Gosh, I Love a Great Deal!

Does anyone else LOVE bargain hunting? Seriously, I feel so thrilled when I get a great deal and I love telling people about it.

My grandma doesn't agree with this. If someone compliments me on a shirt and I say, "Thanks. Got it on the Kohl's clearance rack for $3.50!" she would probably gasp. (A lady never gives up her secrets... love you Grams! :)

Carter's has recently had their warehouse clearance sale, with an extra 50% of the clearance prices! Caden got so many new clothes, I also bought some for my niece, Isabelle, too. Who could pass up frilly dresses for $2.50?

Anyways, that was some great shopping, but today was the steal of the century! Greg and I have been wanting a GPS for the car for some time, now. We've borrowed a friend's for a few road trips and let me tell, ya, we hardly argued at all! (God had pity on the marriage relationship when he inspired whoever invented this gadget.)

A few days ago, I got a peel off Kohl's coupon. I always get the 15%ers, never the 20% or 30%, so imagine my surprise when it was 30% off! Yay! I started to imagine all the things I "needed." Then, yesterday I got their two-day Valentine's doorbuster ad. It just so happens that a $200 GPS was on sale for $89.99.
That's 55% off already!

Okay, so $89.99.
Less my 30% off, brought it to $65.00.
Then, I had $25 in Kohl's merchandise credits (from Christmas returns)- $40.00
Oh yes, did I mention you get a $20 VISA card in rebate for the GPS?- $20.00
Finally, Kohl's gave me $10 in Kohl's cash for every $50 I spent- $10.00

$10.00

I just spent $10.00, people, and got an awesome GPS!
Beat that!

(Well, actually, I can- did I ever tell you about the time Greg and I got PAID for buying new rollerblades...
that's another story, though... =)

Cootie Catcher Paper Options

I have loads of paper choices available! There's bound to be something that matches your event colors/theme and if not, I'm always up for special orders! :)

You can click each picture to get an up close view of each set of colors. Please remember that monitors differ, so if you have a question about any of my paper colors, please don't hesitate to ask! I've included some other terms under the color names in an effort to help you identify their true shades. Also, if you are unsure, I would be happy to arrange swatches sent via snail mail.

Please be aware that I print cootie catchers on TEXT weight paper. All of my papers are between 24-30lbs. I personally feel this is the right weight of paper for cooties. Please see my note below if you are interested in heavier stock.






NEW- just added a solid aqua/Tiffany to the Solid Blues!

Sorry, the solid Aqua is not available in cardstock.




THIS JUST IN! Jewel Tones!
This gorgeous line just became available. There is an extra charge of $.12 each for these jewel-tone papers. They are 28lb text weight and are usually better suited to darker inks.
NEW- just added a new aqua/Tiffany blue to the Jewel Tone line.

Sometimes brides like their cooties on cover stock (although I don't recommend it). I'm happy to accommodate these orders upon request. There is a $.10 upcharge for cardstock cootie catchers. (With the exception of the Jewel Tone collection, which has an upcharge of $.22 each for cover stock) Unless otherwise marked, all of my paper selections also come in cardstock. In addition to these cardstock choices, I also have:White Linen
Cherry (a shade of pink)
Buff (a light yellow/gold color)
Salmon
Bisque (off white)

Also, I get asked a lot if I can do white ink on darker paper. The short answer is unfortunately, no. (Which is why you'll notice I don't offer black or very dark papers) White ink is not yet available except in VERY expensive commercial printers. Let's hope they come up with a solution to that soon!

Me + Resolution = FAIL

So, I haven't been doing so well with my resolution to make at least one extra meal each week to freeze and use a frozen meal for one week each night to save on $$$, sanity and dishes...

But hey, I've got excuses! The holidays were, of course, super busy with a baby and multiple parties in multiple states, we traveled with two infants to Alabama (in the car!) and I've been up to my EYEBALLS in cootie catcher orders (thank you, REAL SIMPLE magazine. :)

There's always tomorrow...

But seriously, I am going to try to get back on the horse next week. In the meantime, here's a really good recipe for a delicious meal that doesn't work well for freezing, but is simple, and that's almost as good!

Asian Chicken and Rice Bake
(courtesy of Campbell's with a little tweaking by moi)

1 C uncooked long grain rice
4 chicken breasts
1 can Campbell's golden mushroom soup
1 Cup water
1/4 C soy sauce
2 TBSP cider vinegar
(I used red wine vinegar in a pinch & it worked fine)
3 TBSP honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash salt
dash pepper
paprika
1 can diced water chestnuts, optional

Spray 2 qt. baking dish with Pam. Spread rice in the bottom of dish and place chicken breasts on top. Mix soup, water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and add water chestnuts if desired. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Cover.
Bake @ 400 for 45-60 min, or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Serve with additional soy sauce, if desired.
I think this pairs great with snow or sugar snap peas.
Enjoy!