The Simple Woman's Daybook for August 30, 2010

FOR TODAY, August 30, 2010

Outside my window...there is lots of sun
I am thinking...the wrong thoughts and trying to correct that
I am thankful for...tomatoes in my back yard
From the learning rooms...I am putting together our Homeschool Planner for the year and gearing up for the start of school in a couple of weeks
From the kitchen...the kitchen today will be transformed into a "pet spa" for my dd's stuffed animals, which will keep dd and ds busy for a long time so I can get some housework done
I am wearing...my husband's robe
I am creating...a personalized Homeschool Planner...lots of fun!
I am going...nowhere until the housework is done and the weather cools down
I am reading...a stack of books: Conflict Free Living, A Mom Just Like You, Nurse Matilda (read-aloud to kids), All the Way Home
I am hoping...to someday be the kind of wife and mother that I long to be
I am hearing...toddler wanting to go potty, big sister locking the bathroom door, tinkling of dog tags...
Around the house...are plenty of opportunities to practice the fine art of homemaking

One of my favorite things...is when my toddler sleeps longer than I do, so I can have a bit of quality time with Abba Father before starting my day. I treasure these moments, for they are as rare as unicorns
A few plans for the rest of the week:  get the house cleaned before the in-laws get here, then enjoy the visit with them!
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

 My dd and one of our gorgeous, whopper, heirloom tomatoes.

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How to Extinguish a Pepper Fire

My friend Heather asked me to do another guest post for her blog. I realized I was suffering from a pretty significant case of "writer's block" as I tried to come up with ideas for something to blog about. It's been weeks...most of the summer, actually, since I've had any inspiration to write anything...or do anything, for that matter (oh thank you, Mitch Daniels and your Dumb Stupid Time...). I thought about writing something deep and meaningful, something poignant, something spiritually profound. Looked for examples in my every day life (life with a toddler is just fraught with potential blog posts, really...), but nothing really inspired me. Nothing, that is, until I decided to can some banana peppers without wearing the PPO...proper protective equipment.

Come on over to A Titus 2 Woman and learn how to find relief from hot pepper burns the easy way (I've done the hard part for you, isn't that nice of me?)!

Doctor Mustard...a Guest Post by Yours Truly

How I've Been "Doing" Real Food on a Real Budget

...or at least on a budget like mine!  I've been learning a lot about "real" food, food that is nutrient dense and as close to its natural state as possible and not full of chemical preservatives, colorings, and flavorings. And thanks to A Peasant's Feast eCourse through The Nourishing Gourmet, I'm also learning how to do it on a budget.

Read more here: Purposeful Nourishment

Soleil 100 Days

Soleil 100 Days: "There are thousands of fun, sharable prizes in the BIC® Soleil® 100 Days of Sunshine promotion. Join now! www.FeelTheSoleil.com"

How Much Didn't I Spend Today?

Jill Hale from over at CouponThrifty came to my house last night and did a coupon seminar. I had already attended one a few weeks ago, but I was so excited to host one and help my friends get a hold of this priceless information on couponing, CVS'ing and WAG'ing. And it was great to have a refresher course! If you're interested in learning how to do this, check out her website and send her an email. You can also look her up on Facebook.

Here's my deals today...

My first stop was at Walgreen's. First, I bought a Gillette Fusion Razor on sale for $9.89, used a $4 coupon from the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, and got $5 in Register Rewards. I used the RR to buy the Puffs (99 cents each minus 3 coupons from VocalPoint for 50 cents each), the Suavitel fabric softener (BOGO coupon in WAGS circular for $2.99) and the Dawn (99 cents minus a 25 cent coupon from the P&G Brandsaver insert at the beginning of June. My total OOP (Out Of Pocket) for this trip was:  $7.27...way better than the $19.83 without coupons!

Next stop, Target. I had several high value coupons to use plus some price matching:

FlameDisk ($4.99 minus FREE printable coupon thanks, DealSeekingMom!), three of the new Crystal Light Pure Naturals, $1.97 each minus three $2 coupons from VocalPoint (but Target only took off the $1.97), one Kraft Mayo with olive oil $2.64 minus FREE coupon from Taste of Kraft sampler package I requested, two Airwick Aqua sprays, $1.99 each minus two $1 coupons from Sunday inserts, and 4 Miracle Whips, $2.29 each, price matched to $1.65 (Dollar General circular) minus two $1.50 coupons from the Sunday inserts. My total OOP for this trip:  $7.15. Without the coupons and price matching, $26.68!

And finally, a stop at Meijer to use a couple coupons and pick up a few other items. Free bag of Green Giant Potatoes (came in the reusable shopping bag I requested on their Facebook page) made that $3.99 bag of spuds free! Plus, I found a Johnson's conditioner on clearance for $1.90 minus a $1 coupon I had for Johnson's products, and two packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs, 99 cents each minus a $1 off of 2 coupon from the Sunday paper. My OOP for these items was $1.88, better than the $7.87 otherwise!. I got a bunch of Catalinas for diapers, hope I can turn those into some super deals before they expire.

All in all, I left the house today with $43 to finish the week's shopping for groceries and household items and came home with $54.38 worth of items, in addition to the nearly $20 I spent on other things. I only have one more to pick up, that will be a 14 cent tube of Colgate toothpaste (89 cents on sale at CVS minus a 75 cent coupon from the Sunday paper). I am beat! Went by myself and really enjoyed it, but I am very tired from staying up so late last night trying to plan my shopping trip today!

Christian Homekeeper's Journal ~ June 22

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What’s going on in my kitchen this week …..is not a whole lot, really. I recently realized that I'm kind of bored with food, although this has not kept me from eating it. I haven't been making meal plans...supper time rolls around and I have no plan, nothing sounds good to eat...yet somehow, I manage to come up with something. The dishes seem to have a mind of their own and one minute the counters are clean, the next they are covered in dirty dishes...or so it seems.

This week, I have simply not been able to get a handle on ……housework, particularly of the kitchen variety. This is largely due to a change in some medication that I take for high blood pressure. The last several days, for about 3-4 hours after I take my pill in the morning, I am about worthless. So very tired and unmotivated. Today wasn't quite as bad, but I did end up going back to sleep after my hubby went to work instead of staying up and trying to get something done, like laundry and dishes.

It's so hot here …..I think I could bake a cake on my back porch. It's brutal in the late afternoon!

If I could have a pantry built to order ….. it would have lots of shelves, big windows to let in fresh air while I worked, lots of counter space for kneading bread or whatever, lots of little drawers for organization (I always imagine the pantry that Manly built for Laura Ingalls Wilder in The First Four Years (I think that's the book...the one where they house he built for her catches fire and burns down), nice cool tile floor, and everything neatly organized.

The one place other than where I am that I might like to live is …..a place that is partly sunny, 77 degrees with a slight breeze all year round. Nice hammock weather. But since that place only exists in my mind, I guess I might like to live in the mountains somewhere, in a little cabin that we build ourselves...with a gorgeous view of a crystal clear mountain lake. And no bears. LOL...

The most comfortable shoes I have ever had …..are the beat up old Eastland sandals I bought back in the mid 90's. I still have them....I refuse to throw them out, but I need to see if I can get them repaired as the one side of one of the sandals is coming apart. They've been everywhere with me, even hiking in the Appalachian foothills. My bestest friend since kindergarten thinks they are unsanitary, but I love them. They fit my feet just exactly right! I haven't worn them in a few years though (the lack of tread makes them slightly dangerous. I should just wear them around the house...) so I'm sure any germs have died off by now!

My favorite things about summer ….. well, since I can't stand the sun, the heat, the humidity, and Dumb Stupid Time (DST) that was forced upon our state (by a Governor who didn't give a hoot what the people of Indiana wanted) sometimes it's hard to remember there are good things about summer. I love tomatoes fresh off the vine, still warm from the sun. I love to make my family's legendary "California Salad"...it just tastes like summer, and it's only really good when tomatoes are in season, don't bother with store bought tomatoes! I love cool melons, fresh veggies and fruits...sunsets witnessed on bike rides with my daughter...and those wonderful, yet often rare, days where it's just perfectly warm enough, but not too hot, to take a nap under a big ol' shade tree.

I know I need to ……quit staying up so late. Stay on top of the housework. Spend more time with my Bible and its Author. Play with my kids more. Not beat myself up because I'm not getting it right all the time. Yah, relax a little...it's ok really.

Playing the Grocery Game: Free Stuff!

Today was supposed to be the day that I swept through CVS, Walgreen's and WalMart and snagged up a bunch of stuff for next to nothing. I had planned to plan strategy Tuesday evening, but can't remember now why I didn't...something else came up I guess. And last night we had a really bad storm that knocked our power out from 7 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday...I tried to look through the coupons and sale papers by candlelight, but it was rather difficult. Not to mention that all the great Scenarios I tried to plan included coupons that were, apparently, in every other region's Sunday circulars except for ours. Like the $5 coupon for the Schick Hydro razor that, combined with CVS Extra Care Bucks and a Schick rebate, would have actually paid me about $9. I was quite perturbed.

I ended up deciding NOT to go to CVS, since I didn't have a very solid plan, and after waffling in my head for several minutes as I traveled in the general direction of places to shop, decided to brave Super WalMart. I knew I was going there with a stack of FREE product coupons...I was ready for a showdown! If you've never really used coupons much at WalMart, then you have been spared the icy animosity from certain cashiers as you hand over a stack of coupons...particularly when it means you get something for pennies or free. They don't like that for some reason...I think they suspect that you're trying to pull a fast one over on them since certainly companies would never send out coupons for free stuff.

Going against my better judgment, I did what I swore I would not do again...take the kids with me. And while it wasn't a complete disaster, it just did a lot to cement that decision. I am too new at all this to shop with them. I need to be able to think and that's hard to do when you're constantly interrupted by requests for junk food and a toddler with a lightning-quick telescopic reach going for the glass jars of pickles.

I am, over all, very pleased with my first official "couponing trip". Using several free product coupons  I snagged $17.87 for just 89 cents! Not a bad haul. Now, some of this stuff is stuff I wouldn't buy on a regular basis, but once in a while, and for free, I'm o.k. with that.

Hard to believe this would have cost almost $20!

Pictured above are Ritz Crackerfuls, Kraft 100 Calorie Packs Cheese Bites, Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Chicken Breast (1 pound!), Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese, Beechnut Let's Grow Toddler Meals, and Genesis Today Goji Berry Juice. The Ritz, Kraft and Oscar Meyer coupons  I received the other day from a Kraft First Taste mailing. Goji Berry Juice from Genesis Today's Facebook fan page, and the Beechnut coupon was mailed to me when I signed up for something on their website.

Plus, when I got home I found this waiting on the steps for me:

 

I signed up for this just a couple days ago, but wasn't sure if it even went through or if I would get one. Came just in time for Father's Day! The $5 in coupons are definitely a plus!

So, I ended up with almost $30 worth of products today for less than a dollar. I'm so liking this coupon thing! Now, if I can just get the CVS thing started...