Get your Juice on

Good Monday morning to ya! I'm really not that happy about it, but I'm trying. It takes me about half of the day to really get going on a Monday. However, it is a beautiful day and it's so much fun when you can have a tasty treat for half the price. Don't you think?

Jamba Juice is having a BOGO event until July 12, 2009. What's BOGO you say? Well, it's Buy one Get one FREE. YAY, Free is what we like to hear.

If you are interested, follow this LINK and print off the coupon.

Summer is Here!

For those who live in Salt Lake, we have been waiting for this day. Summer technically began last week, but it is really starting today because our local weather station people have told us that there will be no more rain for a while. Hallelujah!! So, now that summer is here, it is probably wise to break out the shorts and swimsuits- if you have them. If you don't, check out the deals at Old Navy. I found some cute shorts for $10 and swimsuits for $8-$10.

Click HERE to see for yourself

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Well, I searched and searched for some good deals today, but they were few and far between..... except that the Yankee Candle Company is having a Semi Annual Clearance Sale with some good prices on all your home, car, office, closet, or anywhere fragrance needs.

I love Yankee candles. They truly are the best smelling candles around, and they make fantastic gifts as well.

Click HERE to go to their website and then click on Semi Annual Clearance to see the deals they have. They have $1, $3, $5, and $10 deals

Also, If you spend $35 dollars or more you can also use the code WXF907A1 at checkout and get $10 off. Pretty cool.


Have a great day

Deal Wednesday

It's that time again. Freebie Wednesday at Arby's. Today you can get a Regular Roast Beef sandwich for Free with a purchase of a soft drink. That's a pretty good lunch for under 2 bucks. Can't beat it.

Also, as an update to my post on Saturday. I used the Redbox code and it worked like a charm. The code* is good until 8/31/2009, so there is plenty of time to use it and get a free flick to enjoy with your friends/family.

*Text FIT to 414141

Let the Sunshine In!

Well, it's officially Summer 2009. The season of outdoor pool parties, bbq's, and sunburns. I have very fair skin and have had my fair share of pretty bad burns in the past. These days I don't go out of the house without sunscreen, but back in the day I wasn't as wise. I thought I would share with you the very best remedy that I have tried for a painful sunburn. One word: POTATO

It may sound a little folk mediciny, and it is. But, it really works. The most effective way I have found to use this remedy is to grate a potato on a cheese grater and then put the shavings and the juice on your burn. It will take the heat out of the burn quickly and leave you feeling much cooler and comfortable.

"Reel"Savings

Are you a homebody? Do you have a hard time leaving your kids with a babysitter? Do you have a hard time forking over $40 dollars just to go see a movie and get popcorn? I would have to say that I would say yes to, well, all of the above. No need to be ashamed if you are in the same boat. Tonight, you can have a fun evening at home watching a movie with your family or your best pals for a fraction of the cost of going out. Because.......

Red Box is offering FREE DVD rentals when you text FIT to 414141. They will quickly respond with a code that can be redeemed at any red box kiosk.

And for your movie snacking pleasure, here is a recipe for Homemade Microwave Popcorn. I make this all of the time as a midday snack.

Ingredients
1/4 cup of popping corn (generally around 0.99 per bag and can make up to 50 bags of microwave popcorn)
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp of melted butter
salt

Tools you will need
scotch tape
brown paper bag
Microwave

Pour the popcorn into the paper bag then add the vegetable oil. Fold the top of the bag over twice, but don't make the folds too big or the popcorn won't have room to pop. Tape the folds down with scotch tape. Microwave as you would normally do microwave popcorn (2-3 minutes listening for when the pops stop for about 3 seconds in between). Take out of the microwave and put into a bowl. Toss with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Treat Yourself

We made it to Friday again! Kudos Everyone. We have all worked hard this week, and there is bound to be a reward out there somewhere, right? Well, I've found it. Enjoy two freebies today I found on slickdeals.net

A&W Rootbeer is offering a FREE small Rootbeer Float from 2pm-8pm today as part of their 90th anniversary celebration. How nice of them.

Also at Orange Julius, you can get a FREE 20Oz. smoothie with a coupon that you can download and print off HERE


Take it easy everyone and have a great Friday

Burn it up

So, I am a regular watcher of the Today show in the morning. Not the whole 4 hours, but a segment here and there. Mostly it's just on in the background while I do my morning thing. A week or so ago they were talking about how to burn calories more efficiently. My ears perked up, because I am always looking for easy ways to shave off a few lb's. Here are some ways they suggested to rev up your metabolism. These are some I've tried and I think they really do work

1. Eat a good breakfast (everyday)
2. Drink COLD water
3. Pick Protein for lunch
4. Eat dairy if you pig out
5. Eat spicy food
6. Get a least 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night

To read the full article click HERE

Deal Wednesday

I'm a little sleep deprived today, so this will be short and sweet. Here are some fun little deals for you to peruse.

9 LED Superbright Flashlight $2 with free shipping when you enter the code MLC2480043

Stila Charmed Eye Shadow Palette w/ 24 carat gold for $10 and free shipping when you enter the code S7PB390. You may also select three beauty Samples with your order.

And don't forget about Arby's. Every Wednesday they have a free deal. Today you can get a free order of Sidekickers with any sandwich purchase.

Enjoy!

Let's Eat!

I always like to find a good recipe. I wouldn't say that I'm a foodie or that I'm even much of a cook. However, I do my fair share of eating in my house, and I like to eat things that taste good.

Here are a few recipes that I've been into lately

1. Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese- This one I saw on the Rachel Ray Show. I thought it sounded pretty good. I mean, I like cheeseburgers and I like mac and cheese. Sounds like a good combo, right? Well, IT IS. I really like this one.

2. Pineapple Pork- This is my own recipe. Well, I guess I need to give credit where credit is due, It's actually my husband, Marc's. But, we made it together once. This recipe is not scientific, but it's very easy.

One Pork Roast
One large yellow onion diced
baby carrots
4 red potatoes cut into quarters
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 jar of marinade of your choice ( We use the Kroger brand with the flavor Bourbon Peppercorn)

Mix all ingredients together in a crock pot and cook for 7-8 hours. Serve over brown rice.


3. Banoffee Pie- Oh this one is so delicious. I saw this on the Today show. It's basically banana cream pie, with strategically placed carmel. It's a mouth waterer, I think. Probably not one you want to make if you are trying to lose a few pounds what with the heavy cream, carmel and 2 sticks of butter. But hey, put the diet off a few days to try this one. Its worth it.

** The recipes are linked by clicking on the name. To get to the Banoffee Pie you will need to scroll down the page after you have clicked on the link


Have a yummy day!

Monday monday

Well, here we are again at the start of another week. This is going to be a busy one for me and my family and I'm sure for a lot of you too. But, we must not forget that Father's Day is this weekend. With that said, I have been searching for deals on gifts that our fine male com padres might enjoy.
Let me know if any of you find any other good deals out there

• 4GB USB Drive on woot.com $4.99 with $5 shipping

• Digital photo frame on buy.com $37.99 with free shipping

• Einstein touch series electronic Sudoku on buy.com $12.99 with free shipping

• Microsoft Webcam on amazon.com $28.10 with free shipping

• JC Penney has an in store or online coupon for $10 off any purchase of &25 or more. This is good for today and tomorrow only. So, if you wanted to by a shirt or tie for your man, this would be a good one to use.
  

I found most of these on http://dealoftheday.com. Check it out if you don't see anything here that you like. They have tons of deals listed everyday.

Just for Fun

Sunday's are usually pretty busy for me at this point in my life, but there was a time when they used to be a welcome break and a time to completely relax and chill out. For those of you who identify with the latter part of that previous sentence, here are a few free things you can do to pass the time today.

• Play Deal or no Deal online. This only takes a couple of minutes, but it is your chance to pick a case worth $10,000. Follow this link, pick a case and then put in your contact information. You will be entered into a drawing for $10,000 if you picked the right case. I play this all the time. I haven't won yet, but still hoping

• Play free online games at www.pogo.com. There are hundreds of free online games like Monopoly, Pictureka, Wheel of Fortune, Scrabble, etc. Each time you play you collect online tokens that give you a chance to be entered into a monthly sweepstakes give away.

For nature lovers ( I fall into this category), Take a walk outside. It is beautiful in Salt Lake today and flowers abound. We like to go on rose smelling walks. We are lucky to have many many different kinds of roses planted all around our condo complex. Did you know that each rose has a different scent? Don't take my word for it, get out and see for yourself.

Have a great day everyone.

Pucker Up Baby

Did you know?

• 1/4 cup of lemon juice has approximately 45% of your daily value of vitamin C

Did you know??

• Lemons contain compounds known as limonoids which have been shown to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lungs, breasts, colon and stomach.

Did you know???

• Lemon juice is also a diuretic, so it gives relief to the kidneys and bladder. It is also instrumental in curing many digestive problems when mixed with warm water.
  

Oh the lovely Lemon. I have been particularly taken with this little fruit recently. Lemons are usually on sale at the store this time of year, and I like to target the sale items on my weekly grocery list and see what I can do with them. I usually have a big cup of ice water that I drink throughout the day and lately I have been squeezing a lemon into it. It makes it so much more refreshing. Sometimes I add a sprig of mint from my garden for an extra bit of zing.


Here are some other ways you can use lemons in your everyday life.

• After using the inside of the lemon, the rind can be ground up in the garbage disposal to keep your sink smelling fresh and clean
• Lemons can be used as scouring pads if they are dipped in course salt and used to clean pots. Cut them in half or quarters and dip the juicy part in course salt. The scouring action will remove rust spots from pots, utensils, bathroom fixtures or any metal in the house.
• Lemons can also be used for Beauty. Cut a lemon in half and dip it in sugar. Then rub the half on your elbows and heels. It will loosen tough skin and make it soft and supple.
• Lemons can also be used to repel ants. Some lemon juice squirted on windowsills and thresholds will act as a barrier to ants and other buggy pests.
  

Information and image for this post gathered from Thriftyfun.com and rawfoodnation.wordpress.com

TGIF!!!

Man, this seems to have been a really long week for me. I am so glad it is Friday. And it looks like the sunshine is finally making an appearance in Salt Lake City, after a monster rainstorm yesterday. I found a couple of deals online that might even make the day better, if that is possible.
On Fox13now.com they have what they call 50/50 Fridays where you can get a restaurant gift certificate for 50% off to some really fine restaurants. This week they are featuring Stadium Pizza and Copper Canyon Grill House and Tavern. Follow this link to order and learn more.

Also, for anyone who has a little one in your life, there is a great deal on Crocs that popped up on slickdeals.net. They have a few styles of these super cute shoes on sale for $10 with free shipping when you enter the coupon code kiosk09. I think almost anything is a great deal when free shipping is involved. Just head to the Crocs homepage and you will see the styles they are offering for $9.99.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Come and get your Love

These flowers are for anyone who stops by my blog today. If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, you too are probably feeling a little glum from all of the rain we have been having (unless you like the rain). My neighbor stopped by yesterday just to bring me some flowers and a note saying that she was glad to know me. How sweet! and the flowers really did brighten up my day. It really was just what I needed to feel better about all this rainy weather. I love having fresh flowers on the table. It adds such a natural warmth to the decor. I am so grateful to have such a nice friend who would take the time to do such a simple act of service. It really meant a lot.
So, for today, get out and do something nice for someone you know. It doesn't have to be getting them flowers, but it could be. Everyone has their own way of showing love. So, get out there and make someone else's day.

Also, enjoy the Green Living tip of the Day off to the right. This will be a regular feature of my blog.

All Cracked Up

Today's post is a combination of a great Deal and homemade good. In our house, we are big fans of the cracker. We love them all: Saltine, Wheat thin, Graham, Triscuit, Cheezit, but most of all the hallowed Club cracker. Crackers are a funny little food. They are so small and flavorful, but yet they make a big statement on the scale if you eat too many, which is usually the case in our house. So, I may have found an answer for this, for this week at least.

On coupons.com they have a printable coupon for a box of Special K crackers for free. That's right, for FREE. Conditions are that it is up to $3.49 and only redeemable at Target. But hey, they are light on the tummy and on the wallet. Sounds like a good deal to me. Here is the link for those who want to partake. The link will take you to the homepage. To find the coupon, click on the Kelloggs Savings Center on the left hand side about half way down. The coupon should be there for you to print off.

As for the homemade good. So your little baby doesn't feel left out when you are chowing down on tasty crackers. Here is a recipe that I just tried for homemade teething biscuits. So far Truman seems to like them, and they are really easy to make. Enjoy!

Teething Biscuit Recipes - Eggless Baby Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup dry infant rice cereal with bananas (or other flavored or
unflavored infant cereal)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
ice water

Directions:
Preheat oven 425F
Mix flour and cereal.
Gradually stir in oil. Mix a little ice water at a time (start with 1/4 cup) until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the bowl.
Roll out to the thickness of a cracker on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 min. or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container. (you may want to try 1/2 plain and 1/2 flavored baby cereal as the taste when using full flavored baby cereal is very strong!)

*** Courtesy of Wholesomebabyfood.com

Paint the town Red

**Deal Alert**

I was surfing around some of my favorite deal sites and found a good one on slickdeals.net for all you hard working mom's and dad's (this includes dog mom's and dog dad's) that could really use a night out on the town. On Restaurant.com they normally have a pretty good deal where you can get a $25 dollar gift certificate to a restaurant in your area for $10 and a $10 dollar gift certificate for $3. But today, they are giving an 80% discount on their normal price. That makes their normal $25 dollar certificate only $2 and their $10 certificate only $.60!!!! Incredible. All you have to do is enter the code PRESENT at checkout on the website. Now, who doesn't have sixty cents hanging around in your couch cushions at least?? C'mon this is a great deal. Father's Day is also just around the corner, so it could also be a great gift for a Dad, grandpa or brother in your life. Check out the website Restaurant.com and you can search for a restaurant in your area using a zip code or city/state. Hope you take advantage. I know I will

Homemade Helpers

Choosing to be at home with a new baby is definately the best decision I have made in a while, but it sure isn't easy or profitable (monetarily that is). With that said, I am always looking for ways to save money on the more pricey items every household with children seems to always need. My mom gave me a great list of homemade recipes for such things as laundry detergent, automatic dishwasher detergent, toilet bowl cleaner, furniture polish and even baby wipes. These were all recipes collected from various sources. I will cite them with the information that I have. I haven't tried any of these yet, since I just got the information a couple of days ago. However, I've got a few toilets that could use a good cleaning. I'll let you know how it goes. If you try any, let me know too.


Laundry Detergent (Powdered)

• 1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap
• 1/2 cup Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

Mix well and store in airtight container or bag. For light and small loads, use 1 TBSP. For normal loads, use 2TBSP. For heavy loads, use 3TBSP

Note: This laundry detergent will NOT make suds in your washer, so don't be alarmed. Fels Naptha Soap is a pure soap and typically makes little or no suds i the water. This makes it perfect for use in the new HE washers as well as traditional washers. You will also notice the need to either reduce your laundry softener or in most cases can even eliminate using softener completely.

Automatic Dishwasher Detergent
If you have soft water, use straight Borax (Sodium Borate). With hard water, experiment with a mixture of borax and washing soda (Arm&Hammer, but not baking soda) until you get just the right ratio. Use exactly the way you do commercial mixtures.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Pour a bucket of water into the toilet to lower the water level. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of baking soda around the inside of the bowl. Drizzle enough vinegar to dampen the baking soda. Add sufficient "elbow grease" to a toilet brush. Flush toilet

Furniture Polish
Melt 1 TBSP carnauba wax into 2 cups of mineral oil and 1tsp of lemon oil. Apply a light coat with a soft cloth. Wipe off excess and polish with another clean cloth. Discarded t-shirts are ideal for this job.

**All of the above information was taken from "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by Carla Emery

Homemade Baby Wipes
For disposable baby wipes, cut a roll of plain white paper towels in half (Bounty or Costco brand works best). Place one half of the roll in a round air tight container. Pour solution over the half paper towel roll and cover. After a few minutes, turn roll upside down to help it absorb the solution evenly. When liquid is absorbed, remove cardboard core. pull wipes from the center,

Solution
1 1/2 cups water
1 TBSP Baby Bath Wash
1 TBSP Baby Oil
2 to 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil (optional)
Mix thouroughly before using