Coupons, Part 3

This is my 3rd and final post about coupons (unless I forget that I'm done talking about it).

I used my Aerie coupon today! I remembered to take it to The Mall!

While shopping at Belk today, their register automatically generated a coupon for $10 off to be used in a specific time period. I like the coupons that they generate in store and give to you. That works for me (if I don't lose it and remember to use it during the specific time period).

I do NOT like how coupons work at Petsmart. I signed up for one the their Pet Perk cards and use it to get discounted prices. But I spend a lot of money there, and their registers do not generate coupons. I get a receipt that says that I need to get on the internet to get the coupon. I don't like this practice. It's not convenient and is not customer friendly.

At JCPenney's, I was checking out and saw a coupon near the register. I asked the guy if I could use it. He said, "Wait just a minute, you might qualify for a better discount." When he finished ringing up my items, I did qualify for a higher discount, and he gave it to me. Now THOSE are the kind of coupons that I like!

If a person is actually on-premises at a store, with items in hand that they plan to buy, and there is a coupon-sale going on; I think it is super customer service to give a person the discount even if they don't have a coupon with them. What a way to give someone a good impression and make them want to shop there again.

And I used a coupon at Hallmark today! Woo hoo - a 2 coupon day! But for the most part, I'm pretty much done with trying to keep up with them.

80's Band

I remember buying this album.....
This is for a friend.
I decided to skip the actual band video since the quality was so bad (the Devil May Cry book has nothing to do with the band or the song - I don't know what that is about).

Being In The Country

Today, Abbie and I went to my dad's house for my biweekly cleaning-fest. We got out of the car, and I had the trunk and various car doors open so that I could unload the supplies that I had brought.

As I busily looped bags onto my arms, Abbie said, "It's so quiet here in the country."

I stopped what I was doing and listened. And heard....mostly nothing.

I'm glad Abbie noticed and shared her thoughts with me. It was a nice kind of quiet.

Paul's Favorite Christmas Goodies

For Paul, it's not Christmas unless I make some of his mom's recipes. Last night, I was organizing the recipes I usually make at Christmas. I've got to start making a shopping list. The Christmas Cake has lots of ingredients.
Even if I make recipes for sweets or appetizers that are new and delicious, Paul still craves and asks for the foods he had growing up.
Here are some of his favorites:
Liverwurst Pate
Veronica's Squares
Rum Balls
Shortbread Cookies
Christmas Cake

I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I don't always have time to make all of these. Last night, I asked Paul if he'd rather have rum balls or shortbread cookies. He couldn't make up his mind so I guess I'll make both.

My family has sampled some of Paul's family's holiday dishes, and they now ask that I make these for them too. They like:
Christmas Cake - my mom does
Liverwurst Pate - my brother and dad particularly like this
Crabmeat Spread - everybody likes this and gets mad if I don't make it
Mexican Dip - ditto the crabmeat spread comment

Coupons, Part 2

I'm still throwing coupons away, but coupon users will be glad to know that I used a coupon today. We got a Lowes mailer that had a "$10 off a $50 order" card.

We made a list today (and actually got to Lowes with the list), and our purchase more than qualified for the discount card (and we actually remembered to bring the card with us).
I had also planned to look at rugs at Lowes, and I had written down the measurements for the dining room table. Yeah - I forgot that piece of paper at home. :(

And yet again, I went to The Mall on Saturday and forgot the stinking Aerie coupon again! Now, I'm determined to use that thing or bust. It's only a 10% off coupon, and I'll just be buying a few unmentionables for a gift so the discount won't save me a ton. But now it's a challenge! I will get to Aerie with the coupon ------ before it expires! Stay tuned....

Paul Says, Part 2

Today, Paul said, "You know you're on the Dave plan when you drive through the projects and your car blends in."

Woke Up To A Surprise

* This picture is from another snow.

I looked outside this morning and was surprised to see snow covering everything (remember, I don't watch weather forecasts). It wasn't a deep snow, but everything was covered in a soft, white blanket. Some snow even stayed on the roads. There were several slick spots on the road on the way to school.

Abbie's school hardly ever closes for snow. Since it is a private school, they don't have to follow the county or city school snow schedule. I'm glad Abbie gets more school time, but I wish they would at least do a snow schedule to give the roads time to melt or be cleared. My sister, who works for the county school system, says that the superintendent plans to take all their snow days this year to save money on their budget.

This evening, around 5:15 pm, we walked to a neighbor's house to drop off a CD. My ears felt frozen by the time we got back home. It's supposed to get down in the teens tonight.

Tomorrow, Abbie's cheerleading squad will be riding in the parade. Paul, Abbie, and I have our long johns, gloves, scarves, hats, and snow boots ready. Paul and I, who will sit in chairs tomorrow, will also take a blanket and a set of "hot hands." We may even pack a thermos of hot chocolate.

Earlier in the week, my friend and I were discussing skiing. I told her about when I started skiing in high school. I didn't own proper snow or ski clothes (do long johns count?) Back then, in order to stay dry, my friends and I would spray our jeans with Scotchguard. It didn't work! The only gloves I had were Isotoners (not even the lined ones). Those were the gloves I skied with. And we usually skied at night since lift tickets were cheaper (and temps were colder). My hands and legs and feet would get so cold. My gloves and jeans would be soaked. Even though I had the energy to keep going down the mountain over and over again, I'd usually get too cold to function. Ahhh, those were the days of being poor and ignorant! [Some day, I'll have to tell you about my first overnight school field trip. The packing list said to pack rain boots/galoshes. Since I didn't have any, guess what my mom sent instead?]

For the upcoming Utah trip, I have a pair of snow boots, snow pants, hat, scarf, and really warm coat. I do need to shop for new gloves. That's next on my shopping list.

Coupons

I give up!
{Raising my hand} I admit it, I am not a coupon queen (anymore).

When I was in college, I paid my own way -- clothes, food, books, parking tag, toiletries, tuition, housing, the whole shebang. I used student loans for the tuition, but I paid for everything else myself. In the summer, when school was out, I moved back home and worked at a local bank. I saved all my money so I could buy books, food, clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc while at UT.

Also, my wonderful dad, continued to give me the child support money that he had previously paid to my mom. Legally, he was done with child support when I reached the age of 18, but he continued to give the money to me throughout my college years. It was a wonderful thing for him to do, but it wasn't a lot of money - $140 a month. I also paid for my own gas, car insurance, and car maintenance. I was living lean, but that's how I grew up so it didn't stress me out. I lived within a budget.

To make my dollars stretch, I clipped coupons from the Sunday paper while I attended UT. The local Kroger always doubled coupons so that was a bonus. I had my coupons cataloged, and I was somewhat OCD about my coupon collection.

When I graduated college and lived in my first apartment, I believe I still clipped coupons on Sunday. However, back then, I don't remember there being a lot of coupons for other things. There certainly weren't any grocery store plastic things you had to scan to get an extra discount. I do remember that stores had sales, but I don't remember there being a lot of coupons you had to cut from the paper or that got mailed to you. Maybe there were, but I don't remember that.

Fast forward to now - coupons are mailed to me all the time - from Gymboree, Gap, American Eagle, Limited Too, Michael's, Belk, Talbots, Toys R Us, Chico's, etc. I can't keep up with them anymore. Sometimes, I get a coupon and think "oh, I'll use this one" and I put it in my purse. Then I get tired of all the crap in my purse so I clean out the excess, frayed, dog-earred papers/coupons. Other times, I forget I have the coupon in my purse. Other times, the coupon is at home on the kitchen counter when I need it. Or it's sitting in my car parked at level 2 of The Mall while I'm on level 1 at The Mall.

Last week, I was buying some craft items at Michael's and did not have the Sunday coupon with me. Some people, would put the item down and come back when they had the coupon. That's a great idea, but that doesn't work for me. I don't love running errands or making lots of stops. I do as much one-stop-shopping as possible.

Today, I returned a Land's End item to Sears and a sweater to Gap. While at The Mall, I thought, "oh, I'll buy some Christmas gifts at Aerie and use that coupon I have." Then I remembered that the coupon was at home holding my place in the Jane Eyre book that I'm reading.

I've decided to give up. I will just throw all coupons in the trash, not worry about keeping them, not have them cluttering my purse, car, or desk and accept the fact that I can't handle the coupons (say that in a Jack Nicholson voice).

Drink Much?

First, I'll tell you how we spent our Friday night. We went out to eat as usual. First restaurant, Johnny Brusco's, was packed. We hadn't been there in a while, and I was really looking forward to eating there. Also, I had only had an apple for lunch, and I could have eaten the napkins I was so hungry! All the tables were full (all of them) and there were several people ahead of us so we left.

We got a table at the next restaurant with no problem. I even ordered something new and really enjoyed it. I might actually eat these leftovers!

Then we went to Toys R Us. We don't go there often. Apparently, there was a big sale, and everyone was Christmas shopping. Just how I like to spend my Friday nights - packed store, screaming kids, kids having tantrums, parents still buying toys for kids that are screaming and kicking and acting horrible. Just for the record, I can handle all of that if it's my kid or a kid I know pretty well or a kid I'm related to (I've seen my sister's kids do pretty much everything - before they get their butt whopped), but other people's kids are a different story. Kind of like changing your own baby's diaper is no problem. Other baby diapers seem to smell 10 times worse - it's probably all in my head! :)

While we were standing in line to pay, two kids shoved past our feet/legs (they were totally in our space) to get at some toys on display in the checkout line (these same kids had just had tantrums, shoved their parents, and were whining - parents were still buying them both a toy). While I'm standing there waiting my turn, I notice one boy picking his nose and eating it and then continuing to turn the knobs on the Etch-A-Sketch. Oy! Glad to get out of there! When we got in the car, Paul said, "I feel like I was back at work."

We came home, and there was a message on our answering machine. Once in a blue moon, our answering machine will act up and will play messages in slo-mo. Every time it does that, the person leaving the message sounds drunk and on downers. But the funny thing is that the message might be from a church lady or a sweet mom from school. To hear them sounding drunk and doped up is pretty hilarious. But if I replay the message, it goes back to normal.

One more thing - I had a really bad scare today. I couldn't find one of the cats. I remembered that one of them had climbed in the dryer as I was loading it, and I couldn't remember if I got him out before I started the dryer. I made Paul go check while I went and hid in the bathroom. If it had happened, I don't think I could have handled it. Luckily, he wasn't in there, and we found him sleeping somewhere else. Whew!!!!

Babysitters

Recently, I was reminiscing with my mom about the couple who used to babysit me. My mom went back to work when I was 10 weeks old. We still lived out in the country at that time (in the same house that my dad lives in today - it's a weird story about how this house has stayed in the family). Just down the little rock road that runs by that house is another little white house where Florence and Albert lived.

Florence and Albert were in their 60's when they started keeping me (and they are distantly related to me - same last name). Their two sons were grown and married and living in another town. Albert and Florence were super nice people that I remember fondly. Albert died when I was really young so I barely remember him, but I do know I liked him a lot.

Their house had 5 rooms - a living room, 2 bedrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. That's it. They did not have indoor plumbing so there was no bathroom. They had an outhouse. They also had a well and a hand pump near their backdoor. On the counter in the kitchen, they kept a bucket and dipper - this is where you went to get a drink of water. Everybody used the dipper to get a drink, and I loved using the dipper. I will always believe that that was the best tasting water. As I got older, and when we didn't live nearby anymore, I would go to visit Florence and always got a drink while I was there - I craved the taste of that water.

I think they kept me until I was three years old (when we moved to town). I guess they had to potty train me. Did they take me to the outhouse? Or did they have a potty chair? I don't remember.

I remember that they had a few toys - just a few, simple ones. My mom said they held me a lot. I wonder what I did all day. Sit on their lap? Watch t.v.? My mom thinks they had a t.v. - a small, black & white t.v.

I wish I could remember more.

Cats are Carnivorres

Who knew? Well, I knew, but it's not something I think about too much.

While having yet another litter box conversation with 2 other moms at school, asking for more litter brand suggestions, one mom suggested that I visit the newish, local Natural Pet Food Store. I told her I was willing to try anything!

I went to the store and liked the owners right away. The lady gave me several samples and told me how I needed to feed the cats a raw meat diet or at least buy food that is grain free. She said that now that they are neutered; the litterbox odor should improve.

Well, I fell for her whole spiel and even bought a holistic book about cats. I learned about the nutritional content found in mice (protein, fiber, moisture - that's pretty much it), and supposedly, that is all cats need. They certainly don't need grain.

I brought the samples home and read the book in one afternoon. The kittens LOVE the new food. They even chewed a hole in one of the sample bags to get at more of the food.

I went back to the store and bought a big bag of "Into the Wild" catfood - it is grain free and has a high protein content. I also bought cans of 100% meat canned food - quail, chicken, turkey, and beef. They LOVE it!!!!

And the litterbox problems have greatly improved. Could be because I got them neutered but I'll keep buying them the new food. If nothing else, I like supporting a locally owned store.

The Big Bang Theory

Tonight, while watching episode 11 & 12 of the first season of The Big Bang Theory, Leonard made a reference to a Planet of the Apes marathon.
I looked at Paul and said, "Why do they always talk about the same things you like?"
He said, "Because I'm a geek."

Our Days Are Booked

Poor Abbie! Her life is so regimented. I can't remember if my life was like this at her age or not. Some nights, I lie in bed wondering if this is how it's supposed to be.
On Mondays, she has ballet. After school, we go directly to ballet, but we have an hour to kill before the class starts so she starts her homework - on Mondays, she always has to write her spelling words 3 times each. After ballet, we get home around 5:30 pm. I start dinner while she finishes homework while Paul supervises. After he checks her homework, I double check him - spelling is not his strong suit. I don't remember anyone EVER helping me with my homework, much less checking it.
After dinner, she is supposed to spend 10 minutes working on multiplication memorization. Plus she has to read for at least 15 minutes every day. She might help Paul load the dishwasher, and she has a little time to watch TV or do some other leisure activity. Suddenly, it's time to start the bedtime routine.
Ideally, I'd like her to pack her own lunch (at least some of it) and straighten her room (not perfect, just get her dirty clothes out of the floor and put her shoes away). But this stuff never happens because I don't want to be on her case like a drill sergeant all day. She'd have no free time!
Tuesday through Friday is a little better because we don't get home as late. But still, after dinner, it seems that there is not enough time for family time and chores and homework and relaxation. We tend to skip the chore part. I think maybe I need to create a schedule to follow, but that seems a little too strict? anal? militant? But maybe it's the answer....
Hmmmm..... If I get it figured out, I'll let you know.

Things I (We) Don't Have

Here is a list of don't haves (some of these, I'm okay with not having, some I'd surely appreciate):

1 - a sense of direction
2 - a new or newish car
3 - a GPS system
4 - heated car seats
5 - a scanner
6 - a color printer that's worth a flip
7 - a collection of exotic animals
8 - granite counter tops
9 - the biggest house in the neighborhood
10 - a butler
11 - an electric blanket
12 - musical ability
13 - command of a second language
14 - enough books
15 - an iphone or other fancy phone/gadget
16 - a boat
17 - a vacation home
18 - a smoking habit
19 - a water garden
20 - a camera with lens attachments
21 - a dog
22 - marble floors
23 - a self cleaning litter box
24 - Wide World of Westling Championship Belt
25 - a friend named Brittany

And until yesterday, I didn't have an iPod (which I was kind of proud of) But today, I'm the owner of a pretty little purple iPod Nano (which I'm kind of proud of).

It's Not Too Early for Pumpkin Pie

Today, I had to make dessert for a church related event (I'll describe it in a minute). I decided to make pumpkin pies, and I made two. The problem is that I wasn't going to be able to eat any of it. They smelled so good, and I really wanted just one little sliver!
Three or four times a year, our church supports another local church host IHN families. IHN stands for Interfaith Hospitality Network. Any church (hence "interfaith") can get involved. IHN takes in homeless families (mom/dad & children or single parents with children) and helps them until they can get on their feet. It is an interesting set up (and I don't know all the details).
The families move to a different church each week - they sleep there and eat breakfast and dinner there. Each morning, after breakfast, they are transported back to the IHN day center (and to work and school depending on the situation). At the IHN day center, they get help finding a job, get job training, and help finding a place to live. IHN also helps them furnish their new home and get settled.
Moving from church to church each week helps keep the churches from being overburdened and keeps the families from getting too comfortable in the program - the point is that they get on their feet; not stay dependent on the agency for a long time.
Our church isn't big enough (and doesn't have the facilities for showers) to house the families so we help the other church by making dinner and providing overnight hosts and helping set up beds and driving families to and from the day center.
Our church is involved in a lot of local mission work - this is just one of many things they sponsor or support. Maybe, I'll list it all someday. For such a small, aging congregation, I'm pretty proud of their involvement.
This is why I was making desserts today for someone else to enjoy. Abbie kept thinking she was going to get to eat some, and I explained that the pies were made for homeless families, and she was cool with that. We also sent some whipped cream to go with the pies.
*Breaking news* Someone just called to say that there was pie leftover! I hope I can remember to pick it up tomorrow.

Theme Song

Yesterday, out of the blue, Paul asked me to look up "Rocket Robin Hood." I had never heard of it, but apparently, it's an old cartoon that he used to watch. I found it mentioned on Wikipedia, and a Google search showed several uTube links.
I tried one of the links and entered vintage cartoon nirvana - for Paul, that is.
First, I played the Rocket Robin Hood theme song. I shifted to the left of the computer monitor so I could watch Paul's expression - to see if he recognized the song right away. He did.
Then I proceeded to click other links for other cartoons that I thought he might have watched.
We listened to Herculoids, Space Ghost, The Incredible Hulk cartoon, Batman, Iron Man, Fantastic 4, and others. Once you click one link, uTube finds others you might like too. Paul didn't recognize all of them because he hadn't watched the shows. But he knew most of them.
Again, when I clicked the Spiderman theme song, I shifted to the side to watch Paul as the song played. He was bopping his head around and singing the words and had a silly, cute smile on his face. I really am married to a 12 year old!
Actually, a long time ago, when Paul and I were dating, he taught me the words to the Spiderman theme song. We sing this song from time to time. It has a catchy tune. Recently, Abbie and I made up a song for Little Man to this tune. Then we made one up for Angel too.
Later in the evening, when the cats finally got off his lap, he watched several episodes and vignettes on uTube. I now have some Christmas present ideas.

Little White Packets

As I waited my turn to go through the metal detectors today at the courthouse and have my purse searched by the guard, I got a little worried that they wouldn't allow the sugar. But I made sure that I did not open the container so they'd know I didn't tamper with it.

Lo and behold, when I entered the Grand Jury room and proceeded to concoct my lovely brew, there were new containers of real sugar and creamer. The little pink packets were nowhere to be found. Very mysterious!

I had two very good cups of coffee and a donut. Divine!

Little Pink Packets

On my way to Jury Duty on Monday, I gave myself enough time to stop at McDonald's for breakfast. When I got to Jonesborough, I remembered that parking is terrible at the courthouse so I skipped McDonald's thinking I'd be out of the jury orientation in a couple of hours.

However, I ended up volunteering to serve on the Grand Jury so I had to stay all day hearing cases - over 20, maybe 30. (We ate lunch at 1:00.)

Since I was hungry, I was happy to see that they had coffee in the Grand Jury room. After I had already poured a cup, I realized that there was plenty of creamer (a necessity for me), but there was no sugar (another necessity). There were only pink packets. Bleck! I'm pretty strict when it comes to artificial sweeteners. But I was desperate, desperate I tell you! So I put two pink packets in my cup.

The aroma was nice and the temperature was perfect for sipping.
First sip.......yeleck! [Grimace]
Second sip....[grimace] {sigh} bleck!
Surely, by the third sip I'll be used to the nasty taste, right? And the cup is so nice and warm in my hands.....I really want to drink it and like it..............................
Third sip.... [friggin pink packets ruining my coffee!!!] Yuck-O!

Until lunch time, I could taste that rancid fake sugar (poison?) taste. It coated my tongue. Every time I breathed in and out, I could feel the weird, fake, poisonous taste. I really could feel it, I promise.

I mean no ill will to those who love the pink packets. But I really think people shouldn't ingest fake sugar. I think it's bad for you. But that's just my opinion.

I used to work with someone who only drank a specific diet drink. She drank them all day long at work and at home. When we travelled on business trips together, she brought a cooler loaded with the diet drink. Her breath always had a peculiar odor. After 3 sips of the tainted coffee, it reminded me of that smell that always wafted from my coworker.

There are plenty of studies about artificial sweeteners - they're bad, I tell ya!

Today, while shopping at Kroger, I bought a cylinder of sugar to take to the courthouse and donate to the Grand Jury room.

October Photos

The witch hat was pretty awesome.

Abbie running a pumpkin relay at school.

Little Man - our inspiration for the costume. I stitched extra toes on the mittens to match his feet.

Character dress up day at school - she is Laura Ingalls.

My new niece, Kylee Ann.

Our new cabinet which houses all my scrapbook stuff (well, most of it).

Our new shelf that holds all our picture albums. After I took this photo, Paul suggested a different arrangement, and I admit, it looks better now.

Sharing the Wealth (as in Candy)

Paul is really great at Halloween. He usually chooses to stay home and give out candy while Abbie and I go around the block.
I try not to wait until the last minute to buy candy so I usually stock our candy bowl about a week ahead of time. After Paul eats most of it and starts feeling guilty....well, guilty isn't the right word. He starts realizing that there isn't enough candy for the trick-or-treaters so he goes out and buys more.
The conundrum is: if I buy just any old candy, he'll make fun of it and tell me I should have bought some that kids would like (meaning him), but if I buy the candy that I know that he will approve of (meaning his favorites), he will eat it before Halloween. So I do buy his favorites and let him make the second trip to the store to buy more.
When Abbie and I return from our trip around the block, she enjoys giving out candy with Paul. Even though he's pretty shy, he warmly greets the trick-or-treaters, comments on their costumes, and gives them fistfuls of candy. If I give out the candy, he supervises and tells me how to do it. He wants to make sure that each child leaves with lots of loot! Right before 9 pm, we start giving out double handfuls so we can get rid of it. Abbie also likes to exchange candy she doesn't particularly like with the good stuff in our bowl. Then we redistribute that. It's voluntary.
Last night, he came up with an interesting idea for an invention for giving out Halloween candy. And he put spider rings on all his fingers and made it look like spiders were crawling through his hair. And he put skull rings on his fingertips to make it look like he had skull shaped fingernails. Then he left the room for a few minutes and came back with plastic vampire teeth in his mouth along with an orange glow necklace. He came back through the house turning off the lights so we could enjoy the full effect. It was pretty spooky.
Not related to Halloween, a few weeks ago, I asked Paul how old he felt - emotionally and physically - in relation to his actual age. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) he said he felt about 12 years old on the inside. And that is why he enjoys Halloween so much!