.... A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas has made it's way to our house, albeit a little delayed on account of a hubby with the flu and a little one with a bad cold. But nevertheless, we've had a batch of Spritz Cookies, some Peanut Butter Blossoms and this evening I turned out a dozen homemade Truffles (above). Mmmm. They make such great gifts and are so pretty, rolled in almonds, coconut, powdered sugar and Christmas sugar. Not to mention, well, I mean they're chocolate. :-)

And for those of you who receive our bi-weekly newsletters... no, I haven't forgotten about them. Things have been just so busy that I hadn't had a spare second to turn them out. If you don't get our newsletter, and would like to, feel free to just leave a comment or shoot me off an email.

Merry Christmas to all!

Sing sweet and low your lullaby till angels say, "Amen." A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem while wise men follow through the dark a star that beckons them. A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem. "A little child shall lead them," the prophets said of old. In storm and tempest keep 'em until the bells is tolled. Sing sweet and low your lullaby till angels say, "Amen." A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem. choir Sing sweet and low your lullaby.

Home as a Haven

I was encouraged and motivated by two ladies who decided to challenge themselves in making their home a haven (see here and here) for their family. I know I could always stand improvement and godly counsel in that area. So following their lead, I thought I'd post about how I'm trying to make my home a haven, specifically in keeping it tidy.

I'm in no way OCD about keeping my house clean... but as I mentioned before, I can't stand major messes and crumbs on the floor. Keeping a three story townhouse clean has been a challenge, though. Not to mention I have a hard time devoting a whole day (or week!) to cleaning. So I created a six-week plan that helps me keep the whole house clean, and the other odd household jobs in order. It's worked great for me so far, but better yet, my husband loves coming home to a tidy house (most days :-) ). It's far from fool proof, and there are some days I just don't get things done (as visitors to my house can definitely witness), but it's been very helpful to keep me on track.

What I Did on Sunday Morning...

Why, CVS of course! I rarely drag myself out of bed in time to arrive at CVS at opening time, but this morning was different. And boy was I glad I did.

Maybe it was the fact I was sleep deprived (didn't get to bed until 2am due to a caffeinated beverage mistake and a hungry, teething, child... and then up again at 5am for a comforting session), but I arrived at CVS early this morning and was the first customer thru the doors.

Here's what I scored...

(1) Jumbo pack of Huggies Supreme diapers - $2/18.99
(2) Crest Pro-Health Toothpastes - $3.49 each
(2) Palmolive Dish Soap - $1.49 each
(1) Fructis Hair Mousse - $2.99
(1) St. Ives Body Wash - $3.99
(1) L'Oreal Skin Revitalizer - $11.99
(1) Glageau Smart Water - $1.59
(1) Chapstick Shimmer - $2.99
(2) Stayfree MaxiPads - $3.89 each
(1) Starbucks Chocolate bar - $2.99

Here are the coupons I used:

$1 Huggies
2 - $1 Crest toothpastes
$1/2 Palmolive
$1 Fructis
expired $1 St. Ives (I was so elated to find that my store excepts expired coupons!)
$1 L'Oreal
$2/2 Stayfree
$1.50 Starbucks chocolate

The total came to just over $56. I used my $10 off $50 CVS coupon pluse the $28+ in ExtraCare bucks from last time.

Total OOP: $5.29

And I also have a manufacturer rebate for the chapstick... so in reality I only paid $2.30 for all of it. In my mind, that's $2.30 for diapers! Whoo hoo!

And I have over $30 in ExtraCare bucks for my next trip.

If you weren't a CVS believer before... maybe you are now?

In a Given Day

It was so nice to have a weekend. Matt took baby duty for most of Sunday and I felt like a free woman again. We spent time pulling out the horrid ornamental grass from our front landscaping. Matt figured he got in a good workout. And when I wasn't outside enjoying the beautiful day, I was inside tinkering around with my newest hobby: digital scrapbooking. It's got me hooked.

I'm not really into super complex scrapbooking pages, but I certainly appreciate the simple stuff. And it's a good thing, too, because I'm not as creative as I'd like to be. :-) But anyway, I digress.

It was so refreshing and I was more than ready to pack up Morenna and descend upon the great and mighty CVS for our weekly visit. We didn't fair too badly, I might add.


One transaction afforded us:

- (1) mega-pack of Huggies Diapers
- (1) Always Infinity Pads
- (1) Bayer Breeze 2 Glucose Monitor (great donation for a pregnancy care center or just to sell in a garage sale!)
- (4) SoyJoy bars

I used:
- $10 off purchase of $50 CVS coupon
- $1 mnf. coupon for Huggies / $2 CVS coupon for Huggies
- $2 mnf. coupon for Always + $4.99 rain check from two weeks ago for a free box
- $buy-one-get-one for SoyJoy (= $1)
- $30 mnf. coupon for Bayer Monitor (in this week's RedPlum)
- $1.67 ExtraCare buck

I spent: $1.71

In return: I got another $5 in ExtraCare bucks, bringing my current total up to $29. Holy cow. Need anything from CVS?

Ahh, I heart CVS. Not to mention there is also a manufacture mail-in rebate on the monitor box. Should they affort a full price-paid refund, it would be a $30 money-maker! Yeah, I heart CVS.

Individualism vs. Education

Matt and I wrote this post for the BreakPoint "The Point" blog.

Here is the quote we wanted, but couldn't, place at the end:

When an opponent declares, "I will not come over to your side," I calmly say, "Your child belongs to us already... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community."

~ Adolf Hitler

Touche.

Toys for the Housewife

(Get your mind out of the gutter)

Otherwise Entitled: Ode to My Swiffer Duster

I can't believe I'm actually dedicating precious time and energy to blogging about this, but allow me to say: I love my new Swiffer Duster!

I bought one at random last night as part of a huge (but inexpensive) CVS purchase and I haven't stopped swiffering (is that a word) since I opened the box. Unlike other dusters that simply push the dust around, the Swiffer really does pick up all the little dust particles. It's perfect for any type of dusting job.

But the best part of all is that it's incredibly fluffy and soft. It just begs to be pet between jobs.

Ok. Did I really just say that?

CVS for Newbies

Lately a couple of you have mentioned your interest in bargain shopping at CVS. You go girls!

The deals are amazing, the bargains, endless (well, we wish they were)... and overall, it's really not a complicated way to save hundreds of dollars. I thought about doing a little "how-to" post for getting started CVS-ing, but then I noticed that the frugal blogger, Thrifty Mama, is actually doing a great informative series for beginners. Feel free to follow her along, here.

One thing worth mentioning: as a new shopper, you can either sign up for CVS' extracare program online or in the store. Should you decide to try your hand at the sales this week (following Thrifty Mama's program), you'll definitely need to sign up in the store so that your card is activated immediately.


And not to steal the spotlight from CVS by any means, but RiteAid pharmacy has some incredible deals on over-the-counter medications this week. The October monthly rebate offers line up perfectly with many of the cold/flu items on sale this week.

All of the items in the picture at right, I got for free after rebate. Not only that, but for the Children's Advil and the Excedrin, I was able to use $3 in coupons, plus the Sucrets came with a manufacture $1.50 mail-in-rebate! It's pretty nice to be paid $4.50 to stock up on medication for the winter season! :-) Check out MoneySavingMom for a listing of the 30 items that are free after rebate for this week.

CVS 10/5-10/11

So my CVS posts have been a bit absent of late - my apologies. Here was my run for this week, and what a great week it was!

Transaction One

• Bic Soleil Razor $5.99
  
• Tylenol Gels $6.00
• Vitamin Water $2.29
  
• Always Infinity $4.98
• Colgate Toothpaste $2.99

Total + tax: $22.31

Used:
$2 off Bic, available here
$2 off Tylenol (9/14 Red Plum)
$1 off Colgate Max (9/28 SmartSource) + $1 CVS Register Coupon for Colgate

$14.99 in ExtraCare bucks

Total Out-of-Pocket: $1.32
ECB's Earned: $13.27

---

Transaction Two

• Tylenol PM Gelcaps $6.00
• (2) Children's Tylenol $6.00 each
  
• CVS Kid's Hand Sanitizer $1.99
  

Total: $19.99

Used:
$2 off Tylenol PM (9/7 RedPlum)
$2 off (2) Children's Tylenol (9/14 SmartSource)

$13.27 in ECBs

Total Out-of-Pocket: $2.72
ECBs earned: $11.00

I was pretty pleased with these deals, but my savings could've been better. I bought the kids sanitizer because I thought I needed a filler item (so that my total was enough that I could use all my ECBs earned in the previous transaction), but I didn't need it after all. So if I hadn't bought that, I would've only paid $0.72 for the second transaction, and would have earned $10 in ECBs instead of $11. But as I reminded myself on the trip home, it's still only $4 for all those items. :-)

The Proof

"Mommamama" might have been the first spoken word... but it only counts when you get it on camera. And so, friends, I give you... "Da-Da". Forgive the shaky video. :-)

Gettin' 'em started early...

My dad has been hinting for a while that he wanted to take Morenna for her first ride on a 4-wheeler. Until recently, my answer was an adamant "NO!". But for whatever reason - perhaps the fact that I wholeheartedly trust my Dad? - I gave in and let him take her for a ride. I completely expected the typical Morenna breakdown that occurs anytime she's around loud noises, people she doesn't know, things she doesn't like, etc. But I was pleasantly surprised that she took it all in stride and even gave a brief smile at the end. I guess she trusts her G-Daddy, too. :-)

This video is a little blurry and there's no sound (I need a new camera!), but at least you can get the gist of the event.

PS: Naked content disclaimer - It was a really hot day and Morenna had spit up all over her clothes, so I just gave up. :-)

Dinner with the Schwartz's

Pork Chops with Cranberry Pear Sauce... a la Schwartz!

3-5 medium thick-sliced pork chops
salt/pepper/garlic powder
2 T. butter, divided
2 T. apple juice
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. honey
2 T. dried cranberries
1 red pear
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves

Melt 1 1/2 T of butter in a medium skillet over high heat. Generously coat pork chops (both sides) with sea salt, pepper and garlic powder and place into skillet. Allow to fry until browned. Turn and cover. Meanwhile, mix apple juice, lemon juice, honey and cranberries in a small saucepan and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Thinly slice pear. Add to cranberry mixture along with remaining butter, cinnamon and cloves. Cover. Bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened. Uncover pork chops and allow to fry in juices for another 5 minutes. Remove and top with sauce.

Image courtesy of www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Our Day (By Morenna, and by proxy, Mommy)

Our day included getting up at 6:45 for no apparent reason...

Our day included a mega trip to Harris Teeter for triple coupon days where we passed the time trying to overcome the hiccups without crying too loudly...

Our day included one 10-minute morning nap that was prematurely ended by the trash truck...

Our day included three poopy diapers...

Our day included ruining clothes four different times, though not by said poopy diapers...

Our day included one 10-minute afternoon nap that was prematurely ended by the recycling truck (no offense guys, but could you please keep a twenty-mile radius from our house during sleeping and non-sleeping hours? Otherwise you will have a bad case of Mommy-Rage)...

Our day included more than two clocked hours in the rocking chair and two Andy Griffith Shows trying to induce sleep...

Our day included petitioning Daddy to skip class to rescue us from the brink of sleep-deprivation insanity...

Our day... still continues.

But sleep must come sometime, right?

A little somethin' somethin'

A wonderful recipe for a yummy, but healthy, drink! M and I tried this tonight and loved it. I took the original recipe and added a few changes. Enjoy!

Virgin Mango Pina-Colada

1 mango - peeled, seeded and cubed
3/4 cups ice cubes
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 cup frozen pineapple
1/3 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

Blend well in a blender.

CVS 8/24-8/30

Pretty good run for CVS this week. There were a couple different ways to organize my purchases for this week; a good reminder of the value in playing around with the different transaction combinations for your purchases in order to score the best deal. The list below includes all the items I bought, but is organized for the buyer to pay the least out of pocket (OOP). However, though cheaper, doing the transactions in the order below will leave you with no leftover ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs). And to me, that is a sad thing. So at the end I'll tell you how I did things a little differently.

Transaction One

• Zipfizz Sports Drink(my husband adores this stuff so I was super excided when it was on sale!) - $5.99
• Kotex Liners $1.49
• (2) CVS hand sanitizers - $2.99 each

Total: $13.46 + tax

Used:
- $2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
- $1 Kotex coupon (7/20 SmartSource) and also here.
- (2) $2 CVS Skincare, available here.
- $5 ECB (from last week)

Total OOP: $1.46 + Tax

Received:
$5.99 ECB for Zipfizz
$1.49 ECB for Kotex
$1.00 ECB for hand sanitizer


Transaction Two

Zipfizz Sports Drink - $5.99

Total: $5.99 + tax
Use: $5.99 ECB from transaction one
Total OOP: Tax

Receive: $5.99 for Zipfizz

Transaction Three

Huggies Mega diapers - $13.99

Total: $13.99 + tax
Used:
- $2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
- $2 CVS coupon for Huggies (received as printout for scanning my card at the ExtraCare box)
- $1 manufacturer coupon
- $5.99 ECB; $1.49ECB; $1.00ECB

Total OOP: $0.51 + tax

Overall, a terrific deal for diapers! However, since I wanted to have ECBs left over for next week, I actually did only two transactions.

Transaction One included (1) Zipfizz; (1) Kotex; (1) CVS hand sanitizer; = Total OOP: $1.49.

Transaction Two included (1) Huggies Mega pack; (1) Zipfizz; (1) CVS hand sanitizer; = Total OOP: $9.19.

Still not a bad deal considering the diapers. And now I have a $5.99 ECB (Zipfiz) and a $1.00 ECB (hand sanitizer) left over for next week. Sound complicated? It really isn't... :-)

CVS 8/17-8/23

Here's the CVS tally from this week:

Transaction One

1 Infant's Advil - $5.79
3 Puffs Tissues - (3) $0.88
2 Glade Air Fresheners - (2) $0.88
2 CVS Gold Emblem Candies - (2) $0.88

Used:
$2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
$1 off Advil
$1 off 3 Puffs Tissues (8/3 P&G)
BYGO Free Glade (8/3 SmartSource)
$1 Gold Emblem (CVS coupon)

$5 Extra Care Buck (ECB) from last week

Total OOP: $0.24
Received: $5.79 ECB for Advil (monthly CVS deal)


Transaction Two

2 Johnson & Johnson First Aid Tape
1 box of Band-Aid Ultra Strips

Used:
$2/$10 CVS coupon (available here, page 30)
$1 Johnson & Johnson First Aid (8/10 SmartSource)
$1 Band-Aid Ultra (6/22 RedPlum)

$5.79 ECB

Total OOP: $0.81
Received: $5.00 ECB for buying $10 worth of Johnson & Johnson products (CVS weekly deal)

I was really happy with this transaction, but kinda wish I could have done it all for one measly dollar. :-) I know, I know... don't push it. :-)

Babies Don't Keep

A friend of mine remarked recently how in order my house was. I laughed, thinking, if only she looked behind my closet doors. :-) I love being organized. I love being clean and clutter-free. But the truth is, I fail at it everyday. Sure I have my daily list of things "to do" to keep the house straightened, the birds fed, the plants watered, and Morenna clean and smelling good. But I often find myself discouraged that it can't all seem to be done at the same time.

I thought I would adore being a stay-at-home mom... and I do adore the "mom" part... but the "staying home" can certainly be difficult.

I rock my baby, but I notice that I missed a spot when I dusted yesterday. I get on the floor with my baby and her toys, but I'm more preoccupied with the dog hair remaining on my living room carpet from Uncle Buddy's (my parent's dog) visit last week. I smile as I feed Morenna her cereal, but there are irritating crumbs under my bare feet that need vacuuming.

A post I read today reminded me of the importance of not having it all together. God gives us just the grace we need to make it through the important things today. Not the trivial. My Mom used to sing a poem to me when I was little (I'm not sure of the author).. and it has really struck home with me lately. It's my guidepost today:

Cleaning and scrubbing
Can wait till timorrow,

For babies grow up
We've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs,
Dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby,
And babies don't keep.

On the move!

There are two new things at our house... Goodnight Moon and a baby on the move!

CVS 8/3-8/9 -- Stop #2

With all the good deals this week, I just couldn't help but going a second time. Little did I know that the candy deal from three weeks ago was still going on (under the wire, I might add) so I decided two more transactions wouldn't break the bank even if they might tip the scale. :-)
















Transaction One

• (2) Dove Bags Dark Chocolate - $4.49 each
• (1) Dove Chocolate Bar - $2.49

Used

• Buy one Dove bag get one free
• $2/$10 CVS coupon
• $5 ECBs

Total OOP (out of pocket): $0.11 with $5 ECBs

Transaction Two

• Scott 12pk Toilet Paper - $6.49
• (2) Pert Plus Shampoo/Conditioner B1G1 - $3.99
• CVS Mouthwash - $2.39
• Colgate Toothpaste - $2.99

Used

• $2/$10 coupon
  
• (2) $2 off Pert Plus
• Free CVS mouthwash from earlier this week
• $1 Colgate
• $1 Scott
  
• $5 ECBs

Total OOP (out of pocket): $0.48 with $2 ECBs to spare

And we're on to next week...

Pearly Whites

Pray for us. We're teething today...

CVS 8/3-8/9

Back by popular demand, here are my CVS wheelings and dealings for this week! Not another huge week for me, but I obtained some good deals, including a couple of things we needed.

Did I mention a brand new CVS store opened up a mere two miles from our house? As an announcement of their grand opening, the store sent around some great coupon fliers, including a $5/$15 coupon! I was very grateful.

Transaction One

Bought:

• (2) Dawn Dishsoaps - $0.88 each
  
• (1) Crest Toothpaste - $2.49 each
  
• (1) Oral-B Toothbrush - $2.49 each
  
• (1) Colgate Toothpaste - $2.99 each
  
• (1) Infant Advil - $5.79 each

Total: $15.52
Used:

• $1.00 Crest Toothpaste coupon
• $1.00 Colgate Toothpaste coupon
• $1.00 Children's Advil coupon
• $1.00 (2) Dawn coupon
• $1.00 Oral-B coupon
• $5/$15 coupon
  
• $4.00 in ExtraCare bucks (ECBs) *ECBs are basically paper money that you can use at CVS on any future purchase
  

Total Out of Pocket (OOP) expense: $1.56
Earned: $10.79 in ECBs

Transaction Two

Bought:

• (1) Almay Eyeliner - $8.99
  
• (1) CVS Cotton Pads - $2.99
  
• (1) L'oreal Styling Gel - $4.99

Total: $16.97
Used:

• $1.00 Almay coupon
• $3.00 CVS product coupon
• $1.00 L'oreal coupon
• $10.97 ECBs

Total OOP: $1.34
Earned: $5.oo in ECBs; (1) free CVS mouthwash

All in all, not a shabby deal. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to score any of the Pert Plus that they had on sale this week (it was buy one at $3.99 get one free and I had two $2.00 coupons, making the deal a $0.01 moneymaker). According to the manager they sold out of all the bottles early this afternoon, but she graciously offered me a raincheck for them, so I guess I'll just pick those up next week. :-)