A New Year's Eve Appetizer

If you are looking for a yummy appetizer, Tiny Chicken Turnovers are great! I have posted about these before, and they have become a staple for those times when we have appetizers-New Year's Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, etc... For the Super Bowl, I even made some with taco filling and they were really good! Below is the recipe, but I will tell you, I often up the spices when I make these. Basically, if the filling tastes perfect to you, add a bit more :) Then, fill your turnovers. For some reason, the flavor of the filling seems to mellow once it is in the turnover. I have even added a bit of garlic and onion powders to the turnover dough. They seem like alot of work, and they can be, but you can make these ahead of time and keep them in your freezer, or in the fridge if you will be eating them the next day. Just reheat in the oven ;)

Tiny Chicken Turnovers:


Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margerine, chilled

5 tablespoons cold water



In a bowl mix together the flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Place in fridge for a bit to make it easier to roll.



Filling:

3 tablespoons chopped onion (I like to chop mine really fine or use a bit of onion powder instead)

3 tablespoons butter

1 3/4 cups shredded, cooked chicken meat

3 tablespoons chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

or

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, diced

Shredded Cheese (no amounts here-I suggest adding in as much as you think your family might like-you can even leave this out if you like:)



Melt butter in hot skillet. Add chopped onion and saute until tender. Add in shredded chicken, chicken stock, garlic powder and whatever other seasonings/spices you might like. Stir well, then add in cream cheese. Remove from heat and allow cream cheese to melt into mixture.

I love making the mixture the day before-unless I plan to store these in the freezer. It saves time, but it also allows the flavors to mingle and we all know mingling is a good thing ;) I just store it in the fridge until I need it.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/16 of an inch. I do not measure it.. I just roll it out pretty thin. Using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter or glass about that size, cut out circles. Place a heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture into center of circle. Fold circle over and using a bit of water around the inside edge of the circle, seal. You can use a fork to make pretty indents all around that sealed edge. Then, using a sharp knife, cut a small air hole in the top of the pastry. Reroll any scraps and keep going until you run out of chicken or dough :) I make up pans as I go along-this way I am working on a pan while one is baking. It helps with time-and if you have kids, they might relaly enjoy helping with these! It would be great for the little ones to help with the filling part.

Bake for 15-20 mins at 375. Just until golden brown.


By the way, have leftover turkey? You can easily use it in place of the chicken-that is my plan. Have leftover ham-make ham and cheese turnovers. You can really just use any combo of ingredients and use up some of those leftovers too! Like I said, I did the taco filling and it was terrific! This year, the kids want pizza ones, so I will try that for the Super Bowl :)  Have fun and enjoy!!

Bird's Eye Coupon

GO here and Like Bird's Eye to help Bird's Eye with their No Hungry Initiative :) They will share $1 for every LIKE they get. You will also get a coupon If you are already part of their FB page, you can still help out and get a coupon.

Had to Share About a Company

I do not usually do this, but I thought it needed to be shared. I had passed along info about companies before who were really helpful, or passed along coupons. In this case, I am on the other end of that spectrum. We purchased a set of remote control laser tag cars for my sons for Christmas. Very cool car/truck combo that looked like SO much fun-and they would have been had they actually worked. The truck worked, but the car would not go. We tried everything according to the instruction sheet and other things, like switching out the batteries (which were brand new anyway). The instruction sheet says "WAIT! Do not return to the store where purchased. Please call us" So, I waited for Monday to call. The solution to my problem-return to the store for an exchange or refund. I explained there were no more in the store (we checked on Sunday) and that my sons really wanted this set. The lady explained I could send the car to them, paying for my own postage, and they could see about fixing the car, or sending another-with no guarantee it would be the same car. On top of that, it would be atleast 6 weeks to get our new car! at this point I requested a supervisor, who was in a meeting. I waited all day for a call back-nothing.
Im so sorry, but I have already spent almost $50 on this set! I do not appreciate the fact I must spend more money when, right out of the package, it did not work. I know I can take this back to Walmart for a refund, and that is what I now plan to do, but I wanted to share this company with you, so you can be careful when buying from them. Be sure to check any RC car before giving it as a gift, so you will not end up like I did. The company is Jada Toys and I am sure they make good products, I just have a problem with their customer service practices when there is a problem with one of those products. I prefer to buy from companies that will take care of their consumers, especially in this day and age!! $50 is alot for many people to scrap together this day and age, and this company should realize that and be willing to do more than they are offering to do. So, use this information as you will :) I am not telling you to buy or not buy from this company, just be careful to check one of their cars before giving as a present, especially before Christmas, when the store might run out of them!

Be One of the First to Try a Spicy Chick'n Biscuit from Chick-fil-A

Be sure to reserve your spot now to try the new Spicy Chicken Biscuit from Chick-fil-A! Reservations go fast and the dates are from Jan 3-8, 2011 (yay, got the year right ;). From what I see, all reservations are in the morning :)

*Don't Forget* Tomorrow-Christmas Eve-Free Coffee

Tomorrow, Kum & Go will be giving out free coffee to customers. No purchase necessary. So, if you are running low on energy and need caffeine, head on over to your nearest Kum & Go for a pick-me-up :)

Colgate SmileTalk

Sign up for Colgate SmileTalk to get dental information, exclusive coupons, etc.

Check These Sites for More Coupons

Kraft Coupons-cheese, Maxwell House Coffee and many others.

Campbell's-Soups, Pepperidge Farm, and others

Pepperidge Farm- cookies & crackers from Pepperidge Farm

Target Coupons-lots of coupons to use for great deals with sales at Target!!

Old Navy-Today Only- Fleece Scarves $1 each

Limit of 5 per customer but what a great deal! Old Navy, Dec. 18th, today only!! Fleece Scarves for the family! Get there early because Im sure the stores will be crazy with folks wanting this deal!!

Free Sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Walmart has a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. Have I mentioned I love getting samples in the mail? Hmmm--Im sure I have :) Go here to get yours!

Hiland Dairy Coupons

Go to Hiland Dairy and get your coupons this month. You can get-
35¢ off Any 24-oz Hiland Sour Cream


45¢ off Any Hiland Gallon Orange Juice

55¢ off 56-oz Hiland Old Recipe Ice Cream Scround

1.00¢ off Any Quart Health Wise Non-Dairy Milk

You must be a member if you are not already, but it is free to join and you get the benefits of some great coupons!!

Free Yoplait Coupon

Pssst is offering a coupon for a free cup of Yoplait Yogurt. You can get yours here. And if you would like to recieve offers like this yourself, head on over to Pssst and sign yourself up :)

Free Cooking E-book

Mom of 9 is offering a free e-book with lots of great recipes for free. Blogger,  The Morris Tribe,  has written "Just Get 'em Fed". Go to get your free e-book now!

Free Coffee at Kum & Go Christmas Eve!!

Kum & Go is really becoming one of my favorite convenience stores around my area :) If you go there on Christmas Eve, you can get a free cuppa joe-I believe it is the 16 oz size, but still, does it really matter when you need a picker-upper :) Especially if you will be up late Christmas Eve, wrapping those last minute gifts the kids wouldn't leave you alone long enough to wrap earlier in the month....yea. that is my life :) Oh, pass this along to Santa if you see him. He might enjoy it with his cookies :)

Reasor's Sale and QPon Mtch Ups

Reasors is having a 12 hour sale this weekend. Some really great deals!

Some things that caught my eye were :

Jimmy Dean Sausage-$1.69- $1 off 1 printable = 69 cents each
Mott's Gala Apples-79 cents/lb
Kraft shredded cheese or chunk cheese-8 oz-3/$4- $1 off 2 here (must sign in or register)= $1.66 when you buy two
Wrapping paper 4/$3-stock up if you haven't already :)
DaVinci Pastas- 69 cents

Weekly Specials:
Hot Pockets-2/$3
Bar S Bologna or Hot Dogs $1.29-$1/2 printable=$1.58/2
Kellogg's Cereals- $1.88-pple Jacks, Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, & Corn Pops-$1/2 here =$2.76/2
Hiland Sour Cream or Dips-79 cents
Best Choice Cream Cheese-68 cents

There are mny other sales, of course, so click on the Reasor's link above to find even more sales :)

ANother Place For Coupons

If by chance you have printed off all you can from Coupons.com or Swagbucks (you get points in your Swagbucks account for using coupons from them), you can head on over to Pillsbury.com to find some of those same coupons. I saw coupons for Finish dishwashing soap that I have reached print limits on through Coupons.com and Swags, but I am able to print them off at Pillsbury. So, sign in, or join if you haven't already, and start printing. There are lots of other coupons for Pillsbury products as well :)

Kraft Printable Coupons

Kraft has some really good coupons to print right now-like $1 off Maxwell House coffee-no size indicated. I used this lst week with a Wagreen's sale to get my coffee for only $1.79-that's a great deal these days :) Go here to see all the great coupons!

Don't forget Coupons.com

If you were holding out to print some coupons off, don't forget, they will reset tomorrow!! So head on over and print off what you need :) Then, head back tomorrow to check out all the new coupons!!
Also, today might be a good day to make sure your coupons are all cleaned up. Get rid of those expired ones, share with friends some you may never use, etc...

Join the Luv BBW Club to get Free Products Each Month

Go here and sign up to receive a free product each month from Bath & Body Works. You will receive a membership card in the mail which you bring into the store with you when you go to pick up your product.

Kum & Go Coffee-25 cents Black Friday

Don't forget while you are out and about getting those Black Friday deals, shopping, or just heading to work, to get your 25 cent coffee at Kum & Go :) Great deal, and proceeds go to help Toys for Tots-you can't beat a nice warming cuppa joe while helping out the kids for Christmas!! Happy Thanksgiving All!!!

Turkeys-Need Help?

If you are still not ready for Thanksgiving or you need your memory refreshed, I found a few great websites that might help you :) I go through this every year...how long do I need to thaw the bird, how high do I put the oven, how long should I bake it??? And so on. Check these out if youstill need help (or need some inspiration :)

Butterball

All Recipes-How to Cook a Turkey

USDA-Let's Talk Turkey

SwagBucks Has Coupons to Print

Did you know SwagBucks has coupons you can print. They are connected with Coupons.com but when you print them from SB, you can get 10 points for each coupon you redeem at the store! Great deal, especially if you use Coupons.com like I do for most of your coupons!
If you are not signed up with SwagBucks, I highly recommend it! I have redeemed many rewards through them-PayPal money, lots of Amazon.com gift cards, etc... Last year, by using Swags, I was able to get quite a few things for Christmas with my points, turned into rewards :) You can sign up on your own, or, if you would like, you can sign up as one of my referrals, and I will get points when you get points (the payback would be greatly appreciated ;). It's easy to earn, all you do is use them for your websearches. If you get on their FB page, you can learn about other ways to earn points. And, now, as I mentioned above, you can earn points with your printable coupons!
Happy Swagging ;)

Febreze Printable Coupons

Some great printables from Febreze, including a $5 off coupon for Febreze Luminary Starter Kit! My oldest dd loves candles. She just lets them sit in her room without burning them and they make a great scent. This would be neat for her because she can have it turned on and have the 'feel' of a candle without any real flame :) Go here to print off yours!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

We love these and if you have a big group to feed for the Holidays or a pot luck you are attending, these are terrific! They go far!

Pumpkin Pie Squares


Crust:

1/2 cup butter or margerine, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

Cream butter/margerine with sugar until creamy. Add in flour (you may find it does not all incorporate). Then, fold in oats (same with oats-it may not all work itself in-that is ok). Then, put this mixture into a 9x13 pan (I like to use glass because then I can just keep the squares in there for easy trasport/fridge storage). Using hands, pat the mixture out as evenly as you can. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 mins or until set. Basically, until set means make sure you are not seeing much butter in your crust just sitting there. I don't let it get very brown if that helps you more :)



Filling:

This is your basic pumpkin pie filling-so if you have a favorite, use it here. If not, here is what I have used for years (probably from a can of Libby's Pumpkin :) You can easily use skim evaporated milk to help lower the calories

2 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

*on spices, I use 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of individual spices above*



Beat eggs and sugar. Add in pumpkin and evaporated milk. Then add salt and spices and mix until you can see spices are blended evenly into mixture. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to help it along. Pour over baked crust (the crust does not have to cooled first-it can be warm from the oven). Bake at 350 until pie filling is set. I usually turn the oven down to about 300 after about 20 mins. but that is with my oven. I remember doing this often with pumpkin pies too. With these squares, I find it helps to not overbake the crust. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Food Pyramid on 101st & Memorial-Good Turkey Prices!

I went to another FP and they did not hve the good prices. But, at 101st & Mem. they have Best Choice Turkeys for 68 cents/lb. They also had for a limited time (meaning while supplies lasted) Butterball and Honeysuckle White for 69 cents/lb :) If you buy yourself a turkey for $10, you can get that good deal on 2.5lb bag of b/s chicken breasts-$2.99 -that is a 3 day sale that ends today, so hurry!!

Kraft Shredded Cheese Coupons

GO here to print off $1 off one package of Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese with a touch of Philly. Look in the right hand corner for the coupon link.
***Quick Note*** I found this cheese at my Walmart for $2 a bag :) So, the cheese was only $1!! Wishing I would have printed off even more coupons!!

Reasor's Totinos Pizza Deal

I really did not see too much on sale at Reasor's this week. But, I did see a good deal for Totino's pizza. There is an in ad coupon for $5 off 10 Totino's pizzas. I checked the price yesterday when I popped into Reasor's for something. They are $1.43 a piece. Buy 10, that is $14.30. Minus the $5 in ad coupon makes them $9.30 for all ten-that is 93 cents a piece. If you can access these coupons at Share & Save, you can save even more!

$2/1 bag of Scott's Song Bird Birdfeed

Go here to print off a coupon for Scott's Songbird Selections Wild Bird Food or Morning Song Wild Bird Food. $2 off 1 bag. This could mean a free bag if you can find the smaller ones-Walmart should have them.

$1 off Muir Glen Product-Can mean free product at Walmart!

I can usually find the Muir Glen Tomato paste for around 97 cents at my Walmart. So, with this coupon, it will be free! Click here to get your coupon.

Going Black Friday Shopping? Stop by Kum N Go

Kum N Go will have coffee for 25 cents that morning :) Coffee to help keep you going for all those sales!

Thanksgiving Thankful Tree

Every Thanksgiving, we make a Thankful Tree. I have seen other trees where you stick a stem into something and then hang the leaves off it, and I like that idea. But, my kids really enjoy the one we originally started with. It is very easy to make and because we make it so big, it can handle tons of Fall colored leaves :)

I will post pictures later. I had every intention of making this yesterday, but we had an impromptu visit to a new video store in our area and I got side-tracked :)

First, decide where you want your tree-on a door, on a big window, a wall in your house, etc...and decide how big you want your tree to be. You can either use paper bags or large sheets of brown paper (I just happen to have some from some things I ordered online) and cut out your tree shape. You might have to use a few paper bags if your tree is going to be big. Tape this to your designated tree area.

Then, if you are very artistic, or cretive, cut out leaf shapes. Or, you can take a small walk and find some to trace onto nice Fall-colored pieces of construction paper, then cut out. Or, you can print off some leaf shapes, and if you want the Fall colors, trace them onto construction paper. Card stock would work as well, and hold up nicely year from year, but we just go the frugal route here. And, yet another idea for leaves, let your kids trave their hands-almost like those hand turkeys we made as kids :) They can actually sort of look like a maple leaf and you have all these different shapes and sizes of leaves-as well as the memory if you keep your leaves of what your child's hand looked like that year and what cute things they were thankful for!

Here are a few sites with leaf patterns;

Free Fall Leaf Pages These are large leaves. If you made a really large tree, these would come in handy

Maple, Oak and Variety Leaf Patterns

Family Fun-Turkey and Leaf Patterns You could use the turkey-maybe make one for each member of the family and put them at the base of the tree

Be sure whatever way you decide to go with the leaves to have a good stash of them on hand. Let your child, or whoever, write their thankful item on one side and their name and date on the other. Use tape to hang the leaves on the tree, under the tree, or even in such a way that makes it look like it just fell off the tree and is gently floating down to the ground :) This is rally meant to be a project that lasts all month long.

If you are hesitant about using lots of tape or hanging things on walls/windows, you can also turn this idea into a Thankful Wreath. You can use an actual wreath (foam, pine, etc...) and attach your leaves whichever way works best (pins, raffia, glue, etc...) or you can let your child make a wreath shape by cutting out the center of a paper plate. Glue or staple the leaves as the child makes them onto the paper plate. Hang it for all to see.

You can let family/friends add leaves too. It's just a fun project that is meant to instill thoughts of what we are thankful for this time of year.

A Couple of Freebies

Go to Post It and request free samples. I love getting these too ( Ok, I know I say I love getting most smples I post here, but I really do :)

How about a free Sleep Kit pack? Tylenol is giving out some. Go here to get yours.

Have a friend who has allergies really badly this time of year? How about sending them a free travel sized pack of Kleenex-free from Kleenex.

Home Depot Christmas Lights Trade In is Going on Again!!

Last year, Home Depot started a program where you could bring in your old Christmas lights and get $3 off a set of LED lights. There is a limit of 5 per customer, but they can be used or even broken lights. This goes from Nov. 4- Nov. 14. For more info, go here.

Like Folgers on Facebook and Get a Free Sample of Folgers Coffee

Go here and Like Folgers to receive your free sample. I love coffee samples :) Actually, I guess I like any samples :)

Free Sample of Mixed Berry Emergen-C

Walmart is offering a free sample of Emergen-C. Go here to get yours!

Green Spots 1/2 off at Target's $ Spot

My Target in Owasso has 50% off all their items in the $ Spot that are marked with a green dot. Usually, these green dots are right above the price on the item. Yesterday, I bought a Charlie Brown mug (there were some other character mugs as well) for 50 cents. I also got some little lotions for 50 cents a piece. There were quite a few other things like packs of ribbons (would be cute for all sorts of different projects), other lotions and spray gels, etc...Worth checking out for those stocking stuffers :)

Reasor's Sale and Coupon Match Ups 10/27

Good morning, everyone. There are a few good sales this week at Reasor's.

Best Choice Eggs-dozen- 3/$2-that is about 67 cents a dozen-great deal!

Ground Round- $1.88/lb

Keebler cookie or cracker pack-select varieties-8.88-19,8 oz- 3/$7-$1/2 here= $6 or $3. each box

Borden Milk 3/$5-.75/2 here =$2.59/2

Sun Detergent $1.99-.25/1 (10/3 RP)=$1.74

Schick Quattro Razors & Refills $8.99-$3/1 here=$5.99

Become a Part of the Brillo Consumer Advisory Panel

Go here to join the Brillo Consumer Advisory Panel. Be the first to know about new products and special offers like coupons, sweepstakes and free samples. It also gives you a chance to voice your opinion on new products!

A couple of freebies

Get a free sample of Tide with Febreeze from Walmart! Is it weird that I absolutely love getting these laundry detergent samples in the mail? Click here

How about a free calendar from Oriental Trading Company? How about one filled with coupons from Oriental Trading Co.? Click here

Going on a trip or like to have your kids listen to something other than just songs on their mp3 players? Go here for some free book downloads for kids.

Scrubbing Bubbles Coupons

Go here to print off some Scrubbing Bubbles coupons. Also, if you go here you can sign up for the Scrubbing Bubbles Bulliten which will send you cleaning tips, coupons, and even refill reminders :)

Free Scrubbing Bubbles Touch Up & Go Pack from Right @ Home

Go here to sign up for this offer. These go out to the 1st 10,000 people, so hurry! Kit includes:

• One canister of Scrubbing Bubbles® Antibacterial Bathroom Wipes
•  One pouch of Pledge® Lemon Clean Wipes
•  
•  One pouch of Pledge® Multi Surface Wipe
•  
•  One canister of Windex® Original Glass Wipes

 

The Miracle of a Crock Pot

We have visited this topic before, but I felt it worth repeating. This time of year, I absolutely fall in love all over again with my slow cookers. I have two, one that was a present from my husband one Christmas and another a friend gave me. The one from the friend, she gave up because she felt it cooked slower than it should. It works perfectly for me on those days when we will be gone most of the day and I leave out early. Since my other crock seems to cook too fast, I use the freebie one and my food is perfect by the time I get home!

Not only are crock pots great for throwing food into and forgetting about, they are wonderful for cooking up tougher cuts of meat into nice, tender morsels of heaven! One of my favorite things to make is pot roast. Yes, you can do this in your oven, but in your crock pot, it is pretty much just throwing the meat (which I usually use the cheapest cut I can find on sale) into the slow cooker, add your other ingredients, cover it, turn it on for when you want to have dinner ready and walk away :) For my pot roast, I usually add some left over coffee (sometimes I add 'coffee cubes' which is coffee I had leftover in the coffee pot, frozen in an ice cube tray). This helps to make a really rice gravy after your pot roast is cooked. I throw in whatever spices I want, onions/onion powder, garlic/garlic powder, carrots and potatoes cut into wedges. Easy enough and so delicious!

Soups, stews, chilis, I could go on and on. It's also terrific for dumping dump chicken into and heading on out the door. Dump chicken is taking whatever chicken you want, placing any marinade you like into a baggie with your chicken and freezing it. When you want to cook it in the crockpot, you can either have it slightly defrosted from the night before or just throw the whole frozen mass (minus the baggie ;) into your crock. Turn it on, and go on about your day!

You can also use your crock pot to help with your freezer meals. Such as the example above with the dump chicken, you can also precook a big amount of chicken to seperate into meal size portions and freeze. Cook a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and when it is ready, place it into seperate containers for the freezer (use one portion for that nights quick spaghetti dinner :). I love cooking my dry beans in the crock. I soak them the night before and turn them on early in the morning. I add whatever seasonings when they are tender and keep cooking in the crockpot. Then, since my seasonings for my refried beans and my chili are about the same, I take out some for to place in the freezer for whatever meal (chili or refried beans) and then finish the rest of the beans in the pot for the other meal.

I could go on and on, but I will let you find out for yourself. If you have a crock that has been sitting in your cupboard, take it out, dust it off, and do a search for crock pot meals. There are a wealth of sites with great recipes for your crock.  Allrecipes.com  has a great section of all sorts of crock pot/slow cooker recipes. You can even learn to make bread or cakes in them!

And the best thing of all, even though this nifty, little appliance is sitting attached to an electrical outlet all day long, it cost a fraction to run versus your oven or stove. For an 8 hour cooking session, your crock will cost you about 10 cents (this may be a tad more or less depending on the electric company you are with). Pretty good deal. Plus, the time you save not babysitting your food or preparing extra meals for a later time. Well, you add up the savings on how much all that is worth to you. For me, it's priceless! Off now to start some potato soup in my crock to go along with some homemade bread and enjoy this rainy, cool day here in OkieLand!!

Make a Spider and a Bat for Halloween

For the past two years, we have had a new tradition of making a big spider out of trash bags to hang on our front porch. It is fun to make and design a different face for the big fella each year :) To see my post from last year, go here. For directions on how to make the spider yourself, go to this new link Creepy Spider . One thing I did do differently this year was to put the legs on the spider BEFORE stuffing it. To me, it was much easier. Also, if you are going to hang the spider from your porch, or tree, etc...don't overstuff as I did-lol! We are in the process of figuring out how to hang him without the plastic ripping (and it might also be, this year I used Great Value bags instead of Aldi-perhaps Aldi's are stronger?).

Now, on to this cute lil fella:

Isn't he just adorable? I call him Batty (or maybe that is the name I heard when my husband was describing me to a friend? hmmm....)
He is super easy to make. Take one black trash bag (all of ours are the 30 gal. size). Take a corner of one bag at the closed end and make a 'pigtail' out of that corner. This is going to be an ear, so you can make the ear as big or little as you like. I think bats with big ears are cute, so I made mine sort of big (though, Imust admit, if my bag were green, my bat would look more like Yoda-which would be cool too :).  Use a twist tie to make the pigtail. Do the same with the other corner of the closed end of the bag.

Next, fill your bat's head. Newspaper is terrific for this and you can reuse it in your fireplace after Halloween. Or, I use the colored ads which I will not burn in my fireplace. Be sure to recycle these when you are done with Batty! I would say you want to fill it about 1/3 of the way of the total bag. As you can see by my picture, his head is about 1/3 the size of his whole body. Use a twist tie again to close off the head. Now, stuff the body. And, once again, use one of those niflty twist ties to close him up. I think he looks cute with a little tassle of bag at the bottom :)

Now, since this was my first year making Batty, I was not too sure how to do the wings. My 2nd oldest DD gave me the idea of just cutting diagonally across another trash bag. It did work, but I hated waisting that other side of that bag. I might have to make some small spiders of something :) But, I cut from one open end to the opposite closed and of the trashbag. You might have to snip some plastic a bit so your wings open right. Then, look at your wings and decide which way they will hang from the back of Batty. Use a stapler to staple the wings to his back (if you happen to catch some newspaper when you staple, it helps to support the wings and keep the plastic from tearing).

Now, you can have fun making his face. I used wide tape to attach his face and made sure it covered all my paper so it would not get ruined in any rain or dew.

Then, you can attach some string (you might tape around the holes or perhaps you can find a better way than I suggest and if you do, please let me know ;) and hang Batty in a nice place where he can hang out and let his wings flap in the breeze. Oh, one more thing I did is to place some washers on the back side of Batty's wings...this really helps to keep the wings from winding around and around when they are being blown by the breeze. I just taped them on to the very bottom corner of each wing.

Check These Deals Out!

Whether or not you are a Fan of Gain on Facebook, go here to sign up for the Gain Fan Club to get exclusive offers, new Gain news and other free stuff :)

Target is now giving out samples like Walmart! Go here to check out what they have today!

Are you a member of Vocal Point? I love Vocal Point and if you are not a member, you might try signing up. They often give away freebies. If you are a member (or you decide to join now :) look on your home page at Vocal Point for a coupon for a free box of Barilla Pasta!

Reasor's Sale and Qpon Match Ups

Some pretty good deals this week. Also, look by where they put your ads for coupon booklets!

General Mills Cereals 2/$4-select varieties--$1/2 off  printable=$3/2

Bordon Milk -1/2 gallon- 3/$5- .75/2 printable

Libby's Canned Veggies .44 each-$1/3 (8/29 RP)=.32 for all 3  great price!!!

Keebler Fudge Shoppe $1.99-$1/2 (8/15 RP) =2/$2.98

Malt-O-Meal Cereal 3/$6-.75/1 printable= $1.25 each!

Hershey's Harvest Kisses 2$6-.50/1 (9/12 SS)=$2.50 each

Dannon Danimals 2/$4--$1/1 (9/12 SS)=$1 each

Old Orchard Juice 2/$3-.50/1 printable  =$1 each

Best Choice eggs-18 ct.-$1.38






 

Health Food Coupons

Mambo Sprouts has coupons for products you will find more often at Health Food stores-such as Whole Foods.  You can print coupons online, and you can even join up to do surveys where you might have he opportunity to try a product. These seem to be powered through Coupons.com so you know they can be trusted :)

Home Made Simple Coupon Book and a Free Harley Poster

Go here to get your Home Made Simple coupon book.

Go here to get your free Harley Davidson poster--would make a great lil gift for Christmas :) I plan to slide this one into my husband's stocking-he will love this to hang in his shop!!

Slip Covers for Camping Chairs

We are hoping to go camping soon. As I started going through all our camping things, I realized my two daughters' camping chairs were terribly stained and icky looking. The frames were still in perfect condition, so I wondered what I could do...EUREKA-make slip covers!!!

I am not a wonderful seamstress, so these will not be perfect, but they work well to make the chairs look much nicer and my girls do not have to worry about being older and still having a huge Dora on their chair-lol! This does not take place of the canvas fabric already on your chair-it is just a slip cover to go over it.

First, I found some good sturdy fabric. I was given a ton of some strawberry quilted material years ago and had quite a bit left, so I decided to use it.

I really looked over my chair's seat part and decided it might be best to sew this in two parts-one part being the back and the other being the actual seat...these would connect about where your 'bottom' would hit the chair. I used that as a guide-making certain to allow for the seam to connect those two pieces.

This is the back of the chair-you will not need to worry about the grommet part of the back since you are going to just slide your new seat cover over this existing piece of canvas. Lay your existing seat over your fabric and cut out the 'bottom' part of your new seat. Allow for seam allowances and the small pocket at the front of the seat for slipping over the front of the chair-more on that later. Then, flip your existing seat around and do the same for the top part. When you are cutting the top part, allow quite a bit extra for making the pocket that slips over the seat.  I cannot tell you how much, because you will really want to try the fabric on your chair, see how much is needed to fold over but still not interfere with any bars (this is mostly important on the front of the seat part :) Basically, be ready to use your chair as a sewing dummy :)

You can see in the above picture how much I allowed for the pocket. I was also not concerned with the curves of the existing seat. I didn't allow for those and it makes no difference on how the slipcover fits or feels in seating.

I sewed the seat part and the back part together. With this sturdy material, I just made a really sturdy seam by sewing it twice-once on a close zigzag and another on a close straight stitch. Now, for my other daughter, I used a material that was not quite as sturdy, so I sewed hers differently. After connecting the top and bottom pieces, I folded over the seam at the 'tushie' area and sewed it down to the seat part. I actually have no picture of this, so if this is confusing, ask me and I will try to 'create' a picture :)

Then, I sewed a seam down each side. Then, I put a small seam on each end. You can see the seams in the picture below.

After that, I started on the top pocket. This seemed easiest so I could adjust the seat pocket accordingly. Just make sure your fabric is facing right sides together. Put your cover over the back of your chair (with the original seat on it-see above) and pin your pocket accordingly. You do not want to make it too tight or when you flip it over to the right side out and try to slide it on your chair, it will be too tight.

Next, put your slip cover back on your chair-right side in or wrong side out-whichever-lol. You are working on the pocket for the front seat part. Fold it over and see how well it fits... It needs to miss the bars. Essentially, the slip cover will have spaces open that the bars in the front will slide right through...so be planning for that. When you seem to have a good fit that doesn't interfere with any bars, pin and slide it off (remember, it should be fitting around the bars in such a way as it slides off. You will need to plan enough of a space when sewing to allow for this). Sew this pocket with right sides facing each other (they should already be pinned that way).

This pic shows the seat with material right side out and the 'holes' that slide over the poles. After pinning your front pocket, you might want to turn your material, carefully due to the pins, right-side out and slide it on your chair. This way, if you need to do any adjusting, you can. Saves you time from having to rip any seams for something that doesn't fit right after you have sewn :) This will also allow you to see where you need to make your slots and how long they need to be for the poles.

Sew your bottom pocket, remembering to allow for the slots or holes where you slide over the poles. Don't forget to hem those as well. I suggest hemming those first, then sewing up the rest of the pocket on either side.

Ignore the band aid please-lol!! No, that wasn't from a sewing mishap ;) You can see here how I left space for the bars in which the seat slides over the bars.

And, of course, you can see here how it slides over the bars.

And, above two pictures, show the finished slipcover for the chair. Top picture is of the front and bottom picture is of the back pocket.

And above is one of my kids enjoying the second slipcover I made for one of the Dora chairs.

I will post directions for how I did the covers for the arm rests later this week :)

Ziploc® Fall Meals Gift Pack!

Go to Right at Home to enter for a chance to win a Fall Meals Gift Pack. Goes to 1st 10,000 entries.

Getting dinner on the table every night can be hard work, and trying to stretch leftovers can be even more challenging. Ziploc® Brand products make prepping dinners and freezing the leftovers easier than ever, helping you create multiple new meals, while saving time and money. Now, when your family asks what’s for dinner, you‘ll have lots of tasty dishes on hand!



Each gift pack contains:

• One Ziploc® Brand Vacuum Freezer Starter Kit

• One 15-count box of gallon size Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bags with the Smart Zip™ Seal

• One set of large rectangle Ziploc® Brand Containers.


Weekly Offers All September!


Our September giveaways are bigger than ever—each week we’re featuring a different gift pack filled with your favorite SC Johnson products! Check back weekly to register for a chance to receive one of these gift packs.

Reasor's Sale and Match Ups

Good Morning Everyone!! There are some good deals this week :)

First off, let me share the Huddle For Hunger from Kraft. Buy 5 participating Kraft items (the cheeses on sale this week qualify :) and you would get $5 off. Go here to print the coupon.

Kraft Cheese Shreds, Crumbles, Chunk, Melts of Cubes-$1.99- $1/2 printable here=$2.98 or $1.49 each

Blue Bell Ice Cream 2/$8-$1off printable here=$3 each

Kraft Singles 2/$3 (look on Coupons.com for a $1 off 2 printable. I have one but I am not sure if there are still any available-can't hurt to check :)

Reser's Potato or Macaroni Salad 2/$6- $1 off printable here = $2 each

Smoked White Turkey Breast in the deli-$2.50/lb

Libby's Canned Veggies 6/$4-$1/3 (8/29 RP)=$1/3

Mission Tortillas 2/$3-.75/1 (8/1 SS)=.75 cents each

Shedd's Country Crock 2/$4-$1/2 in Reasor's Back to School coupon flyer=$3/2*or* -.40/1 printable here=$1.60 each

Oscar Mayer Beef Weiners $1.79-$1/2 (8/22 SS) *or* $1/2 printable here=$2.58/2 or $1.29 each


Always Pads, Liners or Tampax 2/$5-$1/1 (8/29 P&G)=$1.50 each

Free 2011 Calendar from Women's Health

Go here to get a free 2011 calendar from Women's Health.gov. These will not ship until December, but you will be ahead of the game :)

A Couple Freebies

Free Sample of Oxy Clinical

Free Sample of Tide With Febreeze from Walmart

Free bag of Butterfingers-Go to Butterfinger's Facebook and 'Like' them to get a coupon for B1 bag, get 1 bag free of Butterfinger Snackerz

All Bran Promise Pack-sign up to recieve a free Kellogg's All Bran Promise pack-great freebie

Git R Done!!!

Do you have an area of your house that needs some desperate attention (or, perhaps you are like me and even your email inbox is ready to come exploding out of your computer screen)? I have had many areas like this in my house, computer, husband's shop, etc. As I have told you before, I have been having problems with my stomach hurting, and some days (or even a week at a time) I am in pain and just trying to make it through the day. Things get behind and then I have to play catch-up. It can get quite overwhelming and frustrating. What is a person to do at a time like this?

Many household organizers suggest breaking it down into time periods. Or, some suggest breaking down a room a day (or an area a day). These are both great ideas and figuring out which way would help you is very simple. You can even get your family in on the action. Make it a game. We have often put a timer on for 15 minutes and, with everyone tackling a different section of the house, tried to see how much we can get done. It may not be perfect, but it has made for a nice tidying up and made me feel a bit better about the house
.
If you decide to tackle an area of the house, you can also set this task up into small increments a day. I will often take one of our bookshelves that seems to be a catch all for everything and anything, and cleaned it up little by little. I might even do a task like this while watching my favorite tv show. During the show, I organize the books, and during commercials I will place them neatly on the shelf. Is that lazy? Hmmm--not too sure, but I do know it gets the job done! When I cleaned up my linen closet last year (and I need to add it is time to tackle this chore again!) I broke it up into 15 minutes a day and started with a shelf at a time. It took me a couple of days, but I took out each item, stacked piles together and reorganized it all.

As I said, my email inbox is ready to overflow. I fear my internet provider calling me and telling me they are going to put me on some emailers addiction group if I don't do something soon :) By the end of the week, I plan to have over 200 emails gone, organized or atleast read through. I will let you know how it goes.

So, what will you tackle this week?

Free Eucerin Sample

Become a Fan (or is it only Like now? hmmm) of Eucerin to get a free sample of Eucerin Daily Balance.

Money Saving Coupons From Pillsbury

There are some terrific coupons on Pillsbury. I was able to find some for Crescents, biscuits, Totino's, Muir Glen, and many more. So head on over and print off some before they are gone :)

Great Unschooling T-shirts!

If you are an unschooler and looking for some t-shirts to advertise your homeschooling choice, please check out my friend's store. They have great designs, and if you are a Gleek, you might be interested in her t-shirt designs as well! Unschool Super Store

Are You a Homeschooler in the Tulsa Area?

If you are a homeschooler and inerested in finding a homeschool support group, please check out O.K.I.E or Oklahoma Indepenent Educators. We are a participant led group of homeschool families. This group is a mix of individuals-we are all inclusive :) So if you are looking for a fun, educational and exciting time with other homeschoolers, please feel free to check us out! The website is brand new, so be sure to check it out often!

Reasor's Sale and Coupon Match Ups

Reasors has a 12 hour sale going on this Saturday from 8am-8pm. Some pretty good deals:

12 Hour Sale:
Pepsi or Dr. Pepper 12 pk cases-4/$9 limit 4 or-6pk .5 liter bottles-4/$9
Crystal Farm Cheese-4/$5-55 cents off 1 (6/27 SS)=70 cents for one limit 4
Tomatoes on the Vine-79cents/lb
Tyson Bacon-$1.99 limit 2
Cheerios-17-18 oz box-select varieties-$1.98-50 cents/1 (6/27 SS)=$1.48 OR
    -$1/2 printable=2.96/2 limit 2
Farmland Cooked Deli Ham-2lbs/$5 limit 2 lbs
Chips Ahoy Cookise-$1.88-$1 off from All You July= 88 cents limit4
Keebler Snack packs -$2.88
Mezetta Pepper-10/$10 limit 10
5x7 prints in store only-limit 50-49 cents each
1 Sub. spiral notebooks-limit 1--9 cents each
Eggo Waffles-$1.48
Fritos or Cheetos-2/$3

Regular Sale and Qpon match ups
Post Cereal $3 for 2-$1/2 (7/25 SS)=$2/2
Butterball Turkey Bacon $1.98-.75/1 (6/27 SS)=$1.23
Nature Valley Granola Bars $5 for 2-.50 cents off printable=$2/1
Keebler Sandwich Crackers $6 for 3-$1/2 (8/1 RP) or $1 off 2 printable=$3/2

Totino's Pizza Rolls $6 for 2-$1/2 off printable=$5/2
Best Choice Eggs-99 cents
Bordon Singles-2/$4
In Ad Coupon for free eggs when you buy 2 Bordon Singles or Bordon Singles Sensations
Black, Extra Large, and Green plums-98 cents/lb
Hostess Snack Cakes-88 cents each
 

Free Toddler Kit from Beech-Nut

Go here to get a Free Beech-Nut Let's Grow Toddler Kit when you sign up for their newsletter. Comes with coupons for full size products.

Finish, Bar-S, and Totino's coupons

Here are a few great sites to print off coupons :)
Finish - quite a few coupons here. $3 off Finish Quantomatic Dishwash System, $1 off any Quantum Detergent, and others

Bar-S - $1 off 2 packages of bologna

Totinos- Share and Save-share this coupon with 3 of your friends and get $1 off two Totinos products. Or, you can just click on the link for saving 50 cents off two products if you do not want to share or you already did this offer :)

Activia Coupon and Sale At Reasor's

Go to Activia and sign up to recieve your $1 off coupon for a 4 pack of Activia. Right now, they are on sale at Reasor's 3/$5, so that is about $1.67 each-you can print off 2 coupons. That means two 4-packs for about 67 cents each :) Pretty good deal!
Also, don't forget to head on over to Coupons.com and check out all the coupon resets and new coupons :)

Pioneer Woman 16 minute meals

Go here and start reading some of Ree's great 16 minute meal recipes. So far, I think there are only 3, but the mini meatball sliders had my mouth watering :)  And, of course, there are many other terrific recipes on her site, so don't miss out on those! The Cowboy Food section has lots of dishes I know my husband would absolutely love!

Right A Home Ziploc Back to School Gift Pack

Yup, it's that time of year again...And Right at Home is giving away a gift pack of Ziploc containers and baggies.  First 10,000* to respond will receive a Ziploc® Back-to-School Gift Pack that includes Ziploc® Brand Sandwich Bags, Ziploc® Brand Containers with the Smart Snap™ Seal and Ziploc® Brand Storage Bags with the Smart Zip™ Seal. Go here to learn more and sign up!

Reasor's Sale and QP Match Ups

Iceberg head lettuce-59 cents

Crystal Farm Chunk Cheese-7-8 oz-3/$5

Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Lucky Charms -2/$6--$1/2 printable or (5/30 GM)

=2/$5

Hiland Premium Ice Cream 2/$7-.55/1 printable=$2.95 (you must register or sign in)

Smucker's Ice Cream Toppings $1.88-$1.25 off 2 from Smucker's recipe/coupon booklet in some Reasors (my son found ours by the ice cream toppings)=$2.51 for both or about 1.25 each


Reasor's and PepsiCo Dream Machine-bring your cans or plastic bottles to Reasor's to recycle. Earn discounts and rewards. Learn more here

Hi Everyone!!

Hopefully, not too many of you have left me here :) Sorry for the break, but I am hoping to get back to blogging now. I finally have an appointment to see a GI Specialist for the stomach pain, but it is in August, so bear with me. I have seen so many great deals and I really want to get back to sharing them with you!

So, a few ideas for you to start you off-start calling those companies of products you enjoy. Or see if they have a website where you can leave comments. I have really been blessed with some good coupons over the past couple of months since I started that. If you call, you might even ask them if they have a certain amount of time when you can call back to get more coupons. Be bold if you want-ask them if they send out coupons after telling them how much you like their product ;)

Check through your coupon stash-I noticed yesterday I had quite a few expired ones from June...that month went by too quickly!! Clean them out and make room for new! Head to your favorite product sites, or do a search for coupons for those products. Go to Coupons.com, Smartsource.com and RedPlum.com. I also really like Pilsbury.com too. And, don't forget to check back in the middle of the month as many of these coupon sites will reset their coupons, or even pop out a few new ones.

Got friends or family who get the Sunday paper and don't use the coupons. Or perhaps your friend has a baby and you have a dog...see if the two of you can have a coupon exchange. Or, maybe you have a group of friends who you can do this with. You can even find coupon trains online-a group of online folks who pass coupons on to others. If this interests you, do a search to learn more.

I hope to finally finish my post about the camping chair slip covers sometime this week. And be looking for some Reasor's sale/match ups tomorrow :)

Reasor's Sales and Coupon Match Ups

Found a couple of great deals going on at Reasor's right now :) I will not be doing Food Pyramid this week. I have been having some stomach issues over the past several months that has increased in the past two months and it is just too much time to find all the match ups right now. Once I find out what is going on, and take care of the stomach issues, I will be back to doing Food Pyramid too :)

Blue Bell Ice Cream-$3.77- $1 printable (must register)= $2.77
Kraft Cheese Singles-2/$3-$1/2 from Reasors CARE book if you have one=$2 for both
Kraft Salad Dressing-$2 -55 cents off (5/2 SS) = $1.45
KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce-$1.18 -$1 (5/9 SS)=.18
OR
If you find coupon booklets by Budweiser products, inside is a $2 off coupon on the purchase of 2 bottles-that equals a final price of 36 cents for the two bottles
Hiland Sour Cream or Dips-$1.25 - 45 cents off printable = 80cents each
French's Worcestershire Sauce .98-.50 printabe (must register) or (5/9 SS)=.48
French's Mustard $1.28-.50 printable or (5/9 SS)=.78
Kingsford Charcoals-$6.88-$4.oo from Budweiser Coupon Booklet = $2.88 (must buy 12 pack or larger of Bud product-but, you can apply for $10 gift card for meat or seafood in back of booklet as well)

Also when you buy Kingsford, you can get free KC Masterpiece, Hidden Valley Ranch, or Glad Product

Totino's Printable Coupons

Go to Totinos and click on Share & Save to print off coupons for Totinos Pizza or Pizza Rolls. If you enter 3 of your friend's email addresses to share this coupon, you will get bigger savings on your printable coupon. Mine was $1 off any 2 Totino's products.

Hiland Dairy Coupons

Hiland has some new coupons on their site. You must register, but it is worth it :) Right now, there are coupons for 25 cents off any Health Wise 4-Pack Yogurt, $1 off any 4 YoPhoria Yogurt Smoothies, 45 sents off any Hiland Sour Cream or Dip, and 55 cents off 56 oz old Recipe Ice Cream.

From Around the Internet

Couple of things I found from around the internet that I thought I would share! Enjoy!

Free Pet Safety Pack from ASPCA-comes with a window decal and a magnet for Animal Poison Control

$1 off coupon from Blue Bell Ice Cream-must register if you have not before, but worth it!

Kraft First Taste- Im hearing around the blogosphere that alot is happening there so you might log into your account and check it out!

Coupons.com  Don't forget to check them out again-many coupons get reset in the middle of the month, so if you have some faves you might see if you are able to print out more :)

Lance Coiupons

Go here to print off coupons for Lance 8 pack Crackers-$1 off each package. Or, print off another $1 coupon for Lance 100 Calorie PAck Mini Cracker Sandwiches :) I buy these every shopping trip for my husband's lunches, so this is a great deal!

Right @ Home Glade Relaxing Moments Gift Basket

Go to http://www.rightathome.com/Offers/Pages/2010-05-glade.aspx to sign up for a chance at a gift basket containing Glade Relaxing Moments Items.
The gift basket contains:


• One Glade® Relaxing Moments™ Room Spray

• One Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Warmer + Glade® Relaxing Moments™ Refill

• One Glade® Relaxing Moments™ Candle
 
Only open to the first 6,000, so hurry!

Food Pyramid and Reasor's Sales and Match Ups

I have to be really honest...I did nto find very good deals at FP this week...the coupons they have in their ad are a better deal at Reasor's this week. FP does have 3lb bag of boneless/skinless chicken breasts or tenders for $4.99 which makes it about $1.66 per lb. That is a good deal! So, I will move on to Reasor's terrific ad this week :) Get ready for some stocking up and some great deals! Hopefully you picked up some of those Reasor Coupon Books I told you about. They came out on Monday, so if you did not get one, head on out to the store and pick some up-hopefully they are not all gone! Atleast one deal this week will use a coupon from that book :) Here we go:

Tomatoes on the vine-99 cents/lb
Ground Chuck-$1.78/lb-value pack
Best Choice Large Eggs-2.5 dz- $1.98 (great deal-which they would have had this at Easter :)
Crystal Farms Shredded Cheese-7 oz-3/$5 or about $1.67 each-use 50 cent off coupon from Reasor's QP book=$1.17 each
Redbud Farms Whole Chicken-78 cents/lb-50 cents from Reasor's QP book-final price depends on chicken size
Kraft In-Ad Coupon Section Deals:
Kraft BBQ Sauce-buy 2, use $1 off coupon-final price is 99 cents for 2
Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip Salad Dressing-$2 off with coupon=$1.42 each
Kraft Salad Dressing-$1 off coupon=99 cents each
Kraft Natural Cheese-Chunk or Shredded- 4.5-8 oz-$1 off coupon=99 cents each

Rest of deals:

Peter Pan Peanut Butter-2/$3-$1.50/4 coupon here= $4.50 for 4 or about $1.13 each-good, I needed to stock up on peanut butter ;)
Camping Chairs-2/$10 :) We need a couple of these-lol!
Zucchini-99 cents/lb
Possibly a match up-you will have to see-Red Baron Pizza-3/$9-$1.50 off 1 Pan Pizza(4-25 SS)-if Pan Pizzas are included in sale (it says in ad 'select varieties)= $1.50 for each pizza

Have a blessed and prosporous shopping trip!!

Sweepstakes and $1 off Coupon for Duck Tape

You must have Facebook in order to get this...if you are not on Facebook, I really suggest you join it. There are so many good deals out there from companies you can become a fan of. And, there are many great bloggers who daily share great deals with their followers and fans :) It is a great way to get some very good deals! Here is one from Duck Tape brand tape:
100 sweepstakes entrants will receive a Duck® brand duct tape prize package, which contains 23, 10-to-20-yard rolls of colored Duck® brand duct tape (colors to be selected by sponsor) and a stuffed Trust E Duck
And everyone who enters will receive a coupon for $1 off Duck Tape brand tape.

Reasor's Coupon Book is Coming Monday

Don't forget-this will have valuable coupons in it. It will be located by the sales ads, so keep an eye out for it :) I plan to jump into my local Reasor's on Monday to be sure I get one! It will be packed with $75 worth of coupons-Reasor's site says it will include coupons for Tulsa's own Topeca Coffee, Johnsonville Sausage, Nature's Own Bread and many more....

Dove Ultimate Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant $2 Off Coupon

Head on over to Coupons.com and get your $2 off printable for Dove Ultimate Deodorant. You can often get these for free with this coupon and a good sale, so don't let this one go by!

Kraft 100 Calorie Cheese Bites Coupon and Home Made Simple Booklet

Go here to get your Kraft 100 Calorie Cheese Bites coupon-it is for $1 so this could be a great deal with a sale :)
And, yet again, another chance to get the Refresh You Nest Coupon Booklet from Home Made Simple. You can often get quite a few chances at getting one of these throughout the year. I have received two so far this year. The coupons I do not use, I pass on to friends :) Go here for yours.

Dr Pepper/Diet Dr Pepper Deal at QT's

Right now, many QuikTrips have coupon pads hanging on the doors in front of the 20 oz Dr P and Diet Dr P. The coupons are for $1 off 2 20oz bottles. The price I have seen makes the soda 2/$2 after the coupon..I imagine it is that way pretty much all over the Tulsa area :)

Free Sample and Coupon from U by Kotex

Go here to get your free sample of Kotex's newest way to design feminine protection :) To get your coupon, which will come in handy next week at Walgreen's, go here. These will be on sale starting tomorrow at Walgreen's. $3.49 with a $2.50 RR--use the coupons to make this a bit of a money maker :)

New Home Made Simple Coupon Book

I just love getting these! The coupons I cannot use, I pass on to friends in our Homeschool group :) Find your coupon book here. If the page comes up saying you need to have cookies turned on, just click the link they have on that page and it should bring it up correctly for you :) Have a great weekend everyone!! Hopefully after my busy weekend, I will be posting something I made last week and I am all giddy about it-more later!

Food Pyramid and Reasor's Sales and math Ups-Plus Announcement!!

If you are not a fan of Reasor's on Facebook, I highly recommend you do if you shop this store. They often give heads up of good sales ads that are coming up. But, yesterday, they gave a heads up that they will be putting out new coupon books this month! I have never gotten one of these before, but I have heard they are wonderful! It comes out April 26th so do not forget to hit your local Reasor's to get your book-$75 worth of coupons!
On to the sales/match ups :)

Food Pyramid:
Whole Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin-$1.69/lb
Corn King Bacon-2/$3
Chilean Red or Green Grapes-$1.39/lb
Crest Toothpaste $.99cents-$.75/1 (3-7 P&G)= $.24 cents each
Post Honey Bunches of Oats $1.99-$1/2 (3-14 SS)= $2.98/2
Smart Taste pasta by Ronzoni-10/$10
Tropicana Pure Orange Juice 2 for $5-$1/2 (2-21 RP)= $4/2
Yoplait Greek Yogurt $.99cents-.30/1 doubled(3-28 SS)= 39 cents each
OR
-30 cents from here = 39 cents after doubling
Van Camp's Pork & Beans-4/$2-$1/4 from ConAgra Coupon booklet= $1/4
Rodeo or Hunter Smoked Sausage-$1.09
20% off all Best Choice lunch meats of frozen meats
7-Up Products-12 packs-4/$10 w/coupon

Reasor's
Big B1G1F Sale this week:

Boneless Arm Roasts

Dole Classic Iceberg Salad - Limit 1 Free
Pilgrim's Pride Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts -.55 here
Sunbeam Giant Bread - Limit 1 Free
Post Cereals - Limit 2 Free-$2 here when you sign up for newsletter-coupon comes to your inbox so watch for it :)
Crystal Farms Deli Sliced Cheese - Limit 2 Free
Best Choice Vegetables - Limit 2 Free
Williams Taco Seasoning - Limit 2 Free

Only other good deal I really saw was Kashi Cereal or TLC Products $5 for 2

buy 2 and get free Kashi reusable shopping bag with in-ad coupon-$1.50 if you got the recent $1 off coupon with the Kashi sample in the mail=$2 each if you only have one coupon

Free Samples From Around the Internet

Here are a few places to get some free samples. Enjoy!

Free Sample of John Frieda New Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Shampoo & Conditioner and Extra Strength Hair Serum-go here to get yours!

Right @ Home Spring Cleaning Caddy Give Away to 1st 3,000-Go here
Sometimes this one goes quickly, but usually they will send nice coupon books to those who did not win the give-away-
First 3,000* to respond will receive a roomy, reusable cleaning caddy stocked with essential cleaning supplies from Pledge® and Shout®.

Walmart Samples
Right now, available are-
Crest 3-D White Strip Sample
Parent's Choice Formula Saple
Benefiber Orange Sample
and Dove Men+Care Sample

New Kellogg's Coupons to Print

These are always valuable! They can often be paired with earning gift cards or Register Rewards :) Hurry and grab these before it is too late. Mini Wheats, Smart Start, and Special K are all on sale this week at Walgreen's 2/$5 and you earn a RR of $1. So, with a $1 off for each box you buy, the cereal becomes 2/$3 and then, subtract your $1 RR-It's like paying $1 a box :) I plan to stock up on a few boxes :)

Coupon for Free Kraft Cheesy Explosion Mac & Cheese

Become a Fan of Kraft Mac & Cheese and get a coupon for a free box of Kraft Mac & Cheese CHeesy Explosion. Comes in Cheddar Explosion, Extreme Cheese Explosion or Grilled Cheese Explosion :) Mmm-Mmm! The coupons comes snail mail, so it might take 4-6 weeks :)

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Coupon

Go here to print off a coupon for 45 cents off Yoplait Greek Yogurt. This yogurt has twice as much protein as regular yogurt and it has a thick and creamy texture-it is very rich! I tried it free last week with a coupon I received in the mail and this is quite a tasty yogurt. I shared with my kids who just loved it! I would love to get plain of this and use it as a healthy sour cream! I think it would be wonderful!

Free Dove Samples

Men+Care from Dove-Free Sample from Walmart
and--
Free Dove Daily Conditioner from Dove

Today is No Housework Day!!! And, one more coupon to share....

Happy, happy day!! It is officially No Housework Day today (April 7). Enjoy it by doing some things you like to do-read a nice book, go outside with the kids, piddle around in the garden (that is if you enjoy that sort of thing-I love it!)...Im sure you can come up with some other great ideas :) And if you can't, try this site for ideas.

And, perhaps you might like to have a picnic with the kids-if you go here to get a coupon for some Land O'Frost lunch meat :) This is a coupon for $1 off any of the Land O'Frost products!

A Coupon and A Freebie

Go here to get a coupon for 40 cents off Peppridge Farm Deli Flats. These look so good and I cannot wait to grab some during my next shopping trip!

And, from Pantene, go here to get a free sample of Pantene. It's a new shampoo and while you are there, sign up so you can get other free P&G samples later on!

Easter Clearance (Insert Giddy Happy Laugh Here)

Right now, Easter clearance is going on everywhere. Baskets, plastic eggs, candy, etc. You can do so much with these items, so grab some for later on! There are so many cute baskets out this year, if you grab them before they are gone, you can use them for gift baskets through out the year. How sweet would these be for Mother's Day with small items stuffed inside them? You can add some of those nice freebies you get, grab some small trial sized items, or whatever! Or, if you have kids like mine, keep an extra basket or two in case theirs breaks and you need one for next Easter!
Plastic eggs, of course, keep easily for next year. We reuse our eggs, so I am set for next Easter and will not need to buy any this year. But, the ones I had for this year, I purchased last year on clearance. You can even stock up on Easter dye for eggs right now. It really does keep well for the next year-I have never had any problems.
Of course, there are many other Easter clearance items you can grab and use if you think about it. Some are even great for party favors later on. One of my girls has a Spring birthday, and we buy cute items, even plates, for her party after Easter.
And, if you love to decorate for Holidays, right now is a good time to start building up your decorations. I have even found adorable items at Dollar General Stores for the next year that I stash in appropriate Holiday boxes for the next year. At places like Dollar General, the Holiday items tend to nto go as quickly and by the week's end after the Holiday, I can find items for 90% off the regular price!
So keep an eye out! I tend to hold back a certain amount of my shopping budget to buy extra Holiday clearance items. This allows me to only spend a certain amount and not go overboard, but also lets me graba  few neat things for later on in the year or even the next Holiday!

Reasors and Food Pyramid Sales/QP Match Ups

OK gang, here we go :) Some nice things on sale this week, but can you believe, no one has eggs on sale? WOW! But, some friends told me Target has them for 99 cents/dz, so I will be hitting there tomorrow if Aldi's are not less than that!

Food Pyramid
Best Choice Cream Cheese-69 cents
Best Choice Turkey-69 cents/lb
Libby's Canned Veggies-2/$1
$3.00 off in ad coupon on Honeysuckle Fresh Turkeys-these are the lowest price of $1.19/lb
Del Monte Vegetables 5 for $3-$1/5 (2-7 RP)= $2/5 or $.40 cents each
Del Monte Pineapple $.99cents-$1/5 (2-7 RP)= $3.95/5 or $.79 cents each
Dole Pineapple $1-$.55 cents/2 (1-24 SS)= $1.44/2
Famous Daves BBQ Sauce $2.29-$.75/1 (1-31 SS)= $1.54
Lipton Tea 2 for $4-$.50/1 Doubled (3-28 RP)= $1/1
Hidden Valley Farmhouse $3.29-$2/1 (3-14 SS)= $1.29
Pam Cooking Spray $2.50-$.35/1 Doubled (3-28 SS)= $1.80
Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz. $1.79$.50/1 Doubled (3-28 SS)= $.79
Bird’s Eye Steamfresh Vegetables $.99cents-$.35/1 Doubled (3-21 SS)= $.29cents
****************************************************************************
Reasor's
Blue Bell 1/2 gallon ice cream $3.77- $1 printable here =$2.77
Kraft Salad Dressing-2/$4
Mission Fajita Grande Flour Tortillas $1.29-.75 cents (3/7 SS)=.54 cents
Del Monte Pineapple $4 for 5 or 80 cents each--$1 on 8 (3/21 RP)=$5.40 for 8 (.68 each)
Knorr Sauce Mixes $1-50cents/2 (3/28 RP)=$1.50 for 2 (.75 each)
In Ad Coupon for Quaker Products-Buy 5 Participating Products, Get $3 off
Life Cereal, Cap'N Crunch, and Aunt Jemimia Pancake Mix-2/$4
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars-2/$4-.75 on 2 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (2/14 RP)=$3.25 for 2 ($1.63 each)
Quaker Instant Oatmeal 2/$5- $1 printable here= $1.50 each
Daisy Sour Cream $1.68-50 cents off (3/28 SS)-$1.18
Reddi Whip $4 for 2 ($2 each)- 50 cents off printable here or (3/28 SS)=$1.50 each
Betty Crocker Cake Mix $10 for 10 ($1 each)
Betty Crocker Frosting $1.18-.75 on both mix and frosting (3/28 SS)=$1.43 for both
Birds Eye Vegetables .88-.35 (3/21 SS)=.53OR-$1 on 3 Steamfresh (3/7 RP)=$1.64 for 3 (.55 each)OR- $1 off on 4 here=$2.52 for 4 (.63 each)

Free Butterfinger Bar!!

You will have to hae Facebook for this one! Go here and become a fan of Butterfinger. Tell them about someone who dared to lay a hand on your Butterfinger and you can get a free replacement bar.

Well, Blogger Giving Me Problems!

The last post I made I had to do through email to Blogger. So, it looks strange, but works ;) For some reason, Blogger does not want to always load for me. I try several times, but it still does not work. Of course, it DID work this time. So, if you see odd posts on the blog, I apologize...but, hopefully they will work for your viewing!!
I will hopefully be posting sales and match ups tomorrow morning. Allergies are giving me fits this week!! Love the Spring, but could do without the sneezing and sinus drainage!

Free Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner Sample from Vocal Point

Go to www.VocalPoint.com and if you are not a member, register. In your Try Section, you will find a section for a free sample of Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner.       ~*Debbie*~ Homeschool Mom to 5 Great Kids!

Stocking Up for Emergencies

I think it was last month I promised to write a bit about stocking up for weather related emergencies. I never did get around to doing this, and I am glad I waited. I realized, last week, how important being prepared in your freezer or pantry is no matter what! My whole family came down with a stomack bug that one, by one, wiped us all out. Even my husband, who rarely gets anything more major than a nasty cold, was downed by this. I was stocked up pretty well with Jell-O, but as for other things, not so much. I had made meatballs ahead of time when my 1st child came down with this. They were in the freezer, ready to go. Well, Friday I made them-threw them in the crockpot and let them reheat. Guess what, Friday night is when Mom got the bug! By Saturday I was eally wishing I had more stocked in my freezer. I do have precooked hamburger and chicken, but nothing that my kids or I could just throw together. My husband was still down for the count and I didn't even have canned chicken noodle soup on my shelves!

SO, I realized, not only is it important to be ready for a weather emergency, which can happen any time of the year, but also for down times like illnesses. These may not even have to be down times or emergencies in your own home. How about if a family member or friend gets put down by an illness or emergency. You could dig into your stockpile and help them out a bit.

I know if you are really paycheck to paycheck like we are here, this can be hard to do at times. But, picking a time of the month when you are able to buy extra items here and there could help. My time of the month is the middle of the month. I plan to buy extra things like children's pain relievers, canned soups, dry milk, etc. Also, things that are easy for my kids to fix in case I am down and cannot cook-pizza fixings (I can even make some mini pizzas ahead and put them in the freezer), mac n cheese, tuna, etc...

I also plan to really get busy with my garden this year and having lots put up in the freezer and to also learn to can. A friend has blessed me with an abundance of canning jars that I will learn to use this year :) We use frozen peas alot here, so I have already started some in my flower beds (big garden not ready yet) for the Spring planting and will grow more in the Fall, along with some other Fall veggies. But, gardens are a great way to stock up on fruits and veggies!

But, I also plan to get back to my freezer cooking! I really need to learn to implement my extra fridge/freezer in our garage for things other than just extra loaves of store bought bread! I want to plan some precooked dinner foods or need to be cooked foods that can be just dumped into the crockpot or thrown into the oven.

And, beyond that, non-food items for those weather emergencies, or just periods when things like the electric goes out, plan for those as well. Make sure you have working flashlights, batteries, candles, ways to stay cool or warm (depending on the year), hand can openers, bandages, medicines, etc...Keep a list as you go along on the essentials you might not think about before an emergency hits or when it actually hits! Go through your medicine cabinet and look at prescriptions, medicines you would not like to do without or 1st aid items. Buy those things that you can little by little.

Be prepared as much as you can. When the time comes, you will be thankful you did!!

Refresh Your Nest For Less Coupon Booklet

Go Here to get your new HomeMadeSimple coupon booklet. It was Refresh Your Nest, but now, they are Decor Done Right :) These are always great to get and I have been able to get quite a few every so often! So here is a heads up to order yours :) If you already have, try again to get another.

Reynold's Coupons

Go here to print coupons for Reynold's wrap, Reynold's Recycled, and Reynold's Parchment paper.

Land O' Lakes Reply

Well, I told you I would update when I received a response from a company I had contacted. I completely forgot that I had contacted Land O'Lakes about their milk last week. We had just tried their milk for the first time because it was on sale in our area. My oldest commented on how good it was and I thought I should contact them :) I went to their website, filled out all the info in the contact area under the comment section. Today, in my snail mail, I received a thank you from the company, along with two 50 cent off coupons on any Land O'Lakes product. How nice! It made me feel good to know they enjoyed my compliments too. It was nice that they took them time to contact me back. So, it can be worth your time-it really only takes a few minutes in many cases-to let a company know how you feel about their products/services!

Food Pyramid and Reasor's Sale and QP Match Ups

Reasor's has a 12 hour sale this Saturday-yay!! Check it out under weekly ads here.

Here are the Food Pyramid deals I have found so far :
Ground Round-$1.99/lb
Boneless Sirloin Pork Chops-$1.79/lb
Dole Iceberg salad or Cole Slaw mix-77 cents
Corn King Bacon-2/$3
Dawn Dish Soap $.99cents-$.25/1 (doubled) (3-7 P&G)= $.44cents or
  - .50 cents from HomeMade Simple Coupon book (doubled)=FREE!!!
Barilla Pasta 4 for $5-.55/1 (3/7 SS)= $.70cents
Jennie-O Turkey Franks-99 cents



Reasor's
***12 Hour Ad Specials****
Kraft Chunk CHeese-8 oz-4/$5 limit of 4
Pop-Tarts-98 cents each
Land O Frost lunch Meats-$1.98-if you saved the coupons from a couple weeks ago-$2 from Land O Frost Mom=Free  
or
-5 cents off (1/31 RP)= $1.40
Strawberries-2/$3
Pepsi or Dr Pepper 12 packs-4/$9
Suave Shampoo or Conditioner-69 cents

Rest of the weekly ad-
Green Giant canned veggies-10/$5
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel $1.98-$1 here=.98
Free pasta (coupon in ad) when you buy two Ragu sauce at $1.77 each

Writing Companies Update

So far, I really have nothing to share. I did not receive any emails, unless they happened to come to my spam folder in which I missed them. And, nothing has come in the mail, but it has only been a week, so I am not expecting anything :) I wrote to 3 companies last week-Zatarain's , Nexcare (and that link will take you to some good coupons), and Malt-O-Meal. I let each of these companies know how much my family likes their product-used examples of the ones we might like the best (for instance, the Zatarain's jambalaya mix) and why. I also thanked them for how their company's products helps me out (for instance, the jambalaya mix helping me to make a quick and easy meal for my family).
I plan to write to more companies this week and I will let you know once again how it is going. Have a great day, everyone!