurements of spices because I never measure and I make my own recipes up, so this will be a guess. Also, I didn't make this as spicy as I usually do because apparently this pregnancy I'm hypersensitive to spicy foods and they taste 10x more spicy than they are.

Ingredients:
2 15oz cans of Tomato Sauce
2 15oz cans of Diced tomatoes (either regular or chili ready)
2 15oz cans of Kidney Beans (I use one dark red and one light red)
1.5 lbs of ground chuck
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 Tablespoons of chili powder
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
S&P

Directions:
Brown your ground beef in a pan on the skillet, and season a little with chili powder, garlic powder, and S&P.
Drain your meat.
Pour everything into crock pot, chuck your meat in, spices, veggies etc.
Stir together. Cook on high for 1.5 hours, and then try and season accordingly if you need more spices.
I then turned mine on low for another 3 hours until dinner time.
You can also add some frozen corn kernels into it, celery, etc...I just made it how I have always done it throughout the years.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and green onions to garnish. If you have leftovers you can make chili dogs, chili mac, chili nachos, or even freeze it as it freezes and reheats very well.

8 Weeks Left!

2011-09-07T12:56:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've updated on my pregnancy and life in general. I have 8 weeks until my c-section. We decided on a name, Olivia Mackenzie and we have the nursery all complete. My daughter is getting excited for her baby sisters arrival, she doesn't like feeling her in my belly though. Which she must get that from Daddy, because it freaks him out too. Here's a few pics of the nursery:

We just had a birthday party this weekend for Delilah, she turns 3 on the 12th, and we had family come up from FL and from TX to stay for her party over Labor Day weekend, which was a mess since Tropical Storm Lee decided to make an appearance. Which thankfully, he waited until after her party was over. Here's a few pics from that, we had it in our backyard and rented a bounce house:

Nothing else too exciting has been going on, just living day to day. My pregnancy has been a breeze except I get really tired quickly, so we have been staying home a lot. My 3 year old is pretty laid back so that helps out a lot!

Recipe: Green Chili Chicken Burritos

2011-08-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

I got a bunch of Green Chili enchilada sauce on clearance the other day and I've been itching for some yummy tex mex burritos. There aren't any burrito places around here like Moe's or Chipotle, so I have to make my own. This was something I just threw together, and I was really impressed on how it tasted. I will be making it again.

Green Chili Chicken Burritos
Ingredients:
4 Boneless skinless chicken tenders, cooked and shredded
1/2 can of Rotel, drained
1 10oz can of Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
1 Small onion, diced
1/2 Green pepper, diced
Vegetable oil/Canola oil (whatever you like to use)
Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder

Directions:
In a skillet put in a few tablespoons of oil and start to saute your peppers and onions.
Once they are cooked a bit, sprinkle in some chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. I put more chili powder, less cumin, and a little garlic. (I never measure spices)
Saute a few more minutes and then put in your 1/2 can of Rotel (Canned diced tomatoes w/green chilies).
Cook that for about 5 minutes, then add your chicken and your enchilada sauce.
I stirred this frequently and cooked on low for about 10-15 minutes. I like to let the flavor get into the chicken a bit and let it all thicken up and come together.
It's now ready for your burritos! It was just me eating this tonight as hubby is out of town, so I only had one burrito.
Large flour tortilla, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and some of the chicken mixture. Wrap it up like a burrito/wrap and eat it up!! Mine was SUPER messy, but I didn't care, it was SOOO good.

Recipe: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-08-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hands down this is one of my favorite desserts that I make, but it's soooo not healthy. I try not to make it but 2-3 times a year.

Ingredients:
Box of yellow cake mix (I think it calls for 3 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, and 1 cup water)
1 cup of pineapple juice (I use the juice I drain on the pineapple)
1 can of Pineapple slices in 100% juice NOT syrup!!
Maraschino cherries (optional)
1 cup of brown sugar (I've used both dark and light)
1 stick of unsalted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven according to directions on cake mix (I believe 350 degrees)
In a bowl mix together your cake, eggs, oil, and pineapple juice..set to the side
In your cake pan, melt your butter. (I usually cut the butter into little pieces and set the pan on the stove and it usually heats it enough to melt it.)
Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly all around the pan (I also spread mine out with a spoonula).
Place your pineapple slices evenly in the butter/brown sugar mixture.
Then place your cherries where ever you want. I like a lot of them.
Pour your batter over top of all and make sure it covers everything, spread it out if you need to.
Bake according to directions on back of cake mix box. (mine said 34-38 minutes...I cooked it for 38 minutes and it was perfect)
After the cake is done, flip it over on a plate (I cover mine with foil, it's just easier) and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes...and eat! The middle of mine always seems to fall a bit, but it still tastes good!

It's sooo good and very buttery/rich, you could probably use 1/2-3/4 of a stick and be okay...I just go all out and use the whole thing, it's worth it. I promise

Cell Phone without a Contract

2011-08-21T09:03:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know a lot of people that hate the fact that they are in deep with contracts on their cell phones. A great company to use if you don't want a contract is TracFone. Here is a little bit more information from real TracFone customers TracFone's are great during the summer, or really any time of the year to be able to keep in contact with your kids or whoever you need to keep in contact with, and they are a low cost option. There are no contracts, no credit checks, no activation charges or cancellation fees. Best of all, no hidden surprises!! Here's some more info on the "No Surprise Billing!" from real TracFone customers They have great nationwide coverage and excellent service. Brand name phones from leading manufacturers like Motorola, Kyocera, LG, Nokia and Samsung. Choose from simple "Candy Bar" phones, to Bluetooth®-enabled "Smart" phones.

They offer several different plans to cater to your needs. You can pay as you go online or with cards available at thousands of retail stores across the country. 1 year service cards give you so much more. Receive double minutes for the life of your TracFone, and 800 minutes, for only $119.00. “Double minutes for the life of your phone” is a feature that can be purchased separately for only$19.99, but some phones include it! You can choose monthly plans with 200 minutes for under $30.00, and as low as $9.99 for 50 minutes.

TracFone offers international calling for the same price has domestic calling. You can call over 60 International destinations directly from your TracFone at no extra cost! They also offer the International Neighbors program, you can provide family and friends in Mexico or Canada a local phone number in those countries to reach you at your TracFone in the U.S.

As for phone selections, you have several options. There are simple phones for simple needs, calling and texting capabilities for under $10.00. They also have great phones packed with features like camera/video recorder, web access, app capabilities, mp3 player, and a full QWERTY keyboard, for $29.99. For more information on the features of phones available click so many features.

Here is a great video showing information about No Dropped Calls.

Recipe: Easy and Quick Iced Coffee

2011-07-28T16:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not a coffee drinker at all, I do like cappucinos from the gas stations, but I add flavored creamer to them. It has to be sweet and flavorful. I don't mind the iced coffees from McDonalds if they are sweet and flavored well...I've been having this craving for awhile, but just don't make coffee (except for the hubby). I thought I'd try it out.
The other day at the grocery store I bought some small individual packets of instant Taster's Choice (enough for 6oz).

Ingredients:
6 oz milk
1 packet of instant coffee or equivalent for 6ozs
Flavored Creamer (I used French Vanilla)
1 Tbsp of Sugar
Something to shake it all up in (I used a gatorade bottle)

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a bottle, use the amount of creamer for flavoring you'd like.
Shake it like a salt shaker, and a few extra shakes :)
Pour over ice! Enjoy!

It tastes SOOOO good. I had to call my hubby and tell him, so he wants one when he gets home!

Recipe: Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken

2011-07-26T19:06:00.000-05:00

I found a recipe online for a crockpot recipe, but I was reading some people thought it was bland, so I changed mine a bit. Here is the original, and below is what I made. It was really good. I suggest serving it over egg noodles or white rice. I served it over Chicken flavor Rice a Roni, and it didn't allow you to get the flavors of the Chicken cheese sauce, which was VERY tasty.

Ingredients:
3 Large Chicken Breasts
8 oz pkg of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 pkg of Good Season Italian Dressing packet (dry)
1/3 cup of water
1 10.5 oz can of Campbells Cream of Chicken
Salt and Pepper
1 small onion
Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves

Directions:
Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix together water and Italian dressing packet and pour over chicken.
Dice up onion and mince garlic, and mix in with chicken and liquid.
Cook on low for 3 hours.
In a bowl whisk together the cream cheese and soup, add in a bit of italian seasoning, and S & P.
Pour over the chicken mixture (I also cubed/shredded the chicken at this step), and let cook for 1 hour, or until your chicken is done.

If sauce is too runny add some corn starch to thicken it up.

Serve over top noodles, pasta, or rice!

Parents Magazine Subscription- $4

2011-07-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

I have an offer for all of you!! You can get a 1 year subscription to Parents Magazine for only $4!! This is a great deal as they often have coupons for products and also great advice/reading material.

Here's the link: https://www.purex.com/parents-promo
Enter promo code: PX1258

Recipe: Garlicky Lemon Chicken

2011-06-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

I have become newly addicted to the website pinterest, and came across THIS recipe the other night. I showed it to my mother in law and she thought it looked awesome as did I, so we adapted the recipe a bit and made one very similar. It was so good and I wanted to share (and keep record of it for when I get home from vacation to make it).

This is not healthy by any means lol

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts cut into bigger finger sized pieces
3 Tbsp of Jarred garlic (you can find it in the produce section)
Pepper
Flour
Olive Oil
1 Lemon-Juice AND zest
Dried Oregano
Dried Parsley
Garlic Salt

Directions:
In a large skillet put in about 1/4 inch of olive oil. Heat up over medium high heat for a couple min and throw in your jarred garlic.
Stir it around so the oil gets infused with it. While you are doing this dredge your chicken in the flour and set it to the side for a min.
After the oil starts to get really hot/bubble a bit, put in your chicken...it's fine if your pan is crowded just this once :)
When it starts bubbling again sprinkle with seasonings all over the top, onion powder, oregano, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper. (You will do this again on the other side, so don't go TOO crazy)
Cook for a few min and move the chicken a bit so everything can flow through the pieces, but don't flip yet.
Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip over, the bottom should have a nice brown coating of garlicky goodness.
Do another layer of spices on this side of the chicken like you did above. (the oil should start absorbing now)
After another 5 minutes, flip over again and season one more time.
Sprinkle with lemon zest, and then juice HALF lemon all over the top of every piece of chicken, flip over and juice the other side.
Your chicken is now done!!!!

YUM!!! It's actually not CRAZY garlicky, but the chicken is a bit tangy and just SOOO good. After writing this out, I want to go get a leftover piece lol

We're on Vacation

2011-06-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

We've been on vacation for over a week now, but I just wanted to update and share a few pictures. We are in NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains visiting my wonderful Mother in Law (no seriously, I love her lol, I got lucky in the in-law department). We've been having a lot of fun, my daughter and I...hubby will be coming out this Friday and then we will continue our vacation on to some other states before we head back home. Here are a few pics!!

The pictures are from my Mother in Law's front yard and she has 8 horses and some donkeys (and even 2 wallabies/kangaroos!, oh and 10 dogs lol)

I'll be posting a recipe here soon that we made for dinner tonight, it was SOOOO licious as my 2 year old would say.

Recipe: Italian Breaded Porkchops with Onion Mushroom Gravy

2011-06-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

I've always breaded my porkchops with egg and then italian breadcrumbs before, but tonight I decided to make some gravy. I've never really made gravy before, so I was kinda nervous, but I just went with it. I didn't follow a recipe or anything I just made my own, and man, it was so good. My husband said it was his new favorite meal. We had the Italian breaded porkchops, with gravy, Rice A Roni Rice Pilaf, and Broccoli w/carrots and herbs.

Ingredients:
Boneless Center Cut Porkchops (I cooked 5)
1 egg
Vigo Italian Breadcrumbs
Oil (I used vegetable, but I've used olive in the past)

1 Medium Onion
1 can of Beef Broth
1 can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup

Directions:
Dry your porkchops off, and batter in egg and then the breadcrumbs. In a skillet over medium heat, put enough oil to cook the porkchops, 4 tablespoons or so, I add oil as they cook if I need more.
Heat the oil until you can tell it's hot enough, cook the porkchops about 4-6 minutes on each side.
Set aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
In the same skillet you should only have a few drippings from cooking the pork, cut up the onion to your liking and saute in the pan until they start getting soft, add in the beef broth as you're cooking them so they don't burn, I used about half a can while cooking the onions,
Season with Salt and Pepper while cooking.
Once onions are soft (or to your preference) add in the can of mushroom soup, and whisk in the rest of the beef broth.
Cook for a few minutes longer until boiling.

Serve gravy over top of pork chops and rice. It was so good that we barely had any leftover, and I will definitely be making it again. It didn't taste anything like the plain Cream of Mushroom soup, the pan drippings, beef broth and onions really flavored it very well.

Recipe: Hot Bacon & Swiss Cheese Dip

2011-06-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

I'm not really a fan of Swiss cheese, but a couple weekends ago I was at my friends house and she served this dip with ritz crackers. I didn't believe it was Swiss cheese though, it was soooo good. I ended up making this at home on Friday for my hubby and I, and he LOVED it just as much as I did.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
8 oz of shredded Swiss (I used slices and cut them up because I couldn't find shredded)
8 oz of Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Green Onions (I used more than that, but I love onions)
8 Strips of cooked Bacon cut into small pieces

Directions:
Mix everything together and put in an oven safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. I took it out half way and stirred it though because the Swiss wasn't shredded. After it's done, serve with ritz crackers!

I have to say I didn't really like it leftover, for some reason it was VERY oily...I don't know if that was the mayo or the cheese, but it grossed me out. I had to use 4 paper towels to blot all the oil out of the dish.

It's Been a LONG Time

2011-06-12T16:15:00.000-05:00

It's been at least a month since I made a blog post, and it wasn't because I didn't want to or anything like that, but we actually haven't had any internet in our new house. Since we bought a house in a brand new neighborhood it took forever for the cable company to install the cables for us to be able to get internet, 2 months to be exact!!!

I have some news, other than us being pregnant, we found out on June 1st, that we are having ANOTHER girl!! We have Olivia, Madeline, MacKenzie, and Mikayla all at the top of our list, but I think we have decided on Olivia Lynn for our little girls name. Our daughter Delilah is finally getting the fact that a baby is coming as we are getting the nursery ready, and my belly is getting bigger. At first she didn't really get it.

In other news, we have my mother in law, and grandmother in law coming to visit next weekend so we are getting the house cleaned up and things put away in their final spots. They will be here for the week and then Delilah and I will be going to NC with my mother in law and my hubby will be coming out later on, and then we are going to drive around the Eastern US to a few places. I'll be gone for 3 weeks, but I will have my computer, so I hope to be blogging away since I've had withdraws!

Purex with Zout winner!

2011-05-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I didn't get to this until today, I completely forgot about it! We had 48 comments in the giveaway, and the winner is, lucky #23!!! (23 is my lucky number, and favorite number!!)

The winner is Julie, with the comment:
"follow blog jelaws5
aunteegem@yahoo.com"

I'll be sending you an email here in a few minutes. Please reply to me within 48 hours with your mailing address so I can get your coupon out to you!! Thanks to everyone who entered!!!!

12 Week Appointment

2011-04-29T14:22:00.000-05:00

Today was my 12 week appt. I gained 1.2 lbs, which I'm glad because I feel like I've gained 10 haha. Urine was good (they asked me how much water I was drinking because it was almost clear lol) and blood draw was easy. It's usually terrible when they get my blood because my veins are very deep and tiny. The lady got it first time with a butterfly needle, I told her she was my hero, she took 7 vials.
Then I had an ultrasound for the heartbeat, it was 160 (very good). The baby was bouncing off the walls (this is my tyrant since D has always been so good), and actually looks like a baby. I have to find the printer/scanner to show you guys pics, I have no idea where it is since we moved.
I got results of an abnormal PAP from last appointment and the dr called me early in the week and wanted to do a colposcopy and biopsy today, but I wasn't really comfortable with that.
I wanted to talk to the dr about the abnormal pap and NOT do the colposcopy, so we didn't do the procedure today, but she did tell me that my PAP came back as High Risk Dysplasia (Pre-cancerous cells) and we will do the colposcopy next time for sure. She won't do a biopsy unless she seems something that she really thinks we need to do one for. She understood my concerns and didn't blame me for being concerned.
My next appt is June 1st, and they will do a gender scan I'll be 17 weeks then. I got all my paperwork today to register at the hospital and all of that.
The baby looked great and there were no concerns with anything!

Giveaway!! Purex with Zout

2011-04-28T13:35:00.000-05:00

You can look back a few weeks ago to a product review I did on Purex with Zout. It's one of my new favorite products and it works so well.

I'm doing a giveaway for one free FULL size bottle. I have a coupon that I will mail to you if you're the winner of my giveaway!! Here are the rules:

Mandatory Entry- Become a follower on Google Friend Connect of my blog, leave a comment and tell me you did so, along with your email address.
Additional Entries- 1. Blog about my giveaway, leave me a comment with the link, and your email address.
2. Facebook about my giveaway, leave me a comment with a link, and your email address.
3. Comment on one of my other posts on my blog, leave me a comment saying you did, along with your email address.

I will pick a winner using random.org, last day to enter to win is Wednesday, May 4th!!

Extreme Couponing are Hoarders

2011-04-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

I really like watching this show simply because I use coupons every time I grocery shop, I'm always keeping my eye out for coupons in the store that I can save for a sale, or for an item I can get for a few cents. The thing is, I do not buy products I will never use, even if they're free. I've seen people on this show by 63 bottles of mustard. WTF are you going to do with that many bottles of mustard before it expires? I understand a lot of these people donate food, and that is great, if that's what you're doing with it. I can understand "hoarding" some items, for example, I have about 20 bottles of laundry detergent, 10 bottles of dish soap, 20 boxes of pasta...but that's about the limit for me on those. Anymore and that's just getting out of hand, and becomes a real obsession/hoarding problem.

On another note, one episode I watched someone spent 6 hours in the grocery store line doing a number of transactions. There is NO store around that would allow you to spend 6 hours in line, doing a million transactions, it's just not going to happen. These stores are doing this for publicity. I can't tell you how many times I've had something said to me about using coupons, and a lot of them, when I'm doing it correctly, not cheating the system etc...and I'm nowhere near being as extreme as these people on this show.

I've noticed since this show has started that stores have released new coupon policies, and couponing has even been tighter, if you know what I mean. The worst is when you get treated like a criminal, when all your doing is trying to save a buck. On this show, these people save ridiculous amounts of money, and yes they are doing it right...but just to have a stockpile of 63 bottles of mustard, 480 razors, 100 bottles of body wash, etc is just plain ridiculous.

Recipe: Easy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

2011-04-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Since being pregnant anything I see on TV makes me have some craving out of nowhere, and tonight it was buffalo chicken with bleu cheese. I don't have any buffalo chicken, but this is what I did and it was SUPER good.
Ingredients:
Tyson Chicken Patty
Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
Buns
Bleu Cheese Dressing or Ranch
Lettuce

Directions:
Cook Chicken Patty as directed in the oven, once it comes out pour some Franks Red Hot Buffalo sauce on a plate, and dip both sides of chicken in it.
Let it soak some of the sauce up.
On your bun, put some blue cheese dressing, or ranch along with some shredded lettuce, and your chicken patty, and that's it!!!
Super simple!

It was sooooo good and definitely hit the spot!

Freschetta Giveaway Winner!

2011-04-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

This morning I headed on over to random.org, there were 106 total comments, and the winner is....

Lucky number 26, which is odd since today is the 26th! Ponia Baum, you should have received an email from me. You have 24 hours to reply back with your mailing address or I will have to pick another winner!!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, I have another coming up VERY soon!

Product Review and Giveaway: Freschetta Pizza By the Slice

2011-04-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to review a new product a week or so ago (we moved so it took awhile for me to be able to post!), Freschetta Pizza by the Slice. I had Chicken BBQ and oh my word, it was SO beyond good. They have 4 flavors available, Six Cheese Medley, BBQ Chicken, Vegetable Medley, and Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Medley. It comes in a special browning tray for the microwave and only takes 4 minutes for a delicious piece of pizza.

I do have to say the only thing I was disappointed in was the size, it left me wanting more. The taste was incredible though, the BBQ was perfect, the cilantro was a nice touch, the crust was great, and it had the perfect amount of toppings. I would have to say, even though the portion was small, I'd still buy this product, it was THAT good!
In addition to this review there is also a giveaway! You will get a 3 piece storage set, as well as a free coupon for a free Pizza by the Slice to try out yourself!!

On all entries, please do each one as a separate comment, and leave me your email address!

Mandatory Entry- Become a follower on Google Friend Connect!
Other Entries- Tell me what pizza you would like to try for one entry.
Blog about my giveaway, or link on facebook to my giveaway, one entry for each of those as well.

Giveaway will end on Monday, 4/25/2011!!!!

Big News!

2011-04-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

I know I have been MIA forever!! We bought a house!! It was a very long process and we are all moved in, except we have no internet and don't know when we will yet. We live in a brand new rural neighborhood so there is no cable out this way either. I just wanted to let everyone know I am still alive, 11 weeks pregnant, and doing very well. I miss blogging and really can't wait to get back into it!
Here's a pic of our house!

I hope to be back in business soon, just hang tight, and don't give up on me!! :)

Formula

2011-04-08T09:01:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a post for the mommies that don't breastfeed their babies, or they supplement with formula. I couldn't breastfeed my daughter, so I had to rely on formula for nourishment for her. I've found that store brands or "generics" offer the same nutritional value and same ingredients as the known name brands, but for a lot better price. I always wanted the best for my baby, but after learning that all formulas have to offer the same nutrients, I wanted a formula that wouldn't break the bank, since babies go through so much of it and they need to have it.

There's a formula now available called Bright Beginnings, which can be purchased on buy on diapers.com It offers everything you would look for in a formula at a reasonable price. The best thing about ordering from diapers.com is you don't even have to leave the house, you can do it from the comfort of your living room. Anything you order is on your doorstep right away, with 1-2 day shipping. Bright Beginnings offers Gentle formula, Soy formula, and Premium formula so there is surely something that is offered for your little one.

Check Bright Beginnings out on Facebook for more information.

Bright Beginnings on Facebook

Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas

2011-03-30T19:36:00.000-05:00

I've never made these before, and I made my own recipe and I have to say, they are better than any chicken enchiladas I've ever had at any Mexican restaurants. I'm listing the ingredients I used, and mine were pretty spicy, but that's what I like, you can tone the ingredients down and it won't be so spicy.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts (I'm guessing around 10 oz)
1 15 oz can of Old El Paso Medium Enchilada Sauce
1 small can of Old El Paso Chopped Green Chilis
1 can of Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilis
6 Hot jalapeno slices ( you can leave these out)
1 Green bell pepper
1 Medium onion
Tablespoon of Vegetable oil
Chili Powder
1 can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom
Corn Tortillas, I think I used about 15-16 small ones
8oz of Cheddar Jack (Mexican blend I think)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook chicken breasts with chili powder sprinkled on both sides (I use quite a bit in this dish, maybe a tablespoon ), cook until done, take chicken out and set aside.
While the chicken is cooking dice up the veggies, and throw them in the same skillet you cook chicken in when it's done.

Cook veggies until they are tender, I added some juice from the Rotel when they got a little dry (I also added some chili powder in, a dash of salt & pepper as well).
Pour in the Rotel, Green Chilis, and Cream of Mushroom soup.
While that's heating through shred or cut up your chicken, throw that in the skillet too and cook for about 2-3 minutes then turn the burner off.
Wrap your corn tortillas in a kitchen towel and microwave for about 45 seconds until warm and you can roll them without them breaking.
In a 9x13 cake pan pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce in and spread it around.
Roll your chicken mixture in your tortillas and place them all in.
Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce.
Shred cheese and put all over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy with some sour cream :)

Product Review: Purex with Zout Detergent

2011-03-21T14:47:00.000-05:00

As a few of you know I'm part of a group called Purex Insiders. I received a package last week from them with a full bottle of their newest detergent, Purex with Zout.

Purex Complete with Zout is a detergent and pre-treater/stain fighter all in one!! I noticed right away was the great smell of the detergent (it's also available in Clear/Unscented). The first batch of clothes I washed with it was our sheets that my daughter had just decided to spill strawberry milk all over. When the clothes came out, they smelled wonderful, and best of all NO stains!! What I thought would be the real test was to let my daughter wear white shirt for the whole day and see how that worked getting the stains out. My daughter had ketchup, dirt, and berry juice on her shirt by the end of the day. I let the shirt sit over night, and I washed it the next day, and amazingly enough, NO stains!!! I was very impressed, and this will definitely be my new go to detergent!
How does it work you ask?

Also you can use it in any type of machine you have!!

I highly recommend trying the product out, when you do, let me know how you like it. Right now you can get a free sample of the product, by clicking HERE
The product will be available nationwide by the end of March for purchase, look for it the next time you go shopping!!

I was not paid for this post, and the opinions in this post are 100% mine, I was not compensated in any way.

Recipe: Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2011-03-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I can't take credit for this, I got it from my friend Maggie. She made this for our playgroup's St. Patrick's Day party and I couldn't stop eating it. I made this for my husband last night, and we just ate it for dinner. It's so unhealthy, but OH SO GOOD!!!

Ingredients:
1 12oz bag of frozen spinach, cooked, and all excess water squeezed out
1 can of artichoke hearts drained and cut up
1 6oz bag of shredded Parmesan
2 cups of Mozzarella (I only used 8oz because I didn't have 2 bags)
1 cup of mayonnaise

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine all ingredients in a oven safe casserole dish.
Bake at 375 for 30 min or until hot and bubbly.

Eat with tostitos or tortilla chips!!! Yum!!

Sorry for no posts

2011-03-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Sorry things have been so hectic lately since I found out I was pregnant, I've been sick a lot off an on with migraines constantly...and on top of that trying to buy a house so getting a mortgage, setting up homeowners insurance, and signing papers after papers on many different nights.
I'm hoping to get back posting soon. I have a couple product reviews to do here soon from a couple companies....so stay tuned, I didn't leave!

Product Review: Fisher Price Happy Days and Nights Diapers

2011-03-10T13:37:00.000-06:00

I recently purchased a box of these diapers to try. I got them on amazon for $5 for the entire box using coupon codes and my Amazon Mom membership. These are the ones I got. I ordered the size 4s going by the chart. She typically wears a 5, but when they got here, they were the perfect size.

The thing I thought was very cool with them is you get diapers for days AND nights in the box. They are adorable, they have little animals on them. The night time diapers are a light blue in color with a sleeping turtle on the front. They are soft to the touch and are unscented.
The best thing about them is that they work and don't leak! I also like when you put them on, it shows that they fit if the tabs only touch the green area on the diaper. If not you either need a smaller or bigger size, and I thought that was a great feature.
The only problem I found with them was the nighttime ones, when my daughter would get up the next morning the diaper would sag so bad that it would eventually rip open on one side just a few minutes after her being awake. Obviously the day time ones might do that too, but she didn't wear those over night. It doesn't stop me from using them though since it's right after she gets up and I am changing her anyways.
All in all they are highly recommended!! I give 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Purex Contest

2011-03-03T22:24:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow blog readers. I'm involved in a contest with Purex and need to win. If you could all do me a favor and just click on THIS link and let it load, that would be great!!! All you have to do is click on it and that's it!! Thank you!!

Big Announcement!

2011-03-02T19:53:00.000-06:00

After a very long 9 months of trying to conceive, I got a positive pregnancy test yesterday!! Well 8 positive tests to be exact...shhh I know, I wasn't convinced. My husband and I are completely over the moon excited.
I had taken a pregnancy test yesterday morning, not for any reason really. I wasn't late, I didn't have symptoms, I'm just addicted to peeing on those things lol...I totally forgot I took it and had went out for the day. Later on about 5 hours later I was talking to my husband on the phone and remembered that I took it and never even looked at it. All of the sudden, when I saw the two lines I freaked and said "OMG", my husband was like what is something wrong?? I couldn't even say anything, and then all of a sudden I blurted out "I'm pregnant!" and he was like "Omg take another test to make sure and call me right back."
Needless to say, 8 tests later that were all positive, I am 4 weeks pregnant!!!

Review: Purex Complete Crystals Softener

2011-02-25T14:12:00.000-06:00

I recently got a package from Purex that I am a blogger/insider for and it contained a new product, Purex Complete Crystals Fabric Softener. I have to say I was definitely intrigued by the product since all I have ever known is liquid softener and not crystals. When I first opened the bottle, I could not believe the smell, it was AMAZING and I couldn't wait to wash a load of laundry with it. The scent I have is Fresh Spring Waters, and it made our sheets smell absolutely wonderful. I can see that the smell will last a lot longer than just a few days compared to other products, this is sure to last for a week or so.

The main thing I really love about this product is it doesn't contain ANY oil. Liquid fabric softeners contain an oil that coats your clothing, towels, etc. This makes your clothing not absorb water, soap, or anything very well. You can also use this product in any type of washer and you add it at the beginning of your wash load, so you don't have to use any of those messy softener dispensers or wait for the rinse cycle, just toss it right in. It's that simple! The product is 92% natural.

The fact that the product doesn't contain any oil is one of the best reasons to purchase this product if you have children. Children's pajamas have a special coating on them to make them flame retardant, once washed with regular liquid oil based fabric softeners they may not be flame retardant anymore. Purex Complete Crystals Softeners is the first major fabric softener that is 100% safe to use on pajamas and it doesn't weaken the flame retardant qualities.

I highly recommend giving this product a try, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The smell, convenience and the positive points this product has is definitely reason enough to purchase it. Check out more information for this product at Purex.

Recipe: Sweet Tea

2011-02-23T17:58:00.000-06:00

I have had a couple people ask me recently how I make sweet tea, and I just recently made a pitcher since the weather has been in the mid 70s. Now that the weather is nice out, I LOVE sitting outside with a glass of it. Here is how I make mine...

Ingredients:
4 family size tea bags, I use Luzianne in the red box
1 1/2 cups of sugar (I know I know that's a lot)
Water
Medium sized sauce pan
Gallon size pitcher

Directions:
You must follow these exact or your tea will be bitter!
Fill sauce pan with water, leave about 2 inches to the top.
Add in the sugar, and put on burner on high.
Stir sugar to dissolve.
Once the water is boiling remove from the burner and thrown in your tea bags.
Immediately put a tight lid on it, and move to a cold burner and let steep for at least 20 min.
Pour into a gallon jug, and fill the rest with cold water and refrigerate.
Drink within 2 days or it starts tasting different.

The key is making that simple syrup with water and sugar, and NOT letting the water boil with the tea bags in it. If you boil it with the tea bags in it, it will be bitter.

What Happened to Respect?

2011-02-22T14:08:00.000-06:00

I recently have noticed a bunch of hostility and brought on high and mighty attitudes of what is better for someone's child. They are typically all the controversial topics:

Vaginal Birth vs Cesarean Birth
Formula Feeding vs Breast Feeding
Co-Sleeping vs Independent Sleeping
Non-circumcision vs Circumcision

I think a lot of it boils down to attached parenting vs traditional parenting, but it also depends upon how you were raised as a child or what your family is, and what your knowledge or insight on a certain topic is. I have always been the type of mother to listen to both sides, and take my own opinion from that. When I was first a new mother I got a lot of unwanted advice and I would just nod and move on. I'm tired of all these women preaching on what is best for someone's child...if it was the best for your child, that's wonderful, but my child is not your child, and I am not you (thank God!). This definitely isn't towards any one person, this is just something I have noticed a lot of, more so now than ever.

Let's start off with my decisions, I had to have a cesarean birth for my daughter. It wasn't emergency, but I did have a date set. My child was stuck in my ribs, I had two cracked ribs, and she was not coming out. In fact during my c-section I had to be opened wider so the dr could pull her out of my ribs that she was actually stuck in. I was also not showing any signs of labor, no dilation, no effacing, absolutely nothing...which with her stuck in my ribs, she would have never came that way anyways. I also have scoliosis pretty bad, so that is another reason why my c-section was scheduled ahead of time.

As for breastfeeding and formula feeding...I never grew up around anyone that ever talked about breastfeeding or anyone that did it...so to me breastfeeding was "weird", until my daughter was born and I then really wanted to do it, but I never got any milk, so I had to formula feed my daughter or she would have starved to death. I'm hoping the second time around, something might change and I will be able to breastfeed my son/daughter.

We co-slept with our daughter until she was 6 months old. I really loved co-sleeping with her (also known as bed sharing) but we only did so because of my PPD (post partum depression). I was afraid of letting her sleep in her crib or on her own in fear of someone hurting her. Our next child we may or may not co-sleep, I will be put on medication right away for my PPD so I don't experience what I did with our daughter. The first 6 months of her life is a complete blur to me.

Now what I quite don't understand is how someone has the right to tell me what is correct for my child, or tell someone else what is right for her child. What ever happen to respecting people and their opinions? Why do people try to force their parenting style on other moms? I really wish that people would respect others and let them parent their child how they want to. Whether it be attachment parenting, traditional parenting, or a mix in between. I really don't want to hear about how terrible of a mother I am for having a cesarean birth, or for formula feeding my child, especially if a person doesn't know the underlying reasons...same with other mothers, you do not know their reasoning for their decisions so don't push your parenting "skills" onto them.

That being said, I am planning on trying for a VBAC for my next child, if I ever get pregnant, since we are on our 8th month of trying to conceive. I also plan on doing everything I can to breastfeed my child as well. Now that doesn't mean when/if I can't actually have a VBAC to remind me of what a failure I am, or even the same with breastfeeding.

I will now step off my soap box...but just think about things you say to someone, before they come out the wrong way.

Review: BuildASign.com

2011-02-21T09:51:00.000-06:00

I was recently contacted by a representative with BuildASign asking if I'd be willing to do a review of a couple of their products, not to mention of my choice. This website offers a ton of different items that you are able to customize however you want. My mommy playgroup has been looking for a banner for when we do events in our area we will have something big and over the top to advertise. We live in Jackson, MS and are one of two playgroups in the area and are always trying to recruit members. This was the perfect opportunity to get a banner made.

Their website is so easy to navigate around, they offer many different products for customization like vinyl banners, street signs, parking signs, for sale signs, and a whole bunch more. They have a variety of different colors, fonts, clip art to use on their different products. The usage of their customization tool on their website was very user friendly and very quick. I made my 2 signs I'm reviewing within just a few minutes.

I received the street sign I made for my daughters room first, since it was less to make than the banner I ordered. I wanted to make her a sign with her name that would grow with her. Since she has a unique name I thought this was a great opportunity to get her a sign made. When I opened the package the first thing my daughter said was "Wow!!! Cool!!!" and she is only 2.5 years old. We immediately went and hung it on the door to her room. It's made with aluminum and very good quality. No sharp edges, and the sign is very smooth, bright, and clean cut. My daughter loves it and points at it often and says "Look Momma, Cool!" I definitely will use this company again to order one for future children, or even a gift. Not to mention, from the day I designed it to when I received it, was only 2 days!! I was surprised on how quick it got to me.

Now the vinyl banner was the next thing I customized to my liking. For our mommy playgroup we use burgundy as our background and are located in the Jackson Metro Area, so I knew I had to find something with a design that would allow us to put our playgroup name, and Jackson Metro Area along with some design that was clean cut as well as the burgundy color. Low and behold, they had something that fit exactly perfect. The customization was just as easy as it was for the street sign I made with tons of font options, sizes, colors, clip art, etc. The banners are made in 3 x 6 or 4 x 8, they're made with heavy duty vinyl and have grommets on the corners of the banner so it can be hung up easily. The banner showed up on my doorstep 3 days after I ordered it, it came in a box/tube for it to be stored in as well which was really nice. I have to say, I was VERY VERY impressed with the quality of this sign. I had high hopes anyways as the street sign was great quality. The sign was very nice, clean cut, easy to read, and 110% met my expectations. My playgroup hasn't yet seen it, but I showed a picture of it to the other organizer of our group and she loved it and said it was very nice!

I will definitely be recommending this company to anyone who needs a sign of any sort made. Their customer service is fantastic, shipping and packaging was great and fast, their website was easy to use. BuildASign is just a great company all around. I suggest checking out their products!! Again here is the link to their site, BuildASign. Check it out!!!

LL Bean Backpack

2011-02-20T16:41:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how long this sale will be on, or if they are almost sold out, but I just got my daughter a backpack for overnight stays for $11.19 shipped from LL Bean.
L.L.Bean Deluxe Book Pack in Black or Pink Plaid at $11 Shipped!! (Was $40!)
-Use code jpa4393 to get 30% off
-Use code 3026415 to get Free Shipping

Here's the backpack!

Kroger Grocery Trip: 2/17

2011-02-18T11:09:00.000-06:00

I didn't get a picture because I did it later in the day, and I had two hungry kids, my husband and daughter. Plus I did two transactions so I could use the $3 coupon I get from this transaction on my 2nd one.

Here's what I got:
2 Ragu Pasta Sauce
4 Banquet Lite Maple Sausage Links
2 Sponge Bob Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
2 Totinos Pizza Rolls
Pine Sol Cleaner
2 Danimals Smoothie Drinks Pack of 6

Total Before Coupons and Store Savings: $42.54
Total after Coupons and savings, plus $3 off from my last shopping trip: $8.29 which is 80% Savings!

I'm not going to type out my 2nd transaction exactly because I got a TON of meat that was marked down. I got like 6lbs of 92% lean ground chuck, gourmet burgers (mushroom and black n bleu), beef kabobs, and a bunch of fresh vegetables. I only paid $30 for all that I got though, so it was a great haul.

Kroger Grocery Trip: 2/16

2011-02-16T15:34:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure this is my best trip yet!! Here's what I got:

Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Sweet Moments $3.19
2 Oatmeal Raisin Pillsbury Cookies $5.58
Pillsbury Simply Chocolate Chip Cookies $2.79
3 Purex Detergents $3.59
Tide Stain Release 15 pack $7.49
Hefty Freezer Bags $2.85
2 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks $5.78
Huggies Pull-Ups $10.59
2 Valentine's Coffee Mugs $6
Tax $2.66

Total Before Coupons $50.52
Total AFTER Coupons and Store Savings $5.29 AND I have a $3 coupon for my next order.
That's a total savings of $45.23 or 90%!!!

Kroger Delta Region Ad: 2/16-2/22

2011-02-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

I scanned the ad pretty quickly and did some matchups of coupons that I see that I have in hand and on my Kroger card for things that I see for a good deal. I also do not know what the unadvertised deals are. They always have quite a few items that are part of the buy 10 items that are not in the ad. I will have to do another post when I actually go to the grocery store.
Also remember that the Buy 10 items you will get $3 instantly off, and a $3 off Catalina coupon for your next order, and these coupons ARE rolling. Which means you can use a $3 off coupon on your next order of 10 items, and it will give you another $3 coupon.

Tide Stain Release $5.99- $3 coupon-$3e-coupon= $.01 overage FREE
Dannon Danimals Yogurt $1.88-$.55 peelie coupon doubled= $.78
These listed are included in the Buy 10 get $3 off instantly, and $3 off catalina coupon OYNO, prices reflected are with the $.30 off each item:
Cheerios $2.19 - $.75e-coupon= $1.44
Reeses Puffs $2.19 - $.55e-coupon= $1.64
Trix, Kix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, etc $2.19 - various e-coupons, End price varies
Purex Laundry Detergent $2.39 - $.55coupon doubled= $1.29
Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies $2.19 - $1.25 coupon off 2 - $1.00 e-coupon= $2.13 for 2
Pillsbury Grands Biscuits $.99 - $.30 coupon off 2 doubled - $.30 e-coupon= $1.19 for 2
Ragu Pasta Sauce $1.59 - $1 e-coupon off 2= $2.18 for 2
Totinos Pizza Roll Snacks $.99 - $.40 e-coupon off 2= $1.58 for 2
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks $1.69 - $.50 e-coupon off 2= $2.88 for 2

Have You Seen My Baby?

2011-02-15T14:57:00.000-06:00

Where has the time went?? I remember holding this little tiny baby on my chest, shielding her from everything and anything and now she is growing into this little girl that is into everything. Today she is 2 years, 5 months, and 3 days old, how did she get so old, so fast?

Recipe: Crock Pot Pork Roast

2011-02-14T17:24:00.000-06:00

I've been tired of the same food lately and really wanted to try a pork roast in the crock pot. I found a recipe that sounded VERY good and I made it today. It tastes SOOOO good, I will be making it again.

Ingredients:

* 2 large onions, halved, sliced
* 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (I used a 3lb roast)
* Salt and pepper
* 1 jar (12 ounces) apple jelly
* 1/2 cup chicken broth or water (I used water)
* 2 tablespoons grainy mustard (I used a Creole mustard)

Preparation:

Arrange onion slices in the bottom of a large slow cooker.
Wash the roast and pat dry; leave it in its netting and place on the onions.
Combine remaining ingredients in a cup; pour over the roast.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
Turn to LOW and cook for 6 to 8 hours longer. (I didn't do the 2 hours on high simply because I wasn't home, I did 8 hours on low and it was great)
Serves 6 to 8.

Addiction

2011-02-14T09:21:00.000-06:00

This post is definitely going to be different than any of my other posts, and I really questioned on if I should write this or not.
Addiction. It can be a good thing, but most of the time it's bad, very very bad. There are lots of things you can be addicted to whether it be shopping, spending money, sex, smoking, hygiene, etc, or the worst and most thought of alcohol and drugs.
Most people that are addicted, to whatever it may be, do anything they can to get whatever they need/want, they lie, cheat, and steal to get what they need/want without thinking of the consequences.
A lot of people don't talk about addiction as I guess it's sort of taboo, it's also a sign of weakness, and embarrassment. If you know someone in your life, let them know you are there to help, listen, etc. Don't become an enabler, become an encourager, let them know they can beat this "disease", let them know you are there to listen and help them through whatever obstacle they need to get through.
I know this post doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it's not really meant to. Today I came across a blog of one of my husband's old co-workers and he is battling withdrawals from overcoming an addiction, after losing the two most important things to him. That is what inspired me to write this post today.
If you or someone you know has an addiction, just know that it can be overcome, you or that person can get through it, all you need is support, but first you (or that other person) have to be honest, honest with yourself and others. There is help all around, just ask for it, and you shall receive.
Here is the blog of my friend as he goes through the withdrawals, he needs all the support he can get.

Date Night

2011-02-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon Tim tells me that he planned a night for just us. He called my friend to see if her and her hubby would watch D and if she could sleepover with their girls. She said yes, and that she would pick her up at 2:45pm to go to the Circus with all of them. My hubby planned for us to go down to Biloxi to the Beau Rivage and to see a Beatles cover band.

I immediately started bawling because I only had 45 minutes to get everything ready for D, and us so we could leave...not to mention I hadn't ever been away from D for more than a couple hours. I couldn't do it, I felt bad and Tim understood, so I packed D up for my friends house, and instead of us going to Biloxi we just stayed around here.

We went to the movies and saw No Strings Attached with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, very cute movie! Then we went out to dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse. We were kidless for 6 hours and it felt nice, but all we could talk about was our baby girl. We went and picked her up at 9pm, came home, and we all went to bed.

This was the first time my hubby really ever surprised me and he said this is only the first half of my Valentine's present! It was definitely a nice present!!

Anyways, just wanted to share! (and let you all know what a wimp I am for not being able to be away from my kid!)

Sams Club Trick

2011-02-02T09:47:00.000-06:00

I recently got a Sams Club membership through my mom. I had always went all the time in FL with her, but never had my own because I had no reason to. I've always found good deals at Sams Club, and their meat prices you can't beat.
Here's a little trick you might not know about Sam's Club...if you every find something with a price that ends with a 1, like $7.81, $12.61, etc it's on clearance, or close out. It's also usually a very good deal. When I went the other day I found a 10 pack of Tonne's spices for $4.91. That's excellent because spices are very expensive and that's a good brand with lots of flavor. I also found a 3lb brick of Ghiradelli chocolate for $2.81. That's less than $1 a lb for GREAT chocolate. I didn't buy it though because well, it doesn't really go with my diet, but I am going to go back today and see if they have it. I want to make chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's day and that would be perfect.
When I go to Sam's club, I walk up and down every aisle scanning the prices for good deals, I don't think I've ever left there without buying something.
If you don't have a membership, I suggest getting one with a friend, it's cheaper that way then buying one on your own.

Winners of the Amazon Giveaway

2011-01-29T11:45:00.000-06:00

The winners of the Amazon giveaway are in! With the help of random.org, two numbers were picked!!

Winner #1 is Erin!!!!
and

Winner # 2 is Ashley!!
Both of you have received emails with your unique coupon code for Amazon!! Thanks so much to everyone who participated!! Hopefully we will have more giveaways soon.

Where I get my Coupons

2011-01-28T14:15:00.000-06:00

I've had several people ask me lately where I get my coupons for grocery shopping, so here's where:
1.E-coupons that I load to my Kroger card I get from a few different websites
          -Kroger Site
          -Cellfire
          -P&G E-Saver
          -Shortcuts
2. Sunday Newspapers
3. Magazines, I have FREE subscriptions to a lot of magazines that you can get often if you look hard enough on line. I have subscriptions to Redbook, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Parents, American Baby, Health, just to name a few...and they usually all have some sort of coupons in them.
4. Companies-Go to your favorite companies website, they usually have a contact us button. Tell them a personal reason on why you like their product and 9 times out of 10 they will mail you coupons, JUST from complimenting them. Make sure it's personable!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment and I will answer them!

Kroger Grocery Trip: 1/26

2011-01-26T13:36:00.001-06:00

Today was my first experience with the coupon Nazi's I hear about. (Please take no offense to the word Nazi here, not my intentions.) I was told I could not use coupons on item's that are marked down, which I had a ton of them in my cart, but I had done it plenty of times before. So I had to call for a manager and was told that I could indeed use them as long as the coupon did not exceed the price of the item. Which none of them did. I got some yogurt for 19 cents a box and the cashier about had a fit. I seriously felt offended on how I was treated by the cashier. I am going to make it known, and I plan on writing Kroger about the incident...also, I will be going to a different Kroger from now on that has never given me problems, and in fact they applaud me for my coupon usage. I always follow the rules and am just a stay at home mom trying to save a few bucks. I had to do two transactions, since I had to wait on the manager ok for the marked down items with coupons.

Anyways here's my list and prices:
Transaction 1:
Barilla Pasta Sauce $2.59, had a free coupon
Barilla Pasta $1, had a free coupon
Valentine's Day Cards, $1.49 they were 25% off
3 Lean Pockets $1.70 each, $1.25 coupon= $3.85
2 Nestle Tollhouse Filled Cookies $2.09 each, had 2 $1 off coupons= $2.18
Kroger Sour Cream $1
Dove Dark Chocolate $.79 (impulse buy!)
Pamper Baby Wipes $1.49, had $1 coupon= $.49
10 Cans of Progresso Soup $9.99, had 5 $.50 coupons when you buy 2, $7.49
10 Cans of Del Monte Vegetables, $4.99
Grapes, $2.53 ($1.48/lb)
Kens Vidalia Dressing, $1.79, had $1 coupon=$.79
Kroger Chopped Frozen Spinach $1.49
3 Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes, $1.49- $1 coupon off 3= $.49 for 3 cans!
2 Kroger Shredded Cheese, Buy One Get One, $3
Kroger Baby Carrots, $2.19-$.40 coupon=$1.79 (these were marked $1.59 and I didn't see this til now...)
12 pack of toilet paper (not pictured) $3.99
Tax $3.79
Total before coupons and instant savings, and Mega Sale= $90.49
Total after coupons and savings=$39.54, only 56% savings

Transaction #2:
Glade Sense and Spray, normally $8.99, marked to $4.49, had $3 off coupon=$1.49
4 Glade Candles, normally $4.99 each, marked to $.69, had $1.50 off coupon=$1.26
3 Danimal Yogurt Tubes, normally $2.99, marked to $1.29, had 3 $.55 coupons, doubled to $1.10=.57
Tax $.61
Total Before Coupons and Mark Downs, $38.53
Total after coupons $3.74, 90% Savings!!!

For a grand total of $129.02 before coupons, $43.28 after coupons!!!

Blog Giveaway: Two Winners of 20% off Coupons for Diapers at Amazon

2011-01-24T22:20:00.000-06:00

I have a couple 20% off coupons for Amazon off of diapers. You can view my links on a couple deals I have used these on HERE HERE and HERE....you can get diapers for 50% off or more if you pair them with Amazon Mom and Subscribe and Save! I figured, I would do a giveaway for two of my readers and help you out! If you need any help on a certain scenario, I'm willing to help as well, just ask!!

This giveaway will end on 1/28/2011 11:59pm Central time! I will post/email the two winners on Saturday and get you your coupon codes.

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entry-

Become a Follower on my blog, and let me know by leaving a comment. Make sure you give me your email address too.

2nd Entry-

Tell me your favorite brand of diapers for your little one, in a comment.

3rd Entry-

Post this giveaway on your blog, leave a comment with the link.

4th Entry-

Become a member of my group page on Facebook, leave me a comment here with your name you use on Facebook.

This giveaway is being done on my own, I am in no way connected to Amazon, nor did they ask me to promote this.

One Week

2011-01-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

It's been a whole week since I've had a chance to even make a post, and every time I thought about it, I had no idea what to post about. A lot of things have happened lately, some pretty much don't effect me, but they have deep inside, so I have been down in the dumps. I realized I can't dwell on things out of my control or the past. I can control my decisions/friendships/etc in the future, so that's what I'm doing.
On a happy note, I'm having a SURPRISE birthday party for my husband on Saturday! He is the hardest person to EVER keep anything from, and I managed to invite his co-workers and our friends outside of work, and not let him know anything. I'm just wondering how Saturday will pan out! We are having it at a local Mexican restaurant that has the best food with about 25 guests! I'm going to have to sneak out on Saturday and go and get balloons and all that, then see if one of my friends can take them for me. I can't wait to celebrate my husband's big 30th birthday! (Good thing he doesn't read my blog, right?)
Tomorrow my little girl and I are headed to the Mississippi Children's Museum with our playgroup, I have been waiting to go as it just opened last month. I'm excited to see what it has to offer for my little munchkin.
Hubby and I have been doing well on our diets. I am up to 18lbs lost, and my husband is up to 35lbs lost!! I think we finally got our watching calories under control, and it's more of a new eating lifestyle rather than a diet.
We are going on month 7 of TTC another member of our family, and this month I will be monitoring my ovulation in hopes of catching that egg!! Wish us luck!
Other than all of that, nothing else is going on...same stuff different day...well except for the terrible 2s are in full swing today, thank goodness for long naps!!!

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken

2011-01-13T18:16:00.001-06:00

I made this tonight and it was super good!! I didn't expect it to taste as good as it actually did!
I adapted it from this King Ranch Chicken.

Ingredients:
Corn tortilla chips (I didn't have tortillas)
2 chicken breasts
chili powder
2 cans of cream of mushroom
1 onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
Can of rotel, drained (keep juice on side)
4 hot jalapeno sliced, diced small
Cheddar cheese and Mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons of sour cream

Directions:
In a skillet cook the chicken breasts covered in chili powder...cook til done and set aside, shred when cooled.
In same skillet, cook onions and peppers until tender, pour in the rotel, two cans of cream of mushroom...cook until heated, and then put in shredded chicken...add more chili powder if needed. I also added a touch of cumin.
In a casserole dish crunch up a thin layer of tortilla chips on the bottom OR use corn tortillas and make a layer.
Pour the juice from the rotel over this so it softens the chips..I'm not sure I would do that if using tortillas.
Pour 1/2 of the mixture from your skillet over top.
Put a sparse layer of cheese, and then another layer of corn tortilla/chips.
Add the other 1/2 of mixture from skillet on top of that.
Then put the sour cream, and smooth out over top of that.
Then cover in cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Next time I will use tortillas, or maybe even fill the tortillas and roll them up, kind of like an enchilada casserole...but it was still SO good. My husband loved it and he doesn't like a lot of Mexican food. My sister loved it and she doesn't like green peppers.

Fat Lip

2011-01-09T23:19:00.000-06:00

So Saturday I was at the grocery store and I get a text from my husband telling me that our daughter had fallen and busted her face on our concrete steps outside our front door. The worst went through my mind getting that text...so I immediately called him to find out if she needed stitches or what...I guess it bled a TON, like through 3 paper towels, but he got it under control and gave her tylenol along with a popsicle.
Her lip was all fat on top, with scabs above it, like road rash....and then her chin and her bottom lip too. Today it was even worse! You could tell it was bothering her more today, she couldn't even eat today, so she got everything she asked for from M&Ms to lollipops to cookies.

Menu Plan for the week

2011-01-09T23:04:00.000-06:00

So my daughter had her first injury ever on Saturday so I've been busy busy cuddling her, so I haven't been posting...but here was our menu plan for the week!!
Saturday-Skillet Bowtie Lasagna
Sunday-CrockPot Pot Roast
Monday- Beef and Egg Noodles made with leftover Pot Roast Beef
Tuesday-Chicken Spinach Mushroom Pasta
Wednesday-The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Ever
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- Leftovers with Simple Roasted Potatoes and Onions
Saturday- Probably out to dinner!

Recipe: Mexican Lasagna Rollups

2011-01-04T21:10:00.000-06:00

These turned out REALLY good and I will be making them again. You can make whatever substitutions you want to make, like I used ground chicken breast, you can use ground beef...or full fat cream cheese.

Ingredients:
1lb of Ground Chicken Breast
1 8oz block of cream cheese (I used Neufchatel Cheese as it's lower in calories)
1 can of Rotel
1 small can of Tomato Sauce
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
S&P
Onion
Salsa
1 lb box of Lasagna Noodles (I used all but 5 noodles)
6 oz of Cheddar Cheese (I had about 2/3 of a bag left)

Directions:
First thing boil your noodles according to package, drain, and set aside to cool so you can handle them.
In a pan put chicken and onion in, cook thoroughly.
Add spices according to your taste...I use A LOT of chili powder, you can add more throughout cooking
Add in Rotel and tomato sauce and cook for awhile...taste and season if needed

Once this is cooked down a little bit and tastes good add in the block of cream cheese.

Stir it in to melt it through and set the mixture aside to cool a bit so you can handle it by rolling it into the lasagna strips.
In a 9x13 cake pan put enough salsa in the bottom to cover it so the noodles don't stick.

Preheat oven to 375 at this point.
Take 1 noodle at a time and spoon mixture onto a lasagna strip, then roll it up. Place in pan like shown in picture.

Once pan is full spoon any leftover mixture over the top of rollups.

Top with cheddar cheese.
Bake in oven until heated through and cheese is melted...it was about 15-20 min for me.

Serve with sour cream and or salsa if you want.

I could only eat 3 and I was completely stuffed. Enjoy!!!

New Project and New Things

2011-01-04T00:03:00.000-06:00

Several of my friends have started a project for the year, taking a picture each day of the year, all 365 days. I decided I would join in, but I am doing it on facebook. I will share some here, but all of them will be there. Since it's only 3 days in, you should do it too! I can't wait to see at the end of the year all of the pictures...but for now here is a pic of me....

I started my diet back up today :) I actually wore a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to wear in over a year, so I will be back to posting about my diet. I also purchased a daily planner today as well, I am planning on keeping track of how much money I spend and save on groceries, clothing, etc. I am also planning on writing a book about how to save money as well as a cookbook. The cookbook I have already started, the other book I haven't yet...I have only started the outline. Wish me luck as I have issues with actually sticking with something!
.

Cheap Diapers and Amazon Mom

2011-01-02T10:39:00.001-06:00

If you haven't signed up for Amazon Mom I suggest you do so...you automatically save on diapers, wipes, toys and other things. Right now, if you buy diapers and use the subscribe and save you will save 30%, as soon as you receive your shipment you can go into your amazon account and cancel the subscription with one click. You also get free 2 day shipping on everything with Amazon Mom. If you get any parenting magazines there is usually a 20% off coupon in there and you can stack that with the 30%!!
I just bought a box of Size 5 Pampers Baby Dry 116 pack for $16!! Here's proof!!

Go to this link here

Search Amazon.com for Diapers

to check them out and don't forget you will get FREE Prime Shipping for at least 3 months, the more you purchase, the longer your Free Prime Shipping will last!!

Happy New Years Eve!

2010-12-31T17:48:00.004-06:00

Well, it's almost 2011...we had a great year, lots of great things happened!

1. We moved out of FL to Jackson MS, which was the best decision ever, my husband LOVES his job.
2. We have paid off over $25,000 in debt.
3. My husband and I both got new vehicles that save us money on payments and gas.
4. My sister has straightened her life out and is doing great.
5. Our baby girl is growing more and more each day and surprising us with everything she learns.

I actually have a few New Years Resolutions as well:

1. Life is too short to hold grudges, and I want everyone to know I care about each and everyone of my
friends and family...that being said shit happens, and I am going to be positive with each and every one of you.
2. Take better care of myself, my health, lose weight, and just be happy and positive.
3. Be nice to my husband as I can get snappy at times. He provides for our family and works hard and allows me to stay at home with our daughter, I need to show him more respect than I do at times.
4. Build a relationship with my father. I spoke to him on Christmas Day for the first time in years, and he is 71, I don't want to regret later on down the road that I didn't get to know him since he wasn't in my life.

Here's my munchkin and I today!

Our Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-31T12:19:00.000-06:00

We left MS Wednesday the 22nd and drove through the night to Brooksville, FL it took us 12 hours and that included 5 stops. We spent the morning with Tim's Dad (with tons of presents), then drove to New Port Richey, FL in the afternoon to spend some time with my mom. I then went to go see my best friend Katie and her beautiful daughter Mackenzi. After that we spent some more time at my mom's and with my husband's best friend Jimmy.

Christmas Eve morning we spent with Tim's Ex-Step Dad and had a wonderful breakfast with tons of presents. Then we headed back on over to my mom's to spend time with her and my sister's Dad. We had our Christmas that night with my mom, then headed out Christmas morning to Salt Springs, FL to spend Christmas Day with Tim's Uncle Chris, Aunt Michelle, and Grammy. We left that afternoon to head back home and stopped in Pensacola, FL to see one of Tim's friends and had dinner there and arrived back home in MS at 3am on Sunday.

I have to say it's the best Christmas I have had in a very very long time. It was very quick, but fun at the same time!!

A Sad Sad Day

2010-12-30T14:58:00.000-06:00

My ex-boyfriend, Jamie, of 4 years passed away yesterday. On Christmas Eve he was at work and had a seizure, he fell to the ground and hit his head on something. He had brain swelling and was lifted by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center...the swelling in his brain kept increasing and he lost the fight yesterday and passed on.
July 1, 1981 - December 29, 2010
He hadn't had a history of seizures so they aren't sure why that happened. The autopsy will happen today, so hopefully I will find out more information.
He used to hang out with the wrong crowd and recently been sober for over a year. He was attending college at St. Leo University in FL and was almost done with his bachelors degree. He completely turned his life around and then this happened.
I feel so terrible for his parents, they are the sweetest people you will ever meet.
Please say a prayer for the family and keep everyone in your thoughts. I am extremely upset, but I am so glad to have the supporting and loving husband I have that understands.
If any of you would like to donate money, I have a collection going to send a gift to the family. My paypal email is darcibean AT gmail DOT com
Thank you.

Kroger Grocery Trip: 12/29

2010-12-29T17:04:00.000-06:00

Today was a great day with coupons at Kroger. I really didn't need anything, but I couldn't pass up the deals I got!
Charmin 12 pack double roll
2- Febreze Air Effects Spring Renewals
3- Febreze Set and Renew Air Fresheners
Crockpot ($3.75 on clearance!)
3- Boxes of Townehouse Flatbreads
2- packages of Keebler Cheesecake Middles
Keebler Wheatables Crackers
2- 60 load Downy Liquid Fabric Softeners

I spent $19.36 OOP after coupons and tax
Price before coupons was $88.42, that's 79% Savings!

A Little Bit of Happiness

2010-12-28T00:05:00.000-06:00

We have officially paid off about $25,000 in debt in the 6 months we have lived here in Jackson, MS. We have been trying to keep money tight for awhile, just so we could do this and FINALLY we did it. We are hoping to either build or buy a house in November 2011 and will hopefully have another family member by then!!!
On another note, this is my 200th post and my blog-versary is coming up next month!!!!! Christmas was great, but that's another post for another day!

Review: Clinique Exfoliant Scrub

2010-12-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

I love exfoliants for my face, but I haven't found one in a long time that works the way I want it. I like exfoliants to be REALLY gritty...and I finally found one. Clinique's Exfoliant Scrub is really thick, gritty, and works well. It leaves my skin feeling great, and leaves a cool fresh minty feeling. It doesn't really have a smell to it, which is good because some products have a terrible smell to it. You only have to use a small amount of it too. Which is good because the price of it is $18 for a 3.4oz bottle. That seemed expensive when I purchased it, but now that I used it and realize how great it works, and how little of an amount you use, it's definitely worth it. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe: Easy and Cheap Apple Dip

2010-12-19T19:59:00.000-06:00

The other day I bought a large bag of apple slices. I had a good coupon that actually made it cheaper than buying the apples whole. I was getting a little bored of eating them though, so I wanted a dip to eat them with. I like them with peanut butter, but I didn't want that. I googled some recipes and came up with a version of one I found. It was super good and I will make it again!

Ingredients:
4 oz of cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
and just a bit of vanilla extract

Directions:
Mix it all up until combined and dip away!!

It tastes a bit like caramel, but sweet and tart at the same time!!! YUM!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

2010-12-17T12:25:00.000-06:00

Oh wait, I guess that's to our family. We are celebrating our Christmas Eve tonight, and Christmas tomorrow. We have tons of gifts under our tree, I know I know, they aren't supposed to be under there until Santa comes, but my 2 year old doesn't understand that concept this year, she just know we get presents soon. Plus, I have no where to store them right now!!
We are celebrating this weekend because on Wednesday we are driving the long 10-11 hours to FL to visit my Father-in-law, my mom, my hubby's BFF (that sounds funny), my BFFs (Katie and Heidie), my hubby's Aunt and Uncle, and my hubby's Grandma. This all will be completed in 4 short days. My hubby didn't want to take any of his vacation days for Christmas this year because we are planning on going on a cruise to Alaska for our vacation next year!
I am really looking forward to tonight, lots of baked goods, junk food like cheese and crackers, summer sausage and sweet hot mustard, hummus and pretzel crisps...oh I can just taste it.
Unfortunately I am depressed about one thing...I had to tell my husband what I got him for Christmas. I bought him an acoustic guitar that I got an amazing deal on (and with help from Mom so my hubby didn't see it on the Bank statement). Last weekend we were in Toys R Us finishing up our shopping when my hubby said to me, "Oh I'm going to go next door to see what good deals they have on guitars! Maybe I'll find one I like." Yes, there was a guitar store RIGHT next door...I said, "No, you don't need to go over there, stay here with me." Which I knew wasn't going to happen...I had never seen Toys R Us so packed in my life and we were standing in line with at least 8 people in front of us, and it was like that at every register. He then said, "I just want to go over there, I don't want to stand in here." So I blurted it out, "That's what I F'ing got your for Christmas" and I started bawling...right there in the middle of the line at Toys R Us. I could tell he felt bad, and if only he had just listened to me in the first place. Needless to say he is ecstatic to open it up!
Anyways, I am going out in a few after my husband comes home for lunch to grab a few last minute items!! I can't wait, we are heading out tonight to get some Starbucks and drive around and look at some Christmas lights around the area. I love the beautiful hills and all the fallen leaves, and the Christmasy weather here in MS, it's nothing like I ever thought it would be.
Merry Christmas to everyone if I'm not back on here before next Saturday!!

Here's a picture of our jam packed Christmas tree full of gifts, and that's just for Tim, Delilah, and I!!

Recipe: Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

2010-12-15T21:39:00.000-06:00

I am not good at making desserts from scratch, but in fact I have realized it just makes me nervous because these cookies turned out absolutely amazing!! My husband came in and ate one, and then grabbed the ENTIRE plate and went and sat down in front of the TV...I had to quickly tell him each cookie was roughly 75 calories...he only ate 5...lol

Ingredients:
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
4 oz of cream cheese (I used 1/3 of the fat Cream Cheese)
1 cup of sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and lightly grease cookie sheets (I didn't but mine are non-stick)
-In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy.
-Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.
-Stir in flour until well blended.
-Roll dough into balls in your hand and put thumbprint into them.
-Fill each one with some Raspberry Preserves or what ever you like.
-Bake for 15-16 minutes, cookies will look pale, and slightly light brown on the bottom.

YUMMMMMMO!!!

How to Get Free Items & High $$ Coupons

2010-12-13T20:06:00.000-06:00

The other night I couldn't sleep and I thought about a few months back when I had wrote a few emails to some companies complimenting them on their products and how many great coupons I got. You can see that post here.
Anyways so I sat down and went through my head about products that we use, that I hadn't written to previously. All you have to do is go to the webpage of a brand you like, and find a contact us button, or even an email address. Then just tell them a personal story about you like a certain product.
For example, I had been meaning to get Delilah a Kids Powered Toothbrush but I keep forgetting and she has been asking for one since I have a Sonicare toothbrush. I wrote Colgate and told them that. I also told them I loved all of their products and I asked for coupons. They sent me a coupon to get a FREE Colgate Powered Toothbrush.
Here is a list of what I got in one mailing today....I can't WAIT to see tomorrow's mail!!
From Colgate-Palmolive
-Free Colgate Powered Toothbrush up to $5.99
-$.75 Lady's Speed Stick
-$.75 Colgate Orabase Oral Pain Reliever
-$.50 Colgate Wisp
-$2.00 Colgate Phos-Flur Anti Cavity Dental Rinse
-$.75 Softsoap Body Wash
-$.75 Colgate Kids Toothpaste
-$.40 Palmolive Dish Liquid
-$.30 Irish Spring Soap
-$.40 Softsoap Hand Soap
-$.50 Murphy Oil Soap
-$.50 Suavitel Fabric Softener
-$.75 Irish Spring Body Wash
-$.75 Colgate Toothbrush
-$.40 Palmolive Dishwasher Detergent
-$1.00 Colgate Peroxyl Cleanser
-$.75 Speed Stick
-$1.00 Colgate Toothpaste

Kens Steakhouse Marinade/Dressing & Sweet Baby Rays
-$1.00 Ken's Steakhouse Marinade
-$1.00 Ken's Dressing
-$1.00 Sweet Baby Rays BBQ
FREE Ken's Marinade
FREE Ken's Dressing
FREE Ken's Dressing
FREE Sweet Baby Rays BBQ
FREE Sweet Baby Rays BBQ
FREE Sweet Baby Rays BBQ
FREE Sweet Baby Rays BBQ

Eckrich
-$.55 Eckrich Product
-$.55 Eckrich Product

Egglands Best Eggs
-$.50 Any Eggs

Chiquita
-$1.00 Any Chiquita Fruit or Veggie Bites
-$1.00 Any Chiquita Fruit or Veggie Bites

Apple and Eve
-$1.00 Any Two Apple & Eve Products
-$1.00 Any Two Apple & Eve Products
-$1.00 Any Two Apple & Eve Products
-$1.00 Any Two Apple & Eve Products

Birds Eye
-$1.00 Voila Frozen Meals

Amy's Organic Products
-$.75 Any product
-$.75 Amy's Kids Meal
-$.75 Amy's Lasagna
-$.75 Amy's Pot Pie
-$.75 Amy's Hot Cereal Bowl
-$.75 Amy's Light & Lean Meal
-$.75 Amy's Cakes
-$1.00 Any Frozen Product
-$.55 Amy's Grocery Item

Dial Corporation (Purex)
-$.50 Soft Scrub
-$.35 Dial Product
-$.40 Renuzit Product
-$.50 Purex Detergent
-$.50 Purex Detergent
-$.50 Purex Detergent

I would say that it took me about an hour to write all of these companies and I have to say it was definitely well worth it. I will say that not everyone you write will send you coupons either. If I have to guess I would say about 8 out of 10 companies actually send coupons. Others will just tell you to print them off of their website. I took a picture of all my coupons so you could see!! Let me know what you get when you do it!

Hallmark Shopping Trip 2

2010-12-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

Both of my Hallmark stores still have all their Yankee Candles Buy One Get One Free.
On Saturday I made a trip and the cashier let me do 6 transactions with 6 coupons!

I did 4 like transactions of:
2- 3.7oz Yankee Jar Candles for $9.95 at B1GI
1 Christmas Ornament for $.99 (found with the gift bags)
Total after coupon $10 off $10 purchase $1.71

1 Transaction of:
Christmas Ornaments B1G1 50% off ($6.95 Ornaments Only)
Total after coupon of $10 off $10 purchase, $1.15.

1 Transaction of:
2- 14oz Yankee Candles $14.95 at B1G1 Free
Total after coupon $10 off $10 purchase, $6.00!

After all Transactions I got 8 small jar candles, 2 medium jar candles, and 6 Christmas Ornaments for $13.99! These all make excellent Christmas presents, and I barely spent any money.

Hallmark Shopping Trip

2010-12-10T21:46:00.000-06:00

Last week I posted about a $5 Hallmark coupon, well this week there is a printable $10 off a $10 purchase which you can print here. I actually printed 20 of them since they are good until Christmas Eve. I used 2 of them today and my sister actually used 2 of them as well.
When I got to Hallmark they had all of their Yankee Candle products on sale Buy One Get One Free!!! This is something that I never see on sale that cheap.
For my 1st transaction I bought 10 Yankee Candle Tarts, they were $1.99 B1G1, and one ornament for $.99. After my $10 off coupon I paid $1.49 out of pocket.
For my 2nd transaction I did the same exact thing. So for 20 Yankee Candle Tarts that would have normally been $40 plus tax and two $.99 ornaments, I paid a total of $2.98!!

I have a Food Network Addiction

2010-12-10T21:10:00.000-06:00

I seriously am addicted to anything Food Network related, their shows on tv, their website AND their online store!!! Did you know that you can buy products that your favorite chef uses??
I have a set of Paula Deen's Pots and Pans (in Charcoal) and I absolutely love them. They hold up to anything and everything I cook. They also come in a variety of colors like Robin's Egg Blue, Butter, Red just to name a few. They cook evenly, I have never had a problem cleaning them and I've never had any food stick to them. They are everything you want in a pot/pan and for a cheap price as well. They are only $119.95 for a 12 piece set. You can't wash them in the dishwasher though, but that isn't a problem for me as I wash them by hand every time anyways.

Picture from Food Network Store

I like that they come with clear glass lids because you can see inside without taking the lid off and letting all the heat escape. They are a very durable material and I definitely recommend purchasing these, at this price why buy anything else. These would be a great Christmas gift, I know the recipient would be pleased!

Check out the Food Network Store and you might find something else you want to buy with them....I know I am eye-ing the lazy spoon set from Rachael Ray!

Picture from Food Network Store

Happy Shopping and tell me a product you would love from the Food Network Store!

Super Cheap Games, Print Coupons ASAP

2010-12-09T00:15:00.003-06:00

Print the coupon that has the Hungry Hungry Hippos and also the Pictureka one. It allowed me to print 2 of each one.

You can get the Pictureka Card Game at Target for $5.24 - $5 coupon = .24 + tax.

Inside the Pictureka game was a $5 off coupon for quite a few other games including Scrabble which is only $10 at Target right now, which makes it only $5 + tax after the coupon.

There is a Hungry Hungry Hippos Travel Game at Walmart for only $5, so that would be free + tax.
Word has it Target has this game as well, but it's in the Stocking stuffer section, which would explain why I didn't see it tonight when I went there.

I believe Pictureka Cards is only $5 at Walmart as well.

Click Here to print coupons, last day Friday 12/10

These make great gifts for children with very little money spent out of pocket.

My Two Favorite Winter Drinks

2010-12-07T08:22:00.000-06:00

I have two favorite Winter drinks to warm me up, one of them is Chai Tea. I buy the Oregon Chai and mix it with 1% milk. It's easy to make because you do 1/2 and 1/2 of each one! It's so good!
My second go to drink is a packet of fat free hot chocolate mixed with 7oz of 1% milk, and then add in some fat free french vanilla creamer. My husband taught me this a few years back and said he grew up on it. At first I was skeptical, and it didn't sound like it went together at all...but I have to say, it's absolutely amazing and goes together just perfect!

Soap.com Purex Laundry Detergent Deal

2010-12-06T22:10:00.000-06:00

Go to soap.com (affiliate of diapers.com) add $25 worth of Purex products to your cart and get free shipping and then code FBPUREX to get 50% off. I just got 4 bottles of laundry detergent and 1 bottle of fabric softener for $13.23 shipped to my door by fedex.
If you sign up use my email as your referral! darcibean@gmail.com or my code listed below DARC015

use code DARC0510

shop for all your home essentials: Gillette Razors, Dove Soap, Moroccan Oil

Not valid for existing Diapers.com, Soap.com or BeautyBar.com customers. Some restrictions apply.

Leap Frog Fridge Magnet Set

2010-12-06T12:51:00.000-06:00

I have to say that this toy really helped my daughter learn the alphabet. I would buy this over and over for a gift for a 1-2 year old. It also keeps them busy in the kitchen while you are doing something like cooking or cleaning. It's currently on sale on Amazon for only $10. I paid a little over $20 for it. This is a GREAT deal!

Sweepstakes

2010-12-05T22:56:00.000-06:00

I never have any luck winning anything, but recently I decided to start entering sweepstakes because I have nothing to lose.
In the past month I have won:

$10 Gift Card to Target
$10 Gift Card to Texaco Gas Station
Barilla Pasta and Sauce
Halls Cough Drops
Cheerios

I basically follow the "Daily Sweeps 4 Mom" list over at Freebies For Mom. I am hoping one day soon I will win something big. I think I have won quite a bit for just starting this a month ago. I do enter these giveaways every day if they allow it. You can also search google for daily sweepstakes and I found a lot of them that way as well.

Christmas Shopping for My Toddler

2010-12-05T03:51:00.001-06:00

I'm almost done with Christmas shopping for my toddler, I want to get a few more things, but here is what is under the tree so far!

Candyland
Chutes and Ladders
Strawberry Shortcake Memory Game
Babe Double Feature DVD
Dog Pillow Pet
Elmo Backpack/Suitcase
Children's Place Fleece Pullover and Pants
Children's Place Monkey Slippers
Barnyard Floor Puzzle
Shopping Basket with play food
Hippo Step Stool
Minnie Mouse Sleeper Pajamas
Playdoh

A Day at the Park

2010-12-05T03:34:00.001-06:00

My poor little girl had a 24 hour stomach bug with a high fever and vomiting Thursday-Friday. Today she was feeling better and I wanted to get her out of the house. My husband was doing some volunteer work through his employer and was ringing the bell for Salvation Army outside the Kroger for an hour and a half.
We decided to drop him off and go to the park nearby and play, then pick him up, go out to dinner, and then attend the Christmas Parade that was going on.
Here are a few pics from the park of my growing toddler.

Amazon Sale for the day!!

2010-12-04T10:50:00.000-06:00

There have been a lot of things with GREAT prices on Amazon lately...here is what's up for today!

Just Dance 2 for the Wii for only $29!
Baby Alive Bouncin Babbles for $19!

Melissa and Doug Toys 50% Off

2010-12-03T09:56:00.001-06:00

Melissa and Doug Toys 50% Off

A friend of mine just got a 3 different things for $27 shipped!! This is great for Christmas!

$5 off any purchase at Hallmark

2010-12-02T22:25:00.001-06:00

I recently came across a few gift card coupons in a few of my magazine subscriptions. One was in my Woman's Day and the other I think was in my Family Circle, there sat a cute little red card for Hallmark that said $5 off any purchase. This past week I went to two different Hallmarks and ended up getting Christmas wrapping paper for next to nothing. It was on sale for $4.99, buy one roll, get a second for $.99. After my gift card/coupon and tax, I paid $1.68 for 2 rolls of wrapping paper on two different occasions. Right now there is an internet printable that is good until December 5th, so you need to print this now! Unfortunately my printer ran out of ink 2 days ago :(

Recipe: The Best Sweet Potato You Have Ever Had

2010-12-02T17:29:00.000-06:00

Seriously, this will make you wanna slap your momma...it's THAT good. Yesterday when I ran into Walmart they had sweet potatoes for .19 a lb!! I bought 8 lbs because I love them that much, and they were super cheap...I'm making sweet potato fries next :)
Take a good size potato (one that will fill you up for dinner)
Rinse off the skin, poke some holes in the potato with a fork
Bake on a cookie sheet for 50-60 minutes until the potato gives when you squeeze it
Cut in half down the middle and kinda mash the meat with your fork
Put 2 pats of butter on it, make sure it melts all good and is mixed in
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Sprinkle generously with brown sugar..I used a good 3-4 Tablespoons
Make sure it's all incorporated pretty well
Cover the top with mini marshmallows and put back in oven until the marshmallows start to melt and brown

Eat...you will be thinking me while you are eating this wonderful gooey, sweet goodness!!

Review: Solia Premium Flat Iron

2010-12-02T16:19:00.001-06:00

I have owned a CHI flat iron for a little over 5 years now, it was the best thing I ever spent $125 on. I know that's a TON of money for a flat iron, but I definitely got my monies worth out of it. I recently have been reading reviews on other flat irons comparable to that one and I was REALLY hesitant to try something new. My husband bought me the gift set pictured for my birthday. It was originally $233, but I scored it for $80. It's currently for sale for $95. I have to say, I was SUPER impressed with the flat iron. The construction of it is strong, you can tell it's an expensive piece of equipment...unlike the cheapy conair ones you can purchase at any regular retailer. I flat ironed my hair in less than 10 minutes, and that was with kinks in it. It made my hair feel super silky, I had no flyaways and it didn't burn my hair. The plates are also covered with the Ceramic/Tourmaline and it makes a big difference.
I am extremely happy with my purchase/birthday present from my hubby, and I would definitely say it is better than the CHI....not to mention, it has heat settings where as the CHI did not. Here is the link to purchase it from folica.com!

Product Review: RelaxZen

2010-12-02T09:39:00.001-06:00

I was recently given the chance to try a new product, RelaxZen...it's the opposite of an energy shot and relaxes you and helps you sleep. It didn't taste bad either like I thought it was going to. I took it around 7pm at night because medicines and stuff usually take about 3 hours to effect me. I will say I was seriously sleepy within a half hour, and I went to bed that night around 8:30pm and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I slept all the way through the night and woke up feeling great in the morning.
I can't even tell you the last time I went to bed that early or waking up feeling that great. I usually don't go to bed until around midnight and then 8am seems to come quick from my daughter. I will definitely be picking up a few of these to have around the house and I highly recommend this to my readers!

I was sent this sample from Smile-ly and my review/opinion is all my own, I was not paid to do this review, I was only given the sample of the product with some coupons.

Savings: JCPenney $10 off $10

2010-12-02T00:53:00.001-06:00

This deal is still going on right now. You can get $10 off a $10 order, and you can get shipping free if you ship to store to pick up later. I made two orders, one under my name, email, and credit card...and one under my husbands name, email, and credit card. JCPenney had this same deal a few months back, that I posted here.
I ordered a set of bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths that's on sale for $12.99. So after the $10 discount, I got them for $3.20. The code to save $10 is GIVEJOY and it only works on apparel and home stuff.
Here's my receipt:

Christmas is in the Air

2010-11-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

Christmas is definitely in the air..we are almost done Christmas shopping and we put up our tree 2 weekends ago. We will be heading to FL for a few days and then will be celebrating here, our first very own Christmas in our own house. I am so excited and I wanted to share a picture of our tree! (Don't mind the blank spot of lights, I have to find the one that burnt out!)

Diet: It's been 2 Months

2010-11-30T21:47:00.001-06:00

We started our diet 2 months ago and I am proud to say I am down a total of 15.4 lbs!! My husband has lost 27lbs! I haven't even been exercising, but need to start soon. Once I start exercising I'm sure I will start losing even more! If you had doubts about losing weight before, if I can do it, believe me, you can too. I am a person that LOVES food and I have really enjoyed this new eating lifestyle. I allow myself a cheat day about every 2 weeks...and I even ate whatever I wanted on Thanksgiving, not to mention all the leftovers the few days afterwards!

Recipe: Bean Soup

2010-11-30T21:43:00.000-06:00

I saved the ham bone from the ham we had on Thanksgiving and threw it in the freezer.When I was little I remember my mom always made a bean soup with a ham bone as well. The weather has been freezing cold here for days now, in fact it's 32 degrees outside right now. Here is the recipe!

Bean Soup in the crock pot
Ingredients: Ham Bone
7 cups of chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, minced
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of minced garlic, or 1 clove
1 lb of Great Northern Beans, rinsed and pick bad ones out

Directions:
Basically you just throw everything in the crock pot and cook on 7-8 hours low.
In the last hour pull your bone out and get the meat off of it, put the meat back in.
Mash up about 1/2 cup of beans to thicken up the soup, stir it all together.
Serve! I served with mini corn bread muffins that I made.

Nutritional value based on above ingredients divided into 6 servings:
168 Calories, 34 Carbs, 2 Fat, 19 Protein, 18 Fiber

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T20:58:00.000-06:00

We had some family here from out of town for Thanksgiving, we had them take a few pictures of our little family and we finally got a decent one. I wanted to share with all my readers. I'm so proud of my hubby, he has lost 27lbs in less than 2 months and he is looking so handsome!!

Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-24T22:26:00.000-06:00

I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and have everything all ready to go to bake tomorrow.

Here is our menu:
Spiral Glazed Ham
Augratin Potatoes
Candied Yams
Green Bean Casserole
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
and
Crescent Rolls!!

I am not counting calories tomorrow. I have lost 13.5lbs on my diet so far and have been counting calories for almost 2 months, I'm not going to go crazy...but I do want to enjoy Thanksgiving :)