Apples and Target

I have not been posting regularly due to being sooo busy shopping for practically free at Target and putting up apples!
My oldest son brought me 3 bags of apples this past weekend and I just finished the last bag, (peeling, slicing, freezing). I froze 48 cups!
Next,  I need to can the few pumpkins I have gotten so far , a whole 3, had 4 but the squirrels ate on one for 2 weeks. There are 2 green ones still out there and I am hoping the squirrels will leave them to ripen.

I have become obsessed with Target! OMG! I am bringing bags and bags of stuff home for practically nothing!

Last Friday I got all this free!

Actually the Tide and Clean & Clear were priced 97¢ each , my coupons were $1.00 each so I made 24¢ there and the 2 GladePlug ins were $5.04 each and my coupons were $6.00 so I made $1.92 -- so I had $2.16 towards my other items in my cart.

 Total Value of this in the picture above is $29.48 - all for free!!

Also in my cart- I got more deals!

Suave 99¢ - I paid 24¢

Gillette Body Wash $3.54 each - I paid $1.54 each

Lysol $3.39 - I paid 89¢

Axe Body Sponge $3.49 - I paid $2.74 (plus got that bottle of Axe Body Wash free BOGO)

Yakisoba 99¢- I paid 47¢

Revlon Emery Boards $1.27 - I paid 27¢

Total Value $17.21 > I paid $5.53 (after the $2.16 overage from above)

Hyvee was having a sale that day too:

The Quaker Granola Bars (3pks) were $1.00 each - I paid $2.00 for all 5 boxes
Banquet Fruit Pies were 39¢ each I got 10 = $3.90 - I paid  15¢ for all 10! (not each ALL 10 FOR 15¢)
Kraft cheese on sale 2 for $4.00 - I paid $1.00 each on 5

Total Value (sale prices) $18.90  > I paid $7.15

Target again (last Sunday):

Suave Shampoo reg 99¢ - I paid 24¢
Tide Bottle reg $7.49 - I paid $3.49
Glade Spray reg $2.89 - I paid 89¢
Vaseline Lotion reg $2.69 - I paid 69¢
Alpo reg 89¢ each - I paid 38¢ each
Right Guard 2 pk reg $4.00 - I got for free
Glade motion Sensor reg $5.04 - I made 96¢ after $6.00 coupon
Land o Lakes on sale 83¢ each - I paid 38¢ each
Tide pkt, Pantene shampoo, conditioner and 2 Reach Floss 97¢ each after coupons I made 15¢

Total Value $36.73 - I paid $9.11

Then again on Tuesday ( I said I was obsessed) LOL!

Glade Carpet reg $1.99 each - I made 1¢ each after coupons

Suave $1.20 each - I paid 45¢ each

Gillette Body Wash reg $3.54 each - I paid $1.18 each

Vaseline Lotion reg $2.99 - I paid 49¢

Tide pkts 97¢ each - I made 3¢ each after coupons

Reveal 3 Way Bulb reg $2.51 - I paid $1.01

Reveal 4pk reg $3.44 - I paid 50¢

Hersheys reg $3.79 - I paid 50¢

Total Value $38.75 - I paid $9.30

The other day I got a package in the mail. I was really suprised when I opened it up and found a full size Hamburger Helper, along with a sample cereal  and coupon.

Thanks for stopping in. Have a good evening!

Sunday Deals

I am still only buying the sale items and weekly needs, since I am trying to dwindle our "stockpile" before it gets too old.
So today was minimal at the grocery store but still BIG savings.

Folgers reg price $8.98 each > I paid $4.98 each

Skippy reg price $1.98 each > I paid 98¢ each

Farmland sausage reg price$1.78 each > I paid $1.00 each

Total worth $29.04 > I paid $15.92

We did a Target run this evening (it is only 1 mile from our house).

Pillows reg price $4.99 each > I paid $2.00 each

Bagel Bites I paid 24¢

Bic pens 2 packs - free

Tide 2 packs they paid me 3¢ each.

Total worth $16.14 > I paid $4.24

These Tide singles I have been accumulating and putting away for our next vacation. They are great! They are flat and can slip into your baggage and take up no room like a bulky bottle will. We did a lot of laundry last year when we went to ocean, that sand gets into everything. Next year I will be prepared with my "freebies"!

                                                              From the Garden
Yesterday I noticed this yellow finch on my Zinnia's. I had to take the picture from the bathroom window through the screen. It wasn't too clear.

I went into the living room to try and get another picture with the zoom on my camera through our picture window (that has no screen). I looked out and to my dismay it was gone and as I started to put the camera down I realized it was right in front of me!

It was like it came up and posed and then left.

Because of the tint on the window the picture is dim.

That's it for today.

Good Evening!

Sunday deals and recipe

I made a trip to the store today to pick up the "sale items" and the weekly regulars (milk, fresh veg's,etc).
No Frill's had a store coupon for $5.00 off 10 participating products.  I combined it with some coupons I had for the products and got some great deals! Plus I ad matched some things too.

Grands reg. $1.98 each on sale for 98¢ > I paid 33¢ each

Cereal reg. $3.68 each on sale for $1.98 each > I paid  93¢ each

Cake mix reg. $1.48 on sale for 98¢ > I paid 48¢

Frosting reg. $1.99 on sale for $1.48 > I paid 98¢

Smuckers Jam reg. $1.78 each  > I paid 97¢ each (ad match - Fareway)

Pizza Rolls reg. $3.68 each on sale $2.88 > I paid $2.10 each

I also got :

Cat litter 25lb bags reg. $4.98 each > I paid $1.99 each (ad match - Fareway)

Charmin toilet paper reg. $10.63 on sale $5.98 > I paid $4.98

Vidalia onions reg. $1.69 lb > I paid 69¢ lb (ad match - Fareway)

Carrots 2lbs reg. $1.79> I paid 69¢ (ad match - Super Saver)

Total worth $55.58 > I paid $26.14

I had a few other items in the cart too.

My coupon total was $9.25

Today I made granola and granola bars. They are awesome!

A big "Thank you"  to Megan at Daily Essentials and Deals  (she has great step by step pictures).

Recipe

Mix in a bowl:

4 cups quick rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/3 cup flax seed (ground)

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1-2 cups mini chocolate chips (opt.)

other options (I did not use these)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup almonds

In another bowl mix:

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup water

Then put wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.

Preheat oven to 300* and spray pans with cooking spray.

For this batch I spread 1/2 onto a cookie sheet loosely for cereal

and pressed the other 1/2 of the batch into a 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish (press firmly to make granola bars).

Bake the loose batch until lightly brown on the bottom about 25 minutes. Lightly stir one time halfway through baking.

For the bars in the baking dish leave in a little longer about 35 minutes. Until lightly brown around edges.

Once the bars cool, just cut and store sealed!

Ovens vary so you will want to keep an eye on them to make sure they are not overcooked.

Next time I believe I will add some pecans. This is so yummy I can't wait til breakfast!

Gasp! We picked more tomatoes today (2 plants are now officially dead though). I have enough to put up 3 more quarts of Spaghetti Sauce which I will do after work tomorrow ( at least that is the plan, lol). I am feeling better that my garden has not been a total bust!
I did find that I have 1 pumpkin growing ( out of 12 plants) and 1 acorn squash (out of 6 plants). Ho-hum! LOL. I don't foresee me canning lots of pumpkin this fall as I had hoped.

Back to work tomorrow - Ugh! I actually have to work the whole week. I was enjoying having a day off a week (sometimes 2). (I have next Monday off though he-he ,)  School starts Tuesday Aug. 17.

I timed this just right to finish up before my show -
"The Gates" is about to come on. LOL.
Good Evening!

It's Already August!

It's already August and what a disappointing Fall it will be with so little from my garden this year. I know I am not alone though, as others in the area have said the same of their gardens.

I managed to get a little less than 3 quarts of spaghetti sauce canned from the few tomatoes we got. I even have a couple tomatoes for our BLT's too.

Mailbox finds

It's been awhile since we had many "free samples" come to the mailbox. This week we started getting some again.

My son has become somewhat disinterested in this mailbox freebies though. LOL. It seems all I get anymore is feminine product samples. I got a diaper , Lanacane, Olay body wash, and some water flavorers too. 

 

The plumbing is done. Actually it was done on Tuesday night. It is so great to have water pressure. They also ran plumbing for the new bathroom we are putting in the basement. We will start on that next year.

The weather has still been nasty humid. I would love to get back to working on the landscaping in the front. I have decided to go ahead and do the landscaping blocks after all. It just makes for a nicer look.

The mower broke again (after my last report  of it breaking and Dave fixing it).

We had to end up borrowing a mower today. The lawn has not been mowed in 2 weeks and though it hasn't grown all that much it was starting to look unsightly.

 Flipping It For  $$ 

Bought at thrift store for 98¢ sold on ebay for $6.00

 Brand New never used - got it off freecycle (for free ) sold on craigslist for $5.00

 paid 20¢ for unopened vintage kit at thrift store sold on ebay for $8.47

 It's back to work tomorrow so I will say Good Evening!

Saturday finds

I was in the area of Target today, so I used up my coupons that were expiring- today! LOL.
Not a whole lot but still better than paying full price.

I paid 24¢ (reg $2.24) for the Bagel Bites, Busy Bones $1.09 (reg $2.84), Beggin Strips $1.09 (reg $2.34), Tide (reg 97¢) They paid me 3¢ each (LOL).

Total value $10.33 > I paid $2.33

All thanks to coupons!!

I was in the area of Fareway also so I stopped for their sale stuff.

Van Camps were 4 for $1.00 with an in-store coupon,  (reg 68¢ each) Wheat bread $1.09 each (reg 2.29 each) Ball lids $2.19 each (reg $2.89 each) my coupon was buy 2 get one free so I actually paid $1.46 each, Era 32 load (not shown) (reg 3.99) on sale $2.99 I paid $1.99.

Total value $22.25 > I paid $10.64

I have quite a grocery list started for tomorrow. I am hoping I have enough tomatoes to at least put up 3 quarts of spaghetti sauce. We have been able to get a small bucket of them and I see there are maybe half dozen more out there (if they are any good). This years garden has not gone well due to ALL the rain. My squash and pumpkins are not producing fruit. I am going to attempt to pollenate them myself tomorrow. The Roma tomatoes are almost dead. I have had only 1 pepper out of 3 plants. Not many jalapeno peppers either like usual. Green beans I have harvested twice from (not many) and they are about done. The pole beans have not produced hardly anything. Cucumbers are doing fair but seem to be stunted. carrots have nice tops but nothing below.

We not only had an over abundance of rain we have had a problem with moles in the garden this year too. They did not bother it last year. They have also killed off some of the plants the shade garden I started.

I have never had a garden go so wrong on me before.

Anyway, I am going to try some new recipes for making my own Ranch dressing and Italian dressing.

If I think they are good I will share them.

It's late so I will say Good Evening!

Vacation Wednesday's

 I started taking Wednesday off last week, to spend time with my son. He is so bored all day being on summer break.
 We are not taking a vacation this year because of the turbulent weather everywhere. We hope to get back to Tybee Island next year though (and I am going to try hard to save the money to rent a condo this time on the beach).
Last Wednesday we went to Joslyn Museum in Omaha, Ne. (accross the river from us). Joslyn Museum  We love museums and they have some very beautiful paintings and exhibits there. An FYI on Saturdays you can visit for free!
We also visited the oldest cemetary in our town here. I had not been there since I was a teenager. It was absolutely awesome.  (My son and I love old cemetaries).

Today we went to the "Bodies The Exhibition". Very expensive but very interesting. For those not familar with this they are preserved human bodies opened up so you can see what is inside of us. Here is a link Bodies The Exhibition. My son held a human brain in his hands and said he couldn't wait to tell his dad. LOL!
That didn't take as long to see as we thought so I decided to take him up to the oldest part of the city which before being annexed was Florence. Here we found an old Mill that was established by Brighom Young and is now a museum. It was free but they take donations (yes I donated). In the upper part is an Art Gallery. It was a very interesting place and the woman was delightful to chat with. They have a Farmers Market type thing on Sunday's she said so we are planning on returning then. There is also another museum in the area that is only open on weekends. We plan to stop at that. Florence Mill
We also discovered the Mormon Trails Center Museum. It was totally free and very interesting. I had no idea about their history. I love history and they very kindly gave me a Book of Mormon, which I do plan on reading. I declined the missionary visit though. Mormon Trails Museum
Finally, I took my son to Hummel Park.  I had not been there in over 20 years. Check out this link Hummel Park. I had only been there at night also. It was almost as creepy in the daytime I found, but, we love creepy. LOL! We will be going back with our camera's soon to take pictures of the "morphing stairs" (LOL) and the beautiful views.
So if you are ever in Omaha, Ne. These are just a few of the inexpesive historical places to visit.

                                                               From The Garden
Picked another mess of green beans. A friend at work gave me the best resipe for them. They are in the crock pot as we speak! Smell so yummy!
Recipe
Put raw bacon (cut in 1 in pieces) on the bottom of the crock pot (as much as you want)
Next put in potatoes (about 1in cubes)  as much as you want but leave room for the beans)
Then snap your beans and put them on top.
I add about a 1/2 cup of water
Put lid on and cook until potatoes are done. I stir them about the last 1-2 hours
If you put them on in morning I suggest on low if you start them after noon as I did put them on high and turn down when potatoes are done.

I made this with the first mess of green beans and it "was to die for". Dave couldn't get enough and went on and on about it.

Flipping It For $$

Got this at a church rummage for 50¢  sold on Craigslist for $5.00

Found on curb - sold on Craigslist  $20.00

Dave brought this hood ornament home (found at work) I sold on ebay for $28.00

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good evening.

Sunday Again

I wanted to blog more often but it has been less. I just can not find time to do everything I want to do in a day.
                                                             From The Garden
The garden is starting to produce a bit more. I was able to get these few tomatoes and I don't expect to get many more. The rain just keeps coming and the ground is not drying up. I had to throw out some cucmbers that were laying in water and had grown fungus all over them.

The flowers are all doing well too. Those clearance flowers I bought for $1.00 each

Just look at them now!

They just needed some attention.

My favorite flowers are Lilies and more of mine are in bloom and they just smell so good!

We had another storm last week with winds of 80 miles per hour. Luckily we had no damage at our place.

This was taken as it was coming in . The northern part of my city got it worse than we did. Looks like we caught the edge of it.

Trash to Treasure

Dave brought me this old cast iron kettle, the bottom is missing and the top piece (cover) I took off.

It's really old and there is just something about it I like. I found a clay pot fit perfectly in it.

 Notice something different in these two pictures?  The wiring is hooked up to the outlet. Now I can put in my pond! YAY!!  Dave got the outlet finished today. So expect pictures soon ( I hope) -(yet another project). I have all the stuff for the pond I was just needing an outlet .

Savings

I didn't take any pictures but my son and I hit the clearance rack at Kohl's this week and he found a pair of APT Jeans for $6.00 (orig price $60.00)  and a pair of shorts for $2.80 (orig price $14.00) plus I had a coupon for 20% off entire purchase so I paid  $7.53  for all!

No great grocery shopping deals to speak of. Only bought a few things this week. I am trying to use up all we have in freezer and pantry before it goes old.

Have a good evening!

WOW It's already Sunday!

I have been dealing with hip pain (in both sides) these past 3 days. Needless to say I have not gotten as much done as I would have liked to, and here it is Sunday- back to work tomorrow. Ho-hum!

Friday I worked on the bathroom some more. Dave put up my shelf last Sunday so I could put my plant back in there.
I suppose I should explain the unusual planter. First, I want to say that I love it because it is unique and one of a kind. It means a lot to me. You see my son made it for me in "art class" at school last year. He admits he is not good at "ceramics", LOL (I don't care). I find it special an am proud to display it.

The Bathroom Project
I finished the cupboard by putting new knobs on. Here are a couple of "before" pictures.

There were cupboards around the "ugly" light fixture. We removed the upper and left side cupboards. I painted the one that I we kept.

I painted it to look like "old wood" but now I am thinking about going back over it and making it completely dark.

Now I am trying to decide if I want to paint the new sink base "black". It has a "plastic like" finish on the front doors for ease of cleaning and I just am not sure I can get that if I paint them.

 I wish I had taken a "before" picture of the old sink that was here when we moved in. It was one of those 60's fake marbelized ones. It had a tiny bowl and long 3 foot counter to the right. It was "nasty" (uncleanable), too.

The other thing I am about to tackle is the tub. ( Okay here if you could see me is where I am  rolling my eyes, LOL).  First - why on earth did they paint it?!! Not only did they paint it but they did a horrid job.

It has run marks!
This is the bottom of the tub (yes inside- we only use the shower at this time and a bath mat)

 The tub is porcelain so I can't scrape it off and have to be careful of any chemicals I use. I think however the paint is chipping itself off quite well .

This is not the only problem we have had while redoing the bathroom. At some point in time someone painted all the walls, ceiling and tile (we removed the tile) with varnish or polyurethane which, through the years yellowed, cracked and chipped and apparently when it got steamy in there, it ran down the walls. I scrubbed and scrubbed before painting just so my paint would adhere.

 So the bathroom is still not completely done.

Deals
I had only 2 great deals to share today.

 The tuna I got for 47¢ a can (reg 98¢ each) and the "always" I got for $1.69  (reg $6.98).

The Garden

It was raining today when I got up and it is supposed to rain more tonight. My tomatoes are not doing well at all, due to this. I am pretty sure I will not have enough to can.

I have already harvested several jalapeno's which is unusual since the plant is not even half the size as last years. I still have alot left in the jar, so I have started a jar for my son. Last year the big jar was full to the top, from just the one plant. I gave alot away too, off that plant.

The cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and beans are all doing wonderful.

My lilies finally bloomed!!

That $1.00 clearance pot I bought at Menards just needed some water and sunshine. (The other one is all budded)

 

Here is a clearer picture of the front bed (as promised).

I see I have green beans to pick and the sun is starting to go down so I better go pick them.
Thanks for stopping.
Have a - "good evening"