guilty little pleasures...

ok... I have a new guilty pleasure on Thursday mornings....

Thursday is $1 day at Goodwill.... oh yea, that's right!
I love it!
I drive past to and from preschool so that's my place to wander
and bargain hunt on Thursday mornings before I pick the boys up.

one color tag and a certain # week are $1 for the whole day

I don't go as crazy as some people with cart-fulls of things.
I'm not sure if it's all for them or if they Ebay it.
Who cares. We are all having fun. Aren't we?

I do end up with at least a couple shirts. Last week I snagged a couple of great Polo tees for Hudson and Griffin in really great condition. In the past I have bought a Diesel tee, other Polo tees, Gap basketball shorts from last season....... and a destructed denim mini skirt from Old Navy. The same day I snagged the $1 mini, we received new destructed ones in at The Gap which were very similar for $49.50.

A couple days ago today I went to my usual consignment store since they are having their huge end of summer clearance sale.
Every green tag is only $2.
Well, I found a brand new with tags Calvin Klein slip dress
originally from Macy's for $150 for ONLY $2. I also grabbed a Trina Turk dress and a Tag denim skirt (both usually retail well over $100, sometimes over $200) for only $2 each.
I need to have both of the dresses altered a bit, but I don't care.


my other guilty pleasure was also on Wednesday....
Hudson and Griffin spent Tuesday night at my MIL's
and she didn't bring them back until late Wed . afternoon ..........
a day all by myself is heaven sometimes

soooooooooo.... what's your big guilty pleasure?

I'm lovin' me some Etsy

ok.... I so love SITS (Secret Is in The Sauce).......... I'm finding so many interesting blogs because of this place.

I found a great blog designer who has pretty reasonable prices and very cute portfolio too. She will finally be giving my blog a much-needed facelift. YAY! I'll spill more of those beans in a couple weeks when it's done. You better stay tuned.

Because of SITS, I also found a super cute Etsy sock monkey designer. You have to check out her cuteness HERE. I ordered an argyle sock monkey for a baby shower gift and I soooo can't wait to receive it.


Isn't he soooooo absolutely adorable????

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Fabulous Give-a-way!

I was visiting my friend Cheryl over at TidyMom and she is having a wonderful give-a-way that I would love to win. All I can say is look at this stuff...So go on over and visit TidyMom and also go visit Jessie's store...FABULOUS!

{Pictures are from TidyMom and Designs by Jessie.}

7%

I found this in my Scrappin' Table forum at Gotta Pixel today.. and I absolutely love it!

enjoy!!!!!


Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio ...

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12.. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26.. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles..

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the
7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'.

I'm in the 7%.

Remember, friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

heyyyyyyy Lucy!

It's time to add Template Tools Lucy to your template collection! It's ok for CU/S4H/ and PU.... and it's only $1 Monday and Tuesday



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It's a Speed Scrap again!!!!!! Aren't you excited? Sara Ellis will be hosting another Speed Scrap at noon Eastern on Tuesday, September 15th. Please join us in the Scrappin' Table forum. If you aren't familiar with a Speed Scrap, don't fret. This is the perfect place for beginning scrappers to ones who have been doing it for a few years. It's the perfect inspirational challenge to get you scrapping a great layout. Sara will give you 5-6 steps of directions for you to end up with your newest masterpiece. And....a little participation prize will be awarded to all participants.

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look at all this fabulous goodness you can get for only $1 each.....

Owl Adore You Brag Book




Owl Adore You perfectly coordinates with our blog train from Labor Day weekend (with a few added colors)... especially cute addition to my contribution, Owl Love You

If you missed it in on the train, it's now in my store for super cheap.

********* AND *************
don't forget.......
Tuesday is also the last day for Gotta Grab It.......
lucyloo - papers and flair for some fabulous whimsical fun .............
....
for Gotta Pixel's Gotta Grab It's September event ...mix and match over 50 items for your ultimate mega collaboration.... each item is only $1 each all from the same color swatch

you-hoo........it's lucyboo

Introducing loopdeeloo's cousin, lucyloo - papers and flair for some fabulous whimsical fun .............
....
for Gotta Pixel's Gotta Grab It's September event ...mix and match over 50 items for your ultimate mega collaboration.... each item is only $1 each all from the same color swatch

Brag Book Exchange

How would you like your own brag book with hardly doing any work?

If you are interested, I will provide you with a brag book sized kit that coordinates with my Zoomsters page kit in the store. That means each page is only 4x6 and all elements are sized to fit the pages.



September's Brag Book Exchange will be coordinating with my newest kit, Zoomsters



You are more than welcome to use the provided brag book kit and/or the page kit from the store, but you can only use items from these kits to make your brag book page. *I will have the preview for the brag book kit available for you to view by sometime tomorrow*

You must sign-up by Monday, Sept 14th.
Find more details HERE

FREEBIE Birthday bargains!!!!!!!

Thanks to The Saving Cents with Sense blog......
........t some great Birthday FREEBIES that you can sign up for. You’ll want to sign up well in advance for most of these, but then you can be pleasantly surprised about all the freebies you get in your birthday month!

Here are the Top 30 FREEBIES to request for your birthday:

Baskin Robbins: FREE ice cream scoop
Cold Stone: FREE ice cream with 1 mix
Dairy Queen: FREE Blizzard
Marble Slab Creamery: FREE ice cream
Chevy’s: FREE meal
Rubio’s: FREE meal up to $7
Red Robin: FREE Hamburger
Einstein’s: FREE Bagel with schmear
Orange Julius: FREE smoothie
Smoothie King: FREE 20 oz Smoothie
Sweet Tomatoes: Buy 1, Get 1 Entree FREE
Ruby Tuesday: Buy 1, Get 1 Entree FREE
Denny’s: Buy 1, Get 1 Entree FREE
Arby’s: FREE shake w/ sandwich purchase
Mimi’s Cafe: $10 off $20 purchase
On the Border: FREE appetizer
The Melting Pot: FREE chocolate fondue for 2
Schlotzsky’s: FREE food
The Keg Steakhouse: FREE Prime Rib Dinner (ask hostess to sign up)
Rock Botton Restaurant & Brewery: FREE Appetizer
Joe’s Crab Shack: FREE Appetizer
Buca de Beppo: FREE Dessert
Claim Jumper: FREE Dessert
Chili’s: FREE Dessert
Island’s: FREE Dessert
Buffalo Wild Wings: FREE Dessert w/ $5 purchase
The Old Spaghetti Factory: FREE Caramel Pecan Friazos Dessert (also a separate kid’s birthday club)
Harkin’s Theatres: FREE Medium Popcorn
Sephora: FREE Birthday Item
Danny’s Family Car Wash: FREE Car Wash

Why 30? Well, that is the magic number of the day since I turn 30 today! Know of any other great FREEBIES I should add to the list for next year? Please let me know!

You can find more Birthday Treats in your area at Free Birthday Treats.com

Visit Saving Sense with Sense for the full story.

lovin' my nights... and then.....

watching the new fresh fall tv :) Glee was soooo fun to watch! Project Runway is back on, plus the new Models of the Runway. Survivor is starting up next week. Real World/Road Rules Challenge (The Duel or Gauntlet, whatever it's called now) will also be on soon. Joy Joy!!

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now..... tomorrow morning will be the 8th anniversary of 9-11. I can't believe it's been 8 years since that horrible tragic day. The world has changed so much since then.

Back on 9-11-01, I was getting ready for work at home by myself. My son Cooper was already at school. (I was a single mom then) I was watching the Today show, went downstairs to grab some Cheerios, then saw the 1st tower on tv and didn't think much about it at first. I thought it was a movie clip... and .. then ... WOW! I realized it was real. I listened to the radio and cried the whole way to work. Our whole office just stayed in the backroom watching tv most of the day. I worked in a mortgage office then. We all were so annoyed when we received phone calls because we didn't think anyone should be doing anything "normal".

Well, tomorrow I will be taking Hudson and Griffin (almost 5 and 4) to the Healing Field for our 3rd year in a row. If you have one in your city, you really should go. It's become a tradition for us. It's sad and so special. It would be so great for Coop to join us, but he's in St Louis every year at this time. I think we always end up with amazing pictures.

Here's a layout I did from 2007. It was for an ABC album - this was for the letter 'T'


and a similar shot from last year -


I hope you have a special day.

Owl Adore You :)

Owl Adore You perfectly coordinates with our blog train from over the weekend (with a few added colors)... especially cute addition to my contribution, Owl Love You

If you missed it in on the train, it's now in my store for super cheap.

Top 12!!!!!

Thank you sooooo much to everyone who stopped by over the weekend, left some lovin', and grabbed my cute Blog Train gift, Owl Love You. I'll have a coordinating cutie pie kit available in my store soon, Owl Adore You. Please keep your eyes open. :)

and......

Gotta Pixel established a new category in our store about a month ago. It's for the Top 12 sellers of the previous week.

My oh so cute Zoomsters page kit is in the Top 12 right now. YAY!

CHOO-CHOO... hop on the train

Gotta Pixel is celebrating the turning of the seasons approaching in the northern areas with a HUGE blog train. This weekend, Sept. 5th and 6th you can visit some of your favorite Gotta Pixel Designers listed below to pick up a little treat from each that coordinates with one another to make one fabulous fall collection. Be sure to check back if you don't see an active link right away, as the designers are each on different time zones and some may have posts up later than others. And if you pick up something you absolutely love, be sure to check in the store at GP on Sept. 7th as several of our designers celebrate Labor Day with a great sale on their goodies! (AND... I'm one of the participating designers!)

here's some of the goodies you can fall in love with in my store:
and......
I'll be hosting a Speed Scrap at Gotta Pixel on Tuesday at noon Eastern time.
I hope you will be able to join our fun.


now are you ready for the train???????




Please enjoy my mini kit contribution, Owl Love You.
(ETA: Sept 7th... thanks so much for stopping by - the download is now EXPIRED ... please stop by Gotta Pixel for our SALE today ...
and a coordinating kit, Owl Adore You, will be in my store soon)

Have fun collecting all the fabulous coordination portions from
the Gotta Pixel designers. Please be kind and leave some lovin' for each designer. Let them know how much you appreciate their generosity. :)

Here is the list of the other participating blogs for you to visit!
Gotta Pixel
My Own Font by Karen
Marta van Eck
Karen Lewis
Laura Burger
Connie Prince
Simply Scraps
Lorie M. Designs
Armina Designs
Creations by Rachael
Crisdam Designs
Julie Marie Designs
Designs by Heather T
Kristmess Designs
Cherie Shields
Sara Ellis *you are here* thank you :)
Colies Corner
Sarah Meyer
Doohikey Designs
Elka Romero

scraplift, scraplift, who wants a scraplift?

The Blender Challenge is one that will be different each month. It will be a mixture of things, hence the name "Blender". You never know how it will get mixed up each month. You might really have to be incredibly creative by scrapping outside your normal box.

sooooooo....

For September:
*It's a scraplift!
*I really love one of Danyale's layouts she made with my Zoomsters kit

*Use this as inspiration and Scrap Sassy Silly!

see more details HERE

Zoooooooomsters!

It's $1 Tuesday!!!!!!! And boy do I have a fun page kit available for you!
Zoomsters is so full of exciting goodies!

look at some of these stupendous layouts made all with Zoomsters...

one kit call

If you feel inspired by Zoomsters, I'd love to hear from you





*do you have time to scrap one or two layouts Sunday or Monday...or time to make a fun hybrid project?
*e-mail me at saranohw(at)yahoo(dot)com with "Zoomsters" in the subject line & link me up to your best gallery
*must e-mail me by midnight Eastern time Saturday, Aug 29th (my blogging friends can e-mail me on Sunday)
*must be able to post in my Gotta Pixel gallery by Monday night

the Bargain Bunny strikes again...

I just saved 85% on my groceries and paid 4 bucks + change... I so wish I could do this everytime!.... but I have done VERY well this last week!

Fry's mega shopping event really is helping with it right now... Fry's is a Kroger's chain grocery store .... their mega shopping event is a whole lot of items on sale, and pick 10 save an extra $5 .... and I've been printing coupons for lots of the same things from coupons.com and smartsource.com & all of them are doubled at the store (even thought the coupons say not to double or triple them, Fry's still does it) .... AND... at www.shortcuts.com you can "load" coupons onto your Fry's card, the discount is automatically taken off when the item is rung up

...btw, I am stocking up on Fruit Roll Ups, granola bars, cookie mixes, hamburger mac, etc

........sooooo... this last week is the BEST I've ever done shopping, savings-wise, that is...

*Aug 21st - spent $12.25, saved $46.11 (79%)

*Aug 25th - spent $4.33, saved $24.56 (85%)

I also had a few other coupons for things like free lettuce & $3.50 off my next purchase (since I bought 5 Betty Crocker fruit snacks earlier)..... I'll be shocked if I can keep this streak up next week, but I sooo hope I can!

boogie oogie dance challenge

thanks to my friend, Gretchen, I found a great new blog networking site, The Secret in the Sauce (SITS)... look over on my sidebar for their nifty little linkybutton :)

well, each day a different blogger is featured as the Featured Blogger (FB), today's FB is A Shimmy in My Spirit. I really loved one of her recent posts and I wanted to snag it to share with my blogging friends too :) It's the Dancing Challenge below... enjoy!...

What I Know For Sure..

1. When I dance around my kitchen my mood increases by 15%-20%.

2. Dancing improves my mood and an improved mood effects everything I do the entire day.

3. My body feels so much better when I dance.

4. I'm more fun if I've danced.

5. I eat better when I dance.

6. Dancing is cheaper than therapy.

7. I'm more creative when I dance.

8. I lose weight when I dance.

9. I look better when I dance.

10.I laugh more when I dance.

Won't you join me? How many people do you think we can get dancing around their kitchens?

anyway...... back to SITS... if you want..........join up, grab their button for your blog, check in with the FB on her blog and make a comment on her post at SITS, then leave some lovin' for a couple bloggers above you in the comments.

Congratulations!

First off....Congrats to my fabulous Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi. They welcomed 72 new members after an exciting Recruitment! Woo-hoo!!! I love my girls! I can't wait to see the list of all the new girls to see if any are from the Southwest.... or even from my high school back in Kansas City

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Congratulations to me!!!!
I scrapped THREE layouts last week. What a miracle!!!
my boys had little All About Me pages for preschool. We're supposed to attach a pic of the family and a pic of the child, and include their "likes" ...
well, last you I followed the instructions as directed

this year.... I didn't....

this is what I turned in instead...

and...

(everything used is by me from various kits, including one to be released soon)

all of the classmates take turns starting this week of bringing home the entire class to get to know them.. and then they are posted on the hallway outside of class for the entire year before they bring them home in May

and........ I also scrapped one for the Speed Scrap I hosted at Gotta Pixel last Thursday...


this is for the speed scrap I hosted earlier today

1st day of preschool this year... Griffin was tracing his name from right to left & very happy about it too
(the big scratch on his cheek was courtesy of his brother)

Loopdeeloo by Sara Ellis

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and Sears......... my husband won a $25 gift card to Sears about a week ago. I finally went to the store today and DANG!!!! it was so hard to spend that. I just didn't care for any of the clothes and then nothing else popped out at me... unless it was a few hundred dollars in the electronics dept. After lots of walking around I ended up with a new scraper for the grill, a new square griddle (our old one was kind of sad with a broken handle), and some new socks for by husband. Hopefully his next gift card he brings home from work will be for The Gap or Target. I could spend one of those so super fast.

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ok.. now just wish for my nose to stop running... I'm so tired of this cold!

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and....... don't forget............
I'm offering you one super fantabulous can't beat offer......
You can buy my entire store at Gotta Pixel, valued at over $250 for only $25 until the August 29th................ BUT...... this weekend GP is having a huge back-to-school sale... so that means my fabulous bargain of buying my whole store is even cheaper!!!!!!!! crazy crazy I tell you, but so true! It's only $15 through the 24th. Go mad crazy and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

crazy savings!!!!!!!!!!

ok......... I was sooooooo thrilled with myself today! I saved 79% at the grocery store today with their mega sales event, buy 10 participating items, get $5 back. I added a bunch of coupons on top of this too. Sooooo... I saved $46 and paid $12! soooooo very cool!

and now I'm offering you one super fantabulous can't beat offer......
You can buy my entire store at Gotta Pixel, valued at over $250 for only $25 until the August 29th................ BUT...... this weekend GP is having a huge back-to-school sale... so that means my fabulous bargain of buying my whole store is even cheaper!!!!!!!! crazy crazy I tell you, but so true! It's only $15 throughout the weekend. Go mad crazy and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!