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Over the Big Moon!

I am going to add there button, but you really need to go check out the website........fun things for fun moms, from fun moms!

I LOVE PINTEREST!!!!

I have a new obsession........pinterest! Since this is my blog and I can do whatever the heck I want with it, I am going to load somethings on here for pinterest. Be ready for cuteness!

Life is crazy!

Sorry I havent posted in awhile. I should have some time this week to get some good posts in. Let me just use this opperutnity to give a quick pointer....If you want to get into the couponing and freebies and such, get an extra email account. I have one for everything that is not personal. Some good freebie sites include freestuff4free.com, justfreestuff.com, seriouslyfreestuff.com!! Try them out.

Tiffany

I cannot link to you through the blog for some reason so leave me your email or PO Box # and some of your favorite smells!

Tell me what you think..........

What about a mom swap? We can gather the masses, everyone bringing things they would like to trade such as kids clothes, mom clothes, home decor, even coupons and whatever else. When we are done I will take the left overs to DI if you would like. Tell me if you are game or if you have suggestions.

Mail in Rebates.......

I suggest you maintain a knowledge of avaliable Mail in Rebates or MIRs'. I have 3 that I am mailing on Monday, but there are a number of the out there for you. Staples has simplified there mailin rebates, so now you can do easy rebates online. I bought 2 reems of copy paper from them thisweek, and my total was 10 and some change. I came home and did the easy rebate within an hour of the purchase and they have $8 coiming back to me......Worth it, I think so. Hersheys has one that looks fun. Mail in your complete Reese's PB cup wrapper (or a special dark, York, or Almond Joy wrapper), and they will mail you back a package of pieces. I am starting to enjoy the games or couponing and seeing how to twwek my purchases just a bit to get the best value. At Smiths and Albertsons this week I spent about $60, and saved $170.....no joke. That doesn't include the few rebates, I dont count them until I see the money from them. Enjoy the savings! Anyone else have great saving? Leave me a comment will ya?

I found a $50 PF Changs Giveaway

It is no suprise I am posting this if you know me. Changs is my all time favorite Resturant! Go to this link and enter to win!http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/

Swag Bucks

I gotta tell you about this. I started doing my searches through swagbucks. They give random amounts of swagbucks to random searches periodically. Then, you can us your swagbucks to buy stuff at the swag store. I think the most popular thing to buy is a $5 amazon gift card. It is 45 swagbucks, but you can earn they without spending a dime. It's awesome. You can also get them for alice, an online store that collects coupons for you to get the best deal, then ships to you for free. There are a number of items you can get ! Sign up free through this link.

Scentsy drawing......

Come on you guys! If you want good giveaways, you gotta enter and tell others about the blog! I would love to get more people on here to win stuff! Random chose Tiffany for the Scentsy giveaway! By the way she suggested a watch band giveaway sounds good.....I will start the hunt, but I need more followers before people want to do give aways! If I get 10 new followers I will do what I can to find a watch band give away!

Lets catch you up....

I have a good excuse of my lack of blogging. I was visiting family last weekend, with 15 adults fighting for the computer, blogging took the backseat. Then, I returned home to be responsible for 9 kids aday, pretty much by myself. Thats 9 kiddos with Mr T my 7yr old being the oldest!I had to go to the school to drop kids off twice a day to and from preschool twice a week, and I had all 9 in tow at one time or another. I am alive still and my mother is back to help so I am back!

Congrats Alicia

Congratulations to Alicia for winning the bow. I will get that to you asap. I now have my web site officially on now so you can check it out. I still don't have everything on there and it will always update with new styles and colors but here is a start. The web address it howadorabow.com

Boutique

I love boutiques! LOVE them! I love it when women get to gether to promote products they love, and products they make by hand. So I ask the questions....Do you like boutiques? What are your favorite shops at a boutique? Would you attend a boutique at someones, home? Do you have a product you want to peddle in a possible boutique? I think when the winter sick season subsides a bit, I want to have one. I will post more about it, but if you are interested in attending or selling, let me know. One time we had one, and everyoen sold a bot, but when all the guests left, we all enjoyed buying from one another. I think off the to of my head, I could put together a pretty great little boutique, I will keep you posted, but I need feed back!

1saleaday

Have you seen this? Go to 1saleaday.com and check it out. They have 5 deals, one for a different catergory, everyday. Sometimes items are free, just requiring you to pay shipping. Go see it now!

Jessica's Book Blog

So one of my favorite cousins (God blessed me with a bunch of really awesome cousins) has a blog of her own, and offered to share it with us....
First, I will tell you, with all the love in my heart, Jessica is the defintion of a book nerd. She's laughing as she readings this, so are you if you know her, because it is dead on. Any way, she has put this reading ridiculous amounts of books to use for many. She has a blog that rates books for you to decide if it isi something you want to read, or allow your teenagers to read. I checked it out @ http://novelreaction.com and have found she has reviewed not one book I have heard of, but then again my "books" come in the mail, or racks at the grocery store, and have titles like "Parents", "Family Fun," or "100 home decorating ideas for under $100".
However, if you are into reading that which Jessica calls a book, check out her site. Many books are romance or fantasy books, and she rates them according to their graphic nature. A great reference if you want a clean book, with a little romance, or a less clean book for that matter. Thanks Jess for sharing this love of books with us!

New Give away!

I will give 2 Scentsy Bars from my stcok to the winner of this giveaway! If There are more than 15 entries, I will do 2 for 2 people. You can enter 2 different ways, so each person can get 2 entries!
1.....Post a comment of a giveaway you would like to see....practical or outlandish, I wanna know what you wanna win!
2.....Post this giveaway on your blog, and post a link to it in the comments. If your blog is private, I need an invite!

I know I am late! The winner is ......

Ok So the winner of the bow is Alicia! She called me and said she didn't know how to post on a blog. I will teach her tomorrow, but through random.org, she is the winner! I love this! Our little model is Alicia's little 2 year old, and a true red head! Congrats Alicia claim your prize!

Help with this please!

I am looking for women to test my Mary Kay products! I will cost you nothing, but you can earn free product. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks!

Bow Giveaway reminder!

Post a comment on the bow giveaway for a chance to win!

FREE Nursing Cover!!

Go to uddercovers.com and choose a cover. Go to the check out and enter promo code BABYKISS it will change the price from $32 to $0! You will have to cover shipping, which is 8.95. AWESOME! I just did it and it worked!

Disney Land

Ok for those of you that haven't heard yet, this is an awesome way to go on a fun cheap vacation to Disneyland. Go to disneyparks.com and go to the give a day and get a day promo. Follow the instructions from there. Basically it is give a day of service and get a day at Disneyland for free. It is only for 6 years and up but still way cool. There are different places that you can go help at and then get tickets. I found one that I can do at home and make some blankets and send them to the organization that is over it. So I can do some great service and give a blanket to some children that need one and also get a great summer vacation for my family. Just thought I would pass that one along for anyone interested.

Give and take

Kassi has some girl clothes. I believe sizes 5/6. She is bringing them to me tomorrow if anyone is in need let me know! She is also looking for a table lamp or free standing lamp. If you have one, or if you need the girl clothes, let me know. I just made Kandice an author, she says she has a great way to get a Disneyland trip for free, so look for her post. I have 4 Tom Clancy books, one James Patterson book, and a John Grisham book. If you want any of them let me know. If nobody wants them I will likely take them to a bookstore to trade for something else. I also have the Scentsy testers up for grabs. Come go through the ones you want, I will hold on to them until they are gone. They have been picked through, but your favorite may remain....Dont forget to comment on the bow post for the giveaway! I have had 2 people that didn't know how to comment ask to be entered, but I made easy for anyone to comment now, so leave one for me!

OFFER: Formula cans

Ok so what on earth can you do with formula cans? I asked the same question to my mother when she told me she was saving them. However, she put wrapping paper around the cylinder and cellaphane stuffed inside. Then added cookies into the cellaphane, and gave them to the neighbors for Christmas. So darling!
You could cover with cute paper, or paint them, and embellish with ribbon and chipboard. Use them for pens,cotton balls, army guys, whatever you fancy. I go through the small cans so fast, like one every day or day and a half. The larger can I go through weekly (I mix 2 formulas). If you would like some ever,until August, let me know. I currently have abot 25 small ones and some big ones. I am running out of space, and will start throwing them away if you don't want them. Might I suggest this would be a great gift for your sisters birthday, and will cost next to nothing!!

1 more giveaway

Let's do this giveaway too.....Le people you care about know about our blog. Have them leave a comment on this post, or email me, and I will put you into the giveaway! In fact for ever person you refer you get a giveaway point, for every 3 referrals, you get 5 points. For every 5 close friends and family you refer, 12 points. I will giveaway $15 of the Mary Kay products on My first post. Good luck, you have a week. Drawing on the 10th.

Any favorite blog or Site?

Tell us about your favorite sites for saving money, and self-relience. Share with us, and I will do a giveaway. Just tell me who you are, and what your favorites are. If someone else mentions your fav, still tell us, then we will know may people have success with that site. Coupon Mom is a good one (link on the right), another one I like is Ebates. Ebates is so easy, although I haven't got my first check yet. All you do is sign up, connect to THOUSANDS of your favorite store through Ebates,and they give you a percentage of your purchase back in a check. They also have coupon codes andd secret sales for stores as well. Links are on the side. My giveaway si your choice of a scentsy bar. I will choose the winner next Sunday the 10th.

The Best way to Save Money

Ok it's sunday so here it comes, the best way for me to save money is....to pay tithing. I know to some it sounds clique (is that how it's spelled?) but for me it has proven true. This is why. The blessings of obedience aside, tithing requires a sacrifice. So lets say tithing is not something you can or want to contribute to, I recommend finding a worth while cause (my favorites are always local, such as your local NICU, womens and childrens justice center, or homeless shelters, but there are also medical research causes that are great like Susan G Komen or Cistic Fibrosis research,etc. etc. etc...)and commit to contributing a specific amount every pay check. What this does is cause you to budget your money, and as I said, sacrifice. Be sure to get a receipt ( I cannot spell today)for tax write off purposes. Whether you believe in God or carma or whatever, I bet you agree in what goes around comes around. Most people pick a cause because it is important to them, tithing for example is important to me because the funds go back to the members (our leaders dont get paid) for different things we believe in. If you coontribute to a justice center, it is likely you have had close dealings with victims of DV. More people than I evr realized have had NICU expiriences, as I have, and then realize the need for contribution there. I also encourage you to get your children involved. Explain to them why they pay tithing, or help them choose a charity they would like to help. My kids love knowing how there dimes and pennies help out.
Remember to be reasonable. With tithing, we pay 10%. If you have fallen on hard times and dont have an income, then dont try to contribute else where. If you make $100 dollars, and contribute to the food bank $10, they can turn around and help you out with the money you contribute, and with contributions of others, because they have a way to stretch the dollar. My last recommendation, choose a non-profit organization. You dont want to find some save the children fund, only to find out that 40% of your donation goes to paying employees. For more info about tithing, or anything else in this post. Leave a comment. Also if you agree with this post, let me know, if you have an expirience in this area you like to share, do it!

Old Furniture

I am looking for old furniture, that I can give a new life to. If it's a dresser, even with broke drawers, or bi-fold closet doors no longer being used I am on the prowl. I f you or someone you know is getting ride of anything, let me know. "Upcycling" Old items into something new is an excellent was to save money, as well as have some unique furniture. Ir you are looking for anything, be it furniture, a microwave, or size 10 cowboy boots, lets hear about it. As I pray my house sells, I am sure I will be dying to get rid of some of my extra stuff, but may overlook something. Or I may go to a yard sale or something and find it for pennies for you.

Dixie Direct

My money saving tip today is unfortunately only helpful for those that visit STG often or live here. I LOVE the dixie Direct card, and every year it gets better. This year is no exception, with 39 absolutely free offers. From activites with the kids, like jumpin jacks, or the dinosaur museum, to 2 for 1 dinners it is a steal. My 2 favorite offers in the book are: Hungry Howie buy a large pizza get a medium free all year(!!), and the Ava house, which is a bed and breakfast with a spa, has $15 pedi's all year. There are so many deals to choose from, and you can use them all. I have a goal to use it for EVERY date, and whenever else possible. I do not spend much money on pampering myself, but with the deals in here, maybe I can go do it once in a while! Another great thing about it is if you buy it from a group, you could support them, and they get half the profits. My friend Shanell is selling them for her daughters dance group, to decrease the cost of there little outfits. There are MANY groups selling, so I encourage you buy from them instead of the gas station. to check out some of the offers go to www.dixiedirectcard.com For you that visit here often, and need less expense lodging, there are a number or unlimited use hotels in here.

First freecycle

I have these darling christmas ornaments. There are about 8 or 10 of them. They are so cute and in good shape, I just am sick of them. The first one to ask for them in the comments takes them. You can come get them, we can meet or I will deliver on my schedule. I will ship, but you will need to reimburse. Enjoy. Also please note I will not always post pics with items, your just lucky today! I also want to mention if there is anything you are looking for we can post them as well, just add to the comments somewhere.

One more!

One more thing..... My friend form Ferron, Sharla, has a very popular blog. She has giveaways all the time. Check her out....themomnerd.blogspot.com

I love this background!

So my friend Goma, also known as Tiffini Howard is the co-creator of www.thatblogplace.com She makes the cutest backgrounds for those of us that are impaired in that category. You really need to check her out if you have a blog. She also sells banners and other blog stuff. Check her out!

Darling Bows at Killer costs!

My first hard at work mom is one of my best friends, Kandice Cluff. She is such an amazing person and the greatest mom to her sweet little Emmie. Kandi is my hairstylist, the best one I know! She also ha sstarted a business making and selling bows, along with other fun girly accessories. She is currently working on updating her website, so if you try to link to it and it doesn't work, try again later. The site is www.howadoreabow.com We want to start this thing off right, so let's start with a GIVEAWAY!!!! Kandi has a free bow to the lucky winner. I am not a fan of complicated giveaways, so this will be easy. Just leave a comment on this post. You can just say hey, let me know if you like this idea for a blog, or let me know if you have something to post. I will pick a winner in a week, on January 8th. I don't have a price list for her items but if you want info before you get on the website, leave me a post, with your email and I will give you her phone number. This post also makes me feel a bit guilty. I wanted to post a few pics of her bows,(I have a few dozen) and this pic of Alli is the only one I can find. All the pictures of Sadee her hair is gnarly, or the bow is in the back, and you can't see it. I promise I do her hair with these bows everyday, and they stay in so good, Sadee just poses for pictures in the short time in the day her hair is not done, or after she messes it up by playing hard (I do hair ONCE a day).

My First Post....

I hope this works! My Mary Kay blowout is first. If you see something you want, I will barter!

You have to see these steals!

Cellushape Reg. $55 sale $22
Visibly fit lotion (no box) reg. $22 sale $7
Lip primer Reg. $22 sale $10
Targeted action line reducer Reg $40 sale $15
Tisewise Bar soap Reg $18 sale $9
Indulge Eye gel Reg $15 sale 7
Firming Eye cream Reg $30 sale $18
*************
The follow includes platinum compact while supplies last..................
Dual coverage 304 Reg $14 sale $5
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Full coverage Beige 302 Reg. $14 sale $5
Full coverage Beige 304 Reg. $14 sale $5
Full coverage Ivory 202 Reg. $14 sale $5
Medium Coverage Beige 400 Reg. $14 sale $5

The following is all the platinum packaging.
Light Ivory concealer $5
Soft Auburn Mechanical eye brow pencil $5
Blonde Mechanical eye brow pencil $5
Shade 2 Highlighting pen $6
Shade 3 Highlighting pen $6
Violet Dawn color stick $4
Taupe Shimmer color stick $4
Copper Glaze color stick $4
Jade Mint color stick $4
********Sharpeners included while supplies last
Bronze Sands Cheek Color $3
Island Spice Cheek color $3
Apple Berry lipstick $7
Pink Satin lipstick $6
Copper Mine lipstick $5
Raspberry Lipliner $4
Color Lipliner $4
Strike a pose rose $7
Fig eye color $2
Copper Beach eye color $2
Affection wand $7
Affection Perfume $25

I have additional Items on sale also, so ask if I have what you see if you dont see it here!