Coupon Queen

I know I should be blogging about the next day in our St. Louis vacation, but I have to make a confession.  First, let me start by saying I have never been a person with an addictive personality.  I have never smoked, don’t drink much, I have never tried an illegal drug, and taking prescription pain killers make me sick so I can’t get addicted to those either.  I have been going along “fat, dumb, and happy” (which is no way to go through life), until my 51^st year.

Approximately two months ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the joys of couponing.  I have always been one to save money.  My mother always taught me to look for the sales.  I rarely buy something that isn’t on sale.  However, I had never embraced coupons.  I would cut out one or two from the Sunday paper, but never did much more.  My friend told me about “stacking” and “blinkies” and “tear pads” and so much more!  The very first week that she helped me with my coupon clipping, I saved over $100 on my grocery bill.  I was hooked.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not one of those “Extreme Couponers” you see on TV.  Those people are the exception, not the rule.   I don’t hoard, or over stock my pantry.  If I find a really good deal (like the 15 I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butters I just got for .15 each), I will donate it to charity and family members.  I only purchase what we will use before the item expires and we can store easily in our home. I sound like I am justifying my addiction doesn’t it? That can’t be a good sign.

I just can’t help getting excited about how much I can save at the store!  For example, I recently purchased 22 bottles of Ocean Spray juice (donated most of it), 6 cans of Progresso soup, 35 Hallmark greeting cards, 6 bags of Milk Bone dog treats, miscellaneous fruit and veggies, and my total bill was 14.00! Most weeks I only save about 80.00 of our grocery bill. But when the week comes that I can do so well, I feel so excited. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment.  Then I start looking for my next “fix”.  I can’t wait for the Sunday paper, I look on-line each evening at coupons.com to see if there are any new coupons, I love Wednesday when the Publix flyer arrives so I can see what sales I can match with a coupon to save the most money possible.  I have a sickness.

Is there a CA (Coupon Anonymous)?  Should I even join?  Saving money is a good thing.  Right? I just need to stop obsessing about saving money.  When your sister answers her phone “how much did you save this time?”  You know you are calling her too frequently to tell her about your couponing. But I got 35 greeting cards for free! Actually it came out to a 7.00 credit that I used to help pay for other groceries. Sigh.

Well, I have done the first step and admitted that I am addicted to couponing.  Do I want to do anything about it? No way…that Sunday paper is only two days away, I can’t stop now!

Party Until the Cows Come Home…Or The Gooey Butter Cake Is Gone

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The day of the party dawned bright and hot, hot, and hotter.  Not at all a surprise the weather station reported St. Louis was expecting record heat.  However, that was not going to stop us from partying ’til the cows … Continue reading →

Endless Summer

Most of my friends know that I intensely dislike Disco music.  The 70’s weren’t the favorite decade in my life.  However, there is one exception to that rule….Donna Summer.  I owned every album (yes, I am showing my age), and I played them over and over again.

Today, I have every Donna Summer song on my Ipod.  I listen to them over and over.  I never seem to tire of “Last Dance,” “On The Radio,” “Hot Stuff,” or “She Works Hard For The Money.”  I know all the words and love to sing with her, albeit a little off-key.

I had planned on writing the next part in our St. Louis story yesterday, but felt too sad when heard of Ms. Summer’s passing.  It was a little surreal to think she was here in Naples, Florida during her final moments.  I heard she loved it here.  Our Endless Summer days took a break for 2 straight days this week and it had rained most of the time.  Now I know why.

I’m glad she had so many hits that will live on in my Ipod, albums, and perhaps a few 8tracks as well.  I am thankful that because of her I do like a little “Disco” now and then.   Thank you again Ms. Summer.

St. Louis Trip Part II

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  One of Our Favorite Shots from the Garden Friday morning we spent preparing for the party.  We began cleaning and decorating and   making as much of the food as we could so we wouldn’t be overwhelmed on Saturday. In … Continue reading →

St. Louis!

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Day 1 and 2 We left for St. Louis on Wednesday in the late afternoon.  We arrived around  5:30pm and were welcomed by our Brother-in-law who had only been home  from Afghanistan for about 1 week. We were also welcomed … Continue reading →

My Hero

My Brother-in-law and nephew were both deployed to the Middle East in 2011. My sister has been spending the past year home alone.  She has gone through the agony of not hearing from her husband and son for days and wondering if they were injured on a mission.  She would sit and wait online hoping one of them would pop up on Skype or Facebook so she could have her 5 minute conversation.

The resolve and Faith it took for her to get through these 365 days is awe -inspiring to me.  she kept it together whenever she spoke to her husband and he relayed news of injuries or even deaths in his unit.  He kept smiling and telling him she was there for him no matter what.

She kept cheerful as she spoke to her son who is thousands of miles away and feeling a bit home sick.  She bakes cookies and sends packages to keep up their spirits.

She faithfully attends church, prays every day, teaches bible study, and attends bible study.  She even has time to call me and see how I am feeling when I have had times of trouble during this past year.

As the time comes for my Brother-in-law to return,  a call late at night from the military informing her there has been an “incident” so close to the return of her husband would have been the end for me.  However, my sister is amazing.  Of course she cried, but she got right to work calling every number she had for every contact in the Army to find out what had occurred.  Her husband is ok and  on his way home.  But she will be waiting by Facebook and Skype to see if his little “online” light turns green so she can talk to him and ensure he is alright.

My Brother-in-law and nephew are amazing men serving our Country and I am s proud of them.  I want us to also remember those on the home-front staying strong, keeping the home ready and waiting for our soldier’s return.  People like my sister….my hero.

Check Engine

If people had “Check Engine Lights” mine would be on. I think it is my memory chip that is causing the light to illuminate.  However, the mechanic will have to connect me to their computer to know for sure what is going on with my engine. 

Some of the symptoms of the problem include strange noises coming from my joints when I try to stand up from a sitting position or when I crouch down to put away things, inability to finish complete sentences, loss of knowledge (I used to be able to add and subtract simple numbers in my head or remember recent history), and problems with my GPS (I have driven to work by mistake on a Saturday or totally forget where I am going when I get in the car).  I’m not sure what is causing my inability to remember why I left one room and went into another until I go back to the first room. However, when I leave that room and go into the other the problem returns (this is a real Catch 22).

My engine can’t get as far as it used to without sputtering and dying.  I can’t stay up past 9pm anymore.  I used to be just going out on the town at 9pm.  Maybe a tune-up would help.

It definitely cost more to fill my tank.  I used to be able to eat Cheetos for breakfast and be full most of the day.  Now I eat oatmeal and fresh fruit and get hungry again at 10:00am. 

My headlights must be going dimmer because I can’t see as well at night as I used to. Actually, I find myself not wanting to drive at night at all anymore and just stay home reading a book and drinking a lovely glass of wine.

I guess I don’t really need to find out why my “check engine” light is on, I know the answer.  I can’t imagine a car on the road for 50+ years wouldn’t have some engine problems.  I am just glad I’m still on the road after all this time.  I should forget about fixing my “check engine” light and maybe just go get one of the cool “antique/vintage car” tags for myself.

 

Our dog Sock

Enjoy the link to the video below.  Our three-legged dog Sock helping out her dad who is in quite a predicament. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-S_jkIM3ok

Magical Memories

I recently traveled to Universal Studios in Orlando to visit “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” As I was browsing one of the shops I spotted a Rememberall. For those of you not familiar with Harry, a Rememberall is a small glass ball that will help you remember things. I knew immediately I needed a Rememberall. I have my Rememberall sitting on the kitchen counter at home. I was looking at it this morning and I thought to myself “why is it I can remember things for other people so well, but can’t remember my own life at all?” The Rememberall didn’t answer. Case in point: Yesterday my husband had a need to know some of his medical history. He couldn’t remember certain things that had happened in his past, so I jumped in to help. Below is a shortened version of the conversation. Me: Well, you had kidney stones before. Him: I did? No I didn’t. Me: Yes, you did in October 2009. Him: No I didn’t. Me: Yes, my friend was visiting and you were home very sick, you went to the doctor, they immediately sent you for all kinds of tests. The results were back quickly that you had three kidney stones. Him: You even remember how many I had? Me: Yes. You were very sick. My friend and I were at a jewelry party that weekend and you called to tell me the details of your kidney stones. Him: How do you remember that? Me: Same way I remember when you had your last tetanus shot, your flu shot, the medications you are on, when you have had surgeries, when my mother has had surgeries, when my mother had her pneumonia shot, and all other misc. stuff from your lives. (It was about this time is when I said to myself “But I can’t remember where I put my keys.”) I kept staring at the rememberall this morning hoping it would tell me what I had just gone into the kitchen to get, but it didn’t say a thing. I decided to keep getting ready for work and just use my husband’s keys instead. I knew where they were.

Weight Loss Update

I haven’t blogged about our weight-loss journey in a while, so I will take today to let you know how we are doing. My husband has lost 60lbs and looks fantastic!  However, the most important part of his weight loss … Continue reading →