Get out and enjoy your family :)

Ahhhhhhh!
We have been blessed with such a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, haven't we? Thanks to God and our wonderful Armed Forces Veterans...active and retired :)

What are you all doing to celebrate this wonderful Holiday with your family?

I have been outside, A TON, and enjoying the blooming flowers and plants all over my yard.
Not quite sure what these fellas are called, but they fill up the BIG Barrel planters in my front yard pretty well :)

We have been pretty busy around here.
We are just LOVING the great weather; running around outside, setting up our new pool, building our new deck...and tomorrow we are having a cookout!
Looks like the weather WILL cooperate, so the day should turn out to be pretty much perfect :)
OH...and it looks like it might be our first 80+ degree day this year! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!
Too bad that our pool won't be all set and ready to go...well, it would be but it will be fuh-fuh-fuh-FREEEEEZING! 9,000 gallons of COLD water doesn't heat up as fast as we want it to...LOL.

I just wanted to share some pics of my family with you all, just to let you know what/who I am spending a lot MORE of my time on lately :)
I love them to pieces :)

Here is my little guy, playing on the swing set.
He SOOO loves to be outside. He spends his days running around the yard...and when that tires him out, he jumps in his Gator and takes off!

My oldest daughter and my husband working hard on building the deck.
Yea. She just LOVES having her picture taken...lol.
Is that what iPods are for? Hiding your face from the camera??? :)

My beautiful middle child...sooooo ready for summer!



I hope you all are getting out there and enjoying your family, your yard, your neighbor's yard, the park or wherever (LOL) AND this nice weather.
It is kinda' funny once you think of it. Soon it will be so steaming hot that we won't want to be outside...then we will be all cooped up in our air conditioning!
BUT, I know, NOW, I will be out and about...enjoying the weather until it becomes too hot to handle :)

Happy Memorial Day everyone!



OH and PS--yes, I will be getting the Festival Foods match-ups today :)

LOCAL: Search for your Local Farmer's Market in Wisconsin!

I don't know about you, but I am SUPER EXCITED about Farmer's Market "Season" starting up soon!
I LOVE buying locally grown fruits and vegetables. It not only stimulates your local economy, but lets you connect with your local farmers!
AND many of the farmers grow their produce organically, so no need to worry if there are harsh chemicals on your fruits and veggies! If you unsure, just ask them.

If you would love to see when your favorite Farmer's Market opens or if you are looking for a different Farmer's Market to visit, in Wisconsin, just check out this handy Farmer's Market Search for the state of Wisconsin :)

Stamp Out Hunger TODAY!

Today is the day that we all can STAMP OUT HUNGER and leave a bag full of non-perishables AND personal care items at our mailbox.
Our letter carriers or other AWESOME volunteers will scoop them up throughout the day.

Most people don't donate personal care products because when you think of a FOOD Pantry, it's just that. A FOOD PANTRY. BUT, the people who use the food pantries also need personal care items as well as food. Most can't even afford a simple tube of toothpaste or a stick of deodorant. They go day to day making decisions on whether to pay the bills or the rent/mortgage or buy laundry soap so their kids can go to school with clean clothes; or a gallon of milk so their kids can have cereal before school in the morning.

Look around you. Look at your freezer full of food, your cupboard full of soup, cereal, snacks...your laundry room has laundry soap, your bathroom cupboard is home to plenty of deodorant and shampoo for your family.
Why not go shopping for a family in need and buy double of what you usually buy for YOUR family and give it to a struggling neighbor, co-worker or friend? OR even just drop it off at your local church or pantry.

So get a bag or even a box together and leave it at your mailbox before your mail carrier delivers your mail.
Come on! We ALL can give a few things! I know we can! :)

Today also marks the end of Couponing for Community.
I hope you ALL visited the Couponing for Community Facebook page and added your donations to the progress tab on the left side.
This was a WONDERFUL week for all of us couponers to get out there and use our coupon skills to purchase things for those less fortunate.
I hope you all were able to give to your neighbors, church or pantry.

And always remember this:

"When I am blessed beyond what I need, the extra is not for me but for someone in need"

Wordless Wednesday: Mac Edition

Planning on getting one within a couple of weeks.
A MacBook Pro.

We have a bunch of Apple products and 1 Mac.
I do have to say this...once you go Mac, you never go back :)
(or Apple, I should say...)

It all started with our iPhones, then trickled to Apple TV, the iPad and our Mac mini.
And now MY MacBook Pro.
I am thinking about customizing it with the Solid State Drive (SSD)...but not quite sure.

Just wanted to share my excitement with you all, and to let you know what will be helping me shoot the deals to you :)

Are any of you just IN LOVE with Apple products? What do you have and why do you love it?


I think I need to come up with a better word for 'Wordless Wednesday' because it is NEVER wordless...LOL :)

Love to Bake? Join the Duncan Hines Baker's Club for future coupons!

I LOVE to bake.
LOVE LOVE LOVE to bake!

My favorite?
Well, it's cupcakes, of course!

I love to decorate them as well!

It is SO. MUCH. FUN!

Ever since I stumbled upon my LOVE for cupcake baking and decorating, I have given up buying my kids' Birthday cakes.
My friends and family even enlist me to help out with their kids' parties, too!
And when your own Grandma keeps commenting on how yummy and moist your cupcakes are and asks for seconds...then you know you have a good thing goin' on!! :)


Anyway...
If you love to bake as much as I do, why not join the Duncan Hines Baking Club?
If you do join, you will gain access to recipes, baking tips and forums.

AND, this was just posted on the Duncan Hines Facebook page, today: 

"Have you signed up for the Baker's Club at www.duncanhines.com/bakers-club ? 
A special coupon treat is being emailed to all our members very, very soon! 
Sign up today so we can include you!"

So get on over there and sign up, so you don't miss those coupons!

Stamp Out Hunger/Couponing for Community Virtual Pledge! Please help!

Please take the virtual pledge to support the Stamp Out Hunger food drive.
Remember to leave non-perishable food items for your letter carrier on Saturday, May 14th, to help Stamp Out Hunger!

I am passionate about 4 things in life.
My Faith
My Family and Friends
Helping people save money (which is why I have my blog)
AND
Giving/Donating to those in need

I know there are MANY people who want to help those less fortunate, but don't always have the means or money to do so.
With Couponing for Community, now you can!

If you use your coupons to maximize your savings, follow my blog so I can show and tell you how to use your coupons and on what and when, you will be able to build a stockpile of the products you and your family need.
And, like me, your stockpile may get out of control and you will need to make a donation pile/basket to get rid of your excess.
I am hoping that all of you will be able to make a donation pile/basket or box (or even a trunk full!) to donate to your local church and/or pantry the week of May 8-14.
OR
You can even leave a bag of non-perishable foods at your mailbox on Saturday, May 14. Your mail carrier will then pick up the items that will be disbursed to food pantries in YOUR area!

Share this with your family and friends. Get everyone involved to help the people who really need it right now :)

Because...
"When I am blessed beyond what I need, the extra is not for me but for someone in need"

So, What will all of YOU be doing to help Coupon for YOUR Community and Stamp Out Hunger?

Grilling up some Yummy Summer Fun with Coca-Cola :)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...there really is nothing like an ice cold bottle of Coca-Cola® in the Summer time.
UNLESS it is accompanied by a scrumptious, mouth-watering recipe for a Yummy grillin' creation made with a bottle of Coca-Cola®!
Every time I visit my favorite store, I buy a few glass bottles of Coca-Cola®. Yes, you CAN still purchase Coca-Cola® in glass bottles. Is there really any other way to enjoy this great product?
Well, yes, there is...but in my opinion, an ice cold Coca-Cola® is best in a glass bottle.

I would LOVE to share some wonderful recipes with you, featuring Coca-Cola®.
My family and I just LOVE these and I hope you will, too!

This is a BBQ Staple in our home.
I LOVE to soak boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this awesome sauce and grill 'em up :)

Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce

1 12 ounce can Coca-Cola®
1 1/2 cups Ketchup
1 cup finely chopped Onion
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
Hot Pepper Sauce - to taste

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and cover; simmer for 30-45 mins. until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Season with hot pepper sauce.

And for dessert...
This chocolate cake recipe has been made in my kitchen for a couple years now.
I did find it online and tweaked it to "make it my own". It is SO moist and decadent...YUM!

Chocolate Coca-Cola® Cake

1 cup Butter
1/3 cup Cocoa
1 cup Coca-Cola®
1 Chocolate Pudding Cup
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Miniature Marshmallows

Chocolate Cake:
Combine Butter, Cocoa and Coca-Cola® in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat, stirring until the butter has melted. Remove from heat.
Combine Flour, Sugar and Baking Soda in a large bowl; stir in Butter mixture.
Add Eggs, and stir until blended. Stir in Buttermilk, Vanilla and Marshmallows.
Pour into a lightly greased 13x9-inch cake pan.
Bake at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is done baking, prepare the icing, below.
Coca-Cola® Icing:
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Cocoa
1/3 cup Coca-Cola®
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
Combine Butter, Cocoa and Coca-Cola® in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Spoon immediately over warm cake.

I am enjoying making Coca-Cola® memories with my family.
I love making these recipes and seeing my family gobble them up!
I love hearing my girls ask for Coca-Cola® in the glass bottles...they're just like their Momma :)

About Coca-Cola®
Created in Atlanta, Georgia, by Dr. John S. Pemberton, Coca-Cola was first offered as a fountain beverage by mixing Coca-Cola syrup with carbonated water. Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886, patented in 1887, registered as a trademark in 1893 and by 1895 it was being sold in every state and territory in the United States. In 1899, The Coca-Cola Company began franchised bottling operations in the United States.
More info: www.cookingwithcoke.com
Join Coca-Cola® on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cocacola
Join Coca-Cola® on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cocacola

Do you have any favorite recipes that include Coca-Cola®?
OR
Any Coca-Cola® memories that take you back to your childhood or any good family Coca-Cola® memories?



I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Coca-Cola® blogging program. If I am one of the first 100 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the program, click here

Couponing for Community - How we ALL can help :)

What a WONDERFUL idea!

I stumbled upon this program, thanks to Facebook.

First, let me tell you a little more about Couponing for Community :)
It is a week long time of giving from May 8-14. I will be using my couponing skills to purchase things (or get them for FREE!) and donate them to my church's pantry.
Yes, I give to my pantry monthly and sometimes weekly, but it's nice to be able to have one week a year to REALLY go at it and coupon like crazy for those less fortunate :)

YOU can do this, too!
During the week of May 8-14, take some of your coupons and use them to purchase items to donate to your local pantry, homeless shelter or church.

AND, remember that May 14 is also Stamp Out Hunger Day and you can help by leaving a bag of non-perishable foods at your mailbox. Your mail carrier will then pick it up and the contents will be distributed to local pantries.
You may want to contact your local Post Office to see if they are participating in Stamp Out Hunger.

I hope you ALL will help me out and Coupon for YOUR Community!

My CVS trip: OOP=$4.48, SAVED=$61.26 PLUS $13 EBs!!!

YES!
I am LOVING my CVS trip tonight!
I had $10 EB that were expiring today, so I had to run in there and use them up.
I actually JUST got back.
My plan was to go after my girls' Sports Physical appointments but the appointments ran long and I had to run back home to take care of Jackson so Dave could get to sleep. (He works nights)
OH Great! I just remembered that I forgot to pick up milk...ughhhh...how do I let our Fridge run out of milk when it's like a HUGE important staple in this house???? MAN!!

ANYWAY...here is how my CVS trip went:
I bought 
6 Aussie Shampoos
6 Herbal Essences Stylers (Hair Spray/Mousse)
2 John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoos
My Sub-Total: $42.94
Coupons Used:
1 $5/$40 CVS Coupon
2 $2/1 John Frieda Product, exp. 4-30-11 (SS 03/06/11)
3 $1/2 Herbal Essences or Aussie Product, exp. 4-30-11 (P&G 04/03/11) 
6 FREE Herbal Essences/Aussie Styler wyb Select Item (SS 3/13/11)
$10.00 CVS EB
$2.00 CVS EB (received this from the coupon scanner for my Winter spending)
= $4.48 incl. Tax
PLUS I got back a $3 EB for the John Frieda Products and a $10 EB for the P&G Products (Herbal Essences & Aussie)

Now, I ask you...How can you NOT love CVS?

Do you have an AWESOME transaction at CVS that you want to share???

Worldess Wednesday :)

OK, it's not REALLY wordless...lol.

Here is a little video of my son and his excitement of matching up all the prizes for a mushroom house in the Super Mario Brothers Wii game :)





He is such an animated little guy...lol!!!

*HOT* *NEW* ConAgra Foods Coupons! Peter Pan PB, Banquet Meals, Chef Boyardee and MORE! PLUS a little insight to Feeding America :)

ConAgra is a Feeding America partner and they help provide millions of meals to local Feeding America food banks.

I am so very happy to be a volunteer for my church's pantry who is a part of Feeding America. It really is a WONDERFUL program! In fact, today is a Feeding American pick-up for my pantry. I was supposed to go and help out with it, but this darn cough and chest congestion is making it impossible to catch my breath sometimes :(

AND picking up SUPER HEAVY boxes of meats from Feeding America wouldn't be a good idea for me, right now. I am so upset that I can't help out. I got such a RUSH out of helping last time, it was just an amazing experience! Everyone at the Feeding America pick-up were so helpful and kind. Our local food pantries really couldn't ask for a more nicer group of people to represent our pantries!

OK.
All that said, buying ConAgra foods products REALLY DOES HELP your local food pantry. Trust me. I have seen the help it brings and it is BEAUTIFUL :)

NOW, you guys want some coupons??
Here ya go!

• Head on over to the Child Hunger Ends Here site
• Enter a purchase code from a specially marked package of ConAgra Foods (or just enter code 63829897) Every time you enter that (or other) code(s), you help Feeding America.
• Click on the coupon you would like to print
• If you want to print more than one, you will need to click on the link again, enter the code and print again :)

Here is a list of available coupons:

$0.50/1 Jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter
$1/2 Healthy Choice Frozen Meals
$0.50/2 Banquet Frozen Meals
$1/2 Healthy Choice Soups
$1/2 Fresh Mixers
$1/2 Marie Callender’s Frozen Meals
$1/2 Kid Cuisine Frozen Meals
$0.50/3 Chef Boyardee Products

{Thanks One Frugal Chick}

Coupon Talk - Where I am HAPPY to use MY coupons...

I began this post as a Target deal post for the week, then went on rambling about stores ... SO, don't worry...I am working on the Target deals RIGHT NOW! :)

Target has always been my FAVORITE coupon store. Well, except for last Summer for a good couple of months...they were insane sticklers on their coupons and just wouldn't even bother looking at the coupons if they beeped. They would NOT accept them. NOW, 99% of the time, it was some weird glitch in their system that wouldn't accept the coupon, leaving me and TONS of other Super Couponers just frustrated!
BUT since then, I think ALL of the complaints to Target Corporate, loosened them up a bit. So, THANK YOU, TARGET, for actually accepting the coupons you are supposed to :)

AND, we CANNOT forget Walmart and their new coupon policy!
LOVIN' IT!
Now, when I have a bunch of Copp's Manufacturer catalinas ready to expire and I just don't have any other need to go to Copp's, I just use them at Walmart. Yes, I know. They are Manufacturer catalinas and Walmart was supposed to of taken them anyway...even BEFORE this new coupon policy. But see, EVERY TIME I tried to use them, they said...NO. WHY? Because a different store's name was listed on it. Yes, this was even during the time that they would accept competitor's coupons. I guess I just "lucked out" and got the cashier who didn't know the policy and of course it was when I didn't have the printed policy with me :(
Ha!
I know better now!
I am also SO VERY HAPPY that they put a little section in their NEW policy just for the whole "overage dilemma". NOW, if you have a coupon that is actually worth MORE than the item it is for, the overage from that coupon will be applied to the rest of your order OR change will be given (if that is the only thing you are purchasing). YES. That means that Walmart will PAY you for buying the item AND using that coupon!

As for my most recent trip to Walmart, my cashier took EVERY SINGLE coupon of mine with a smile :)
She was even excited to see my end total...maybe a little bit more than I was! LOL

The 2 grocery stores in my area that I frequent are Copp's and Festival Foods.
I LOVE Copp's because of Double Daze Wednesdays and Saturdays AND when they have their General Mills or Kellogg's cereal deals, I walk out of there paying NO MORE than 40¢ for each box of cereal! (and THAT is on the high end!)
Copp's also puts out their own store coupon books, once a month, which you can stack their store coupons with manufacturer coupons!

I LOVE Festival Foods because they put out their store coupons WEEKLY and you can stack manufacturer coupons with them, as well. You can also join the Festival Foods Mobile Club! They will send you a text that includes AWESOME savings! The most recent one was Coca-Cola product 12 packs for ONLY $1.98. I had $1/2 Diet Coke 12 pack coupons to stack with that...making the 12 packs ONLY $1.48 each!
And, you CANNOT match Festival Food's Deli! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Festival Foods Deli and my mouth just waters every time I step foot in front of that HUGE, LONG Deli case.

On to the Drug Stores....
Hands down, CVS is my favorite drug store to use my coupons with. I think it mainly has to do with customer service. They are SO SOOOOO VERY HELPFUL at my local CVS. The cashiers are ALWAYS excited to see my final total, with me.
If their register beeps, or just won't take the coupon, they look at the coupon, look at the product and push the coupon through. Not sure why some coupons do that and I ALWAYS use coupons correctly (because if you don't, you are potentially ruining it for everyone...) but I am sure it's just a little glitch in their system.
As for Walgreens, if their register beeps and won't let a coupon go through...that's it. They don't take it. I have been "lucky" with one or two cashiers that will actually look at the coupon and make sure I have the correct product and will push the coupon through, but some will not. If your coupon won't work and you are working the RR deals, this can REALLY mess up your planned out transactions.

In closing, I would like to know where YOU use YOUR coupons? DO you have that ONE favorite cashier you ALWAYS look for?

Wordless Wednesday :)

Every Wordless Wednesday, I am going to TRY to share pics of my kiddos :)
I LOVE them SO SOOOOO much and want to share their pics with my awesome readers!
My girls would say that I probably love them TOO much...but they are teenagers, so OF COURSE they are going to think that....lol :)

AND if you aren't familiar with "Wordless Wednesday", it is a nice little blog post that most mommy bloggers partake in...you just post a picture and the picture is supposed to "speak for itself"...well, I like to talk, so I will be adding a little commentary..LOL :)

This week's pic is one of my FAVORITE pics of my little guy, Jackson :)

I took this ALMOST a year ago.
I wanted to share it because my poor little man is about to have dental surgery, tomorrow, at a local hospital and I am just lovin' on him like CRAZY today! I know, I know...it's ONLY dental stuff, but he's my baby...lol.

Be sure to VOTE for ME! Please! :)

I am now part of the Circle of Moms Money Saving Blog Community and I am asking for your votes :)

If you like what you see and read on Saving Green in the Bay, I would appreciate your vote on Circle of Moms.
All you need to do is click HERE and then click on the little orange button with the thumbs up.

Thank you ALL so much for letting me shoot you the deals and help you save money!

AND, do NOT forget to enter that super awesome mega HUGE Giveaway!!!! :)

When you find a deal...

...you GOTTA stock up and use those coupons!

When I got the paper this past Sunday (2/20), I saw that my local grocery store, Festival Foods, was having a HUGE sale on Hunt's Snack Pack puddings. They were on sale for 69¢ each.
I ALSO knew that there was a coupon out there for 60¢/3 Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding.
SO, I looked up my favorite coupon clipping service and saw that they had orders of 20 of those coupons for only $1.00!
I ordered up 40 coupons and called the grocery store to let them know my plans for buying 120 packs of pudding.
They had NO problem in accompanying my order. It is ALWAYS best to call ahead when you want to order in mass quantities...and it's polite, so you aren't clearing the shelves!!
My coupons arrived in the mail either on Friday or Saturday (we were out of town until today) and I JUST went and picked up the 120 packs of pudding.

In case you are wondering, NO. The 120 packs of pudding aren't all for MY family...lol. Yes, we are keeping some...about 30 packs, but the rest is property of my church, for their pantry. I am the bargain shopper for my church's pantry and to help them save money, I volunteer my time and "expertise" to find the deals for them :)
I LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOVE to help people save money. It's just crazy how much I want to help...so PLEASE...be a sponge and soak up the savings knowledge!!! LOL :)

How I Share Happiness...

I LOVE to share happiness. I LOVE to spread happiness. There are a couple ways in which I achieve this and I would like to share them with you.

I have 2 great passions in my life.

The first one is my family. Anything I can do to make sure they are happy, is very important to me.
I do everything I can to make my kid's smile. Even if it's little things, like making sure their favorite shirt is washed and ready to go for that special day or searching the house high and low for that over-loved stuffed animal that has been missing for an hour. My family's happiness is worth the world to me.

This past October was my sister's birthday. For the last few weeks BEFORE her birthday, she kept asking us to come down to have a visit. (she lives 2 hours away)
We could never make it because something always came up. Plus we were a one vehicle family since my husband's truck needed repairs and he works nights and works on the weekends, too. So, if I went down there with the van, he wouldn't of been able to go to work. And that was another "thing" that stopped us from ever going down to visit, unless my husband took off of work.

My sister's birthday was coming up and I wanted, so badly, to surprise her. So I contacted her neighbor and told her about my plans. I was going to rent a car for the weekend and drive down to surprise my sister on her birthday. All the plans were made with her neighbor and my brother-in-law and everything was set.
We arrived at my sister's house and found the "hidden" key where my brother-in-law left it. I parked the car down the road and we hung out in their house until my sister got home from work. Now, remember, my sister had NO idea we were coming to visit!

She got home from work and found us there and was so happy, she cried tears of joy!
I was SO happy to do this for her since she missed us so much. She never thought we would be able to come down for her birthday because of only having one vehicle, but I made it happen JUST to spread the happiness to my sister. I will never forget that day. Even now, sitting here and thinking about it brings a HUGE smile to my face.

The 2nd passion in my life is helping others. I volunteer with my church's food pantry and donate regularly. It makes me so happy to help those who need it.

Sharing happiness by helping those in need is very important to me. Although I do not get to see the impact that my help has on them, I know they are happier because of it.
And maybe, when they are able, they will want to spread the happiness by helping others, as well.

Spreading happiness should be important to everyone. It really does make the world go 'round.
Some people don't know how much one little act of kindness can impact someone's happiness...so go ahead, give it a try...spread the happiness!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hershey's blogging program, for a gift card worth $25 and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

 

CRazY bUsY WEEK for me!

As you all know, I started the week off with a nasty migraine...then my match-ups had to suffer :(

Today, I am FINALLY finishing up my coupon organization. I am doing a combined clip and clipless method. I know, sounds weird...but you can read more about it HERE.
Another thing on my agenda for today was to clean out the corner where my old washer was.
Ewwww.
Yuck.
Gross.
Nasty.
I am sure there are a few other words that I could use, too.
We have a first floor laundry room that doubles as a full bathroom and changing room for the girls.
ANYWAY, we decided that we are going to need new flooring in there. We moved the washer and ... well, see the description above...lol.
We also noticed that the washer must have leaked at some point and the floor is starting to peel up a bit :(
SO, next month we will need to get new flooring. We are also getting new flooring in the dining room, living room, hallway and girls' room.
Our house is 60+ years old, so we have been making LOTS of changes. SLOW changes, but AWESOME changes...since we bought it from Dave's mom in 2005. We have lived here since 1999 after his mom moved out, but wasn't sure on buying it then. The first thing to get done was the furnace, water heater, roof, all the windows and the ENTIRE exterior of the house. Yea...the SUPER pricey stuff!!
But thank God that it is all done. Now, we just have to worry about the flooring and some paint here or there.
And little things like new light fixtures, new outlets, etc...
By Summer our house will FINALLY be looking almost new! Inside and Out :)

OK. Sorry...lol...I got off subject a bit there...
Back to the washer...

The Best Buy guys will be here between 2pm and 4pm. Nice BIG 2 hour window there.
We are giving our old washer to my sister, so her boyfriend and his friend will be here around 1:30pm to pick it up.
After having the SAME washer for the past 12 years, I am ready for a new one...and EXCITED! Yes, I am excited about a new washer...hee hee!! :)

SO, that is what I have been doing today. I will be back to my regularly scheduled coupon and deal seeking later today/this evening :)

Tile Grout Cleaning: 101

I. AM. BEAT.

I totally feel for all of you that have a kitchen MUCH, MUCH larger than my teeny 10x10 hole in the wall.

Or, am I envious?
...cuz having such a tiny kitchen IS NOT ideal for this I LOVE TO COOK AND BAKE MOMMA!

BUT when it comes to cleaning the grout of my ceramic tiled kitchen floor, I THANK GOD that my kitchen is itty bitty :)

I cleaned my kitchen's ceramic tile grout today.
It was a feat that I think I deserve a medal for because OH. MY. GOSH...it was painful, and you betcha' my body will be feeling it tonight and tomorrow morning! Yes, it needed to be done and all but geez, I don't know. I think I will add it on to my girls' list of stuff they need to do to earn their allowance every other week...LOL.

Anyway, I thought cleaning the grout for your tile had to be done either professionally or with one of those steamer things or something like that. OR maybe it was just that I was in denial that I would HAVE to do it someday...verdicts still out on that one...

My friend, Kelly, just cleaned her grout a couple weeks ago and did it with some heavy duty scrubby thing and some regular ol' Mr. Clean. SO, I grabbed my laundry pre-treating toothbrush, some hot water, a towel and since I don't have Mr. Clean to help me out, I settled for some spray cleaner that was under my kitchen sink. It was Daily Shower Cleaner. Not too sure what THAT was doing underneath my kitchen sink, but eh...it's some sort of cleaner and should do a good job :)
I sprayed the grout and started scrubbing.
I started to freak a little because I thought I was taking the grout out or something...like dissolving it, because there was a thick, muddy-like yuck coming up off the grout.

Uhhh...yea. It wasn't the "dissolving grout", it was dirt.
It was years (probably like 8 years) of ground in yuck of spilled juice, chocolate milk, pancake mix, muddy footprints, whatever found it's way to my kitchen floor that didn't belong there...just yuck.

Not really sure why I let it go for so long. I mean, I wash my kitchen floor at least once a week. Maybe my subconscience KNEW I would kill my back and my knees cleaning the grout, so it just always slipped my mind. Yea. That's it! Wait.
What slipped my mind....???

I will tell you this.
I WILL NEVER let it get like that again!
I LOVE the look of my CLEAN NEW light gray, no longer black, grout!

WOW.
Really.
Just look at that CLEAN GROUT!
Nothing like clean grout to make a momma happy!! :)
...ANNNNNND now I will have to take a year off of blogging to recover from the aches and pains...LOL
:)

WHY do you have so much stuff?

I hear that question a lot.

Why do we have so much stuff? Why do we have so much shampoo, conditioner and body wash? Why do we have so many deodorants, toothbrushes, toothpaste, laundry detergent and body spray? Why do we have more than 15 boxes of cereal...15 cans of soup...and so on?
 

Because I stock up on things I KNOW my family will use, when it is very cheap or even free.
Because we give bags of stuff to my church's pantry.
Because we give our family members lots of stuff, too. None of my family members leave my house without a bag or 2 of food or necessities.

I even took 5 months off of "stock-pile shopping" and had ZERO need to go shopping for cereal, canned/non-perishable, shampoo/conditioners, soap, deodorant, toothpaste/brushes, cleanser, laundry soap, etc...AND I kept up with my giving. Yes, I did have to shop for things like milk, fresh produce and fresh meats...but that was it!

I give because it makes my heart happy to know that I am helping others have what they need. I don't like to hear of ANYONE having to go without their basic needs.

I know there are a lot of us out there who would LOVE to help and give to those less fortunate and just don't have a way to do that. Well, if you keep up with my blog and keep getting those deals and shopping for FREE or even for pennies...you will be able to give away your excess! Your local pantry and the people in your community would be so appreciative :)

"When I am blessed beyond what I need, the extra is not for me, but for someone in need"
*I LOVE this quote. My Pastor used it in one of our church sermons, and I invite you to use it as well :)