GOOD MORNING!!!

Good morning everyone! Wow, I can't believe Christmas has come and gone! It is ALWAYS soooooo nice to be with family, but I can't believe how busy the season can be. Time just flies by when you are having fun. We did have a VERY GOOD Christmas though.

Every Christmas I do get what I call a Christmas hangover. The day after Christmas I just sit and stare. I am soooo tired and exhausted and I cannot move. I thought this year "might" be different. As when I woke-up yesterday morning I felt "okay." I got up and got ready for the day, only just to suffer from "the Christmas hangover." I'm hopin' today will be a bit better since I kinda "have" to step up to the plate as my hubby goes back to work and I'm "supposed" to be workin'. So, we'll see. I do feel this tug towards shopping though......

Anybody eat too much? Well, I sure did! I'm back on plan today though. I kinda got derailed for a couple of days, but I'm back now. I did NOT go to WW yesterday. I was too tired! I wanted to sleep in. When I go to WW, I have to get up at 6 o'clock in the morning. So, I got to sleep until 8 yesterday until one of my mini alarm's (Faithy) came and woke me to ask if she could get up.  Then, she proceeded to argue with me. That's always nice to wake-up to. :)

Anyway, I'm slowly but surely getting back on track of day-to-day life.

I hope you all had a GREAT holiday and got to enjoy your famlies as much as I did. Boy, after doing the "Secret Santa" thing and just really taking in the expeirence it sure was a GREAT reminder of how lucky I am. I AM VERY LUCKY! :)

I hope you all have a great day and a great week!

Cheryl

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas!!

Cheryl

Giveaway WINNER**!!**

Sorry about getting this posted later than normal, but I had to take Blakey to the doctor this morning to get his collar bone checked, AND I overslept. Too much celebrating so far. I'm tired. Anyway........

YEAH!!!! WE HAVE A WINNER for the Chex Mix giveaway. Our winner is.......

Joelle!!!

Joelle said...

I am a subsriber! Thanks for the giveaway Cheryl!

Congrats Joelle!! Please contact me within 24 hours so I can get your info off to myblogspark and have your package on the way.:) If not, I will have to pick a different winner. :(

I will need your name, address, and phone number to input in "their" system.

Thanks Joelle for reading my blog and for entering this giveaway!

Cheryl

Update

Things went REALLY good tonight. We REALLY made somebody's Christmas. SANTA'S COMING...... Thanks to all of you and your support, we were able to pull this off. My kids, husband, and I hid around the corner to watch them open the door. I'm thinkin' they were pretty happy, but we had to leave quickly as I think we may have been spotted.....Here is my team in action.....



This is early on and Trent (my son) in the background chillin'



My momma loading stuff up



Donations before unpacking

And more....

And more...............



Organizing donations



Organizing



And more organizing......



Secret Santa Helpers....Mom, Ryan, Faithy, Blakey, Dad, and Trent wayyyyyy in the back.



Last, but not least.......Yes, that is yours truly sending many thanks and hugs to all of you for helping me/us make this happen. THANK YOU!!!!


Sooooo, here are some more details. This is how you guys/gals ROCK!!! We not only made Christmas happen for my original family of the mommy, the daddy, the 2-year-old, and the 9-month-old baby boy. We brought Christmas to TWO other families. I didn't think you all would mind. Yes, the kiddos from our first family got the toys and clothes and other misc gifts, but we had soooooooo much food and toiletries that we shared.

Family #1 the original family....
Here is some more info that I found out. They are 21. He has been laid off from work (not good). She works part-time. They are actually homeless right now. They had a flood in their apartment a little while back and they are having trouble getting it fixed. They actually went back recently to try to live there again, but found out that their apartment is STILL flooded. So, that was a no-go there. So, they are actually living with her mom and 15-year-old son/little brother in an apartment. I can only imagine how cramped they must be.

Family #2
Well, we found out, through the grapevine, that she is not doing too hot financially either. She is actually trying to get on disability as she has some health problems. We found out that Christmas wasn't looking to bright for her or her son either.  Sooooo, we stepped in and took care of that too. Yep, mom and I pooled a couple of things together and got presents for the grandma and son too.

Family #3
While doing our Secret Santa Drive today, we had gotten the word from a fellow couponer (thanks Wendi) that there is a family that she knows of that is in need. This is actually REALLY sad. It is a husband and wife who are from out of town, but are here for a while. They have many children (I'm not sure how many), but they also have an 8-9 month old and are here because they are getting treatment for their baby WHO HAS CANCER!!! WHAT?! I mean I know this stuff happens, but REALLY?! Well, all she asked for was if we were too overwhelmed with "stuff" that maybe we consider giving our leftovers to this family. Well, it actually turns out that I have a family coming to donate MORE stuff tomorrow and we did have a "few" extra food items. We had some pasta, brownies, hot chocolate, and a couple of cereals. Now, from what I am told we have a whole bunch of stuff coming tomorrow! Boy, you guys/gals REALLY helped out.


THANK YOU OVER AND OVER AND OVER FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN, NOT ONLY FOR ONE FAMILY BUT FOR THREE!!!! My family and I THANK YOU!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Cheryl

P.S. It was so nice meeting all of you today and seeing familar faces. Thanks EVERYONE for coming out.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

A MILLION TIMES OVER!!!!!! Wow, you guys really rock!!! My mom and I have been putting stuff together since we left at 2 o'clock! We just finished up and we are going to deliver around 5:30 or so. I have pictures to share with you so I will do that later today. We got soooooo much stuff!

I really couldn't have done this without your help, so thanks. Special thanks to ........

The Coupon Posse'
Happy Money Saver
Frugal Chic Living
Confessions of a Couponaholic

for helping me to put the word out there! These bloggers really rock!

Thanks EVERYONE and I will give you an update soon. :)

Cheryl

Giving Back For Christmas

Update:  I just wanted to take the time and thank everyone who has contacted me and who is helping to support my decision to do this and helping me to get the word out there! I REALLY appreciate it! I'm sure the family will appreciate it too. I went to Fred Meyer yesterday and picked up FOUR bottles of laundry detergent for JUST $0.50 a bottle. It was that Xtra laundry detergent. There was a Fred Meyer coupon in Wednesday's paper making it 2 for $3 and there is a $1/1 coupon on their (Xtra) website, making them only $0.50! Wow, that will come in real handy for the donation.

I know that it is last minute, but this is something that I have been thinking about for a while and... well...quite frankly, I was a bit scared to do something like this. I mean I don't mind "helping" to put together something like this, but for me to be the one "in charge" is quite scary. Anyway, this has been laying quite heavily on my heart lately, and I know I waited until late, but I'm going to take the plunge and DO IT. And, one of the first people that I am coming to is you. I NEED HELP!! AND, I NEED HELP REAL BAD! Do you think you help me pull this off?

I have found a family (thanks mom) that needs some uplifting this year for Christmas. This family is local. This family consists of a mom, a dad, a little girl (2 years old), and a baby boy (8 months old, although I am told he is a little big for his age, more like 12 months). Well, it looks like Santa may NOT be headed their way this year AND I am going to do EVERYTHING in my power to see that Santa DOES come. This family IS in need and they need our help.

With all of our coupons and "coupon talent" that we have I'm thinking that some of you may have a pretty good stockpile. Do you think that maybe you could share some of that with this family? I HAVE BROWNIES! :)

I'm thinking it would be pretty nice if we could gather up some stuff for Christmas dinner or even just plain food. It sounds like this family is in real need. Maybe some diapers, wipes, just neccesities, or even just stuff that you may have "extra" of and you don't know what to do with. How 'bout some Christmas toys? They don't even have a Christmas tree! I thought I had one, but I don't so if you have maybe an artificial one that you were thinking of getting rid of, we could use that. I have plenty of decorations and lights. Anything, you think you could donate to make their Christmas a little less stressful would be AWESOME.

I just found all of this information out about 45 minutes ago, while I was in the middle of Rite Aid. Needless to say, I left the store and came home to do some inventory of what I have, so I can get the appropriate items. So, I have not arranged a day yet for drop off or a location. Whatever the location, it will be in the valley. I'm thinking maybe next Wednesday for a drop off. Unless I hear anything different, the drop off location will be in the parking lot of West Valley High School, off Buckeye and Vista area, next Wednesday, 12/22/10, from 12 noon to 2 pm.

If you have something you would like to donate, and maybe you have a question or you need me to pick it up. PLEASE, let me know. I will see what I can do.

ANY help is appreciated! Thank you all and Merry Christmas!

You can always e-mail me at frugal mom 1 @ live . com.

Thanks again!

Cheryl

Quick Giveaway....

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

I was provided with another awesome prize pack from myblogspark.com. Now, they want to give you something too. Here's what they want to give you.....

1 box of Rice Chex, a measuring cup set, and a Chex® Party Mix tote bag. This is an AWESOME bag. I love the bag. It is REALLY big and will come in handy when doing a bigger grocery trip. I love the measuring cups too. I measure EVERYTHING.

So, just to get a little business out of the way, this giveaway was provided to me from General Mills through myblogspark. Much thanks to General Mills and myblogspark.

So, this is just going to be a quick and simple giveaway. I am starting this giveaway now and it will end on Wednesday at 8 pm. I will announce the winner Thursday morning and the winner will have 24 hours to get back to me or I will have to pick a different winner. :(

Here's what you have to do.....

1) Follow me and let me know you are a follower, and leave me your e-mail.
2) Subscribe to me and let me know you are a subscriber, and leave me your e-mail.
3) What new Chex Party Mix recipe would you like to try? And, leave me your e-mail.

That's it. Pretty simple. Okay, I hope you are all having a good holiday season.

Good luck and thanks so much for your support.

Cheryl

Okay.....

I am soooooo excited to see EVERYONE this afternoon. Thank you EVERYONE for helping me bring Santa to this family's doorstep! This is going to be AWESOME!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Cheryl and family!!

FYI.....

I am up to my ears in work over here. I am trying to get caught up so I can take off tomorrow afternoon for the Christmas drive and then be off for the Christmas holiday. So, I am having a hard time getting over here to post deals. I just wanted to give you all a heads up.

I can't wait to meet those of you who are able to come out tomorrow! Thanks again for all of your support. I REALLY appreciate it!

Thanks!!

Cheryl

Safeway Daily Deal

I almost forgot to post this. All week, until Friday, Safeway has daily deals. If you are in need of some fresh pineapple, well....today is your day. Today, only, they have pineapple for just $0.99 each! Wow, that is a great deal. There is a LIMIT OF 1.

Thanks!

Cheryl

$1 Off Robitussen

There is a $1 off Robitussen over here. Just sign up and get your coupon over here.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Monday Weigh-In Report

Well, this.........

can lead to SEVERE chocolate eating. Yep, Saturday, I was shampooing my carpet and getting things ready around here for the big Christmas gathering. Well, he was playing (running, jumping, hopping, you name it, he was doing it) around in the front room on wet carpet. I didn't see what happened as I had my back turned, but he fell and broke his little collar bone. I thought that maybe he just hurt himself pretty good and that he would get over it, but he kept complaining of pain for about the next 45 minutes to an hour. So, I had him take his shirt off, which was quite painful for him as he broke out in a cry and said how much it hurt him. I was comparing each side of the collar bone and noticed there was a lump on the right side. My husband and I talked and since I was in the middle of shampooing and the roads were bad, he was going to run Blakey to urgent care and see what the deal was.

Well, needless to say, he came back with this handy dandy little brace and the diagnosis of a broken collar bone. Okay, I know he is the one in pain and worse things could happen, but I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!!! I'm trying to be strong for his sake and the rest of the family, but I'M FREAKIN' OUT HERE! I know there is absolutely NOTHING I can do about this, but I am STILL worried (I'm sure many of you moms out there can relate). So, I don't normally turn to food when I'm stressed (I usually turn to food for FUN), but I got into the candy cane kisses. Ohhhh, they were sooooo good. Needless to say, they didn't take any of my worry away. Actually, it made me worry (after the eating event) about my weigh-in on Sunday. So, I went from one worry to another. Crazy!

So, now we go into see his doc this week. I'm not sure what they can do about this, I'm thinking nothing really, but I'm not a doctor so I don't know........

Anyway, the scale was nice to me AGAIN! I'm tellin' you, I'm just waitin' for the day that it breaks my heart again. Well, I lost 1 pound!!! Yay! I know it is less than the weeks prior, but I'll take it! ANY loss is a good loss in my book. They ALL add up. That's almost 12 pounds in three weeks!

If you remember, I was quite worried about last week because lately that seems to be when I "fall off of the wagon," but even with the slight derailment I still succeeded and I didn't derail too much. I still had my weeklies, but I have not used them on this new plan. So, I WAS within my point limits, but probably not a good decision the day before weigh-in.

So, as of today, I'm still on track and I think we have a pretty good menu planned out for Christmas that shouldn't derail me too much. I'm saving ALL of my weeklies for Saturday just in case. I know, I know, again the day before weigh-in, but they say that is what they are there for. So, we'll see........

Today (12/20) ONLY, Kids Eat FREE at Chili's

 

Are you going to Chili's today? Well, if you are, there is a nice coupon over here. This is good for a FREE kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree. TODAY ONLY. There is a limit of two FREE meals per one adult entree ordered. Wow, this could make for a "frugal" meal out with the family.

Thanks Smart Couponing!

Cheryl

$1/2 Tony's Pizza Products

There is a $1/2 Tony's Pizza Products coupon right over here. You will have to put in your name, e-mail, and zip. And, they don't even expire until 5/18/11. Wow!

Thanks Printable Coupons and Deals!

Cheryl

Psst… want to save up to $46?

Hey! I just learned a clean little secret about Lowe’s. They have quite the selection of cleaning products plus air and water filters to help keep your home spic and span inside and out. And they’re sending out up to $46 in savings so you can really clean up. Get your coupons before they’re gone! Go to vocalpoint.com/Lowes.

Athena365=FREE Internet Radio

This is kinda neat. Athena365 is the new 24/7 cloud radio network dedicated to women. Athena365 showcases your favorite music, plus a diverse array of women and family-oriented talk programming. Enjoy hundreds of stations from the Live365 network. Start your FREE membership now! You can go over here to get all signed up. You could even have a chance to win a FREE iPod Touch from Athena365.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Christmas Family Fun

Do you like going and looking at Christmast lights as much as I do? I, personally, LOVE this, and it seems the older I get the more I enjoy it. I love taking my kiddos to look at Christmas lights. We turn the radio on to Christmas music and carol away as we drive and look for Christmas lights. We JUST did a small drive the other night and wound up finding a pooch and returning him to his rightful owner. That was kind of a neat lesson to teach our kiddos, as they are new "pound puppy" owners.

Anyway, if you are in the mood to check out Christmas lights in and around Spokane. Just go on over here via The Spokesman Review and get addresses (these addresses are submitted by Spokesman-Review readers) and you can even map it out, if you would like. They have it broken down to the different areas in Spokane (South Hill, Valley, North Spokane, etc). One other cool thing about this page is that they give a short description of what is displayed at each particular address.

Journey To The North Pole-via Coeur d'Alene Boat Cruise-
"Fantasy Cruise to the North Pole" Tickets are on sale now.
Adults - $15.95
Seniors (65 yrs. & over) - $14.95
Children (12 yrs. & under) - Complimentary
Nightly cruise departure times: 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 pm
All Holiday Cruises depart from the Boardwalk Marina, located on the East side of The Resort.
**Reservations are required. For tickets or more information, contact The Holiday Light Show Center at 208-664-7268 or 800-688-5253

FREE Skating At The Ice Palace...

Date(s): 12/09/2010 - 02/24/2011

Times: 7-8:30pm

Event Location: Ice Palace, Riverfront Park

Event Address: 507 N Howard St

Phone: (509) 625-6601

Admission: Skating FREE WITH COUPON FROM THE INLANDER (you can find the FREE Inlander at various gas stations, some medical clinics, grocery stores, etc)/skate rental $3.25

Bring your friends for an evening of skating at one of the finest outdoor rinks in the country. The Inlander sponsors free admission for Inlander Appreciation night every Thursday (except 12/23 and 12/30) through the skating season. Skate, dance, have hot cocoa!

 

FREE Horse&Carriage Rides....

Date(s): 12/03/2010 - 12/24/2010

Times: Fri 3-8pm (Christmas Eve noon-3pm)/Sat & Sun noon-5pm

Event Location: Downtown Spokane

Event Address: Main Ave at Wall St

Phone: (509) 456-0580

Admission: FREE

Take a refreshing carriage ride through downtown Spokane. These free rides are gifts to the community and visitors from the Downtown Partnership and Spokane Teachers Credit union.

**Of note, you probably will have to stand in line quite a while, so make sure you dress SUPER warm. I would even take some blankets and whatnot, wear two pairs of socks and warm shoes too. I froze my behind off last year, because I didn't dress warm.

 

These are just a few things you can do. If I run across anymore, I will share. If you have any suggestions, please share with us.

 

Thanks!

 

Cheryl

$0.50/4 Yoplait Yogurt

Just go on over here for a coupon from Yoplait for $0.50/4 Yoplait Yogurt cups. Hurry though, if you want this, as the supply is limited.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Albertsons Trip Last Night

Yep, I had a TON of coupons for the Pillsbury brownies so I wanted to venture out to Albies last night. My hubby was night enough to take me to Liberty Lake so, I could get my shopping on. I did six different transactions and walked away with this and then some.......

Plus, not pictured are six Hefty Zoo Pal plates and 68 brownies (I ordered these last night, the plates and the brownies). Yes, I know that is a lot of brownies, but I had the coupons and so therefore they (the brownies) are going to be donated. So, I saved $228.68! Total out of pocket was $3.63! Wowza! That was good. I am not going to break each one of my transactions down, as I have to get my butt back to work, but I REALLY wanted to share with you how well I did last night. I am sooo excited about being able to donate some brownies and oil, and other items too. I did use (3) $5 Rewards that I had and I got back ANOTHER $5 reward.

So, here is what I got for $3.63!

68 brownies
8 Pillsbury Easy Frosting
4 Pam
3 Wesson oil
3 Marie Callender's Family Meals
3 Marie Callender's Steamers
3 Celestial Teas (these were on sale for $2.50, use with doubler makes them $0.50 each!)
1 Snack pack (had husband and Blakey with me)
2 Hefty Paper plates
6 Hefty Zoo Pals plates

Do you ever do something stupid like let a Catalina expire? Well, I did and I'm just kicking myself. I totally forgot about it until I saw it last night when I was going through my stuff. I can't believe it! It was a $5 Cat too! Oh well, I guess that is why I need to try to be a little more organized. You win some and you lose some and apparently I lost some. :)

By the way, when I was out at Liberty Lake last night they DID have plenty of brownies (just not enough for me to feel comfortable taking 68 for myself, so that is why I ordered them). So, if your on the hunt for some brownies, they had some. They, however, were out of the Zoo Pals plates.

Okay, I hope you all have a GREAT day and remember if you want to get in on the Albertsons's sale, today is the last day.

Cheryl

FREE Send A Dozen Cookies To A Soldier

This is sooo cool! Check this out.....Right now Kenmore is doing something pretty cool, using their Facebook page! Just go on on over to the Kenmore Facebook page, “like” them, then click on the “Cookies4Troops” tab to send a dozen cookies to a soldier away from home with your personal message of support. Another cool thing about this is by helping them reach their goal of sending a quarter million cookies to the troops, Kenmore will donate $50,000 to Heroes at Home Wish Registry to assist military families in need!

You can take part in this ABSOLUTELY FREE and a difference in someone's day! Just go on over here to do it. I just sent mine and it took a matter of maybe a minute or so. It was SUPER DUPER easy.

Thanks Hip2Save!

Cheryl