Need something to do this Weekend?

• Coney Island is having their annual fall festival! Definitely worth it. It is $9 for adults, $6 for kids, but...you can save $3 if you purchase your adult tickets at Kroger with your plus card..Family of four would be $24! Good deal! This also includes all rides, farm yard animal petting zoo, tons of entertainment and a trick or treat trail with goodies from local vendors! It is from noon-6, so be sure to get there early. I am sure you could probably spend the day here and have plenty to do!Oh, and kids can dress up, so if you have purchased that costume early, what a fun way to let the kids get a little more use out of it than a one time wear! They will have a blast too!
  

Here is the link with all the info...Coney Island Fall Festival.

• Fall Festival at The Shops at Harpers's Point. They will be having pony rides, petting zoo, sidewalk sale, and a "scarecrow juggler". This is on Sat. Sept. 20 from 10-2 pm. Go on their website here . The flyer will come up and coupons also. I am guessing you could print these out and use them? Maybe, if you called? Looks like something fun and easy, and pony rides? What kid wouldn't want a pony ride?
  

Friendly Friday! (a day early!)

So, I have been thinking and reflecting so much, due to this past weekends events! (In Ohio, we suffered a lot of wind damage and there of tons of people with out power still!) Just so many emotions....being prepared, not being prepared, scared, mad, sorry, happy, lucky, unfortunate....it really has been a roller-coaster. I cannot imagine how it would feel to have actually been in the hurricane...felt like we had one here, but I know it had to have been just a fraction of the real thing! My heart and prayers are with everyone who is going through things right now due to this!

Here's my "Friendly Friday" tip..(on Thursday)...
Duke energy workers (or the electric company in your area) have been working soooo hard to restore power...16 hour days, non stop! So, we think we should do something nice for them....Our vision? Baking a batch of cookies, buying a bag of candy, small bags of lunch size chips..anything.. Getting whatever "treat" we choose and handing it out to the first group of workers we come across...(Shouldn't be too hard to find some!) Imagine the smile on their faces when you hand them a treat...So they know their hard work is not unnoticed! They are fathers, brothers, sons, mothers, sisters, etc. and they deserve a pat on the back...So, we think this is a great opportunity to "pay it forward"
Please leave a note if you do..we would love to hear your story!!

More Family Fun

I have found more family fun over at Cincinnati Cents! She posts "Taking Time Thursday", and has some more great ideas for things to do in the area with the family. Check it out here!
Thanks again Cincinnati Cents!

Giant Eagle Deals for the week

Here are the Giant Eagle Deals for this week. Marcy at "Stretching a Buck" posted them here. The power has been out across Ohio, so everything is a little behind! Better late than never...right? Thanks Marcy for getting this together in such a hectic week!!!

Poll

Well, our poll has now come to a close! Thanks for all that voted!!! So, the results? Men are actually doing a lot better than I thought! Good for them! I am thrilled to see they help with the housework....They came out more than 50% do help, so that is good to hear! As for us women saving money while shopping with them? nope...ladies leave the hubbies at home if you are truly trying to save some money! =)

Men

So, my husband baked cookies on Monday. Yeah! What a pleasant surprise! Here is what I found in the 'fridge on Wed. Seriously, he could not fit that on the cookie sheet?
I'm just sayin! Men...........lol!

Buddies Soaps

Check out this great post here by Money Saving Mom. You can get free "buddies soaps"! She explains how...and it is good at almost all stores, so no special trip...put it on your regular grocery list. Even those of you who aren't "coupon crazy" can do this...One coupon, free soap...so simple!!!!

Tax Relief

I know many people were affected by hurricane Ike, we were fortunate enough to have a fraction of the worst of it happen here! We have power and are very grateful....no damage to us, the house, we are very lucky! So, I came across this article on Fox 19 news about being eligible for tax relief! Hopefully, this will help at least some of you! The article is here, so click and see if it applies to you! Good Luck!

Prayer Chain

We know many people in the country and many people who probably read this blog have been affected by hurricane Ike. We were fortunate enough to experience the smallest fraction of what others have! Our prayers and thoughts are with you. We were thinking (we'll see how it goes), but if you wanted to put a little post in the comments if you have someone specific you are praying for, we could start a prayer chain for those in need.. The least we can do is to help and pray for those in need!

Bleach Alternative

So, I made a batch of natural "bleach alternative". I am kind of excited, my whites have been a little off lately, so I have been experimenting. Nothing is really working, this is my next experiment...
I went to the dollar store and purchased a lot of lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide. (It really is inexpensive here!) SO heres the recipe: (I used a rinsed out gallon milk container)

1. Pour 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide in the container
2. Pour 1 1/4 cups lemon juice with it
   
3. Add 12 cups water

That's it! Shake it up and you are ready to go...You are supposed to use 2 cups in a load. I will be using it today, so I will report and let you know how it goes! Keep our fingers crossed, I love white whites!!!

Works for Me Wednesday

We are writing this and posting over at "Works for Me Wednesday", sponsored by "Rocks in my Dryer".
Here's my tip...(this is a great one too)! Ok, have you ever baked homemade cookies and they become hard and crunchy in, what seems like, 5 minutes later? Well, just put them in a container with a piece of bread (any bread will do), and voila! You will have soft chewy cookies! This is a great trick because it is frustrating to spend all that time baking and the result; mediocre cookies! This will solve your "crunchy cookie problems"! You can also put piece of bread in your bag of brown sugar and it will keep it from getting hard also! Happy baking!

Something for the Soul

Finally getting to the Sunday post...it's been quite hectic around here with all of the power outages, etc.

Sunday's sermon entailed looking at what we value the most and spend the most time working on when it comes to ourselves. We are talking external vs. internal.

The pastor discussed the importance of putting our time and energy into working on our souls. Investing what we have on becoming a better Christian..on becoming closer to God...on becoming who He wants us to be. It can be so difficult for us because we are a culture that is very focused on the external. The pastor reminded us that God is not at all focused on that, and will have much more substantial things to discuss with us when we meet Him. Things like, did you touch someones life, did you encourage, did you love, did you forgive, did you help those in need, did you cherish every moment of life as a blessing, were you kind, were you honest????

That is not to say that we are without sin, because if we are being honest we can all remember the last time we sinned.
But rather that we should strive for those things, and focus on those things...and try (as hard as it may be) to not be distracted by things of the world.

Please take a moment to read the scripture below.

Titus 2:1
1 As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.


Titus 2:11-13
11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

Fashion for Less, much less!!!!

So, the season is changing and so is the apparel that you will be wearing, as the weather gets colder. If you are like me, you probably have the basics..I always stick to the basics, but would like to purchase a few pieces to add a bit of flare to my look. Well, I have found the perfect way to do that! I am sure we have all heard of Sarah Jessica Parker.....Hello? Sex and the City!!!! Anyways, she also has a clothing line, which you may have heard of...The label is Bitten. Wow...this is really great. Nothing, and I mean nothing is over 19.99! Seriously...cute white trench coats, 8.98! Nothing was more than 8.98! Check out the website here....It has a store locator, so you can see if they carry it near you!

Drop a line if you have shopped or purchased some of these clothes!!!

Trader Joes Tuesday!

Well, it is that time again for a Trader Joe's tip....One of my favorite things to buy there is Trader Joe's homemade pizza dough! It can be found by the chunk and shredded cheeses, look for it in a plastic bag. Here is the best part...it is 1.19! That is it! It is so affordable and it is delicious too! You let it get to room temperature, roll it out, top it and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes and fresh homemade pizza! Gosh, making pizza at home makes the opportunities endless! You can accommodate children better also, being able to control their toppings! They can even make their own! This is a great way to have fun on pizza night!
Trader Joe's also carries pizza sauce and several things that would be delicious on the pizza! Oh, and I have bought a few and frozen it before, for a short time. It thawed out great!
Enjoy!

Fall Premieres!

Tues. night premieres are as follows:

• 8:00 p.m. "The Biggest Loser:Families" (NBC). It is a the same as the show that has been on, it is just focusing on families, including engaged couples and military wives! I am sure there will be some tears involved here!
  
• 9:00 p.m. "House" (FOX). Wow! This is a great show! I can honestly say I do not catch every episode, I cannot possibly! I have room for like 4 shows tops, so I need to pick and choose, but when I do have some time, I do love this show! It seems pretty easy to jump in to also! (you do not feel lost when you miss some).

There they are for tomorrow. Not too much! But get ready, because starting next week, my dvr will be working over time!

Cheap or FREE Family Fun!

I was cruising around checking out my favorite blogs this morning and I came across a great tip! I am sorry I did not see it yesterday, (i missed some great things we could have done yesterday!) Cincinnati Cents wrote a post about things for your kids to do next to nothing or, even sometimes, NOTHING! I love free things, so I am marking my calender for sure! I am going to link to the post here, so please be sure and check it out! It is worth it!!!!
Thanks Cincinnati Cents!
As always, be sure to call your local store, just to be sure they are hosting the events!

Give Away!

Thrifty & Chic Mom is running a very cute give away at her blog. It is for "Whimsical Stork" a very cute company run by moms! They have things for babies as well as for mom, that are the sweetest and cutest things! They are giving away a "Minky Bunny", looks so cute and soft! Be sure to stop by here and comment to enter!
Good Luck!

Meijer Mealbox

I have been seeing a little about the "Meijer Mealbox" but I did not know exactly what it did. Well, I played around a bit and I must say I love it! It is a meal planning tool that allows you to click and drag from their recipes (there are tons!) to the days of the week (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Some categories include, budget friendly, appetizers, lunch, breakfast, parties, 30 minute, etc. Then it compiles your shopping list for you! It allows you to delete items, if you already have them, and shows you what is on special and has coupons right there! So, for those of you who are short on time, or a bit scatter-brained like me, it really helps to organize your week.. I am going to try it out!

I have put it at the bottom of this page, so play with it, try it out and let us know what you think! I was thinking you could use this for any grocery store as well, get your menu and print out your grocery list. You won't know specials at your grocery store, but at least the ingredients will be packed for you on a nice organized list!!!

Fall Premieres!

Ok, the weekend line-up looks like this:

• 11:00 p.m. Mad TV..hilarious, but honestly I can not stay up this late anymore! SERIOUSLY! Sad, I know...oh well...
• 11:35 p.m. Saturday Night Live...Equally hilarious, but definitely not making it for this! Funny thing about SNL..We all watch it at some point...right? But it is like the infamous "mom jeans" with the high waist..once you have kids, you get stuck in a time warp where you are still thinking Dan Aykroyd is on the show and you are still reciting something from one of his skits! So, I would love to watch this, not likely though!
  

(I, however, do not think I am in a fashion time-warp although I have had children. My teenage niece would disagree!)

Generics

If you are like me, you often stare at the exceptionally less expensive generic brand, wondering if it really is the same. Sometimes you get lucky and other times, not so much! I am always confused as to whether I should buy the "generic" or "store brand" or if I should just spend the extra and get the trusted name brand. You know, you could end up spending more by buying the generic and then having to buy the real one anyways..so.....I found this cool article that compares generics and name brands. I need to take note of these, I purchase a lot of what is on the list and I bet you do too!
Click here to check it out!
Some of my biggest surprises were: Slimfast (Equate being the generic and more highly rated version), Cough syrup, and Wheat Thins (compared to Kroger's version of wheat thins, with Kroger's winning!)
This is a great way to save some money, many of these generics are half the amount of the name brand! Hope this helps...
P.S. There is no Oreo like the real thing!!!!!