The Life I Live

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-08T22:00:00.004-06:00

As many people do, I've made a few New Year's resolutions. The first one is to lose weight. I've had this as a resolution several times---somethimes I succeed and sometimes I don't. I'm currently within 5 pounds of my heaviest weight. I don't want to post my weight for the world to see, but I will say that I want to lose about 50 to 60 pounds. My lowest adult weight was in the summer of 2001 when I was 26. It was 50 pounds ago. Why did I gain it back? Well, to be honest, some family issues came along and I stuffed my face instead of telling people what I thought. By the spring of 2008, I had gained the 40 pounds back. I lost about 10 of that through a "Biggest Loser" contest at work. Then I met Vince and gained it back plus 10 to 15more----I have seriously eaten out more in the past 3.5 years than I did in the 33 previous years!

Well, this year HAS to be different. By June 23rd, 2011 I want to be 30 pounds thinner! I have a wedding dress to fit into! If that's not a goal, I don't know what is. However, I don't want this to be a quick fix. It has to be a lifestyle change. Vince is also wanting to lose some weight. He had no idea how many calories he concumed in a day until I showed him the calories he ate today and at Subway yesterday. (Not EVERYTHING at Subway is low calorie/low fat---meatball sub = 630 calories and 27 gramsof fat!) He doesn't like to eat first thing in the morning and doesn't have time for lunch most days. Therefore, he's famished by dinnertime at my house and sometimes snacks when he goes home.

Hopefully, we can keep each other motivated to lose weight and as Vince says "get into a shape other than round!"

My other goal is to save money and spend it wisely. I've not been using coupons as -dilengently as I used to. This is due to a few things: not as good of deals to be had, I have a good stockpile of what I need, not worth the gas money to make 50 cents on stuff I don't use. I sure miss the free Bayar meters that gave me $10 Register Rewards to use at Walgreens to get free stuff I needed! I've sure the diabetes clinic I donated the meters to misses it to. Oh well, maybe some more deals will pop up this yeat.

I have been finding some good deals on wedding things, but I'll save that for another post. I'm going to post more this year than I did last year! I'll also try to include a few pictures each time. Here's two today!

Lucky giving love to Ginger on the day she died 11/09/11:

Here's a picture of the engagement ring 11/05/11:

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T00:24:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

There have been so many changes in the past 3 months since my last post----both good and bad. The best thing and worst thing happened within the same week, just 4 days apart. On 11/5/11, my boyfriend of 3 years and 3 months proposed! On 11/9/11, I had to put my Chow, Ginger, to sleep. I will give more details on both later this week. Right now I want to share something I found in a newspaper when I was in college way back when. I cut it out and saved it. While looking for readings for the wedding, I went looking for it.

I Miss Her Already

2011-09-30T16:05:00.005-05:00

It's never easy to see someone you love decline in health. I experienced it with my dad in 1997, my mom in 2008 and now it's happening again. This time it's with someone who can't verbally tell me how she feels. I have to just see it in her struggle to stand up and her slower paced walk. This time it's with my nearly 13 year old Chow, Ginger.

It really started, I guess about 5 years ago when she was seven and developed arthritis in her front legs. Thankfully, a visit to the vet and some medicine eased her pain and helped her get back to normal. A year old two later, her ears stared to look different. The vet explained that her digging her ears and shaking her head caused hemotomas and eventaually scar tissue. She looked a little different since her ears didn't raise the same anymore, but she didn't seem to notice. Her skin over the years has always seemed to be a mess. Every bath causes a hot spot. She's been on so many rounds of antibiotics that I've joked that she must be allergic to cats! I've tried the lamb and rice diet to see if it's a food allergy, but she eats cat food every chance she gets.

Around this time last year, she REALLY scared me! She was having trouble getting up in the mornings and any time she laid for a long period of time. I was terrified that she was near the end. Thankfully, once again, medicine did the trick. Half of a $2.50 pill every morning made all the difference in the world. She was literally better over night!

Right before Labor Day this year, I noticed she seemed to be slipping when she walked around the house. I thought it was due to her nails being too long. I had the trimmed when I took her to have her kennelled for the holiday weekend. When I picked her up a few days later, the vet mentioned that he had seen her wobble when she walked. I asked if she needed more arthritis medication. He shook his head and said it was her muscles getting weak. He also reminded me that she was getting old for a Chow...which I knew already.

She has her good days and bad days. One thing I have to give her credit for is that it may slow her down, but she keeps trying. She doesn't bounce through the house anymore (I miss that SO much!), but she still insists on visiting the yard next door every morning. One morning I planned on just taking her out to the cable on the porch, but she insisted on heading down the street. That wouldn't have been a problem if I were dressed in more that a bath sheet and flip flops! I'm glad the two houses next to me are vacant...I'm sure I was a sight. She was almost to the highway before I caught her. Not bad for a arthritic, weak-muscled dog! She might stagger, but she keeps trying. I love her determination.

My biggest worry is that I will have to make that final decision for her. I don't want to do that. It breaks my heart to even think about it. I don't want to lose her, but I'd rather she go in her sleep. I had to make that horrible decision for my last dog, Comet, and two cats that I had. I got Ginger when she was 8 weeks old. I've watch her grow from a tiny puppy to 55 poiunds of fur. I'll be with her until the end, but I don't want it to end! I hope she leaves this Earth peacefully in her sleep, but if she tells me she's not happy, I'll do what I have to do.

Until then, I plan to make her as happy as possible. That means slow walks up to the end of the block now instead of a mile or more. It means letting her have some cat food and human food now and then. It means car rides whenever I'm going on a quick trip or even a long ride just for her. I wish I had know that she liked car rides before she was 11 years old! I have a lot of regrets. I wish I could have done some things differently. I can't change that, but I can do my best for the rest of her life.

I got a an email a couple weeks ago that included the following link. I think it's a great idea for anyone with a beloved pet. Ginger and my 17 year old cat, Snowball, have both outlived Max and Salem who were only 8 and 7 when they died from cancer. You never know when their last day will be, so try to have a perfect day every once in a while.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/heavy_petting/2011/09/the_perfect_day.html?GT1=38001

What If Doctors Were Treated Like Teachers?

2011-02-16T22:06:00.002-06:00

Someone forwarded this to me in an email today and I thought it was interesting enough to share.

"What If We Treated Doctors The Way We Treat Teachers? A good friend and colleague who is now in Chicago first gifted me with this parable. It's been in my thoughts lately as my wife pursues her medical degree. In fact, she and I have talked about this at length, and when making comparisons between how physicians and teachers are treated, she is just as astounded. Parallels are occasionally noted between medical training and education, especially the capstone clinical experiences present in both professions. Let us pretend that physicians of all specialties were held to similar measures of accountability and enveloped with the same kinds of discourses that we see in education reform debates. What might that look like, and how would the general public, in addition to doctors, feel about that? It would not take a skilled social scientist to observe that, despite exceptional achievements in treating disease and diagnostic technologies, for example, the medical profession is failing. It has failed in its tasks to disseminate good information about health, quash misconceptions, fight corporations and health lobbies that keep people sick, and prevent high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, particularly in low-income populations. What do we do about this? Well, I have a few proposals listed in no particular order:

a.. We must begin to hold all physicians accountable, regardless of specialization, to certain quantifiable measures of health, namely cholesterol levels, blood pressure, weight, and BMI. All patients assigned to a physician must meet specific annual minimum standards of health. Bad doctors will be those who do not meet their patients' annual minimums, and they may be subject to certain penalties if the health scores of their patients do not improve in a reasonable amount of time.

a.. It will be mandatory for the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as all of the major governing bodies in medicine, to set a goal for reaching universal health and well-being in the United States. That is, a target year will be identified in which every person will achieve the ideal values in cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI. Future targets may include assessments of mental health. A specific interval of time will also be determined to assess all patients for these values. Although pharmaceuticals may be used to stabilize or improve health outcomes, the patient must not be on any medications at the time of assessment unless approved by an official of the administrative body of the national health assessments.

a.. Quantifiable variables will be utilized to evaluate all practices and hospitals. All of this information will be made public. Additionally, medical schools will be evaluated based on the quantifiable health of patients in the care of their graduates. Medical schools will subsequently be ranked based on the health outcomes of their graduates' patients regardless of specialty. Given more advanced statistical models, these numbers could ultimately be used to assess the impact of pre-medical programs at the undergraduate level.

a.. In certain high needs areas, such as family practice, emergency medicine, or in practices in low income areas, alternative routes to being licensed will be provided. Moreover, data will determine what skills are necessary to impart in the curriculum of such programs. For instance, if a certain community prevails in specific medical conditions over others, then time will not be wasted covering rare conditions so that alternative programs can operate expeditiously.

a.. Barriers to participation will be lowered in certain instances, in the form of direct subsidies or significant tax exemptions, for the opening of small hospitals or short-term care centers by private organizations or motivated members of the community.

a.. Any hospital or practice is subject to a turnaround plan if minimum health requirements are not met. Should the facility not meet those requirements of minimum annual health, the entire staff will be terminated and reconstituted with more competent practitioners. Moreover, staff may be required to enroll in continuing medical education in advanced and remedial level re-licensing courses, including basic physics, chemistry, and biology.

a.. In addition to in- or out-of-network information and basic demographics, an online data warehouse will be established that will provide all health data and outcomes for every licensed physician in the United States, regardless of specialty. The individual physician's education, license information, and health outcomes of patients will be listed. Should in-network physicians be deemed unfit for local health care consumers, the Federal government, with matching funds by health providers, will offer subsidies for consumers to see other practitioners.

a.. Finally, a certain percentage of any and all physicians' patients will be assigned to them, care of those who qualify will be fully covered by providers. This will ensure adequate racial, income, and overall demographic diversity of clientele. The annual minimum health outcome data of these patients will also be included in the physician's overall quality.

Did I miss any? What if we indeed held doctors and other professionals to the same bloat and condescension that we currently hold teachers? I can predict some of the responses that physicians might make: "We can't control what our patients do or eat outside of our offices to maintain minimum levels of health. Also, these variables -- BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure -- are limited and don't adequately measure a healthy person. And one other thing, you can't expect us to be evaluated based on all patients equally, regardless of family history, poverty, and other complications."
As an educator, my sentiments exactly! "

I LOVE Free!

2011-01-26T07:12:00.003-06:00

These are the things I got free this month from Walgreens, Rite-Aid, CVS and Kroger! There are 2 Bayar Meters (to donate), 5 boxes of cereal, 3 packages of toilet paper, and 2 mouthwashes. And who says coupons aren't worth it?

I forgot to add these freebies. Two butters on sale at Kroger last week for $1 each, used 2 $1 coupons. Five single load Tides from Wal-Mart at 97 cents each. I used five $1 coupons reduced to 97 cents. I only paid 7 cents each for tax. Not bad at all!

Wordy Wednesday

2010-12-15T00:18:00.002-06:00

I normally do not dress my cats up, but I had bought this for someone else and she couldn't use it. For $5, I thought I'd give it a shot. This is what I got:

Sweet Snowball was my first victim...uh, I mean model....She tolerated it, but wasn't amused.

Midnight didn't seem to mind the outfit, but he just couldn't figure out where the ringing bells were coming from. After about 6 shots, this it the best I could get.

Coal put up with it much better than I expected! I got several shots without getting scratched!!!

Pumpkin did NOT like this at all! He ran through the house like his tail was on fire! As you can tell, he didn't even want his picture taken in this get-up. After seeing his reaction, I didn't have the heart to put it on Roadrunner or Lucky........YET!

Snow Day!

2010-12-12T20:03:00.003-06:00

No work for me tomorrow! I love the snow! My outside tree looks great with the snowy background.

Bo Steele [HQ]~ Victory In Jesus

2010-11-12T23:46:00.000-06:00

This is the video I actualy first viewed on Facebook. What talent!

Bo Steele - I'll fly away

2010-11-12T23:39:00.000-06:00

I just found a video of this man singing "Victory in Jesus" and needed to spread the word of his amazing talent. I will post more soon!

Have a Safe Halloween!

2010-10-27T16:58:00.004-05:00

Since it's close to Halloween, I thought I'd write about something "Halloweenish"! Please make sure to not only have a safe Halloween for you and your children. Also remeber the pets that may be scared of all the people around. If you have a black cat that is outside, please keep it safe. There are some crazy people out that are cruel to black cats this time of year. Sad, but true.

I found the following on a Facebook link to dogtime.com I think these are much better than a black cat bringing bad luck. After all, I have 3 and I've feel very lucky to have them!

•Scottish lore maintains that a black cat's appearance at your home leads to great wealth.
•In ancient Egypt, black cats were so revered that killing one was deemed a capital offense.
•The Bombay cat - the blackest of the black cats - was developed in Louisville, Kentucky in the late 50s.
•In England, giving a black cat to a bride is thought to bring her good luck.
•To fishermen, black cats ensure a safe journey home

What could be unlucky about this fine looking group of black cats?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T19:03:00.003-05:00

Shoes!

2010-09-23T17:29:00.005-05:00

I got a great deal this week on a pair of shoes from JCPenney. I was informed of a coupon code for $10 off $10 or more purchase. Plus, FREE shipping for all shoes! WOW! I couldn't pass it up so I started looking at the clearanced shoes. I found a pair of red slides that are normally priced at $40.00, but I only payed $6.41!
Here's what I bought:

**********Editted on 9/24******Thanks to Pubbler's comment, I just order a pair of the same shoes in turquoise! $6.41 is a great price for a good pair of shoes!

Here's a picture of Lucky "protecting" another pair of my shoes!

Sad September

2010-09-17T16:26:00.004-05:00

I don't know where to start except that this hasn't been a good month. I started the month with a sick cat. The last Friday in August, I noticed that Salem, who was skinny anyway, was VERY thin. I took him to see the vet. He had no obvious problems like worms, temp., or sore mouth. I was told to watch how much he is eating and let him eat all he wants.

I take him home and feed him by himself in the bathroom. He would only eat a few bites of canned food, no dry food at all. He would beg for lunchmeat though so I thought he was tired of the same flavor of Friskies I'd been feeding him. Nope. By Monday, he wouldn't eat. I got some medicine from the vet and gave it to him twice a day. I also started force-feeding him baby food. He started to act a little better....jumping on my lap, meowing again, coming into the bedroom instead of staying on the couch. I got my hopes up...Late Wednesday night, I gave Salem his medicine and fed him some more baby food. I wrapped him in an old pillow case and held him like I did 6 years ago Sept. 28th when I found him under my car at about 2 weeks old. As I was feeding him, he didn't look right. I don't know how to discribe it, just not like himself. However, he did jump out of my arms and ran towards the living room. I decided that I would go back to the vet on Thursday to try something else. I never got the chance. I woke up on Thursday, September 2nd to discover Salem lying dead across one of my tennis shoes in the bedroom doorway.

I was, of course, beside myself. I'm just getting used to Max not being here. Max's symptoms were very similar. He'd stopped eating, but he hid whereas Salem was around more often than usual. I realized both were sick on a Friday. I got medicine for both on Monday and had decided that something else needed to be done the night before each of them died. July 1st, 2009 and September 2nd, 2010.....just fourteen months and one day apart and both right before a holiday weekend. It's just TOO weird. I had an autopsy done on Salem only to discover that he also died of liver cancer! Salem's liver cancer had spread to his spleen. Max's liver cancer spread to his gall bladder.

Max and Salem were related....Salem was Max's uncle. I asked if the liver cancer was something genetic or if it was something they were getting into or I was causing. I have 8 more cats....six of them are related to Max and Salem! The vet said that since they are related they have a higher chance of getting liver cancer. It make me cry just thinking about it. I can't help but think of them as little furry time-bombs...who's next? I never expected to lose two cats so close together especially since they were fairly young. Snowball, who's not related, turns 16 this month. I just took for granted that all the rest would live long healthy lives like she has.

Here's a picture of Salem. Sadly I didn't take enough pictures of him, but I have some better ones I'll add later.

Ok, for all the other sad things from this month. DBF's co-worker's wife and daughter were in a motorcycle accident over Labor Day weekend. Both will recover, but it will take time. I just found out that a family friend's granddaughter lost her husband to cancer in May. The lady that owns the house next to mine passed away from natural causes on Labor Day. A co-worker's one month old son is in ICU and has several medical issues.

The most recent occured on Friday when I lost a dear friend. Wow, I'm not even sure how to describe Ruth. I met her when I the first time I attended my church. I went on a Wednesday night and had my two neighbor kids with me. Ruth introduced herself and welcomed me. She told me to come back on Sunday and bring my husband. "Husband?", I said, "I'm only 14!" That memory always brings a smile. That was Ruth though, always friendly and inviting people to church. I sat next to her almost every service that I attended for the next 21 years. That equals 1092 just counting Sundays...yikes. In this small community, you could always tell where Ruth was....just look for her pink Buick Century. You couldn't miss it. She was a special person. I hope that I can be half the person she was. This time last year, she was still living on her own, driving that pink car and attending every service at church. Pretty amazing for a tiny 94 year old lady! I can only hope and pray to do the same at that age.

The last time I saw her was in July when Vince and I went to see her at the nursing home. She had started falling so she was placed in the nursing home so she could have someone look after her. It broke my heart to see her like that. I could see she was getting worse. I broke down as soon as we walked out the door. I wasn't used to seeing her like that. That's why I didn't go see her when she was brought home. I didn't want to cry the whole time I was there. I regret it now, but I didn't want to upset her.

I didn't realize how much I loved her, how much she meant to me and how much I'd miss her until the funeral Monday. I kept most of my composure until we were in the church and the music started. I couldn't help the tears from falling then. I know I will see her in Heaven someday, but she'll never sit next to me at church again. I'll never see her in that pink car again. I'm happy that she's in her Heavenly home where she'd been telling everyone she wanted to go. However, I'm SO sad for all of us left without her.

I cried even harder after the service when her son told me that Ruth wanted me to have her car. He said I could just drive it occasionally and people would remember Ruth. As if anyone could forget her! :) See her Century is very similar to the Celebrity that I drove until I got my new(est) car. Hearing this, I just broke down. I'd be very honored to have it, but I already have two cars. The Celebrity was my dad's and now occupies the carport. I don't have room for another one. To be honest, I don't think I could drive it....I'd be crying too hard to see.

I hope the rest of the month gets better....I can't take any more sadness.

Max's Final Resting Place

2010-07-16T17:41:00.004-05:00

My sweet boy passed away last year, but I didn't get his marker up for a whole year. I bought it in October, just couldn't bring myself to put it out.

He has a nice shady spot under the tree in the back yard.

A close-up of the marker that I found on Ebay. I plan to put mulch around the tree and a little fence around that.

I love and miss you Max!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T00:43:00.002-05:00

Why wait for food? Midnight helps himself!

Shoes

2010-07-08T23:25:00.001-05:00

My size 8 INSIDE Vince's size 13!

Book Giveaway on My Friend's Blog

2010-06-30T23:12:00.003-05:00

Go to: http://easyfrugalliving.blogspot.com/2010/06/giveaway-2-of-new-be-thrifty-books.html and enter to win http://www.amazon.com/Be-Thrifty-Live-Better-Less/dp/0761156097/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Make sure to take a good look at Lisa's blog while you are there. She has a lot of thrifty idea!

I Love My CVS!!!

2010-05-05T21:31:00.003-05:00

The Nivea bodywash is currently on sale at CVS for $4.88 per bottle. If you buy $15 worth you get $5 ECB. I had heard that the limit was great than the 1 listed in the ad. However, the deal was cumulative meaning you couldn't spend $14 one day and $16 the next and get 10 ECBs.

I had trouble with my deal today. I spent $14.64 on DBF's card Sunday and wanted to try to get at least the 5 ECB. I wasn't paying attention and would have added an item to get $15 if I was. I spent $15.74 today. Of course, I had a feeling that it wouldn't give me 10 ECBs. The manager said she'd call about it. Bless her heart, she dealt with this guy for about 10 minutes trying to explain that it didn't say limit reached etc. When she hung up, she said she'd be fired if she talked to me the was he talked to her. He told her to tell me the ad said limit one and for me to be on my way. This lady knows I'm in there at LEAST twice a week usually. She told the guy that there were people who "search CVS to death on the Internet and know more about CVS than we do". She was so nice to me! She didn't force print the 5 today, but wrote on my receipt to do it next time if it "doesn't catch up" by then. There are so many managers out there that wouldn't have taken the time or trouble!

FWIW...on the trans I did Sunday (and got the 5) my receipt just says $15.00 spent, not the $17.63 I actually spent.

I'd Like to Introduce You to My New Best Friend.....

2010-04-14T22:46:00.010-05:00

......my new coupon binder!!! I put it together Easter weekend and have already used it several times.

In the front zipper pocket, I have a pair of scissors, a magnifying glass (for those tiny Ex. dates!), and tape--I don't cut very straight!

In the inside pocket, I keep a small notebook with a few extra dollars, and several pens. There's also an address label with my name, address and phone numbers. I can't take a chance of not getting the coupons back if I lose the binder.

I have several sections such as HBA, cleaning products, Frozen foods, etc. Some are divided more such as Revlon, Maybeliene, and Loreal. I wanted to use both sides of the photo album refill pages, but I didn't have any index cards. I did, however, have some large paint sample chips! They work great and add some nice color to the binder. I used the 4X6 album pages because I couldn't find the baseball card protectors at Wal-Mart.

I have a "Giveaway" page for Qs I want to share. My Grocery Challenge friends from http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/thread.asp?threadid=179799&boardname=Hide&header=SearchOnly&footer=Show&linktarget=_parent&pagestyle=money1&forumid=18&board=womeninred&BoardsParam=page%3d2772%26HIPDelay%3d1%26PostID%3d37523342
and my new friends at www.weusecoupons.com have a spot for their coupons to go. DBF even has a spot. Those are the people that I normally give coupons to.

I don't really have a method for the arrangement of the tabs. I did put frozen in the back since I get that last so everything's not thawed by the time I leave the store. I also have a spot at the front of the binder for receipts, and one for each store I shop at to put Qs in that I will use there.

It's not picutured, but I keep complete inserts in page protectors in the back of the binder. The accordian folder in the front holds Qs that need to be filed and sales ads.

I'm sure this is only the first binder. I will eventually move up to a Case-IT binder with a strap. This one is getting full very quickly

Coupons + CVS = :)

2010-04-08T23:13:00.006-05:00

I went to CVS tonight just because I had coupons! Me---with coupons? Imagine that! LOL I had just printed 4 $5 coupons from Nature's Bounty vitamins' "Healthy Rewards" site. I'd found codes on a fellow bloggers site to print the coupons. A $5 coupon cost five hundred points, BUT you can hit the back button and print more for no additional points.

At CVS, I purchased everything you see above for a whopping $1.70!! And I didn't even have to use ECBs to get my total that low. Here's a run down of the deal:

(1) B12 vitamins $8.49
(1) B2 vitamins $8.49
(2) D Vitamins $9.98
(1) Tampax 40ct. $3.49 CLEARANCE
(1) Tampax 20ct. $3.89
(1) Colgate7.6oz $3.99 RAINCHECK
_____________________________
Before discounts and coupon Total = $40.61 w/tax

The vitamins were BOGO, plus I had a $5 Q for each. That alone took $33.48 off my bill. I also had a $1 Q for the Colgate. Then I had a Q for free 20ct. Tampax with the purchase of a 40ct. ($3.89). That made a total of $24.89 just in coupons! I just realized that my subtotal after all of this was NEGATIVE 4 cents! With tax my OOP=$1.70!! AMAZING!!! I'm going back tomorrow! I still have 2 more $5 Q for vitamins. :) I love being able to add more things to my stockpile. BTW...I'm working on more stockpile pictures!

Speaking of picture: CVS has prints for only 9 CENTS each until Saturday!!! This is for the one hour service not the ones that print from the machine. You can upload your pictures at the store or online. At this late date, I'd do it at cvsphoto.com....use the promo code: 9cents There's no limit to how many you can print!

Spring Break

2010-03-31T09:51:00.003-05:00

The school where I work a two week long spring break. I thought I would get so much done....and I was WRONG! I've been so lazy!! I have gotten some things accomplished: taxes done, finally got new glasses--it's been 3 1/2 years. Today I'm waiting for the plumber to come back..yesterday didn't get my drains unclogged. Apparently I've got tree roots keeping water from leaving the house effiently. Great...there goes the extra tax refund I was getting back. It's not enough to have to call the plumber---he has to make TWO visits (please God, only two!). I planned on getting my house a good spring cleaning and get three reports done or close to it for work....have I done either? Uhhhh....not really. OK..time to get off here and get something done!

Great Deals at CVS!

2010-03-22T14:14:00.003-05:00

CVS has Pampers this week for $8.97 (reg. $11.99). You get 3 ECBs back AND there's a $2 Q in the March 14th Red Plum coupon insert. There's also a $1.50 (maybe $2) coupon in the February 7th Proctor and Gamble insert. The limit for the Pampers is 3 per card, but you can't get all three in one transaction. After ECBs and coupons it ends up being $3.97 per package! (I think Easy Ups are also part of the deal).

I started out yesterday with 5 ECBs (on DBF's card) and none on mine. I spent a total of $24.70 and 10 ECBs (rolled 5 from 1st deal into 2nd)....now I have 20.5 ECBs. Not bad for 2 Bayar meters, 3 packages Pampers, 1 Crest ProHealth, 2 pack Stayfree pads, and a gallon of milk.

And NO, buying diapers doesn't mean I have an announcement to make...just preparing a gift for a friend who is expecting. If it was me, I'd be begging for coupons so I could do the deal 3 more times! LOL

I Love Surprises!

2010-02-16T11:16:00.003-06:00

I was very surprised Friday at work when I found thsee in the office. I was not expecting them at all. Especially when we were going out of town to his parent's farm and not celebrating Valentine's Day until 2/20. Aren't the pretty?

A Fifth Grade Poem

2010-02-09T17:46:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, I teach special needs students at an elementary school. The fifth grade class wrote a poem in honor of a plane crash that occurred near our little town fifty years ago. Their teacher (she was my 3rd grade teacher) wanted my opinion. With her permission, I'm sharing it with my readers. In order to remain somewhat anonymous, I will not put the name of our county in the poem and use *** instead. Everything else it just as it was written. Please leave a comment to let us know what you think!

Tears Came Falling Down From Heaven

It's still winter here
at this peaceful place
As rain fall gently
Like tears falling down from Heaven
Let us remember when.......

It happened one March day
The 17th in the year 1960,
When tears came falling down from Heaven
There was loss a plenty.

Sixty-three souls together
Came to this solemn place,
And tears came falling down from Heaven
Like teardrops down a face.

Where did they come from?
Does anyone know?
The tears who came falling down from Heaven
on this silent field of snow.

Their origins were many,
Their futures were so bright,
These tears falling down from Heaven
It just doesn't seem quite right.

This place was quiet and restful
We couldn't understand
When tears came falling down from Heaven
Quite peaceful was the land

Heavy were the hearts of
the people who came to help
Their tears came falling down from Heaven
Such sorrow that overwhelmed.

For there was no one they could aid
Not a soul was there in sight,
As tears came down from Heaven
No way to help their plight.

All of ******** County came together
With love, support, sympathy, and comfort
When tears came falling down from Heaven
All helped in any way they could.

Those sixty-three innocent souls
Who came to rest at this peaceful place
Those tears that came falling down from Heaven
Our minds will not rease.

Their spirits lift on and on,
Lifting off the clouds of sadness today,
No longer tears falling down from Heaven
They give us hope for each new day.

Here we have a memorial to remember
Each man, woman and child--don't fret,
Now they all dwell in beautiful Heaven
And we will never forget!

by *********** Elementary's 5th Grade Class.

2010

2010-01-23T13:42:00.003-06:00

Happy 2010! I'm looking forward to a great year. I started counting calories again. I'm hoping to lose at least 30 pounds this year. I've been busy with work, so no time to post all my deals. I've had a little drama with the WAGS I shop at, but I've been able to get some good deals. I took a Big Lots ad to Wal-Mart to comp All the other day. I bought (6) 32 load bottles for $1 each after the $2.50 ad and a $3 off 2 coupon. I'll have to post new pictures of my stockpiles soon. Now back to writing reports for work!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T19:22:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone has the best possible Christmas ever!

Wonderful Wednesday

2009-12-23T10:49:00.004-06:00

I was going to put "Wordless Wednesday", but I'm gonna write too much for that! Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, will be the 15th anniversary of Snowball's "gotcha day". She was my daddy's Christmas present from my brother who brought her all the way from Tennessee. Dad had been dreaming about a solid white cat leading him through the woods, so Billy found one for him.

I can't believe it's been 15 years already! She brought Dad a lot of pleasure during his last 2 1/2 years here on Earth. She was on only cat for 7 years. She wouldn't allow us to have another cat! She'd hiss at it and fight it. The only reason she allowed Coal to come in was because he was so small she didn't know what he was! After that she just gave in. Although, she still lets them know who's the boss! She and Ginger the Chow used to have sneak attacks on each other. Mom told me about a day when Snowball was asleep and Ginger woke her up by poking her nose in Snowball's belly. Snowball got even by waiting until Ginger was asleep and swiping her nose with her claws.

One day recently I couldn't find Snowball. I looked all over the house...even the basement where she never goes anymore. I couldn't find her and was getting very worried because Max would hide right before he passed away. Finally, I was in the living room and heard something around the TV. I start looking around that area. Guess where I found her? In the trash can that I use for shredding papers! She had somehow crawled under the shredder! I was so relieved and she was so cute I moved the shredder and took a picture. Isn't she the cutest thing? I love her bright blue eyes.

Cat Shelter

2009-12-21T16:57:00.005-06:00

As most of my readers know, I love animals. I have two outside cats, Little Girl and Peaches that I try to keep warm each warm. I can't bring them in because: 1) I have 7 inside already and 2) They are 80% feral. Little Girl is ten and just started to let other people pet her! I normally put a cardboard box on the porch with some old towels or a blanket in it. Not the best thing, but I figured it was better than nothing. Well, during the summer I came across a website about a animal rescue in Kentucky. The shelter is made of two tote boxes (one inside the other) with insulation board around it. It didn't have room for any on top of the inner box so I put newspapers on top. Finish it off with straw inside. The girls love it!

Editted to add: I got the idea from Holly's Place in Lawanceburg, KY. The website on how to make the shelter is: http://www.hollys.org/ferals.html

It's Been a Busy Month!

2009-12-21T14:13:00.010-06:00

Sorry I haven't been on here much the past few months. I've been very busy with teaching during the week and spending time with DBF on the weekends. The biggest news in the past month is that I finally have a new car. Well, not new to some people, but new to me. It's a 1989 Olds Eighty-Eight Royale. It may not sound like much but the previous owner had it since February 1991 and took excellent care of it. It has new paint, interior, tires and a bunch of other new things. The car is in such good condition, it looks like it's 2 instead of 20!

I'm keeping the 1985 Celebrity, but won't be driving it much. It was my dad's last car and the reason I met Vince. The car's showing her age though. The heat works great in town, but at highway speeds it doesn't warm up. Both back rims are bent. I If I lock the doors, I can't get them unlocked. You'll see the pictures showing all the rust and the yucky headliner in a second. That all sounds bad, but what really made me think about getting a different car was that last winter it wouldn't start if the temperture outside was below freezing! That is very inconvenient if you only have one car!

What a Great Boyfriend I Have!

2009-11-25T06:43:00.010-06:00

Hey! What's going on up there???? I wanna see!

Over the weekend, Vince installed insulation in my attic. It may not sound like much, but since he's like 6'3 and the highest point of my attic is probably 4 ft. max it wasn't easy! Of course, nothing can be done in my house without a cat supervising. I had to move the ladder to keep Midnight out of the attic!

This last picture shows how little I started with and what I have now. BIG difference!

Coal Approves!

2009-11-24T20:48:00.002-06:00

He's been curling up to Vince for awhile now, but this is the first picture I have of it! DBF says he's just broken Coal's spirit, but I think Coal's happy that DBF makes me happy.

More Reasons Why I Love WAGS....

2009-11-22T21:11:00.002-06:00

I used my 45 Register Rewards from the Bayar Meters to buy all this stuff that I needed to add to my stockpiile. I used 30 Register Rewards a week and a half ago to stock up on Diet Cokes.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T23:32:00.002-06:00

I LOVE Walgreens!

2009-11-10T19:57:00.005-06:00

Sunday, DBF and I went to two Walgreens and got 10 blood glucose meters. How much did I spend? ABSOLUTELY ZERO!!! I had coupons for up to $30 off and WAGS had them for $14.99 so they were free. Plus, Kentucky does not charge tax on them! All it cost was the $18.00 that I spent on 24 coupons. The best part?? Every time I bought a meter (seperate transactions) I got a $5 Register Reward. I made $50 in Register Rewards! I used some of it already for Diet Cokes and baking soda. The rest will get spent on household items or food.

I still have 18 coupons and I didn't clear the shelves at either store, so I sent a few with DBF. He works near two WAGS and I'm 30 miles away. Hopefully, he'll get several more. I have 15 more coupons coming from centsoff.com---good thing the expiration date it 4/30 on the coupons!

Oh, some may wonder what I'm gonna do with all these meters when I don't have diabetes. A man at my church has diabetes and his wife knows a diabetes clinic. I give them to her and she takes them in. The clinic gives them to diabetics that they come in.

Why Are Some People So Cruel???

2009-09-25T17:26:00.003-05:00

I just read a email from the ASPCA that broke my heart. I'm copying it from the website: http://www.aspca.org/news/national/09-25-09.html

On September 14, Bronx resident Ronald Ross, 33, was arrested by ASPCA Special Agent Adam Gankiewicz and charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly kicking his mother’s cat, Meow, in the face.

According to Ross’s mother, the incident occurred on the morning of August 21, when after searching the apartment for her missing cat, she found Meow hiding under her son’s bed—her face traumatized. When confronted about the cat's condition, her son reportedly laughed before admitting to kicking the cat repeatedly in the face with his steel-toe boots. The woman rushed Meow to ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, where the cat was treated for injuries, including several broken teeth and a ruptured eye that was surgically removed.

Following the attack, the Bronx District Attorney filed a restraining order against Ross on behalf of his mother, who subsequently had the locks of her apartment changed. Under these conditions, Meow returned home where she is now recuperating.

Ross was indicted by a Bronx grand jury on charges of felony aggravated animal cruelty and misdemeanor animal cruelty, which is a lesser offense. If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement, applauded the swift action of the grand jury in indicting Ross on multiple counts in this case. “Inflicting such severe injury on a helpless cat signals the potential for violence directed at other vulnerable victims, including human family members. Serious criminal sanctions are a vital tool in the fight against these vicious crimes.”

If you know of an animal who is being hurt, please report it—those who intentionally hurt animals may move on to abuse the people in their lives. To report animal cruelty in New York City, call the ASPCA’s tip line at (877) THE-ASPCA. Visit our Report Cruelty FAQ to learn how to report cruelty elsewhere.

I just don't know how anyone could do that! My cats as much as I love them often make me upset at messes they make or other things they do, but I could never hurt one like that. Case in point: Just the other night, Coal got mad because I wouldn't let him lay on my neck so he attacked me with both paws at once scratching the right side of my neck, the lest side of my nose and the inside of my ear. Yes, it hurt and I was angry enough to pick him up the the scruff of his neck and put him on the floor, but kick him with steeltoed boots? NEVER!!! Just the thought of it makes me cry!

Two years in jail and a $2,000 fine is not enough for such cruelty! If he could do this to an innocent animal what's he going to do to the next human that angers him? Part of me thinks that he needs to experience how it feels to be kicked in the face multiple times with a steeltoed boot! However, the Christian in me feels that he needs counseling and help. Maybe a bit of both would be best.

Wonderful Wednesday

2009-09-16T19:19:00.003-05:00

I "wonder" why this guy has so many books in his car?? Couldn't he find any boxes to put them in?

DBF, his sister, his mom and I saw this car on the way back from a flea market near Lexington, KY. It was so odd, I had to get a picture!

In other news, my last day at Wal-Mart was the last Saturday in August. Do I miss it? About as much as I miss a root canal! I've got enough to do with teaching about 17 special needs K-5th graders five days a week. I feel overwhelmed at times, but it's getting better. There's not enough time in the day to give all of them everything they need. However, the regular classroom teachers say the same things, so it's not just me.

I finally got a TEACHING check yesterday! This was the first one in four years, so I was tickled. I haven't had any check at all since July 15th! It will be nice to have money to put back each month. Now I can actually make a budget that I can follow. I am going to start putting money back each month because I know that I'll need to replace my car in the next year or so. I also want to start putting money in a Roth IRA instead of the school's 403b. There would be no matching money and with a Roth IRA I wouldn't have to move it again if my job changed. Another positive about TEACHER pay is that I don't have to worry about not having a full check during school holidays. I had two months in the spring when I was only bringing home $800 per month. DBF told me last night that he thought he was going to have to bring me groceries during those two months. Nah, I'm a grocery hound and had shoppied sales before the short checks came. However, I thought I was going to die when I got the $230 gas bill! Thank God I had money from Wal-Mart put back for it.

One more wonderful thing for this post: Snowball turns 15 this month!!!

I don't think she looks a day over 3!

August Has Been a Busy Month!

2009-08-27T18:56:00.002-05:00

I love my new job, but I'm exhausted! I've not been on the GC message board as much as I'd like. I'm still getting my coupons, but not hunting down the deals like I had been. I haven't even been to CVS this week! Saturday will be my last day working at Wal-Mart, so I'm looking forward to that. I still need to add up my coupon and ECB savings for the past month and a half....keeping my receipts, but too tired to add them up.

Just wanted everyone know I was still alive!

Salem LOVES His Corn on the Cob

2009-08-05T23:09:00.003-05:00

Nom, nom, nom!

Salem: "This stuff is great! I could hardly wait until Mom and Vince got done with the corn on the cob! Maybe next time Mom will give me some that hasn't already been eaten off of!"

Punkin: "What'cha got there, Salem?"
Salem: "Can'tcha see I'm busy?"

Midnight: "Ok Mom, Salem's got his corn.....now what do you have for me?"

Life Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!

2009-07-31T13:49:00.006-05:00

Remember all those great things I was so thankful for last Friday? Well, this morning I have another.....I got the job!!!!! I'm SO happy! I will start teaching Special Ed at the same school where I went to elementary school. I'm really excited about working in this building. I don't want to put any identifiying info on here, so I won't mention what's so special about the building, but if you have my email and would like to know, just drop me a line. For everybody else, let's just say that there's a lot of history there!

This afternoon I went to a nearby town where they had the Clydesdale horses. They are so beautiful!

CVS Gift Card Giveaway!

2009-07-29T21:43:00.003-05:00

$10 CVS Gift Card Giveaway!

lbmoore is giving away a $10 CVS gift card...stop by her blog to find out how to enter: http://kittytigerskitchen.blogspot.com/

Here is just a glimpse of the stuff I've gotten for nearly nothing at CVS in the past year and a half!

Pictured above is only part of my feminine neccessities stockpile.

Here are deodorants and medicines as well as trial size lotions that I've acquired.

Fantastic Friday!

2009-07-24T01:30:00.004-05:00

This was going to be "Thankful Thursday", but I took too long getting started!

Well, it's a "Fantastic Friday" because I was so "Thankful Thursday"!

Five reasons why:

1. My interview went GREAT!! She can't tell me I have the job because the school board has to meet, but it looks pretty good. They will meet next Thursday and school starts the Tuesday afterwards.

2. Monday will mark one year of dating for DBF and I....one whole year and we've never had a harsh word or even a disagreement!

3. My family....they drive me nuts at times, but I'm thankful to have them!

4. My furbabies.....just like my family, they drive me nuts and makes messes everywhere, but they are so loving and keep my company. The picture below is Midnight asleep with his tongue sticking out! He's sweet, but not nearly as innocent as he looks in this picture.

5. Most of all, I'm thankful for my salvation. God gave His son so I didn't have to suffer through Hell. Without God, I would have none of these other things that I'm so thankful for!

What are you thankful for this week?

Wordy Wednesday

2009-07-15T00:37:00.006-05:00

This beautiful girl is Max and Coal's mamacat, Little Girl. At one time she was VERY wild and would not stay on the porch when I went outside. She's still shy, but LOVES attention from me. I think I'm probably the only person who's ever petted her. She loves having her head rubbed. I was able to catch her and have her spayed.....after she brought me the third or fourth kitten in less than two years! But once I got her fixed, she'd bring me her SISTER'S kittens! I guess she approved of how my mom and I took care of Coal and Max. She's now nine or ten years old and spends most of her time in the woods across the street from my house. I think she'd love to be an inside cat....SHE just doesn't know that! She waits for me to come home every day. Nine times out of ten, as soon as I drive in, no matter what time of day...she come out to greet me. She's a real sweetheart!

Take a close look at her whiskers......one side is white and the other side is black. Isn't that neat? I've never seen whiskers half and half before.

This handsome boy above is my boyfriend's cat, Skunk. Yes, you read that right...a cat named Skunk! Apparently when DBF's mom found him at work under a car when he was a kitten, no one wanted to pick him up because they thought he was a skunk. As a kitten, you see, he had a white stripe down his back.

I was visiting over on http://www.whiskersandpurrs.com/ wishing Elsie happy birthday last night and I noticed something..........doesn't she and Skunk look VERY similar. Maybe I found her long lost brother! Look for yourself..........here's Elsie's picture below:

Good Deals at CVS and Picture of Baby Max

2009-07-12T21:12:00.002-05:00

Today I went to CVS to get a photobook made. I knew they were on sale for $7.99 and that I'd get a 7.99 ECB that I could use later for something else. Once I got there, the cashier said that I could use the ECB and get another. I could "roll" the ECBs and end up with 6 photobooks for the price of one! How cool is that?? I didn't even have to get the pictures done today. Just bring the books back as I wanted to make the book. Good thing because I tried twice and had trouble both times. I'd get almost done and the computer would mess up. I don't know if it was just in my area or not, but my cashier said the stores were competing to see which store could sell the most photobooks. Makes a great birthday or CHRISTMAS gift.....Christmas is only 5 1/2 months away!

Here's one of Max's first pictures. My mom is wearing the gloves because Max scratched like crazy while taking his bottle. Maybe that's why Little Girl brought him to us and kept the other five. LOL That and the fact that he never got full! Up until he was 6 to 12 months old he'd knead my hair while I slept. I'd wake up and find half my hair matted to the side of my head. He'd also "pet" my head sometimes when he wanted HIS head petted.

I find myself looking at the other black cats and trying to spot Max's white whiskers. I really miss him when I'm in the kitchen because he'd hit my leg with his head and push his way through my calves. I guess that way he got petted on both sides and the same time. I also miss his distint meow. The house just isn't the same without him! :(

Good News!

2009-07-10T18:36:00.004-05:00

Lots of good news to report! First of all, I finally paid off my student loan!!!! It took me ten years, but during that time I paid for my Master's degree out of pocket as well as paid for the two classes I took this year. It feels great to have that debt gone! I'm now officially debt free!

Second good news--I just found out last week that there is a Special Education position opening at the school where I currently work as an assistant. It's only for two years, but it would be great to by the teacher again! Please keep me in your prayers. I would practically be working in my backyard with this job. Between the pay raise and the fact that I could walk to work, I could save the gas money and use it for much needed house repairs and a newer car.

Third good new---Guess how much money I have saved with coupons and Register Rewards and Extra Care Buck...go ahead guess! $328.84!!! Now I didn't keep track of how much I spent on food, HBA, household or the furbabies. I do know that I spent about $190.00 in the past 10 days on those things. However, nearly $100 was on the furbabies for flea control ($40!), stocking up on dry cat food and canned dog food
($40) and at least $12 on cat litter. They are expensive little bundles of fur, but they are worth it.

How could you say no to that face?

Swagbucks Referral and Random Stuff

2009-07-07T13:32:00.005-05:00

If you don't have Swagbucks yet, here's a link to join: http://swagbucks.com/refer/Shelly527IN
(the link isn't working!) I am just getting started using it, but if it helps me get giftcards and stuff, I'm all for it.

I had a great weekend with DBF and his family. It was extra hard leaving the furbabies right after Max passed away. It didn't help at all that Ginger had to go to the kennel. My co-worker, Tonya, has been stopping in twice a day to feed her, give Ginger her meds, and walk her. However, with it being a holiday weekend, Tonya had family come in and wasn't able to come by everday. Completely understandable! Ginger, however, does NOT like the vet's office for a visit much less a four day weekend there. I had to not only walk her back to the kennel, but get in it myself in order to get HER in it. I felt so guilty leaving her there!

I had a lot of fun this weekend though. We all (DBF, his parents, sister, niece and me) went to a county fair Friday night to watch a truck pull. I'd never been to one before and it was pretty cool. One truck came loose from the sled that it was trying to pull and the sled hit it in the tailgate. The tailgate was damaged, but nothing seriously long. DBF's two year old niece, Maddy, would cover her ears with someone else's hands and press them down with her hands whenever she saw the black smoke start to rise from the truck. It was cute.

On Saturday, Vince and I went to a little town called Renfro Valley where they have a log cabin museum. There were actual log cabins, not replicas. They were moved there from other parts of Kentucky. I plan to do a post on this part of the trip in a couple days.

Right now I should be doing homework or housework, but just feel like killing time on here. I can call it quality time with the furbabies since whenever I'm on the computer, someone's on my lap.

Here's the marker I want to get from ebay for Max's grave:

And here's one of Max's last pictures:

Pet Ten Commandments

2009-07-03T13:30:00.009-05:00

A Pet's Ten Commandments

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6.. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old and weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~ take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. ~

~ Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters.~

This came from: http://www.things4yourdog.com/page/145250202

I found it a couple months ago, but it means even more today after losing Max. Now go hug your furbaby!

Rest in Peace Max, We'll Miss You!

2009-07-01T23:10:00.003-05:00

April/May 2003 - July 1, 2009

My beloved furbaby, Max, looking so hansome in his "tux".

Max passed away this morning at 6:15 am with me by his side. I did not find out until later in the morning that he'd had cancer of the liver for about a month or so. He was only 6 years old! If I had know what was wrong, I'd had let him go Friday with his last vet visit. I'm grateful that I got to be with him and he didn't suffer for a lengthy time. His six brothers, two sisters and I miss him very much. The house is not the same without his sweet personality. I called him "Mild Mannered Max" because he didn't have a mean bone in his body. He only got aggressive when he felt threatened. I had him since he was about 3 weeks old; he was a bottle fed baby.

I will tell more of his story next week when I am less emotional. I also what to find more pictures.

Swagbucks

2009-06-30T00:16:00.001-05:00

I've just joined and put the widget at the bottom of my page. I can't seem to get it on the side...it's too big and I can't reduce it.

Swidget 1.0great free widgetsWidgetbox

Good Thing to Remember!

2009-06-27T17:41:00.003-05:00

I found this online and thought I'd share!

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

“Everything happens for a purpose.
We may not see the wisdom of it all now but trust and believe
in the Lord that everything is for the best.”

The way to be anxious about nothing
is to be prayerful about everything.

Author Unknown

Paw It Forward!

2009-06-26T00:57:00.008-05:00

Hello, this is Snowball taking over the blog. Our maid----uh, I mean mom---was taking her sweet time getting this posted so I thought I'd do it. Us cats wanted to thank Cory and her family over at Cory Cat Blog for the great package they sent!

We were so excited to get the package! It's the first time we've ever gotten something in the mail.

Soon as mom brought it in we all went after it! It smelled SO good! I found out why....CATNIP! Now I am a very high class girl and don't usually act silly, but well, catnip can make a girl do crazy things!

That little yellow fishy was a big hit....my brothers Coal and Midnight kept stealing it from each other. Mom needs to find some more so we can each have one.

For the first time ever, Mom was able to get a picture of all the boys together....I'm just out of range on the blue tote playing with the catnip!

Cory's mama even sent our mama a book! Wasn't that nice of her? It's called "Dewey". Maybe mama will read it to us since it's about a kitty cat. Mom said she'd have to wait until her class was over first. Oh, I can't forget to mention that Ginger the only doggie in the house full of cats even got a squeaky toy! She says "thank you for thinking of me!".

*Snowball whispers* Don't tell Ginger I said this, but she was scared of it! Mom squeaked it and went to give it to her and my silly dog-sister went and hid under mama's desk! She used to like those kind of toys when she was a puppy, but I guess she thinks she's too old for them now that she's ten. Oh well, mom said she'd "paw it forward" to her DBF's Weim, Amber. I've never met her, but mom tells me that Amber LOVES squeaky toys. Every time mom and Vince try to talk on the phone, Amber starts squeaking....she's SO jealous!

Ok, now here come's the fun part! Mama said for me to just copy exactly what Cory from Cory Cat Blog said so I wouldn't make any mistakes on how to play this game. Now I sure don't want to make a mistake on mom's blog........she'd never let me on the computer again! So here's Cory!

"This was all a part of Paw it Forward. It is now our turn to have fun pawing it forward to the next cat or dog blogger.

The guide to Paw it Forward is as follows: "The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'pay it forward' in their own way.This is how it works...I am going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first blog owner who posts a comment on this entry if you agree to paw it forward too. In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, then send something to the first person who signs up to play along through your blog. There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile. Maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness does not have to involve money; there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go - just look around". The rules were changed a little bit. We know that times are tough for a lot of people, and in the past the idea was to paw it forward to 3 bloggers. We are going to paw it forward to one and doing this might make it more playable for people. If you want to play with three people, it is your choice, or if you'd like to play with one or two people, that is also your choice. Keep the fun going and let me know if you want to play!"

Snowball: If you want to play, just be the first to leave us a comment saying so! We loved playing so much we already picked out some new toys to paw forward. Thanks for reading!

Why I Stockpile and Use Coupons

2009-06-25T16:44:00.009-05:00

Now that this blog is linked to my facebook page and not just to the ladies at The Grocery Challenge, I feel that I should explain why and how I stockpile. I know that it looks and sounds a bit strange to those who do not shop the same way.

I really don't remember the first time I used coupons. I never remember my mom or dad using a coupon or stockpiling anything. I must have been started during college. I know my dorm had a table by the front door where you could leave or pick up coupons that were clipped out of the Sunday papers. I would look through them once a week or so to see what I could use. Then I got a subscription to the Sunday paper from Louisville (still has the best coupons around!). I also remember going to both Kroger and SuperWal-Mart for my grocery shopping. Kroger would double my coupons up to 50 cents, and at the time, they would take expired coupons.

When I started working summers at Wal-Mart, after my freshmen year in college, I started a mini stockpile I guess you could call it. I worked 25+ hours per week in the summer and only 15 hours at my work study during the school year. Therefore, I bought enough toiletries to last for entire the school year. That way I could use my employee discount PLUS coupons. I was then able to use my income during the school year for food and gasoline.

I continued using coupons and sales ads ever since then. However, the major stockpiling and going to CVS started a year ago this past February after I discovered the helpful ladies at The Grocery Challenge. I wish I'd started shopping at CVS years ago! There so many things that you can buy and get the whole amount back in Extra Care Bucks (CVS store credit type coupons).

You may have noticed two tickers at the top of my blog page. I have never kept track of how much I'd save with coupons, Extra Care Bucks, or Walgreen's Register Rewards. I thought I would keep track of it on here. I'm trying to see how long it takes to save $1,000 in coupons and $1.000 in ECBS and RRs. I've only been keep track for 15 days and already saved nearly $100! And I haven't speant a whole lot either. Here's a good story I found on MSN about saving money buying food inexpensively: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/the-dollar-food-pantry.aspx
Ok, now you know a little about HOW I do it. So WHY do I do it? Well, to be honest, some of it is because it's a challenge. I like to see how much I can get for so little. But the major part is because my paychecks are so erractic. During March and April my paychecks from school (at assistant pay, NOT teacher pay), were only for seven days each because of a two week long spring break. Ten day checks are pretty good, I can make that work. But four 7 day checks in a row was tough! Because of my HBA and food stockpile (haven't showed a picture of that yet) I could use those tiny checks to pay the bills and not worry about having food for me and the furbabies. All I really had to buy was perishables, dry cat food and Diet Cokes. I can never have enough dry cat food and Diet Cokes stockpiled!

Another reason why I stockpile is to help friends and family who need it. A month or so ago a family member and his three kids moved and were starting over. I could not help with money, but I could help with HBA products! Below is a picture of things I gathered up from my stockpile. I probably spent less than $5 on all of that!

I've Got a Busy Summer!

2009-06-24T20:36:00.013-05:00

Summer school is almost over already! I've been meaning to post pictures of the classroom, but haven't had a chance. It's been a lot of fun. I've had 12 to 18 kids on most days. Last year, the most I ever had was NINE! I have the same type of theme each year, but it's amazing how different each year is because of the different students. I can't believe it's almost over. The last day will be next Thursday, July 2nd.

That very evening Vince and I will be going to his parents' farm for the weekend. I'm, as usual, looking forward to that. I didn't think I was going to be able to go since I normally work Saturdays at Wal-Mart. In April, I had asked for the 4th off and was denied. On our way home from the farm Memorial Day, DBF and I were talking about it and it hit me! The only way I could get the day off was if I wasn't available on Saturdays in July. Hmmm....I thought about it for a day or two and gave it a shot. So I changed my availabilty to Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in July and hurried up and turned it in. Well, the lady in personel accidently changed it for the last half of June too. OOPS, when I saw that I was scheduled Monday and Wednesdays during the school day I told them that I was under contract to teach summer school. They were very nice about it and took me off the schedule. I'm not scheduled to work at all until July 6th! I'll lose a couple days pay because of it, but at this point, my sanity is worth more than $120! It was so nice to have a regular two day weekend this past week!

I'm taking another class so I can keep my Kentucky teacher's certifcation. It just started last week and I already feel behind! It's only a five week course. There are two books that we have to read, which means about 60 pages of DULL reading per week. Plus, review five articles, journal entries each week about our text, discussion board entries each week. It's not a hard class, just time consuming. It will be over on July 17th. Just in time for me to help with my church's Vacation Bible School the next week!

Maybe after all that is over with, I can post more on here and organize my coupons better. I was going through some the other day and realized that I let a couple great coupons expire because I didn't clip them and put them in my little accordian file. I do have two new large accordian files that I can put whole inserts in. I haven't been clipping the coupons as much since I am usually busy Sunday afternoons. I hope that I can get everything accomplished by the time the regular school year starts on August 3rd!

My Stockpile Closet

2009-06-13T20:08:00.005-05:00

I've been seriously working on my stockpile for about 16 months. During this time, I've stored the stuff wherever it would fit.....some of it in the walk-in closet, some in the hall closet, some in a dresser. It was hard to find anything or know how much I had of each item. Well, a couple weeks ago I had an idea. There's a closet in the basement that....well to be honest, was just full of junk. A perfect place to store my stockpile!

In the first picture you can get an idea of how deep the closet is.

The box on the top shelf is full of toilet paper. Plus, there's seven 4 packs on top of the box. I probably got about ten packages of Angel Soft clearanced at 40 cents from WAGS, I was getting worried because the box was getting low on the free Cottonelle that I had from Kroger. I will show better pictures of the second shelf in a different post.

Here's my pet supply and cleaning shelf. I do most cleaning because of the pets, so I thought they should go together. All pet food is stored in the kitchen.

The fourth shelf has laundry supplies, Pledge, dish soap, and toilet bowl cleaning wands (remember those coupons??). There's a bin of Lysol wipes on the floor. The Tidy Cats box if filled to the top with aerosol air fresheners.

Pictures of the upstair's stockpile will be posted at a later time.

Life is All About Choices

2009-06-13T19:55:00.002-05:00

I've been having problems getting my stockpile pictures loaded. So in the meantime, I wanted to share something I got in a email. I've read it before, but thought some of you may have not seen it. It's a good reminder to not worry too much and look on the bright side.

READ THIS LET IT REALLY SINK IN - THEN CHOOSE .

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!"

"You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or......you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.'"

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude...I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

So the choice now is to think positively or not

45 Life Lessons

2009-06-08T16:34:00.001-05:00

Someone sent this to me in an email and it was too good not to share.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Money Saving Challenge Update

2009-06-01T00:47:00.004-05:00

I've not done so well with keeping up posting about the ways I've saved money. Oh well, a daily report would be dull and very short. So here's the update since the last time.

1. Saved about $100 by not getting Microsoft Office 2007 after my free trial. Friends at church had 2003 that was good for three computers and had only used it for two. It works well enough for what I need.

2. Still have not had the A/C on!

3. Still mowing my own yard. DBF helped today and even cleaned my gutters so I wouldn't have to pay to have it done. Much to chicken to get up there myself. Trees were starting to grow......looked like a rooftop garden!

4. Using coupons at Walgreens to get free items and RRs to use on things like food that I can't get great deals on. Last Sunday at WAGS, I got 6 Nature VAlley Granola bars, 4 cans salmon, 2 24pks freezer pops, and 3 pks Goody's hair accessories. I used two $10RRs, 1 $5 RR and an OOP of approx. $1.50!

5. I also found a $4-$6 toy for DBF's dog on clearance for $1.74 at WAGS!

6. I was gone all of Memorial weekend, so I had nothing on in the house except fans, a couple clocks and a light when my friend was here taking care of the pets.

7. My friend (Tonya) took great care of the animals for FREE so I could go out of town. Taking the dog, Ginger, to stay at the vet would have costed $8 a night for 4 nights = $32 that I saved. Thanks, Tonya!

8. DBF's mom sent 3 dozen farm fresh eggs home with me! I gave 2 dozen to friends (including Tonya) since I had some still left from Easter.

9. I found that Wal-Mart had a special Head and Shoulders pack with shampoo and conditioner for $5 instead of $5.24 for each. I used 3 $1 Q and got 3 shampoo and 3 condition for only $12.xx---much better than $30 it would have cost! I used 10 Q for free Kitten Chow for the local shelter and got 10% off the $19.98 regular price before Q or discout so it took off some from the H&S.

10. I made $180 from private tutoring in the past 3 weeks.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T20:25:00.001-05:00

I Got An Award!

2009-05-14T20:47:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Dana at The Creek Cats for this great award!

This award is to introduce new blogs to your readers. Here's what you do ~ Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 or 5 (or a number in between)other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. Let's see here.........

Here are the newest blogs that I visit regularly:

Forever Foster

Cory

Aspiration's Purse

Mandy

Oops, I only have four! Oh well, that's all i can think of right now. I might have to edit later and add another one or two.

Money Saving Challenge: Part One

2009-05-06T23:44:00.003-05:00

I've saved money this week in several ways.

1. Warm temperatures meant no need for heat or A/C!

2. Line dried part of my laundry. Combine loads into extra-large loads whenever possible.

3. Combined errands as much as possible.

4. Today I bought two books of stamps (even though I already had two) to keep from buying them after the price hike.

5. I cashed a $120 check from three weeks of private tutoring.

6. I unplug the microwave and computer when not in use.

7. I spent two and a half hours mowing my yard instead of paying $30 for the neighbor's yard guy to do it.

8. Walked to local businesses instead of driving.

9. Used coupons and ECBs for nearly everything I've bought this week.

10. Printed 4 Qs for FREE KFC meals---DBF will be using two of them Friday night.

11. Tonight I printed 35 $1 off 12 pk Coke Q's.

12. I've fed my 10 cats, one dog and myself out of our stockpile which was purchased on sale and with Qs.

13. Stayed out of all stores (except CVS) since Saturday!

14. Found one coupon insert in Post Office trash can. Already saved 75 cents (on a gallon of milk) because of it.

15. DBF checked one WAGS and found no monitors so I won't have to go out of my way to check tomorrow.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there's probably more that I'm too tired to think of right now!

Vote for Coal the Cutest Cat!

2009-05-04T23:10:00.002-05:00

Vote for my pet in the Furry Faceoff Challenge!

coal

It's cats vs. dogs... the ultimate showdown! I've entered my pet in the challenge and need your help to win!

The furry friend with the most votes will be the lucky winner of the AmericanGreetings.com Furry Faceoff Challenge.

To vote all you have to do is click on the picture and it connects you to the voting site.

Thanks to Maizey Grace at the Creek Cats blog for sharing this with me!

Thanks to everyone who votes for Coal!

The Other Girl in DBF's Life..........

2009-05-02T21:55:00.006-05:00

is a real dog! (Had some of you worried, huh? LOL)

Her name is Amber and she's a 16 month old Weimerwrainer (sp?).

She's a big girl, but still learning how to ACT like a big girl! Vince doesn't usually let her out of the crate when I visit because she's taller than me when she stands on her back feet. Plus, she's very hyper and jumpy. However, on the evening these pictures were taken she laid down on the futon beside me like we were old friends!

Look at that tongue...DBF said it looked like a third ear!

This is the best picture. Here she is being calm........

and here she is being affectionate! DBF said this picture was embarrassing, but I think it's adorable. Sorry honey....I couldn't resist posting a close-up of it!

My Furbabies

2009-04-22T15:56:00.007-05:00

This beautiful solid white princess is Snowball. She is now 14 1/2 years old. She wanted to be the only kitty in the house. The only way Coal got to come in was that he was so small she didn't know what he was! Snowball was my Daddy's Christmas present from my brother two years before my dad passed away.

The large black cat on the computer is Midnight the mischief maker. I love him dearly, but he drives me nuts! He's into everything, but loving as can be. He's the one who likes to put his paw over your mouth if he doesn't want you to talk. He also likes to nibble on chins!

This loving trio is from left to right: Lucky, Roadrunner, and Punkin. Roadrunner and Punkin are litter-mates and younger brothers of Midnight---and cousins of Coal and Max. Lucky showed up at around 3 or 4 months old, but he's not from the litters of any of my females.

The pretty tortie above is Coal's (and Max's) mama cat, Little Girl. She's showing you where she left her babies for me to find.

The last picture is a re-post of Coal (all grown-up!) and Ginger the Chow who is now 10 years old. Notice Coal's tail, or lack of tail. The vet said that the vertebrate just didn't form enough to create a full tail.

Still to come in another post are Max and Peaches.

Isn't He Precious???

2009-04-21T00:15:00.003-05:00

This was my baby boy, Coal, just a week or so after I found him under my car. I can't believe that was 7 1/2 years ago already! I was over at visiting Cory's and Maggie May's pages looking at kitten pictures and had to share Coal's. BTW, Coal started out as "my little lump of coal". I had a time trying to figure out a name so he became Coal. It was either that or Mole (at first I thought he was a mole!).

Not Enough Time in The Day

2009-04-19T17:08:00.003-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

The photo above is from lolcats. It looks like my cat, Midnight, but he'd have his paw over the pacifier. ETA: Sorry that part of the pic is cut off, I don't know how to resize it.

Easter weekend was GREAT! DBF and I went to his parents' farm for the weekend. On Saturday they took us (his sister and 2 y/o niece too) to the Newport Aquarium. It was fo much fun. I got a lot of great pictures to use with summer school. I'll post either later this week or next week.

The class I'm taking is almost over. Then I have to get ready for summer school! I haven't felt like doing much at all this past week. Hopefully, this next week will be better.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-08T21:25:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know that Easter is still a few days away, but I won't be near a computer then. DBF and I are visiting his family in Kentucky this weekend. They live near Lexington so it'll be about a four hour drive each way. We'll celebrate his niece's 2nd b-day while we are there. We all (his parents, sister, niece and the two of us)will spend Saturday at the Cincinatti zoo. I was already looking foward to spending the weekend with them, but even more now that I know about the zoo! I haven't been to the zoo since a field trip to the Nashville zoo when I was student teaching in 1998! Expect to see LOTS of pictures next week!!

I am almost finished with my "Integrating Technology" class! It's been very interesting which is good since I just found out that I will have to pay full price ($758!) for it. My dad received a purple heart when he was in the military so I qualified for a remission of fees. However, I would have to be seeking a degree. No thanks, I already have a bachelor's and a Masters. All I want to do is keep my Kentucky Teaching Certification! The crazy thing is, this is the paper I got from the university to tell me I'd have to change to degree-seeking status was the first contact that they've made. They never even sent me a letter telling me that I was enrolled! I had to call the Friday before classes started! Oh well, I hate to spend the money, but THANK GOD I have the money put away already to pay for it. It just means that I won't be able to pay off the $400 or so that I owe on my student loans from 11 years ago.

I've had some good deals at the stores lately. I've gone to Walgreens the past two Sundays. I loved getting the Softsoap for only tax! I got three on Sunday night. Then I gave the last Q to DBF (since he works near WAGS and I live 30 miles away) to get some more. Too bad the stores caught on and stop the multiple Qs from printing. DBF said he tried to get four in different transaction during his lunch and the new Q didn't print. Four for the price of one (I used $1 Q on the first one) isn't bad at all!

This past Sunday, I did the Colgate, Skintimate (again!), and Chapstick deals (couldn't find this on 3/29!). I have $6.50 in RRs. Need to check if there is a WAGS near DBF's parents. I already looked up CVS and found one about 30 minutes away from their farm. We will be driving right by it on our way home Sunday so I can get more FREE Softsoap----I love this stuff!

Another great deal was the Pepsi at Target last week. I had just gotten my Pepsi/Frito Lay Qs the day before. I also found the Gillette shampoo/body wash on sale for $2 (I had $2 Qs!). For 5 12packs of Diet Pepsi and 3 of the bodywash I spend a grand total of $6.12!! Plus I got a $5 giftcard to Target! DBF and I saw this kid (12 or 13) loading a cart down with Mountain Dew. It was a funny sight, but I know that if it had been a Coke sale, I would have bought 2 carts worth of Diet Coke!

I got a $15/75 CRT from CVS this week, but I didn't have the right Q from P&G to make it work. If I had Tide/Swifter Qs and could find my Intuition Qs I might have been able to do it.

Oh, I did make a quick $60 the other day! On January 2nd I had to get a script for strep and of course the stupid computers were on the blink so my insurance wouldn't go through. My insurance is throught Wal-Mart and I was filling the script at Wal-Mart-----how hard is that??? Anyway, I paid full price so I could take my meds and go to bed....all $64.xx of it! I never got anything back from it so I went back the the pharmacy and asked. Remember if you don't ask the answer is always NO! That reminds me, I need to check if CVS will take my insurance so I can get some of those $25 gift cards next time I need meds. Too bad I can't get the furbabies meds there----one of them is always needing something!

Well, that's an update of what's going on. I was going to post pictures of my deals, but I'm just too tired! Have a Happy Easter and Happy Passoever!

More Stockpile!

2009-03-22T15:07:00.008-05:00

Several of my fellow hounds from the Grocery Challenge sent me coupons Whiska's cat treats ($1 off 2 packages). The coupons used to be $1 off of one which made them a moneymaker at Wal-Mart since they are $1.07 and I get 11 cents off each due to my discount. I was thankful to get the coupons but wasn't sure I'd find a great sale to use them on. Thanks to someone else's blog, I discovered that Whiska's cat treats were part of Kroger's Mega Deal last week. They were 99 cents each and if you bought 10 you saved $5! With 10 cats to feed I need all the cat food deals I can find! I thought the limit was three deals per customer so I had my accomplice (aka DBF)) take twenty of the treats to pay for them separately. I wnet first and bought 30 treats and 3 of the J&J Buddies. I used 15 $1/2 Whiska Q and $3 off 3 J&J items. My total was $5.90. I thought it was a little high, and discovered that only $10 came off for the Mega Deal instead of %15. The cashier then told me that it was a limit of two mega deals per transaction for that week. OOPS! I didn't read the fine print. Oh well, $5.90 is not bad for 30 bags of treats and 3 Buddies. That was still a savings of 91%! The 20 cat treats that I had DBF purchase came up to only $0.99. The receipt says a saving of 100%!

God Always Provides

2009-03-18T23:54:00.003-05:00

As everyone who reads my blog knows, I had to replace my computer last month. I knew I would be getting another one soon, but just not THAT soon. Well, I told some friends about it in just general conversation. Today a friend surprized me with a financial gift to go towards the computer! It was more than enough. She said that I could use the remainer for anything I needed. I was floored! I thanked her, but told her that she didn't have to do that. She told me that she felt led by the Lord and I should just thank Him.

Considering that I am off two weeks (UNPAID) from school for spring break, this couldn't have came at a better time! Thank GOD!

Lemonaid Award

2009-03-18T22:50:00.005-05:00

I received this award from Together We Save (http://togetherwesave.blogspot.com/). Thanks, I really appreciate it. I am sorry it took me so long to post it.

Here are the rules for this award:

1) Put the logo on your blog or post.
2) Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
3) Link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5) Share the love and link to the person from who you received your award.

So the award goes to ..........

1. Four Hats and Frugal (http://4hatsandfrugal.blogspot.com/)
2. Life is Hard, Just Keep Swimming (http://centralillinoisian.blogspot.com/)
3. Win Your Battle with Finances (http://winyourbattlewithfinances.blogspot.com/)
4. Chi-Annie at The Table (http://chi-annie.blogspot.com/)
5. I Am a Money Magnet! (http://jamieisamoneymagnet.blogspot.com/)
6. Living on the Coast (http://nasagreen.blogspot.com/)
7. Life Happens (http://lifehappens-jennifer.blogspot.com/)
8. Life is Just Getting Started (http://www.nidena.blogspot.com/)
9. Life One Frugal Day at a Time (http://frugaldaybyday.blogspot.com/)
10.Three Times The Fun (http://threexthefun.blogspot.com/)

(Sorry, I can't link them correctly!)

Thanks again for this award.

Ginger's Stockpile

2009-03-05T21:36:00.003-06:00

Ginger doesn't look too happy in the picture, but she LOVES her Purina One canned food. I love getting it for the best price. In February, I got 20 cans of Purina One for FREE....actually with my 10% Wal-Mart discount I made $2.66!
The dry food (68 pounds!) cost $46.00 instead of $60 due to my discount and two
$4 coupons from Purina. Oh, and look at all those Good Bite treats she has! I got 26 coupons off ebay that made them FREE. The Qs cost about $26, but once again I got my discount so the 26 bags only cost about $16 or 64 cents a bag. She should be set for about six months!

What Makes YOU Happy?

2009-02-26T17:27:00.005-06:00

The Happiness Meme
For this meme, you are to list 6 random things that make you happy.
1. Climbing into a warm bed on a cold night and having five of my cats curl up around me.
2. The smell of hyacinths in my backyard---I can't wait!
3. Spending time with my friends.
4. Getting coupons in the mail.
5. Seeing my students at school learning something new.
6. Spending time with DBF doing absolutely anything (even hounding!).

I read about this on someone else's blog (My Freezer is Full) and thought it's a great way to think of the positives in my life. I would tag others to post what makes them happy on their blogs, but I'll just invite everyone to do it.

I Miss the Grocery Challenge Thread!

2009-02-23T15:34:00.002-06:00

I'm at the library so I can read the message board, but for some reason I can't post! I guess I'll have to call my Internet provider and ask why I can't get it at home.

MMTbarbi--- Thanks for the Qs!

Life's Full of Ups and Downs

2009-02-22T18:45:00.008-06:00

Well, I broke down Thursday and bought a new computer. My old one was six years old and had a lot of problems even before it konked out Wednesday. I had an assignment to compelete online and couldn't do it at the local library, work or at DBF's. So I bought a eMachine from Wal-Mart. It wasn't really what I was looking for (I wanted more memory), but it was better than what I had and didn't cost a fortune. Luckily, it was only $298 for the tower (I didn't need a new monitor). My associate discount is 10%. I also bought Ginger 10 more cans of Purina One dog food because I had 10 FREE coupons. After my discount, the dog food and computer were $287.xx! I put it on the credit card, but thankfully I can pay the bill in full (out of the EF) when it ocmes in. I may be able to deduct part of the expense off my taxes next year since I need it for my class.

The computer is working great---except for one thing. I can't get onto the GC board! In fact I can't get into any of the moneycentral sites. I get this message: "An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator." Does anyone have any idea why? Or how to fix it? It worked Thursday night when I first hooked the computer up because I bookmarked it to Google. I'm going through withdrawals!!

Tomorrow will be another expense....the dentist. I finally decided to get my upper left wisdom tooth removed. All my wisdom teeth came in when I was a teenager. This one has been chipping away for several years, but thank God, it doesn't hurt. However, I thought it's best to get rid of it before it starts to hurt. Hopefully, my dentist can remove it and I won't have to go to a dental surgeon. I have no dental insurance and I don't want to spend $1000+ on it.

I still need to post pictures of my Valentine's presents from DBF. Thank God I keep on my pictures on my media card! I accidently gave DBF one extra present---my cold! I've had it for nearly two weeks and he came down with it last week. Well, he can't say that I don't share!

Oh, good news---finally! I will be teaching summer school again! Four weeks of fun with pre-schoolers and I get paid nicely for it. Therefore, I won't have to work full time at Wal-Mart for eight weeks. I might pick up a day or two in July, but I doubt it.

Computer Troubles

2009-02-18T17:33:00.002-06:00

I went to get online after work today and my computer just showed a black screen saying my configuration was missing or currupt. I don't know where my setup CD-ROM is to try to repair it....the computer is 6 years old and I honestly don't remember having it! The last thing I did on it was run my Norton's Anti-Virus! So I'm at the public library trying to do some homework....yuck. I want to be at home. Hopefully, I'll get it fixed soon. DBF's computer is on the blink too. I hate being disconnected from the world!

A Sweet Rescue Story!

2009-02-11T18:04:00.001-06:00

An online friend sent me an email about a Rottweiler who was saved after being hit by a car. The organization that is helping with his care is trying to raise money to give him additional therapy. Even if you can't donate it's a great story if you love dogs.

http://cullensarchangelrescue.chipin.com/hudson

Quotable Wednesday---Love!

2009-02-11T17:22:00.003-06:00

Love

"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

Love is content with the present, it hopes for the future, and it doesn't brood over the past. It's the day-in and day-out chronicle of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories and working toward common goals.

If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things that are missing. If you don't have love in your life, no matter what else there is, it's not enough."

Author Unknown

I found this quote in a newspaper in the 1990's and have carried it in my purse ever since. I put that last part in bold because I feel that it's so very true. DBF has certainly shown me that in the past 7 1/2 months!

Thanks to Amiryah for the idea!

My Stockpile!

2009-02-06T17:35:00.005-06:00

It's not as large or elaborate as some photos I've seen on Hot Coupon World, but it's mine! I've always had an "extra" or a "spare", but I've only started on my stockpile a year ago after joining the Grocery Challenge forum.

Here is my stash of various household cleaning products. There's about 12 small bottles of Dawn, 3 packs of the free toilet bowl scrubbers, plus Pledge and other items. The Arm and Hammer cleaners are on top of the detergent bin.

It's so nice to have a stockpile of Tide! I got each bottle for around $4-$5 at CVS over the past year. Four 50oz bottles may not be much for some, but with only me in the house one bottle will last about 3 months.

Look what I got with the Lysol deal I posted about a couple weeks ago! I now have a total of 30 canisters each containing 35 Lysol disinfecting wipes. Oops, that's not counting the 3 canisters already opened! I use them in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. Thanks to lbmoore and ProudMommy for sending me coupons to help with this! I won't have to buy anymore for years. I'll probably donate some to the school I work at also.

See what a .50 Cottonelle + Kroger equals? I have 13 four packs of Cottonelle single rolls pictured. Plus I had just opened a new pack to put in the bathroom. I even gave three or four packages away at Christmas is giftbaskets for my two brothers.

My stockpile is not very organized right now. DBF told me he thinks he'll end up having to build some shelves in my basement to hold it all. Sounds like a plan to me!

Bird Watching

2009-02-01T06:50:00.003-06:00

No phone, no cable, no internet---what's a girl to do? Birdwatch and take pictures! I ended up take about 80 pictures over the past week. The tree limbs looked so pretty covered in ice---they looked like glass.

A Winter Wonderland

2009-01-31T23:09:00.007-06:00

When I went to bed at nearly 4 am Tuesday morning, I knew that I would wake up to snow. However, I wasn't expecting a blizzard like this!

Thank God that no limbs hit my car or my house! It was a close call for the car.

This is my neighbors house just a few minutes before another tree limb fell---into the highway and my phone line! I was outside the night before when the limb fell over the fence.

In these next two pictures, you can see the HUGE limb that fell in her yard! I'm glad nothing hit her house.

This was the view down my street!

Apparently, snow brings out the child in all of us! Here's my 10 year old Chow mix, Ginger. She has arthritis in both front legs---she takes meds for it. But to see her in the snow you'd think she was a three year old without any problems!

I had no home phone/Internet until yesterday. My cell phone only works when I'm outside by the fence-line and I'm still without cable. I have been bored out of my mind! I even re-organized my stockpile and cleaned the house! However, I'm one of the lucky ones. My DBF still has no power, and probably won't have any until Thursday. This is third time in a year that he's lost power for days at a time. My sister didn't have power Wednesday when I talked to her. Thank God, I only lost power for a few hours!

Lysol Deal

2009-01-27T13:02:00.002-06:00

Saturday I was at my cashier job at Wal-Mart. I had a customer buy 35 ct. Lysol disinfecting wipes for $2.00. That's 50 cents off the regular price. At lunch I went to my car to get my Qs.

4 containers of 35 = $8.00
minus 10% discount = $7.20
minus 4 $1 Qs = $3.20 plus 75 tax for 140 wipes.

A good deal huh? Well, that's what I thought until I was getting ready to leave after my shift. THEN I see double packs for $2! Yes, 70 instead of 35. So the next day I take the 35ct. back and exchange them. I got 280 disinfecting wipes for about $3.70 including tax! That's about 1.3 cents a wipe! They are great for cleaning up after the pets and just cleaning counters and kitchen table.

Great Deals This Month!

2009-01-27T10:26:00.004-06:00

I love Kroger! I wish there was one by me again like there was when I was little. However, there is one about 6 miles from DBF's so the past couple dates include a trip to Kroger!

On the 18th, I got 44 items for an OOP = $37.52! My receipt says I saved $28.70 with manufacture's coupons, but that includes $15 off from the Mega Deal. Bonus coupons were $5.77. Kroger Plus savings were $24.80 for a total savings of $59.27
(62%)!
Here's what I got:

4 pk of Reduced fat Kraft cheese
2 64oz. Tropicana OJ
8 cans Campbell Chunky soup
16 cans of Purina One can dog food (reg. price for all $23.20!)
3 4pks of Cottonelle
1 25oz. Palmolive
1 kroger English muffins
3 boxes Nature Valley granola bars
2 small boxes Kleenex
3 boxes Quaker oatmeal
1 medium size Downy

I had a coupon for everything except the 16 cans of Purina One and the English muffins.

Then I went back on Friday and saved another 70%!

6 Green Giant Steamers (50 cent Q for each)
2 Kraft cheese (75 cent Q for each)
1 Quaker oatmeal ($1 Q)
11 cans Purina One
5 can Campbell Chunky soup
____________________________
MFG Q = $15.50 (including $10 Mega deal savings)
Bonus Q = $3.00
Kroger Plus savings = $16.61
Total savings (70%) = $35.11
Total OOP = $15.62 that's cheaper than the regular price for the 11 cans of dog food!

My annual savings at Kroger's is already $98.69!

Goals for 2009

2009-01-21T23:35:00.004-06:00

I know it's a little late for New Year Resolutions, but those are often broken by this time....so I'm having goals instead.

1. My first goal is to lose 46 poounds. I figured that there's about 48 weeks left so it's less than a pound a week---very achievable! I will do this by counting calories and exercizing more.

2. Pay off my student loan---it's down to less than $450! That's less than $41.00 per month and I normally pay $50. However, my paychecks at pre-school will be short in March and April due to school holidays. I have no credit card debt so this is my only thing to pay off.

3. Take 6 hours of Graduate courses to keep my KY teaching certification. I'm currently taking 3 hours and will take three more in the summer.

4. Clean out/organize my house. I just put 4 boxes of items to donate in my car this morning. I still have a bunch of stuff to go through, but will just take it a little at a time. I also need to set up one place for my stockpile. Right now I have things in about 4 different places!

5. Maintain my EF. I currently have enough to pay approximately 3 to 4 months of expenses. With the economy the way it is and my crazy pay schedule at school (my primary job), I don't expect to add much to it----I just don't want to have to dip into it.

6. Read my Bible more.

7. My last goal is the fun one---spend quality time with DBF whenever possible!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T20:45:00.002-06:00

I think this will be a GREAT year!

This is me and DBF on New Year's Eve. Isn't he adorable? :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

2008-12-22T07:44:00.005-06:00

I celebrated Christmas with my family and DBF last night.

Here's a picture of DBF and me from last night. It's not a GREAT picture, but it's our first picture together.

I will post better ones when we get back from his parents next week!

My presents from CVS hounding went over well. My older nieces liked their (FREE!) bags of make-up and Bic Soliel razors. My SIL loved the basket of (nearly FREE!) HBA and cleaning supp;ies. Too bad I forgot to take pictures of them! She, DB2, and their younget 5 kids just moved into a different house so it turned out to be a great gift. DB2 didn't seem too crazy about it, but he never does. DB1 appreciate his basket of supplies though. He's on a fixed income so it will be very helpful to him. I will have to make that a yearly gift and just vary the container that I put it in. Maybe next year it can be in a Rubbermaid tote or something. I've already got two toothpastes to start my new "gift stockpile" My sister got a weather alert radio from me. DBF and I will exchange gifts at his parents' farm on Christmas day.

December Update

2008-12-12T17:15:00.007-06:00

I haven't been keeping up with this page or the Grocery Challenge forum like I used to. I've really not been on the Internet much in the past couple weeks. I've done some GREAT deals at CVS since Thanksgiving. I had 60 ECBs when I went to CVS on Thanksgiving. I used 50 and $1.48 OOP and got 67 ECBs in return! I used a handful of coupons and walked out with two bags of things. The next morning I went back for another Schick razor and the TV remotes---- I used some ECBS, $0.56 OOP and got at least 20 ECBS back. I still have nearly 30 to use for the great sale that starts 12/21.

Is it bad that I'm going to delay my family Christmas get-together by a couple hours so I can do a CVS run after church? I'll be with DBF's family on Christmas day, so my family's celebrating on Sunday.

Okay, I have to brag on DBF. Last Sunday, not only did he fix my heater in my car, he also fixed me dinner! Isn't that sweet? He's still buying me Christmas presents too, even though he said he already has 5 or 6 for me. I'm excited about spending Christmas with his family. This will be the first time I'm met his sister and 20 month old niece.

Not much else going on. One more week until school's out for 2 weeks!!

Top 5 Things I'm Thankful for This Thanksgiving...

2008-11-19T18:30:00.003-06:00

5. I had my mom in my life for 33 years.
4. I have many loving and caring friends (this includes online friends, too!)
3. I have two jobs when so many people have none.
2. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, died for my sins.

and.......the top thing I'm thankful for this year...........

DRUM ROLL, please!

1. The man pictured below (who know very little about me at the time) had the courage to ask me out four and a half months ago.

I truly believe that he is a gift from God when I needed him the most. I could not ask for a better guy. He'z everything I've been waiting for. He thinks I'm beautiful even on my worst days (I think he needs his eyes checked---LOL) and he always treats me like a princess. Every woman should be so lucky!

So what are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving?

My Mom

2008-11-18T20:45:00.004-06:00

You have been in Heaven for 4 months as of today. I miss you very much and I think of you every day. I'm so thankful to have been with you these last years. I got to know you as an adult, we got to be friends instead of only mother and daughter. I know that you are happy, healthy, pain-free and with Daddy in Heaven today. Tomorrow will be you first birthday in Heaven. I'm sure it will be the best birthday you've ever had! Happy Birthday, I love and miss you.

A Hound in Training

2008-11-04T18:41:00.003-06:00

A life long friend of mine, Lula, asked me to help her learn how to get her grocery costs down. Her husband, an iron worker, is out of work so she is currently working two jobs....as a school custodian and a school bus driver. They have 3 kids so she needs to stretch her paychecks as far as possible. She lives about an hour away from me and with our busy schedules we don't get to visit often. So DBF and I went to visit Lula and her family a week ago this past Sunday.

The first thing I did when she asked for my help was print a copy of Jennysmom's grocery tips for her. Next I got all of my coupon inserts gathered up to share with her. There were many that she could use! I asked her to make a list of what products she used the most so I could put out hound alerts for her or find the coupons myself in future inserts. I gave her the websites for Taylor Town, HCW, and the GC message board. I also told her to get a Extra Care Card since she hss a CVS nearby. Another tip was to buy at least one newspaper each week and use comparison ads whenever possible. She doesn't have a Kroger nearby and Target is too far away, but Wal-Mart is close so she can take the ad there and get a better price.

Lula was happy and excited to find out how to save some money. I showed her and my husband some of my receipts of my hounding trips. They were impressed at how much I saved. DBF even bragged about me! :) I haven't spoke with her yet to find out if my tips have helped, but I imagine they have. She may even make an appearance on the GC board soon!

2008-10-24T19:31:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged by Lisa at Living Easy to do a Quirkiness MeMe.

The rules are: 1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have. 4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. 5. Leave a comment on each taggee's blog to let them know they've been tagged.

My Unspectacular Quirks:
1. My car is an automatic, but I still use both feet! (My dad did too).
2. I almost always have to fall asleep with the TV on.
3. Diet Coke has to be my first drink of the day.
4. I can't take liquid medicine, I don't want to have to taste it!
5. I won't drink milk past the expiration date---even one day. I've had it go bad and still smell okay and it takes forever to get the taste out of my mouth---I don't want to do that again.
6. When given a choice between sitting on the right or left side of a church or movie theater, I choose the right. I feel very ODD sitting on the left side. If I HAD to, I would sit as far to the right as possible. During college there was only one year when I DIDN'T have the the bed on the right side of the dorm room. When my bed was on the left side, it bugged me the entire year! I was on the wrong side of the room!

I am tagging:

1. Dhunny @ http://4hatsandfrugal.blogspot.com/
2. AJ @ http://coupongirlaj.blogspot.com/
3. Nidena @ http://www.nidena.blogspot.com/
4. Loosing Battle @ http://winyourbattlewithfinances.blogspot.com/
5. Nasagreen @ http://nasagreen.blogspot.com/
6. Pubbler @ http://lovesavingwithcoupons.blogspot.com/

Pet Food Stockpile

2008-10-23T17:27:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies at The Grocery Challenge, I have SUPER stockpile for my furbabies. As of yesterday afternoon, the kitties (8 of them) had 170 5.5 ounce cans of Friskies. They also have about 50 bags of FREE cat treats! I just got 11 more with $1.00 Qs from CarolinaKid. The Whiska Lickins is $1.07 at Wal-Mart - my 10% discount = $0.96 - $1.00 Q = $0.04 overage! Alpha_yankee just sent more! My kitties appreciate it! Ginger (my Chow mix) has about fifty cans of dog food thanks to all the BOGO Butcher Select Pedigree canned Qs that everyone sent. I will post pictures of the stockpile soon.

One Opinion about Barrack Obama

2008-10-23T17:17:00.003-05:00

I will start this by saying that I am not very polical. I am not Democrat or Rebuplican....I vote for theperson not the party. I received the email that's posted below and just wanted to let others see it and make their own choice. I may not be polical, but I am Christian. I do not feel that God wants me to vote for someone who is in favor of such things.

Subject: Why not to vote for Obama

THIS IS SIMPLE + STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

This article is from Huntley Brown - he is a fabulous concert pianist, man of God and is a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama.

Why I Can't Vote For Obama
By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked f or my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating....

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads, I follow. I can't dictate the terms, He does because He is the leader.

I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning - to name a few, then wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, 'don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.' I don't know Obama, so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008)

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted 'No' on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

There is a reason he voted 'No' on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted 'No' on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps.
(Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are< /SPAN>
then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's
brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then
removed.

God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.

Think about this: You can' not give a child an aspirin without parental notification but that same child can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason Obama went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years.

Obama tells us he has good judgment, but he sat under Jeremiah Wright's teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now?

Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc.

The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available
to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for
Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the
White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a20church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside.

This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discover he'd been going to a racist church. The TRUE church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world.

A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandates. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church based on racial values, it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book 'the goals of the black community'. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.

Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 'Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.'

Then God says

1 Samuel 1:18 ' When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'

Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic

He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father, based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends.

Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation?

2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings,
Huntley Brown

My Weekend......Part 3: Horseback Riding and Dinner w/ His Parents

2008-10-03T15:40:00.004-05:00

Later that day, after my first 4 wheeler ride, we went down to ride the horses. I've only been on a horse once in my life (that I remember anyway) and that was 30 years ago! First, DBF's mom sprayed them for flies and got them saddled up. I helped get the big horse, Charlie, away because he kept getting in the way when she was spraying Sable. I didn't think twice about it, I just grabbed the bridal and led him away from Sable-----DBF later told me that he was impressed with how I just jumped right in with the horses. DBF amd his mom were the first ones on the horses. I tried to get on Sable, but chickened out. The steps they used to get up on the horse kept wobbling and I was still too short to get my leg up over the saddle! I had barely recovered from the 4 wheeler ride so I wasn't ready for horseback riding right then. DBF rode his dad's big walker, Charlie who barely moves away from his owner. I told them that he wants to be a lap dog! DBF's mom rode Sable, who has a foot or leg ailment similar to arthritis so she can't be ridden very much. DBF and his mom rode for awhile. THen I tried to get on Sable again. DBF had the idea for me to stand on the trailer behind the tractor so I'd be high enough to get my leg over the back of the saddle. That worked I was on the horse! However, I've VERY afraid of heights! And she kept moving! I don't think the stirrups were shortened (or could be shortened enough for my legs. I kept feeling like I was going to fall off. I had already her about DBF's sister having a panic attack a few weeks earlier when she tried to ride Charlie and I didn't want to have my own panic attack so I decided that sitting on Sable was enough for that day. I certainly didn't want them to take pictures of my having a panic attack--like they did her! I had DBF take a picture of my sitting on the horse then he had to help me down. So DBF's dad and I stood by the fence and talked while DBF and his mom rode some more. What did we talk about? To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure....the horses, the farm, just life in general. DBF was impressed by that t0o, that I wasn't nervous spending time with his parents without him right there. I ended up taking about 98 pictures that afternoon of the horse riding, the goats, the neighbors 2 horses and the chickens. I will try to post a pick of DBF riding Charlie if it will load.

Saturday night DBF's parents treated us to dinner out. We had dinner at a great BBQ place about thirty miles from their farm. Poor DBF ate so many ribs that he nearly made himself sick! I had delicious pulled pork. Except for the loud teens at the table behind us, it was a very nice night. Back at the farm, we all sat up until after midnight talking. I found out that DBF and his family used to live next door to my high school math teacher! How weird is that?! What a small world! This was thirty miles away from my hometown, not in this little town of 1,000. DBF and his mom told me about a side of my teacher that I never knew. Apparently her kids were little terrors and she was a frazzled mom!

On Sunday, I went to a big flea market with DBF and his mom. It was fun just walking around with them and looking at what people were selling. I didn't get much just a Coca-Cola tray and a couple pages for my scrapbooking.

By Sunday evening it was time to go, but neither of us were ready to leave. It was so much fun---busy, but relaxing at the same time. I felt so comfortable there, more comfortable than with some of my own family! As we were getting into the car, I hugged both of his parents (I shook their hands when I met them). DBF's dad told me that I was welcome back anytime! Once we left, DBF told me that his dad doesn't say that to many people and that his parents really liked me. I told him that I liked them too.

I've already asked for the Saturday after Christmas off so I can spend Christmas with DBF and his family. My family doesn't do much at Christmas, so we'll probably celebrate the Sunday before. I've already bought DBF's Christmas presents and just ordered two books for his 1 1/2 year old niece's present! I feel like I've already gotten my Christmas present early. :)

My Weekend.....Part 2: The 4-wheeler ride!

2008-09-24T16:16:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning I sat in the kitchen (in my PJs no less!) talking with DBF's parents for about 45 minutes before he finally got up. His parents and I just talked about everyday things....my job, their farm, my pets, their animals, etc. I showed them pictures of my pets and my house that were on my camera. There was no awkardness at all. DBF got up after his dog started whining in her crate to go outside. Then we all sat and chatted. Family friends came over to visit and I got to hear stories about DBF hunting as well as just more chatting. Later DBF's aunt and uncle came over, we talked for awhile and DBF suggested that he and I go out on the four-wheeler.

Now I must admit that I've NEVER been on a four-wheeler in my life. DBF has scared me half to death in his Celica so I wasn't sure about riding on the back of his 4 wheeler. DBF knew this and told me that he'd be careful and not go very fast. I felt very uneasy at first because I kept feeling like I was going to fall off and he kept reassuring me that I wouldn't. My feet barely touched the footrests! The first thing we had to do was get down his parents' gravel driveway......I hung onto DBF for dear life! LOL DBF turned and said "now I know you really don't like going on rides"....(I'd told him I don't like roller coasters and rides like that). He kept the speed around 10-12 MPH (I kept peeking over his shoulder). Another scary part were curves....once I thought we were going to go left and we went right, and I thought I was going to fall off because I leaned the wrong way. Then I discovered what's worse than going downhill......going UP hill! I thought I was going to fall off the back! Most of the time, I had my face buried in his back with my arms wrapped so tight around him I nearly lost circulation just praying that I could stay on the ATV.

So he takes me to see an old cemetary on his parents' property and his aunt and uncle's place up the mountain above his folks. Yeah, mountain! It seemed like no matter how high you went, there was always someplace higher. Next, he asks if I'm alright if we go on the paved roads because there's a log cabin he wants to show me. I agreed. Then he tells me that he knows that the ATV will go 60 MPH! I tell him "not with ME on it!". He laughed and said he wouldn't. So we're on the road and there's not much of a shoulder and a embankment of trees to the right. I'm leaning towards oncoming traffic (not much traffic) because I feel like I'm going to fall down the hill of trees. He finally realized that we're too close to the edge. He starts talking to me more so I relax more. The cabin was BEAUTIFUL! Wrap around porch, isolated but not really far from the main road. He said that it was about $200,000 for the land and cabin.....some doctor from out of state owns it. Nearby was a old stone fireplace and an old outhouse. I wish I'd taken my camera, but I was more worried about just getting back in one piece...not getting picture! On the ride back, we talked the whole time so it went quick and I wasn't so nervous. His dad joked later that when we left we were going so slow that he thought we were on a lawnmower! LOL (Little does he know that riding lawn mowers scare me even more than ATVs!)

Next post(s) will be about the horses, dinner w/ the parents and the last day. And if my computer will co-operate a picure of DBF!

My Weekend at the Farm....

2008-09-24T06:10:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, DBF and I went to his parents' farm about an hour or so from Lexington, KY. I had been looking forward to it, but of course I was nervous. This was my first time meeting his family. Once we got there, however, the nervousness went away quickly.

When we arrived, his mom came out to greet us. Then it was feeding time for the animals. DBF and I went down to the pasture with her to get the horses (Charlie, Baby and Sable) to the barn. She showed me how to keep from getting stepped on and asked me if I was okay around horses. I've been around horses just a little, but I had no fear of being around them. She also showed us was had been added to the barn. Next, it was time to feed the goats. They have a lot of baby goats, but I'm not sure how many. It was fun watching them play with one another. After the goats, we went to see the 40 chickens that were just little chicks in July.

After all the animals were fed, it was time for us to eat. DBF always brings Chinese food from the town were his parents used to live. He says they can't find good Chinese food in the small town where they now live. His dad teased me a little about being from Indiana, but DBF had warned me that he would. DBF said if his dad doesn't tease you, then he doesn't like you. We spent the rest of the evening talking.

The next morning, I got up at around 9 am. DBF had not come out of his room yet, but I could hear his parents talking in the kitchen. I went out to join them.......more about his parents, four-wheeling, horse back riding and a picture of the wonderful DBF in my next post!

To be continued......................

Speaking of LOVE..............

2008-09-08T20:27:00.004-05:00

Love was the topic of conversation last night between DBF and me! The stinker waited until I said it first, but I had a feeling he felt the same as I did. We both wanted to say it before he left for Labor Day weekend at his parents 4 hours away, but we were both afraid to freak out the other one. I'd been feeling it for a week or two, but what really made me realize it was him going away for the weekend. He'd told me before that when he goes to his parents, he likes to "draft" behind semis to save gas. Of course, being a worry-wart like I am, all I can think of is DBF doing that and the sami making a quick stop and turning his Celica into a convertible. I told him that much, but didn't come right out and tell him I loved him. He told me that he loved spending time with me, but not he loved me.

Knowing that he's been divorced and feels like he failed at marriage, I was afraid I would scare him away by making him feel I was pushing for a commitment or it would be too soon for him. On Friday night, however, we had a important talk about some other things so I know that things were getting serious between us. Plus, he's already invited me to his parents farm in a couple weeks to meet them. Last night, I just couldn't wait any longer! It drove me nuts to talk to him every night that I didn't see him and not tell him "I love you" at the end of the phone call. So I just did it.

I've never felt so comfortable with anyone in my life! I've only been dating him for six weeks and I've only known him for ten weeks, but it feels like I've known him for years. I only wish Mom could have met him.....but at least she knew about him.

I love FREE!

2008-09-08T18:33:00.003-05:00

In these days of rising prices, it's great to find a good price on anything. However, my favorite price of all is FREE! Before going onto the the MSN money messageboard (specifically the Grocery Challenge thread), I rarely if EVER got anything free. Now, however, that is changing. In the past week I have gotten at least 8 items for free! I actually MADE 50 cents on each of the Colgate toothpaste by using a $1.50 coupon and getting $2.00 ECBS back.

Here's how I got so much for FREE!

Loreal facial cleanser 5.99 at CVS - $1.00 Q = $4.99 and got 5.99 ECBs back
Dawn HandRenewal on hidden sale at CVS (thanks to GC for telling me!) 99 cents - $1.00 Q
Colgate Toothpaste 2 at $2.99 at CVS - $1.50 Q each = $1.49 and get 2.00 ECBs
Cover Girl lipstick on BOGO sale at CVS AND I had a BOGO Q so I got $19.98 for FREE!
Cottonelle TP 4 single roll pack (2 packs) 99 cents each at Kroger - 2 50 cents Qs that double = FREE!

Most of this will be for my personal use (stockpile), but the toothpaste and toilet paper will be used for HBA Christmas baskets for friends and family.

School's Back in Session!

2008-09-05T00:49:00.005-05:00

In my town, school started on August 4th. I'm a Pre-K assistant for the third year and I believe this is going to be the hardest year yet. For starters, there are only two assistants instead of three. One quit in May to get a job with benefits and she's not going to be replaced. Secondly, out of the 26 students about 16 of them are new to the class. The kids that were with us last year are not strong role models so they can't show the new kids what to do. And finally, we have three boys and one little girl that are physically agressive. The boys are insubordinate as well. We can tell them to stop doing something and they'll look at us and do it anyway! The three of them together just egg each other on to do more mischief.

We've had to completely redo how we do the "centers". We can't do whole-class activities because the kids get out of control. Art, music, Spanish and PE (all of which we assistants are in charge of) are crazy and out of control because the kids just won't listen. After 3 weeks of school, we are finally able to get half of them to line up quietly.....last year that only took a week!

I think all three boys are going to be referred for behavioral problems. Hopefully, the behavior specialist can give us some strategies to help us. It's going to be a LLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG year!

It's Been A Good Week!

2008-08-19T19:20:00.002-05:00

I've had lots of wonderful things happen in the past week.

1. I got a beautiful rose from my DBF on Friday.
2. I've seen DBF on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday! We live about 20 miles from each other so it does take some work to get together....not to mention money for gas.
3. DBF has agreed to go to church with me on Sunday. All my friends at church are dying to meet him. He's Catholic and I'm Baptist so I'm especially glad he's willing to go at least once. He's had some bad experieces with other churches----snake handling and speaking in tongues!
4. I got hired to tutor a second grade student in reading for an hour twice a week. It will mean an extra $40 a week!
5. Today I got a letter and two pictures from my nephew who's in prison. This is the first time he's contacted this (his dad's) side of the family in the year since he's been in prison.

Kroger Deal This Week

2008-08-14T23:45:00.005-05:00

I went to Krogers this week to stock up on Lean Cuisines. I eat them for lunch several times a week and Wal-Mart currently wants $2.88 for each. The Kroger's deal is: buy $20 in Nestle product, get $5 off---and you can do that 3 times in one transaction.

My trip:

16 Lean Cuisine items @ $2.00 each = $32.00
1 Edy's slow churned ice cream = $ 3.34
2 Cottonelle 4 pk TP @ $0.99 each = $ 1.98
4 Purina One can dog food @ $1.25ea= $ 5.00
1 banana (0.51 lbs @ 0.46lb) = $ 0.23
___________________________________________
$41.55

Minus:
$5.00 Nestle Offer X 2 -$10.00
$0.25 Cottonelle Q X 2 -$ 0.50
Bonus coupon X 2 -$ 0.50
Lean Cuisine Q -$ 1.50
Free Purina One Q X 4 -$ 5.00
Used 3 reuable bags -$ 0.12
____________________________________________
Saved: $17.62

Total saved w/ Q, promotion and sales prices: $31.04 or 60%
Total OOP = $25.32!

That is less than I would have paid for 9 Lean Cuisines at regular price!
The Purina One and Edy's ice cream finished up the second $20 Nestle deal. I had just gotten Q's for free Purina One canned dog food, so I saved $5.00 AND got $5.00 taken off my bill because I bought them! How cool is that?

God's Plans Are Perfect!

2008-08-03T22:58:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been one week tonight since my first date with Vince. I've already posted about our imprompto dinner Monday night. I was passing through his small town (about 20 miles from my town) on Thursday and surprised him with a visit. Then he came to my house for dinner and a tour of my little town last night. Tonight, he invited me to his place for dinner! On Wednesday and Friday, we were on the phone together for 2-3 hours each night. Needless to say, we've hit it off!

I asked him last night when he first noticed me. He said it was one morning when I brought my car in to the closest shop. At the time he was a "floater" going back and forth whereever he was needed. I told him that it must have been in October when I brought my car in to have the radiator replaced. I just vaguely remember him there----mostly I remember hearing the name Vince, not seeing him.

It stills amazes both of us how we ended up dating. There were so many factors that came into play.

1. After a year + of knowing the carburator was bad, I finally decided to fix it.
2. Owners of my regular repair shop divorced and my mechanics went to KY with the ex-husband.
3. New mechanics at my regular shop messed my car up. (Vince told me I should thank them!)LOL
4. My mom got out of the hospital on a Thursday. If she'd still been in the hospital on Friday, I wouldn't have taken the car in until Monday and Vince's last day at that shop was Friday.

When all that finally happens and Vince asked me out, it was almost 3 weeks to the day before Mom died. I feel that God was giving me something to look forward to. I can't imagine how empty my life would be after Mom's death if I hadn't met Vince when I did. I miss my mom every single day, but I know that she's no longer in pain. I got to spend time with her during her last days on Earth. Now, I can spend as much time as I want with Vince without any guilt about leaving her alone or worry about how she is doing.

Well Worth the Wait!

2008-07-29T12:34:00.003-05:00

My date finally happened on Sunday. We spent the whole afternoon and evening together. We had a late lunch at Texas Roadhouse, walked around the mall, stopped at Home Depot so I could look at new doors for two closets (he was shocked that I WANTED to go there) then we went to see "Hancock". After the movie, we stopped by Target so I could pick something up. Then he suggested going to a park by the river to take a walk. We ended up watching the sun set. Once the bugs started to bite, Vince asked if there was anywhere else I'd like to go. I said he'd seen where I lived, but I didn't know where he lived. We went to his house where I made fast friends with his cat, Skunk. Yes, his cat's name is SKUNK! Vince said that as a kitten he had a white stripe down his back.

It was a very nice day. He was a perfect gentleman.....opening doors and paying for everything and he even brought me a rose.

Our second date occurred yesterday. I was out getting the great deal I already posted about when he called. He told me that he enjoyed our date, but there's something he needed to tell me and he didn't want to tell me over the phone so he wanted to come over after work. I agree.

For the next five hours, I wonder what could be so bad, is he......married, just out of prison, wanted by the law for murder, dying of a horrible illness, a former female? All these thoughts tumble around in my mind until he arrives. Once he tells me his secret, I practiccally sigh with relief. I tell him it's not a big deal to me, both my BFFs have done it and my oldest brother has done it 3 times. My other brother should do it. Vince said but he'd tried to make it work, but she wouldn't try. He said that being Catholic it was considered a sin, but at Christmas even his dad told him that he should file for divorce. They'd been married over 4 years, but having trouble for the last year and a half of it. The way he talked, he really feels like he failed. He told me that a lot of people don't know about it. He was nervous about telling me because other women have ran when he told them. Me? LOL I ended up asking him to stay for supper!