Half Price Hook Ups

A friend of mine sent me a link to an awesome site called Half Price Hook Ups so I thought I would share. I am not sure if it is only for local businesses in the Lafayette area or not but it is worth a look. I purchased a few certificates from the site already and am very happy with my half price deals!

http://wask.schurzdeals.com/

Someone Drove Thru our Garage

So, I woke up on Sunday to find a hole in the side of my garage. I'm not a morning person and we had been up late the night before to celebrate my birthday so it took me a while to figure out what I was seeing. The first thing I saw was the dog - her bed sat right where the car had come thru the wall. Luckily we had moved all the vehicles out of the garage for the party or she would have been smashed between the wall and a truck. Then I saw the electric meter hanging and bare wires exposed and I ran back into the house to get the hubby up and start making phone calls. As you can see the car drove quite a long way before hitting the garage. He told the cops he "fell asleep". When my husband when to his home (which is right down the road) to get his insurance information he saw an open 16 oz Budweiser in the cup holder of his car and the guy was obviously very hung over. Unfortunately he hit the garage right where ALL of our utilities are. Fortunately we have an awesome contractor (he built our house) and after three days in a hotel we were back home! It was a birthday I will never forget!

Twist on Cinnamon Rolls

We get a weekly shopping guide in mail which mostly consists of ad's for local businesses. This week however I came across some great ideas for perking up Pillsbury Grand's Cinnamon rolls. You basically bake the cinnamon rolls as directed on the package and then make a quick and easy topping. You can find more delicious recipes on Pillsbury.com or Facebook.com/pillsbury

Carmel Pecan Buns

Bake buns, set aside; reserve icing.

2 TBSP Butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

To caramelize pecans, melt butter in 10 inch skillet over medium heat; add pecans. Cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes or until butter just starts to brown. Add brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and bubbles, about 2 minutes. Spoon over buns. Remove cover from icing; microwave on medium for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over the buns.

Apple Walnut Sticky Buns

2 TBSP butter, softened
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Heat over to 375. Generously butter 8 regular muffin pans. In bowl, mix apples, walnuts, and brown sugar; divide evenly among muffin cups. Separate cinnamon rolls; reserve icing. Place 1 roll in each cup. Bake 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Place cookie sheet upside down over muffin pan; turn over. Remove pan. Remove cover from icing; microwave on medium for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over the buns.

Ground Meats Simplified

I did my fair share of comfort food cooking this winter. Like most families, one of our favorites is chilli and I made it several times. I don't used ground meat to often to cook with but for my chilli I use both ground beef and sausage. I hate cooking ground meat because I can ever get it crumbly enough. One day I decided I had had enough and got out my potato masher and gave that a try. To my pleasant surprise it worked like a charm! Better than I would have thought. Now, I don't dread cooking ground meats :)

Nine's Are Wild

Nine is a very auspicious number in feng shui and they have been popping up alot this week so I made sure I played the Hooiser Lottery. I also make sure I took advantage of CVS's sale on photo prints for nine cents and Walgreens nineteen cent packs pens and high lighters for the kids.
I'm not typically one to focus on numbers but after studying feng shui for several years and being superstitious I just can't help it. It is all in fun really and I don't see anything wrong with being focused on something that brings me positive energy. And I really do need some positive energy right now because in a few days I will be turning thirty NINE!

Springs In Bloom

Wow, is it nice to be out of my winter doom and gloom and back outside where I belong. Went for a 2 mile run today and got some much needed fresh air. Daffodils and forsythia bushes are in bloom and things are starting to green up again - I love spring! Got my planters cleaned out and some much needed vitamin D to pump up my deficiency which will make my body happy and my doctor.
Spring is a time for new beginnings and I am so ready for a new beginning. I hope to start blogging on a regular basis and meet fellow bloggers along the way. Just like gardening, I hope to plant the seeds of friendship here on blogger.com and enjoy the beautiful harvest :)

Thrift Store Fun

My good friend is starting out 2010 right - by saving money. She is going to do some Goodwill &
thrift store shopping for the first time and asked me for some tips. I am an avid Goodwill, Thrift Store, & Garage Sale "shopper" and have learned some things along the way. So for those who are new to shopping thrift stores, here are my tips:

1. Make a list of things you need and only things you need! How many pairs of pants do you really need to Survive?
2. Plan on at least 2 hours per store - seriously, if I don't have 2 hours to spend at the Goodwill, I don't go. Especially when shopping for clothing. There is alot of crap to sort thur to find the good stuff!
3. Look the items over really good before you buy them. Stains, rips, holes, ect... (especially the t-shirts, the tags they use can put tiny holes in that type of material)
4. I take advil before I go too because my arms star to hurt from sliding each item in the rack over and over and over....no joke
5. Sometimes there are women's items mixed in with the mens, so always skim the men's stuff - I have found some great items in the men's section!
6. Just because it is $1.50 does NOT mean you need to buy it!!!! Stick with the list!
7. Eat before you go or bring water and a snack.
8. Try stuff on! Finding things that fit you correctly well look better and will be more function in your wardrobe. What can I say, I watch a lot of What Not To Wear (if you don't check out their website for tips
9. Watch your cart! People WILL take things out of them! If I try stuff on I always take the "good stuff" inside the stall with me so no one can take it!
10. Have fun with it - try on stupid stuff just for the hell of it and take pic's to post on FB :)

Few of my Favorite Things

We bought a Keurig Coffee Maker this summer as an anniversary gift to ourselves and we LOVE it! Normally we would not spend that much for a coffee maker but it was a special occasion and we had been using the one at our Aunts house for the past 2 years when we were up visiting her. Plus, my mom sent us some money because it was our 20th anniversary (I'm an only child), so with that and a coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond we paid next to nothing for it. I know it is not the most practical way to drink coffee but it is much cheaper than going to a coffee house and the coffee is just as good. Besides, it's the simple things that make me happy!
If you live in a house hold that like hot beverages but not the same kind of beverages or flavors, then I would highly suggest checking one of these out. Keurig sets the price so anywhere you go the price is the same, however, I bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond and used a coupon :) I also buy the coffee K-Cups there with coupons (for the same reason). And of course if you drink tea or hot chocolate you don't have to buy the K-cups you can just use the machine for hot water - and it's really hot and really fast. Sure beats getting a pan or kettle out and waiting forever for one cup of tea!

This is the model we bought: http://www.keurig.com/b60.asp?mscsid=AQ7122A1JGTB8LRJU21B2PVK5FUJ9DC7

Cleaning Tips

I am always looking for easy, fast, or cheap ways to clean. So, after reading about using baby wipes to get stains out of clothing many times, I figured there must be some merit to it. I gave it a try on several different types of clothing and stains. I can't say that I was real impressed but in a pinch I would use them if I was out and about and did not have a stain stick available.
However, I did find an awesome use for the wipes I had left over. I used them to clean off the baseboards in my house and was very impressed. I also use them to clean the the bathroom sinks and toilets and even the floors. You can combine the cleaning effort with anti-bacterial sprays or whatever cleaners you normally use. They are cheap and work lots better than paper towels!

Entertainment Corner

It's 2010 and I am back to blogging - for real this time :)
One of my favorite things in life is the world of entertainment. Movies, Music, TV, Books, whatever. I love it all!
Last weekend I went to see Avatar 3D. It really was incredible. Boy, has 3D come a long way! Long gone are the days of paper glasses with red and blue cello. I don't particularly like going to movies theaters (H1N1 Factories), but there are certain movies that just have to be view in a theater setting. I'm a big sci-fi fan, but even if I wasn't I would have loved this movie anyways. And of course I think everyone should see it, especially in 3D.
Sure, we all know the familiar storyline, but it's a movie people. It's entertainment - pure and simple. All these opponents just need to "shut it" and take it for what it really is - a movie, a really cool movie. Go see it!