Ideas, Thinking, and Such

I miss you guys!!!!


Now to the goods without further apology for my long absence here it is:

I think once a week or so I'm going to post about free stuff. This will be mostly for my couponing buddies so if you aren't interested, well, too bad :)

Besides, who doesn't like free stuff?


In further news: We spent spring break in Nashville and I LOVED it. If you haven't been to Gaylord Opryland you are missing out. Except we didn't actually stay there cause lets face it- I'm no millionaire, so we sneaked in the back door and wandered aimlessly for hours. Thats how we roll.

Me and Momma of B-Dub

INSIDE Opryland. Yes, inside.

Crazy Couponer? Semi-Guilty.

I decided a few months ago to give the whole "couponing" thing a try even though it made me feel super extremely old. And embarrassed. Maybe a little crazy.

Worth it? You decide. I'm going to break down my short trip to Walgreen's from today. Keep in mind that during the last few months I learned about fantastic things like "multiple transactions" and "coupon matchups" and other extremely time consuming and embarrassing endeavors all in the name of savings. 

Total Items Purchased (quantities in parenthesis):

(4) 2-liters Pepsi products

(2) Gillette ProGlide Razer

(2) Pill Glide Spray

(2) Jumbo Pk Pampers

(4) Vicks Drops

(6) Bagged "W" brand candy

(6) Kraft Home-style Mac and Cheese

Total cost of all items before sales/discounts/coupons: 99.39

Total Walgreen's Advertised Savings (including store coupons): 23.52

Total Manufacturer Coupons: 39.00

Total Savings: 62.52

Out of Pocket expense: 36.87

Now here is where I really bank because Wags does this thing called Register Rewards which works like cash back to use on your next purchase. Every week they offer new RR deals and I scoop up as many as possible! This is where multiple transactions come in as most are limit one per customer. Well, if  I check out twice that makes me 2 customers :) 

Total RR generated this trip: $23.00

If I apply the RRs to my savings for this trip it works out to be $85.52 in savings for $99.39 in merchandise or said another way: paying $13.87 for $99.39 worth of merchandise. 

The other advantage to Wags is the catalina coupons that print with the RRs. Today I generated an additional $14.00 of coupons- but I won't add those to todays savings because I haven't used them yet.

Sounds awesome right? Well the truth is yep, I am pretty awesome. And I really did save tons today but I DID spend $36.87 out of pocket, and the Register Rewards are great and help make up for that BUT you have to actually use them! And like all other coupons they do have an expiration date so if I forget to take them with me or they expire before I have a chance to use them then the savings isn't really so great. And that my webbies is where the stores win. They count on you to forget or not use the RRs because they get to keep that money. 

Maybe I need to devise another way of accounting for savings- like not including RRs until I actually use them in a transaction. That way I only factor in my "real" savings. Hmmmm, deserves some thought.

On and end note: Tons of my Facebook peeps keep asking HOW DO YOU DO IT??? So maybe I will sit down and write a tutorial on how to coupon. Advise.

The Hauntings Continue!

Remember how I mention that my car is possessed?  

(my car only wishes it was this cool)

Well, Mr Poltergeist has decided that due to the cold weather we have been experiencing he needed to relocate. And so he has packed his bags and moved into my house; Oldest's room to be precise. And sometimes the hallway for a change of scenery (and smellery I'm sure). 

He likes to make his presence known in the evening hours by blocking out all light in Oldest room (and/or the hallway). And by blocking light I mean he doesn't allow the lights to be turned on. Just so we are clear: said lights function properly all day long- turning on and off with the flip of the switch. Then during the evening (when light is needed most) he pulls his dastardly prank and no amount of light switch flipping will rid the room of darkness. 

All things considered it really isn't the worst haunting ever- pretty clever if you ask me. He must know the boy loves the Goosebumps series (what 10yo boy doesn't?) and enjoys a little harmless prank on occasion.

 It could be worse, for instance he could go bump in the night invoking a pistol wielding B-Dub to come racing down the stairs. Lets face it, nothing is scarier than a B-Dub woken from sleep by bumps in the night: with or without pistol, the hair is scary enough to rid the premises of all but the most determined evil-doers in possession of great intestinal fortitude. I kid not.

Now picture this with no flat iron or styling products. Super Scary.

But here is my warning dear Mr.Poltergeist, the Daddy is coming home and he doesn't take kindly to other guys trying to move in on his turf. Your days are numbered. Just sayin. 

Two-ish Weeks

Its almost time my Webbies! Charley is leaving his Combat OutPost in like two freakin weeks! Of course that doesn't mean he will be home in two weeks it just means he is leaving his current location and will be on the way. Still no due date, but heck who needs one! I'm just excited he will be getting the heck outta there.

Maybe then I can get back to blogging. I don't write much these days because I don't have anything nice to say, once he is home I won't have anything left to bitch about.... And for some reason that sentence isn't making sense so I'm gonna pretend I didn't write it and move on....



This is what Charley has been up to the last 11 months. He is in the second truck. He also reports that the cell that recorded this video is no longer around thanks to the boot they shoved up their turbaned behinds!!!!

(if that video doesn't work try this link- and remember I am a tech-NO! so pretty proud that I actually copied a link in the first place : )  )

I can't wait for my Hero to be home!!!

Tooth Fairy-ish Nonsense

Littlest is scared to come out of her room. She counts her teeth before bed and in the mornings just to make sure. Wanna know why? Cause the mean Tooth Fairy on the top of our tree might try and steal them if she isn't careful. Thats right, the TOOTH FAIRY. On top of our tree, and the tree at her school, and the tree at McCrappies, and the tree at Wally.... you get the idea. Tooth Fairy.

You should see the looks I get when she spouts that one out in public. Geesh.

The Tale of Two Trees

We met in March, married in April, and moved to Montana in May. Whirlwind romance doesn't begin to describe it. It was crazy, stupid, and wrong (in more ways than one). So when I say it was our first Christmas what I mean is: I didn't know anything about being "together" during a holiday, nothing about family traditions, nothing about not going home. Nothing.

And then we had our first big fight. And by "big fight" I mean all encompassing - you're not gonna change me- NO, I'm not just like your Grandma- kinda fight. Basically two bulls met in the china shop and neither bull won. And ya wanna know why? I will tell you why, and he might go all guy-ish and say he doesn't remember or that it wasn't such a big deal but I REMEMBER, cause it was our first fight. And my life was almost over cause of it.

It was all due to the fact that I wanted a fake tree. Not just any fake tree either; I'm talking super fake with ONLY blue and white ornaments. And snowmen. If it wasn't blue, white, or snowman shaped it wasn't going anywhere NEAR my tree. Cause it was our first one and I wanted it to be special, something to be remembered, something to be proud of. His idea of "special" and "proud" were different than mine.

He wanted his ornaments his Momma just gave him on my blue, white, and snowman tree. But he didn't tell me that. He didn't even tell me that his Momma GAVE him the ornaments. I didn't know. I also didn't know that fake tree and 'Montana' don't mix. Its like adding pine-sol and bleach. Or is it Lysol? Anywho- you should never mix cleaning supplies or go on a huffing spree even if it is Christmas.

Back at it: The fight was on, only see it wasn't fair cause I thought we were fighting cause he kept picking on me saying stuff like "I can't believe I married my GRANDMOTHER" and then talk smack about how  Grammy can't cook and how she has a tree that only has blue and white and snowman ornaments. He was mean and hurt my widdle feewings. All the while I kept hurting his just by not recognizing his need for... for..... well, for lack of better wording- tradition.

Tradition doesn't feel like the right word, its something more- like Alice  I didn't have my "muchness" and I didn't even realize it. So long story short it wasn't exactly the bestest first Christmas ever. Unfortunately neither was our second- which was really our third cause he was deployed for the 'real' second one. It was back to the whole "tree" thing again. I just didn't get it; it wasn't about the ornaments.

Fast forward a whole lotta years: The kids and I decorated our tree tonight. We went through every box of ornaments and told stories about some while others were shoved on as fast as possible so they could each hang more than their sibling. Finally the end came and I tucked them into their beds and sat on the couch looking at that dang tree. The kids each put some of Daddy's ornaments on. I saved a few to put on myself. The kids had put all of his right at eye level (so basically the top and bottom of the tree are totally covered with not much in the middle) so I spread them all out and added the ribbons and bows that tiny hands couldn't quite master.

I think I get it now. The ones we love the most are the ones that have been around the longest. I don't care anymore if my tree is bluewhitesnowman. My tree has all colors, shapes, sizes (I like to think its an equal opportunity tree). What makes it great is the stories we share about each one, the memory, the love. Its not about the commercialization- the best ones are made by generations of tiny hands.  And for us its one more way to try and fill in the hole he left behind. For me, its one more physical representation of how that man has made me a better person without even trying.

And it occurred to me that all you can see 

in this pic are the blue and white ornaments,

but I totally swear there are TONs of others.

Stupid flash.

ps: Most awesome tree skirt EVER, handmade by the bestest sister ever. Even if her name is Bert.

pps: I think the angel is about to take a flying leap. Prolly I should cut down the branch that is shoved so rudely up her derrière so she is a little more stable.

Wags: I Love you

I recently tuned into the world of couponing. Never bothered before and oh how very wrong I was. With a little bit of blog reading *which I do anyways* and the purchase of a Sunday paper I too can be a super saver. Example: Todays Walgreens trip

Total for all items: $110.23

Total Walgreens store coupons: $31.75

Total Manufacturer coupons: $ 36.69

Total Register Rewards (cash back to use on next purchase): 25.00

Total Savings: $ 93.44

Making todays grand total a whopping 16.79


Wanna know what 16.79 look like? Whoot, here it is:

Pretty much an awful pic thanks to the dark and rainy crap outside.

Not to mention the blur- why bbry are you blurry? Jerk.

And since my phone is pulling its blurry crap I will just tell you what I got:

4 packages command hooks (the ones that wont mess up the walls) 1 Bic candle lighter, 2 sticker books, 2 mini puzzles, 1 box 100 ct envelopes, 1 box 40 ct envelopes, 2 juicy fruit collectors tins (full of gum), 3 pkgs Breathe Right strips, 3 bags Betty Crocker blueberry muffins, 2 boxes Domino brown sugar, 4 large bags pretzel M&Ms, 2 large bags mint M&Ms, 2 large bags peanut M&Ms, 2 bottles Dawn dish soap, 2 Skittles filled Santa heads, 2 bottles NyQuil, 2 containers of Lysol wipes, 1 box puffs tissues, 6 small packages Russel Stovers chocolate Santas, and one package of pain patches. 

Super Duper Fun : )  Tomorrow is Target day- hopefully it will go as well!!!!