Cock-a-hoop

Today I was looking for a synonym for happy to fit into an acronym (Whew, aren't those fun words in themselves!)
Anyway, the word Cock-a-hoop was a synonym. Now, I think that this is a word that should be worked into out everyday conversation simply because of how fun it is to say...
Cock-a-hoop
Cock-a-hoop
Cock-a-hoop

No, seriously. What does it mean?







Used in a sentence...
"I am cock-a-hoop that my daughter is now saying Mama!"

Go ahead...try it out!

Kroger Deals for 04/26

Sorry to get this up late but here are the deals for the week of 04/26 from the weekly flyer.

For other great deals for stores including Walmart, Target, Aldi, CVS, Walgreen's, and Shaw's be sure to head over to an absolutely awesome site, The "Cent"sible Sawy

Betty Crocker Muffin Mix 2/$4
Coupon Available: 40 cents/1
Final Price: $1.20 each

Betty Crocker Warm Delights $1.69
Coupon Available: 50 cents/1
Final Price: 69 cents

Clorox 82 oz, $1.99
Coupon Available: 50 cents/1
Final Price: 99 cents

Dawn $1.99
Coupon Available: 25 cents/1
Final Price: $1.45

General Mills Cereals: 2/$4 (Cheerios pictured)
Coupon Available: $1/3
Final Price: $1.66 each when you buy 3

Kelloggs Frosted Flakes $3.49
Coupon Available: $1/1 (04/05 RP)
Final Price: $2.49

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations 2/$6
Coupon Available: $1/2
Final Price: $2.50 each

Pop Tarts $2/$5
Coupon Available: $1/2 (04/05 RP)
Final Price: $2.00

Pringles 2/$3
Coupon Available: $1/2
Final Price: $1 each

Scott 4 pack toilet paper $2.99
Coupon Available: $1/1
Final Price: $1.99

Oprah opinion matters?

I have to share with you something that I have remembered from an Oprah show several years ago. The winner of the Pillsbury Annual Bake-off 2006, Anna Ginsberg, made an appearance on Oprah showcasing her $1 million dollar chicken dish.

Did you see this episode? The chicken dish included stuffing made with waffles. She had made the prize winning dish for Oprah to try and Oprah really was not fond of it, and said so. I was so proud of Anna's answer.

"...It doesn't matter if you like it..."was her response (not exact words, can't find the quote but I am sure that exhaustive research could dig it out.)

Wow. To stand in front of such a worldly icon, a who's who of the entertainment/TV industry and not care what she thinks, because Oprah's opinion didn't matter. She had already won the prize.

I think of this everytime I have to use an ingredient in a way other than originally purposed.

Just thought I would share.

A truly fabulous crafty giveaway (oh my!)

One wonderful day I ran across a blog that has filled my head with sweet visions of things to make for my children. I check it everyday. I dream about getting out my sewing machine, blowing the dust off and actually learning how to use it just to make some of the adorable things found on the site. I dream of being crafty. I really do. I just need to get organized and find the time!

The name of the site? I am sure that you can't to find out. Well...get ready to be blown away!
The site is called JesseKateDesigns. The ideas just flow from this blog including easy crafts, projects, digital scrapbooking, and embroidery.

Well, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to host a giveaway from her one of her shops at the online stores she co-owns with her sister, SWAKembroidery and YouCanMakeThis.com. One winner will be chosen to receive a $25 gift certificate to one (1) of these online shops. ***Please note that there are many different "merchants" selling their products along with JesseKate Designs in both SWAKembroidery and YouCanMakeThis.com
The gift certificate is only for items made by JesseKate Designs. Please make sure to follow the links given on thise site.***

Now, let me give you a glimpse of what to expect:
If you have an embroidery machine...















If you have a sewing machine:











Now to enter is really simple. Go check out these two links (remember giveaway is only from these two links. If you roam on the site, be sure to come back to the original link) SWAKembroidery and/or YouCanMakeThis and come back and tell me at least one thing that you fell in love with. Trust me, this giveaway amount is so incredibly generous, your heart can fall for more than one thing!

This giveaway will be open until 04/28. A winner will be randomly chosen and notified on 04/29. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you are the winner!

A Pet "Pee"ve

I hate using public bathrooms. I loathe it. I will do a "not going to use the bathroom until I get home" dance. Why do I hate them so much? Because I am not a squatter. My mom didn't teach me to be. I am not one of those people who can use the bathroom in the woods-I could give you the details but I think enough has been said about that.

So, inadvertently, I am teaching my daughter to not be a squatter either. Poor, poor thing. Boys are so much easier as far as the public bathroom problem goes. Just let them go outside, in the woods, behind a tree. Much, much easier at a toddler age.

Any way, here is my pet peeve. For those "squatters" out there, please if you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie! It is your own fluids after all. Be kind to those whose behind will come after you.

Oh, and I might as well leave a "Tip for Tuesday". My hubby and I have found that a great way to find clean, family friendly bathrooms while on road trips is to use the bathrooms located in hotel lobbies. If my hubby is traveling alone with my daughter or with my daughter and my son, it is impossible to use a store or gas station bathroom. My daughter is too young to go into a public restroom by herself and he, of course, cannot go in.

Most of the time hotel lobby bathrooms are marked Men/Women but are a single toilet room. This way my hubby can help my daughter if she needs or if not, at least he is right on the outside of a door where we know no one else will be entering.

As for my part, with three small children, I can enter the hotel toting all three and can have them all in a relatively safe environment (and clean).

Now, of course, ask. I don't pretend to be staying at the hotel/motel. I always just ask if it is ok. So far, I have never been turned away!

Kroger Preview for 04/19

For other great deals for stores including Walmart, Target, Aldi, CVS, Walgreen's, and Shaw's be sure to head over to an absolutely awesome site, The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

10/$10 Sale Promotion
Coupon Matches

Pasta/Rice a Roni 10/$10
Coupon Available: $1/4
Final Price: 75 cents each

Quaker Oats Quakes 10/$10
Coupon Available: $1/1 (03/29 RP)
Final Price: FREE

Soft Soap Hand Soap 10/$10
Coupon Available: 35 cents/1
Final Price: 30 cents

The following items are NON-COUPON and all 10/$10
Angel Soft Bath Tissue, 4 pack
Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta
Deer Park Water, 3 liter
Fleischmann's Margarine (2 tub pack)
Frito Lay Snacks (Cheetos, Lays, Doritos Listed)
Haagen-daz Ice cream, 4-4.25 oz cups
Hamburger Helper Microwave singles
Huggies Wipes, 16-40 Count
Hunt's Snack Pudding Packs, 4 pack
Idohoan Potatoes
Kellogg's Cereal in a Cup
Kool-Aid Bursts
Kraft Barbecue Sauce
Lawry's Marinades, 12 oz
Lever 2000, 2 pack
Nesquik Milk or Milkshakes, 13.5 oz
Parkay Margarine
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers
Pillsbury Brownie Mix
Planter's Trail Mix, in bags
PowerAde, 32 oz
Simply Juice Singles, 13.5 oz
Scott Paper Towels, Big Single Roll
Tampico Punch, 1 gallon
Turkey Hill Tea, 1/2 gallon

The Following are all KROGER BRAND included in the 10/$10 deal

Bagels
Bisquits, 16 oz
Cheese Snacks
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese, 8 0z
Deluxe Ice Cream
Dips
Frozen Treats
Hamburger & Hotdog Buns, 8 ct
Ketchup
Peanut Butter, 18 oz
Picante Sauce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coke Product Promotion:
Purchase 3 12 packs/15 packs and get 2 boxes of Cheez-its AND 1 bag of Combo's free

Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, 15 packs 3/$10
(limit three with additional purchase)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Deals to Look for:

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.99 pound
Bertolli Skillet Meals $4.98
Sun Burst Laundry Detergent $1.88

*I do research on the following sites to obtain coupon matches, The Coupon Mom, Ebay, and Taylor Town Coupon Review. I also dig through my own coupons. Please note that different coupons are available in different areas. My local Kroger doubles coupons up to and including 50 cents. Be sure to check with your local Kroger for the coupon policy.

I get my Kroger ad through my local paper on Fridays as part of a special savings circular that is put out. Therefore, I have access to many of the upcoming deals prior to alot of other people.

Ways to benefit from this:
1) Pull out coupons to use early and be able to shop early on Sunday (helps especially with Mega 10 events).
2) Be able to purchase coupons (paying for person's time to cut them, not for the coupons themselves) from places such as ebay and Taylortown Coupon Review for items that you can get either free or almost free and have them arrive via mail before the end of the next week.
3) Check for the upcoming coupons in Sunday's paper through Taylortown Coupon Review to know whether or not it will be worth it to you to purchase more than paper.
4) Just knowing the scoop ahead of time!

Rites of Passage

The winner....












Congrats to:
He's Married To The Railroad; I'm Just His Mistress

We all have had them...some defining thing that moves us from being a child in our household to being considered an adult. Now I'm not talking about getting your drivers permit or being old enough to drink or vote. I am talking about those silly little quirky, only in my family, things that help define who we are and where we are in our family "pack".

You know...like getting to sit at the "adult" table during Thanksgiving dinner. I was reminded of a few of my rites of passage that I wanted to share with you.

1. Not having to wash dishes where ever we ate. Finally, at that special age, I just became another adult who could mingle, chit and chat with the other adults in the room while the dishes were scrubbed and put away.

2. Not having to only eat the dreaded chicken leg. This one might seem a little silly but until that certain moment, children were only allowed to eat those legs when fried chicken was served. No tender white morsels for the kiddos...nope. I won't touch a leg these days unless I am being socially polite because it is the only thing served.

3. Not having to have your biscuit crumbled. I grew up eating sausage gravy every morning (my hips can attest to it) and until that magical age, your biscuit had to be torn into shreds before gravy could be slathered all over it. Why? A chocking hazard maybe? Over the weekend at my friend's house, her hubby made the most divine sausage gravy. My sweet hubby so kindly made my plate first and my ears slightly burned (a physical thingy that happens when I am frustrated) when I saw that it was shredded in bits.

Now, I love him and he didn't grow up with this rite of passage. He is thinking that if it is already crumbled it will be easier to eat. Well, it was so yummy that I scarfed it down and made another with the biscuit only opened.

Ahhh...to be an adult who can take their time to cut the biscuit with a fork.

Ok, please forgive me for I am rambling. But my dear friend if you have made it this far, I will reward you with the chance to win a $5 Amazon electronic giftcard. Entries will be accepted through Sunday 9 p.m. eastern. I will choose the winner at random and email you the info.

All you have to do is leave me a comment. Anything will suffice but only kindness please.

Now excuse me please as I go off to find a chicken breast, open faced sausage biscuit, and some kiddos to do the dishes!

Prayer for the Spohr's

It is amazing how many times my path will cross someone else's path across the blogosphere. So many people that I think of so fondly and look to everyday to be a part of their lives for just a moment: for encouragement and to encourage, for laughter and to make laugh, to lean on and to be a shoulder, to pray for and to be prayed for.

One such family, the Spohr's needs our prayers and encouragement now. Their sweet daughter, Maddie suddenly passed way on April 7th.















Although I may never meet them, the death of a child is something that all Moms can feel in their hearts.

Road Trippin'

I just wanted to say "Happy Easter" to everyone and to let you know that I will be on a blogging break over the course of the next week.

We are leaving tomorrow morning to go get some much anticipated face time with my very dear friend and her family. This should be fun- four adults, 6 kids, ages 7 years to 9 months, all under the same roof! Please pray that God will bless our time together.

Cell Phones and Water don't mix

Last night I thoughtfully pushed a load of laundry into wash at 11:30 p.m. We are going away this weekend and at the rate my clothes have been piling up, the thought of buying all new clothes was becoming very appealing. Not very frugal though.

So, washer started, clothes gathered and placed on top of dryer (not upstairs tonight...no place to put them...) I headed back up stairs to get in bed. My sweet hubby was looking around the house for our cell phones so that we could go to bed. We use the alarm features on our phones instead of conventional alarm clocks.

Then he said those words that caused a hot flash of panic coursing through my body:
"I think my phone is in my jeans that I just threw downstairs".

I had just picked up those same jeans and crammed them into our washer and pushed start. I prayed as hard as I could that his phone was somewhere safe. Somewhere-anywhere except in the swishing water. I quickly pulled everything out of the washer and examined the pockets.

There it was. Pitiful.

I have ruined so many things of mine by not checking pockets. My son is also infamous for sticking rare and wonderful objects in his little size 3t pockets that do not agree with water. But my dear husband is always so practical. He knows I forget to check so he always empties his pockets. Except this time.

So, now we need a new phone. We didn't purchase the protection plan for our phone so we are buying it full on new. Does anyone know how to get a good phone at a good price?

Beechnut Baby Food Offer

Beechnut currently has the following special offer:



















Save your labels/proofs of purchase (48 of them) and mail them along with this certificate to receive four $1/10 products coupons. The fine print on this coupon says ..."one certificate per envelope..." not one certificate per household. The offer also doesn't expire until December 31st.

Now, my baby could easily go through this many jars of baby food in under a month. If I start saving the labels now, I could receive coupons for more products from now until December. Sweet!

Some More Kroger Deals...

Tonight I went to Kroger for some much needed items and for a little quiet me time. Here are some other deals that I found that you might be interested in:

Crisco Spray 2/$4

Pam Cooking Spray $2.79
Coupon Available: 35 cents/1 (03/29 SS)
Final Price: $2.09

Betty Crocker Boxed Muffin Mix 2/$4
Coupon Available: 40 cents/1 (04/05 SS)
or 45 cents/1 here
Final price: $1.10 - $1.20

French's French Fried Onions $2.99
Coupon Available: 50 cents/1 (12/14 SS)
Final Price: $1.99

Totinos Pizza Roll Snacks 2/$3
Coupon Available: 35 cents/1 (02/08 GM)
Final Price: 80 cents

Beechnut Baby Food Stage 2
Select varieties 20/$7
Final Price: 35 cents each

Beechnut currently has the following special offer:



















Save your labels (48 of them) and mail them along with this certificate to receive four $1/10 coupons. The fine print on this coupon says ..."one certificate per envelope..." not one ocertificate per household. The offer also doesn't expire until December.

Kroger Preview for 04/05

For other great deals for stores including Walmart, Target, Aldi, CVS, Walgreen's, and Shaw's be sure to head over to an absolutely awesome site, The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Free Milk Deal
Get Free Milk (up to $3.99) when you purchase any 3 General Mills Cereals or Bars.
(There is fine print so tiny on the ad that all of it is not legible regarding this deal. Make sure you ask at your local store about the details)

Cereals Shown on Ad:
Cocoa Puffs, Multigrain Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese's Puffs
Bars Shown on Ad:
Nature Valley, Chex Mix Bars, Fiber One Bars, Caribou Coffee, Cereal Bars, Curves
---------------------------------------------------------------
Coupon Matches:

Betty Crocker Premium Brownies 2/$4
Coupon Available: 50 cents/1
Final Price: $1.00 each

Domino Granulated Sugar 5 lb bag 2/$5
Coupon Available: 50 cents/2 (03/15 RP)
Final Price: $2 a bag (purchase 2)

Duncan Heinz Cake Mixes 10/$10
Coupon Available: 35 cents/1 (03/29 SS)
Final Price: 30 cents each

Filippo Berio Olive Oil 17 oz. $4.99
Coupon Available: $1/1 here
Final Price: $3.99

Knorr Rice/Pasta Sides 10/$10
Coupon Available: 75 cents/2 (01/18 RP)
Final Price: 62 Cents Each (purchase 2)

Kraft Mayo/Miracle Whip 2/$5
Coupon Available: $1/2 (03/29 SS)
Final Price: $2 Each

Nestle Toll House Morsels 2/$5
Coupon Available: 75 cents/1 (03/29 SS)
Final Price: $1.75 Each

Wishbone Bountiful Salad Dressing $1.49 (03/15 RP)
Coupon Available: $1/1 (03/15 RP)
Final Price: 49 cents each

Wishbone Salad Dressings $1.49
Coupon Available: 75 cents/1 (03/15 RP)
Final Price: 74 cents each

Wheat Thins 2/$4
Coupon Available: $1/2 (03/15 SS)
and/or B1G1 Free (03/15 SS)
Final Price: $1.00 - $1.50 each
-----------------------------------------------------

Non-Coupon Sales:

Activia 4-6 Pack - 2/$4
Carpri Sun - $1.79 each
Cool Whip 10/$10
Jello/Pudding - 10/$10
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - 99 cents each
Reddi Whip $1.99
Smart Ones Entrees - $1.77 each
Thomas English Muffins - B1G1 Free

Pepsi or Diet Pepsi 12 pack can or 6 pack (24 oz bottles)
4/$10 when four are purchased in single transaction. Lesser quantities $3 each
-----------------------------------------------------------------

P&G Brand Saver Event is still going on this week. For complete details, visit this post from last week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

*I do research on the following sites to obtain coupon matches, The Coupon Mom, Ebay, and Taylor Town Coupon Review. I also dig through my own coupons. Please note that different coupons are available in different areas. My local Kroger doubles coupons up to and including 50 cents. Be sure to check with your local Kroger for the coupon policy.

I get my Kroger ad through my local paper on Fridays as part of a special savings circular that is put out. Therefore, I have access to many of the upcoming deals prior to alot of other people.

Ways to benefit from this:
1) Pull out coupons to use early and be able to shop early on Sunday (helps especially with Mega 10 events).
2) Be able to purchase coupons (paying for person's time to cut them, not for the coupons themselves) from places such as ebay and Taylortown Coupon Review for items that you can get either free or almost free and have them arrive via mail before the end of the next week.
3) Check for the upcoming coupons in Sunday's paper through Taylortown Coupon Review to know whether or not it will be worth it to you to purchase more than paper.
4) Just knowing the scoop ahead of time!

Great Barnes and Noble Coupons

Barnes and Noble is having a sale this weekend and have put out some pretty awesome coupons:

Select Easter Books, Buy 2 Get 1 Free
Save 30% on Select Earth Friendly Gifts
Velveteen Rabbit Toy and Book $10.95
20% Off Games for Curious Kids
Free Cookie in Cafe With Beverage Purchase
20% off 10 Essential Kid DVDS
20% off 10 Essential Kid CD's

Most of these coupons have not limit-which means that they can be used over and over! Click here to print your own...