Well...it's Monday....

I'm still juggling sick kids, working on my website, trying to learn my new camera, and this afternoon's latest arrival: having a headache.

But I do want to post about my CVS shop tonight. It's nothing special but I know I haven't said much about CVS lately...

I forgot to take a picture, folks. Sorry. But here's what I got:

6) 32-oz bottles of PowerAde (on sale BOGO @ $1.69 last week - got a raincheck)
2) gallons milk
1) pk Huggies diapers
1) pk feminine pads

I used:

my raincheck
(6) PowerAde coupons for either $1/1 or $.75/1 each
(2) $.55/1 Dean's milk coupons
(1) $1.50/1 Huggies coupon
$3/$15 CVS coupon
....and $10 ECB.

Total before coupons, raincheck, and sales:

$31.20

Total after:

$1.65

Score! Not a bad price for things we needed!

I didn't have time tonight but I am definitely going back to make some moolah on the photo books this week. I'm not a huge fan of CVS photo prints, but hey! I'm making money on it with an item coupon AND a store coupon! And who doesn't like burning a book? I mean, really.

What are you buying at CVS this week?

Foto Friday

Last weekend we had company in town from Chicago. My cousin, who is 2 years old, is one of the cutest kids ever. We did lots of running around town but not a lot of pictures came from those ventures. (Have you ever tried fiddling with changing lenses on a camera while simultaneously keeping an eye on three children near a busy downtown street?)

I did want to be sure I got some pictures of him though, since he is so adorable. So the evening before they left, we played outside. Lo and behold, his cuteness portrays itself perfectly for the camera! Here's one of my favorites:

How awesome is that hair?? I know!! For more photos from this week, visit my photography blog!

Thankful Thursday

I have to admit I'm not feeling all that thankful this week. Nevertheless, the Bible says that I should "give thanks in everything", so here goes....


I've basically had no sleep this week. I've been up late trying to get my website going every night. When I would finally decide to call it quits, in would walk a child. We have two sick children in our home this week. Both of the girls came down with a bad cough and our older daughter had nighttime vomiting to make things even more exciting.

I finally took her in to the doctor today after last night's rounds of changing sheets, clothes, and pillows. The doctor said she is fine. He looked at our other daughter too and said she looks fine. Just congestion and a cough for both of them.

So, alas! I wasted another $20. But I am happy to know that they don't have anything serious.

On another note....whenever I take my kids out, I am so very thankful that we received wise instruction on how to raise up our children to obedience. I am so thankful that the Word of God offers sufficient instruction for every aspect of our everyday lives. We do have very obedient children, to say the least. Of course they have their moments, but overall they are quite sweet and willing to obey. And for that I am very thankful!

I've noticed that no one else ever shares what they are thankful for on Thursdays. What's up with that? :)

Works-For-Me Wednesday!

Ugh! I'm totally slacking this week! Well, not really. My main priority this week is to get my photography website completed and my blog has just fallen a little bit further down the list of things to do.

At any rate, I still want to pipe in for Works-For-Me Wednesday!

One of my favorite utensils in my kitchen HAS to be my cookie scoop! I used to feel really important when I used my small melon baller to scoop out my cookie dough balls but then someone got ahead of me and actually patented the little sucker as a "cookie scoop".


Whatever. I still had the idea first.

I use my cookie scoop all the time! Muffins (way cleaner than any other method!), melons (the original purpose), cookies (obviously) and lots of other things are made so easy and less messy with a cookie scoop!

I also scoop out my cookie dough and then freeze it into little dough balls. That way, if we have unexpected company (or I'm in the mood for a little treat), I can just pop a few in the oven without having to go through all the hassle of making the whole batch. Now I do know a few people who freeze their cookie dough in tubs or "logs" to be cut later, but I have to tell you that I've tried them all and this way is THE BEST! Super easy!

If you don't have a cookie scoop, it comes HIGHLY recommended by yours truly! So go get one!

Seriously...do it.

Money Monday - Restaurant Freebies!

My family LOVES Little Caesar's pizza! I mean, you really can't beat a huge pizza for just $5. And it's delicious too! Well, the good news just got better. Through the end of July, you can use this coupon for get an order of Crazy Bread (a $4 value, I believe) FREE with purchase of a pizza! Nice! (Thanks, MoneySavingMom!)



I also heart Chick-Fil-A - not because of their chicken but because of their ongoing stand as a Christian company. All restaurant managers and owners know that Sundays are the biggest day for restaurant business, but Chick-Fil-A has still never been open on a Sunday. Sure, it's a disappointment when I plan to use my Free Coffee coupon on the way to church and then realize they are closed, but I admire them for giving their employees the day off in order to attend a worship service. Thank you, Chick-Fil-A!

Anyway, onto the deal! Chick-Fil-A is celebrating Cow Appreciation Day on Friday, July 11, 2008. If you dress head-to-toe like a cow you'll receive a free combo meal. If you wear a cow accessory you'll receive a free entree item. More details here. As Crystal stated, do not go out and buy something to make your costume otherwise it ruins the whole concept of the food being free! Chick-Fil-A has some ideas here!

Weekend Worship

While driving in the car this evening, I thought of a great series I could do for Weekend Worship. It needs some research though, which is why it didn't start today. But look forward to hearing about how you can know if you're in the middle of God's will for your life....in the weeks to come. :)

Backtracking...

I forgot to mention on Thursday that we have company staying with us this weekend. Hence, the lack of posts. I DO want to post for Foto Friday though - even though it's Saturday now. :) If you don't see it now, check back later and I will probably have something up (but it will be under this post).

I hope you all are having a safe and happy 4th!

Foto Friday!

Living in a big city definitely has it's pros and cons. I could go on and on about the cons, but today I want to talk about one of the pros: LOTS OF FIREWORKS.

I LOVE fireworks. And this year, with my brand spanking new camera, I ventured out to take some pictures. The first night I tried to take fireworks pictures, I basically just winged it. It ended in disaster. Well, the night didn't end in disaster, but the pictures did. So the next day I did lots of research online and discovered exactly how to do it. That night, I headed back out to do some the "right way".

Results below.

I know, this one is tiny. But just ignore that. For a few more of my fireworks pictures, you can visit my photography blog.

Works-For-Me Wednesday!

I was originally going to continue on with last week's theme and talk about some more kitchen utensils that I use for many different things but then, as oftentimes happens, something else came up! :)

I'm SO excited about this, I could pee my pants. Or maybe that's just all that water I drank this morning. Well, either way, here's my Works-For-Me Wednesday trick for this week:

VINEGAR!!!

I have heard that many people use vinegar for lots of things around the house but I had never tried it myself. I mean, vinegar smells bad, right?

Well, we've been having a problem for quite a while with our laundry smelling kind of...well....sour. Mostly just the kitchen towels/rags and the kids clothes. I know, it's gross. You can say it. Anyway, after a prompting from my hubby this weekend, I looked online to see what other people had to say about this issue. Vinegar in the washing machine was one of the solutions I found. It was the least expensive solution proposed and I already had it on hand. I heard it worked as a fabric softener too so I thought I'd give it a try. I mean, what could it hurt?

My clothes came out smelling....like....FRESHNESS! I couldn't believe the difference! And they were soft! Softer than usual!

Our laundry will no longer smell bad! I will no longer be purchasing fabric softener but rather vinegar! BY THE CASE. I have yet to see what it will do for any other aspect of cleaning around the house, but I'm anxious to try it out!

What other uses have you found for vinegar??

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken and Rice Bake

This is one of my favorite meals for two reasons:

1. It's very tasty.
2. It's very easy.

I'm all about tasty and easy. :) Unfortunately, I don't think I have a picture of this one...

Chicken and Rice Bake

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked rice
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (we actually use two)

Mix all but chicken in any size baking dish. Top with chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover w/ foil. Bake @ 375 degrees for 1 hour of until chicken is done and rice is fully cooked throughout.

Yummo!!!