BOO!

Okay, so my neighbors have really gotten into the Halloween decorating this year.  I’m not so much into the fake spider webs and gianormous ghosts and zombies hanging from trees- it’s all a little sadistic for my taste… I prefer something less gory and more fun and crafty!  So, I decided to make a little wreath for my front door in Halloween colors.  Behold:

(sorry for the crummy lighting, I just couldn’t get a crisp great picture, but you still get it!)

So if you want to make your own, it’s pretty simple, here goes:

1. Wrap foam wreath in ribbon (I chose black).
2. Attach little do-das and such to one side (I chose a black small feather boa and some glittery balls)
3. Make the “flowers” for the other side:

Making the flowers was pretty easy.  I started with 3 silk gerbera daisies (2 black and 1 orange).  Added some ribbon curls onto the back and front, a little round cut out of some scrapbook paper and bam!  On one I also added some of the leftover boa to give a little variation.

     4. Add some ribbon and tie in a bow to the door knocker or wreath hook!

Since it's not waterproof in any way, I put it between my main door and storm door.  I wouldn't suggest hanging this where it can be rained on...

Pretty easy craft! I think I’m going to try something similar in Christmas colors when the time comes.   

10/9/11 Trip to CVS!

So, I’ve decided that CVS is officially da-bomb!  Not only do they regularly have great sales, but they tend to have things for cheaper than at the grocery store, Target, etc!  Last week’s P&G Brand Saver insert had a TON of great deals and many of them coordinated with the CVS sales of the week.  Here’s what I got:

CVS 4pk D batteries- $6.79 on sale for $3.99

CVS Tissues (1)- $1.99 on sale for $0.88 (over half off!)

CVS 20ct fabric bandaids- $3.59 on sale for $2.69

Neutrogena face products current buy one get one 50% off:

Naturals Facewash- $7.99 less $2 off P&G coupon= $5.99

Neutrogena lip balm- $3.49 (50% off= $1.75) less $1 off P&G coupon= $0.75

Covergirl

            Pressed Powder- $7.99, Powder Blush- $4.99, Professionals Mascara- $5.99

= $18.97 less $8.00 off 2 covergirl face P&G coupon, $3.00 off $10 cosmetic store coupon, $3.00 Covergirl Professionals store coupon.

=4.97 total!

Tampax Compak (2) -$7.98 less BOGO P&G coupon and $1.00 off= $2.99

Vasoline Lotion (1) 24.5 oz= $6.89 plus (1) 10oz FOR FREE ($3.39 value)! Thanks to P&G BOGO coupon

Crest Complete Toothpaste 4oz= 3.89 less $2 off coupon= $1.89

Grand Total before coupons: $64.88

Grand Total after sales/ coupons: $31.04

Less Extra Care Bucks rewards to use: $5

Final Price= $26.04 (plus tax)

WHOA! That’s about a 60% savings! 

When I was done at CVS, I ran across the street and spend $4.20 on some Halloween decorations and trinkets at Dollar Tree.  Just over $30 spent and PLENTY to show for it!

Summery Spring Rolls

Summery Spring Rolls

So this is a combination of various recipes I’ve happened upon, modified to fit what I had in my fridge last night.  You could add and remove other ingredients as you see fit and easily make them vegetarian.  They are actually very easy to make, keep well for a few days, and can be made with leftovers (as mine were).  I happened to have a cooked chicken breast and some leftover plan brown rice, so that’s where I started!  Here’s the rest of the recipe.  It makes for a really great lunch sandwich alternative!

Prepare the different pieces first and have them set up in a “station” so you can just go down the line and assemble quickly and easily!  Makes 6-8 depending upon the size!

In a small bowl, mix:

2 cups shredded chicken

1 Tbs rice vinegar

1 Tbs sugar

1 large carrot, grated length wise

season lightly with a dash of salt and pepper

Set aside in separate bowls:

1/3 cucumber, julienned

4 scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (can use mint or basil as well)

½ c cooked rice (white or brown)

Boston lettuce (or butter lettuce is fine too if you’re grocery store is as unfancy as mine)

6-8 Rice papers (found in the Asian section of the store usually, or an Asian market)

Sauce:

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 ½ Tbs chunky peanut butter

2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Fill wide bowl with warm water.  Soak 2 rice papers for 15 seconds.  Remove papers and place on clean work surface.  Lightly pat dry with clean towel.

2. Assemble roll in this order: 1-2 pieces of whole lettuce (or pinch of cut up lettuce), 1-2 Tbs chicken mixture, several pieces of cucumber, pinch of scallions, pinch of cilantro, 1 Tbs rice. (basically just divide up the veggies to about 1/6 their amount per roll, or more if you like.  I definitely went with an extra pinch of cilantro).

3. Gently roll like a burrito (I guess this is basically the Asian equivalent of a burrito, right).  Place on plate and cover with damp paper towel while assembling the rest.

4. If eating right away, you could drizzle sauce over mixture before wrapping, otherwise just set in a dish on the side to dip!

(I forgot to take a pic of my own, this is from the interwebs, but looks similar to my rolls)

EAT!!

You can make these ahead of time as well, just be sure to lightly wrap in a barely damp paper towel and store air tight in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!

I guess if you really wanted to go crazy, you could bake or fry these up as well, for that “traditional” (and by that, I mean the corner Chinese take out) version… but they are fabulous as-is and a heck of a lot healthier!  If you’re into spicy foods (I’m not so much), you could add some Asian chili sauce into the sauce mix and kick it up a notch!

Wanna bite of my bear sandwhich?... and other favorite movies

I’m one of those people that finds interest in odd things and remains fiercely loyal to stuff others think is ridiculous or they’ve never even heard of.  This holds true with my favorite movies.  Most people haven’t heard of the first 2, most know the 3^rd.

The pseudo-autobiographical story of country singer Loretta Lynn.  It’s such a great story and if you like country music (old school country that is), you must see this flick!

It’s about 4 girls who just graduated from high school and head off to Myrtle Beach for the weekend to “dance and meet boys.”  It all centers around the Pavilion where everyone dances the shag all night.

 What a classic!  Enough said.

I’m waiting on a guy to come stand in my driveway with a boom box playing “In Your Eyes”, don’t hate.

I could watch this a million times… and I think I probably have.

Everyone has their favorite vignette… mine is the Jamie and the Aurelea.

 I have a mild crush on Jason Segel… either because he’s not afraid to be naked in everything he’s in or maybe it’s just because he seems like such a “normal” guy… I want to be his friend/wife, haha.

 “I also have an important announcement, there’s a colonial woman on the wing!”  While my girlfriends and I have never been this tragic, we’ve come pretty close a time or two.

 Not the movies, the show on DVD… so it’s not exactly a “movie”, but watching episode after episode (particularly season 4) is a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday!

 These last two tie for me, they also feature the same actress as the leader character.  Such cute stories!

Today's Couponing

Well, I stopped by CVS on my way home today and scored the following:


Venus Spa Breeze razor kit $17.99 for $0.99!
On sale for 9.99
-$2 off manufacturers coupon from paper
- $7 ECB (extra care bucks)
*Even without the ECB, this is still a good deal, only $7.99 if you can find the coupon online!

Garnier Curls Gel/Cream $5.79 for $0.99
On sale for $2.99
-$1 off manufacturers coupon from paper
-$1 off CVS Beauty Club coupon (join this online if you haven't!!) 
 - ECB


2 Dawn Dish Soap, 9oz. $3.98 for $1.98
On sale for $.0.99 each
- ECB

 Skintimate, 2.75 oz travel size $2.19 for $1.24
 On sale for $1.99
-$0.75 printable coupon exp 10/7/11
-ECB

 Reeses Dark Chocolate Cups $1.19, no discounts
- ECB

This comes up to a total of $30.94 before discounts.  After store discounts, coupons, and another $4.00 worth of ECB to cash in, I paid of total of $1.78 after tax!


Also, I went to Kroger today and had a pre-discount total of $90, with a final price of $70.  Having to restock my fridge post-Irene hasn't really helping in the savings arena, but $20 is still pretty damn good!!

Designing Woman

So, to rip-off my sister, today’s blog is about interior decorating (check out her blog, Cheer's Yall!).  For those who don’t know, my first major in college was Interior Design.  I really enjoyed the design aspect, but I was unhappy with the program and professors so I decided on a change and wanted to let my creative and artistic ventures be a hobby rather than a job.

Well, I never stopped loving design and now that I have my own house, I turn some of my ideas into real life…. Or try to at least, decorating is expensive, y’all!  I think I need to sign up for some of those classes at Home Depot that teach you how to do stuff with power tools so I can really do some of the things I want in a most cost effective way!  Until then, here are some of my favorite things in my house, my decorating ideas, and some of the pictures that inspire me and I hope to bring to life one day.

Off the back of my house, I have a small addition that’s half a utility room and half a sunroom.  Right now the sunroom part is pretty empty, but I’m really going to get working it once I get the roof leak fixed for good!  No sense in ruining my decorating with my current “water feature.”  Here’s what the room looks like right now (I’m going to move that chair back to my living room eventually):

Here’s the inspiration look I’m going for:

Credit: Better Homes and Gardens Online

It’s a little more of a formal look than I’m going to implement, but I really liked the neutral basics and the suble vibrancy of color in the room’s accents.  The room is so sunny, I figured this would make a soothing retreat to relax and read or just watch the crazy birds that dive bomb the bird bath in the yard!

Much like my sunroom, my living room is still a work in progress.  I tried to strike a balance between a warm, homey feel (like the mission style rockers and oriental rug) with some non-cheesy beach inspired elements (the wall color “Southern Breeze” by Behr and woven trunk coffee table).  Even a few vintage touches aquired from my great grandparents, including a restored chest I use as a TV stand, some artwork from Paris, and a very old small chest I use as a side table.

Some of my favorite ideas for decorating:

Use an old found mason jar as a vase and wine corks to make an interesting flower arraignment.  Just take out the fakes and the corks and exchange for the real deal every once in a while!  Use other found or rarely used objects to build upon the display.  This is a sliver service tray that I never use, but brings a little shine and touch of formality.  Add some shells from the Eastern Shore of VA and a small finger bowl with a candle in it to round out the display. 

Repurposing old items is a great way to salvage things you’re tempted to toss in the trash! The lamps on this desk were originally a fabulous 80’s style swirl paint mess!  Well, I spiffed ‘em up with a little decorative paper, paint, and bead trim.  It makes my hard work (or Facebooking) at the computer a little more fun.

Finally, I did some work on my kitchen last fall, and I’ll blog about that another time, but my inspiration stared with 2 cloth napkins I found at World Market for less than $1.  I got the only 2 I could find and knew I’d find a good use for them.  One is draped over a tension rod as a curtain and the other I glued to a plain cork board that holds menus and other trinkets.

Let there be light... and savings!

So I’ve started a little couponing adventure lately.  In the past I would clip them every once in a while, but I never remembered to bring them to the store and didn’t pay attention to the weekly sales and try to match them up.  Well, on my time off this summer, somehow I found myself watching Extreme Couponing on TLC and I thought I’d see if I could get some extreme savings for myself.  Now, I’m not going to go buying 2348234 arthritis creams or cat foods because I can get them for a penny, but I am going to try to see how much I can stretch my savings on the things I do need.

My first couponing trip was about 3 weeks go.  I got something like $60 worth of stuff from CVS for just under $20 and a grocery bill down to $70 from $120.  Ain’t too shabby, huh?!

Well, yesterday I took another trip to CVS and was able to get 2 24-count Ibuprofens, 1 8-pk AAA and 1 10-pk AA Duracell batteries, John Frieda Shampoo, Conditioner, and Frizz Serum, Venus razor blade refills, Orbit gum, lady things, Covergirl foundation and concealer for only $50.  The total retail prior to coupons and extra care bucks was about $75.   If you’re interested in trying couponing at CVS, be sure to scan your Extra Care card at the Red Kiosk/Price Check thing. (Martins has these too).  It’s usually straight ahead when you walk in the door.  You can scan 2-3 times and get all kinds of coupons.  Some are good only for that day, some for a few days, and some for a week.  Lots of good free item coupons.  For a while, I was getting coupons for things for free that I don’t want or need, but I decided to get the stuff anyways (I mean, it’s free!) and I’d donate it to a shelter when I collect some more.

A blog I check for coupon information a lot is Young and Frugal in Virginia.  She's a RIC local so most of her info is based on our stores (which I love!!), but check her out for information on freebies and printable coupons on national brands.

My next trip is going to be to Kroger.  They are A LOT of great Kroger sales this week that coordinate with some good coupons I have.  I haven’t been able to make the trip yet since my power’s been out, but…  MY POWER IS BACK TODAY!!  I don’t want to go full on shopping until later this weekend because I’ve heard that a lot of people’s power has been on and off intermittently while they continue to make repairs.  If figure it’s better to wait until the power is back on for good.  But then again, this is only the start of hurricane season, so I think I’ll be slow in the restocking of my completely EMPTY fridge!

On a final note, I’ve weathered the storm and come out alive on the other side.  I didn’t let go of all technology over the past 6 days, but I didn’t/couldn’t watch TV and I’d consider that a situational triumph.  I’m not a major TV watcher anyways, but I do have my shows.  It feels weird to be sitting on my couch right now with the lights on, the TV on and having internet access.  I think I might pick a week every year and make it a “No TV week.”  It felt good to get outside a little more, meet some new neighbors, and read read read!