Magicloths

Today I went to Mervyns to get baby D some new kicks. While I was there I heard an announcement, "head on over to the counter next to the jewelry for some limited time freebies!!" Of course since I love freebies I was right there, hehe. (What a nerd.) So the lady gets started and has all of us there (about 20 or so...I was right in the front, hahaha) gather around her demo table and informs us that we will get these little items for free and anyone who gets one can use it at the end to get more freebies...blah blah blah. So lucky for me I answered some random question correctly so I got two of the freebies:

I was thinking "sweet maybe I will get two of the 'other' freebies at the end" - hehe.

So she went through her whole demo telling us that the samples we received can be used for so many things...I think she mentioned cleaning sunglasses, wiping down your car interior and stuff like that. Then she whips out the normal size of the cloth and goes to town demo-ing. (Is that a word?)

I have to admit that I was pretty impressed with what she did. You can dry cars, clean spills in the carpet, dry your hair/body, clean...etc with it. She did the carpet demo and I was like "WHOA!" She took a piece of carpet and spilled diet coke all over it til it was drenched. Then all she did was lay the cloth over the top of it for a minute or so and then rung it out in a pie dish and almost all of the coke rung out of it! Then she layed the cloth back on the carpet and applied pressure and was able to get the rest of the coke out of the carpet! I even felt it after and it was pretty much dry, like it never happened....The thing is so absorbant that you can put it in a pie dish of water and it will just soak it all up. Then you can lift it up and no water drips from it. Niiiicccee.. I really wanted to take it from her and use it to dry my truck off, if I ever washed it...I should go do that.

So after a few other demos and talking (a lot) she gets to the end about the freebies. At this point I had heard Deacon crying (good thing my mama and sister were with me, hehe) and I was getting a bit anxious. Turns out the whole deal was that if you bought a 2 pack of the cloths that sell for $21.99 she was going to throw in another pack for free, AND a mop. So those were the freebies I waited for, I actually had to buy something to get my
'other' freebies... psh! I do remember seeing the mops on tv before and I always thought they looked pretty cool, (again, what a nerd.)

So I waited all of that time (5+ minutes, hehe) for that? It was a good deal and if I had the extra $22 bucks I may have just went ahead and got it. I was amazed that almost everyone in the little group I was in purchased it!? I was suprised, I thought everyone would just walk away like me. I guess the girl was good at her job. I peaced out and went to tend to my baby and told my mom about it as we watched everyone walk away with there magic towels and mops.

I have to admit that I kind of want one now.

Click here if you are bored and want to see pretty much the same demo that I saw today.

**I am not trying to sell this product or anything, i'm not working for the magicloth maker people. I just wanted to share my little experience of the day! - Has anyone tried these?**

I guess I will go use my mini magicloths to go dry something now....

Menu Plan Monday - July 14th

Ever since Malachi and I were married I have been doing menu planning....well I guess I actually started my own personal menu plan back when I was living alone as well. Menu planning is such a great way to keep yourself organized and less stressed out during the week. It is nice to have a variety of different meals to choose from and not have to make so many trips to the store. It also helps to keep your meals within a budget and we all know that is important!

I try to base my menu off of what is on sale and what I already have on hand. I usually open up my cookbooks, or browse around online on Sunday or Monday with the grocery ads for the week in hand. First I try to find meals with ingredients that I already have. Then I see which meats/produce are on sale and build the rest of the menu from that. I also like to try and get a variety of different meats and produce for throughout the week with at least one meatless meal. (Usually not Malachi's favorite, hehe.) When I have decided on the meals for the week I bookmark any recipes I find online and organize them into a folder. For recipes I find in a cookbook/magazine I just bookmark the page and also write the page number down on my list of meals for the week.

I make my grocery list and break it down into categories that follow the layout of the store I am going to like dairy, meat, bread, produce, canned/bulk..etc. That way my list is organized and easy to follow when I am in the store. I also go through my coupon binder and pull any coupons that I have for items on my list and put them in the front of my binder for easy access.

Shopping off of a list helps me a lot. I really try to focus on what I already have on the list so that I do not buy things that I do not need, that is unless I find some sweet sale that I can't pass up and have coupons to go along with it. Of course I always make sure not to go over budget, hehe. *wink* Seriously though...I set an amount and try my hardest not to go over that amount. I feel really happy with myself when I get everything I need for less then my set amount. I usually skip out of the store with a big ol' grin when that happens, j/k.

Some weeks I seriously have know idea what I want to make. I don't like those weeks. A couple of months back I found orgjunkie. I wasn't even looking for menu planning ideas, I think I had googled something about organizing closests or something, but I was happy with what I found. Every Monday she hosts 'Menu Plan Monday'. I have been able to find some great menu ideas from everyone who posts there weekly menu plans there. It is very helpful, especially when you have the 'I don't know what to make this week' problem.

I decided that it was kind of rude of me to find such great ideas from other people and not post anything myself. So I am going to start sharing our weekly menu's here and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Share your menu too, maybe we can get some ideas from each other!



Here is what we will be feasting on this week:
*I don't assign meals to certain days. I like to keep it flexible. You just never know what mood your are gonna be in from day to day. ;)

Breakfast:

• Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
• Oatmeal and Whole Wheat Toast
• Yogurt and Granola w/ Blueberries
  
• Cereal
• Eggs and Toast
• Smoothies
  

Lunch:
***Lunch is usually leftovers around here. If there aren't any leftovers we usually just have sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, soups or salads...

Dinner:

• Citrus Fish with Bell Pepper Couscous with steamed zucchini and squash.

• Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas w/fresh pineapple on the side.

• BBQ Beef Sandwiches and Pasta salad. (Fix it & Forget It cookbook)
  

• 5 Minute Southwest Salad w/whole wheat bread on the side.

• Ravioli Pasta Bake w/ tossed salad and whole wheat bread.

• Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ steamed red potatoes and celery sticks. (Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook)
  

• Honey Mustard Pasta w/fresh fruit and a tossed salad.

I had a few ideas but thanks to orgjunkie I was able to quickly find some other recipes to help me fill in the rest of the week. I thought the Honey Mustard Pasta, and the 5 Minute Southwest Salad sounded good and I got the recipe links from her!

For more menu ideas head on over to orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

CVS week of 7/6

This week I really wanted to get in on the Olay deal. I have been wanting to get some of their products for awhile but of course didn't want to have to pay much for them! - te he he. The last time I scored a deal on facial products was with Garnier prodcuts quite awhile back. I'm not a fan of their stuff. It works nice, but I guess its mainly the smell that gets to me...

Anyway, I went in with a different plan in mind, but I still walked out happy.

*Olay facial cleanser
*Olay detoxifying pore scrub
*Olay micro derm cleansing cloths
*(2) Pert Plus (hey they were only $.50 ea. after coupon)

-$3 Olay coupon (x's 3/from 6/22 SS)
-$2 Pert Plus (x's 2)
-$3 CRT for face product

Total after coupons: $10.97
ECB's used: $10.00
OOP: $.97 + tax (on a gift card)
Earned: $10.00 ECB's



Want to see more CVS savings? Visit the "Cents"ible Sawyer's CVS Superstars! And Money Saving Mom's Super Savings!

Need a photo book?

Head on down to CVS starting next week *7/13 - 7/19* when they are FREE After ECB's!

• 4 X 6 10 Page hardcover photo books ($3.99), Free after extra bucks, LIMIT 1

• 6 x 8 10 Page hardcover photo books ($7.99), Free after extra bucks, LIMIT 2

::The 6x8 books will be better than free if you have the kodak coupon for $3 off an instant photobook. These are what I plan to get. **(The Kodak Photo Book coupons were found in the 5/04 and 6/08 SS Insert)**

::Also make sure to check the photo center for any other coupons they may have. I know there are some '$3 off 6x8 photo book CVS store coupons' out there so I will be looking for those as well.

Just bring in your pics on any media CD-R, USB Stick, SD Card or any other memory card with the pictures you want and insert it into the Kodak picture machine in the photo center. Then select the background you want for the pages, select your pictures, and then it auto arranges them on the pages for you. You can then go back and make pictures bigger or smaller, or rearrange them if you want. From what I have read it is pretty easy to do and only takes a few minutes to complete.

It will be nice to get some pictures printed out. I have SO MANY and they are all on the computer or on CD's! I am due for some photo books!

Teething Cookies for Baby

Deacon has been chewing on everything he can get his hands on right now. Poor little guy, his molars are on their way in. I happened to find a recipe at keeperofthehome.org for a healthy teething cookie so I just had to try it! Turns out baby D loves them!

****************************************

Teething Cookies for Baby

2 Tbsp honey (not suitable for babies under one year of age)
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp oil (Coconut oil or butter is recommended)
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup rice or millet flour
3/4 cup flour of your choice (spelt, wheat, kamut, barley)

Stir together the honey, molasses, oil and egg yolk. Mix the flours, and add to make a stiff dough. Since flours differ, if it is too thick, add a Tbsp of milk. If too soft, add a bit more rice or millet flour.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles 1 x 1 1/2 inches. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

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I used a combination of brown rice flour and whole wheat flour along with coconut oil. I actually had to add about 4-5 tbsp's of milk to my mixture because the mixture was pretty crumbly and not forming into anything so you may have to do that. I rolled the dough out a little bit thicker than 1/4" so I baked them for about 25 minutes. I also didn't get 4 dozen cookies out of it since I rolled it thicker and I cut them a bit larger than 1 x 1 1/2".

I tried one myself and they are pretty hard but they mush/gum up nice. I thought maybe my little guy wouldn't like them. They are not very sweet at all, I would maybe even add 1 more tbsp of honey next time. That didn't seem to bother Deacon, he had 3 yesterday! He really liked them! I have to admit that made me feel kinda good, hehe.

In'N Out Secrets

I am really trying to eat healthy, but I have to admit I am a sucker for In'N Out Burger. After months of waiting we finally got one down the street from our house! Danger...danger. Hehe.

Well, I knew about a few of the 'secret menu items' - but I had not heard about them all, til today. Malachi found them, and I thought I would share.

**In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are In-The-Know. Next time you're there (tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials:

"3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.***ooohh a triple decker!***

"4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese. *Malachi loves this one!*

"2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.****got cheese?***

*Note: You can get a burger with as many meat patties or cheese slices as you want. Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 6 pieces of meat and 10 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "6-by-10." ****Wow who has a mouth that can fit around a stack like that?****

"Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese.***No cheese, eh?****

"3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese.***That's a lot of meat!****

"Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added. ****This one is MY FAVORITE! I get it almost every time I go, hehe*****

"Animal Style Fries" = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them). ***Yum, yum I always forget about this one.***

"Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce). ***This is what I should get ;)***

"Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun! ***How do you eat this one? With a knife and fork? I don't want melted cheese all over my hands!***

Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular! ***That's what I'm talkin' about!****

Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em ***No thanks!***

"Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun. ***What?! No meat?***

"Veggie Burger" = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the "Wish Burger." ****Boring.****

"Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate blended together.***I think I will stick to a one flavor shake.***

The friendly employees of In-N-Out Burger will take your special order without question, if you use the right terminology. The printed receipt will have your special request typed on it just as we said it.

Try it!

Penny items at Staples!

If you can make it to Staples between today and Wednesday the 9th you can get some items for just a penny! Today I made the trip up the street and was able to get all of the above for $1.14 +tax.

*(2) Purell hand sanitizers = $.01 each (limit 2)
*(2) 8 packs of pencils = $.01 each (limit 2)
*(10) Folders = $.01 each (limit 10)
*(4) 1" Poly Binders = $.25 each (limit 4)

**The limits are per customer so I could have scored some more stuff if Malachi would have been with me. I think what I got will do though! :) I read somewhere that people are bringing their whole family in with them and using each person (even a 3 year old, hehe) to get their 'customer limit' - so if you really need to stock up then bring the whole fam down, hehe.

It was nice to get in on a deal like this because it seems like I am always searching for a folder/binder for random things and now we will have some on hand. You can always use pencils, and at a penny each I couldn't pass up the hand sanitizer!**